Masala Nuts on a Plate!

I am venturing into videos, for the very first time! After making a few of them, I am really excited and am trying different combinations and styles of video making. Bear with me for a few months, till I figure out my style. But it won’t be too long, I promise.

This is one of the first easy videos I made after Web-chef ones. I am embarrassed to even tell you how easy this recipe is. Completely adaptable to what u want or like! I keep doing so many different combinations of masalas, but this is the most classic and the first type I made. It’s another of my non-baked, easy veggie delight, and a staple at my place. Perfect easy snack on the go and a wonderful appetizer served with drinks. Hope you try it and make it into another success, just like our Pinwheel Kachoris!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Almonds

1/4 cup of Cashew nuts

1/4 cup Walnuts

1/8 cup dry Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 cup dried Cranberries

1/2 tsp Red Chilly Powder

1/2 tsp of Cinnamon Powder

1 tsp Cumin Powder

1.5 tsp Coriander Powder

Fine Table Salt to taste

Rock salt to taste

Dry Mango Powder to taste

Daab Chingri!!!

Bengal has a unique bond with fishes, fresh river water fishes. And it’s quite difficult for other communities to understand this, especially the caste-ridden, vegetarian communities of India! Bengal is the only place in entire India where eating habits are same along every strata of the community. Poor to rich or, Brahmin to Shudra, everyone eats the same multicourse cuisine, which starts with something bitter and ends with something sweet. And fish is the star of the meal, eaten right in the end, before desserts.

Fish is deemed very holy in the big Bengal province! It’s a food noted for luck and prosperity. People are amused of the fact that when, we worship the fish, then how can we eat it too. Well, it’s a pagan concept! This is the food which ensured that the flood ridden delta thrived and survived. Bengal has always given importance to survival, rather than irrational concepts of higher castes being pure and hence vegetarians!

Though we have talked so much about fish, today’s recipe is about prawns, another little guy from the river beds! Daab Chingri is a bong classic! And trust me here, u really can’t go wrong. Pungent mustardy sauce, with soft melt in mouth prawns and the fresh hit of green chillies, paired with a dollop of simple white rice; perfection on a plate. And in a party, you actually don’t need another platter to serve it in. Serve it in the rustic manner right in the tender coconut. The ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ that your guests will shout after looking at them will always be very memorable!

Ingredients:

3 tender coconuts with a layer of soft creamy coconut.

300 gms of prawns, deveined and cleaned

Salt

Turmeric

3 heaped tsp of mustard paste (I use yellow variety of mustard to make the paste, as I love the zing it gets along with it. You may use the simple black ones, also known as 'rye'.)

4-5 green chillies, slit

2 tbsp dark mustard oil

¼ cup water (or less, depends on the thickness of curry you want.)

Method:

In 1/8 cup of water, mix together mustard, scraped out coconut paste, salt and turmeric.

Smear each piece of prawn in this paste till well covered on all sides. Keep it to marinate in this mix for 10 mins.

After 10 mins, depending on the amount of curry you want, add in some water, the mustard oil and chillies. Put this mix inside the empty shells of tender coconut, and cover it tightly with cling film, which is poked with several holes for the air to pass while cooking. 

Now microwave the filled up coconuts on high for 3 minutes. After giving it a bit of a stir, microwave again for 2 minutes, till the prawns are well cooked, opaque and the tails turn a delicious red. Depending on the size of each piece and the amount of water you add, cooking time will vary.

For me 5 minutes at 900 watts always gives out the best results.

Media Coverage!

We got Covered yet again, twice last week!! 

First in The Statesman- Unconventional route

To Read the article: http://www.thestatesman.net/news/39272-unconventional-route.html?page=2


Second in the Mid day: 

Ilish Bhanpe Recipe 

Love of Zouqh with Chicken Croquets

My morning, today was a bit special. Not only because it’s Valentine’s Day, but also because I came across Love of Zouqh, (taste in English). I came across a vegetarian friend who very casually started chatting to me about keema (mince meat). I was surprised! Wasn’t she the same person I was mentioning tips on how to eliminate egg wash in our Pinwheel Kachori recipe yesterday? On enquiring, I came to know that the love of her hubby leads her into trying out non veg cooking, for his sake, for him to devour, for him to savour. This my friends is the Love of Zouqh!! And hats off to you my darling!

