MurgHing

No stories, no fuss. Just a heartfelt THANK YOU to all for being a part of Food Stall & writing to tell me all those lovely things that you do. For a journey that started saat samandar paar & came back to where the heart is, it has been extremely rewarding because of YOU, dear friends. 
                                                                                                       As I grow older today, & hopefully, wiser, this is my token of gratitude for all you wonderful people who laud me on to keep writing, cooking, clicking pics & sharing my yatra. Thank you ever so much.
                                                                                                          Murgh Hing is my bday offer to you. All my veg frenz, watch this space for a delicacy of your choice. Should come sooner than later :) This recipe, by the way,  has no adrak, lehsun, pyaaz . Just how a veg likes his/her fare to be ;)

Ingredients:
1. 1 kg chicken
2. 2-3 potatoes - cubed(optional)
3. 2-4 tbsp curd
4. 1-2 tbsp mustard oil
5. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
6. 1 tsp hing (asafoetida)
7. 2 cups water
8. Salt to taste
Roasted Masala:
1. 1 tsp dhania(coriander seeds)
2. 1 tsp zeera (cumin seeds)
3. 1 tsp garam masala(cardamom, cinnamon, clove)
Seasoning:
1. 1/2 tsp dhania
2. 1/2 tsp zeera
3. 1/2 tsp garam masala
4. 3-4 dry red chillies
5. 2-3 tej patta (bay leaf)

Method:
1.  Mix hing in water & keep aside.









                                                                                                                                                 2. Dry roast dhania , zeera & garam masala. Grind when cool. Keep aside.


                                                                                                                                        3.Heat oil. Allow seasoning to splutter. 
4.  Put hing water in the seasoning & let boil. 










                                                         5. When water boils, add chicken, potato cubes & salt, cover wok and 
let chicken cook for 15 mins on medium flame till tender. 











6. Add yogurt when chicken & potato are done and let simmer till gravy thickens.

                                                                                                                                                   7. Add the roasted ground masala, cook for a min & remove from flame. 

Goes best with plain rice or roti. 

Enjoi!

Lauki Halwa

The bag was unusually heavy for a just-four-periods-and-six-books-day. I was in Std XII and a light bag was a mark of freedom and adulthood. Parking my bicycle in the stand, I headed towards the classroom, wondering what this peculiar weight meant. Rummaging through the bag for the offender, my hand touched something cold, something metallic. In full view of my friends I pulled out a pair of pliers from the school-bag! Welcome to the world of mischief-makers. They also go by the name of brothers in most parts of the globe.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The term cheap-thrills, said in one breath, was coined keeping this set of species in mind. As the fairer gender, you do love draping your dupatta, I am sure. You don't bargain to be tied to the leg of the chair by that elegant piece of garment, do you?! You will. If you have a brother. And especially one like mine. Ki baandor (Bangla, what a monkey) was uttered most feelingly while describing him to a friend. Astonishingly, my friends found such harkat, cute! They taught me early in life that one man's misery is another man's mazaa.

The one unpardonable act that refuses to leave my mind is when I missed a movie because of this young one's tantrums. Dad had taken us to see Dangal, a movie on wrestling. The very experience of going to a theatre with him was a matter of delight. Through the film, the menace whispers to dad that he has to go to potty! Potty! Has this child got no sense is what my young mind thought. I remember reluctantly trailing behind dad, looking back at the screen, catching the last glimpses of whatever I could. On reaching home, the terror disappeared inside the house and stayed there for long. (Those were the days when we had verandahs outside where we sat with family & friends on a summer evening.) This aroused Ma's suspicion and she went looking inside only to find Bhaiyu smearing Lakme Cold Cream on Lakshmi Ji's photo! After this episode, the altar was shifted to the shelf above and Bhai got no thwacking cz Dad felt he was only a small child & it was mother's fault that she kept things within his reach! How unfair can life get! 
                                                                                                        On a day when sisters sing peans about their brothers, all this and more comes to the fore about my own. How I waited for him to grow up so he would't pull my long plaits, how I prayed that some sense be injected in him so that he ceases to irritate me, how a large part of my life was spent in being disgusted with his behaviour & another large one in missing him, are stuff that movies are made of. 
                                                                                                        On this special day, for the non-senti duo that we both claim to be, there is Lauki Halwa on the platter. Got up & made early morning thinking of the brother who is in another city and getting his rakhi tied by Tuli. Am I missing him? Uhh...naah!

