Friday, March 31, 2006

Curry mela 12 comming soon...

Was a long busy day, so got very late when I got home..
Will be up by noon tomorrow...


Get the entries comming in...

Comming sooon

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Simple Fish Curry

A very happy Cheiraoba ( Manipuri New Year) and
Happy Gudi Padva ( Maharastrian New Year) and
Ugadi - Telugu New Year to you all !!!

( I didn't know about the telegu New year until I saw it on a new Food Blogger's, so I take this opportunity to introduce MyRasoi)


We don't eat Fish, back home, on this day, but I do ;-) so why be a hypocrite? Here is an amazingly easy fish recipe for you. We do clean our houses on this day, and my house is sparkling clean today.



You may use any frsh water fish like Catla( katla?), Rohu, Mrigal, Golden carp, Grass Carp, to make this fish curry.
In the simplest form, which is as staple as daal to a Bengali, this is cooked with Shahi Jeera, and Dhania Jeera powder with chillis.
I added a little Ginger- garlic paste and of course my favorite peas. Tomatoes is optional.

Ingredients:
5-6 Fish Steaks (3/4 th of an inch thick.)
Half a cup of green peas
Methi, Shahi Jeera, Heeng, Bayleaves, Green chilis, Dhania-Jeera Powder


Cook:
In 1 Tbs oil, add two bayleaves, a tsp of shahi jeera ( Black Cumin, the smaller darker variety) and let sputter.
Add a pinch if heeng ( Asafoetida) and a tsp of soaked meethi ( fenugreek).
Add 2 green chillis sliced in halves.
Add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste( only ginger will also do)
Add the peas,
and add turmeric and chilli powder to your taste.
(half tsp each I suggest).
Add tomatoes ( optional)
Add hot water, and let boil.
Add salt to taste, and the fried fish.
Shimer for 3-4 minutes and garnish with coriander before serving with hot rice...

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Hang Them!!!

Hang them all.
Better lynch them.

They were so obviously high with power that they shot a lady who happened to protest what?
Who protested when they eve teased!!! Yes eve teased, and eve teasing her daughter in law.
Meher Bhargava was shot, who later succumbed to the bullet wound, because she objected when some young men were eve teasing, her daughter in law.

A vivacious socialite, Bhargava had dared local goons who passed lewd remarks at her young daughter-in-law in the compound of a residential apartment, a stone's throw from the office-cum-residence of the district police chief. [ link ]

And she got shot!
Why shouldn’t they get shot in return?
This are the times when I think death penalty or torture are justified.

Men have become too civilized, I mean us, not them or have we become cowards?
I still remember when my Uncles ( My father elder bro and a younger one) once beat up a couple of guys, one of then a Minister Brat, at the gate of our house because they were passing lewd remarks at the neighbor’s young daughters. They were beaten black and blue and let go when they started running and shouted back that they will shoot my uncle. Well, it was their mistake. They were chased and beaten again, and had to be hospitalized for a long time. It was during a Kaang or Rath Jatra

My grandpa gave verbal thrashing for a few days to my uncles, because he had spent money on the hospital expenses and had to face the Parents of the Kids.

Another of my younger uncles commented that the uncles who actually beat the guys up had grown up in hard times and that we were still not quite uncivilized, like the Wild West. Justice was taken into one’s own hands to soon.

But I think we have become too civilized. Maybe it is a rant, and unrealistic, but the best solution for such crimes that strike at the heart of a social set-up, of civilization, is to adopt what my uncle called uncivilized means.

I don’t know what our justice system will offer them in the form of punishment.
Will the punishment deter future goons from repeating the same crime?
If not, then there is no point even wasting valuable court time and resources.
The justice system and the government is not in the business of taking revenge, but the punishment should be so harsh that such crimes are not repeated.

The sentence should serve as a deterrent to future power kids from misusing their Power.
I don't like the sound of the MLA's though.

The culprits should be Punished, otherwise Meher Bhargava would have died in vain.
Nobody will dare ever raise a voice against any injustice, if voices could be silenced so easily.

Desipundit is spearheading a campaign for justice.
Do join in.
Blog about it.
Lets do our bit.

Curry Mela reminder

Just a reminder for the 12th Curry Mela.
Do submit an entry for this weekend's curry Mela..
It helps when you do submit an entry...
And yeah, it help more if you spread the word...