Chicken croquets are a widely discussed, made and tried appetizer. Its simplicity is way beyond imagination and I always grope for this when I have no clue what to make as an appetizer for a zesty cocktail. Now here I have a fried version, but very simply you can bake or even microwave it. It’s a universal dish and it can be put in a curry as well. For curry, microwaving it is the best option as it would maintain its shape, while you cut down on the oil required for frying. Simple and tasty dish for all veggie friends of mine; who, want to make something special for their valentine’s non vegetarian taste buds, today.   

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken Mince – 500 gms

Boiled egg – 1

2 medium onions finely chopped

1 tbsp ground ginger

Handful of Coriander leaves finely chopped

Couple of Green chilly finely chopped

1 raw egg

Bread crumbs

Oil for frying

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

In a big bowl mash the boiled egg properly and mix the chicken mince, onions and ginger together. In this mix, add the coriander and green chillies as per taste. Though I am not too sure of how much coriander one wants, yet try to put in a little more. The smell of coriander with chicken goes very well. And in the absence of any masala (Indian spices), this flavour renders the dish a unique taste. Now add the raw egg in the mix, transforming it into a dry paste. Don’t make it too watery. If it happens then add some bread crumbs and/or rolled oats in it which will make it come together in a ball.

Now oil your palms slightly and shape the mince mix in small balls or flatten it like a kabab. 

Spread the bread crumbs on a plate and dust the kebabs well with it. Once all the croquettes are dusted and done, refrigerate for at least 2 hrs before deep frying in hot oil till it browns from both sides.

This dish is very different from the normal chicken kababs or balls as it has no masala into it.

Serve hot with hung curd dip and a nice cocktail (blue lagoon!!!)

Cheers!!

Weekday Dinner with Paneer Gravy-ed and Sumac-ed Cous-cous!!

Zouqh got a mention recently in DNA after hours. Apparently our Pinwheel Kachoris is in the must watch list from Famebox Webchef channel. So that propelled me to do more all veg recipes. A very good veggie friend of mine, since school, had always been asking me to give her recipes which are easy main course and non-baked. And so we figured, let’s go 100% veggie this time!

This is my go to meal on a boring Tuesday. After all the hoopla in the day, I would settle for a nice plate of warm curry and cous-cous. Intererstingly, this is very simple to conjure up, as it has no weeping onion or smelly hand garlic, involved!

Week day Dinner 2:- Curried vegetable-Paneer with Sumac cous cous with Nimbu ka achar (Lemon Pickle) and home-made curd.

          

Carbohydrates, in the form of Sumac cous cous

Protein and veggies in the form of curried vegetables and paneer

A fresh zing in the form of fridge cold, fresh homemade curd and nimbu ka achar (Lemon Pickle)

The pickle was store bought, from a certain gujrati food stall. The tangy sweet taste of the pickle was perfect accompaniment for the dinner. If you don’t have it, you could easily substitute it with homemade imli chutney (tamarind chutney) or mango chutney.

For the gravy dish, you would need:

200 gms Fresh Paneer (cottage cheese)

A handful of peas

3 small potatoes, cubed

½ tsp nigella seeds

Fresh coriander powder chopped

3 Green chillies slit

2 small tomatoes, pureed

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp red chilli powder

¼ tsp cinnamon powder

Salt to taste

Oil as needed

Water for the gravy

1 tsp Ginger paste

1 tsp of wholewheat flour

Method:

I know, the big list of ingredients look endearing, but these are very basic things which you would find lying in your kitchen shelf anyways.

In a non-stick wok, put in a couple tbsp of oil to heat up. Any flavourless oil will do. Once hot, let the nigella seeds crack in it.

I like to crack up my nigella seeds first so that I m ensured it’s got cooked and flavoured out. 

Now scatter the seeds on the sides, while u put half of the fresh cubed paneer in the hot oil to grill. I do just half as I like the flavour profile of a grilled paneer in a gravy, but I enjoy the soft creamy texture of the non grilled ones. So I went through lord buddhas’s middle path and grilled half for the flavour and kept half raw for the texture.

Once, both sides are seared, take them out and drain on a paper towel.

Now put in the cubed potatoes and fry till golden. Take them out and drain.

Now, put the nigella seeds back on the mid section and add the tomato puree mixed with turmeric, cumin, coriander and chilly powders. Let all the spices cook down well and reduce. The best way to know when it’s done is by checking the sides of the paste. If oil seeps out, the spices are well toasted and aromatic.

Now add in your peas and fried potatoes. Mix well and add water to the mix. Add enough water to cover all the veggies and let it come to a boil.

