Konkan Klassiks.....

Its the weekend in some parts of the world today and for the rest, its the eve. I am suuuuuper excited because my weekend comes with great tidings! To start off,  a maternal family outing for a movie!! And I got to cook today!! A divine combination of simple food that will always be a signature in the Mangalorean and Goan households. Infact, in all the years that I have been one and also of all the various ones I've visited in this life of mine, this meal is a family favorite, for the ones in the gulf and abroad-a sheer craving, and in the natives-a staple of an everyday meal. I am not kidding but if u have even ONE Mangalorean or Goan friend(or if u dont then u can ask me), Just say these three magical words and you'll hear a slurp!! So much suspense and I'm irritated too! lol.

Boiled rice, Dal(Specifically of semi watery consistancy) and Fish fry/Masala....

Yes dal, rice and fish!!!

Surprised? Why? It sounds too simple to be true??

You go all the way to the blue blood Shettys and Rais to the loud D'souzas and Fernandes's.. They will run back to their home every time this is cooked. In fact my best girl friend, Nidhi Shetty, and me, have had the most amazing times while devouring this meal every single time in college.You offer us the most divine looking food in exchange,but no. And this combination is ANCIENT! The reason I am so pride filled about this meal is because even if  you ask the present generation and the ones younger, this is one meal they love too. This meal dates me to the times where we were 4 toddler cousins and our granny would make these dishes and our parents would suddenly transform from Grown ass men and women to Hormonal kids craving for chocolate!! And eat like there is no end to it!! and swooooon with every single morsel!! I know of sicknesses that have been compromised if this meal is made at my home(my dad let go of his gastro on the day his mom made this, I've asked for it when I was hospitalized!!). 

We never cook this on special occasions. We have too many other animals and their vitals to concentrate on during those days. But say you have to go to mangalorean or goan household every lunch- this will DEFINITELY feature on the menu. Its a dish that is the least complicated. Needs no effort. And most importantly, has the MOST number of variations in preparations and memories if you ask any one of them. Try and ask them! For those Mangaloreans and Goans reading they already know why!

My most vivid escapade was soo very recent. My dad was here for his half yearly vacation. And on the first Saturday,went and bought 4 different fish loved individually by each of us siblings. Mackerel,Silver and Black Pomphret and Prawns. And it was a Saturday!! So the D'souza household had full attendance. And that afternoon my mom decided to surprise us by frying and preparing a small portion of each of those fish. After an AGE, the 6 of us sat home without any of my family members suddenly dropping in(WHICH IS A MIRACLE WHEN MY DAD'S HERE AND A SHOCK ESPECIALLY ON A SATURDAY). And we pigged!! And ate till we could eat no more. It was the most wonderful time ever.

Boiled Rice, Dal and Fish Fry... This baby is going to the grave with me...(along with a slice of chocolate cake ofcourse!!)

I am sure you can have some yourself this weekend incase you haven't tried this. Each element works in perfect harmony and you won't need anything else to substitute.

And guess what's for lunch here today!!!!

Cartoon Food Network!!

An Ode to you ardent cartoon characters in the world... I am sure all of you would have atleast one of them as your favorites. So here's a personal version of what I could collect on what would be their favorite foods!

DISCLAMER- Any resemblance to a living or dead characters food habits in this write up is highly regretted.(you should consider yourself lucky in fact if there is any!). None of the mentioned information or characters are regarded to be taken on a personal note or sentimental feeling. The arrangement of the characters are in no way arranged according to personal favorite. And yes if you still feel offended, then get your character checked!!

