Koshari

Koshari, also koshary, kosheri or kushari, is an Egyptian dish originally made in the 19th century, made of rice, macaroni and lentils mixed together, topped with a tomato-vinegar sauce; garnished with chickpeas and crispy fried onions. A sprinkling of garlic juice and hot sauce are optional.

It’s served in virtually every Egyptian restaurant, in every Egyptian home, and on every Egyptian street corner.  Street vendors serve the dish from carts to people eagerly waiting in line to eat this beloved and highly popular dish.  An unusual combination, Koshari mixes lentils, macaroni noodles and rice into a single dish and it’s then topped with a spicy tomato sauce that uses a special Middle Eastern spice blend, garbanzo beans, and fried onions.  The idea sounds strange…until you taste it.  Then you’ll know why this dish is a favorite among Egyptians.

Though it is Egypt’s national dish, it isn’t actually Egyptian in origin. Neither rice nor macaroni are indigenous to Egypt. It is believed that Koshari originated in India and dates back to the time of British Colonization. The name “Koshari” is actually from the Hindu “khichdi”, which refers to a dish of lentils and rice. When the British arrived in Egypt in the late 1800’s they brought this dish with them – it was inexpensive and filling. It didn’t take long before the dish was enthusiastically embraced by the Egyptian people.

Today Koshari is the ultimate street food.

The crowning aspect of this dish is the flavor-packed, spicy tomato sauce. It’s made with a special spice blend called Baharat (Arabic for “spice”), an all-purpose spice blend commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine. Just a pinch adds depth and flavor to sauces, soups, stews and meat.

Now let’s move on to the Koshari. This recipe is very authentic and very simple to make, but be prepared to dirty up a few dishes!

Koshari

Duration 2 Hr 15 Mins

Preparation 30 Mins

Cooking   1 Hr 45 Min

Yields Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

Crispy Onions

2 onions finely sliced

Oil for deep frying

Tomato sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 – 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

250 gm tomato paste

A dash of vinegar

Salt to taste

1 tsp baharat (optional, leave it if you can’t find)

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cumin powder (use only when you don't have baharat)

Chilli flakes

250 ml water

Rice, pasta & lentils

1 cup medium grained rice

1 cup green lentils, rinsed properly

1 cup small macaroni

¼ th of a pack of spaghetti

1 cup chicken stock (optional)

¼ cup chickpeas, soaked for atleast 3 - 4 hours and boiled

Olive oil

Salt

Method

Prepare the onion garnish by heating sufficient oil in a saucepan, adding the onions and deep-frying until dark brown. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towel. Leave to cool.

To make the sauce, place a saucepan over moderate heat and add the oil and onion. Cook until the onion and garlic till  it is soft. Add the garlic and fry to pale brown. Stir in the tomato paste and baharat and add salt, pepper and chilli flakes (if using) to taste. Add the water and simmer for 15–20 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half. Add the vinegar and remove from the heat.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a separate saucepan over moderate heat. Add the rice and 1 tsp of salt and fry for 2 minutes, then add 250 ml of water and chicken stock (if not using chicken stock, just add 500 ml of water. Stir well and bring to the boil. Once boiling, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, place the lentils in another saucepan with 500 ml of water and simmer until tender then drain. In another saucepan boil the macaroni with a little salt until al dente then drain. Heat 80 ml of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onions until soft and caramelized.

To serve, reheat the tomato sauce. Place the hot macaroni in a large serving dish and coat with a little extra olive oil. Add the hot rice, lentils and caramelized onions and mix through. Sprinkle with the baharat and pour over the desired amount of tomato sauce. Garnish with the crispy onions and boiled chickpeas.

Maharashtrian Kalvan

With the Konkan coast being so wide spread from Mumbai all the way to Mangalore, it’s the Konkan cuisine influences that stems through this coastal areas and across. I love seafood and have had the most amazing dishes from throughout India and always amazed at the abundance of seafood in the west coast of the sub continent.

Using the term ‘Konkani’ is a fairly broad way of describing the cuisine of the region within Maharashtra which is divided into regions of Konkan, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad and Amravati. Which are diverse in so many ways given their method of food preparation, elements used and also locally grown items and cooked within the area. Coconut is a staple in the Konkan region and even coconut oil makes an appearance in many curries cooked locally. The combination of highly spiced, sweet, salty and sour all at once, when you taste a gravy makes it divine. Maharashtrian food is always an inclusion of a balanced meal including vegetables, protein, salad, flat breads to make it a nutritious meal.

