Food is music ..music is food..

" The Indians are the Italians of Asia. It can be said that the Italians are the Indians of Europe, but you do understand me, I think..Every man in both countries is a inger when he is happy, and every woman is a dancer when she walks to the shop at the corner. For them,food is music in the body, and music is food inside the heart."

I had been reading the book Shantaram the other day, and these lines, penned by Gregory David Roberts struck me as soo true..We Indians wax lyrical about our food.All our important festivals and events are centered around food and music. These two go hand in hand.
As for me, I love music. My Ipod is like my umbilical cord for me. Stuffed with happy hip hop songs (malayalam, tamil, hindi, english,kannada..)..When I am in the kitchen working, it doesn't seem like work when I have music flowing around me. And now, afetr reading these lines, I have the best explanation ..
Food is music inside the body, music is food inside the heart...


NAADAN BEEF CURRY

Ingredients:

Beef chopped and cleaned 500 gm(1/2 kg)
Onion sliced finely 2
Tomato sliced finely 1 small
Green chilly slit in half 6-8 nos.
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Coconut Oil 5-6 tbsp
Salt 1 tbsp
Pepper 1 tsp
Assorted spices.......(turmeric-1tsp, Chilli powder -2 tsp, Coriander powder- 3 heaped tsp, Cumin seeds powdered(perumjeerakam)2 tsp)...heat together on low flame till dark brown in colour, and you get a nice spicy smell in the kitchen.
Curry leaves 2 stalks


Method:

1. Take all the ingredients, except for pepper, and put into a pressure cooker.

2. Mix well till all the ingredients have been well blended. Keepaside ,covered , for some time.(ten to thirty minutes)

3. Pressure cook on high flame till the whistle sounds. Then lower heat and cook on low flame for 20 minutes.

4. Open cooker after 15 minutes only. The beef will be well cooked but the gravy will be watery. Keep the cooker open and boil again till gravy becomes a bit more thicker.

5. Add pepper, serve hot with coconut rice, paratha, puttu, bread..anything!!

Tip:
If you add 1/2 a tsp of ricepowder or appom batter to the watery ravy, it will turn thick faster.

I bought some beetroots the other day..and I remembered an old recipe I had for beeetroot squash..I have no idea about the finer details as to whether I should call this a beetroot wine or squash..or a lemon drink??Whatever, it's a lovely thing to see and when some of my friends dropped in for a short visit, I served this drink in tall crystal classes, with a mint leaf as garnish...Everyone kept asking me what is this?what are the ingredients? But I just smiled my Mona Lisa smile and kept them guessing...





Ingredients:
Beetroot 2 medium sized
Water 2 cups
Sugar 1 cup
Water 1 cup


Method:

1. Peel beetroot, cut in half, and pressure cook using 2 cups water , for 10 minutes. Keeep aside to cool.



2. Boil water and sugar together in a saucepan till it is a thin syrup. Cool.

3. Remove beetroots , add sugar syrup to the red coloured water that is left in the cooker.

4. Cool, and keep in the fridge.

5. When needed, take 1/4 cup squash, add the juice of 1/2 a lemon, add 1 cup chilled water, and garnish with mint when serving.




Tips:
1. The beetroot can be used for any other beetroot dish, such as beetroot pachadi, or beetroot thoran, or pie...etc.
2.Please make sure that you mix lemon only JUST BEFORE serving, otherwise, the colour will change to a muddy brown colour afetr 15 minutes..
3. Some people add tonovin essence , which gives the taste of grapes to the squash,. If you add that, don't add lemon, just add water and serve.
4. No need for preservatives if you're making only this amount of squash. You can keep this refrigerated for at least one month.
5. If you want , you can substitute lemon juice with 7up or sprite...creates a lovely fizzy drink!!

CHICKEN SOUP FOR A SCHOOLBOY'S SOUL

Hey there!
Just got back from Chennai. And boy, have I got a special recipe for you!But first things first..I must tell you how I got this special recipe..My husband ,N, studied in Crescent School, Chennai.His schooldays left him with such good memories, that we all had to suffer through endless stories of his school..how it was so beautiful, how they had a mango farm next door, how they would steal mangoes...the football matches, the swimming pool...and best of all..the food!!It seems every Thursday night they would have a sort of soup ( erachi kanji) with cutlets...and you should see him when he waxes lyrical over the merits of that erstwhile Kanji...I swear...I could see his eyes glazing over...
He has six sister-in-laws, remember? Everyone tried..to replicate this wonder dish for him...poor dears..
"mmmm..hmmm.." "so..so..." "the taste is still not right.." "there's some thing missing...""the kanji at crescent was too good..this doesn't come any where near that.."
These were just some of the dialogues they got to hear after he'd tasted their best efforts...
By the time we got married...and I had started hearing about this special dish..I decided I wouldn't even dare to try to make this ..Z, one of my co-sisters asked.."why, Resh, why wouldn't you try to make something that your husband is obviously crazy about?"" uh ,huh....I'm not going to compete with the taste of good memories..Most probably that kanji might have been a passable dish...he only thinks it's so great because he has associated his schooldays and all the good memories with that...whatever we make...it just won't be the same!!"