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Monday, March 27, 2006

Aloo Mattar - Green





Here is the vegetarian verison of the previous Recipe.
Quick and easy to cook.
And you will want to cook it again and again..

This is aloo mattar with green peas, I will cook you the white pea version in a few days.
The white pea and the green though the same grams have very different taste, I won't say which is better. They are just differently good.

There was a small stall in Imphal, Manipur who sold a version of White peas masala. The chana was known as Kelly Chana. Perhaps the stall owner's name was Kelly.

A masala was used to garnish the Pea dish, which was a trade secret and many hotels and stall have tried to mimick kelly chana but to no avail. The kelly Chana remained, till today, a mystery . It is served in Lotus Leaves, (and by the way Young lotus leaves can be eaten), and adds an aroma to the kelly Chana which was more like a cry chaat.
It was garnished with Garlic Chives, and some garam masala was used.
I will cook you the closest I can to Kelly chana some day. Anyther pea dish

But Today is green Peas day, so try this Aloo Hari Mattar for today.

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes, peeled
2 tomatoes cut into 4 qtrs
1 cup green peas.

1 medium Onion cut into Slivers.
1 tsp Pre- Soaked Meethi Jeera seeds
Garlic Chives chopped 1 inch long, about 10 leaves( Optional)
4-5 cloves of garlic, and half an inch Ginger, crushed well.
2 green chilies.
Red chilies and Turmeric


So I boiled Potatoes, peas and tomatoes.

When potatoes are done (3 whistles in a Pressure cooker),
Remove and mash the whole mixture using the bottom of a steel tumbler..

Heat about 2 TBS oil in a pan,
Add soaked jeera meethi seeds.
Add the onions (and the garlic chives if you have bought it. )
When Onions are golden brown,
Add the green Chilli,
and add the ginger garlic and saute till the paste change color,

Now add 1/3 tsp Turmeric and Red Chili powder each,
stir quickly.and add the mashed mixture.
Add water to your measurement.
It shouldn't be too thick or watery as sambhar.
The water you used for boiling should do if you used 2 cups for 3 potatoes.

Aloo Mattar with smoked fish


Aloo Mattar-With smoked fish - Which you may ignore.
Without the fish, it is a great Indian Dish, with the fish it becomes a great delicacy of the state of Manipur.

First the dish and then I will tell the story of the Fish.

I prepare aloo mattar in a number of ways.
Somebody once asked me if I could prepare the mattar that we see in Chaats and Ragda patish (Patties?). Oh! I do and I have prepared it often. Slightly dried to watery ones, again, lol. Drier version go well with chappattis or as snacks where gravy ones go well in rice. And I am a rice eater.

This dish, I am presenting today is a Manipuri dish, modified to suit Bachelor cooking.
I have used dried fish, which is optional.

I will post a picture of another that I cooked without Fish by tonight. It must still be in the camera.

Oh Yeah! I am not feeling too good today. Kind of nauseated, with a mild fever. Yesterday was worse.
I came to work anyway, coz I would have been on my Laptop even at home too.
I was working on something when I realized my brain is not responding, amd my Boss wants me relax.. What better way to relax than blog huh!! Trust me...
I skipped lunch too.. Can't eat anything at all, my tongue is all numb, like there is wool inside. Blogging about food might help.

Oh, so this dish is a modification from a Manipuri delight I was saying.
This a family of recipes, made in much the way you cook Daal.

Boil the stuff you want to cook with potato, mash them and then do a Tadka.
Taste amazing, and very easy and quick to cook.

Tadka masala basically are the same.

Onion cut in Slivers.
Pre- Soaked Meethi Jeera seeds
Garlic Chives ( you will get it in the Chinese section of supermarkets)
This is optional but believe me, the taste will be good and different with this.

4-5 cloves of garlic, and half an inch Ginger, crushed well.
2 green chillis.
Red chillis and Turmeric

Use a little Dhania jeera powder if you have fish in the dish.

So this dish was prepared with fish.

I have learnt that you get this fish as frozen ones imported from Thailand in USA supermarkets.
I still don't know the English name; will let you know once I do it.

In the original version, fresh fish is boiled with potatoes.
Don't say, "YUCK, Boiled fish....."
This dish is never attempted with any other fish, even by us.
Only this particular fish and another similar one is used.


I have used smoked version of the fish I was talking about, and another fish that looks like Rohu but small, it is not young Rohu. Bengalis call it Bata macch..

