India’s Fromagerie

An evening stroll across Hogg Market in Calcutta brought me to the shop of Mullick &  Sons, neatly adorned within glass boxes were sandesh shaped, India’s last gift from the Portuguese, the Bandel Cheese.

Available in only two stores across Kolkata, the business is more a monopoly and those who know their cheese, can vouch for this one. It is available in two versions-dry and moist . while the moist is extremely salty, the dried one needs to be soaked overnight in water to moisten it and reduce it’s saltyness.The cheese is brined and smoked hence giving an overpowering but beautiful smokey taste. Semi soft and textured more like paneer, it is also as crumbly as Feta cheese and can be nicely seated like Haloumi or goat’s cheese.

At INR 8 per piece, I bought a hefty packet to satisfy my culinary experiments and came to conclusion that they can be used in just about any pasta or western preparations. The early Portuguese settlers could not stay away from cheese and hence found an alternative, the Bandel Cheese. The speciality of this cheese is that it is smoked with hay and hence receives a distinct smokey aroma and tastes similar to bacon. How many of us knew that India also has its alternative of smoked cheddar and haloumi? Grate it on your carbonara or sear it like a salad.

Not only Bandel Cheese, Indians are not aware of its indigenous cheeses! Paneer and chenna are old school now, the ones I am going to name next have been there for centuries.

1. Kalari – From the Udhampur region of J&K, Kalari is a dense cheese which is ripened for over 6 months and traditionally grilled till the outside turns crisp and the inside is moist and gooey, making it an alternative for classical Warm Beetroot & Goat’s Cheese Salad. Kalari cheese can also be spread over burger patties and the salty, briney texture goes equally good.
2. Churrpi- Traditionally from Sikkim, Churrpi has a silky creamy texture and is prepared from Yak’s milk. Yak’s milk contains high amount of fatty acid which gives this cheese a rich texture, almost like ricotta or mozzarella. The cheese is pressed in jute bags and stuffed in dumplings or served melted over rice. Chicken roulade with ricotta? Why not churrpi?

I have personally experimented with these cheeses and came up with this western classics with indigenous cheeses-

 

Pan Seared Bandel Cheese Salad.

Bandel Cheese Spread with al and fine herbs

Ever since I have tasted Boursin Cheese with fine al and herbs, I grew fond of it. The harmonious taste of garlic with herbs and the soft cheese from the French Reviera, oh! What a delightful taste! Well now you can also make a smokey, garlicky cheese spread.

Beetroot Burger with Kalari & Onion Jam

Spaghetti Sorrentina with Bandel Cheese

It is always of great pleasure to use and recommend such underrated indigenous products to be curated into luxury and comforting dishes. It is a good time to embrace our secret culinary gems like these cheeses and implement them in everyday cooking, this way you encourage sustainable food revolution!

 

 

Canard(Duck)

Duck has been an inspirational source of protein for the French and the Asians.This is one such meat which has seen the culmination of varied techniques both classical as well as contemporary.

The most important part of the duck is its fat. The French loved to render the skin and extract the fat out.This fat has a high smoking point but solidifies at a relatively room temperature.Ladened with MUFA, duck fat is good fat and adds a distinct flavour to any form of dish.Try frying French fries in duck fat,the result will be clearly outstanding.

This fat was particularly used by the French to confit a meat.Confit is a culinary term basically referring to slow cooking the meat in fat as a liquid media.The meat soaks up the fat and becomes moist and juicy.Hence the dish- Confit de canard.

One famous charcuterie dish is Dodine de canard aux pistaches where the duck is stuffed with pistachios and is a dish befitting the Kings.

The Chinese loves their Peking Duck.This Peking duck takes around five days to be cooked and masters the art of roasting,frying and broiling.An ideal Peking duck shall have a crispy skin and moist meat. Also BBQ Duck is another famous dish from this part of the culture so is Conjee Crispy Duck.

With a richer and more distinct flavour than chicken and being more lean a meat than beef or lamb,this meat is a clear winner.

