Lemony Pasta

What's a Lemony pasta, you might ask. I wanted to go with Lemon Pasta, but it sounded like the pasta was made from lemon rinds or something. But that's not what this is.

I came across a pasta recipe in a magazine a long time back. It had pasta that was flavored with lemon zest and ricotta, and several other ingredients all of which I've forgotten. But, adding lemon zest in pasta was new to me and it stuck with me. Last evening, I raided the fridge trying to put together a simple dinner. Pasta is usually a go-to resort for me. So, I started thinking along those lines and was reminded of the lemon zest infusion.

I kept it very simple (for the first time) by trying out Pasta without any tomatoes or sauce. I think the Italians might scorn at this, but it tasted surprisingly decent - and refreshing! If you're a fan of lemons, you should try this out. This is a dish with clean, crisp, minimal flavors.

Ingredients:

1. A bag of uncooked pasta (1 pound)
2. 1.5 lemons (or 2 lemons)
3. 1 teaspoon of salt
4. 2-3 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper (this is the only spice ingredient)
5. 1/2 cup of ground/grated parmesan cheese
6. 1/4 cup of olive oil
7. a handful of flat-leaf parsley (Italian parsley)
8. a few basil leaves (if around)

Preparation:

1. Cook the pasta in a pot of heavily salted water and a drizzle of olive oil. 11-12 minutes is ideal cooking time for most pastas. 
2. Drain the pasta and reserve a ladle of  the pasta water. Mix the cooked pasta with the ladle of warm pasta water so that the pasta is not overly dry (remember there is no sauce)
3. To the pasta, add the zest of 1.5 (or 2) lemons and the juice of 1 lemon. Gently mix.
4. Add salt, pepper (to your taste), chopped parsley and basil. Combine.
5. Finally add a few drizzles of olive oil to moisten the pasta, and add the parmesan cheese. Toss gently and serve.

I loved this! It was so simple, yet every flavor was distinct and complemented each other very well. This recipe can be updated by adding some herb de provence  (dried Italian herbs), raw grape tomatoes (to give some color and vegetable), and some minced garlic sauteed in olive oil.

Lemon-Mint Cake

I never realized how much I liked lemons until recently. I have always loved mint in any manner. So, the combination of lemon and mint is just the perfection of refreshing lightness to me. When I saw Giada making this cake, I made a note to myself amidst the cleaning and random glances at the TV, that I should surely try it sometime. 

So, I did. It is a decent cake, but it didn't live up to my ideal expectations of a light, airy, refreshing cake. I followed most of the recipe. I didn't have any mint leaves on hand, so I added peppermint extract (1/2 teaspoon). But, it was not a good substitute. There wasn't much of the mint flavor. But the lemon flavor was pretty good - I was happy. I especially liked the lemon syrup. So, here are some changes and tweaks I made, and wish to make in the future. 

1. Reduce the amount of sugar that goes into the lemon syrup. I would recommend adding 1/4 - 1/2 cup. I added 1/2 cup of sugar, but it could have been slightly reduced. 
2. Use lots of slightly crushed mint leaves. Or use peppermint oil, and not extract. 
3. Use cake-flour instead of all-purpose flour. It should make the cake lighter. 
4. Beat the egg-yolks and sugar until the mixture reaches the "ribbon stage" - wherein the batter falls in ribbons. If the egg-yolks, sugar and oil are beaten together lightly, the cake might smell of the yolks, and nobody likes that.
5. Let the baked cake cool for 10 minutes. Then poke holes on top using a fork and drizzle lemon syrup on top, allowing the cake to soak it all in. The more the cake rests in this syrup, the better. This allows for better absorption of flavors than adding the syrup during the time of serving. 

I think I've made some progress in my quest for the perfect lemon cake through this one! Let's see. 

Peppermint Hot-Chocolate

No need to rush to the nearest Starbucks for a Peppermint Hot Chocolate or Peppermint Mocha. It doesn’t have to be a rare, limited-edition holiday drink either. It’s ridiculously easy to prepare at home and I guarantee that you can enjoy several cups of the drink without stepping out of your warm house. I rarely make such promises - so trust me. 