1. Power puff girls- Comprising of Sugar, Spice and everything nice….then I would have to say sugar,spice n everything nice. I know they hated veggies. Especially peas!!
2. Batman and Iron Man- I would presume dry fruits, granola bars or protein shakes for the instant Adrenalin pump and portability…This mainly concluding coz I don’t think both Billionaires have time for mini meals with the regime they follows… Even with Alfred toying around…
3. Bugs Bunny-Carrots and carrots and carrots!! Radish juice and carrot juice when he woke up with a hangover…I'm surprised he never suffered Carotenaemia
4. Superman- Superman eats whatever he wants. That's one thing that makes him so super.If he feels like a steak, he eats it. If he feels like poisoned gnome blended with cat livers and a little bit of Sawdust, he'll eat that too.
5. Fred Flintstone- Not Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa pebbles people!!! Cavemen era foods like Roast meats,Rock cakes, Gigantic ostrich eggs sunny side up, vats of milk… That Wilma sure knew the way through Fred’s heart!!!
6. Yogi bear- Anything and everything packed in "pic-a-nic" baskets! Honey was a starter to the day though…
7. Shaggy and Scooby-My favorite cartoon characters! Man the amount of food they eat and conjure! Shaggy’s personal favorite was "extra cheese pizza with pickles" as revealed in the TV movie Scooby Doo "Abracadabra doo". And I know Scooby would move a mountain for exchange of 3 “Scooby Snacks”. In fact Producer William Hanna had always imagined that a Scooby Snack would taste like some sort of a peanut butter-flavored cookie!
8. Tom and Jerry-Milk for the former and Cheese for the mouse! That’s how non-complicated and non fussy they were! And that’s why We've loved them the most too!
9. Daffy Duck-“Quack-ers”!!!!!
10. Sylvesterrrr-Dry cat food and milk! But the poor chap was left craving for a yellow canary all his life!
11. Winnie the Pooh- “Hunny! Hunny! Hunny! But Its not Funny! Coz-he-got-stuck –once-in-a-Rabbit-hole!!!!”(Sing along the tunes of ABBA’s track “Honey,Honey,Honey!!”)
12. Top Cat-This guy fascinated me most because of the quality of “share even your penny”… Ally cat diet but made it look like gourmet food came even from garbage cans!
13. Tweety-“Birdie Sheed”!!!
14. Pink Panther-“umm-beeaa-gaaa”!!!
15. George Jetson- Their diet is our future! Dehydrated food in the form of pills and capsules! Willy Wonka takes them as inspiration for his “Meal in a Gum” concept.
16. Eric Cartman- Rumor has it “fried chicken skins” were his weakness..! I abide by him partly on this. Especially if KFC is involved!
17. Popeye- The popularity of Popeye helped boost spinach sales! Its unfair to me though… I would've happily adopted Wimpy’s diet of burgers instead! (if only a six pack would actually give one too….sigh..!!)
18. Homer Simpson-Donuts! Steak! Hot dogs! Donuts! Pizza! Pancakes! Donuts! Chili Fries! Popcorn! DONUTS WITH PINK FROSTING AND SPRINKLES!! (hubba..hubba…hubba…B-P)
19. Ninja Turtles-Pijja!! Pepperoni and Anchovies to be precise…!!(but why???!!)
20. Huckleberry hound-‘emma like it em tacos amigo!!!

Yabba-daabba-dooo!!!

Cookiegasms..!!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmppppphhhhhhhh!!!

Its like euphoria and ecstasy just had a baby!!

An indescribable floating feeling... 

Toe curling moment...

Nirvana achieved with every second passing by..........

Yes..... these are my exact feelings when I take the first bite of a perfectly warm and oozing Chocolate Chip cookie...(why???what did you think..???Remove the mental picture from your head!!!)

Well I don't know about you but this is a personal opinion. Anything chocolate is as close to heaven. I mean proper chocolate that isn't sophisticated or artistic or delicate. Chocolate was meant to be messy from ages. So here's my first of very many takes on that Food from God that is used to make one of the most simplest gifts to us humans... The Chocolate Chip Cookie!

I wince when I see chocolate cookie man handled... Complex pralines forced or adorned on them like stuffed bird hats on old woman, cookies with chocolate and too much cream/berries(yuck!!!), cocoa powder just haphazardly dusted on them, burnt chocolate!! Its like taking a part of my soul, stamping,crushing,pounding,slicing,grinding and dry baking it to be thrown later on!! Why would u do that to something that is spotless? and pure? and divine? 