Here I am sharing two of my tried and tasted dishes from two parts of the world.

Stir Fry Duck with honey-soy glaze.

Ingredients-

Duck breast – 250 gms

Honey- 30 gms

Red chillies sliced- 3

Soy Sauce(Dark) – 20gms

Garlic juliennes – 10gms

Ginger juliennes- 5gms.

Chinese five spice – 2 tbsp

Yellow Bell pepper – 50 gms

Green Bell pepper – 50 gms

Spring Onion – 10 gms

Salt & pepper as per seasoning

Sesame seed – 1 tablespoon

Sesame oil – 1 teaspoon

Recipe-

Flatten out the duck breast and cut thin strips of duck meat.The thinner the strips,the crispier it gets.Marinade it with honey-soy sauce and a tablespoon of Chinese five spice.

Inorder to make a homemade Chinese five spice,dry roast fennel seeds,star anise,cinnamon,clove and Sichuan peppercorns and then blend finely into a powder.

Now remove the marinated meat from the marinade and pat dry them.Heat the marinade until it forms syrupy.

Heat up a wok and add duck fat,let the wok be smoking hot and ideal for stir frying.Stir fry the duck strips for a minute until you find it crispy.Remove and drain excess fat.

On that same wok,add sliced Sichuan red chillies,ginger and garlic juliennes,toss until fragrant and now add the bell peppers and stir fry for a minute.The vegetables should remain crispy.If you have Chinese cooking wine,add a splash.Now,add in the glaze and stir fry thoroughly.Add the fried meat and quickly toss under high heat.Add spring onions,toss again and remove.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and a drop of sesame oil.

 

Confit of Duck leg with smoked bell pepper-tomato purée and raisin sauce.

Ingredients-

Duck fat – 1 litre.

Duck leg – 2

Bell pepper- 1

Tomato – 1 plum and large

Raisins-100 gms

Cayenne Pepper – 10 gms

Port Wine(dry) – 20 ml

Onion finely chopped – 1 whole

Balsamic Vinegar -3 tbsp

Garlic finely chopped – 2.

Salt and pepper as per seasoning.

 

Recipe-

Melt a litre of duck fat and keep under slow flame.At 85C,add the duck legs and let is slow cook for an hour.Before that,brine the duck meat with salt and later remove the brine and wash the duck legs thoroughly.

After an hour,remove and rest for an hour more.Now sear the meat with little salt and pepper.The skin will turn crispy.

For the smoked bell pepper and tomato purée – Char grill bell pepper and tomato and smoke it with alderchips.Blend it.In a pan,caramelise finely sliced onions with demerara sugar and add garlic.After sautéing the garlic,add in the purée along with cayenne pepper.Cook and remove.

For the raisin sauce –  Add Balsamic Vinegar and Port Wine in a pan and let it reduce till the alcohol volatilises out.Now add plump raisins and a little raisin purée.Season with salt and pepper

Assemble and enjoy.

An Ode To Crawford!

Crawford Market!

If you think this is another clichéd super spice market,you are wrong. This place has a beautiful juxtaposition of ingredients and spice mixtures that creeps the hell out of your local grocery guy.I remember asking for Dijon Mustard at a grocery store and how he handed me “Rai ke Dane”! This place has got everything you want.A name it and you will get it fruit market-an all you can name spice market-the ladies special ARIF and an eye popping beef slaughterhouse.

Did you know most of the corned beef/beef steaks and offals exported to other countries goes from this Crawford Market!

This happy realisation that you still get to see beautifully marbled  Sirloin-Filet Mignon-Briskets from a freshly slaughtered cow drived me to buy a kg of beef mixed cuts for Rs 200. Steal Deal. Isn’t it? The shopkeeper was too kind to give me few bones and cartilages for free to help me cook up a nice stock! I love him for that!