But after so many years, Z still was not ready to give up..Last month, she got a recipe from a Chennai local, and sent it to me, asking to try it..I had no hopes...but I didn't want to disappoint Z, who had gone to so much of trouble ..so I made it. And what do you know? "this kanji tastes almost like that one...there's just one tiny thing missing still..." I threw up my hands in despair...
Anyway, past is past...Last week, he was invited for an alumni get together at his school, and N jumped at the chance to rekindle old memories and forgotten friends.
When I met some of his old chums, I remarked teasingly about his kanji fetish...and it seems he is not alone in this!! Every single alumni gathered there remembered that kanji with such special fondness that some of them had even asked if it was on that day's dinner menu!!Wow!!this must be some kanji..huh!!
Anyway, turned out that I was unable to attend the dinner, so I missed tasting the dish( ya, they still make it at the school even 24 long years later!!amazing..no?)I told N to get the recipe from the chef, but his friend s, who heard this, went one better..He had got the recipe a few years ago, and his wife now knew how to make it, so he brought a sample to the hotel where I was staying..just so I could taste it for myself!!
And though I hate to admit it ...it truly was delicious..N was right when he said it was special..it is one of a kind..a very unique dish..
I'd like to dedicate this post to all crescent alumni..who are still schoolboys at heart...
A big thank you to S, and F, his wife, for sharing this recipe with me...




ERACHI KANJI

Ingredients:

Basmati rice 200 gms
Moong dal ( cherupayar parippu) 50 gm
Chopped vegetables
(carrot, cabbage, beans) 50 gm
Tomato chopped 50 gm
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder 1/4 tsp

-------------------------------------Put all these items in a pressure coker, add enough water to cover everything, and cook for 10 minutes. Cool------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coconut grated 1
Water 2 glasses

------------------------------------Blend well and strain to get thick coconut milk.Keep aside---------------------------------------------------------------------

Chicken 100gm
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Water 1 cup

------------------------------Spread the paste on the chicken, and cook till well cooked. when cool, shred chicken into thin slices.----------------------------------

Curd 1 tbsp
Cardamom 6 or 7
Cinnamon 1' piece
ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Ghee 2 tbsp



Method:

1. Take the cooled rice mix, and add to blender. Blend for a second, then stop. You just need to get the rice and veggies just a bit mashed, so you can get tiny pieces, but no big lumps..

2. Add coconut milk, shredded chicken, and curd and mix by hand. No blender this time.

3. Heat ghee, add cardamom, cinnamon, ginger garlic paste, and saute till light golden. Add to the kanji. Serve hot with cutlets or samosaas as accompaniment.

Tip:should be more like a soup..thin..not thick..

EID MUBARAK

Eid is special to me..As a true blue mallu muslim, I try to follow the old time traditions as much as possible. I have lovely memories of the festival during my childhood..Eid, Onam, Vishu, Bakrid, Christmas, too...My Umma has always followed a set special routine at my home..she never deviates from it, so that as a child, I always knew what would be the menu for breakfast , lunch, dinner that day...I also knew the exact order of events that would happen on that day, where we would go, what we would do, when we would do every single thing just like the years before.
Likewise, when I got married and came to my husband's home, I found that my mother -in - law also had her own set of traditions with which my husband was totally familiar.By the time I set up my own home about two years ago, I was confused..which set of traditions should I follow that my kids relate to?
I was loath to give up my mother's traditions, at the same time, I didn't want to deprive N of all his familiar Eid routines...
So what I did was mix them up, and now, after two Eids, we have our very own traditions , and my children Insha Allah(god willing) will grow up to that familiar rhythm all their lives.

My mother used to make this sweet dish every Eid for breakfast along with Idiyappams( string hoppers) and Liver roast. What I did was to discard the latter two items, keeping only the sweet, and making Pathiri and Mutton Kurma as my mother -in-law makes for Eid ..What a great mish mash of our two separate traditions..no?


Ethappazha Kurry
SWEET BANANA CURRY

Ingredients:
Ripe bananas 2 (diced)
Coconut milk 2 cups
Sugar 6-8 tbsp
Rice powder 2 tbsp
Cardamoms crushed 6
Water 2 cups
Salt a pinch
Cashewnuts 5-6
Kismis 5-6
Ghee 2 tbsp



Method:

