Twe-cipe: Paprika Squids

A lazy Friday afternoon is a perfect way to wring in the weekend! Remembering the crazy week that was and the crazier weekend that's about to hit you. So here is a quick twe-cipe to suffice that thoughtful hunger. Twe-cipe is a wonderful concept. Its basically a recipe that can be tweeted using less than 140 characters, which is the limit of a single tweet on twitter. Wonderful because this would mean a fast and easy recipe, that anyone and everyone can make. Today for lunch, I decided to go the healthy fast food way, and thus here is my twe-cipe; which is perfect at any time of the day, and made in exactly 10 minutes.

The ingredients have no specific amounts. use as much or as little as you may wish to. 

Ingredients

Generous amounts of Butter

4 Squid tubes cut as rings

Half a pod of Garlic, peeled and minced

Salt

2 huge pinches of Paprika

A pinch of Dried Oregano (optional, but highly recommended)

Method

Dump in a generous amount of butter in a wok with fresh minced garlic. Put on medium heat stirring occasionally till the butter melts and the garlic perfumes through the kitchen. 

A big pinch of paprika and oregano (optional) hits the wok next followed with fresh cut squids rings. 

Stir and cook till the meat is tender, keeping a watchful eye on not overcooking it. Salt it as required, and serve along with crisp toast to soak in all the flavoured butter and fresh cut salad to balance the richness! 

Fast food in all its healthy glory! Cheers!! 

The Crispy Masala Carp!

You know you have a winner recipe for fish when a non fish loving bong suddenly takes fancy of your cooked fish, and eats three straight pieces of it! Her mom, almost teary-eyed on the call, wanted the recipe ASAP! And why wouldn’t she like it, I baked a well flavoured fish to perfect crisp, with minimal oil and served it with a raita (curd mixed with spices) and home-made chutney.

The fish in question is a mildly flavoured, white flesh of Rohu/ Rui/ Indian Carp. A very healthy protein but a tad bit less tasty than its colleagues from the sea. And that’s why, children never really like it so much. A bong kid like yours truly, has grown up eating this humble protein almost 265 days out of a year’s 365 days. We lose to see the charm of this modest species of fish, and it tends to get to the boring stage pretty easily. A bong mom has a lot of ways up her sleeve to make a kid enjoy this modest bite, and I added another one, one that’s easy to make, non fussy and very healthy!

This dish has another story too, a story that revolves around the coming rains. The Romance of Rains in Mumbai is a huge craze. And why won’t it be. The hot humid summer that we are going through is killing in every aspect! Can’t wait for that first drop of water on my forehead, for the cool sea breeze to fill my house and for me to sit by the window, enjoying this with an awesome glass of cool red wine!

My take on: #VeitnamVoyage

Food reviews are different than restaurant ones. And my reviews are not to be mistaken as restaurant reviews. I am a committed recipe developer, and for me food stands greatest over decor, service and ambience. I even don’t care about the number of dishes on the menu, I care only about the taste, and that has to be the greatest of them all.

So the new genre on my ever increasing blog gets a unique kick start with #VeitnamVoyage; reviewing authentic Vietnamese cuisine got to #AmchiMumbai by the talented Chef Son and his team of Sofitel Plaza Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Frying Myths busted with Crispy Calamari!!!

People who have been a part of Zouqh for a while now, know how much I despise deep frying. It’s very little to do with calorie consumption, but more to do with the mess u are left behind to clean and the oil that has to be very cleverly re-used.  I try finding out ways to avoid using a wok full of oil. Being a Bong, everyone assumes that we just eat deep fried veggies, but really guys, there are other ways of cooking too in our culture... Bhaja isn’t the only option left for a vegetarian in a bong household!!