And also Aged Worcestershire Sauce for Rs 120 and Balsamic Vinagrette from Cola Vita for Rs 140.Are you kidding me?                                                                                                      

Yes,Crawford has it all.One out of three people you meet there are chefs looking for exotic ingredients.This place is where  you can buy a bag full of exotic ingredients for Rs 1000. What are you waiting for? From Chicken Masala Powder to Beef Stock Garnules, from Fresh Paneer to Fresh Bocconcini, you get everything here! If you are in Mumbai,you have got to come here!

And I present this dish to the most beautiful Crawford Market!Thank you for the steak so juicy and melt in my mouth!Thank you so much.

Peppercorn Crusted Sirloin Steak Medium Rare with a Balsamic Reduction!

I N G R E D I E N T S –

Peppercorn – 10-12 pieces.

Worcestershire Sauce – 5 dashes.

Demerera Sugar- 2 tablespoon.

Garlic – 3 cloves.

Butter – 1 knob.

Balsamic Vinegar – 1 cup.

Salt and pepper powder as per seasoning.

Rosemary – 2-3 sprigs.

R E C I P E –

It is important to season your steak and to cook it at the perfect temperature for a perfect period of time.Roughly crush peppercorns and rub it over the steak along with salt and generous dashes of Worcestershire Sauce. Your steak should have a very good marbelling for the fat in the beef is going to bast the flesh and keep it juicy.

Heat a non stick pan at 160C and add oil to it.Let the oil reach its smoking point.Drop in the steak and let it sear.Donot touch your steak. Sear each side for 2 mins if you want Rare to Medium Doneness of Beef. You will find a crust forming outside,however the inside will still be juicy and rare.That is how I like it.Drop in a knob of butter and bast the beef steak.Now remove it from the pan.You need to rest your steak for as much time as you have cooked. It is necessary for the flesh to retain back the moisture and the juices and also to relax the muscles.By searing at a high temperature you have already sealed in the juices,so never drop in your steak at a lower temperature.

Rest the steak for 5 minutes.

In a sauce pan,stir a cup of balsamic vinegar,2 tablespoons of brown sugar, a sprig or two of Rosemary,2 cloves of garlic crushed with hand and let it reduce.Reduce it until it has a coating consistency.Finish with a knob of butter for the sheen and velvety appearance.

Moment of Truth – Slice through your steak. it should have a crusty texture and charred colour on the outside and a nice pinkish soft fleshy inside.There goes your medium rare.You can actually see the change in color from the outside of the steak to the inside. Always use a thicker chunk of steak for it tends to stay juicy.Donot season your steak a long time before cooking,it draws out the water.Season immediately before searing.Always opt for good marbled beef.

Voila! Pour the reduction over the steak and enjoy over a glass of Merlot!

E A T.  D R I N K.  S H A R E.

Pan Seared Dill Crusted Tilapia with Desi Potato Salad!

Tilapia is the most underrated yet most versatile white flaky fish.The fish practically accepts any flavour you put on and is a pretty common household fish in Bengal.Today it’s time for an international approach towards this humble fish using Bengali’s famous ingredient- The Gondhoraj Lebu!

For the Pan seared Tilapia-

INGREDIENTS-

Tilapia- 1 whole fish filleted and deboned.

Gondhoraj Lemon – 1

Garam Masala Powder – 2 tablespoon,ideally freshly made.

Red Chilly Powder – 1 tablespoon.

Sugar – 3 teaspoon.

Dill Leaves – 1 whole bunch.

Egg – 1.

Breadcrumbs- 5 tablespoon.

Salt & Pepper for seasoning.

Oil.

RECIPE-

Neatly fillet the tilapia fish and debone it.Keep the skin on for it adds nice crunch and taste to the fish,also helps to retain the moisture.Marinate the fish fillet with freshly made garam masala powder,Gondhoraj lemon juice,red chilly powder,sugar,little oil,salt & pepper and keep it for at least an hour.

After an hour remove from the marinade and pat it dry.Now mix breadcrumb,finely chopped dill leaves,salt,pepper and little red chilly powder in a small bowl.Seperate egg white from egg yolk and keep it aside.Take the exposed flesh side and brush little egg white wash over it.Please use very little egg white.Now add the seasoned dill leaves infused breadcrumbs on top of it and form a crust.Keep them aside and donot disturb them.