Chocolate chip cookies are the staple diet for my soul. One of the many items actually. I still am ready to pay  any amounts for a divine chocolate chip cookie. And mind you, I don't go for the bakery ones always. A very close bawa friend of mine introduced me to Unibic Chocolate chip cookies once. Those golden packets once torn open hold a treasure for a quick fix of a very good and affordable chocolate chip cookie. Also, I am and will be an ardent fan of Subway's Double chocolate chip cookies as they were my solace once I left Kuwait for my studies. 

I do not fancy Chips Ahoy... NO NO NO!!! And then if u hate me, let me first redeem myself. Try Maryland cookies that u get anywhere abroad. You will ditch those Ahoy babies to sail away alone I tell you!!

But I have a narrow tie between 3 cookies I've tasted that are very close to the perfect-break-up-cum-instant-happiness type cookie. Fuddruckers in Kuwait(or the last time that I had them they were still pretty mean), the Taj bakery that I worked in at Mumbai and finally my recent discovery at Flourworks Pune(the gooey chocolate ones are knee weakening...so sit and have them)

Yes yes yes... You would have to pay a slight more than your average for one of these babies, but how would u know if you haven't tried them? Take my word. And I mean seriously. I will console you personally if u feel that the cookie purchase wasn't worth once you've had it.

But if you are convinced... Then Welcome to my world.... 

Craving one right now? Find the nearest Subway!! They are all over the place don't worry.. For the ones worried about their figures, starve yourself a meal to have one if you wish. My suggestion would be you'd rather work out later after devouring the cookie coz it'd be totally worth it! Also if you think about it so much, you'd rather end up putting more weight! (its scientifically proven)

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have a chocolate chip cookie that is fresh baked or homemade warm. with a cold glass of milk. Insist on it when you pay that price. Your first bite and you'd know it was totally worth it. And your favorite song/book at hand. And solitary. NEVER EVER SHARE OR ASK FOR A BITE OF COOKIE FROM SOMEONE ELSE!!(especially me). They have sentimental value my friend. That person would kill you if they could with that one look when you pop the question!

And if you are still a pessimist towards those... I cant help you... They were Santa's favorite snack. Would you want to risk that opinion??

Rushing off to the Subway near by.. And the part 2 will be delayed over time with a little surprise...!!!

Biryani Diaries!

So many memories with this dish. My mom is an expert at biryanis. I swear by it and it is and was and will be my favorite from her array of delicacies she makes. I have genes of 3 powerhouses of absoulutely fantastic cooks. My grannies and my mom are some of the best chefs in the world. Not that I disagree with your grannies and moms but hey!!

Birrryyaaaannniii!!
What can I say...Primarily is  is a rice-based dish made with spices, rice (usually Basmati) Chicken,mutton,vegetables or eggs. In my household, we've had very futile and undesired attempts of its preparation. But my belief is that Biryani is sacred and has to have some form of meat in it to actually feel like one. And even if I dig the Mughals out of their graves they would agree with me. A biryani is a whole meal in itself don't You think? It is. You can't argue with me.

For me a biryani reminds me of my home-Kuwait. Yes Kuwait!!! Inspite of Biryani's having persian-indian origin, my memories of the best biryani are always associated with Kuwait. You know, from where I come from (Mangalore), biryani isnt a part of our culture. So we used to seldom prepare it a home. But my first tryout with it was waaay when I was a kid.

Every Eid, we would go to an uncle's place. That "uncle" was my mom's best friend. And the poor chap had only sons. So we three sisters(did I tell u that before people??? We are 3 sisters and 1 brother!! Big n proud!!)

Ok so we three sisters would get spoiilt rooootten!! For us it was early Christmas coz we could run about the entire bungalow (Maaaasive place in Sharq) and pick and pocket whatever fancied us.Including flowers and seeds and tissues and pencils and pens and spices and nuts and...!! (no we do not have the same lifestyle now don't worry) My uncle's office was our gold mine. Many a times a years supply of stationary would come from that place for us. Through our pockets of course!! 

