Meditterrean Grilled Aubergine with Cottage cheese filling

About the food:

This is a Spanish style grilled aubergine with cottage cheese (paneer) and peas filling. I saw a Spanish recipe of grilled aubergine in a TV show sometime back: this dish is an impoverished version of that. The method of cooking is the same, only the filling has been modified upon. It is an easy to make dish, makes an delightful presentation, and could be served as a starter, or in a cocktail party.The filling is to be scooped out with a spoon and eaten just like that: taste it, and it is delicious!

Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients: (serves 4)

4 medium sized aubergine.
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
1/2 inch root ginger, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium sized capsicum (bell pepper) finely chopped
200 gm cottage cheese (paneer) finely grated or handcrushed
2/3 green chillies, de-seeded and chopped
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely grated cheese
1 cup green peas, boiled lightly and hand crushed
black pepper powder to taste
salt to taste
olive oil / vegetable oil

Method:

1. Cut off the steam of the aubergines. Cut the aubergines longitudinally in halves, so that each has a boat shape. Make incisions through the aubergine flesh, with a knife, both longitudinal and horizontal, as many as you can, taking care not to pierce the skin. Retention of the skin is very important as the dish would be served in it. Sprinkle salt and little bit of sugar on the aubergines and set it aside.

2.After 30 mins., drain the water off the aubergines, which has come out, and brush them generously with oil. Pre-heat oven for 15 mins. Set them on a lightly oiled baking tray, and grill them at 180 deg C, for about 15mins. Check from time to time, as the time might vary. Brush them with oil again once in between. The aubergines would be soft, a little charred and golden in colour when done. Scoop out the flesh of the aubergines when it has cooled down. Retain the skins as best as you can.

5. Add oil in the pan. Put the aubergine flesh and stir fry for about 5-8mins. Sprinkle some salt to taste. Take it out in bowl and keep it aside.

6.Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic and the ginger and saute a little. Add the tomatoes, followed by onions, spring onions, capsicum, mashed peas and green chillies. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Continue cooking on a low flame for about 10 mins or until the oil separates out. Add the cottage cheese and cook for a further 5 mins. The cottage cheese should turn a little golden in colour.The filling is done.

7. Now arrange the aubergine skins in a baking tray. Fill them up generously with the filling, and top it with grated cheese.

8. Grill them at 180 deg C for about 5-6 mins, or until the cheese melts and turns slightly golden.

9. Take the tray out, and garnish them with coriander leaves. The dish is now ready to serve.

Malpowa

About the food:

This is a traditional Indian sweet dish, served as a dessert or as a snack.

Preparation time: 30mins
Cooking time: 30mins

Ingredients: ( serves 6)

2 cups of white flour
1/2 cup semolina
200ml evaporated milk (or condensed milk)
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp rose water
whole milk 200ml ( if needed)
1 banana, finely mashed
seeds of 6 cardamom pods
Vegetable oil for deep frying


Method:

1.De-seed the cardamom pods and finely crush the seeds in a morter and pestle. Keep it aside.

2.Put the flour in a big mixing bowl. Add the semolina and the cardamom powder to the flour.Mix the evaporated milk and make a smooth paste. Add the mashed banana and mix it well. The paste should not be too thick or too watery.A caution: do not mix all the evaporated milk to the flour, start mixing it slowly, and add as much as it takes for a smooth paste. You might use a portion of the whole milk if you need.

3.Boil 1 litre of water.Add the sugar and let it simmer to obtain a thick syrup. Add the rose water. The syrup should be 1 thread thick (i.e. the syrup should be 1 thread thick when taken between two fingers and stretched). Let it cool.

4.Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Pour 1 big serving spoonful of the mixture to the oil. The mixture would dip to the base of the pan, and then would rise up. when one side is done, fry the other side by tossing it over. The pancakes would be crispy and dark golden in colour.

5.Drain the oil from the pancakes on a kitchen tissue and transfer them to the bowl of sugar syrup. Soak the pancakes in the syrup for about 10 mins and transfer them in a serving bowl.