My mum’s native place called Dapoli is a pretty village in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. My grandmum and mum use this recipe which is a little different and also very easy to make.

My grand mum’s recipe for a  Maharashtrian Kalwan/ Spicy Fish Curry with kokam petals, garlic and grated coconut is a combination of all these flavours. Using little Malvani masala adds a lovely taste to the curry which is balanced by the kokum and coconut. I like to use Pomfret or Black Pomfret for this recipe. But it also goes well with mackerels and king fish.  Any one of these fishes blend perfect with spices and even great just pan fried with spices. Serve this curry with steamed rice rice bhakris (flatbreads) and some wilted greens.

Maharastrian Kalvan

Duration 30 Mins

Preparation 10 Mins

Cooking 20 Mins

Yields Serves 4

Ingredients 

                                                                         

Black Pomfret 2 medium sized cut into medium slices

1 cup freshly grated coconut

8 cloves garlic

1 tsp coriander powder

½  tsp red chilli powder (lesser if you want less spicy curry)

2 tsp Malvani masala

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp asafoetida

4 – 5 kokam

1 green chilli

Few sprigs of coriander

8 – 10 curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

Salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

Method

Wash the fish well and marinate it with tumeric, chilli powder, malvani masala, salt and hing. Mix it and keep it aside. Soak the kokum petals in little water and keep aside.
Grind the freshly scraped coconut, coriander powder and garlic in a mixer.
Heat oil in a wok. Once hot add mustard seeds and curry leaves till they crackle. Add the ground paste and cook for 2 - 3 minutes till the raw smell goes. Add the marinated fish and cook fro another 2 minutes.
Then add some water (according to the thickness you want). Add the soaked kokum along with the water and cover the wok and let it cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Garnish it with coriander. 
Serve hot with steamed rice/ rice bhakris and some wilted greens.

Chicken Cafreal

I first visited the sunshine state of Goa, on India’s west coast one summer with my parents. I think I must have been 13 or 14 and on the surface, Goa seemed no different from Bombay.

As the days passed, I began soaking the place the in. It is such a chilled out life: the slow pace of life, the affability of the people, the abundance of baked goods!  Maybe it was because I was on holiday, but since then, I have always had this image of Goa as a place where India goes to vacation.

The abundance of beaches, the remnants of Portuguese colonization, and the amazing cuisine all add to the charm of Goa. Its proximity to Mumbai also means that it is ideal for a quick getaway.

Goan cuisine is a assortment of Portuguese and Indian flavors. Indian spices unite with Portuguese techniques to create food that is hearty, and does justice to the coastal location of the state with an abundance of coconuts and seafood. I come from Ratnagiri which is quite close to Goa and so there are many similarities between the two cuisine. Konkanis also use a lot of coconut and love seafood.

One of my favorite Goan dishes is Chicken Cafreal (or Galinha Cafreal). Chicken is marinated in a green spice paste for up to 48 hours and then pan-fried. The result is falling-off-the-bone tender, succulent chicken that is packed full of beautiful flavors of chilli, ginger, garlic, cilantro, lime and other spices. I usually make it with boneless chicken now. Serves as a good party appetizer.

CHICKEN CAFREAL

Duration 50 Mins

Preparation 20 Mins

Cooking 30 Mins

Yields Serves 5 - 6

Ingredients:

1 kg Chicken (Drumsticks/ Legs/ Whole chicken cut into large pieces) OR If using boneless chicken then ¾ kg of boneless chicken, diced into tikka sized pieces
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons Cooking Oil

For the Cafreal Masala (marinade):

7 – 8 Green Chillis (the hot Indian ones, reduce if you like less heat)
A small bunch Cilantro
2 inch piece of Ginger
10-12 Cloves of Garlic
8 Peppercorns
1 Big Piece Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
A Small ball of Tamarind (substitute with Juice of 1/2 lime, if you can’t find this)
4 – 6 Cloves

Directions:

Clean the chicken and make a few shallow slits in the chicken pieces. Rub the chicken with the salt and lime juice and keep aside.

Grind the ingredients for the Cafreal Masala to a fine paste (use a blender or food processor).

Apply the masala all over the chicken pieces, so they are well coated.

Refrigerate the marinated chicken and keep overnight or at least for 4-5 hours.

When ready to cook, heat the oil in a saucepan and add the chicken pieces and cook on a high flame for about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the chicken. Then add any marinade that is leftover.

As the chicken begins to cook, add the butter and cook on a medium flame turning over the chicken once in a while.

The dish is ready when the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.

