Rotte (A Rice and pulse pancake from South India)

Rotte (A Breakfast dish from South India) 

I love food. Over the years I have known that for me comfort food doesn't expressly stay within the dishes that I was first introduced to as a child. In my 9th standard while reading 'Gone with The Wind' I fell in love with the description of fried chicken and once I made it that became my comfort food. Then sometime down the line I fell in love with Shepherd's pie etc etc Basically according to me to really know a particular food you have to respect where it came from that is if its made with lamb substituting it with goat meat unless and until there is absolutely no way you can get your hands on lamb meat changes the dish.

Anyway the point is I have always liked Idlis and Dosas. There are very few dishes that I do not personally like. In fact right now I can't even think of one dish I dislike per say.

When I got married it was mishmash of culture. I am from Calcutta , living in a world of English literature, soaps, movies  , growing up hearing my father playing the violin in preparation of concerts after coming back from the chamber (he is a doctor) cooking from an age of 14 years since the time I told my father that I wanted a taste of world food and he told me he would allow that if I cook it myself while my husband was brought up in Ranchi and is originally from Andhra Pradesh in South India.

Anyway when my mother-in-law had first made this for me I fell in love with it. It was  crispy golden outside and soft fluffy inside.

I noted the recipe from my mother-in-law and I love this. Its easy, soak, grind, ferment and your batter is ready.

So her goes the recipe for Rotte as given by my mother-in-law :-

Cups used hold 250ml liquid

1 cup whole husked Urad Dal
2 cups parboiled rice
Oil for frying
Salt as per taste ( I need 2 tsp)

Soak the pulse and rice separately for 4 hours . Drain the pulse and rice and keep in separate containers but reserve the water in which you have soaked them.

Grind them separately.  First start with the pulse. grind it without any water and then slowly add water to make this creamy smooth soft paste. I usually do not measure the amount of water required but you have to add it slowly to get the fluffy soft consistency and when you touch the mixer grinder it should have become hot. I grind it , stop the mixer and grind ti again and it pretty much takes me 15 minutes to 20 minutes to get the perfect consistency.

Down South I have seen most houses having a wet grinder dedicated for making Idli/dosa batter but for the rest of us its not impossible even with the normal mixer grinder . All you need is patience.

Once the pulse is done keep it in a container. Take half the drained rice and start grinding forst on its own. It will give a gritty mixture then start adding water slowly and steadily. Grind , stop , check the mixture, add water and do this till it reaches a smooth ribbon stage. It should be ultra soft and fluffy to touch.

The entire success of this batter used for Idlis, dosas , Rottes and Uttapams depends on the consistency of your batter and the consistency depends on your grinding.

When the rice is done now grind the Pulse and rice together taking half of each for easy grinding and grind till its fluffy and laves a trail.

It should be ultra soft to touch.

Divide the mixture between two containers filing them till half the container. Add salt about 1 tsp per container , mix with your clean hands and let it ferment for 8 hours.

To know whether your fermentation has gone as expected you shall see it having risen and then there is that smell.

For the Rotte simply take a deep bottomed wok not a flat vessel. Add  a little bit of oil and ladle some of the fermented batter in the wok and cover and cook for 3 minutes to 4  minutes on one side , till you see small bubbles on one side and then   flip and cover and cook for another 3 minutes to 4 minutes  minutes and its ready. Make sure its cooked on absolute low hat else instead of getting crispy golden outside you shall have a burnt outside.

Serve it with some Tomato chutney or 'Podis' (Spicy pulse mixture available in South India) or Onion chutney or any type of chutney of your choice.

I have a sneaky feeling this will team very well with some Mutton stew or chicken stew.


P.S. I have made it with split husked Urad Pulse and it gives the same result.

Please note that I stay in a tropical country where I do not place a problem with fermentation. In case you stay in a cold country keep the mixture in a warm place for fermentation.

You may check out my post on detailed step by step process for the batter here

Important tips :-

1. Always start the grinding with no water and add the water bit by bit else it will never be the soft fluffy mixture that is required for the dish. 
2. Cook on slow flame throughout. You cannot hurry the dish. 
3. You know one side is done when it fluffs up and then you flip it. It might take you less than 3 minutes per side depending on the size of the wok. 