First let me burst some myths regarding deep frying:

•             Myth: “It’s quite calorific and unhealthy.” Well good news, if you follow the steps right like; heat the oil to a hot temperature, where the food gets cooked in the residual heat from the oil; and use a heavy duty absorption paper to take out the excess oil from your fry, then it isn’t so bad. But obviously, this doesn’t mean you include a fried item in your diet daily. Eat it like a treat, once a week or so and cook it in the comfort of your own kitchen. The oil used outside should be avoided at any cost.
•          Myth: “the oil once used to deep frying, should not be used again as it loses its nutrients..” Really?? Please count to me the nutrients present in vegetable oil.. Something that is already devoid of nutrients, can’t really affect you too much. Also, please note, you are supposed to use only vegetable oil for frying. Not mustard, sesame or olive oils and certainly not extra virgin olive oil. These oils have a lot of characteristics, which when overcooked, can be injurious to health and wallet!!
•          Myth: “deep frying helps concentrate flavour of the food...” In one simple word, NO, it doesn’t. If you are making a veggie curry, sauté the vegetables in a spoon of oil, and u will get exactly the same flavour profile. Deep frying means letting your food go deep in the oil to fry and cook, almost like boiling in oil. You don’t need that, but a gentle sauté/ or grill to concentrate the flavours of meat and veggies, before adding it to a gravy.
•          Eat responsibly!!! Yup, damn important... Deep fried food should not be a part of your daily diet; neither should you eat it, paired with alcohol. Try to indulge in grills if you are having an alcoholic beverage, and in between drinks, take a couple of sips of water, and then have that beautifully fried starter, which has been chanting your name since you came to the party. Finish it before reaching out for your second drink. I know, too much of dos and don’ts, but I have a habit to jot it down for you! At least now, you know!! :)

Having given the whole lecture about frying and deep frying, here is my version of a beautifully classic dish, Crispy Calamari!! I fail to understand Italians, the maker of this dish. They use bread crumbs in all sorts of fillings, but don’t use it to coat their meats before frying?!@#$#@!!! It is such a shame! But thanks to globalization, and now easily available panko bread crumbs (Japanese), these beauties get a whole new, global and crispy makeover!! Read on for the complete recipe:

Ingredients:

 2 squid/calamari tubes cut in ½ to ¼ inch thick rings

Salt and pepper to taste

½ tsp garlic paste

Panko bread crumbs to coat (I had it so I used it.. if you can’t find it in your store, then by all means use normal dry bread crumbs or even fresh bread crumbs, made from blitzing a couple of slices of bread in a food processor.)

Vegetable Oil for deep frying

Method:

Wash and pat dry the squid rings. Try to take out as much water as possible.

Now preheat a wok on your burner, with a couple of inches worth of your choice of vegetable oil. Let it heat up gently on a medium flame, till you are done with prepping your squids.

In a clean bowl, add in the squid rings and mix it thoroughly with salt, pepper and garlic paste. Now portion the squids out, depending on the size of your wok. Frying them in small batches of 5 to 6 rings will ensure even browning, without affecting the temperature of the oil.

Take the first portion into a ziplock bag, and add a couple of tbsp of bread crumbs to it. Release any air from the bag and shake it vigorously to coat the rings evenly. The first time will give you a fair idea of how much bread crumbs will be required for the subsequent batches of squids rings. Limit wastage as much as possible!!

By now, the oil should have come to temperature. Drop in a piece of bread to test it. If the bread sizzles and browns off in a couple of seconds, then the oil is ready to be frying. If it turns black within a second, the oil is overheated and you should remove it from heat immediately.

Once satisfied with the temperature, put in the squid rings slowly in the hot oil. Try to keep a wok-cover handy, in case the fish splutters about the hot oil. If you cover your wok, keep a bit of the wok uncovered on the side, away from you. Do not fully cover the wok in any case.

Fresh out of the wok & resting on kitchen counter!!

The squids should be perfectly browned in a couple of minutes. Take it out immediately and drain off the excess oil on a kitchen towel.

A delicious snack ready to be savoured with a spritz of lemon juice on top!! 

Cheers!!

Stuffed & Braised Calamari!!