6. The malpowas are now ready to serve.

Ginger chicken

About the food:

This is a typical and a very popular chinese dish. But I must tell you that people from India might be very dissappointed by this dish, as initially I was. This dish does not belong to the Indian-Chinese cuisine, but has a perfect Chinese character. When I came to London, I was very upset with the Chinese cuisine, which had always been my favourite. But with time and experience I have come to realise that what we eat in India as chinese is completely different from what poeple in china eats. The chinese food here in London is more of chinese-chinese than of Indian-chinese taste. Once habituated, I have re-discovered my love for the Chinese cuisine, which is more authentic this time! Try this easy to make dish, and you will feel the same as me.

Ingredients (serves 4)

250 gms skinless & boneless chicken breast
vegetable oil for deep frying
1 egg white
1 tbsp Chinese five spices powder (a mixture of fennel, cloves, cinnamom, star anise and szechuan peppercorn)
1 big onion, cut in 3 inch stripes
1 bunch of spring onions, cut in 1 inch length
3 inch root ginger, shredded in long thin stripes
1 big bell pepper, cut in thin long stripes
1/2 tbsp black pepper seeds
black pepper powder to taste
7-8 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 tbsp cornflour powder
salt to taste


Method:

1.Cut the chicken in 3 inch by 1 inch stripes. Whisk the egg white and the cornflour in a bowl to make a smooth mixture. Mix the chicken well with this mixture. Add the Chinese five spices to it ,cover and marinate for 30 mins.

2.Heat oil in pan.Stir fry the chicken, by tossing and turning on medium flame until the chicken is light golden in colour.Drain them on a kitchen tissue and set it aside.

3.Wipe clean the pan and heat oil again. Add the black pepper seeds and let it crackle. Add ginger, onion, mushrooms, spring onion and bell pepper. Stir fry on a low flame until they are tender. Add salt to taste.Add the chicken and keep on cooking over a low flame for a further 10 mins.Add 1/2 cup of water and cover and cook for further 10-15mins or until the chicken is tender. If you want to increase the gravy, add 1tbsp cornflour in a cup of water and add to the pan. Let it simmer, and the dish is now ready to serve.

Accompaniment: Best served with basmati rice.

Steamed chicken momo

About the food:

Momos are a traditional delicacy to the Himalayas of Tibet. They are also very popular in Nepal, Bhutan and N-E parts of India. It is at present growing in popularity in the eastern as well the Western world.

I learnt this recipe from my mom, and she makes delicious momos. Try this out, and I am sure you would love it. You can serve this an evening snack or a starter.

A note: I set up a momo party for my friends, and I had to improvise the recipe and the result was loveable : Paneer momos. As I was not sure the chicken was halal or not, I had to invent something else for a friend of mine. I substituted paneer in the place of chicken, and it was pretty simple! I thank her for triggering the innovation.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves 4

ingredients:
400 gm boneless chicken minced
1 medium piece of chicken (with bone or boneless) for the soup (the soup is optional)
5-6 ginger cloves chopped finely
1 bunch of spring onion, chopped finely
1 big onion, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp black pepper seeds
2 cups of white flour
vegetable oil for deep frying
4 tbsp soya sauce
1/4 tbsp ajinamoto
black pepper powder
salt to taste

Method:

1.Put the chicken in a mixing bowl. Add the soya sauce, spring onions, onions, a bit of salt, and black pepper powder and mix well. Set it aside.

2.Heat a pan. Add 1 tbsp of oil. Add 3-4 chopped garlic cloves and fry till they are golden. remove from the flame add this to the chicken mixture. Mix it well, and keep the chicken bowl covered for 30 mins and let it marinate.

3.Put the white flour in a big bowl. Add 2 tbsp of oil, 1/2 cup of hot water (take care, as the amount of water may vary. Put small amount of water first to get the estimate) and a pinch of salt. Mix them well until a soft and homogeneous dough is formed. Keep on kneading with both hands, ( you have to get messy to get a good result!) until the dough is soft. This is a very crucial part for getting perfectly soft momos.

4. Now make the wrappers by making small round balls from the dough and rolling it thin with a rolling pin.Get a cup or a bowl with apprx. 4 inch in diameter, and use it to cut the wrappers.It will give an uniform size to the momos.

5. Take one wrapper in hand, put 1 spoon of the chicken mixture in the middle, and wrap it carefully so that the content does not leak out. Repeat with all the wrappers.

