Sasuri’s Doi Maach / Fish in Spicy Yoghurt Sauce

This one is Via Ma-in-law. A little twisted to my liking of course! One of the many reasons I feared marrying a Bengali was the idea of eating fish everyday. I couldn't stand the smell of fish back then. That’s when Ma would make Doi Maach for me, which surprisingly would smell of spices and tasted liked heaven. Ma's version of Doi Maach has green chillies, was sweeter and had no onions. I tried this the other day for Ananya, and she can vouch for this recipe! Well, between us we finished two full fish fillets!!

For the marinade: 500 gms of firm white river fish / fish fillets. Add 1 big cup of yoghurt, 1 –2 bay leaves, 2-3 cardamom pods, 1 inch stick of cinnamon, 2 –3 cloves, 2 pinches of turmeric. Mix all together and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours at least.

After 2-3 hours, take out the marinated fish.

Step 1: In a small non-stick pan, sauté 1 small grated Onion/paste in 2 table spoons of mustard oil. Add green chillies, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger grated (optional), 1-2 teaspoons of red chilly powder. Sauté till oil separates.

Step 2: Add the marinated fish with spices to the sautéed onion paste in the pan. Coat the fish with the masala. Turn the flame to the low. This is important as Doi Maach is made over very low flame. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and salt to taste.

Cover it and let it simmer over low flame for about 10-12 minutes.

 

After 10-12 minutes, you’ll see the yoghurt has diluted, oil separated and there is enough gravy. If you think you need more gravy just add a little warm water to it. The fish will be cooked by now. Check with a fork if you are unsure. Just before you transfer the fish into a serving bowl, add about 1/2 teaspoon of mustard oil for the flavour.

Serve with piping hot rice!

Bon Appetite!

Top tips: Some make this without red chilly powder, onions and ginger, like Ma. That tastes equally good. Try either, they both have knock out taste!

Vanilla Cup Cakes – happiness in a paper cup :)

  

Technorati Tags: cup cakes,vanilla

AAAAHHH, UUUUUUUUUH, TIRAMISU

It is my favourite dessert. I have been trying to make it for years now, but for want of the right ingredients in India. Sydney fulfilled my Tiramisu dream. But the funny thing about Tiramisu is the number of versions that really exist. Use sponge cake if you don’t get lady fingers, use Marsala wine or don’t, don’t use whipped cream, actually you can you know, it doesn’t matter really, so on and so forth.

So Via my mad mad friend MS Jaya Naomi Datt, and the many searches on the internet, KG set to make the first Tiramisu of her life.

Step one:

Break in 5 large eggs- separate the yolks from the whites. You’ll need the yellow. Take a large bowl and add 2/3 cups of brown castor sugar and the egg yolks. Beat it with an electric beater or a hand blender, till it reaches a nice thick consistency (or as Jaya puts in- like cake batter). Add 450 gms of Mascerpone cheese and fold in well till it blends in completely. Add marsala wine - 5 to 6 table spoons. This is optional. I did not use it.

  Step 2

Whip heavy cream, about 1/2 cup till they form soft peaks and add to the Mascerpone cheese, egg and sugar mixture set aside.

 

step 3:

Make 1 large cup of very strong esspresso coffee. Cool. Once cooled add 4-5 table spoons of coffee liqueur – Baileys Irish cream or Kahlua. Mix well. Set aside

Step 4: Take lady fingers and soak each one of them in the coffee-liqueur mixture and arrange on a square dish or individual dessert bowls. If you cannot find lady fingers then you cna use a firm sponge cake, which I did. But I highly recommend not to do this, to keep the authenticity of Tiramisu intact. note in the picture below, the cake it not soaked in the coffee mixture. Youc an first arrange them in a dish and use a spoon pour the mixture over the cake.

Step 5

Now make layers of the cake and the cheese mixture.

Step 5: cover it with aluminum foil, and refrigerate it over night. Just before serving the next day, dust cocoa powder over it evenly or use dark chocolate shavings! You Tiramisu is ready to melt in your mouth!

Ingredients in detail:

2/3 cups: Castor Sugar
4-5 large eggs
Coffee Liqueur- 4-5 tbsp
1 cup strong esspresso
500 gms- Mascerpone Cheese
Cocoa Powder for dusting or Dark chocolate shavings
Heavy whipping cream (optional)
Marsala Wine (optional)
Lady fingers/Sponge cake

(This serves 6-8 people)

Top Tips:

Try and stick to lady fingers
I think its best when set in individual dessert bowls, there is no hassle of serving.
Always, sit back and have a Tiramisu. Play some soft romantic number in the back ground, preferably.

Enjoy!

Chinese: Sweet Chilli Chicken with Veggies

Happiness in 15 minutes. I promise. Here’s how.

