Orange French Yogurt Cupcakes

Baking is an exotic art, or so I'd like to think. It's magical how some gooey-doughey stuff placed in the oven turns into spongy, springy cakes! Besides it's addictive. An addiction that's hard to get rid of. So for three days in a row I baked. Then I ran out of eggs and was lazy to get more or look up egg substitutes....thankfully! Instead I found the box of ricotta I had picked on my last grocery trip and made some baked rasmalais. Well, if there's an oven eating up valuable kitchen space, it must be used right? Somebody stop me!!

It's birthday time!

Birthdays are so exciting and full of promise... ask my little princess and she will nod in agreement. It does not matter whose birthday it is, sing the birthday song and she will clap her hands, smile cheerfully and even dance around.

Let it snow, let it snow...!

Happy New Year to all! We brought in the new year watching "3 Idiots" and a fun movie it was! Much as I'd have liked to watch the London Eye light up when the clock struck twelve, it wasn't a great idea to expose a baby to freezing weather! So we went to the theatre, with fingers crossed that the little one would behave well and also braced ourselves for the eventuality that she may scream the place down and we'd have to leave the movie mid-way! But the sweet little lady was at her best behaviour and slept five minutes before the movie began, all through to the next morning!

Reasons to celebrate!

A beautiful angel has come our way

With a sweet smile to brighten our day

A gift so precious, she's a treasure

Filling our hearts with joy and pleasure!

As you see, I turned mum sometime ago and that explains why I have been missing from this space. Thankyou to those who asked after me, left me birthday wishes, onam greetings and for the baby. :) Life has been hectic with the baby and a relocation to new shores, and the blog took a backseat. But today is special, Currybazaar turns three! It has been a wonderful journey meeting fellow foodies, knowing about cuisines from around the world and learning new recipes, presentation techniques, tips and tricks. I will post as and when time permits, meanwhile enjoy some treats from Currybazaar!

Happy Vishu!

May this Vishu bring joy, good health and peace to your home!

Idli Podi - Kerala Style

Idli podi or gun-powder as it is popularly called is a fiery, dry chutney powder that is served with idlis. The bland taste of idli is fantastically complemented with this hot, spicy chutney which is a blend of dal, rice, red chillies and spices. Idli podi is usually made in large quantities and bottled to retain the flavours. It stores well at room temperature for months, though the fieriness may go down a bit on prolonged storage. This idli podi can be served with idlis, dosas, uttappams etc. The recipe given below is my grandmother's which we quite love and is different from other idli podi recipes where rice and curry leaves are not used. This podi is served by mixing coconut oil into it to highlight the flavours whereas other recipes use sesame/gingelly oil or ghee. This powder will turn brown when roasted while the other podi are usually red in colour.

You need:

1/2 glass rice (both raw rice and boiled rice work well)
1/4 glass urad dal
1/4 glass channa dal
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
a large pinch of hing
6 or more red chillies (the hot variety)
10-12 peppercorns
1 tsp til/sesame seeds
a handful of curry leaves

Roast the peppercorns, red chillies and curry leaves in 2 spoons of oil till they change colour. Add the remaining ingredients and fry till they turn golden brown. Cool thoroughly and powder finely. Store in dry, airtight bottles.

While serving, mix a few spoons of chutney with coconut oil to enjoy the true flavour of Kerala.

Corn Bhel

With some guests coming over for tea and no mood to fry up some snacks, I remembered reading a corn bhel recipe in one of Tarala Dalal's books. Most of the ingredients were available at hand and very minimal work to do, a nice looking evening snack was ready without much of a fuss and hardwork.

I had store bought sev and puris in my pantry and some frozen corn and date-tamarind chutney in the fridge which saved a lot of effort. Recipe for date-tamarind chutney is here.

