Rinku Bhattacharya's Blog, page 81

Traditional Pot Roasted Potatoes -Hing Diye Alur Dom

Yesterday was Mahalaya, or the first day of Durga Puja. It is the day, as children we were told, the mother goddess begins her journey to earth. In Kolkata, the day is synonymous with waking up early to listen to the All India Radio program called Mahishasur Mardini, or the slayer of the demon.

The calendar seems to have pegged the festival earlier this year, as is Rosh Hashanah making the weather very appropriate for all things festive. With the grace of the mother Goddess the storm at work seems to have abated making it quite perfect to enjoy time in the kitchen.

As for the early morning ritual, well no radio listening here, but racing to the school and making the train in this nippy weather sort of is invigorating too! I have been noticing bright leaves of all kinds of pretty colors, I need to get my act together to take some pictures before fall passes by.

Last weekend, we also harvested all our red grapes and in celebration. This is becoming one of those curry garden rituals that we have starting enjoying. It is an entire day of fun with crush grapes and extracting the juice. A lot of work, but fun too!

We had invited Anju over to join the fun and to celebrate, I cooked the family a variation of what I call my ultimate Alur Dom. Folks to get this down to a happy spot, it has taken some practice and I am now ready to share. The distinction of this variation of Alur Dom, is that it is made with Hing or Asafetida, and is also sometimes know as Niramish or (Vegetarian) alur Dom. This dish with hot fluffy luchis is my idea of ultimate happiness. It brings back memories of Durga Puja, especially the ones in my teens that I spent with my grandmother. In those days, my grandmother very skeptical about the street food that I later began to devour with a gusto, although today I would trade in a heart beat if I could bring back her cooking.

I had not been brave enough to add this when I wrote the Bengali Five Spice Chronicles, of course, I do have another family recipe for Alur Dom in book, this one is distinct in its use of asafetida or Hing and a lot of careful done with love on the stove top slow cooking. No gimmicks, to get the results, this baby needs the time. Although while it is cooking it really needs minimal stirring, not loads of effort.

Our traditional family recipe used to add thick yogurt to the mix, instead of the tomatoes. Anju is the vegan for whom many of the vegan recipes on this blog are created with care, so, I added two tomatoes. By the time the dish cooked down, I was pleased with the results, no necessary redness here. I would have liked smaller potatoes for this dish and promise to recreate this with those next time, and the key is of course to remember to take the pictures.

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Traditional Pot Roasted Potatoes -Hing Diye Alur Dom

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

A perfect creation for festive eating, perfect with the bengali fried bread called luchi.

Ingredients

For the spice base
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
3 dried red chilies
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 pounds of small white skinned round potatoes
1/4 cup oil (such as canola)
3/4 teaspoon asafetida
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh finely grated ginger
11/2 teaspoon turmeric
11/2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder or paprika
3/4 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
3 medium sized tomatoes chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
11/2 teaspoons garam masala (preferably the Bengali variety)
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)

Instructions

Place the spices for the spice base in a spice grinder and grind until nice and smooth and set aside.
In a large pot add a lot of water and boil the potatoes for about 5 minutes, please note the objective here is to par-boil them, not cook them through as that would be a disaster.
Cool and peel the potatoes and set aside to dry.
Heat the oil and very hot,and add in the asafetida and bay leaves followed fairly quickly by the grated ginger.
Saute the ginger for 2 minutes and add in the turmeric, paprika and the cayenne pepper.
Add in the peeled potatoes with the prepared spice mixture carefully and mix will, the mixture should coat the potatoes uniformly. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add in the tomatoes sugar, salt and cook for about 15 minutes on low heat, until the mixture is soft and well coated. Add in about 3/4 cup water and continue cooking the mixtures on low heat for another 25 minutes. This will allow the flavors to develop and the mixture to cook through.
Eventually you should have soft golden yellow potatoes coated with flecks of a dark spicy mixture.
Sprinkle with the garam masala and the chopped cilantro if using and serve hot.
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The post Traditional Pot Roasted Potatoes -Hing Diye Alur Dom appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Pleasantville Farmer’s Market – 9/27

  There are a few more exciting appearance with Spices and Seasons before we all close out for the season. I am beyond excited to announce that I will be at our very own Pleasantville Farmers Market this Saturday.

If you have been looking for a way to get an outdoor Indian fix, this weekend just might be your chance. I am of course in very good company. This week at the market, we have Indian music. A sitar and tabla duo to boot, played by a group called the Birayani Boys.