Here's the recipe, friends. Ignore the mush, enjoy the dessert. And Happy Raksha Bandhan to you all!
                                                                                                                                           Ingredients:[serves 4]
1. 1 small lauki/doodhi/bottle gourd - peeled, deseeded & shredded
2. 1 cup sugar - or as preferred
3. 1 1/2 cup milk(preferably, full cream)
4. 1 tbsp dry fruit- chopped (leave raisins whole)
5. 2 tbsp ghee 
6. 1 tsp cardamom powder
                                                                                                                                    Method:
1. In a pressure cooker, boil the grated lauki in milk for 2 whistles on high flame.
                                                                                                                                  Tip:Ensure that the milk just covers the lauki & is not excess. You don't want to waste time drying the milk & water!
                                                                                                                                                 2. Open the cooker, check that lauki is cooked , add sugar and mix well. Keep the flame on high.
                                                                                                                                          Insight: Halwa gets its gloss when sugar is being mixed. 


3. As the milk reduces, heat ghee in a separate pan and let the dry fruit fry in them for a minute. 
When the raisins puff(pic below) & the cashew turns a light
brown, pour the contents in the cooker and keep mixing vigorously, on high flame. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Some people like their halwa a little milky while others prefer it dry. Depending on your palate, take it off flame. Let halwa sit for atleast 10 mins before serving.
                                                                                                                                                  Add maawa & (a drop of) green food colour for additional jazz if you want. I went without those. And by the look you can tell, it is none the worse for it!

                                                                                                                                            

The transformation of a humble vegetable to a sought-after delicacy is almost magical. Like the metamorphosis of a brattish child into a suave young man. Happy Birthday, Bhai. Oh sorry, Happy Rakhi :)  

Bhindi Posto

Whoever said size does not matter, needs to rethink. You cannot make Bhindi Posto(Okra with Khus-Khus) with big lady's fingers. They have to be small. What did you think I was talking about ?! 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      When the ex-French Prez married Bruni, taller than him even in her flats, there were speculations & psychoanalysis about Sarkozy's move. While some put it to a clear case of romance on the rebound, the more probing reports pointed to the Prez's sensitivity about his own height and marrying the Italian singer to flaunt a glamorous trophy wife. All this of course, to show ex-wife that if she could move on, so could he. Whatever be the real motive behind the act, the long & the short of the matter is that the couple has a daughter together, making Nicolas the first ever French Prez to have a child while in office.
                                                                                                          In the deeper things of life, maybe, size does not, afterall, matter. Good for the human race. But coming back to the veggie that packs in its little pod, very low calories, no saturated fat or cholesterol, healthy amounts of vitamin A,C & K, important minerals like iron, calcium, manganese & magnesium and a host of other benefits, I maintain what I'd shared earlier. That if you want to digress from your usual bhindi pyaz and try something authentically Bong, keep it small. The size of the bhindi I mean. It's no fun making Bhindi Posto with the vegetable, chopped. The seeds will be all over the place and you don't want that. 

This is how we go about it.
                                                                                                                                Ingredients:[serves 2-3]
1. 250 gms small bhindi - head & tail cut
2. 1tbsp posto
3. 1- 1 1/2tsp mustard seeds(sarson/rai)
4. 1/4 tsp turmeric
5. 1-2 green chillies/as preferred
6. 1 tbsp mustard oil(preferably)
7. Salt to taste
                                                                                                                                     Method:
1. Soak mustard & posto- in enough water to immerse the ingredients- for 10-15 mins.
2. Heat oil in a flat-bottomed pan, sprinkle turmeric & salt, lay out the bhindis & allow frying on medium heat.









                                                                                                                                                
3. As the bhindis fry, grind the sarson, posto & green chillies to a smooth paste.

4. When the bhindis are fully cooked, add the posto paste, mix well and let water dry. 
                                                                    Remove from flame and let the dish sit for a while.
                                                              Served with plain rice & peeli daal, Bhindi Posto makes you turn misty-eyed in bliss....