You need:

1 cup cooked corn

1 large potato boiled, peeled and cubed

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 smal onion finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp red chilli powder

salt to taste

3 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped

2 green chillies finely chopped

juice of 2 limes
4-5 tbsp sev (nylon sev used in bhel puris)

date-tamarind chutney

15-20 flat puris (as used for bhel puris)

Heat oil in a pan and sputter the cumin seeds. Add the onion and fry till transluscent. Add the green chillies, potato, tomato, red chilli powder and salt and toss for a minute. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice and mix well. Arrange the puris on a serving plate and add the warm corn mixture on it. Sprinkle the sev and spoon some date-tamarind chutney on top and garnish with coriander leaves.

Mango Pickle

Summer arrives in India in early March and the first of the raw mangoes appear in the marketplaces. The women in the neighbourhood eagerly await the mango-seller walking through the streets with a huge basketful of baby mangoes on his head. As always they hail him, pick through the best of the raw mangoes, weigh their bulk purchase and haggle over the prices. They then go through the process of wiping the mangoes dry, rubbing in measured portions of salt and leaving the huge bucket of mangoes to bask in the sun for a few days. The mangoes are then brought indoors and spiced with red chilli powder and mustard powder, bottled in sterilised bottles and left outdoors again to cook in the warmth of the sun. Everyday the bottles are shaken to allow the spices and salt to mingle evenly with the mangoes. As the days go by, the mangoes absorb the spices to turn into a lip-smacking 'kanni-manga' pickle, finally distributed among relatives.

While the entire process of pickling is a fantastic journey, the wait till one can actually taste the pickle is killing. And on days when the craving for a pickle is just too much to resist, an easy and quick mango pickle can be made. There are no particular measurements used for this pickle since the pickle does not keep well. It is best consumed within two or three days. To make the pickle, chop a regular raw mango into tiny pieces. Mix salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and mustard(rye) powder and toss well. Store in a dry container or sterilised bottle. The flavours should mingle well in 4-5 hours. Teams well with rice.

Pumpkin Patties

Pumpkin is a versatile vegetable that can be boiled, steamed, roasted or even baked. Even the flowers, seeds and tender skin of the pumpkin is edible. Pumpkin is a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, fiber, potassium and other minerals, protein and essential fatty acids. Pumpkin is ideal for those who watch their weight as it is low in calories. Consuming pumpkin is an idea way to keep away worm infections, prevent cataracts and keep kidney and gall bladder problems at bay. The beta-carotene in pumkins are excellent anti-oxidants. Read mre about the benefits here.

How do you feed pumpkin to pumpkin-hating, unsuspecting guinea pigs? Like this. :)

You need:

2 cups pumpkin cubed and cooked
1 large potato boiled and grated
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp cornflour or plain flour or a mix of both


Mash the cooked pumpkin and add the remaining ingredients to it. Mix to form a thick dough-like consistency. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry small patties of the pumpkin mixture till done on both sides. Serve hot with sauce or chutney.

For more ideas check out these recipes at Asha's Aroma.

Revisiting the old: Carrot Halva

Carrots are a goldmine of nutrients. No other vegetable or fruit contains as much carotene as carrots, which the body converts to vitamin A. This is a truly versatile vegetable and an excellent source of vitamins B and C as well as calcium pectate, an extraordinary pectin fibre that has been found to have cholesterol-lowering properties. The carrot is an herbaceous plant containing about 87% water, rich in mineral salts and vitamins (B,C,D,E). Raw carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A and potassium; they contain vitamin C, vitamin B6, thiamine, folic acid, and magnesium. Cooked carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A, a good source of potassium, and contain vitamin B6, copper, folic acid, and magnesium. The high level of beta-carotene is very important and gives carrots their distinctive orange colour. Carrots also contain, in smaller amounts, essential oils, carbohydrates and nitrogenous composites. They are well-known for their sweetening, antianaemic, healing, diuretic, remineralizing and sedative properties. (More info here.)

Before the last red carrots of the season vanished from the markets, we relished some (more!) carrot halva - probably the last of the year. I make this delicious halva as many times as I can over the few months when I can grab these red, juicy carrots. Check out the recipe here and enjoy the halva!