6.Now the Steaming part. You can steam the momos if you have a steamer. If not, find a deep flat cooking pot and a metal perforated tray which would go inside the pot. If you are using a steamer, you have to prepare the soup separately, in a bowl with a lid, or in a pressure cooker, if you have one.

7. The soup (optional)

Put 500ml of water in the pot and bring it to boil. Put in the chicken piece, salt, black pepper powder, 2 chopped garlic cloves, a portion of the chopped spring onions.Cover and simmer for about 20-25 mins. Add 1 tbsp of butter. The soup is ready.If you think you need more quantity of soup, just add boiling water to increase the quantity.

8.If you are using a steamer, brush the rack with oil. Place the momos carefully on it, and at a little apart from each other. The momos will increase in size, so take care they do not stick to each other.Steam the momos for about 15 mins, or until soft and tender.

9.If you are using the pot and tray, you can cook both the soup and momos at the same time. Put all the contents for the soup as in step 7 in the pot, and support the tray on the water on a cup, taking care water does not reach it( you can use room temperature water here for the mixture).
Brush the tray with oil, and follow step 8. Cover the pot with a heavy lid, and you might take a little longer time to cook. Get an idea from the picture here:



7. Your momos are now ready. Serve them with the soup and sweet-chilly sauce.

Fried Chicken momo

About the food:

Momos are a traditional delicacy to the Himalayas of Tibet. They are also very popular in Nepal, Bhutan and N-E parts of India. It is at present growing in popularity in the eastern as well the western world.

I learnt this recipe from my mom, and she makes delicious momos. Try this out, and I am sure you would love it. You can serve this an evening snack or as a starter.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves 4

ingredients:
400 gm boneless chicken minced
1 medium piece of chicken (with bone or boneless) for the soup (the soup is optional)
5-6 ginger cloves chopped finely
1 bunch of spring onion, chopped finely
1 big onion, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp black pepper seeds
2 cups of white flour
vegetable oil for deep frying
4 tbsp soya sauce
1/4 tbsp ajinamoto
black pepper powder
salt to taste

Method:

1.Put the chicken in a mixing bowl. Add the soya sauce, spring onions, onions, a bit of salt, and black pepper powder and mix well. Set it aside.

2.Heat a pan. Add 1 tbsp of oil. Add the chopped garlic cloves and fry till they are golden. remove from the flame add this to the chicken mixture. Mix it well, and keep the chicken bowl covered for 30 mins and let it marinate.

3.Put the white flour in a big bowl. Add 2 tbsp of oil, 1/2 cup water (take care, as the amount of water may vary. Put small amount of water first to get the estimate.) and a pinch of salt. Mix them well until a soft and homogeneous dough is formed. Keep on kneading with both hands, ( you have to get messy to get a good result!) until the dough is soft. This is a very crucial part for getting perfectly soft momos.

4. Now make the wrappers by making small round balls from the dough and rolling it thin with a rolling pin.Get a cup or a bowl with apprx. 4 inch in diameter, and use it to cut the wrappers.It will give an uniform size to the momos.

5. Take one wrapper in hand, put 1 spoon of the chicken mixture in the middle, and wrap it carefully so that the content does not leak out. Repeat with all the wrappers.

6.Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the filled-in wrappers to get fantastic momos.

7. Serve with Sweet and chilly sauce.

Egg and Prawn Chowmein

Chicken curry with Bell Pepper

About the food:

This is not a very common recipe, and is very light and healthy. I learnt this recipe from my brother-in-law, who did study in hotel management, and is full of experimental recipes. I hope my readers like this recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4)

500 gms skinless & boneless chicken breast
vegetable oil for deep frying
1 tbsp whole garam masala ( Clove, Cinnamom and Cardamom)
1 big onion, diced
2 inch root ginger, shredded in small pieces
1 pinch of turmeric powder
1 big bell pepper, diced
1/2 tbsp black pepper seeds
1 big toamto, finely chopped
black pepper powder to taste
salt to taste


Method:

1.Cut the chicken in 3 inch by 1 inch stripes.