Pancakes (The Fluffy Version)

Pancakes (The Fluffy Version) 

Lately this tiredness encompasses me all the time. Actually the reason is because I desperately needed some rest in between a lot of Market Research work and truth be told its not that I didn't get one or 2 days in between projects to rest well but then I realized that I cook with so much enthusiasm on days when I don't have to work that the stress and tiredness is just increasing.

The month of December was super packed. Bidding farewell to Bombay was not just emotional but tiring due to the endless packing  topped with non stop projects.

No sooner had I landed in Calcutta I decided there must be celebrations and so we had a small Lunch where the lovely Pritha from Guilt Free got this fabulous Bacon and Pea Rice. For my part I made a Brioche Rustica following La Cucina's (the book)  recipe and a Fish in Wine sauce with a Caramel Fruit Cake which got satisfactory response. Then came the Bake Sale organized by Kolkata Food Bloggers and I am very happy to share with you the fabulous news that most of my products got sold out within the first few hours itself and I donated the money from my personal Sale for the Cats and Dogs of The City of Joy. I should have known that handling a Bake Sale and non stop work pressure would get too much too handle but cooking is like an addiction which I simply can't put a stop to. I did try and share recipes but I will be honest about the fact that most recipes have been left out this festive season.

Now today its a New Year. Quite frankly I am not much of a believer of a new start just because the year changes. You see its just a day where deadlines still remain, problems are still to be taken care of and your tiredness prevails but with all the hopeful messages on my Facebook Wall I guess I got a bit inspired and decided that I must start the new year with something nice.

Now Pancakes come in many shapes, sizes and forms. I have previously made these fabulous German Pancakes which were thin and slathered with chocolate and a perfect delight and so this time it was time for my old friend, the Fluffy pancakes.

To be fair I have made this kind of Fluffy Pancake after almost 2 years and I must say that having finally found a recipe which suits me perfectly I hope 2015 is just as good. I did put some techniques which I have learnt over the years to good use and the result was fluffy , airy light and tender pancakes

Recipe adapted from All recipes :-

The original recipe promises 12 pancakes but in reality it yielded about 9 pancakes which is good enough

Serves 3 to 4 people

1.5 cups of flour
1 level  tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp white granulated sugar
50gm to 60gm melted butter
1.4 cups of milk
1 large egg
Butter to lightly grease  the pan


Sift the baking powder and flour together and add the sugar. In a separate bowl whisk the egg till its pale and fluffy and add the milk bit by bit whisking it well. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture bit by bit folding it in rather than whisking it and in the end add the melted butter and just fold it in gently and let the batter rest for 10 minutes to 15 minutes.

Grease a skillet and put a ladle of butter letting the bubbles form on one side before flipping it over gently and cooking it till its well set. Enjoy these airy tender and light pancakes soaked in honey or Maple syrup or even Molasses .

Tips

1. The folding in of the flour gives you extra fluffy pancakes because you don't knock down the air bubbles.
2. Resting the batter gives a smoother batter 
3. You have to adjust the heat from medium to low so that the pancakes are golden with a light brown edge. 

Tofu Patty

Tofu Patty 

For those of us who eat eggs breakfast can always be made fast and simple and healthy but then what about those who don't eat eggs? A well there are many an Indian option but most of them are time consuming to make and need a lot of pre-planning.

I came up with the idea for a Tofu patty on a day when I had precious little time on my hands. Usually I try and look up a recipe over the internet for a base but this time I really had no time to do that either. What came to my rescue was Tofu which had been soaked and in water and stored in the refrigerator and an age old Bengali method of making cottage cheese balls. I altered the recipe but followed the method of making the balls and flattened them to make patty.

So here goes the recipe :-

Serves 2

200gm Firm Tofu which has been soaked in water and kept in the refrigerator
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Salt as per taste
Freshly ground pepper about 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp
3 tbsp to 4 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp finely minced garlic
2 tsp olive oil

Oil for frying

First drain the tofu and crumble it as finely as you can with clean hands and then add the rest of the ingredients except the cornflour and mix very well and try and make a dough. Slowly add the cornflour and mix it well. Now try and make little balls out of the dough, you will find it crumbling a bit but that's alright just keep pressing to make a patty.