Take a pan and heat up little oil.The oil should be heated enough for the skin to be crisp and the crust to form.Once you find the pan hot enough,put in the crusted tilapia skin side down.Donot touch the fish for white fish is very sensitive.Keep it there for 2 minutes.Turn the fish and sear the other side for 2 more minutes or depending on how thick your fillet is.The fish turns opaque once it is cooked so check for it.The crust should be nice and should not burn out.

For the Desi Potato Salad-

INGREDIENTS-

Baby Potatoes – 5.

Gondhoraj Lebu- 1.

Onion – 1 sliced thinly.

Cilantro- 1 bunch.

Yoghurt – half a cup.

Red Chilly Powder – 2 tablespoon.

Sugar – 1 teaspoon.

Olive oil or Salad oil – 2 tablespoon.

Black Salt – 3 teaspoon.

Salt & Pepper.

RECIPE-

Boil the baby potatoes.Donot over boil them,they should not turn mushy.Lightly crush them with a fork,it should be little chunky.Add sliced onions to it.Now in a bowl whisk yoghurt with Gondhoraj Lebu juice and little Gondhoraj zest.Add it to the baby potatoes and mix well.They should blend well and turn creamy.Now add red chilly powder,olive oil,salt,pepper and little sugar to counterbalance the taste.Add black salt too for a nice hint of sourness.Mix this well and add chopped cilantro.

Make a bed of desi potato salad and put the pan seared tilapia on top of it.Garnish with a wedge of Gondhoraj Lebu and little chopped dill or any microgreens.

Dill is a legendary herb that has an integral bond with fish.This fish will be crusty and crunchy from outside and soft and moist from inside.Surely a must have fish dish!

The most exotic Gondhoraj Lebu gives that citrusy kick to the fish whereas the Garam Masala adds nice warmth to the fish.The Baby Potato Salad just soothes the palate with refreshing flavours!

Please try this out and donot forget to comment down below.Waiting for your comments and suggestions.

E A T.  D R I N K.  S H A R E.

Coffee Brined Chicken in BBQ Espresso Sauce.

Why cannot we use that steaming morning cup of coffee with the most versatile chicken to come up with something delicious? Here’s Coffee brined chicken in BBQ Espresso.

1)Chicken – Any form of cut will do however drumsticks works great.The legs are more juicy and tender and stays moist even after brining.So any cut from the leg is preferable.

2)Coffee- Any freshly brewed or roasted coffee granules.Use CCD or Starbucks Roasted Arabica or Robusta coffee.You can also use Coorg,Nilgiri or Kilimanjaro coffee.Kindly refrain from using instant coffee like Nescafe or Bru.They are processed coffee and won’t provide any ultimate result.The stronger and more robust the coffee,the better and more concentrated will be the flavour.

3)Smoked Paprika.

4)Habanero or Tobasco sauce.

5)Apple Cider Vinegar

6)Demerera Sugar

7) Salt.

8)Fresh crushed black pepper.

9) Garlic Cloves -5 cloves.

10)Onion- 1 whole finely chopped.

11) Worcestershire Sauce.

12)Tomato Ketchup

13) Oil

Recipe-

For the Coffee Brine-

Make a concentrated coffee solution by either French Pressing coffee or by directly putting 3 heaped tablespoon of freshly brewed coffee in 1 cup of hot water(You can add more or less amount of coffee depending on your palate).Rest it for sometime and then add ice cubes into.You cannot put raw chicken in a hot brine for the chicken may get cooked.Add generous amount of salt into this ice cold coffee concentrate followed by freshly crushed black pepper,smoked paprika powder,2-3 cloves of finely chopped garlic.Add one heaped tablespoon of brown sugar and dissolve it.Then add a cap of vinegar and drizzle oil over the brine.