Anyways off topic. Now "uncle's wife" would make us biryani every single year. She was our "bhabhi aunty" I still don't know her real name and don't fancy knowing too coz I like it this way. This aint no ordinary biryani she would make my friend. 2 whole sheep, 15 kgs Indus Valley rice, a ton of vegetables and mountains of spices. And she used to make it in a handi in which there's a picture of the 3 of us comfortably sitting in it! Thats how huge this thing was!!! She'd start the cooking process with her "Devars"(Brother-in-laws) from 5am. And once the handi is closed with a lid by 10am, it would open straight by 12pm. The 3 of us wait eagerly for the opening because that was our part. Of all the times I've eaten there (9 Eids approx),our jobs were to garnish the dish. And so my elder sister would get to sprinkle the herbs, I would lay the tomato slices, the younger one the dry fruits and fried onions and aunty the "kesar"(saffron). It was accomplised then!! We would make shapes and sizes and would behave like we were making a dish to impress the Sheikh of the country for lunch! 

We girls would wait for the afternoon prayers then and after scrambling and walking back to the house looking like we had bombshells in our pockets,(thanks to all the generous donations we got) we'd sit around this huuuuuge persian carpet and eat from "Thaals"(humungous bronze copper plates that can comfortably form a bed base for 2 cats too sleep on with pillows). We 3 had a separate thaal that would come out every Eid just for us. And aunty would first serve a kebab  some raita(curd preparation), pickle, chutney and the king of the dish-Biryani!! And it ALWAAAAYS came out perfect. And we ALWAAAAYS got the credit for the garnish from everyone sitting there!! We would scald our tongues and eat like we've neevr been fed before and this would be the last time we would be having a meal before the world ended that night!
The task would be after this ceremony. To down the seviyaan prepared by uncle(which at that point was the most unappetizing dish ever) and to actually lift ourselves off the diwan to head back home. And if you have weight in your pockets holding u down, it was equivalent to capital punishment.


I miss those times. And I missed it so much that I convinced myself and made a Biryani just yesterday!! Told you that writing and reading about it won't just work. It served my purpose. 

Because of that tradition, my mom used to ensure the 3 of us would be a part of atleast one process while making a biryani when we were kids. It would be anything. But the whole family would be involved and more than the eating, the process would be so much fun.

So Biryani for Lunch? Or dinner? I hope so. For those of you who wish to make a biryani yourself tonight, here's some aid with one of my most prized possessions. And if you wish to make any changes to it, please don't bother. This ones too perfect to mess around with.

KHAAJUUUM!!!!

BHABHI AUNTY'S MUTTON BIRYANI

Mutton                                500gms

Basmati rice                        1 1/2 cups

Salt        

Bay leaves                            2

Green cardamoms                10

Black peppercorns                25-30

Cinnamon                             3 inch stick

Oil                                       1 tablespoon + to deep fry

Onions(sliced)                       5 large

Caraway seeds (shahi jeera)   1/2 teaspoon

Cloves                                   10

Ginger paste                          1 tablespoon

Garlic paste                           1 tablespoon

Red chilli powder                    1 tablespoon

Green Chillies (slit)                  5

Yogurt                                    1 cup

Fresh coriander leaves,torn       2 tablespoons

Fresh mint leaves,torn              2 tablespoons

Pure ghee                               4 tablespoons

Black cardamoms                    2

Saffron (kesar),mix in 1/4 cup milk           a few strands

Roasted Dry Fruits

(Almonds,Cashews)                 150gms

Tomato(sliced)                         2

METHOD

Heat five to six cups of water in a deep pan. Add drained rice, salt, bay leaves, five green cardamoms, seven to eight black peppercorns, one cinnamon stick and cook till three fourth done. Drain and set aside.

Heat sufficient oil in a pan and deep-fry half the onion slices till golden. Drain and place on an absorbent paper.

 Grind caraway seeds, one cinnamon stick, remaining black peppercorns, cloves and remaining green cardamoms to a fine powder and set aside.