Well, I would love to tell you that I am making Birayani, but, I am making something even better and of course very seasonal. I will be serving up samples of my Baigan Bhartha, or Smokey tomato and eggplant puree from the Spices and Seasons cookbook.

So, please do stop by and say hello!

The post Pleasantville Farmer’s Market – 9/27 appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Slow Cooker Plum, Rhubarb and Date Chutney

Having our own little curry garden, is that you realize our visions of seasonal do not necessarily coincide with nature’s vibe. Most people would lead us to believe that Rhubarb is a spring to summer vegetable but actually it hangs out well into fall. It is a slow growing vegetable and works very well to add tartness to chutneys as dals. Sure, you can douse it with sugar and kill the natural tartness or find a recipe that makes this colorful and tart vegetable smile. Here I have paired this vivid stalky creature with seasonal plums, and wait it gets better, yes, I cooked it in a slow cooker to come up with a sweet and sour, delectably spicy creation.

The next few weeks are packed with all kinds of events and I hope all remains calm at the work front. The kids are settling in with their fall activities leaving very little room for unexpected things. I have to confess, I have also been returning home to a somewhat erratic schedule this week, with a little less enthusiasm for my husband rhapsodizing over the bright color of his rhubarb plant, which by the way is planted in a obscure spot behind the asparagus, so the only person who can approach this plant is my husband.

Now, once I had these stalks of perfectly good rhubarb, I was left with wanting to make chutney, except, I was barely keeping up with the struggle of keeping the essentials down pat. Then inspiration hit! I wanted to try the slow cooker! I figured how bad could it get. I wanted to slow cook the fruit anyway. Most of the sweetness in this chutney actually is from the dates which need to cook down low and slow to get to a soft and mushy state.

Three good hours later, I was thrilled with the results. I have used the red plums here, which combined with the red hued rhubarb is responsible for the deep and rich color of this chutney. The husband and the mother-in-law ate quite a bit of it, and given their North Indian disdain for all things sweet this was certainly a success.

I have used star anise here to give the flavors of fennel, as I did not want to pop the seeds. Worked out quite well and ginger and rhubarb in my opinion is a match made in masala heaven.

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Slow Cooker Plum, Rhubarb and Date Chutney

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes

A colorful and super-easy Rhubarb, Plum and Date chutney that gets all done up in a slow cooker. Perfect with your favorite Indian meal or cheese and crackers.

Ingredients

1 pound of rhubarb, trimmed and cut into small pieces
4 pounds of purple plums, stoned and coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons minced ginger
3 to 4 star anise
1 large stick cinnamon
11/2 teaspoons red cayenne pepper
1 cup of chopped and seeded dates
1/2 cup chopped almonds (optional)
1/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

Place the rhubarb, plums, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, dates, almonds (if using) and the maple syrup in the slow cooker and set for 3 hours.
If you have a change stir the mixture occasionally, it helps with the consistency.
After three hours you should have a fragrant, sticky and colorful medley.
Remove the whole spices and save the chutney in a clear jar and use as needed to perk up your meal. Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.6http://www.spicechronicles.com/slow-cooker-plum-rhubarb-date-chutney/

 

The post Slow Cooker Plum, Rhubarb and Date Chutney appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Rajma Pulao and Transitions

Rajma is a comforting dish of red kidney beans, that is usually Sunday supper in North India. There is something nostalgic about soft red kidney beans swimming in a sweet and tangy tomato based sauce, paired with soft snowy Basmati rice. It is of course, very nutritious and a perfectly balanced meal at that. This meal was my Friday supper after the first week of school, which had all of 2 school days. It is a one dish attempt at recreating the comfort of the classic North Indian rice and beans combination. This weekend has been about staying on eggshells and craving comfort. This dish has most of the notes of a classic rice and beans medley with lots of good summer tomatoes to boot. In some ways with its almost golden hues, it is perfect for the almost autumn weather we will are about to have.

All things considered, it does take some getting used to all the new routines and snags. The third grader remains to be a ball of sunshine, and his big relief is that so far he likes his teacher more than his older sis predicted he would. Her third grade year was somewhat difficult and I did not have enough time to focus on the transitions. Deepta’s big transition is moving on to middle school, she is still trying to wake up early enough to make it to school. This week, I am on school drop duty, yes, there is no school bus as middle school is too close to our house. My goal is to be able to drop her and make the early train.