Make gashes on your chicken pieces to let the brine seep through.Dip it in the brine and refrigerate it for atleast 24 hours.The more the duration, more concentrated will be the flavour.Your coffee brine is ready.

For BBQ Espresso Sauce-

Finely chop 1 whole onion and 3 cloves of garlic.In a hot pan, throw in the onion and garlic together and add 3 heaped tablespoon of brown sugar for caramelization of onions and sauté.This is necessary for the BBQ Sauce.Once your sugar turns little dark brownish due to the caramelization(donot burn the onion),add smoked paprika powder for the smokeyness.Sauté for a minute and then add 2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar followed by 3 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce and 2 tablespoon of Tomato Ketchup.Stir this well to mix it thoroughly and then add a cup of coffee concentrate into it.Add little water and let it reduce.Season with salt and pepper.Check for the flavour of coffee,if you find it less feel free to add a teaspoon of coffee powder into it.Reduce the sauce until it has a coating consistency.

Remove your chicken from the brine and pan fry over a hot pan till the chicken browns and gets cooked from inside.After they have browned,add the chicken pieces into the sauce.Add two tablespoon of water into the sauce and let it reduce and coat the chicken.Bring the sauce to coating consistency again.Remember it is a sauce and essentially should only coat the chicken and not become a gravy.Be cautious of the amount of salt you are adding later for the brine already contains a generous amount of salt.

Marinade baby potatoes with Habanero Sauce and season with salt and pepper.Roast them in an oven and serve it as an accompaniment.

Your Coffee Brined Chicken in BBQ Espresso Sauce on a bed of Habanero Potatoes is ready.

Prepare it and please do let me know how it tasted.

EAT. DRINK. SHARE.

The Bombay Canteen – Brainchild Of Chef Floyd Cardoz.

The USP of this restaurant is so many that I literally have to make points. So here they go-

1) Extraordinary experiments with simple Indian dishes which may sound surreal to you.

2) Cyclic menu  based on seasons and fresh-exotic produce of that particular season.

3) Providing a 1980’s ambience and charm with a very rustic classic  Bollywood-y edge.         

Now that the USP has been stated,let me tell you more about this place.Located at Lower Parel,this place turned out to be a hit within few weeks of its inauguration.The owner Chef Floyd Cardoz who is proudly an ex-alumnus of IHM Mumbai aimed at providing widely known Indian street food and everyday “Ghar Ka Khana” in a manner that we can never imagine.And to a certain extent you may consider it to be a blasphemy(Just imagine a Pulled Pork Thepla Tacos-God Bless the Veggie Gujaratis!). However you will be taken aback once you taste them.This is genuinely the next level push to the traditional Indian cooking and clearly brings out the versatility of Indian cuisine.

The ambience is more like a Parsi Cafè with posters from 1980’s Pepsi & Cola,Zeenat Aman endorsing Lux,so on and so forth which engulfs you in that era. The cutlery,crockery and glassware is quite quirky and well planned to complement the atmosphere the restaurant aima to create with Rooh Afza bottles as water jugs,use of small disposable plates made out of leaves for appetizers.                                                                                                                    

The name of the courses are quite catchy and ‘indianised’  with Chota as Appetizers, Bada as Main Course etc. Also something that attracted my attention was the quirky names of the Cocktails -Tar Booze & Long Island Iced Chai.This gives a complete ‘desi’ edge to the restaurant and engulfs you in that charm.

