Tryst with Grub

We Indians enjoy our tea. Different regions produce different varieties of yummy concoctions that satisfy your palette beyond imagination. However the lonely cup of Chai always needs an accompaniment be it the Samosa, Pakora, Medu Vada or Pazham Pozhi (Banana Fritters). Today's recipe is inspired by a technique that I saw being used by many Michelin Star chefs

In a pan saute onions in some oil till they turn transparent. Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies. Now add in chopped aubergine. Put in a little bit of turmeric and red chili powder. Add a dash of water and let the aubergines cook through. Turn of the hit. Pop the cooked aubergine mixture into a food processor and blitz to get a nice paste. Grate in 150 grams of paneer and enough bread crumbs to create a mixture that can be made into small balls. Soak some Basmati rice in water for half an hour. Drain the rice and keep it on a plate. Now make your balls and toss them in the rice till the balls are well coated.

Allow the balls to cook on a steamer for 15-20 minutes and voila you have a nice Indian Dimsum to go along with your Adrak Chai.

My interest for food and the story that it tells about the people from where it originates pushed me to look for recipes, chefs and cultures on the web. Shows like Masterchef inspire you to make food that looks tastes and smells beautiful but many of the recipes are involved and require much more time and resources than what a regular amateur home cook has. For some reason I believe in the less is more or keep it simple philosophy. Few ingredients and loads of flavor can do the trick most of the time and chefs who master this philosophy tend to keep me interested in their shows than the ones who indulge in awesome techniques. I admire the latter but I simply do not have the time or resources to practice such skills. In this quest I came across two chefs who inspire me to keep things simple yet incredibly delicious - Jamie Oliver and Kunal Kapur.

The first one is a 'Saffron Peanut Butter Kulfi' where I have used Chef Kunal's recipe and just added that additional saffron to play on the famous Kesar Pista Kulfi. You can find it on NDTV Food

The second one is all about fusion. I call it 'Pesto Meatball Spaghetti'. For the Hindustani Pesto, add coriander leaves, a few mint leaves, roasted pine seeds, garlic, red chilli flakes, salt and water to a blender. Start the blending and slowly pour in some nice olive oil and Voila! For the meatballs use a good amount of chicken mince. To the mince add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste, salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, lemon juice, a bit of corn flour and enough bread crumbs to bind the whole mixture together. Make bite sized round balls and grill them till they are well done. Keep them aside to rest. Cook your spaghetti Al Dente. In a large pan heat your pesto till it cooks slightly. Traditionally the Italian pesto is normally used as a salad dressing or a dip. You can add a little water to adjust the sauce consistency. Pop in your spaghetti and let the sauce coat it well. Add your meatballs and sprinkle enough 'Chhena' or in my case shredded store bought Paneer and serve hot.

I find experimenting with cuisines from different countries, regions to be a lovely experience. It helps to understand people because what people eat is largely governed by their immediate environment and the ingredients that are easily available. I am a proud Mallu and this post is dedicated to 'Gods own Country' because after tasting all those eclectic cuisines you still wanna come back home and have some 'meen' (fish) curry and chor (rice).

Marinate your lamb with chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder, salt and lemon. Leave it in this marinade for about half an hour to 45 minutes. Slice one large onion and keep that aside. Now for the coconut paste. In a blender, put in some ginger, garlic, red chilli flakes, freshly ground coconut, tomato paste, salt and water. Grind away till you get a lovely thick red paste. Ideally you should get one of those clay pots and cook this dish on a slow wood fire till the meat just slips of the bone. I use our friendly neighborhood pressure cooker to do the job. Put in a few drops of coconut oil into the cooker. Drop in the sliced onions and saute till they get transparent and light brown. Now add the coconut paste. The thickness of this paste will determine the thickness of your gravy. Allow the paste to cook for a while. Add in your lamb. Coat the meat with the paste and add in some coriander powder. Now add little water to aid with the cooking. Put the lid on followed by the weight and cook for around 20-25 minutes on a low flame. 

This step is optional but definitely adds in a lot of flavor. In a separate pan add some coconut oil, drop in some chopped shallots and a few curry leaves. Let them sizzle around for a bit. Pour this on top of your lamb and serve this with rice or any bread of your choice.