Staying in Mumbai has a definite plus point when it comes to buying fresh sea food. In fact, I feel every non-vegetarian in this island city, and more, should opt for these fresher sources of protein, rather than just sticking to you regular frozen meats. It is much more flavourful, easy and quick to cook, and would be very easily available throughout a sea food market. Sunday is one day of a week or a fortnight that should be dedicated to buying fresh edibles, be it veggies or proteins. One day of planning can actually save many from the regular hassles of ‘what to cook today’!! I had got many requests from my newly matrimonized friends, about a lesson on freezing and planning meals. So, pretty soon I am going to write up an interesting bit on how a day’s hard work will reap u a week’s worth of fresh homemade, healthy food.

Now the story that led me to make these delicious treat for dinner yesterday! If you follow my blog, we made a delicious pasta dish last, in which I used an essentially Indian pesto. I got a bit left over, and thought why not use it as a stuffing. The Sunday market in my neighbourhood boasted of a beautiful catch of fresh squids/calamari (rather inexpensive too) and I had to try filling the baby ones and cook it to perfection. I saved the squid crowns and fins for flavourful fried rice or a stir-fry, while using the whole squid-tubes to make an Italian favourite, Stuffed Calamari, braised in tomato sauce. Needless to say, I used fresh tomatoes, instead of a can, and added a bit of onion and sugar to balance the acidity. I reckon, this dish will stand perfect with a bowl of salted-boiled pasta. Spoon over the braising sauce on the boiled pasta, along with a stuffed calamari (sliced on an angle) on top, to make a perfect little Italian dinner treat! Buon appetito!!!

Ingredients

 5 fresh baby Squids/ calamari

2 tbsp of the fresh coriander-garlic-peanuts-cumin seeds mix from the post “Pasta that was Indianized!!!”

¼ cup of ground fresh whole-wheat bread (fresh bread ground to make crumbs)

2 tsp drained capers

2 tbsp Del-monte Olives, chopped

Pepper

3 ripe tomatoes, grated

1 small onion finely chopped

½ tsp fresh garlic paste

½ tsp hot red pepper flakes or powder

¼ cup white wine

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

Olive oil

Sugar and salt to taste

Fresh sprigs of cilantro or basil chopped

5 sticks of wooden tooth pick

Method

First, we will make the filling. In a clean dry bowl, mix together the bread crumbs with the fresh coriander-garlic-peanuts-cumin seeds mix, capers, olives, black pepper and a tsp or so of olive oil. The olive oil should moisten the mix enough to clump it together. Taste it once for seasoning, and set it aside for the flavours to mingle together.

Now clean and pat dry your squid tubes on a kitchen towel. Make sure to remove the plasticky bone that runs through the tube.

Fill in the tubes with the filling mix, making sure that u keep 1/3 of the top space empty. If you fill in the squids a bit too much, the filling might burst out of the squids while cooking. Secure the top closed, with a help of a wooden tooth pick.

For the sauce, heat a pan with high sides on medium flame with a couple of tbsp olive oil. 

Once the oil is warm, put in the onion and fry it till translucent. Now put in the garlic paste and the chilli powder/flakes and sauté it for a minute.

When the pan is aromatic with a perfectly caramelized onion and garlic mush, drop in the grated tomato, sugar & salt. Mix it thoroughly and let it come to a boil. Once there, mix in a quarter cup of white wine and dried herbs, let it simmer for a minute, for the alcohol to disperse, then slowly add in the stuffed calamari. Top the pan with a bit of water so that the squids are submerged inside

Now clamp the lid on the pan partially and simmer it on medium to low heat, for 45 minutes. Give it a stir every now and then. By the end, the squids would have puffed up beautifully and become opaque white all through.

To make it a one pot wonder, add a cup of dry pasta and a ½ cup of water to the pan, after simmering the squids for 35 minutes. In the next 10 minutes, the pasta will cook to al dente, while soaking in the flavoured tomato sauce, and also act as a thickener for the sauce. After 45 minutes, you would have a wonderful dinner to serve, from one single pot!!

Cheers!!

Fish & Chips, My Way!!!

Fish and chips!!!!#$@%$#^%$^@!!! Really, what is this combination??