Coming to the dishes,the Chef has pushed his strength to the limits and all the dishes are a total HIT.Very well executed and the experiment respects the original ingredient in its true form. They have a section called the Chintus where the F&B team serves small bite sized snacks like a street food vendor-Lotus Stem Fries and Devilled Eggs.Man,they are so good. For appetizers we ordered a whole lot of stuffs like the Arbi Tuk,Moongdal Pakodas and not to forget the Pulled Pork Vindaloo on Theplas! There goes the marriage between two states- Goa & Gujarat!Melt in your mouth with standard quality of food and a true success of the experiment.The Bheja Ghotala,Chicken Kothu Roti,Nargis Scotch Eggs & Tandoori Pork Spare Ribs were the most sought after main course dishes that we ordered . Served with typical Mumbai ishtyle Maska Pav,the Kheema Bheja Ghotala was a mutton brain and kheema masala topped with a gooey egg and baked.The Tandoori Pork Spare Ribs  were predominantly sweet and little sour with the caramelised flavour of the jaggery and definitely had a harmony of flavours.While the Nargis Scotch Eggs was quite delicate and soft,it lacked a generous portion of gravy.The most interesting dish on the table was the Kothu Roti.This is a quintessential Srilankan / Malayali dish which seemed deconstructed and served in the form of a salad.

And next came the desserts. ‘Gulab Nut Old Monk Style’ was the sure hit of the night.I can save my expenses on travelling by walking all the way to  Lowel Parel just for this pure bliss.One bite and it will surely remind you of your cravings for Old Monk post exam during your college life.This dessert truly justifies “Gum ka sathi Rum”. The Masala Chai Popsicle was equally good but the Guava Tan-Tana-tan with Mirchi Ice Cream didn’t struck the cord.

We went home with a heavy stomach and not a heavy heart. Salute to Chef Thomas Zaccharias,Executive Chef who is so down to earth!

If you are looking for some real quirky and ‘hatke’ food with quite unique and different ambience at a price that definitely won’t burn a hole in your pocket,you should not miss this place.This place will surely blow off your stereotypes sticking to regular Indian dishes that you find monotonous. This restaurant surely stands out for its uniqueness, so don’t wait and come here soon because this restaurant is surely trending.

Warning- Please make sure you make a reservation before dropping at this place for you are never going to get an empty dining table.I made a reservation 2 weeks before I visited this place.

E A T.  D R I N K.  S H A R E.

Chicken Satay!

Tired of same old evening snacks?

Thailand & Malaysia’s favourite Chicken Satay is enough to make your evening tea way more adventurous.

INGREDIENTS-

Chicken Breast – 1, cut finely into strips.

Coriander Seeds – 3 tablespoon

Cumin Seeds – 3 tablespoon

Turmeric Powder – 3 tablespoon

Sugar – 2 tablespoon.

Galangals or ginger – 1, grated.

Garlic – 2-3 cloves

Salt – as per taste

Pepper – as per taste

Lime juice or Kaffir Lime Juice – 2tablespoon

Peanut Oil or Soyabean Oil – 2 tablespoon.

Bamboo Skewers- 4,soaked in cold water.

RECIPE-

Using a morter and pestle,ground all the ingredients except the chicken breast and oil.Make a fresh dry grounded mixture.Massage this mixture on the chicken strips and add 3 tablespoons of oil to prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pan.Season accordingly.

Squeeze one kafir lime juice or normal lime juice and gently skewer the marinate chicken strips on the bamboo skewers.The soaking helps in preventing the skewers from catching fire.

Now on a very hot skillet or pan,put these skewers and let it get cooked from all sides.Also let the chicken acquire the charred color and flavour more like grilled chicken.This can be done over  charcoal fire for that genuine Satay flavour.Nevertheless,this will be great too.

Your Chicken Satay is ready. Make a quick Peanut Sauce and savour the taste of a classic Malay Appetizer.

Pork Empanadas With Pico De Gallo!

This Classic Mexican Street Food Is A Popular Appetizer,Cocktail Snack & Finger Food!

Surely going to blow your guest’s mind with the burst of flavours!

1)For the dough-

INGREDIENTS-

Cornmeal or refined flour – 300gms

Egg- 1no.

Butter – 3 small cubes.

Baking Powder – 1 1/2 teaspoon.

Salt – 1 tablespoon.

Sugar – 1 teaspoon.

Milk – 3 tablespoons.

Ice Cold Water – For the dough.

RECIPE-

Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately.