1. Chop Bananas and put into a saucepan along with water, cardamom, and sugar.

2. Boil till the bananas are tender and the water has become half in quantity( 10 minutes max.)

3. Mix ricepowder into coconut milk.

4. Add coconut milk, and a pinch of salt.

5. Heat again, but don't boil. Remove from heat.

6. Heat ghee in another pan, add cashenuts and kismis.

7. Saute till golden in colour and then pour onto the banana curry.

8. Serve hot or cold...tastes delicious either way!!

AN IFTAAR PARTY

It was the last day of Ramzaan.
A whole month of fasting…and it was getting over so soon!!I don’t know where the time flew!
I felt sad that it was ending. We had been going for Iftaar parties , and inviting people to our home for Iftaar too… It was a time for togetherness, and prayer. It was a foodie’s delight too, what with the whole day revolving around the preparation of Iftaar and Suhoor.
My husband has six brothers and one sister..yes, a large family!! So when we get together for Iftaar , what we do is bring one or two items each, so there is no burden on the person who is hosting the party…potluck, that’s what it’s called..no? So on the last day of Ramzaan, we had all gathered together at my in-law’s home, the Tharavaadu, (ancestral home) as we call it. Seven brothers, and their wives and kids ,one sister and her husband and kids….it was a grand gathering ..and the table was groaning under it’s delicious load. I really wanted to take a snap of the table after it was fully set, so I could post it on my blog..but by the time we had finished setting the table, it was Iftaar time, and all had descended on the food …it was a blur after that…By the time I got my wits back , we had finished our repast,and finished the evening prayers too!! So there you go, all my readers will have to make do with my talk instead of seeing the table for themselves!
My contribution to the Iftaar that day were mini pizzas, Adukkupathiri with prawn filling, and mini American chopseuys.
One sis-in-law had brought stuffed chillies and prawn pie. The chillies were so hot and spicy that I never even tried them..I have a very low tolerance for chillies…my husband’s family, meanwhile, just love them!!They eat chillies any way…pickled, plain, stuffed….ugh!!I’m feeling hot just talking about it!!Will definitely post the recipe in another post though, for all chilli afficianados...
Another sis-in - law had brought chattipatthiri, which is a very famous malabari dish..will post that recipe also...
Today, let me give you the recipe for Adukkupathiri with prawn filling.
(OOps!..sorry about the picture being the wrong way up...but...I'm not soo technologically advanced that I know how to turn it the right way up!!)

CHEMMEN ADUKKUPATHIRI

Ingredients:

For pathiri:
Biriyani Rice 1 cup
Coconut milk 3 cups
Egg 1
Salt 1 tsp
Cooked rice 1 tbsp ( optional,makes pathiri softer)
Soda bicarb 1/2 tsp


For filling:
Prawns(small, shelled, deveined) 250 gm
Onions chopped finely 2
(I love the tasye of button onions more, so if u like, u can substitute 12 small onions for the onion)
Ginger(chopped fine) 1/2 inch piece
Garlic (crushed) 6 nos.
Green chillies(chopped finely) 8
Tomato(chopped fine) 1/2
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 1-2 tsp
Cumin seeds powdered 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Soya sauce 1/4 tsp(optional, this adds more taste)
Salt 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves(chopped) a stalk
Coconut oil enough to saute the above items without it turning
dry


Method:

1. Soak the biryani rice in water either overnight or for at least 3 hours.

2. Grind together all the ingredients for the pathiri till the rice is fully ground into the coconut milk.( approx. 10-15 minutes in a mixie). Strain and keep.

3. Take a steamer, and fill with water and keep to boil.

4. Meanwhile, take a deep dish which will fit inside the steamer. Make sure it will accommadate the pathiri and filling too..Also, make sure that there are no indentations or designs on it, since the pathiri tends to stick to these grooves, and when you try to slide it out, your finished pathiri will crumble up.Grease the dish with some ghee, pour 2 large tbsp of the batter, and steam.

5. After 5 minutes of steaming, turn heat to low, and open steamer. Do not take the dish out of the steamer. Put half of the prawn filling and spread out as a thin layer. Pour one more tbsp of the batter on top of this and steam on high again.

6. Open again after 5 minutes of steaming. Pour one more spoon of the batter on to this layer. Steam again.

7. Open after 5 minutes, spread the rest of the prawn filling onto this, pour one spoon batter and steam again.

8. Open again after 5 minutes, pour the rest of the batter as the next layer. Steam again for 15-20 minutes.

9. Remove from steamer and leave to cool.

10. Invert this dish onto a plate,Cut into pieces and serve while warm.


Filling :
1. Cook prawns in 1 cup water, a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of salt. Drain.

2. Saute together all items in coconut oil till well mixed .

3. Add prawns last. Mix and use as filling.

Some suggestions.....
1. You could use the prawn filling as a lovely accompaniment to rotis,etc..
2. If the pathiri doesn't come loose from the dish when you invert it, try running a sharp knife around the edges and then invert it.
3. This pathiri can also be made without prawn filling. Just pour 1tsp ghee in between layers each tie, steam and invert onto a plate. Cut into diamond shapes, serve hot with mutton or beef or chicken gravy. This is what I make for dinner on some days...adukkupathiri + beef curry.
Check out my beef curry recipe...
4. If you have any chicken curry left over,take the chicken pieces, debone them, put them back in the curry and heat till all the water has dried up, and voila! you get a lovely chicken filling for making chicken adukkupathiri!!