Once there, add the paneer and reduce the gravy to your liking. Check and season well.

As the last step, in a small bowl mix together the flour, ginger and cinnamon powder with a tbsp of water. Add it in the gravy and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle on the coriander leaves and take it off the heat.

Serve hot with a simple dish of cous cous which needs:

A big bowl with a tight lid

A cup of cous cous

Boiling hot water in a jug

Olive oil

Salt

Sprinkling of sumac powder (to your taste)

Put the couscous in the bowl and salt it well. Add the oil and mix well.

Now cover the cous cous with an inch more of hot boiling water and clamp on the lid.

Let it stand 5 minutes and fluff it well with a fork.

Now sprinkle on the tangy sumac powder to taste or squeeze on some lime juice.

Cous cous ready in literally 5 minutes!

Home-made creamy curd and some chutney; and you have a wonderful dinner ready in 30 minutes. Hot and steamy, perfect vegetarian comfort meal for the cold weather! 

Cheers!!

Famebox Webchef Contest - Pinwheel Kachori!

Hey people, Here is another recipe for the contest Famebox Webchef. This time Zouqh goes vegetarian gourmet.  Pinwheel Kachori are a great starter to whip up during a party. 

We have sent an entry and now I need your help to win it!! If you want to see Zouqh as a YouTube Channel, Please View, Share, Like and vote for our video...

                                                                          Cheers!!

Weekday Dinner with Bulgur Wheat Stir Fry!!

A weekday dinner is a chore everyone hates! Takeout foods, frozen food all are born from that hatred and we get addicted! And Addicted to it, for months on end. In India somehow the delivery system is so strong, that you hardly ever feel like coming back from work and tiring yourself silly in kitchen. Frozen food is a relatively new concept, and yet to make its lasting impression in the Indian markets. So I am thinking of writing in a series of weekday and weekend dinners for a couple of days now. These are easy to make in half an hour kind of meals. I am striving to make it as modern Indian and flavourful as possible by tweaking the classics to suit my ever so Indian curry taste buds, and yet a balanced meal owning to nutrients!!

Week day Dinner 1:- Stir fried bulgur wheat with crunchy veggies and boiled egg, served along with a chorizo flavoured sauce.

Carbohydrates in the form of Bulgur wheat, a recent addition in my kitchen!

Veggie portion in the form of stir fry, 2 ways!

Protein in the form of a perfectly boiled egg, served with a sauce falvoured with 2 thin salami pieces of chorizo!

Let’s tackle from the last- Protein. An egg boiling is not a new concept, but a perfectly 

boiled egg is a difficult concept to arrive on to. What is perfection? For me it is to get a slightly softish yolk which is set, yet not hard and powdery. And to get to this point of hardboiled egg perfection, you need to follow a few steps religiously as I mention here.

·         

•          A fridge cold egg goes in a water-bath and right on top of a medium flame. You may add vinegar or a matchstick in the water to prevent the eggs cracking up.
•          Now let it take its own sweet time to come to a boil. Keep the heat medium and do not disturb it.
•         Once it starts boiling, let it boil for a minute and switch off the gas.
•          Let the eggs remain in the hot water and slowly come down to room temperature with the water.
•         Once you are ready to plate, peel the shells and halve it. Perfectly set egg white with a just set soft pasty yolk, perfection achieved!!

While you were waiting for the eggs to start boiling, you could take a cup of bulgur wheat and soak it in water. And prep your veggies to get the stir fry started.

For stir fry, you would need:

1 ½ onions chopped in thin strips

3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

½ a cup Capsicum chopped in thin strips

½ a cup carrots chopped in thin strips

½ a cup of broccoli stems chopped in thin strips

2 tbsp of oil

A big pinch of paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a wok or a pan, heat the oil and garlic together till they are fragrant.

Add in the paprika, once the garlic starts sizzling. Let both these spices mingle and flavour the oil.

Once the garlic turns light brown, add in the onion and on a high flame, let it cook down and gather some colour.

Next dump in the broccoli and carrots and on high flame, let it cook and get crisp.

Last to go in the pan should be capsicum, give it a good stir and let it stand on high flame for a minute.

Sprinkle salt and pepper and stir well. Now, lower the gas flame and remove half the stir fry and let it stand uncovered, while you prep the bulgur wheat.

Soaked bulgur wheat, which has doubled its original size, will take far less time to cook. Tip in the wheat in the remaining veggies and stir well.