Heat oil on medium heat and gently place the patty. Let it cook on medium to low heat for 2 minutes and flip it over and cook for 2 more minutes. Make sure you do not burn the patty.

Enjoy your breakfast by placing the patty inside wholewheat buns slathered with a hung curd dip for a healthy breakfast. Alternately you can slather butter or mayonnaise and make it an indulgence

Ham Cheese Egg Roulade

Ham Cheese Egg Roulade 

I strongly believe in the widely accepted theory that a good breakfast helps you begin your day well. You see as the name suggests its breaking your fast while you rest throughout the night.

I have to confess that while on some days I do like a fruit smoothie or a shake there are these other days when I crave a hearty breakfast and while the definition of 'hearty breakfast'  is subjective for me inclusion of eggs is a must. That along with my love for sausages and ham made me create this Ham Cheese egg roulade which basically keeps you full almost well into the second half of a day. A roulade basically means to roll and this is nothing but a rolled omelette with stuffing inside.

What you need for serving 2 people :-

3 eggs well beaten
3 to 4 slices of lean ham
A handful of grated Parmesan
Salt as per taste
Freshly ground black pepper as per taste
1/2 tsp of thyme
2 tsp olive oil

Simply beat the eggs well with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper  and then heat the oil on a large skillet and make a thin omelette and wait for 2 minutes and carefully place the omelette on a surface and add the ham and then the cheese and roll it and there you have your roulade. Sprinkle with the thyme and we have a hearty breakfast with some fresh fruits.

Here are a couple of tips which might help :-

1. Eggs are very delicate items and so they must be handled carefully which means too much heat burns the bottom and too little wouldn't set it. In my experience if the skillet is heated well and then the eggs allowed to cook on medium heat for a minute while it sets then the chances of burning is minimized . 
2. Once the eggs begins to set one can use the back of a ladle to spread out the unset egg mixture 
3. Be careful when taking it out of the skillet, too much pressure breaks the beautiful omelette  

Cheesy egg wrap

Cheesy Egg Wraps 

(A healthy start a healthy you)

Over the years with this battle of eating healthy I have realized that while the wholewheat bread and multi-grain bread essentially take the numero uno position in the world of healthy eats the humble Whole-wheat flatbread is one of the most versatile ingredients for a wholesome meal be it lunch, dinner or breakfast. While most Indians associate a bowl of vegetable curry or pulse or non-vegetarian curry you can let your imagination flow to create some beautifully different and unique food items which are both easy to prepare, tasty to eat and healthy to satisfy the mind.

What you can basically do is make a stack of flat-bread from the night before or at any point of the day and then use it when and where necessary. Living in a family with a grandmother in tow we naturally are usually stocked with more cooked food than required and so flat-bread is always available in the house and so my healthy eating has started again after a few days of dining out from the day before so I was trying to come up with an idea for a satisfyingly salty breakfast when I came up with this idea for a wrap. Now why i call it a salty craving is because eating healthy sweet dishes for breakfast is easy and the options are unlimited. You can have muesli, wholewheat cornflakes, fresh fruits but for me a salty breakfast is the key to a happy day

So here is the extremely easy recipe

Serves 2

4 stale flatbread (made the previous day) You can of course make fresh flatbread
4 eggs
2 medium sized tomatoes de-seeded
1/2 cup chopped leeks
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper as per taste
80gm of grated cheddar cheese
Pinch of paprika
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp olive oil

Start by whisking the eggs with some salt, the paprika and the milk. When it forms a frothy mixture well its not time to stop and so whisk till its silky . Heat 2 tsp oil and saute the tomatoes and leek and add the oregano and then transfer this on a plate. Now heat the rest of the oil and slowly add the egg which has already been whisked. Now eggs are extremely delicate and the chances of the base burning is pretty high and so you need to adjust the heat continuously. What I personally do is use medium flame and once parts of my egg start solidifying I add  the cheese and then turn off  the heat and cover the pan and let stand for 3 minutes . In this case you want one side to be almost-set which helps the egg stick to the flatbread. Now simply transfer the eggs and then on medium flame use the chapati on the same frying pan and when it  becomes hot quickly add part of the egg with the almost set side facing towards the flatbread and quickly add a bit of tomato and leek and create an open wrap. make all 4 wraps and serve with a fruit. I usually avoid juices since in that case one misses out of valuable fibre. Enjoy this healthy breakfast which will keep you full for a good 3 hours or so till lunch time and so you do not eat unhealthy snacks and stay fit and active.here is to everybody health . I wouldn't really suggest packing this for lunch for your children or husbands or yourself because eggs gone cold does have a fowl smell :) So enjoy it fresh and hot.

