Vazhakkai Vathakkal ~ Roasted Raw Bananas

I had got 2 raw bananas from the Indian Street this weekend and after much thought , my childhood and office days back in India tempted me to check out of a South Indian side dish - roasted Raw banana.......and after much research I found this one which matches my taste buds ...........


Vazhakkai Vathakkal ~ Roasted Raw Bananas
Recipe source - Bharathy of Spicy Chilly

Ingredients

Vazhakkai/Raw banana- 2
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt- to taste
Sambhar powder(better option) or red chilly powder - 1tsp

To temper-

Oil- 1-2 tbsps
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- a sprig


Method

Peel the green skin of the raw bananas and immerse in a pan of water.[this is to prevent the brown coloration of the peeled veggie]
Slice them into thin rounds (not too thin: say, slightly less than half cm each).
Simultaneously boil a wide pan of water( 2 cups more or less, to immerse the slices comfortably) along with salt and turmeric powder.
Throw in the slices as soon as you are done, boil for a few seconds and drain the slices from the hot water using a colander.
Be careful not to over cook the pieces and see to it they are firm and half cooked. Be careful with the boiling water while you drain too :)

Heat oil in a wide non stick kadai.
Splutter mustard seeds, brown the urad dal, throw in the curry leaves and finally the pre cooked slices.Add the chilly/sambhar powder.Toss the slices.
Check salt and toss once a minute.
Let them get fried for 10-15 minutes in low flame until roasted and browned on both sides.
Remove from fire and serve hot with rice and curry.

Buttered Vegetable

Irene is now a history........but it gave me an opportunity to cook meals for windy - rainy day......from the 4 - 5 dishes I made , this one is the most healthy option.....has loads of veggies , actually just veggies

5 - 6 large florets of Cauliflower
1 Carrot - peeled and cut lengthwise /Baton
4 - 5 beans - cut into 1" long
1 Medium sized potato - peeled and cut lengthwise
1/2 Zucchini

1/4 tsp red chilli flakes
4 - 5 baby corns
1/2 bell pepper - assorted - I used diced green and red ones
Sat to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4tsp white pepper powder
1/2tsp mixed herbs - I used dried oregano and rosemary - you can also substitute it with fresh herbs
1tsp fresh mint leaves - finely chopped
1Tbsp butter  - salted / unsalted
1/4tsp cooking oil / olive oil


In a pan boil water and add a pinch of salt , now add the cauliflower and heat for 2 -3 mins, drain and keep aside
Now wash and cut all vegetables accordingly and place all in a steamer and steam until done - except the bell peppers and zucchini
[ I used a pressure cooker without a whistle and 1/4 cup water along with salt]
The above step can be done in advanced
Once the vegetables are done, cool them
In a pan heat butter and oil ( we are adding oil so that the butter does not burns) and add the zucchini and bell peppers
Saute for 2 - 3 mins and add the boiled vegetables , mix well so that butter is coated evenly all over
Add the seasonings and dry ingredients and mix well
Serve immediately

Saute`d veggies...Final touch

Note:
You can add any vegetables of your choice such as onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumber etc
Seasonings can also be altered according to your taste buds
This can be served with a bed of salad , french fries - fried or baked , chips
I had some left over vegetables, so made a tikka out of it
I had also added some saute corn kernels and lemon rind to give it an extra zing !!!

Finally My platter.........The baked french fried are missing from this pic

Instant Corn Dhokla

Instant corn dhokla, a rare combo of sweet corn and rawa come together in this sensational dish! it is really amazing how the fresh flavour of the crushed sweet corn kernels enhances the taste of the otherwise bland rawa. A unique set of ingredients blended with curds, these dhoklas are sure to win you many praises. And what’s more, it can be whipped up in no time at all! fruit salt works its magic by helping the dhoklas to rise without any fermentation. Make these in small moulds as individual portions, as kids will love it this way. But if the moulds are not available, make them in a thali and cut into pieces.


TD Special

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Makes 10 pcs

Ingredients
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels (makai ke dane)
1/4 cup curds (dahi)
1/2 cup semolina (rava)
1/4 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
salt to taste
1/2 tsp fruit salt
1/8 tsp lemon juice

For The Garnish
1/8 cup boiled sweet corn kernels (makai ke dane)

Method
Combine the sweet corn and curds together and blend in a mixer till smooth.
Add the semolina, ginger-green chilli paste, salt and ½ cup of water and mix well.
Just before steaming, sprinkle the fruit salt and add lemon juice over it, when the bubbles form, mix gently.
Pour spoonfuls of the batter immediately into greased muffin moulds and steam for 15 to 20 minutes or till the dhoklas are cooked. Cool slightly and demould.
Serve immediately garnished with corn.

Handy tip:
Always use your hands while mixing the batter to break the lumps.
If you do not have moulds, use small cups/vatis. Or you can even spread the batter in a thali, steam and cut into pieces.