Even while I am so close to planning a blog transition – stay tuned folks – Spice Chronicles is on its way! I seem to be faced with work transitions that I am not necessarily looking forward to. I hate transitions, possibly a result of all the travel that I have had to do as a child. However, essentially I had more of a professional wanderlust, which seems to be something I do not have much time for these days. There is already too much going on with balancing all their myriad lessons and activities.  I am just trying to eke out a living and stay solid through the school years, at least until they both hit middle school.

Well, man proposes and as I like to say, God laughs! We shall find out soon, whether it is a laugh or just a smile. Until, then I shall be loading up on comfort food, watching the eggshells and sleeping. Believe it or not, there is almost a childish reflex somewhere, when I am too worried about things, I end up sleeping more. This weekend I have spent a lot of time in bed, interspersing with being in the kitchen of course.

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Rajma Pulao - Rice with Tomatoes and Red Kidney Beans

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

A comforting one dish creation of rice and red kidney beans, Rajma Pulao is a perfect one-dish meal.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon grated ginger
3 tomatoes
1 cup of cooked red kidney beans
1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon powdered coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup basmati rice (soaked for 15 minutes)
1 stick cinnamon
2 to 3 cloves
2 cardamom pods, bruised
1 lime or lemon
Chopped cilantro to garnish

Instructions

Heat the oil and add in the cumin seeds and wait until they begin to sizzle. Add in the ginger and stir lightly.
Add in the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are nice and soft and almost mushy.
Add in the kidney beans and the cumin and coriander powder and mix well. Stir in the salt and the sugar with 1 cup of water and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add in the rice with another cup of water and add in the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom pods. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover and cook for 12 minutes and check to see if the rice needs more water, if needed add in the water and cover and cook for 10 more minutes, until the rice is nice and soft.
Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Cut the lime or lemon and remove the seeds and squeeze in the juice. Garnish with cilantro and serve with a side of yogurt if desired.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.5http://cookinginwestchester.com/2014/09/rajma-pulao-transitions.html

 

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Creamy Green Bean Soup

This creamy green bean soup came my way from a Hungarian friend named Illona, and in my limited opinion has a lot of the flavors of Eastern Europe, with the paprika finish and the addition of sour cream to the recipe. It has been perfect for this week, where I have been feeling a little vacation deprived. I am however glad that we have managed to get a head start on things, as this is audit season for us. I have been able to ease into things, taking advantage of this week which I usually tend to spend outside. Granted, my exposure to Eastern European cooking is mostly focused around Ukraine thanks to my friend Annette and her lovely cookbook.

It is not that, I would not have liked a vacation but this year, but we just could not work our way into it. We have had a family wedding, my mother visiting and now my mother-in-law. All of this has meant for a lot of juggling and somewhat less time available for a vacation. We also tend to avoid heading out to very predictable places in the heart of summer. Yes, this is why I do not especially enjoy beaches in summer. There have been all kinds of little book related things, and I am glad that I have a break from all of that. The great thing about August is that even if you are around, almost no one else is, forcing things into a wonderful peaceful state of quite. The kids are also at swim camp, which gets them back very tired, I have tried this soup a coup of times and the kids love it, which makes it a huge plus in my world, I have done very little to change the original recipe given to me, except that I cook the beans a little less and puree them. I am a little lighter in my use of sour cream and often swap that with Greek Yogurt.

Given the timing of the post, it is difficult to not mention back to school, here is middle school, looming at me, I cannot not talk about it. Honestly, my resolution (yes, the same one that I have broken, so many times over) is to make weekly meal plans. For some not making the plans translate to eating out and take out, unfortunately in my case this translates to spending way too much time in the kitchen. I think with all the cookbook writing out of the way for a while, I need to simply savor the joy of being out of the kitchen and keep telling myself that this too is possible! For now, here is the soup recipe and a prayer for the school year to come.

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Creamy Green Bean Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

A creamy rich and delicate Hungarian green bean soup.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil plus 1 extra tablespoon
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium sized onion, diced
3 cups of fresh green beans coarsely chopped (about 1 pound)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups of water
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ cup sour cream
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add in the butter cook until the butter has melted. Add in the garlic and sauté lightly until the garlic has turned golden.
Add in the onion and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the onion softens and wilts.
Add in the green beans and the salt and mix well. Stir in the cornstarch and gradually add in the water, mixing well to mix in the cornstarch.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Add in the black pepper.
Cool the mixture slightly and process to a puree.
Return to the cooking pan and add in the parsley and stir in the sour cream and cook until heated through.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and add in the almonds and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the paprika.
Place the soup in serving bowls and top with the almond mixture and enjoy.
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Cooking and Wine Pairing Class at Bloomingdales

 Summer is winding down, and I am begining to smell the changing winds, it is in the clowdy skies, the russtling leaves and the boxes of back to school supplies. In order to catch and savor the last vestiges of summer, I am very excited to let everyone know that I will be doing a summer cooking and wine pairing class at Bloomingdale’s.