B.Merwans (Grant Road Mumbai)

A Date with History 

 It was a early Sunday for me. Having slept early the previous night I was thrilled to have woken up at 5 a.m. I love waking up early. I feel fresh, my thoughts are clear and watching the night sky slowly waking up leaves me feeling happy. The other half was participating in some 7km Green run and had left by 4 a.m. and so after a glass of my detox concoction I decided I wanted to download some of my official work and while it was getting downloaded I decided on a sneak peak of my wishlist of restaurants in Bombay since I am due to return to Calcutta in less than a week. On an impulse I was going through B.Merwan's reviews and the first one shocked me. It seemed it was due to close in 42 days. B.Merwan Closing its shutters. I was shocked. 

Alright I did not grow up in Bombay but I grew up in another historic city and I have read enough reviews about this classic eatery which turned a century old this very year. With more and more Parsi diners shutting their doors I feel terrible. When I came to Bombay I immediately fell in love with the history that these Parsi Cafes offer. The solid bentwood chairs, the beautiful marble top tables is more romantic to me than candies and roses. 

It was 5:45 a.m. and I decided I had to immediately get my breakfast from this place which is a witness to history itself. 

So a long train journey later I was stunned with my passion. I have been a visitor of this city for over 1.5 years and have never before mustered courage to change trains at the busiest station of Mumbai and yet I effortlessly pranced from one end to the other. Of course the number of people at 6:15 a.m. overwhelmed me. That can only happen in Bombay. Locating this eatery is really a piece of cake. You get down at Grant station and go to the Eastern side. The shop is right opposite to the station. 

At 7 a.m. it seemed there were at least 200 people buying , shoving, pushing trying to make themselves heard at the counter. I entered and found the place in total chaos. All the tables were taken and I stood there happily stunned when a server rushing by asked me to please enter the inner room and eat my breakfast. Even though he was in a  rush the 'politeness' of his words touched me. 

You have to experience this place with all your senses else you can never ever understand its beauty. There is beauty in those peeling yellow walls in the room where I was seated. As I sat down I wondered how many young lovers might have had their sly romantic tryst sitting on the solid polished bentwood chairs or the beautiful white marble top tables. The two massive mirrors on the walls are pieces of beauty you cannot simply take your eyes off. There was a huge family enjoying their breakfast and that left room for 2 to 3 other parties.

Now there will be no menu provided to you so be sure you check the blackboard in the outer hall listing the items. I simply ordered Scrambled eggs, brun maska , tea and caramel custard. Well this is one joint which actually serves 'bhurji' scrambled eggs and not the special Parsi scrambled eggs, 'Akuri'. While I was breathing in every detail of this iconic place my food arrived within 5 minutes of having ordered it.

Now coming to my food the scrambled eggs were made with green chilies and very few onions but it won me over due to its less salt content. You see the salt and pepper shaker is provided so that you might adjust the salt content as per taste. I declined the bread that comes with the scrambled eggs and instead opted for the brun maska meaning hard bun with butter. This bun has a crispy delightful outer coating and soft fluffy bread freshly baked and slathered with butter. The caramel custard was creamy and good but I have had better ones from other Parsi establishments. The tea is not overly sweet even though it has some amount of sweetness. All this at a mere Rs48 is surely the most economic breakfast you can have. Oh I almost forgot that the scrambled eggs was made with 2 eggs.

What amazed me is that when I asked my smiling courteous server where I might pay he showed me the counter and did not even come along with me. The man behind the desk simply asked me , 'Kitna hua ?' 'How much do you owe us?' I can understand why this place has had a faithful army of customers over the years. This kind of trust between the customer and the owner is rare.