Sieve flour,baking powder,salt & sugar in a bowl for uniform distribution and mix butter gently with the flour to give it a crumbly texture.On the other hand,beat one egg,add milk and season it with salt.Add ice cold water to it and mix this with the sieved flour and knead it until you make a rich and firm dough.Seal the dough in a plastic sheet and keep it inside the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

2) For The Fiiling-

INGREDIENTS-

Pork Mince – 250 gms

Cumin Powder –  1tbsp.

Paprika Powder or Red Chilly Powder – 2tbsp.

Oregano – 11/2 tablespoon

Lemon Zest – 1 tablespoon.

Lime Juice – 2 tbsp.

Vinegar – one cap.

Sugar (Brown or Normal Grain) – 1tbsp

Capsico Sauce – 1 teaspoon.

Green Chillies or Jalãpenos – 2.

Onion – 1,finely chopped.

Garlic – 3 cloves,finely chopped.

Boiled Egg – 1

Salt & Pepper for seasoning.

RECIPE-

Sauté finely chopped onion and garlic in little oil and add a tablespoon of sugar for caramelisation.When the onion turns translucent and when the sugar turns brownish,add pork mince and sauté till the mince becomes greyish and is cooked.Add cumin powder,red chilli powder and green chillies or Jalãpenos.Sauté well and let the ingredients get cooked.Add oregano,capsico sauce,lemon rind and lemon juice.Add a cap of vinegar and season with salt and pepper.If you find the mixture sticking to the bottom of the pan,sprinkle little water.The mixture should be absolutely dry.Mix finely chopped boiled egg with it.

Make small balls out of the dough,flatten it till medium thin and spoon the filling inside it.Seal the edges with a wet fork to remove any gas bubbles.You can vary the size and number of portions according to your choice.

Deep fry them in hot oil.You can also bake the empanadas  by putting  egg wash over them.

Pico De Gallo- Finely cop one onions,tomatoes,jalãpenos.Add lemon juice and finely chopped cilantro.Mix them well.Season with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil over it.Your Pico De Gallo is ready.

Serve your hot Pork Empanadas with Pico De Gallo.

E A T.  D R I N K.  S H A R E.

Chicken Sliders With BBQ Sauce.

This Is The First Recipe I Am Sharing With Everyone.

The Quantity is for 4 sliders.

For The BBQ Sauce-

INGREDIENTS-

Onion – 1,finely chopped

Garlic- 2 to 3 Cloves,finely chopped.

Brown Sugar/Normal Grain Sugar – 3Tbsp.

Tomato- 1,blanched and finely chopped.

Tomato Sauce – 2 Tablespoons.

Capsico Sauce – 1 Tbsp.

White Wine – 1 Tbsp.

Vinegar- 3 Tbsp

Lime Juice – 2 Tbsp

Red Chilli Powder – 2 tbsp.

Worcestshire Sauce(Optional) – 3tbsp.

Dry Herbs – 1 teaspoon

Salt & Pepper

RECIPE-

Sauté finely chopped onion and garlic in little oil and add 3tbsp of brown sugar or normal sugar to help caramelise the onion.The onion will turn caramelised brown in color along with the liberation of a sweet smell.This is the time to add finely chopped blanched tomato and tomato sauce.Also add Capsico sauce  and Worcestshire sauce(optional). Sauté it until the tomato becomes really mushy.Now add red chilli powder and continue sautéing.When you find the mixture is sticking to the bottom of the pan,add white wine and deglaze the pan.Sprinkle little bit of water and let the tomato cook.

Add generous amount of lime juice and vinegar.Now season the sauce with Salt & pepper and add dry herbs to it.

With your spoon,mash up the mixture to a saucy consistency and your BBQ sauce is ready.

*If by mistake you add too much water,then please reduce the sauce till the water evaporates and the consistency becomes coating!

For The Chicken Sliders-

INGREDIENTS-

Chicken Mince – 200 gms.

Onion- 1 finely chopped.

Garlic- 1 finely chopped.

Ginger – One very small portion grated to add flavour to the patty.

Green Chilli – 2 Finely Chopped.