I will be cooking a three course meal and my friend Tony at Aries Wine and Spirits will be telling you about wines to pair with them. This is going to be a lot of fun for me as I love to hear the thinking that goes behind the matching of wines and spirits with a spicy cuisine such as Indian food. The three course menu with feature,

 Kale and Potato Patties with a Roasted Red Pepper Chutney

(Yes, the kale is from our garden)

Lemon Shrimp and Coconut Birayani
Reisling Poached Pears with Saffron and Star Anise

I will be chatting about spices and the regional nuances of Indian cooking.

Pricing: $40 ($25 gets returned as a Bloomies gift card). To register (required)please email theresa.venuti@bloomingdales.com

 

 

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Valhalla Summertime Ragu – Hearty Tomato Sauce with Lamb, Herbs and Seasonal Vegetables

The arrival of the back to school supplies reminded me that summer was ready to sing its swan song for the year. Possibly, right alongside all the tomatoes and the bell peppers that have finally been shaping out, I am bracing for the daughter to enter a world of new experiences that will be called middle school.

If you know how much I love tomatoes, I think you will forgive me for posting two tomato recipes back to back, make that two tomato based pasta sauce recipes. This one however is for a ragu-styled chunky sauce, that I call my Valhalla summertime ragu, after all only in a garden in Valhalla, will you find all this odd assortment of produce all at once. The styles of a ragu vary based on the region of Italy often influenced by the local flavors and availability of things. Most commonly, it consists of meat and tomatoes and chunky vegetables like carrots.

Starting with some tomatoes, ok, lots and lots of tomatoes, this sauce puts together onions, garlic, ground lamb and 2 cups of chopped vegetables all of which get simmered down into a very delicious and robust tasting sauce. I used eggplants, carrots, mushrooms and green beans for this mix, making this a truly one-dish meal.  Interestingly enough, mushrooms are the only thing that I have been unable to procure in the markets. Even though, I have pictured this over angel hair because this is what my daughter likes, I would personally suggest that you enjoy this over something like fettuccine. The sauce has too much personality for the delicate angel hair pasta.

This weekend I have the last of the summer market demonstrations. I have only gotten half as far as I would like would the blog transfer project and I am increasingly realizing what a dumb idea, it has been to try to manually go through and index four years of blogging. Ok, maybe not dumb, because I think I am finding some very interesting recipes that had somehow gotten lost in the forgotten annals of food blogging, but, it is far more labor intensive than I thought.

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Valhalla Summertime Ragu – Hearty Tomato Sauce with Lamb, Herbs and Seasonal Vegetables

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

A hearty summertime ragu, made with summer tomatoes, lamb and seasonal vegetables.

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
3 pods garlic, minced
1 large stick cinnamon
4-6 cloves
2 medium sized carrots, diced
6 medium sized tomatoes, diced
¾ of ground lamb
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¾ cup chopped herbs (I used thyme, parsley, rosemary and sage) plus extra to finish
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups of diced vegetables (1 used green beans, mushrooms and eggplants)

Instructions

Heat the oil and add in the onion and sauté well. Add in the garlic, cinnamon, cloves, carrots and stir well and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add in the tomatoes and the lamb with the cumin, red pepper and let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
At this point the sauce should cook down and be soft and well mixed
Add in a cup or water and the sugar and the vegetables and cook for about 45 minutes.
Garnish with more herbs and serve over polenta or pasta
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Twenty Minute Homestyle Marinara

Usually, summer brings with it some down time, cessation from activities, this year it has been a little less, while things have been fun, we have had more things to do, we have had a family wedding and I have had my mother-in-law with us through August and September.

To be entirely fair, mom was with us for a bit too, but, it is easier with her around the kitchen. My mother-in-law adheres to a strict onion/garlic free vegetarian diet, which while bringing to my table lots of creativity does sometimes cramp my weeknight style. But, by now I pretty much end up going with the flow of all the various diet restrictions that I have with the people around me.

