Rajma Daal

This rich and dense rajma (red kidney bean) daal is unbelievably meaty and has enough body and complexity to be the main course in any meal. It is not an everyday daal and it has to simmer long and slow, so I always end up making a large amount to justify the cooking time. But other than an occasional stir after all the ingredients are gathered in a pot, the daal pretty much comes together by itself—all of which adds to its allure. It’s perfect accompanied by steaming rice on a cool spring night as you bid adieu to the frigid temps of winter.

Ingredients 

7½ lbs [3½ kgs] canned Red Kidney Beans
2 small Onions (chopped)
2 Tomatoes (chopped)
6 bay leaves
2 whole Cloves
2 whole Cardamom pods
2 sticks Cinnamon
1 tbsp Garlic (finely minced)
1 tsp Ginger (finely minced)
4 tbsp plus 1 tsp Ghee
Salt (to taste)
1 quart [1 litre] Water
2 tbsp whole Cumin

1. Drain and wash beans thoroughly. Set aside 1½ lbs of beans and transfer the remaining 6 lbs of beans to a large stockpot. 
2. Add onions, tomatoes, 4 bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, 4 tbsp ghee, salt and water to the pot, and bring to a brisk boil over high heat. Cover the pot, reduce heat and simmer for 3½–4 hrs, occasionally stirring the pot to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. About 2 hrs into the cooking process, add the remaining 1½ lbs of beans. This ensures that some of the beans remain whole at the end, adding to the texture of the finished daal. Turn off heat as the finishing spices are prepared. 
3. In a small skillet heat 1 tsp ghee over medium-high heat, add remaining 2 bay leaves and cumin and let them sputter for about a minute. Lower heat, add 2-3 ladles of cooked daal to the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes. Then pour the spiced daal mixture into the large stockpot with the rest of the daal and stir well to incorporate. Allow the flavours to steep for 30 mins. Serve hot with rice.

Cheatin’ Chicken

Why Cheatin’ Chicken? Because it’s a decidedly simple curry recipe which yields surprisingly complex flavours. I remember the first time I made it seven years ago—Tastey Boy and I had just moved in together and we were still surrounded with packing boxes. Sick of ordering pizza for the umpteenth time, I fished out the one pot I had unpacked so far and came up with this curry with whatever meager ingredients I had on hand. I was certain it was going to be bland and blah, but the minute we mixed the light, broth-ey curry (jhol in Bengali) with rice, I knew I had a winner and an instant favourite. Hubby dubbed it Cheatin’ Chicken saying it could fool anybody, and it even passed muster with discerning chicken curry-obsessed gourmands like my sister!

Ingredients 

6 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 large Onions, chopped
3-4 Bay Leaves
3 tbsp whole Cumin
2 Tomatoes, chopped
6-8 tsp Chilli powder (adjust to your taste)
2 tbsp crushed Garlic
4lbs [2 kgs] bone-in Chicken pieces with skin removed (combination of thigh, leg, and breast)
Salt (to taste)
½ cup plain Yogurt (whisked with 3½ cups water)

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until smoking. Add onions, bay leaves and cumin, and fry until the onions are golden brown and well caramelized, about 8–10 mins.
2. Add chopped tomatoes and stir well for 5 mins until they disintegrate into the onions. 
3. Mix chilli powder in a little water to make into a paste and add to the pot. Stir briskly for about 5 mins and add garlic. Continue stirring, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, until the oil starts to separate from the spice mixture, about 5–7 mins. 
4. Add chicken and stir well to coat the chicken pieces thoroughly in the spices. Continue stirring the chicken until it loses its raw, pink colour. Add salt and yogurt, stir and bring to a boil. Then lower heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 40–45 mins. Check the pot occasionally and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. You know it is ready when all of the onions and tomato have amalgamated into the curry, and the oil separates into a glossy topcoat. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 mins before serving.

Sewing box update

It’s been a year since I shared the travails of my sewing box. Well, I’m happy to report that I’ve made terrific progress in curbing my procrastinating tendencies and have completed two long-overdue projects in the past three months alone, and am well on my way to finishing one more. Who knows, come May, I may even start taking on commissions . . . !

Exhibit 1: 

The first at the finish line, this tote bag with Jacobean crewelwork was 6 years in the making.

Exhibit 2: 

 Originally planned as a fifth wedding anniversary present for hubby, I completed this needlepoint pillow a year behind schedule, just in time for Christmas 2010.

Exhibit 3: 

I've sworn not to start anything new until this puppy is done.

Roasted Potatoes with Blackened Chillis

On a cold and rainy day like today, I’m too lazy to stand in front of the stove for more than 5–10 mins. So that calls for a “cheating” update to one of my favourite snacking recipes—Quick-Fried Potatoes with Blackened Chillis. In go the ‘taters into my trusty oven for a hassle-free roast and I get the same irresistible pop’ems in a breeze.