I have tried my best to like these both together, but somehow, I aint able to.  Whether it is in form of an overly greasy, eggy and deep fried Leopold version or in my somewhat healthy tawa-grilled version, both haven’t really got me to fancy this odd combination of a dish!! So, I am basically keeping these two dishes different.

First up, my Fishy Bharwan Grilled:  whole soft sea pomfret which is first marinated and then stuffed with a fresh herb filling mixture. This dish is awesome on its own. I serve it with a nice dollop of seasoned curd or raita.

For the potato dish, I chose a relatively healthy option of baking Cottage Fries. Though hubby enjoyed the chips, I didn’t. The effort to get it crispy is a bit too much and obviously, time consuming. As I didn’t like it, I am not sharing the recipe here. I will be working on a new faster recipe for crispy chips and get it out here pretty soon. But in case you wanna know this particular recipe, leave a comment down below!     

Fishy Bharwan Grilled

Ingredients:

2 Cleaned & dried whole Pomfret, which is cut length wise to make a pocket.

A big bunch of fresh herbs of your choice, I always use Cilantro

Green chillies to taste

3-4 small cloves of garlic

A small piece of ginger (about an inch)

Green mango paste (optional) to taste

1 tbsp brown sugar or I used plain sugarcane jaggery

Semolina, enough to coat the fishes well

Salt, pepper and turmeric powder to taste

2 tbsp Oil

Method:

Firstly, marinade your fish in some salt, pepper & turmeric and let it stand. Salt drives out the water, so to keep your dish less soggy, put it upon a wirerack with a dish at the bottom to collect the fishy water.

Now put all ingredients, except oil, semolina and fish, in a blender or a food processor, and process it to a tick paste. Taste and season well.

In the pocket of the marinating fish, stuff in the fresh filling mix.

Dip these filled fishes in a bowl with semolina and coat well. The moisture on the skin will be enough for the semolina to stick.

Preheat your tawa or grill pan.

The biggest rule in grilling is to never oil the pan, but the meat that will go on the pan. Oil the fishes well on one side and put that side down on the hot pan.

Let it sizzle for a while (3 to 5 minutes, depending on the fish’s size) undisturbed, on a medium to low heat. Don’t try to move it around, or the cooked side will break away from the fish and you will have a very tasty fish keema (mince) to enjoy, but not an elegant whole fish to serve.

After a while when the sizzling lessens significantly; oil the other side of the fish and carefully turn to let it cook on that side. Fish cooks pretty fast so keep an eye, and keep the flame on medium low. Once cooked to your liking, switch off the heat and let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

A wedge of lemon and seasoned-flavoured savoury curd for the fish, along with a side of crunchy salad... A beautiful meal made in minutes!!

Cheers!!

Perfect Fast Food: Grilled Prawns!!!

Fast food, that is actually good for you!! Yeah u heard it right.. Prawns are the perfect fast food on plate that you can ever think of. These tasty little treats are a permanent resident in my freezer. Whenever I crave for something quick and tasty to eat, they bail me out always.

This is hardly a recipe, but here is what I generally do with them.

• Defrost the prawns and let it stand for a few minutes in a simple marinade of salt pepper and turmeric.
• Now smear on some oil over the meat and put them on a hot griddle or tawa. 
• Let them sit prettily sizzling away, till each piece of prawn is half cooked. While they are cooking on one side, please remember not to disturb them till the meat is half cooked. The flavour lies in perfect caramalization of the meat, and so i repeat, don't disturb the prawns till they are half cooked with a nice grill mark on them.
• Once u reach that point, flip them and cook for another couple of minutes on the other side. Look for the meat to turn white, or if you have the tail of the prawn still on, (which I highly recommend, as its ton of flavours) then look for it to turn red!!
• Sprinkle on some lime juice and you have a perfect little tasty treat for yourself!! 

Now u tell me if that was not fast? Its perfect to toss over a bowl of boiled seasoned pasta, noodles or rice. Or make a great little drink like Sangaria and enjoy these as munchies along with it..

Cheers!!