  


  

Greens

Don't kill me for not keeping a promise. Anyway, aren't promises made to be broken ;) Two weeks ago I'd assured you of a healthy recipe. And the post got so delayed that we've turned more healthy than our two-weeks-ago Self! That's the bad news. 
                                                                                                      The good news is that this Green, if followed conscientiously, will make your friends turn green with envy. At your svelte figure :) Ok, now smile. Please people! Don't make me feel so guilty. There's another good news. This is so super-easy to make & so fantastically filling that you'll forget about the delay. Promise :)
                                                                                              Chilke Wali Moong, guys & gals. For nutrition & a fab figure!
                                                                                                                                      Ingredients:[serves 2-3]
1. 1/2 cup whole green moong- soaked for 2 hrs
2. 1 small onion- cubed
3. 1 large tomatoo- cubed
4. 1-2 green chillies- chopped (optional)
5. 1/4 tsp turmeric
6. Dollop of butter(optional)
7.  2 -2 1/2 cup water
8. Salt to taste
NO OIL
                                                                                                                                          Method:
1. In a pressure cooker, heat water. 
2. Add the soaked moong, onion, tomato, chillies(if using), turmeric powder & salt, and pressure cook on medium flame to 3-4 whistles.
                                                                                                                                              Serve hot with a dollop of low-fat butter. Tastes equally yum without it too! 

Dekha, bola tha na, itna easy ki gussa bhool jaoge ;)









Eat with roti/chawal if you like. Keep the consistency thick for that perfect taste. 

For a variation, fry the onion & tomato and pressure cook the soaked moong in it. That will entail the use of 1-2tsp oil/ghee/butter.

Coconut Chicken

That Mr.Tiwari becomes a father at 86 is heartening news indeed. Especially for couples who want to get into the family way. TOI aptly carried yesterday's contrapunto as "children are born in hospitals, fathers in court." Rohit Shekhar, Tiwari Jr, gave another memorable one-liner when he said, "I am not his illegitimate son. He is my illegitimate father." One can only imagine how hardened this young man must have become carrying the stigma of  bastardization for his 32 odd years. What will become of the family only time will unravel. Whether the son will take on the father's surname or be the heir apparent, whether the politician will ever openly acknowledge his paternity or whether the mother's stoicism will ever turn to hope, who can ever predict.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        What the news has done to our sensation-starved, socially-networked nation is evident. One young man sees hope for himself,  'if at 86 he can, at 25 I can!' Another attributes such 'power' to ayurveda and the shudh bhojan people ate thirty three years ago! The jibes are endless and won't abate any time soon, going by the mass hysteria. The only two events that gave us such fodder lately is Kaka's passing and the mystery lady in red in the London Olympics who took away India's blink-and-miss global coverage, in the opening ceremony. If we thought it happens only in India, we missed the bull's eye. It happens in Queen's land too, with all their security and civility. Nobody knows for now who that stranger in the red track-top is who took away the vibrance of the Indian contingent's bright yellow. 

If bright yellow is what you want to recreate, you could turn to your kitchen too. That coconut that is lying around can be put to some good use. Just half of it should suffice. Leena's trip to Goa egged me to try this one. Since I couldn't tag along, I tried creating a coastal platter at home. The cloudy skies only helped; the sea of flats that can be seen from my sixth-floor balcony are being viewed as the sea (minus the concrete) and just for now, deceiving oneself doesn't feel all that treacherous. Coconut Chicken for a sultry Sunday, pals. Give it a go(a).

                                                                                                Ingredients: 

1. 1kg chicken- deskinned & cut into medium-sized pieces
2. 1 large onion- cubed
3. 1 large tomato- cubed
4. 1/4 bottle gourd(lauki) - cubed (optional)
5. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
For Coconut paste:[Grind 1-5]
1. 1/2 a coconut-grated (use dessicated coconut if you want)
2. 1 tsp coriander seeds
3. 2-3 green chillies - roughly chopped
4. 1 cube ginger- roughly chopped
5. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro(dhania patta)
For seasoning
1. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2. 1 tsp whole garam masala
3. 2-3 dry red chillies
4. 2 stems fresh curry leaves
5. 1- 2 tsp white oil
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil. Allow seasoning ingredients to splutter.