Serve with wedges of lime, a light salad and some pav or crusty bread.

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

This chicken is very moist, tender, and super appetizing!  It’s an improved way to make chicken drumsticks taste scrumptious – they are marinated for 24 hours before roasting. This ensures the chicken tenderizes and gets infused with luscious flavours!

I simply love this recipe because it’s so easy and quick to make it. It takes only 10 minutes of preparation: making the marinade and pouring it over the chicken and 24 hours still time - your chicken sits in a freezer bag with buttermilk sauce marinade over it in the fridge. Finally, bake your chicken at 200 C the next day!

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoon olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/6 bunch of fresh parsley, minced

  1/2 teaspoon regular salt

  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  6 chicken drumsticks

  fresh parsley, chopped

Method:

Combine buttermilk, olive oil, minced garlic, minced fresh parsley, salt and black pepper in a small bowl and whisk really well. Place chicken drumsticks in one-gallon freezer bag, pour the buttermilk marinade over the chicken and distribute evenly over all chicken drumsticks. Squeeze as much air out of the freezer bag as possible and close the bag. Refrigerate the marinated chicken in a freezer bag for 24 hours.

After your chicken has been marinated for 24 hours, preheat oven to 400 F. Use a medium size casserole dish - I used 2.5 quart oval casserole dish (13 inches by 9 inches). Place chicken in the casserole dish - and pour all of the marinade on top and around the chicken. Roast for about 30-45 minutes (depends on your oven), until chicken juices run clear, the chicken drumsticks are browned and scorched in spots. If needed, broil for about 5-10 more minutes to get more color. Serve immediately, use the sauce from the pan.

Fluffy Yeast Raised Belgian Waffles

These Fluffy Belgian Waffles are beautifully chunky and feathery. Golden, mouth watering, these are perfect for any weekend breakfast or brunch.

Just a few weeks ago, strawberries were aplenty and all the fruit markets were bursting with them. I went berry crazy. But i always go berry crazy. I love berries especially strawberries. Luckily for me, we get berries all through the year

Strawberries are my desired thing to toss over just about anything. From icecream to pancakes to these fluffy Belgian waffles.

Let’s just savor a moment of silence over these fluffy Belgian waffles.

Golden, slightly crispy edges, fluffy on the inside, and melt-in-your-mouth.

Simply divine fresh off the waffle iron. It’s flawlessness with a layer of freshly sliced strawberries on top and a sprinkle of powdered sugar along with cinnamon. Or pure maple syrup, if that’s what you love.

These Fluffy Belgian Waffles are made with slightly sugared batter, so they’re tempting just as they are. Just serve them up with some berries and you’re good to go.

Fluffy Yeast Raised Belgian Waffles

Ingredients:

350 ml warm milk

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

300 gm all purpose flour

2 small free range eggs, separated

60 gms castor sugar

85 ml of melted butter

1 tsp of vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

Method:

Take around 30 ml of milk and add yeast to it. Stir it and let it sit for 5 minutes till it looks frothy.

Take egg whites and start beating till the form stiff peaks. Keep that aside for a while.

To the yolks add sugar and melted butter and add around 20 – 30 ml of milk which is kept aside. Beat these till it comes together. Once it’s well mixed, add the yeast mixture and vanilla and a pinch of salt. Mix it again till well combined.

Now add the flour and milk alternately, little flour and milk then mix... Repeat the process till  all the batter comes together.

Now add the egg whites to the batter and gently fold it in. Do not mix it or it will knock out all the air from the mixture. It may take some time but it will all come together and will give you fluffy light waffles.

Once this is done, cover the mixture with a cling film and leave it to rise for an hour (or till the batter doubles in size) in a warm place.

I use a Kenwood waffle maker, you might have a different one. So it’s always better to check the manufacturer’s instructions. Also it’s very important to make sure that its completely hot before you start making the waffles.

I use a half cup measure to put the batter in. In my waffle maker it’s the right amount because it’s not too little to give me a under cooked top or too much that the batter explodes all out.

Pop the mixture right in the middle of the waffle pan and let it cook till golden brown on both sides, this usually takes about 3 minutes.

Remove the waffles once done using a wooden spatula. Take care not to use anything scrapy.

Put them on a plate and serve it with the toppings you like. We loves ours with fresh cream, maple syrup and berries. 

Tips:

You can even make this batter the night before and leave it to slow rise in the refridgerator. Remove it in the morning and hour prior to making them.

Tofu and Vegetables Thai Curry

Why hello, my love.