 Take mutton pieces in a bowl. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and salt and mix. Add the spice powder, red chilli powder, half the fried onions crushed, yogurt, coriander leaves,Chillies, half of the mint leaves and one tablespoon oil and mix. Let it marinate for about two hours in the refrigerator.

Heat two tablespoons ghee in a pan, remaining cinnamon and black cardamoms and sauté till fragrant. Add remaining onions and sauté till light golden. Add marinated mutton, stir and cook on high heat for three to four minutes. Cover, reduce heat and cook till almost done.

 Heat the remaining ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. Spread half the rice in a layer. Spread the mutton over the rice. Sprinkle remaining torn mint leaves. Spread the remaining rice. Sprinkle saffron milk. Cover and cook under dum till done.

Garnish with fried onion,tomato slices,dry fruits and chopped herbs.

I served this yesterday with a raita made with beaten curd and boondi kernels. You can get as creative as u like!!

Keep Calm and Hog on Cupcakes!!!

Cupcake aka Fairy Cake aka Patty cake aka Cuppy cakes(for my niece), are a delicacy I can swear upon for life. And as far as I know, most of the ladies do too.
Literally "a cake to be baked in small cups",a standard cupcake uses the same basic ingredients as standard-sized cakes: butter,sugar,eggs and flour.
Cupcakes may be topped with frosting or other cake decorations. They may be filled with frosting or pastry cream. They gained publicity in their appearances on popular television shows like HBO's Sex and the City.

They are sweet, petite, cute, miniature, creative, unique, varied, versatile, can be eaten any time and are soooo easy to make. Why would someone resist them I don't know. You shouldn't actually. You won't win. 
 But did you know, my first tryst with a cupcake was pretty meager and humble? For the Kuwaiti born and bought ups, I like them, lived on the belief that cupcakes are those divine, moist and dirt cheap Americana cakes that used to come in orange and vanilla flavor for a mere 100 fils/Rs18 for 3 pieces(once a moon away). These succulent babies were used and abused as instant birthday cakes with a candle inserted, quick tiffin fixes, quirky tea time snacks and a bulk distributor for fancy birthday and school celebrations. But truly, I savored my first cupcake in Mumbai. I am not that Yoda to remember the first time but I do remember the best time.

'Twas a night like no other. 13th of February to be precise. A group of friends and me headed off from a grueling shift at a bakery where I worked and decided to celebrate the beginning of a Valentines day with all our might. Walking on the streets of Bandra we witnessed boys and men scrambling and running to every flower store possible with a quest to find the perfect rose, running helter skelter to find a chocolate shop or patisserie open and paying an arm,leg,tooth.fingernail and ankle for 2 perfect heart shaped balloons. We three girls joked and kidded about every passerby when suddenly I get a message from my sister saying

"Hey Mel. Heard you r busy tonight. Don't work when the clock strikes 12! Happy Valentines.."

She is my soul mate that woman. This was her first Valentines Day in Mumbai and she was alone. It was 11:20pm and I was in loss of words to reply. And suddenly, I get this gushed up gut to rush home before 12. Soooooo I joined those heady lads and run hell and above to find a rose,chocolate or balloon. But it was too late. The world had been deprived of every rose,chocolate and balloon at that time.. Feeling miserable at 11;35, I sat in a rickshaw to head to my friends place. 

Suddenly at the corner of Carter road I see my redeemer. A CINNABON STORE!!! (yes this story is of cupcakes... read on!!) It was open. And packed.

Now I don't run. Never. Never ever. Not even if u give me a Cupcake. Or 2. May be 3 but we'd have to negotiate.
Unless and until I have a pack of dogs barking behind me,I wont do it. But that day, I ran across the road, which according to me was about a km away, barged into the store, and screamed the daylights(or nightlights) of the attendant between 3 couples, a grown ass kid and a few men: 

"Oh Bhaiyaji! 3 of your best cupcakes please!! Ill pay 50 buck extra!!"

Imagine saying that to a full time Cinnabon employee!! It was embarrassing and hilarious at that moment but it didn't matter. 