Try using smoked salmon, lol.

OK, so the fish is totally optional since I have modified it anyway..

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes, peeled
2 tomatoes cut into 4 qtrs
1 cup green peas.

1 medium Onion cut into Slivers.
1 tsp Pre- Soaked Meethi Jeera seeds
Garlic Chives chopped 1 inch long, about 10 leaves
( you will get it in the Chinese section of supermarkets)
This is optional but believe me, the taste will be good and different with this.

4-5 cloves of garlic, and half an inch Ginger, crushed well.
2 green chilies.
Red chilies and Turmeric

So I boiled Potatoes, peas and tomatoes. [with the fish]
When potatoes are done (3 whistles in a Pressure cooker),
Remove and mash the whole mixture using the bottom of a steel tumbler..

Heat about 2 TBS oil in a pan,
Add soaked jeera meethi seeds.
Add the onions (and the garlic chives if you have bought it. )
When Onions are golden brown, Add green Chilis and
add the ginger garlic and saute till the paste change color,
[I also added 1 tbs of dhania jeera powder since it was Fish]
now add half tsp Turmeric and Red Chili powder, stir quickly.
and add the mashed mixture. Add water to your measurement.

It shouldn't be too thick or watery as sambhar.
The water you used for boiling should do if you used 2 cups for 3 potatoes.

Let it shimmer for 5 minutes and serve hot with rice.

This is my entry to Meena's From My Rasoi, Theme: Fusion.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Khichdi gheewala..


This is another amazing Khichdi I eat often.
Easy to prepare and very very tasty.

It was a girl who taught me how. Long time ago. ummmm...
A brahmin girl, and you see in my place, Brahmins are suppose to be good cooks.
Well, they are professional cooks, you know like the Maharaj,
And I like the way They cook Khichdi during the Rath Yatra.

So I asked this girl, and yes she was pretty, if she knew how to cook Khichdi.
I was only trying to pull her leg.

She wasn't the kind who looked like she could cook.
She was a Cool Kinda girl, and so I was surprised when she told me how it is prepared.

She taught me a lot of things...

OK, this is one hell of an easy recipe.

Try it sometime.

Pressure cook 1 cup toor daal with 1 cup rice in 2 cups of water
( Water should be to your comfort level., whether you want it dry or slightly gravyish ).
Also add green peas, a pinch of turmeric and salt.

After about 4 whistles, let it cool.

In a separate pan, heat a dollop of desi ghee ( you will have to use oil if Ghee ain't available)
Fry some peanuts in low heat till peanuts get cooked and crispy.
Remove peanuts and keep separate.
Add 1 tsp jeera into remaining ghee and let splutter.
Add onions ( 1 onion cut into slivers) and fry till brown.
Add ginger paste and fry for sometime.

(The green slivers you see is a Herb, Chinese Chives which you add along with the onion if you can get it from some supermarket. This adds a very nice flavor).

Now add the whole thing from the pan into the Khichdi and mix well, also add the peanuts.

Serve...

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Curry Mela 11th

Dear All,

I announched last weekend that I wouldn't be hosting the curry mela on the 3rd weekend of every month, since I have some prior engagements on such saturdays, but somehow I managed to round up a few recipes and a few entries yet again. It's not much but I hope you will enjoy the 11th Curry . Come back for more next weekend, and oh! I might keep updating this post too, over the weekend.

Without further ado, Please enjoy the 11th Curry mela at Anthony's Kitchen, The Bachelor Cooking blog..


Spicy-Jeera Chicken; And she cooks the way I cook my chicken.. Such fun...

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Deconstructed Gutti Vankaaya kura, Andhra delight made from eggplant.

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Methi Paratha, I love methi and I love paratha, combine them and I go crazy.

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Lemon Seed cake, thanks to blogging I learn about such amazing food.

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Patoli, a medley of crunchu vegetables... CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF..

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Hey I know this recipe; Coriander-methi vadi , I first came across this at Nupur's one hot stove when I realised that it was same as the maniouri paknam that we cook with maroi napakpi, the herb I blogged earlier.

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Prune and Yoghurt Muffins ; If i knew magic and make this picture turn into real muffins!!!

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I didn't know what to choose from this blog, such amazing spread, but I chose Kerala aviyal, for it looked yummier than anything I ever seen.

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'Kongunaatu Kozhi Rasam and Kari Varuval' , and amazing mix eh!!.. Exotic I say.