Boiled & Cooked Red Kidney Beans – 100gms,roughly mashed up.

Red Chilli Powder – 3 tbsp.

Refined Flour – 1 tbsp.

Breadcrumbs – 3tbsp

Eggs – 1no.(beaten)

Lime Juice – 1 tbsp

Pao Buns -4.

Grated Carrot- 1.

Cheese ( Smoked Cheddar or any processed cheese)- 4 chunks for 4 sliders.

RECIPE-

Season Chicken Mince very well with salt & pepper.It is impossible to season the patty after it is cooked.On the other hand,sauté finely chopped onion and garlic and add grated ginger to it.Now add the roughly mashed already cooked kidney beans and sauté it till you find the beans getting cooked and also turning dry.At this stage,add red chilli powder.Cook the mixture well without a single drop of water and let it become completely dry.Season with salt and pepper.

Mix this mixture in the seasoned chicken mince and add breadcrumbs,beaten egg,chilli powder,finely chopped green chillies,refined flour and lime juice.Mix it well until you find it turning into a patty consistency. Now shape it into tikki shaped patty complimenting the size of your bun/pao.

Fry them in little oil over a skillet,2 minutes/each side.When you dab on the patty,the patty should be tight enough.

Now cut a pao into half,put the chicken patty on it.

Add a generous amount of barbecue sauce and put a small chunk of cheese on top.Top it with some grated carrots and close the bun.

Your Chicken Slider With BBQ sauce is ready 🙂

The Proudest Moment for me was when my dad took a bite and exclaimed-“I ate sliders at so many places around the world but this was one of the best I ever had!”.

Enjoy Cooking. 🙂

E A T.  D R I N K.  S H A R E.

What Will Bengalis Do Without Macch?

What will Bengalis do without mach?This question has been staggering me since ages.What if we relocate to a landlocked area away from the rivers and the seas? Where goes our pride? Will Bengalis become less intellectual without Macch?

We have grown up with that eternal fight between a Ghoti & a Bangal. The fight between Chingri Maher Malai Curry and Shorshe Illish.What will happen if we loose the access to fishes or if we never had one?

A very light Rohu Fish stew with ginger-cumin and potatoes popularly known as Macher Jhol is the Bengali comfort food during busy weekdays,especially summers.Macher Jhol is the staple for all Bengalis and we never understand how simple and divine it tastes until we relocate to other places and become a ‘probashi bangali’.What happens to this Macher Jhol?

What happens to the Indian Coffee House witnessing the fight over CPIM vs. DIDI, left vs right, Mohunbagan vs East Bengal,Satyajit Ray vs Ritwik Ghatak over a cup of doodh chai and fish cutlet or kobiraji?

What happens to the in-laws stereotyping their daughter-in-laws for not being able to cook that perfect Jhajhalo Shorshe Illish?

Who would have invented Bengali’s talent of “Macher kata bacha” or meticulously eating the extremely bony fishes?

What happens to the Bengalis in UK and USA crying their ass off for “Shorsher Tel e bhaja Parshe Mach?”

What happens to the age old Bengali Chauvinism of showing off a large expensive fish to your neighbours when someone comes from “Bidesh”?

What happens to the grey hair-ed Quintessential Bangalibabu scrutinising the gills of the fishes with ace?

What happens to the Bengali Stereotype- “Ami Macch Bhalobashi”

What will the stupid daal do without the Mach Bhaja?

What will the Bhaath do without the Macher Jhol?

What happens to the Bengali orgasms at Oh!Calcutta or Bhojohori Manna over Smoked Illish?

Mach is the integral part of every Bengali’s life.You may have become a “Saheb”(Foreigner-Non Residential Bengali) but you just can’t compare your smoked salmon with Illish bhapa.No,you can’t!

Here,people can give or take life for Macch.

We are proud of our Macch and do not give a shit to your stereotype.

But What Happens If Bengalis Were Never Related To Fish?

A Quintessential Bangali!

E A T.    D R I N K.    S H A R E.