In a wok, pour oil. Add boneless chicken (breast fillets). Once it browns, add diced ginger, garlic and green chilly – lots of it. Sprinkle some cornflour. Mix well till chicken coats well with the cornstarch. Add soya sauce- about 1-2 teaspoon and 2 spoons of fountain sweet chilli sauce. Stir fry. Add salt to taste. when almost done, add mushrooms, capsicum, broccoli, shallots, baby corn and all the veggies you’d care to consume. Pour cornflour dissolved in water – 1 tsp. Bring it to a boil.  If you don’t want gravy, then, don’t add the cornstarch in the end.

Serve with rice and watch the grin on yours and his face widen.

Sushi in Sydney

Sydney food courts are a delight for foodies. Especially for Japanese food lovers. Every street corner will have a Sushi bar, and all food courts will have an Asagao. Asagao is a Sushi chain, perhaps the largest one in Sydney. They are always crowded and in city, people queue up to be seated. But I have seen most people grabbing a Sushi roll or a takeaway Sashimi plate and hurrying back to their offices. The Asagao near our place, at the Rhodes shopping mall has plenty of seating space, of course at peak lunch hours, these are taken too.

 

 

 

The dictionary meaning of sushi is -Cold cooked rice dressed with vinegar that is shaped into bite-sized pieces and topped with raw or cooked fish, or formed into a roll with fish, egg, or vegetables and wrapped in seaweed.

I am fascinated by how Sushi is made and the way they look. By far the most interesting and pretty looking food I have seen. And when they are stacked in rows they look really lovely. And they say Sushi tastes best when freshly made and eaten. If your Sushi is hard, then its probably stale or has been sitting on the shelves for way too long. I however, am not a Sushi lover. But I have heard how Sushi in Sydney is ‘remodeled’ to suit the palates of a floating Indian population, with stuff like Tandoori Chicken Sushi!! Besides these the dumplings, which are called Gyozas look pretty out of the world too. For the busy office goers you have the regular lunch boxes, and for the more choosy ones there is a pretty extensive menu to choose from- chicken teriyaki, ramen, noodles, pork dumplings, stir fries, BBQ noodles, sea food rolls and plenty more to choose from. The  Asagao at the Rhodes Shopping mall doesn’t have a Sushi Train. I’ve heard that the Asagao at Pitt Street is a Sushi train restaurant. Wondering what a Sushi train is? Sushi Train restaurants are said to be a cost effective way of eating sushi. At these restaurants, the sushi is served on color-coded plates, with each color denoting the cost of the sushi serving. The plates are placed on a conveyor belt – yah just like the airport ones :-). As the belt or boat passes, the customers choose their desired plates. After finishing, the bill is tallied by counting how many plates of each color have been taken.

 

But my man here, was not very impressed with all the Sushi talk. He decided to go for a seafood noodle instead. When it finally arrived, I was ready with my camera to shoot him devouring octopuses, muscles, scallops, shrimps and what not. Yah, there is marine life in his stomach.

 

 

 

Apparently it tasted pretty good. But not as good as what I churn out in KG’s kitchen. Now, that’s what he said. Hmmmm :D Grin grin.

When Kolkata beckons

Have you ever visited Kolkata?

Have you ever stopped by the countless sweet shops to just stand and take in the invigorating aromas of Singara, Kochuri, freshly boiled Rasogullas  & Rasamalais being dumped into sugar syrup and condensed milk?

Have you ever stood by the corner near Globe and had Phuchkaas, while gulping down the over sized round looking bombs into your mouth while simultaneously cleaning your running nose with your forearm (or may be with tissues for the more discerning individuals)

Have you ever taken your girlfriend to Badshah and ordered on her behalf a double egg, double Mutton, roll?

Have you ever taken your wife to Regent and had fish fry like you did on your first date with her?

Have you ever had Alu Kabli near Girish Park or BBD Bag?

Have you ever packed a kilo of Langchas in an earthen pot to take it to your Jamai babu?

Have you ever bought Lichus and Jamrul for your children in summers?

Have you ever asked your wife to rest one Sunday morning, while you went to Sharma’s and got home a sumptuous breakfast of Radha Ballabi and Mishti Doi?

Have you ever stuffed your mouth after a meal with Kolkata Mitha Pan?

Have you ever gone to Tangra for the most authentic Chinese that you can possibly get in India?

Have you ever spent a hot sweaty afternoon in Aminia with Chicken Biriyani ?

Have you ever specially couriered Nalen Gurer Sandesh to your relatives?

Have you ever stopped by to ogle at the beautiful writer’s building, while sipping the most awesome cha from a cute little earthen cup?

Have you ever had multiple tummy upsets because you one too many of those Kabirajis, Moghlai Porotas and Jhalmuri?

Have you ever squeezed under a blue plastic sheet that barely covers a tea stall in pouring rain and had Begunis and Penyajis?

Have you ever taken your boss to The Coffee House instead of a Cafe Coffee day for some heady conversation over coffee and Marie biscuits?

 

For if you have, you are indeed blessed and you can now die in peace.