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Baingan ka Bharta, my favorite and rare baingan dish. Another is the simple fried Baingan with poataoes or Baingan pakodas.

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And another baingan recipe, the Deccani Baingan

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Spicy Mushroom Pulao; The best Pulao recipe I have ever come across... I love Prawns pulao too, BTW..

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Mango Ka Halwa, all I can say is Are wa!!

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Mutton Biryani; I have a mutton biryani in my draft.. guess I will have to put it off, Posting it, for I am having an inferiority complex now after see this Biryani.

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Shrimp Fettuccine and prawns Jalfrezi, wow two prawns dishes at a go.. When can we try all this ... Waiting for your mail....

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Thair vadai / dahi vada / lentil donuts in yoghurt; dahi vada by any name is what it is...

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Green Moong Khichdi


Blogger gave me good amount of trouble today.
The word verification in the comment too was troubling some people I heard, and I disabled it immediately. Of course, It was not the reason for not getting too many comments eh!

And the trouble came from another quarter, I just could upload the picture, and I had to maybe try 20 times before I got the done button to upload the picture you see above and another 20 to see the new banner. oh! Did you notice that? I pestered my graphic designer friend in my development team into giving that new look. Such nice chap. I promised him a nice Mutton Kasa which I will blog too when I do.

Today's recipe is Maharastrian Dish that I modified for the Bachelor Cooking.
I didn't know about Whole green moong based Khichdi. Well whole moong is kind of Lentil, and Khchdi is like ....ummm Masala or salted vegetable porridge well almost..

I didn't know about this dish untill a few days back when my boss brought it for her lunch, and offered me to taste. And it was yummy. It is cooked in coconut based Masala, and I forgot if it had name. Oh! My boss knows I am a good cook and that I have a food blog. And she told me how it is cooked. I just remembered that it had grated coconuts and moong daal.

I added a lot more than just moong daal, lol.

Ingredients:
In one small cup, measure 3/4 moong daal and 1/4 chana daal.
Soak for 5-6 hours.

1 cup peas.
3 TBS grated coconut.
1 cup rice, washed right before adding to the cooker.
Dhania/coriander powder, Jeera powder, and red chilli powder, Turmeric.
Red chilli, Bayleaves, Mustard and Jeera seeds
1 Onion finely chopped.
1 TBS freshly ground ginger garlic paste.
2 tomatoes chopped roughly

Heat 2 TBS oil in pressure cooker,
and add 1 red chilli, 1 bayleaf, 1 tsp each of Jeera and Mustard seeds.
Let it sputter for a few seconds and add the onions.
Add the ginger garlic paste when onions are limp,
and Saute till onion is golden brown.
Add 1/2 tsp each red chilli powder, turmeric, dhania and jeera powder.
Add the grated coconut, now add the soaked daal.
Add 3 cups of water.
Shimmer for 5 minutes, and add the peas, rice and tomatoes.
Now wash the rice and add.
Check the water level, there should be as much more water as there are solids.
( if solids are 1 iches deep, water much be 1 inch above the solid for a medium sized cooker)

Add salt to taste.
Close and whistle 4-5 times and remove from heat.
Let cool, and when pressure are down, open it and add a dollop of Cow ghee,
and coriander and mix well.

Taste great with garlic achaar.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

eggs and boiled potatoes



Another simple dish from the house of Bachelor cooking.
I mean it can't get simpler than this.

Something that I cook often when I am late from office, or on a lazy sunday morning.

When I cook Daal and Rice, and I need a side dish like a Bhaji to go with,
yet sometimes you are so lazy, or tired after a hard days work.
And so I need to cook up something real quick.

Other than a rich daal fry with onion all masalas, and even some makhaan, I find this side dish very convenient.
Takes around 10 minutes to cook, well take out the time I took to boil the potatoes, for I boil the potatoes along with the Daal.


Two large potatoes washed properly and cut in half*.
One Large Onion, chopped.
Green Chilli, chopped.
2-3 Eggs.
1 medium size Tomato, chopped.
Pinch of haldi(turmeric), mirchi(Chilli) powder, Dhania powder and Jeera powder.
Pinch should be like 1/4 of a Tsp.
Coriander to garnish.

When you boil the daal for cooking, add the potatoes.
Peel if you boiled with the skin.
Crush roughly with the hand or cut into 3/4 inch cubes.