The best part of August however, is the emergence of tomatoes, lots and lots of them. Luckily, irrespective of what changes transpire in our world, this certainly is a constant. Not all our tomatoes are deep and wine-ripened, we sometimes pick them just before they reach that stage, and ripen them indoors. This process of internal ripening results in a lighter and less vivid red color, however, we are guaranteed less squirrel bitten tomatoes. One of the staples for me this time of the year is pasta sauce, at core a basic marinara that I make very often in generous doses. This is something that originally came my way from my friend Pat’s grandmother,  however, as with many of the recipes, including those passed on to me by my own grandmother it has gone through some iterations to make it mine. Rather than making large amounts when tomatoes are in generous supply, I have simplified this recipe down to a 20 minute process.

I add in a small amount of cumin and finish off with crushed red pepper flakes. I do have versions where I add red wine, but in its most basic form this is what I stick to. I use this for pasta, enchiladas (I know!) and pizza toppings, and a great hit on good quality gnocchi. If you wish you can throw in cheese, but, I have found it really does not need much to let its simple fresh flavors shine. It’s all about summer tomatoes and herbs poached together for 20 happy minutes. If you want a more rustic texture, you can leave the sauce chunky. We (read, the kids) tend to like it smooth, so I run it though the blender. Just another minute and another container to clean, nothing very fussy or complex, as we all know, I cannot really handle complex especially on a weeknight.

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Twenty Minute Homestyle Marinara

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Yield: Makes 2 cups

A summer marinara sauce, with hints of spices and herbs, finished in just twenty minutes.

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon freshly ground cumin
6 pods of garlic, minced
½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 large red or white onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
10 medium sized ripe red tomatoes (about 3 pounds), coarsely chopped (you can use a food processor for this if you wish)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
11/2 teaspoon brown sugar
½ cup freshly chopped herbs (such as oregano, thyme and parsley)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

Heat the oil and add in the cumin, black pepper and the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add in the onion and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens and begins to turn pale golden.
Add in the tomatoes, salt and sugar and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes soften and begin to thicken. When stirring, break down the tomatoes with a back of a spoon.
Add in the herbs and the red pepper flakes and lower the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes until the mixture is much thicker and relatively thick.
You can serve with pasta or cool slightly and blend until smooth and then serve.
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Methi Paratha – Whole Wheat Flatbreads with Fenugreek

The last week, I have been slower with posting things, and am slowing down with all the book events and the #masalameetsthemarket events. Some of this has indeed been due to the blog transfer project, which still is too nebulous to really describe in greater detail and some of it is taking the opportunity to slow down, refresh and recharge.

Speaking of recharging, we have just bought an electric car, something that is a mystery to most people involved, but we are learning the ropes of things. Another step toward a greener, slower world, it is amazing how much more can be done by way of conservation and smaller carbon footprints. While, I worry about reducing our carbon footprint, half the foodie world is busy celebrating at the Best of Westchester, 2014. So, what is wrong with me, rushing home to harvest and savor the joys of plucking fresh fenugreek, all to whip up fresh methi parathas. That folks is the magic of a lush summer garden, it surprises and fills you with delight every day. Can you believe we have tiny robin chicks on our grapevine?

I know, I know, but not all suburban mamas can be super hip! Some of us are even in love with dinner, as for me I really wish I stopped at dinner. I am in love with it all, the food shopping, the food porn, the food history and gosh this year, even growing the food! I am steering clear of the main gardeners food efforts, instead I am indulging myself with items like Thai Basil, Thyme which for all my proclamations of being timeless abandoned me over the super severe winter.

Among other things, I enjoyed a book event hosted by the Chutney Masala bistro, was very sorry that my mother could not enjoy it. For her sake, I hope people continue enjoying Spices and Seasons, she has been getting a lot of happiness from the book! Now, back to my flatbreads, I finally was able to pick my fenugreek and roast it too, yes! This version is very similar to the mint flatbreads or parathas that I have in the book, right alongside the now famous Zucchini and Thyme parathas. And before you ask me, let me tell you that if you do not have methi, you have to learn to work with kale. So there you have it, one more way to enjoy your kale, if you do not find fenugreek.

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Methi Paratha – Whole Wheat Flatbreads with Fenugreek

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: Makes 6 to 7 seven inch parathas

A whole wheat flatbread made with garden fresh fenugreek.