The flaky delightful Kharis

I quite obviously wanted to take back a few goodies and asked him where I might get them and he pointed to the sea of men. Now here are a few tips if you brave the crowd to place your orders. Everyone is in a   rush and no-one behind the take-away counter shall entertain you if you want to take your time. I suggest deciding from before be it what you want or the amount you would like. After a lot of  pushing shoving I finally was in front of the counter and quickly ordered 10 mava cakes, Khari biscuits and bread pudding.

Early birds catch the worm here. At 7:45 a.m. their Jam puffs and sweet buns were sold off. I got back home with two massive sized bread puddings enough to be served to 4 people , 500gm of khari biscuits, 10 mawa cakes at Rs190.

With all that rush activity and demand I still cannot believe they are closing their gates.

The soft fresh hot Bread pudding 

Now coming to the goodies, the mava cake has a nice browned exterior with soft moist interiors and though I have had better ones I shall still say that these are excellent in fact the slightly browned exterior gives it a whole new character than the ultra soft ones. The Khari is flaky and delightful as should be. The bread pudding was creamy, moist , sweet with a dominant flavour of vanilla. I say pay your respect to this century old eatery and you shall be a part of history.

These mava cupcakes at Rs10 are addictive and delightful 

Strawberry Jam

The Simplest of Strawberry Jams 

Of Fruit preserves, Jams and Jellies 

Most of us , well at least most people I know have at some point in their lives started their days with a table laden with fresh slices of bread, a bowl of softened butter and a variety of those delicious fruity delights. Why silly? The jams and jellies of course. Of course it is through these meals that one might have gotten her ears pulled for using the butter-knife in the jam jar or worse licking the spoon of jammy deliciousness and trying to put it back in the jar.

Of course then we suddenly grew up and at some point cornflakes suddenly started dominating the breakfast table and soon enough the elaborate affairs of breakfasts were reduced to a quick but filling start of the day with muesli because well we all want to be healthy so how could sticky fruit preserves win over healthy muesli. It came to a point where Jams became a part of special occasions say the spread for the Victorian Sponge Cake, the rare picnic or carried for treks.

To be fair I usually stay away from Jams because of the quantity of sugar that goes in it. I mean sure one can use honey but it would not be the same. Honey has this ability to impart its flavour to anything it is used in and I would hate for my peachy preserve to have a similar taste of my Strawberry Jams.

They say curiosity kills the cat . In recent times shelves of many a store is lined with confusing labels. So it is not enough that there are Jams and Jellies now there are conserves and preserves and compotes as well. While curiosity did not kill me , it certainly made me a bit confused. You see I have need to know everything there is to know about a dish I cook and so my first step was to know the difference between Jams, Jellies, Conserves, preserves etc.

While the difference between Jams and jellies and marmalade  is the easiest. In very simple terms Marmalade means citrus fruits alone, Jellies use the juice of fruits alone and so Jams should naturally mean something which has fruits. Low and behold that is not that simple.

While good Jellies have been described as "clear and sparkling  and has a fresh flavour of the fruit from which it is made. It is tender enough to quiver when moved, but holds angles when cut" Marmalade is 'fruit preserve made from the juice and peels of citrus fruits"  but Jams , they are supposed to have a "soft even consistency without distinct pieces of fruit , a bright colour, a good fruit flavour and a semi-jellied texture that is easy to spread but has no free liquid" but a conserve is a "whole fruit jam'.

So to my understanding a Jam must not have any pieces of fruit once cooked but a conserve will have pieces but then searching for a recipe for Strawberry jams it is astonishing that most uses fruit pieces which after cooking leave behind little cooked pieces as well. Now even if you have never made Jams I am sure you must be knowing how you like your jam. I personally prefer mine to be less sweet , firm and thick with little pieces of fruit.

So here comes the simplest of strawberry jams or preserves recipes

You need

1 kilogram of Strawberry
750gm of sugar
Juice from 1.5 small sized lemon

Soak the whole fruits in water to remove all dirt 

Now before you get started there are just a few things to be kept in mind:-

1. Jams need pectin for its setting which doesn't mean you have to use any store bought pectin. Fruits usually have a certain amount of pectin which works with the acid (lemon ) to give you that set Jam
2. Choose unripe or just ripe strawberries since overripe strawberries have lesser quantity of pectin

Start the night before. Wash the fruit by soaking it in a bowl of water to remove all dirt . Remove stalks of the fruit and chop them in small sized pieces. Make sure to discard any soft fruit and if a fruit has marks on the body slice it and throw that part away.