 

Ingredients (serves 3):

1. 3 cups milk (1.5 cups of cream + 1.5 cups of milk will make it richer, but I only used 2% milk and it still turned out good)
2. ¼ cup sugar
3. a pinch of salt
4. ¾ - 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
5. 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
6. 1 teaspoon peppermint extract or 3-4 drops edible peppermint oil
7. a couple of dollops of whipped cream and caramel syrup (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, and salt on medium-heat. Do not boil the milk. Wait for it to scald and steam.
2. At this point add the chocolate chips and instant coffee and stir continuously till the chocolate melts completely. The coffee brings out the chocolate flavor.
3. Add the peppermint oil or extract and remove from heat. Stir well. If you possess a small cordless whip/beater such as this handy-dandy one, vigorously whip/beat the chocolate till it froths. It’s a very useful little gadget that I got as a Christmas gift - it beautifully whips up coffee and chocolate in minutes!

Pour into mug/s, top with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel syrup and serve!

Add a little more coffee granules and you end up with Peppermint Mocha!

Brownie Pie

It’s the week of chocolates and roses. Since there is a chocolate fanatic at home, I decided that he deserved a round of indulgence. I’m trying to keep up the happy and warm spirits of every occasion and festival. No harm done in breaking the monotony of the weeks with such small celebrations, right?

So, I tried a simple and basic brownie pie. No frills, no nonsense chocolate brownie with a molten center. It’s chocolately and fudgey to put a chocolate lover in a slice of heaven. It’s also not too sweet. The coffee in the recipe brings out the richness of the chocolate and adds an additional note of bitterness to the bittersweet chocolate. So, this is actually an “adult” brownie rather than a kid-friendly one. The top of the brownie is crusty and crispy while the middle is moist and gooey. Have my descriptions tempted you enough to try this?

Thanks again Ina, for yet another fool-proof recipe.

I  didn’t drizzle the top with chocolate ganache - even the chocoholic admitted it would be too much. I also didn't add any nuts - I just wanted pure chocolate delight.

Mango Chutney

The Mango is the sweetheart of all tropical fruits. It’s the most sought after, universally preferred fruit that is good when it is raw or ripe - or even in-between! I am perhaps the rare exception - I am not a fan of mangoes. I like them when they are raw (who doesn’t), but I don’t like their pungent ripe flavor. So, the sub-par mangoes we get here are ideal to experiment in cooking because they have no strong sweet or tart flavors like the rich Indian ones. These mangoes exude just a little bit of mango-flavor and take on the flavors that are added.

For a recent cook-out that consisted of an international mix of people, I thought I would bring something totally tropical, widely familiar and ever exotic - the mango chutney. Having never prepared mango chutney before, I drew inspiration from the mango pachadi and came up with this. I’m happy to have come up with this recipe - for it’s a keeper. It blends the line between sweet and savory and can be had as a side-dish with anything. Anand prefers to eat it as is.

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

1. 2 Mangoes - halfway ripe (a little sour, a little sweet)
2. 3 green chillies (for a milder spice)
3. 1.5 teaspoons minced ginger
4. 1.5 cups water
5. 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
6. 2 teaspoons cumin powder / jeera powder
7. 2 teaspoons coriander powder
8. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
9. pinch of hing / asafoetida
10. pinch of saffron
11. 1 teaspoon salt
12. 2 tablespoons brown sugar or jaggery (increase or decrease this amount based on how sweet the mangoes are. My mangoes were hardly sweet, nor were they tart enough)
13. ¼ cup cilantro / coriander leaves
14. 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
15. some lemon juice (depends on how tart the mangoes are)

Preparation:

1. Peel the mangoes and cut into small pieces
2. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat some vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, splutter the mustard seeds. Add the minced ginger and green chillies along with a pinch of hing. Saute for a few seconds.
3. Add the mangoes and saute them on medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add enough water to cover the mangoes (about 1.5 cups). Add the spices to this - salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, brown sugar/jaggery, and a pinch of saffron. Close the lid, reduce the heat a little bit and let the mangoes cook completely. Periodically, check on them and give a stir so that they don’t stick to the pan.
5. Remove from heat when the mangoes are completely cooked and soft and there’s hardly any water. Let it cool.
6. When cooled, add roughly chopped coriander leaves and pulse the chutney in a mixer a couple of times. The consistency of the chutney is up to you. You can puree it to form a smooth paste like chutney, or give it a little bit of texture and bite. Or, you don’t have to pulse or puree. Just serve as is.
7. Taste the chutney - it should be sweet, spicy, and slightly tangy. If there’s no tang (because the mangoes are too sweet or just not tart enough), squeeze the juice of half a lemon and mix well.

The chutney goes well as a savory dip, jam, and spread. It can even be had as a side-dish with rice.