Apple Kachumbar - Indian version of an apple salad

1 Medium each - green and red apple
8Tbsp whisked yogurt - I used plain whole, but you can try out other fat free / flavored versions
12 - 14 Almonds - sliced
7 - 8 dates - de seeded and cut into pieces
10 - 12 Mint leaves - hand torn
Black Salt to taste
1Tbsp Lime Juice

Slice the apples and place it in bowl along with Lime juice which will help it prevent from oxidation
(You can also dice the apples)
Now add in the whisked yogurt along with all the other ingredients and mix well
Serve chilled


Note:

You can blanch the almonds, but plain / roasted almonds give it a crunchy texture
You can also add 4tbps cream + 4tbsp yogurt / curd to give it a more rich flavor

Babycorn Pepper - Salt

This week......is Chinese special........I am trying to re create Indo Chinese recipes, that I am missing out here when I want to have them

10 - 12 baby corn, boiled
1/2 tsp cornflour
2tsp refined flour / plain flour
1.5 tsp black pepper corns freshly crushed - you can also use pink and white instead
2Tbsp Spring Onion greens - chopped
2 Stalk Spring onion bulbs - sliced vertically
Salt to taste
2 green chillies - finely chopped
1tsp ginger - finely chopped
1tsp garlic  - finely chopped ( i avoided this, but it does increases the flavor)
1Tbsp celery - chopped
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
1tsp Vinegar
1tsp Soya sauce
1/2 Tbsp + for deep frying - Oil

Cut the boiled baby corns vertically ( 2 -3 cuts for a babycorn) into smaller pieces - bit size pieces
In a bowl add the baby corn and season with with salt and white pepper, add cornstarch / cornflour along with plain flour to dust and mix it well
Heat oil in a pan and add the coated baby corn and fry until crisp
In the meanwhile heat oil in a wok and add garlic, ginger , green chillies and celery ( you can add more apart from the specified quantity in case you like celery)
Give it a stir and add the onion bulbs, you can also add sliced onions
Saute well
Also keep a check on the babycorn, and stir it so that its evenly cooked and crisp - crunchy
Add soya sauce to the wok along with salt and the crispy babycorn , directly from the oil at this stage
Give it a mix and add vinegar, crushed peppercorns and garnish with spring onion greens
Serve it immediately since the baby corns needs to be crunchy and crisp......tat s when you will enjoy it the most

Chocolate Brownie

Sunday and it's continuously raining out here in NYC.........past 24hrs.......and my urge for having a sizzling brownie has been haunting me dawn to dusk.........so here is the first step to satisfy my urge....BROWNIE....All i needed was

STEP 1

1cup  flour
1 cup  powdered sugar
2Tbsp unsweetened coco powder
1tsp baking powder
Some choco chips - optional

Sift all the ingredients ( except the choco chips)
Add the choco chips to the sifted ingredients and mix

STEP 2

4Tbsp Butter
1bar Chocolate ( I just brought a Hershey's milk with almonds) - but you can select any bar of your choice - dark / milk / unsweetened

Chocolate bits and butter - ready to be melted 

Melted chocolate n butter .....whisk it well

Melt the above ingredients in the microwave and whisk it well to form a smooth mixture



STEP 3

1Tbsp Vanilla essence
1/2 cup milk

Combine Step 1 + 2 = dry ingredients + the melted butter chocolate along with Vanilla essence and milk
Pre heat oven to 355F / 180C
Line a baking tray with parchment paper / grease the tray
Pour in the mixture in the tray and place in the oven and spread it evenly by tapping the dish or with the help of a spatula
Bake for 30 - 35 mins / until the toothpick is out clean

And the final result was

I no longer had patience to sccop out / arrange the platter..............

TIPS ON CANTONESE COOKING

Cantonese cooking ........Well I always had an Indian touch , but if you are a big fan of authentic Cantonese affair, guess this is what you should practice .......Courtesy: TOI

The precautions 
Critical ingredients that are a huge support to bring out the flavours are Chinese herbs and Chinese seasonings. It is important to maintain the crispiness of vegetables and the flavour of the meat since a lot of the cooking is done on high flame in a wok, so that each element retains its original qualities of flavour, colour, structure and texture. Do not over marinade or over mix your ingredients.

Get the basics right 
Ingredient: Wise staples would of course be fresh seafood, fresh meat and vegetables. You can also use angelica root, licorice root and jade root as a few of the condiments. It is important to have some of the sauces that you plan to use in the cooking prepared before hand. For example, the oyster sauce. Cutlery wise, chopsticks for the food and a bowl for serving the rice or noodles is essential.

How to plan in advance 
A good meal would consist of an appetiser, a soup, a main course with meat or seafood and most definitely some vegetables. It is important that the meal is well balanced and healthy, tantalising the taste buds with different textures and flavours. Our generation is moving toward healthier eating and we are breaking the myths that Chinese food is saucy and oily and filled with MSG.

For starters, the kitchen must have a good quality soya sauce and oyster sauce and an oyster sauce for the vegetarians (which is predominantly mushroom based).Check on egg tofu and bean fried noodles to be available in the kitchen.

What to have in the fridge 
The most important ingredient is stock. Vegetarian stock for vegetarian meals, chicken and seafood stocks for the rest of the meals. Fresh vegetables such as snow peas, asparagus, bok choy and lotus root should most definitely be a part of the pantry. The meat and seafood should be based on the seasonal and local availability. A good quality soya sauce is a must.


Avoiding the cliches 
The overuse of heavy sauces and chillies is definitely something one should stay away from. An emphasis on preserving the natural flavour of the food is the hallmark of Cantonese cuisine. A Cantonese chef would consider it a culinary sin to produce a dish that was overcooked or too heavily seasoned.

TOI