The Cupcake angels smiled at me and a got a perfect triangular box of her favorite dessert flavors: Dark Chocolate,Sea salt Caramel and Cinnamon Pecan in the form of 3 decadent cupcakes.
I remember seeing my watch reading 11;42pm when I sat in the rickshaw. I was smiling like the world suddenly was a better place.

Now those of you who have traveled in Mumbai know clearly that even on a 120km speed on a pulsar bike, it takes you minimum 15 mins to get from Carters to Chakala. That is of course if you have a clear highway and no ones sleeping on the street that night. But after screaming and literally breathing down the autowalas neck, I also had my first F1 experience in an auto rickshaw and I touch downed my building at 11.58pm. Do not ask me how.

I called my sister when I was outside the door step. And asked her to see why the safety door of our house was open. In her drugged sleep state, she opened the door and there I was. Cupcakes and all.  Her reaction- Booming laughter that could have woken up the entire building.We hugged for 5 minutes,cried for 15,ate for another 5 and crashed on the bed soon after. But those cupcakes, though not the best that I have tasted, were one of the best I've ever had.

Share a cupcake with any lady in your life once you read this. Or if you are a lady,have one today. I'm devouring mine while writing. and I Feel Goooooood!!
They make you feel precious isn't it????



(Inserted picture-White Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes made by moi for Christmas 2012)

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes

Oven: 325F Bake time: 20 minutes

Yields 20 cupcakes

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

For Ganache n decoration

200gms White chocolate

100gms cream

Glazed cherries and Sprinkles(optional)

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugars until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Add vanilla extract to buttermilk.

Mix dry ingredients into butter/sugar mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner with one scoop of batter.

Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back to touch or toothpick comes out clean.

Immediately turn out onto table and place on cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

Melt the chocolate over double boiler. Remove off flame and gradually whisk in warm cream and let this mixture cool.

Decorate as you like and serve!!

Once upon a time....

Fever and chicken noodle soup...
Break up and chocolate...
Graduation and champagne...
Weddings and cake!!
Summers and mangoes!!
Babies and mash potatoes!
Sleep overs and cupcakes..
Movies and popcorn..

Well I don't know about you but for me, these stand true. I always and naturally experience a  strong craving of a certain kind of food during a certain kind of event in my life. It could be anything. Daily or even once in a blue moon. But it always stands true. I have and will always be someone for whom food is more important than anything in life. I believe for me it is greatly influenced by my humongous family too and for a fact that I have lived in 2 different countries all my life, a lot of my food patterns,choices and knowledge comes greatly from these 2 elements. It varies for everyone. And hence I now have some events in my life associated to specific kinds of food itself. It excites me when I know there are celebrations that occur because of the food associated with it. I can watch and read about it for hours and hours together and not get one bit overwhelmed. And that's what I wish to pen about. 
I invite u to also share in your memories on these various occasions in this blog of mine. It would be great to know how versatile some foods portray in different walks of life and for different people. I know of food memories that my grandparents have that have made me like a lot of them too. As for the others, I urge u to go ahead and make those memories with that food if you don't have any. Do it once u read this if u may. They are always pleasant even if the loss of a near and dear one is associated to it. 
I will dedicate this write up to different people who influenced me in my life with food, seasons that changed food, events and occasions associated with it and most importantly, about that particular dish itself. I know for a fact that I'm not moving a mountain here with things but for a fact that I breathe food to many people who know me is so fundamental of my Being. I have converted people to like and unlike certain kinds of food, made them come a mile with me because I've convinced them that if not done, theirs and my mere existence in this world is unworthy. And I'm dramatic, which is not only food related but otherwise also. I don't promise a systematic one either because I believe that everyday some event or the other occurs or even a different craving and they themselves are so varied, so why this?? 
Not promising to provide a recipe /image for every piece I write but will try my best. . You can always help me if u wish too. Post it either to my blog or facebook mail. 

Here's to a journey with something you and I cant live without... May your life be filled with Food... Food... and lots more food!!