Coconut Rice

Simple and flavorful. Coconut flavored rice is one of the most easiest dishes in South-Indian cuisine. It is also one of the most flavorful - especially if you love coconuts.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1. 3/4 cup uncooked white rice
2. 1 cup coconut flakes / shredded coconut
3. 1 teaspoon black-mustard seeds
4. 1 tablespoon split urad dhal / ulutham paruppu / split black gram
5. 2-3 dry red chillies
6. 1 teaspoon salt (to your preference)
7. 2 teaspoons vegetable oil /olive oil
8. a few curry leaves
9. ¼ teaspoon hing / asafoetida

Preparation

1. Cook the rice with as much as water as required by the type of rice you are using. Since the coconut perfumes and flavors the rice, it’s best to not use an aromatic rice such as Basmati that would compete with the coconut and confuse the flavors. A cup of regular white rice requires 2 to 3 cups of water on average to cook. I use 2.5 cups of water for this dish.
2. Splutter mustard in hot oil. Add the split urad dhal, hing, red chillies, and curry leaves and saute for 20-30 seconds on medium heat. Reduce the heat a bit and add the coconut flakes and salt. Fry the coconut till it turns brown and releases its oil and aroma. Remove from heat immediately before the coconut burns.
3. Add the fluffed up, cooked rice to the fried coconut in small batches and stir well to combine. Taste to check for salt and adjust accordingly. It’s best to let the combined rice sit for about 30 minutes or so to ensure the flavors seep through. Serve the well-combined coconut rice!

That’s it! Serve with a spicy side-dish or with crumbly vadaams or chips.

Potato-Chip Cookies

When I read the title of this cookie-recipe, I experienced a mix of feelings - amazement, fascination, excitement, curiosity, and several others while a voice was trying to force some discipline to not indulge in potato chips baked in buttery, sugary cookie-dough. But today, I really had to try it out. Baking can be a serious addiction. I was immensely curious of how the cookies would taste.

I'll cut to the chase and state that the cookies were wonderful! They tasted just as I'd imagined they would and even better. This is surely one of the most unique cookies I have come across - a beautiful mix of sweet and savory. It's surely a stroke of genius.

The only tweak I made to the recipe was to add peanuts instead of pecans.  And frankly, I think peanuts and potatoes are a better combination. One simple batch yields almost 32 cookies! It's great that I can bake to satisfy my curiosity, and distribute most of the calories to a lab-full of eager and stressed grad-students ;).

Guacamole Salad

We've been living off this salad for the last couple of days. It is delicious, easy to put together, and healthy in a guilt-free kind of way.

It is a mix of grape-tomatoes, bell-pepper, onion, garlic, black-beans, avocados and lime zest, dressed in a zesty and light vinaigrette of olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, paprika and cumin. Paprika and cumin are the only additions of mine. The lime zest brings out a bite of freshness that is so refreshing. A simple and lovely salad. 

Mor Kuzhambu

Mor Kuzhambu is another yogurt-based gravy spiced with chillies, ginger, cumin, and coconut. It is usually made with day-old yogurt that is slightly sour and diluted with water to create buttermilk. This forms the prime ingredient. 

 
Ingredients:

1. ¼ cup diced okra / ladies finger / squash
2. 3/4  teaspoon coriander seeds
3. 1 teaspoon raw rice
4. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds / jeera
5. 3 cups buttermilk or diluted yogurt that’s slightly sour
6. 2 tablespoons shredded/grated coconut
7. 1x1 inch piece of ginger roughly chopped
8. 2-3 green chillies or dried red chillies (depends on how spicy they are and how spicy you’d like)
9. 1 teaspoon turmeric
10. 2 teaspoons vegetable / olive oil
11. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
12. ¼ teaspoon hing / asafoetida
13. a few curry leaves
14. ¾ teaspoon salt

Preparation:

1. Soak the rice, cumin seeds and coriander seeds in ¼ cup of water for 10 minutes.
2. In a teaspoon of oil, fry the diced okra / squash until it cooks. Remove and set aside.
3. Grind together the yogurt / buttermilk along with the coconut, the soaked coriander + rice + cumin seeds, ginger and green chillies. This forms the base of the gravy.
4. Transfer the ground mixture to a medium-sized saucepan, and add turmeric, salt, and the fried/cooked vegetable. Heat this on medium-heat for 10 minutes or so until the gravy comes to one boil. If the gravy is too thick, add a little bit of water to thin it down and heat for an additional 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat. Do not over-boil the buttermilk or yogurt - it will curdle.
5. In a teaspoon of oil, splutter mustard seeds, add hing and a few curry leaves. Add this garnish to the Mor Kuzhambu.