And when I say my love, I most definitely do mean this creamy, savory-sweet, Thai Green Curry that is rice’s best friend and its my idea of food heaven. 

I am usually not a savory morning person, okay? I want my toast and peanut butter or french toasts and I want it bad.

But this curry is honestly so good and so perfectly savory with just a teensy bit of sweet that this morning, when I was packing my hubby's lunch, I found myself scraping out the extra curry-coated rice from the bottom of the pan and spooning it all straight into my Mouth. And as I enjoyed a few bites of that cold, creamy thai curry, I had this thought: why am I not eating this curry for breakfast every single day? It’s so comforting, spicy-sweet-savory, soul-hugging, and it just generally puts me in a good mood about life.

Curry therapy. Curry morning therapy.

Obviously, to start, we'll make green curry paste at home. I know this will take sometime. But it will be ready when you want to make the curry next time and then the time after that. Yayyiiieeee!!

So if you make your own paste and have it on hand in advance, this Thai Green Chicken Curry recipe *almost* reaches the level of Five-Ingredient Easy, which, in and of itself, is worth the effort.

This is the best food gift you could give yourself. Make. You’ll love it. Please try it.

Tofu and Vegetables Thai Curry With Homemade Curry Paste

Duration 50 Mins

Preparation 20 Mins

Cooking 30 Mins

Yields Serves 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup silken tofu

1 cup baby aspargus, cut in two pieces

1 x 400ml tin light coconut milk

1 organic chicken stock cube or 1 glass of homemade chicken stock

6 kaffir lime leaves

1/2 tsp palm sugar or regular sugar (if needed)

½ a bunch fresh Thai basil

1 lime

2 tbsp green curry paste

1 tbsp groundnut oil

For the Curry Paste (Make Ahead Paste - 8 - 10 servings):

1 small bunch of coriander

1/2 tbsp cumin

1 1/2 tbsp galangal

1/4 cup garlic

1 Kaffir Lime

2 stalks of lemongrass

1/2 tsp peppercorns

1/2 cup sliced shallots

1 tsp shrimp paste or 2 tbsp fish sauce

10-15 Green Thai Chili Peppers

Method

For Curry Paste:

To make the curry paste, peel, roughly chop and place the garlic, shallots and ginger into a food processor. Trim the lemongrass, remove the tough outer leaves, then finely chop and add to the processor. Trim and add the chillies along with the cumin and coriander with stalks. Peel the zest of Kaffir lime and add it to the processor. Blitz until finely chopped, add the fish sauce and Kaffir lime juice and blitz again. Store in the freezer.

For Tofu and Vegetables Thai Curry:

Drain the tofu on a kitchen towel and cut it into cubes of the size you prefer and place into a large pan on a medium heat with 1 tsp of oil. Fry for 1 -2  minutes, or until just turning golden, then transfer to a plate. 
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add remaining oil. Add premade or store bought Thai green paste for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the coconut milk and 400ml of boiling stock or water, if adding water then crumble in the stock cube. Turn the heat up and bring gently to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, or until reduced slightly.
Stir in the Tofu and asparagus and tear in the kaffir lime leaves and reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Season carefully to taste with sea salt, sugar (only if necessary) and freshly ground black pepper. Pick, roughly chop and stir through the basil leaves and remaining coriander leaves. Serve with lime wedges and steamed jasmine rice.

Easy Peasy Mushroom And Parsley Stronganoff

Chicken Stroganoff was one of the first recipes I remember making not so long ago. It was super easy and it was 5 ingredients instead of 14… which consisted of; chicken strips, spaghetti, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream or cream cheese.

I still kept this recipe simple, I only jazzed it up to make it more "healthy" and uh, duh delicious… unfortunately it’s still not a gorgeous dish, but its mighty delicious.

This super-quick and easy mushroom and parsley stroganoff makes for a great, healthy weekday meal, ready in 15 minutes and is under 300 Kcals. Woohoo!! :)

Easy Peasy Mushroom And Parsley Stronganoff

Duration 15 Mins

Preparation 0 Mins

Cooking 15 Mins

Yields 2 servings

Ingredients

1 onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

150 gms button mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp greek yoghurt

2 tbsp half fat fresh cream

small bunch of parsley, chopped

Spaghetti or cooked rice to serve with

Method

Fry the onion in a spray of oil for about 5 minutes, until soft. 

Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes, with another spray of oil, until the mushrooms are golden and the liquid has been released from them and cooked off. 

Add the fresh cream and yoghurt, a splash of water (or stock) and parsley, simmer for 1 minute, season and serve with cooked grains.