2. Saute onion for 2-3 minutes. Add bottle gourd(if using), tomato & turmeric powder and fry for 5 mins.

3. Add the chicken pieces and fry on high flame for 3-4 mins.

4. Add the cocunut paste, mix well, add salt, close the cooker and give it 2 whistles on high flame.  

 Tips:

 1. You can make this in the wok if you are not using bottle gourd. Cover the wok and let chicken cook on sim for 15 mins, in that case.

2. DO NOT use water. The coconut, the chicken, the bottle gourd- all release water!                                                                                        

   

Oops:

Please don't go by the kalonji seeds in pic 2. 

A hurried case of masala-dabba cleaning made some wanton kalonji land in the dhania compartment!

Serve coconut chicken with steaming plain  rice. Tastes delectable. The coconut gives the chicken able companionship; the lauki reminds them that its health over taste. As the ingredients battle it out, you go, enjoy the finger-licking experience....

As this goes public, I am told Madhura Honey is the Lady in Red. The gate-crasher at the London Olympics gets maximum Fb clicks today ;)

                                                                                             

Oil-Free Hara Murgh

Posting a chicken recipe in saawan may be nothing short of sacrilege but the fact remains that in a diverse country like India not everyone follows the same rituals at the same time of the year. Thank all our Gods for all their small mercies. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The other day the maid took a day off. On being questioned the next day, she revealed they had a tyohaar. They make halwa, kala chana etc & offer it to their God. Sounded suspiciously similar to what North India does for Navratras. What God do they follow, I venture further. Humlog Allah ko maante hain. With names like Seema & Julie who would have ever guessed! Seema is the mother, Julie, her first born. The younger ones are Ruby & Alisha. I tell her, her daughters have real filmi names. She beems in pride. Humlog ke gaon mein aisa hi naam rakhte hain, didi. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Didis can nag big time. Kaun sa gaon hai aapka? Turns out her village is near Banaras. They celebrate all festivals. Their names transcend religious barriers. There is no jaat-paat ka kich-kich. What an ideal situation, I think. How radical are these illiterate farmers! They could teach a lesson or two to the 'leaders' who ignite discrimination for their vested interests. And keep the issue burning for want of a constructive agenda. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The progressive poor come to cities, the men take up work on the construction sites, the wives work as domestic help in the apartments in the vicinity, the children go to the neighborhood school, they make more money than they did back home & keep wondering why it still isn't enough. Bahut kharcha hai yahan didi. I couldn't agree more. 
                                                                                                         It is Saturday morning. We are having French-toast for breakfast. Seema comes in to work. I suggest she eat before starting. Kya banayein hai? Anda hai? Hum anda nahi khate hain. I express surprise, I thought she was a non-vegetarian? Nahin, khate hain, lekin abhi saawan chal raha hai na. Oh okk and I give her plain bread & chai. She scrubs the gas stove as if washing its sins & takes out the frames & cleanses them too! Here is a devout Muslim who goes vegetarian in saawan & keeps her roza too. And here is a Hindu Brahmin who posts chicken recipes in saawan & is unapologetic about it....

 Ingredients:
1. 1kg chicken- deskinned & cut
2.  250 gms palak - washed & chopped
3. 1 large onion - cubed
4. 2 tomatoes- cubed
5. 1tbsp roughly chopped ginger & garlic
6. 2-3 green chillies- chopped
7. 2 tsp whole garam masala(cardamom, cinnamon, clove)
8. 1 tsp turmeric powder
9. Salt to taste
NO OIL, NO WATER.
                                                                                                                                            Method:
1. Arrange layers of (from bottom) chopped palak, onion, tomato, ginger & garlic, chillies, chicken pieces & whole garam masala in a pressure pan/cooker.


2. Sprinkle turmeric powder & salt, close the lid of the cooker & give the Hara Murgh 3-4 whistles, two on high flame & the rest on medium. 


3. Open lid to find chicken cooked & water from palak giving it gravy. Let the dish simmer on high to reduce water & make it more palatable.


Insight: The oil floating(pic 4) is animal fat & not any that has been externally added. 

 Serve hot with plain rice & enjoy health & happiness. 










                                                                   Before making this recipe, I'd wanted to fry the cooked chicken for an added jazz. But the simmer-and-condense-gravy formula worked so well that an absolutely oil-free chicken dish was the result! And nobody's complaining :)