Put them in a large , heavy bottomed pot and mix 500gm of granulated sugar with the pieces of fruit and simply let it rest covered for the night.                                                                                                          When making the Jam the next day the first thing you must do is put a plate made of steel in the freezer to test the Jam when it sets and then mix the rest of the sugar and juice of lemon with the fruits which by now will be in a mass of liquid and slowly heat it (low heat) till all the sugar dissolves and then bring to a roaring boil and then keep boiling for the next 20 minutes  checking every 10 minute and remove the scum(foam) that forms on top. Do not overcook your Jam else you loose flavour. So you should never cook the Jam over a total of 40 minutes.

All the scum must be removed

At 25 minutes check if the jam has set by simply dropping a spoonful on the plate from the freezer and wait a few seconds and touch with your fingers. If the jam wrinkles on your touch it has set and you have to simply cool the Jam for 25 minutes before spooning it in sterilized Jars else keep boiling for another 10 minutes. It personally took me 35 minutes for the Jam to reach its setting point and of course another 25 minutes of cooling .

Enjoy this lovely Jam with fresh bread, sponge cakes or buns

Source of information: Wikipedia , BBC
                          

Placki Ziemniaczane (Polish Potato pancakes)

Santa paid a visit to my home in the middle of the night. My Ping Pong came back. I was sadly sleeping with Ting Ting when at 4 in the morning I heard a maeow which got my heart racing. I shot away to the kitchen to find my mother feeding a dirty , half his original sized Ping Pong.

Ah the joys of having my darling return back to us. (A Bengali would say "ghorer Chele ghore phireche" The boy has returned back to his family where he belongs). I actually had a motive for waking up that early. I did have the little bit of work from a Project left and somehow I always find that I produce my best work after a good night's rest early in the morning when the silence is your only companion and then comes the chirping of the little winged friends.

I knew that the day would start off with celebrations and what better way to start a day than try the one recipe I had been eyeing for a pretty long time. You see this one comes straight from Poland. Someone's Nanna (grandmother) passed on her recipe and her sweet grandchild was kind enough to share the recipe. So Placki Ziemniaczane it was today morning. Delicious hearty potato pancakes served with sour cream. I did replace sour cream with my homemade Chili Garlic dip . Of course somehow Poland always makes me think of sausages, juicy tender, delicious sausages though I have never been to Poland or tasted its famous sausages and of course Warsaw and in turn the second movement of Moonlight Sonata , that one is all on Roman Polanski.

I have this habit of trying to simply know more about a recipe and a quick search made me realize how the world is connected with this one recipe. There are variants of the recipe across Eastern Europe and even one from one of the land of Kebabs, Iran. It can be served as a savoury dish topped with meat sauce with a side of sour cream or even served sweet with apple sauce.

Of course some recipes with their ingredients scream success right from the beginning. with Polish Nanna's recipe in hand I happily grated the potatoes, onions mixed by batter, shallow fried them and we had a beautiful family breakfast. Everyone declared it a raging success. And why wouldn't it be delicious it has potatoes, eggs, flour . I know not of any person who dislikes potatoes. I am not saying there isn't that odd man in an ocean of potato lovers but no I haven't seen it. Serve this for breakfast for your kids and see them gulp down this delicious pancake.

P.S. The glowing happiness of my grandmother on hearing her "Ping- oo" is back is a moment I shall carry with me forever. Unfortunately her allergy of eggs exempted her from the family fun but I have something planned for her for later during the day. Today I shall celebrate till the sun  waves goodbye and the stars shine brightly and beyond as well.