Ingredients

11/2 cups whole wheat flour (atta) plus extra for rolling
1 cup of fresh fenugreek leaves or methi (substitute with baby kale)
1 tablespoon oil plus oil for frying
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Place the flour in the food processor, and add in the fenugreek leaves, 1 tablespoon oil, salt, red cayenne pepper, ground cumin and pulse a few times.
Gradually add in a the water a little at a time and run the food processor, the dough should for a smooth ball.
Remove from the food processor and knead for about 2 minutes with your hand. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Break into 6 walnut sized balls.
Heat a cast iron skillet. Roll out the balls into rounds.
Place on the hot skillet, cook for about 1-2 minutes, the bread should change color and begin to turn pale golden green.
Add in about 1 teaspoon of oil cook for 30-40 seconds, turn and cook on the second side, with a little more oil allowing the bread to turn lightly crisp.
Remove and continue the remaining parathas the same way. Enjoy hot!
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Tandoori Tofu Tikka – Smokey Tofu with Tandoori Spices

Despite having cooked tofu in a multitude of ways, I have been hesitant about actually grilling it over open flame. Something about its delicate composition has daunted me just a little. However, this year, I seem to have re-discovered my grill and have been experimenting all kinds of things on it. So, there came tandoori tofu. This needs a little bit of care in basting, and the well-spiced basting seasoning is important, but I promise you the result will be well worth it. I had my meat loving son, opting for this over other choices.

This recipe also uses an extra dose of ginger, something I had created by accident in one of my first cooking classes. I have to confess, I liked the spontaneity of developing those classes and recipes on the fly! I do like doing all these classes in more organized environment, love being able to refer people to my own cookbooks, but I do realize that it does come with a slight compromise in freedom and this is why I love this blog and love the fact, that I can cook everyday in my home kitchen rather than in the more structured confines of a restaurant kitchen. I think it would take too much away from me. I was so surprised to hear the other day, that the student who this dish had been constructed for is now the mother of two lovely young children and often makes this recipe for her omnivorous husband. Recipes and food have a life long beyond the meal.

Happiness, rests in the sheer joy and sharing of food ideas, not so much creating it on a more mass scale. The blog transfer project continues.

It has not really been moving along as quickly as I would like and I am not sure that I like this limbo state, I am not sure I necessary like the idea of change, it is unpredictable and sometimes unsettling! If you are looking to through your hat into the ring for a free copy of Spices and Seasons, head over to, This American Bite.

None of all this takes away from these grilled tandoori style tofu steaks, that have been now perfected and added to the classics on our family table, even the kids loved them. I have never run through so much tofu in a single meal.

 

The marinade is a little twisted as well, as it began from the relics of an early vegan cooking class, so no yogurt, tomatoes, coconut milk, lime and tandoori masala. I have also realized simply cutting the tofu block into thinner rectangular slices rather than cubes works just fine. No fuss of skewering and less turning and more smoky surface area.

Print
Tandoori Tofu Tikka – Smokey Tofu with Tandoori Spices

Prep Time: 4 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours, 20 minutes

A smokey and delightful version of tofu that is perfect for the grill, and makes a wonderful meal.

Ingredients

For the marinade

1/3 cup thick coconut milk
2medium sized tomatoes, quartered
11/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 green chilies (such as a Serrano)
1 tablespoon tandoori masala (store bought or homemade)
2 pounds of extra-firm tofu cut into slabs

For the basting

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh or dry fenugreek leaves
11/2 teaspoons chat masala

To garnish

Thinly sliced red onion rings
Lime or lemon slices
Chopped Cilantro

Instructions

Place the coconut milk, tomatoes, ginger, salt, green chilies and tandoori masala in the a blender and blend to a smooth puree.
Place the tofu slices in a large bowl and marinate in this mixture for about 4 hours (note, if you wish you can just keep this overnight, there is no magic to the number of hours)
Mix the olive oil, fenugreek leaves and chaat masala in a bowl and have a pastry brush ready for brushing the tofu.
Turn on your grill, brush the tofu slabs with the basting mixture and cook for about 7 minutes, baste the other side and turn, you can occasionally brush the exposed side with the basting mixture as well. Cook the second side for 7 minutes as well. The time will differ based on the heat and grill being used, however the objective is to get the tofu lightly crisp without drying it out, with some grill marks and darker spots.
Carefully remove from the grill onto a serving plate.
Serve garnished with onions, lime slices and chopped cilantro.

Notes

Most of the prep time is for marinating

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