Add onions and green chilli in 1 TBS of oil and fry till onion is very limp.
Add all the pinches of masala, and salt to taste.
Add tomatoes and for 2 minutes.
Add the Potato, and fry/ mix well (sauté) continuously.
Fry for about 3 minutes and break three eggs over it.
Keep sautéing, till eggs and potatoes mix and eggs have solidified.

Garnish with coriander.

*(You may peel it now or peel it after it gets boiled); I boil with the skin and peeled later because someone once told me it retains the nutrients.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Chicken stew- oil free




OK OK, I saved this post in the draft for a rainy day.
Actually, I guess it in January, I had cooking fever. And I cooked a different dish, even two everyday for the Bachelor cooking. Somehow I couldn’t get to post all, so I saved some in the draft, and some, I had in a folder; the pictures, that is. Picture not yet edited for the Blog you see… I spent most of the Sunday editing pictures, and saving the pictures in draft. I also did a face lift of the template. So to say, I spent the Sunday working lol.

Umm, but I hadn’t written the posts.
As a blogger I also need to write some. Try hard to be funny too sometimes, though I know I am not; otherwise you won’t want to read me would you? And I am not the best photographer around, and seeing some food photography around the food blogs makes me want to quite at times lol. Like the ones at The delicious life.

Oh! That was a little bit of blogging… lol

Now, the recipe. So, as I was saying this was cooked long before the Avian Flu or bird flu. Anyway it is safe to eat Cooked bird since the virus die at 70 degrees, and I don’t eat chicken cooked at temperature below 70 degrees centigrade lol.
It is a different matter altogether that I had Mutton/Lamb korma Pizza yesterday, the first time ever in my life to have Lamb Pizza. Unfortunately, pepperoni wasn’t served, due to import restrictions, the server informed.
And Vegetarian pizza is something I am not quite used to, same as I am not used to Tofu based Kadhai Paneer.

But I love chicken stew, cooked in its own fat.
Yes, no oil whatsoever. Nada.
Heath freaks must love this.
How does one cook chicken without oil and make it taste like Chicken Tikka Masala. But then, you trust the Maharajah of Bachelor Cooking don’t you?

Trust me when I say it will taste as good as any Oil heavy concoction of Chicken meat. Bigger the chicken, more oily it will be and thus easier too cook. But I prefer medium sized chicken.

Ingredients:
1. Half a Kilo of Chicken cut into 1 inch cubes.
2. One large Onion, roughly chopped.
3. 2 Large Tomatoes, roughly chopped.
4. 1 Tbs of ginger garlic paste ( Preferably freshly ground from 1 inch og ginger and 6-7 cloves of garlic)
5. 1 Tsp Black Pepper ground
6. 1 Tsp of red Chilli powder
7. 1 Tsp of Chicken Masala ( The supermarket variety- Everest, MDH etc)
8. One large Potato cut into 1 inch cubes and half cup of green peas.

Steps:

1. Put the chicken in a pot or pan with 1 and half cup of Water, Put the Onions, Ginger-garlic paste and put to a boil till water almost dries.
2. When the water dries, stir the mixture well, just as you might sauté meat on a pan, on low heat. The whole thing will look like you are frying in oil after some time. Add salt to taste.
3. After sautéing in low heat for 5-10 minutes, add the pepper, tomatoes, green peas and potatoes and keep on stirring. Add the 1 TSP of chicken Masala.
4. Add two cups of water and cook in low heat till potatoes are cooked and stew is thick.
5. Garnish with Coriander.


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Saturday, March 18, 2006

Curry Mela 10th

Welcome back dear all, to the 10th curry mela at the Anthony's Bachelor Cooking.
Extremely sorry for the late post, but I fell victim to over usage or rather heavy downloads of torrent files lol. In India, even though we are quite advanced in Software, and write some cutting edge software codes, our broadband is not yet too broad, and there is a download limit, except bwteen 10 pm to 8 pm. as it so happened, i forgot to close bit comet the other day and 10 days have been deducted from my account which means, my account got expired yesterday when i most needed it for the curry mela. A phone call later, i was told it would be renewed by afternoon today.

So I rushed to a cyber cafe, for I didn't want my curry mela to take a break. BTW, I won't be hosting the curry meal on 3rd saturdays. I have some engagements on every third saturdays, so this is an announcement in advance. Do submit your entries for the 11th curry mela to be held two weeks from now.