This recipe is as easy as a recipe can get

You need:
3 large potatoes
1 large sized egg
1/4th and a little bit extra all purpose flour
1 small to medium sized onion
Salt and pepper as per taste
Oil for shallow frying

Sour cream for serving

Start by grating the potato and onion and squeezing out every last drop of its juices. I not only squeezed them with by hands. I left them on a big mesh strainer for 20 minutes after squeezing them . There will of course be the starch at the bottom of the pan on which you place the strainer which you would have to discard  . Now simply beat an egg and add a bit of flour and a bit of potatoes and make a smooth batter with salt and pepper . Take a girdle and use 1 to 2 tablespoonful of oil per cake , shape them with wet hands (wet hands help in shaping them easily) into flat circular patterns and shallow fry on both sides till golden brown on low to medium heat. Once you put the batter on the girdle spread out a bit with the back of your spatula to make thinner cakes if you desire so but after flipping them do press them for quicker cooking. Simply serve this with sour cream or a garlicky dip. i cannot wait to get my hands on some fresh sausages and next time eat it with meaty sauce on top. Ah the joys of life. :)

Eierpfannkuchen (Egg Pancakes)

Now there are many a that I scribble down but when its good it goes straight to my "fair copy" , but to be fair this had straightaway gone to the fair copy . This one is a star recipe . My dear virtual friend Claudia had shared her beautiful recipe for pancakes. You see,  I used to foolishly think that pancakes automatically means it would have baking powder in it but with a lovely discussion and reading up of as many articles as possible it seems there is a whole world of pancakes out there. Explore them people, it will amaze you and would want you to try all of them. This one is , what word am I thinking of?Oh yes stupendous , amazing, "perfekt" . Thin, thin as it can be , milk based with an egg of course this one is sure to put you in the best possible mood. This was one long due. I had planned to make this some weeks ago but you know what happens , nevertheless better late than never. Besides I made way too much mousse the previous day and with the mousse as filling this one is a culinary beauty. Try this one. It is just a piece of heaven.

I have been a "Difficult daughter" in the past and with today I prove that I am not a "Desirable daughter" either. Her recipe yielded three thin delights and I gobbled them all up or I am just too much in love with Manju kapoor and Bharati Mukherjee's novels. :)

Serves 1:

1 egg
150ml of milk (I used toned milk)
70gm of all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
Filling of your choice (Chocolate sauce, Nutella, honey, Creme Chantilly or anything that you like)
1 dessertspoon of butter to just butter the pan.

Whip the egg, add a bit of milk and bit of sifted flour and sugar. I did sift them. Whisk real well. Just brush the girdle with butter.

Brush it with butter and pour the batter and use the back of a ladle to spread it out to make  those beautiful thin pancakes. Be careful and work fast else you risk the chance of tearing the pancake. Once golden browned on each side, transfer them on a workable surface, add the filling fold and enjoy.

Use your filling and let your morning start with perfection.

Bondomelett

Bondomelett

Up,up ,up , Up with the Sun

Walk walk walk, walk with the wind 

Watch watch watch, Watch the men at work 

Happy happy happy with a bag full of goodies

Love love love love my City  

Well did you ever try walking on the roads of Calcutta before the major part of the city bursts into life and then rage. Well it is so peaceful that it will make you happy even if for a little while. I am sure this applies to all cities. Today was fruit day which means I was supposed to bring back the weekly fruits from new market. So it was morning walk with a big bag slung over my shoulders. 

No lecherous stares, no honking,  no need to elbow your way through, this is the perfect time for you to fall in love over and over with your city. It is such a delight to walk at 6:30 in the morning taking S.N.banerjee road and see the hustle and bustle of potato and onions being unloaded from trucks. The rhythmic songs with a cuss word inserted is so comforting to my ears. owing to my past 1 month's walk everyday  which keeps changing between morning and evening even I have become familiar with them , so much so that today a cheerful happy face asked me "Kya memsaahb walk ke liye pichle kuch dino se ayi nahi thi aap" (Dear lady did you not come for your walks in the past week?) There is even something so wonderful about being addressed to as 'memsaabh' in a drawn singing tune. You see the numerous encounters at supermarkets where the moment you enter someone follows you with the curt and polite 'madam may i help you' is so disturbing to me. It is as if I am a potential thief and must be followed everywhere. well of course this is not always the case but nevertheless. 