2.Heat oil in pan. Add the black pepper seeds and the whole garam masala and let them crackle.Add the onion, ginger and bell pepper. Fry for about 5mins. Add chopped tomato and keep on frying. After 2 mins, add the chicken and keep on cooking over a low flame for a further 10 mins.Add the turmeric powder and season it with salt and black pepper powder.

3.Add 2 cups of water and cover. Keep it simmering over a low flame for 20 mins or unless the chicken is cooked.

4.Serve hot.

Accompaniment: Best with basmati rice.

Chicken with Worcestershire sauce

About the food:

This dish is a fusion food, and could well be said of Mediterrean origin.

It uses worcestershire sauce, the discovery of which, though controversial, has been credited to England. It was first commercialized in England in 1837. The strong taste of the worcestershire sauce is drawn from a fermented fish sauce called garum, which was a staple of the Greco-Roman cuisine in the the Roman Empire.

At present it's popularity has grown immensely, and it is now used extensively in western, eastern as well as Cantonese cuisines.

I learnt this recipe from a friend of mine, who likes to experiment a lot with foods. This is an extremely easy to cook recipe, and goes very well as a dry snack, specially in a cocktail party.


Ingredients (serves 4)

500 gms skinless & boneless chicken breast
vegetable oil for deep frying
1 big onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic salt/garlic granules
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1 pinch of turmeric powder
1 big bell pepper, diced
1/2 tbsp black pepper seeds
black pepper powder to taste
1/2 cup tomato puree
salt to taste


Method:

1.Cut the chicken in 3 inch by 1 inch stripes. Marinate it with the worcestershire sauce and garlic salt.Cover it and set it aside for an hour.

2.Heat oil in pan. Add the black pepper seeds and let them crackle.Add the onion and bell pepper. Fry for about 5mins. Add the marinated chicken and keep on cooking over a low flame.Add the turmeric powder and season it with salt and black pepper powder.

3.Toss and turn the chicken in the pan, and when they become golden in colour, add the tomato puree. Mix it well and carry on cooking until the oil separates.

4.Serve hot.

Accompaniment: Best as a starter/ Dry snack served with drinks.

Aubergine Shahi Masala

About the food:

This is an extremely easy to cook dish and always had been my favourite. I learnt this recipe from my auntie,for which I am grateful to her, and ever since I made this, it had always been a big hit among my friends and all. To be honest, this is the only dish which has never let me down. And this is very easy to prepare, you need not to be a cook to prepare this: try this out, I can promise you, you would like it! I would love to hear from you, wish you all the best!


Ingredients (serves 4)

2 medium aubergines
2 cup onion paste (add two green chillies to the onion paste, if you want to)
2 tbsp ginger paste
1/2 tbsp ginger paste
vegetable oil for deep frying
4/5 green chillies, chopped
a bunch of fresh green coriander leaves, chopped
1 cup tomato puree
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp whole cumin, dry roasted
250 ml plain yogurt
1/3 cup water
1 pinch of turmeric powder
salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut the Aubergines in 1 inch wide circles.wash and put it in a bowl, sprinkle it with salt and 1 tbsp sugar and a pinch of turmeric. Cover and keep it aside for half an hour.

Special tip: if the aubergines are kept as above, they release water from inside, and require much less oil when cooked.

2. Heat pan. Pour the oil, and when it smoulders, deep fry the aubergines.Take care not to over-fry them, as they can become charred. But also take care not to under-cook them: they should be crispy and golden brown when they are done.Arrange them in a single layer on a serving tray.

3. Heat pan. Pour 4 tbsp oil, and let it smoulder. Put the onion paste and fry it for 5 mins. Add the garlic and ginger paste. Continue frying on medium flame by tossing and turning them, until the oil separates. This stage might be a little long, but carry on patiently.

4. After the oil has separated out, pour in the tomato puree. continue frying for some more time, until the oil separates again. Add salt to taste.

4. Pour in this gravy on the single layer of the fried aubergines on the serving dish.

5. Put the yogurt in a mixing bowl and add the water.mix it well. Add a pinch of salt, cumin and coriander powder, roasted cumin seeds, and mix again.

6. Pour this yogurt on top of the gravy covering aubergines on the serving dish.

7.Garnish with chopped coriande, dry roasted cumin and green chillies (optional) and serve.


Accompaniment: Best served with Paratha/Naan.