Red Bell Pepper Soup

I had my eyes on Sig's Red bell pepper soup and was completely floored when I tried it. Grilling the bell peppers and the touch of curry powder enhances the flavour of the soup incredibly. Try it and enjoy the sweetness of the peppers, sourness of the tomatoes and spices, all in one hot bowl of soup!

You need:

2 large red bell peppers
2 large tomatoes peeled and chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups water or stock
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sliced shallots/onions
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

For the garnish:
Thinly sliced green onions
Garlic croutons
Cream

Grill the bell peppers turning them on and off till the skin starts to turn black for about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes. Peel, remove the seeds and chop. Heat oil in a large enough saucepan and add the shallots/onions and garlic. Cook till the shallots/onions start to soften. Add the chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, red chilli powder, curry powder and cook for about 10 minutes stirring frequently. Add the water/stock and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and into a smooth liquid. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Serve hot in individual bowls and garnish with garlic croutons, sliced green onions and a dollop of cream.

Fish in Tamarind Sauce

A fish curry that's been tried, tested and polished off our plates quite a number of times is this quick and easy recipe from Sig's Live to Eat. The beauty of this recipe is the unique blend of tamarind and coconut milk that makes this curry very likable for its mild spiciness. While Sig used halibut in this recipe, I've tried it with both king fish and pomfret and both taste great. Frying the fish and then dunking it in the sauce leaves it crunchy and soft at the same time. The curry tastes great with rice and sliced onions rubbed with lime and salt.

You need:

For the Marinade:
4-6 pieces of king fish filets or 2 pomfrets, cleaned
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
salt to taste
1/4 tsp olive oil

For the Sauce:
1/2 cup shallots thinly sliced
1 tbsp diced garlic
1 green chili pepper slit
a few curry leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 cup coconut milk

Wash the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the fish pieces with the olive oil and season with pepper, paprika and salt.

To make the sauce, heat oil in a sauce pan, and saute the shallots, garlic and green chilli till soft. Add the curry leaves and saute for another minute. Reduce the heat and add the spice powders and saute till the spices are cooked well. Add the tamarind paste, salt and coconut milk and bring to a boil on medium heat.

In the mean time, heat some oil in a pan just enough for shallow frying. Fry the fish pieces, skin side down for four minutes on high heat. Turn the pieces and cook the other side on medium heat for four more minutes.

To serve, arrange the fish on the serving plate and top with two table spoons of sauce. Serve with rice or a salad.

Chhole

Chhole is white chickpeas cooked in a spiced onion-tomato gravy. It is another classic dish for cold winters and can be served with parathas, puris, tikkis, pattice or chaat .

You need:

250 gms white chickpeas/chhole soaked overnight
2 sticks of cinnamon
4 cloves
4 cardamoms
4 green chillies slit
1 large onion chopped
3 large tomatoes pureed
a few slices of ginger
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp amchur/mango powder
1/2 tsp anardhana powder
coriander leaves finely chopped

Pressure cook the chickpeas/chhole with plenty of water, salt and ginger slices. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add the onion and fry till it turns golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for a minute. Add the whole spices and spice powders and fry for a minute. Add the tomato puree and green chillies and fry till oil leaves the sides. Now add the cooked chhole/chickpeas along with the water and simmer for 15-20 minutes till the right consistency is achieved and the chhole soaks in the spice from the gravy. Alternatively you can pressure cook the gravy for two whistles. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with puris or parathas with sliced onions, tomatoes and pickles on the side.

Revisiting the old: Pinnies

The winter festival of Lohri is here and it brings memories of Punjabi neighbours who celebrated by lighting up a bonfire in their backyard at night. They circled it singing traditional songs and throwing popcorn and puffed rice into it. We kids called it the popcorn festival. You can read all about Lohri here. And do make these awesome pinnies - they make a great winter snack!

Type rest of the post here

Mattar Methi Malai

Bring in the New Year with a rich, mildly spiced and creamy gravy with peas and fenugreek leaves. This gravy is simple to make and is a clever way to make kids have methi. Read about the benefits of methi here. Mattar methi malai teams well with naan or kulcha and makes a hearty winter dish.