I am glad that I have some entries this weekend too, the first few recipes are specially cooked for the curry mela... Hope you will enjoy's this week's spread too. Enjoy

I have with me,


Mini Tropical Oreo Cheesecakes with Kiwi Jam topping on St. Patrick's day, an entry to the curry mela.
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Look at those Spinach Cheese parathas, can I have them all... And that office caterer make such awful Parathas. Ummm I would love to have these, all of 'em. Greedy me.

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Chicken soup with vegetables, healthiest food today. Protiens from the chicken, fibres and vitamins from the vegetables...

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Besan Cheela; The vegetarian omelette ( Is it the right link? I tripple checked it lol) I would love to try this out.. tomorrow at lunch?? or breakfast??
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A very delectable stuffed stuff.... lol, stuffed chilli pepper, and the picture looks so yummy, and notice that perfect dal on the side....well centre?

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Roses on raita gets my vote as the most beautiful recipe. A very new foodblogger who have so painstakingly described the making of the rose...

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Kesari Gosht (Mutton/Lamb in a Saffron-flavoured Sauce) ; Wow, How I love goshts.. and with he avain flu this side of the continent... What better dish than goshts.. I have to try out this Kesari flavored Goshts..
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Simple Pulao; And we love simple dishes at the Anthony's Bachelor Cooking. Aad believe me she cooks real simple and amazing dishes.. ;-)

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Carrot and peanuts salad; This is Good for health says the blogger, and so do I...Tastes real good too. Believe me, my boss bring salads tossed in ground peanuts everyday, and Its amazing. everyone fights for it..
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Wow, another green peas samosa( There was one in some curry mela few weeks back).. I am beginning to get so hungry.... I haven't even had breakfast, Yummmm

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Check out this amazing Flan.. The picture says it all. Wish I could cook that as lovely as it...

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Methi or fenugreek Chutney; A real healthy and tasty concoction. And this interesting warning by the blogger herself.. "Methi chutney is completely an acquired taste. Sauteed methi and sesame combined with other ingredients, taste little bit bitter, sour and spicy. If you are going to prepare it from my recipe, first check the list of ingredients, imagine the taste, see if you like the combination, then attempt it. Please don’t nag me if it doesn’t turn out to your expectations, in a typical mother-in-law fashion. Some people would say that I didn’t add this, I didn’t do that, or I didn’t cook their way etc., I might have accepted these if I were their daughter-in-law, but I am not ."
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Sea Crab Curry; Wow! and I just asked the fish monger, well the lady fish seller how to cook Crabs. She wasn't too convincing since she couldn't find the right hindi words for many things, and thank god I got this amazing crab recipe. The recipe will have been up by the time I am posting it..
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Bitter Gourd Rice; There is something about bitter vegetables, when cooked in oil and mixed with a little masala, gives out an amazing bitter yet mysterious taste which I can't fathom but I love nonetheless. Anyone tasted bitter sweet chutney. There is an authemtic Manipuri Chutney made from some leave ( not neem) and sweet syrup... Amazing stuff, very bitter, very sweet.
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Breaking a rule, I will name this Blog, who have cooked this amazing Mesclun salad with goat cheese medallions , for it was the Green Jack fruit's birthday this week. Happy Blog birthday Mika.
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I have tried baigan bharta, I have tried Baigan Aloo bhaji (Fry- cooked in oil), but this Kathirikkai sadham (curried brinjal/aubergine/eggplant rice) is new to me. A must try at Anthony's kitchen..
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Another breakfast delight, this delectable Moong dal chilla(Split green gram pancakes made from yellow moong dal, hey! I like Haldiram's freid moong dal). A heavy brunch, but I could still have lunch with all the amazing arrays of recipes I have here, even if I had all those chillas.
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Only trust this blogger to post something as amamzing as a Fruit smoothie in a food blog. Visit the archives to find some amazing stuff like baked stuffed apple and sorts.. Bachelors would find it hard to prepare them though.. But then the recipes' been described amazingly simply.

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Amazing Meat Kofta Curry on the occasion of Holi and a beautiful post with the recipe. A must read...

Hope you enjoyed my Spread. Have a great weekend. I am Hungry...lol



I have organised my Recipes in a proper menu on the Side Bar. Feel free to browse.