 

Ingredients 

1 tsp Vegetable Oil
36 whole Dried Red Chillis
4 lbs [2 kgs] Potatoes (cut into 1-inch cubes)
Sea Salt (to taste)
4 tbsp Olive Oil

1. Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a skillet or frying pan over high heat. When the oil is smoking, add chillis and sauté briskly for 1 min until they are blackened. Remove chillis from pan and set aside on a large platter. 
2. Pre-heat oven to 450º F (230ºC). 
3. Put potatoes on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt, drizzle with olive oil, and using your hands, toss well to mix. 
4. Roast in the oven for 30 mins, then stir the potatoes with a large spoon to ensure that they caramelise evenly. Continue roasting for another 15 mins. 
5. Remove potatoes from oven and transfer to the platter with chillis. Using your hands, crush the whole chillis roughly into small pieces and toss well with potatoes. Serve immediately.

Tastey Boy meets Kitchen, or when Fat Sister learns to play the arduous role of Sous Chef

I think I saw a few fluttering, flying pigs outside the window last night—for the first time in nearly 5 years, hubby, a.k.a. Tastey Boy, voluntarily cooked me supper! The sight of him in an apron wielding my Wusthof chef’s knife alone sent my heart aflutter. The resulting meal makes me hope that it will not be a one-time affair.

The whole enterprise was set-off by a cookbook which I happened to bring home from work a few weeks ago. I am loath to plug one of my employer’s publications (all you readers know how strictly I enforce the separation of church and state), but this puppy yielded a miracle last night and should be gratefully acknowledged.

The tome-of-wonder is Food Network Magazine Great Easy Meals. It’s a commercial, colourful, easy-to-use cookbook, which I snobbishly dismissed for being chock-full of pedestrian recipes for the semi-homemade brigade. Well, I was forced to eat a big slice of humble pie yesterday and should give credit where it is due. It is the perfect tool to encourage any kitchen-averse spouse to peruse recipes, plan a meal, shop for groceries, cook and lay a table. So who cares if the recipes are not ground-breaking in the Momofuku vein—they are fuss-free and low on intimidating ingredients and techniques. Most importantly, he turned on the stove while I watched my favourite guilty pleasure on TV with a lovely glass of Assyrtiko. And for the record, I love taking orders from the Executive Chef; well perhaps, every so often!

Garlic Roasted Chicken (pg. 130) 

Roasted Asparagus (pg. 341)

Apple Rosemary Turnovers with Honey

I made these turnovers as a surprise Valentine’s Day breakfast for hubby. Needless to say the golden brown mounds of sweet, baked apple goodness had the desired effect on my honey—enough said!

Ingredients
1 large Apple, about 8-10 oz [225gm] (peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice)
4 tbsp Honey
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp fresh Rosemary (minced)
1/8 tsp freshly grated Nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground Cardamom
1 tbsp Flour
pinch Salt
1 egg (lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry or phyllo dough (thawed)

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. 
2. In a bowl, combine the apple, honey, vanilla, rosemary, nutmeg, cardamom, flour and salt. Set aside.
3. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the sheet of puff pastry. Trim pastry to a 16- x 8-inch rectangle. Cut the sheet into eight 4- x 4-inch pieces.
4. Place a generous spoonful of the apple mixture in the center of each square, leaving at least 3/4-inches around all sides. Using a pastry brush, gently apply a coat of the beaten egg to the exposed border of the pastry.
5. Fold each piece to form a triangle. Seal the edges with the tines of a fork, or pinch with two fingers. Brush the tops of the turnovers with more of the egg wash. Slice a few small slits on the top of the turnovers to allow steam to escape. 
6. Place the turnovers on a lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. 

[Makes 8 turnovers]

Spiced Turkey Burgers with Feta

Blame the parsley—or rather the lack of it—for this recipe! I always make my turkey burgers seasoned simply with salt, black pepper, garlic, onion and chopped parsley. But when I went to mix the ground meat last night, I found that I was out of fresh parsley and had only cilantro in the fridge. So that herb substitution inspired me to bolster the cilantro flavour with ground coriander, ginger and lemon juice. The resulting burger was fragrant and juicy and the melting feta added the perfect creamy finish.

Ingredients 

For the burgers: 

2 lbs [1 kg] ground Turkey (combination of dark and white meat)
½ small Onion (finely chopped)
4 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 tbsp Ginger (minced)
1 tbsp ground Coriander
½ tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
¼ tsp Chilli powder
Salt (to taste)
¼ cup Cilantro (finely chopped)
Juice of half a lemon

1 tbsp vegetable oil
8 oz [225 gms] Feta cheese (crumbled)
6 round buns (cut in half and lightly toasted)

1. Mix all the ingredients for the burgers in a large bowl. Form meat into six patties, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30-45 mins. You can make this up to a day in advance and store the patties in the fridge. 
2. Heat vegetable oil in a grill-pan or non-stick skillet. Add turkey patties and sear on each side for about 4 mins. Alternately, you can also grill the patties over direct heat on a gas or charcoal grill. 
3. Set the broiler in the oven to medium. Sprinkle a generous amount of crumbled feta cheese on each burger and cook in the top rack of the oven for 2 mins, or until the cheese starts to melt. 
4. Place burger on the bun and serve immediately.