You need:

1 cup methi leaves finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
3-4 dry red chillies
1/4 tsp jeera/cumin seeds

4 tbsp cashew paste

salt to taste

1 tsp green chilli paste

1 tbsp mava

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup water

a sliced tomato for garnish

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, red chillies and onion and stir fry till light brown. Add chopped methi leaves, saute for a minute and keep aside. Boil the peas and keep aside. Heat ghee in a pan, add green chilli paste, cashew paste, mava and milk and stir together. Add the sauteed methi, peas, salt and water and let it cook for a few minutes till the gravy assumes the required consistency. Serve hot garnished with tomatoes.

Other methi/fenugreek leaves recipes featured earlier:

Methi Aloo

Saibhaji

Makki di Roti

New Year Greetings!

Happy New Year !

May the dawn of this new year
Open up for you new horizons,
Fill your heart with new hope,
Promises of a brighter tomorrow
Wishing you happiness and prosperity in the New Year!

Revisiting the old: Chicken Biryani

After a long break, some nudging from friends and some inquiry from loved ones about my absence from this space pushed me to present some delights from my kitchen. While I relished the idea of cooking without having to take pictures and type out recipes, the feedback and response from those who had tried and tested recipes from my space was precious. Unexpected rains that brought a slight dip in the weather suddenly heightened the aromas of the spicy chicken biryani cooking for lunch. Accompanied with raita, pickles and pappad, it was perfect for the rainy noon.

The recipe for chicken biryani can be found here. Do try it and let me know how it turned out for you.

It's time to feast, again!

Onam Greetings to all visitors to Currybazar!

Chicken Biryani

The temperature dips and the sun sinks slowly into the horizon. The surroundings become eerily calm. The streets are almost empty; just a few cars speeding homewards and the last of the people scurrying home. A chilling silence has settled over the place. BANG! The canon goes off signifying that the sun has set. Instantly the muezzin's call for prayers or azaan blares from the minarets of every mosque around. It's iftaar. People gather around the tents put up near the mosques to break their fast with dates, followed by prayers and dinner. This scene repeats itself everyday during the month of Ramadan - the festivity, coloured lights on every street, the fun-fairs, the display of traditional Arabic sweets and ofcourse, the iftaar parties! This month of fasting and feasting concludes with the sighting of the new moon announced with a colourful display of fireworks. Ramadan Kareem to all my Muslim friends!

The best part of any festival is the elaborate and mouth-watering food preparations. As kids, we associated festivals with the special food prepared on that day than the real essence of the festival itself! In my part of the world, evenings in the month of Ramadan are vibrant with festivities and the intense, over-powering aroma of freshly cooked food wafting from every household and restaurant in the vicinity. The most popular dish during this period is the biryani, a speciality interlayered with aromatic rice and spiced meat/seafood/vegetables, served with a side of raita or kurma, a salad and papad. The chicken biryani recipe here is the result of a challenge by the spouse to cook up a spicy, aromatic biryani and is heavily inspired by many different recipes on the internet. For this one-dish meal, I'd recommend using basmati rice which lends a distinct aroma and would also suggest not to tone down the oil/ghee used which imparts a delightful flavour while cooking. This dish is a strict no-no for all those on a diet, after all, isn't biryani a dish fit for a king!

You'll need:

I}To marinate the chicken:
1 whole chicken, cleaned and cut into medium pieces
2 1/2 inch piece ginger
9-10 big cloves of garlic
12-15 hot green chillies (more or less as per your taste)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt as needed
3 tbsp thick yoghurt

Grind the ginger, garlic and green chillies to a coarse paste and keep aside 2/3 of this paste for the masala in step V. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and rub into the chicken well and leave aside covered for atleast 30 minutes.