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Thursday, March 16, 2006

Mom's Fish Curry


This looks exactly like how my Mom cooks fish curry.Tasted as good. Love you mom...
First few times I cooked the fish curry in my mother's style, I had to juggle between the phone and the skillet, like I did most of my dishes during the early days when I started to cook a few years back, when I decided it was enough- depending upon Street food. After spending years in Hostels and suchlikes, I decided to take it into my own hands. Being the independent kind, it was too much having to depend on others for a meal eh... and Home, I visit only about twice a year. My favorite holiday spot you see.... Five star treatment, Mother's Food, etc etc. Oh! I have been staying away since I was 10, and now I am at wrong side of bachelorhood already...
Oh so I started learning to cook too. And do away with that horrible delivered tiffin or hotels yuck..
How often would you go to a fancy restaurant for dinner. At one point of time I used to have chicken fried rice everyday at this hotel, and another point I had this veg pulao everyday. Yuck!!! to think back.
Then Mobile phone happened, and I did a tele-cooking course, long distance lol from mom.the fish curry was one of the first I learnt.Mom has a unique way of cooking it.
We use the same masala as everyone else, like everyone does. Good cookiong is in the timing, like all good Maharaj's say back home. You know those Brahmin maharaj, who cooks the grand feast.The better ones uses the same masala as the OK ones.
It is all there in the timing.
When you put the salt, and when you put that turmeric..
The right brown of the onions...

Oh! The Fish Curry...

Ingredients:

5-6 Rohu Fish steak, Shallow fried on both side till colour changes to darkish yellow. ( Little lighter than this)

Blogger conked out while writing this yesterday.. Will write up the rest later tonight..

Blogger is fine now... The server was down for a long time yesterday..
Sorry, and hey.. I SEEM to have been neglecting my blog a lot..tsk tsk...
I haven't updated in 3 days...hmmphhh!


Other than the fried steaks, You will need,

One large Poatato cut into thin cubes like you see above.
One medium or small onion chopped fine.
1 TSp of ginger garlic paste ( best is the home crushed one)
1 tsp each of Jeera and Methi soaked in water.
Bayleaves
Pinch of heeng
Half a cup of green peas, frozen ones will do ( Optional if peas are not available)
Two tomatoes chopped roughly.
Two green chillis sliced in halves.

3/4th tsp each jeera powder and dhania powder and red chilli powder, and
Some turmeric, 1/3rd to half a Tsp depending on the quality of turmeric mixed.
Mix the jeera powder, dhania powder, turmeric and chilli powder and make into a thin paste buy adding water.


Heat 2 tbs Mustard oil, heat till fumes arises, and there are no more bubbles.
{bubbles form when you heat mustard oil}

Add 2 bayleaves, and add the pre-soaked whole methi and jeera.
Add a pinch of Heeng.
Immediately add the onions and fry till slightly golden brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste.
Add the potatoes and peas, and saute for a few minutes.
Cover and cook in very low heat for five minutes.
Add the thin masala paste.
Saute for 5 more minutes and Add the fish.
Saute very lightly so that fish don't break yet mixes well with the masala.
Lower heat and cook in low heat for about 10 minutes, turning the same from time to time so that it don't get burned. Add the tomatoes in bewteen about halfway.

Add 3 cups of hot water. Add salt to taste.
Let it boil and cook for 10 more minutes in medium heat.
Check if potatoes are cooked. ( by pressing with back of spoon)

When potatoes are cooked, garnish with coriander and eat with Rice..
Yummmm

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Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Happy Holi to All my Dear Readers

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Curry Mela 9.0

Welcome back to the Curry Mela the 9th on Anthony's Kitchen of Bachelor Cooking.
I can't believe it is running for the 9th week in a row, lol.

I was just wondering, what if the net don't work in one weekend or if I fall sick, God forbid.
But I feel great that I could keep doing something for 9 weeks, I, who so often gets bored.

Thank you all. Without your support and encouraging words, this wouldn't have been possible.

Anyways, without further ado, we have the following entries:
This time I have pasted small write ups from the original posts....just for a change....

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This is an update. This was an entry to the curry mela, but I missed it somehow. An Amazing recipe of Tamarind Rice. Sorry againnnnnnn.. :-) I hope you will forgive me again.lol


Melon Seed Pasta. Somebody commented that it was such a cute looking pasta. Very Cute indeed...need I say more?


Pan Roasted baby Potatoes, and you know how much I love anything potatowee.
You don't even have to guess that I will be trying this out first thing tomorrow..