It’s a very simple dish that goes well with steamed rice. Since the coconut in the buttermilk / yogurt doesn’t store well, the shelf-life of this dish is quite short.

Vegetable Puffs

All of us who grew up in India have a special love for vegetable puffs - especially the super soft and flaky ones from the ubiquitous “Iyengar Bakery”. I never ever imagined that I would be able to recreate the awesome puffs in my very own home. But, thanks to my good friend Priya, I was taught how to. I was thrilled when Priya mentioned that I could just buy the puff-pastry sheets and make my own version of vegetable puffs at home! I was even more amazed at how well the puffs turned out. Most of the technique, difficulty and skill involved in preparing the puffs depends on the quality of the pastry dough. So, life is simplified infinitely by just using the good quality store-bought dough/sheet. The vegetable stuffing is just a spicy curry of your own liking.

Ingredients:

1. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pasty sheets (or any store bought puff pastry sheet)
2. For the vegetable stuffing:
1. 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2. 1.5 teaspoons of olive/vegetable oil
3. 1 onion - finely diced
4. 2 cups of diced vegetables (beans, carrots, peas, corns, etc.)
5. 2 boiled potatoes - crumbled or gently mashed
6. 1.5 teaspoons garam masala
7. 1 teaspoon salt
8. juice of half a lemon
9. ¼ cup of coriander leaves - finely cut.

Preparation:

1. Thaw the puff pastry sheets - place them at room temperature for 45 minutes or so. Or microwave them in 15 second intervals until the sheets soften just a bit.
2. Prepare the vegetable stuffing. Heat a teaspoon of oil. Add fennel seeds and let the seeds flavor the oil for 20 seconds. Add the diced onions and saute for 10 minutes until the onions turn translucent. Add the boiled potatoes (crumbled or cut into small pieces) and mix with the onions for a couple of minutes. Then, add the other vegetables and salt and cook for 10 minutes with lid on.
3. Add the garam masala to the vegetables and mix well. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes. When the vegetables are almost cooked, remove from heat. Don’t completely cook or overcook the vegetables as they are going to bake and continue to cook in the oven. Add lemon juice and coriander leaves to the prepared curry and mix well.
4. Each puff pastry sheet can be divided into 3 equal parts (the sheet is usually pre-divided into 3 parts). Each part will be approximately 2 inches in width. With some all-purpose flour to avoid sticking, roll out the ⅓ rd sheet along the width to elongate it to about 3 inches wide.
5. Spoon some of the cooled vegetable curry along the length of the sheet, giving about ¼-1/2 inch room to fold the sheet. Brush the sides of the sheet with a bit of water, and fold the sheet along its length and seal the edges by gently pressing.
6. Using a sharp knife, a pizza cutter or a candy cutter, cut the sealed and stuffed sheets into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In order to get extra flaky, fluffy puffs, chill the unbaked puffs for 10 minutes in the freezer.
7. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes. 23 minutes is the ideal baking time for me. The Puffs will brown at the edges and puff-up beautifully.

this version of the stuffing doesn't have potatoes - a shame, I know.

The usual procedure to ensure golden-brown pastries is to brush the top of the unbaked puffs with an egg-wash (an egg mixed with a little water or milk), or just a little bit of olive oil. I usually don’t go through this extra step. But, it’s worth it if you would like to display a lovely platter of perfectly golden brown pastries. 

Garam Masala Powder - Version 1

My simple (and rather obvious) hypothesis is that the success of most North-Indian based curries and gravies lies in the garam masala (or spice-blend) that goes into it. Although there are so many zillions of garam masala (and generic masala) brands in the market, there are probably very few that come close to the authentic blend prepared by expert home-chefs. With life being short, and the number of brands in the market increasing by the week, it’s almost impossible to test all of these to identify the optimal garam masala brand. So, I got into the habit of constantly pestering my North-Indian friends for suggestions and tips.

None of my Punjabi, Bihari or other friends from the north-western part of India use a store-bought masala. Oh no, they don’t. It is as sacrilegious as a madrasi or South-Indian using store-bought sambar powder. It’s close to blasphemy to even consider it. Everyone has their own home-grown, treasured recipe for the masala powder that’s so elusively perfect. And no matter how many times I have prodded, requested, and bugged them for the recipe or even a hint of it, they have all politely shook their heads feigning ignorance, or widened their eyes appalled at the audacity of my request to pry their precious family recipe. It’s understandable. I don’t blame them. But my curiosity doesn’t let me shelve the mystery so soon.