II}For the Rice:
2 cups rice
1-2 bay leaves
1 stick of cinnamon (3 inch long)
2-4 cloves
2-3 cardamom
1 star anise
salt to taste
5-6 cups of water

Method A: Wash and soak the rice for atleast 10 minutes. On the stove-top, bring the water to boil in a large vessel. Add the rice, salt and spices and cook till the rice is almost done. It should take 12-15 minutes. Drain off the excess water and sprinkle lime-juice over it.

Method B: Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee and add the whole spices and fry. Add 4 cups of water to it, add salt and bring to a boil. Drain the cleaned rice and add it to the boiling water. Cover and turn down the heat and allow the rice to cook till all the water is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork and sprinkle lime-juice over it.

III} For the spice mix:
2-3 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 inch stick of cinnamon
4-5 mace
1 nutmeg
1 star anise
1 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
1/2 tsp shahjeera
1 black cardamom
Dry roast the above and grind to a fine powder. Keep aside.

IV}For the nut paste:
10 cashew nuts
5 almonds
1 tsp poppy seeds/khuskhus
1 tsp fennel seeds
Soak the above in 2 spoons warm water/milk for 1/2 an hour and grind to a creamy paste. Keep aside.

V}For the masala:
2 large onions sliced
1 large red tomato pureed
2/3 of the ginger-garlic-chilli paste reserved from step I
1/2 cup thick yoghurt
1 tsp red chilli powder
a handful of coriander leaves finely chopped
a handful of mint leaves finely chopped
1/2 cup or more ghee/oil or a mix of both

VI}For the garnish:
1 large onion, thinly sliced
a handful of cashew nuts/pine nuts or both
a handful of raisins
2-3 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp warm milk
a few strands of saffron

In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat half the ghee. Add the sliced onion reserved for the garnish and fry till it turns golden brown and crisp. Remove and reserve for garnish. Add the cashews and fry till golden, remove and reserve. Add the raisins and fry till they plump up, remove and reserve. Add the remaining ghee/oil and fry the onions for the masala till transluscent. Now add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste reserved from step I, marinated chicken, red chilli powder and spice powder from step III and fry on high heat till the chicken is fried and the raw smell of spices goes. Turn down the heat, add the tomato puree, yoghurt, coriander and mint leaves and fry till the oil separates. Add the nut paste from step IV and continue cooking covered till the liquid reduces and the chicken is cooked. Check and stir frequently to prevent the chicken and masala from burning.

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. In an oven proof dish, spread half the chicken with gravy at the bottom followed by half the rice, then the chicken and finishing with a layer of rice. Spread the fried onions, cashews/pine nuts and raisins. Now rub the saffron strands in the warm milk and pour over the rice. Garnish with coriander leaves, cover with aluminium foil and bake for around 20 minutes. Alternately, instead of baking you can steam cook the biryani covered with a tight fitting lid on the stove top on a gentle flame for 20 minutes. Serve hot with raita, pickle and papad.

Savoury Appams

A holiday, illness and laziness later I was craving to have a deep fried something that wouldn't require me to slave over the stove too much. With idli batter in the fridge and a few other ingredients to bring in colour, appams, a childhood favourite was ready in minutes. This savoury version also called uppu-appams are equally popular as the sweet version called nei-appams. A special cast iron/non-stick pan with moulds called the appam pan/ aebleskiver pan is used to give the appams a round shape.

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups idli batter
2 or more green chillies minced
a sprig of curry leaves
a handful of coriander leaves
a carrot finely grated
2 tsps finely chopped red bell pepper
3 tbsps onion finely chopped
a few peppercorns
oil for frying

Chop the green chillies, coriander and curry leaves finely. Add all the ingredients to the idli batter and mix well. The batter already has salt, so there is no need to add more. Place the appam pan on the stove and pour 1 1/4 spoon oil into each mould. Let the oil heat well, turn down the flame and drop spoonfuls of batter into each mould. Allow it to cook through and turn and fry the appams evenly on all sides. Serve hot appams with coconut chutney or ketchup.

HAPPY GANESH CHATHURTHI TO READERS OF CURRYBAZAAR!