This is Ají de Gallina, which could translate to Chicken Ají.

The history of Ají de Gallina could be traced back to the French Revolution (1789) which brought in Europe the bloom of new forms of politics, economics and, of course, traditions; new ways of thinking, new spiritual tendencias and certainly new cooking. Many of the noblemen's cooks lost their jobs after the Revolution and so decided to travel to the New World, bringing to this side of the world new recipes and techniques.


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Z for Zunka and yeah you got it right....About the Blogger that is.. It indeed was a long and very intersting series... I hope a new one starts soon..



Normally, Prawn Sambal is cooked with unpeeled prawns. I do not prefer that as it is very troublesome to eat like that though cooking so retains the juices of the prawns. I like it peeled and deveined. Easier to eat. My mom adds fried potatoes to prawn sambal. I love the irresistible taste of the potatoes mixed with the juices of the prawns. In a word, the potatoes taste like prawn.

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Eezy Breezy chicken curry is what the blogger calls this... the evergreen Indian dish.

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Not just another Masala Dosa..... An amazing showcase of dosa making skills here.. With step by step Photographs..

as she says.. When we invite friends (North Indians or some times Americans), they immediately love the hot dosa from griddle. I always serve them piping hot, preparing with two griddles simultaneously. They simple love it with sambar and chutney.
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CHEPALA PULUSU (FISH CURRY) .

I have this receipe from my grandma’s kitchen, I love grandma’s cooking style with out using any techinal help she prepares the food with lot of love . Staying far away from them today I miss all of them . I try to do the same kind she does but my receipe taste’s good but not exactly like her I still could not understand why. I would like to share with everyone.

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Beans and greens, this is one heck of a healthy food and My favorite too.. Goes well with roti, and by itself too..
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Sprouts Pulao

Count the number of ways in which it is healthy - needs 1 tablespoon oil, uses any number of vegetables you wish to add and a cupful of sprouts - a low carb, protein packed food.



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Sesame flavored rice or Nuvullu Annam is a light flavoured rice delicacy, enriched with nutrients from seasame seeds and Indian spices.This dish is simple unlike a pampered biryani..:)in the fact that the main ingredient is only sesame seeds with the infusion of spices like curry leaves and mustard seeds in the tempering. Sesame seeds have no aroma but the flavor intensifies by lightly dry roasting the seeds giving it a sweet and nutty taste. [ says the blogger]
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Kesar Pulao......................

Before biryanis became Mughlai food, they were part of Persian culture in the royal courts of Delhi during the medieval period. The word biryani comes from the Persian "birian", which means "fried" or "roasted". The Persians had a major rice dish in their pulao. ---by the blogger

Gherkin Fry

Here goes the Gherkins story...Well Gherkin is a young cucumber picked when it is 1 to 3 inches and mostly used for pickling. Gherkin may have probably originated in India. Well for the few who are wondering what gherkins in your mother tongue is , it is nothing but
Dondakai in Telugu
Kovakai in Tamil
Tindoora in Hindi
Tendli in Marathi
and finally Gherkins in English


Fried cauliflowers, or gobi Bhaji. This is cauliflower dipped in a flour batter and deep fried. My favorite Snack food... have cooked it oh so often.



This cabbage with coconut, or cabbage thoran a lovely south Indian food. Kerala to be more precise..
This is a signature Kerala dish…If there is an event which serves lunch then this dish is a sure thing as an accompaniment. Super easy to make, good to look at,nutritious and delicious are some things going in favor of this dish. Cabbage thoran and fish with some rice is one of those ‘perfect food pairings’.


Pitle - Besan/ Gram Flour Curry

Pitle is as integral to the Maharashtrian Thali as sambar is to the South Indian.Some call it Bombay Chutney. There are several interpretations of this most common of dishes and all those who make it regularly will vow that their way is the most authentic.

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PS: Everything in italics except this have been written by the respective blogger.

One more warning to random, please don't copy pictures from here and use without prior permission from repsective blogger. If you wish to take mine, do so with pleasure. If you do provide a link back as source as a courtesy it be great.

It is 3:40 AM already. Let me get some sleep.

Update:

Here is another last minute entry.

And because there are no rules and because I love veg pakoras, like I have cooked here, here is an amazing step by step display of frying veggie pakodas or Fritters from an Indian IT pro working in a small town America. [ I am facing some probs uploading photos into blogger, but believe me the post has some amazing pictures....]



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