So, after all these years of sniffing different masalas, and experimenting now and then with a different mix, I narrowed down a couple of my favorite store-bought masalas. Then, I read the ingredients at the back of the pack and decided I would just experiment with the measurements and see what I end up with. So, that’s what I did. Of course, I don’t have access to all the exotic spices listed - clove leaves, stone flower etc. But that’s ok - I’m making a trip to the Indian store to comb the spice racks another time. But for now, here is a pretty decent start to prepare a very basic garam masala powder.

Much of the measurements are tuned to suit my preference in the olfactory and taste departments. For instance, I love cardamom - I’m close to obsessed with its aroma. So, to me, cardamom is a major masala note in most good masala powders. Cardamom + clove + fennel is a  favorite blend of mine. So they all feature. But since clove and fennel can easily overpower the delicate cardamom flavor, I have reduced their quantities in ratio to the cardamom. Mustard + Cumin + pepper + coriander is a very classic Indian flavor, so they are present too. In addition, other strong spices such as nutmeg + star anise + cinnamon are also added, but in muted amounts. I find these flavors to be distracting if added in excess. So, according to my half-baked knowledge and random experimentation, here is the formula.

Ingredients:

1. 2 tablespoons cardamom seeds (not the husk/shell, just the seeds)
2. 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
3. 1 teaspoon of cloves
4. 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
5. 2 tablespoons black pepper corns
6. 1 tablespoon cumin
7. 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
8. 1 dry red chilly
9. 2 inch piece of cinnamon
10. 1 star anise (or 2 small ones)
11. 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation:

1. Dry roast all the ingredients together (except the grated nutmeg) for 5-10 minutes until the aromas of the spices begin to assault the kitchen - in a good way
2. Grind the cooled spices along with grated nutmeg to a fine powder.
3. Store in an air-tight jar at room temperature.

Anand and I were pleasantly surprised by the results. However, being a lowly South-Indian, I do not make any claims that this is a lovely clone of the authentic recipe. No, it’s not. But most of the ingredients that make the classic garam masla are present in this (except for stone flower, clove leaves, black cardamom). In my next batch, I will probably experiment with the measurements a little more, add a few black cardamoms and stone-flowers, etc.

But even if this isn’t the authentic spice-blend, this experiment of mine is yet another unequivocal proof that freshly prepared spice-blends make SO much difference! The spices are much sharper, the aromas are stronger, and a little goes a long way to infuse so much depth of flavor to the dishes. So, if there’s anyone who questions the unnecessary need to make home-made masala when it’s easy to pick a couple of store-bought ones, trust me when I say, it makes a worthwhile difference. And besides, this is a fun “science” project!

Onion Chutney

Onions are popular in Indian cooking. Their strong flavor serves as the foundation for most gravies, curries and chutneys. Here is a chutney that tries to bring out the milder flavors of the onion by tempering its potent taste to the right degrees.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

1. 2 medium-sized onions - diced
2. 1 tablespoon of vegetable / olive oil
3. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
4. 1 tablespoon split urad-dhal / ullutham paruppu
5. 1 teaspoon bengal gram dhal / kadala paruppu
6. ½ teaspoon thoor dhal / thuvaram paruppu (normally not added in chutneys, but I like to)
7. ¼ teaspoon hing / asafoetida
8. a 2 inch strip of tamarind
9. 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
10. 2-3 dry red chillies

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, splutter mustard seeds. Add to it - split urad-dhal, bengal gram dhal, thoor dhal, hing, and red chillies. Fry for 30 seconds or so.
2. Add the chopped onions and saute/fry for about 15 minutes on medium heat until the onions start to brown at the edges and are translucent. If you would like, you can fry the onions on low heat for a few more minutes so that the edges caramelize and give out a sweet flavor. Turn off the heat.
3. At this point, add the tamarind (roughly torn into smaller bits) and salt, and saute in the residual heat for a couple of minutes. Let the mixture cool.
4. When cool, grind to a paste with about 2 tablespoons or ¼ cup of water.

This is a tangy and spicy chutney to go along idli, dosai, adai etc. It can also be served as a dip for chips - just to be different.

I think some prefer to slightly fry the resulting paste with a little bit of oil to add another layer of flavors and to tone down the pungency of the onions a bit more. Some also reserve the garnish (comprising of mustard seeds and the dhals) to be served on top of the ground chutney in order to provide a crunchy texture to the homogeneous paste. Alternatively, I coarsely grind the chutney so that there is a bit of bite and crunch from the dhals. There are always adaptions to any simple dish, so go with what works for you.