On high flame once again, cook the grains to add some flavour on to it.

Now, submerge the wheat and the veggies in salted warm water and a dash of freshly ground ginger, to cook the wheat completely. Let your stove be on medium flame and partially uncovered. Once all the liquid evaporates stir and check for doneness. It should be soft with a resistant bite.

PS: Now, to explain why we stir fried the veggies and took out half of it. For me cous-cous and bulgur wheat are both very cardboard-y and flavourless. So they need some sort of a flavour which came with the stir fried veggies. But as we need to add water, the crispness of stir fry is lost. Hence, reserving some out to add a crunchy element to the dish, seemed like a great idea!

Finally, the chorizo sauce:

2 big chorizo salami pieces chopped

Half an onion sliced

2 tbsp tomato sauce

A few dashes of worcestershire sauce

A few dashes of tobasco

2 tsp oyster sauce

A pinch of paprika

And water to thin it out

Method:

In a small pan let the chorizo simmer and give out its orangey flavoured oil.

Once it’s hot and crisp, add in the onions and cook for a minute to soften it.

Add in all the sauces and paprika, and let it simmer to concentrate the flavour.

Once it reduces, thin it out with water to your liking. I didn’t have to season beyond this, but taste and season as required.

And just in about 30 minutes, you have hot dinner, perfect to be coupled with a glass of slightly chilled chardonnay! 

Cheers!!

December Celebrations!!

So December is a great little time for my household. A Birthday and an Anniversary, on the same day. so the menu had to be awesome as well.

For Anniversary, it was mom's favorite Banana tea cakes, in the form of a rough cake with message encrypted with cashew-nuts on top!! A clever little trick I say, and U should steal.

For Birthday, it was the Birthday Boy's favorite Rum Souffle cake. A traditional recipe made with a basic choux pastry and eggs. I flavored it with a good glug of dark rum. If you want the recipe. write to me and I will show you exactly the way I made it!

The little bowl on the side, it was a traditional Bong dish called Payesh. Made on auspicious occasions such as a Birthday or Anniversary, its a celebratory rice porridge, uniquely flavored with jaggery made out of dates.

And thus celebrations were on full bloom!! Cheers!!

Famebox Webchef Contest - Chicken Booby Kababs!

We have sent an entry and now i need your help to win it!! If you want to see Zouqh as a YouTube Channel, Please View, Share, Like and vote for our video...

Cheers!!

Whole-Wheat Banana Tea Cakes

A tough week!! A maddening rush to change address and moving with a baby... Huff puff!! So in this rush and in this frenzy, I had to device a wholesome fast and quick recipe for a snack at all times for all members of this change. My sweet loving bong family needed a sweet treat and nothing was better than these oh-so-awesome banana tea cakes!!

 The idea to this recipe is not entirely mine. A very close friend of mine, I lovingly call her Suki, gave me this idea. She was baking a pudding with sugar syrup instead of just sugar. I loved it!! And I decided to try it out. It came out awesome as expected. This is actually a swirl to my earlier No Butter, No Flour, No Egg and Yet a Cake recipe, but with whole-wheat flour instead of semolina.

Ingredients

3 Ripe bananas (big)

1 cup whole wheat

1 tsp Sodium-bi-carbonate (baking soda)

1 tsp baking powder

3 pods of cardamom, slightly crushed

½ cup grated Coconut

½ cup Sugar

½ cup water

¼ cup Cashew nuts

2 tbsp oil

A pinch of salt

Method:

Make simple syrup out of the sugar and water and put in the cardamom pods in it to steep out its flavour in the hot syrup.

Mash the bananas well and add the soda-s, grated coconut, salt and oil to it.

Now combine the syrup and bananas, and mix in whole wheat flour ¼ cup at a time, till it reaches the perfect cake batter consistency. The addition of flour will depend on how long your syrup steeped on heat. So to get perfect fluffy cake, get it to a nice spoon dropping consistency. If you feel your batter is too thick, add another tbsp of oil. 1 cup of whole wheat was good for me and I removed my simple syrup the moment sugar was dissolved.

Oil the tea-cake moulds and pour in the mixture with a help of an ice cream scoop. You can decorate with cashews on top. As the cake doesn’t have anything which will fluff it, the nuts on top will show and get roasted beautifully in the oven.

Preheat the oven and bake for around 20-25 mins at 200 degrees c or until a knife put in centre comes out clean. Remember to always check for doneness, right at the centre. Once done, let it cool and enjoy.

Cheers!!