Bought my usual papaya, apples and oranges and headed to the world of colours. red and yellow bell peppers, bunches of fresh celery and well so much more. Helped myself to a bag of colourfulness , ah how it cheers me up. headed straight for Kalman's the delightful cold storage. Bought fresh spiced salami  and Hungarian sausages as they call it. Interestingly Kalman was started by this Hungarian gentleman somewhere in the 40s and well is now run by the helper's future generations. Ah if you do love your cold cuts I hope you visit this delightful place. Fresh is always the best :) 

Now please do not judge the quality of this superb recipe by the quality of my pathetic and miserable attempt at couplets. This dish will surely strike a chord with you if you love eggs and well a filling delicious one. So with the ocean of recipes on the internet you sometimes are confused as to which to try and which to not. Today I decided I must look deep in my old collection and try one of them. So out came my diary. You see I had this habit of making cut-outs wherever the recipes would delight me and then stick them on my diary. The hour long walk does make you both slim and hungry so after my office work I feel it was time to bring for some healthy indulgence. What else is perfect but a recipe which calls for eggs, potatoes, ham, chives, onions, cheese ah pure sinful delight from Scandinavian Feasts by Beatrice Ojakangas. 

I did modify a few bits to make it healthier such as instead of just frying the potato. I sauteed them and then sprinkled and covered them to be cooked through. used parsley instead of chives because the parsley was so fresh and well had not bought chives. used red bell pepper instead of the green one and well of course substituted butter with olive oil. 

So its basically very filling so I suggest considering it for brunch or lunch or even dinner. 

You need:

3 eggs

Half a diced bell pepper (diced as small as possible) {red or yellow, yellow on yellow eggs is too bland :P )

1 tablespoonful of finely chopped parsley or as the original suggests chives 

2 potatoes diced very finely, the finer you dice the easier it is to cook it. 

1 medium sized onion

Half a cup of spiced salami or ham. If you have dietary restrictions use cubed chicken. 

1 teaspoonful of dried dill 

Salt and pepper as per taste

1/4th cup of milk

1.5 tablespoonful of olive oil. use might use butter but do it at your heart's risk or well for a special occasion

The original recipe did call for 1/4th chopped tomato which I had omitted 

say 20gm of finely squared cheese (I used Mozzarella) I suggest any cheese that melts well 

Start by first getting everything ready, chopping , dicing, whisking. First heat say 1/2 tablespoonful of oil and saute the onions and potato, sprinkle water , cover and cook till done. takes about 10 minutes to 15 minutes. keep checking and sprinkling water because it will dry up and stick to the bottom if not done so. Once cooked add the diced ham or salami and dill. Then transfer onto plate. in the same pan add 1 tablespoonful of olive oil and the well whisked egg which has been whisked with salt and pepper. You might want to whisk real well for extra fluffiness. 

Now cooking eggs seems to be the simplest of things. "Not so fast" eggs are delicate darlings so use too a little bit of extra  heat they get burnt , use too large a pan and it wouldn't work, too small and it wouldn't as well. Well for this you need practice and well will know what size of pan to be used. So heat must always be on low. Add your eggs and gently using the backside of a round spatula, the ones we use for milk or well soup spread it gently when its almost done at the bottom and still wobbly and runny on top add the cooked ingredients and spread. Add your chopped bell pepper and cheese and switch off the gas and simply cover. For years I have struggled with melting cheese because if the heat is still used the bottom side gets burnt else the cheese does not melt. What a scatterbrain I was . One day after reading an article about the delicacy of eggs and how heat is a culprit I decided to simply use the cover method. So no heat but covering it makes sure the egg is not overcooked but the cheese is melted well.   

It is a meal by itself with the potatoes and all. Try this with a strong cup of coffee and you have a happy you. I ate this for brunch so shall drink a glass of fresh green  coconut water later on during the day. I suggests trying this delight. 

Savoury Oats

Savoury Oats 

While an idea of the ideal breakfast conjures images of eggs fried sunny side up with soft white bread which is buttered , grilled tomatoes , baked potato cakes ,  sausages and two rashers  or small golden brown kachoris with a potato curry made with hing , all these food items would contribute in the tyres around one's waist fit for a truck and so the healthy breakfast. Now most people would probably think of something tasteless non-filling when they think of healthy breakfasts or the same old boring muesli or wholewheat cornflakes.

Now here is the thing about oats , even though it is one of the healthiest food items, good for the heart, filling yet doesn't make one pile on the kilos, but eaten regularly with milk topped with fruit and nuts it can be a nightmare , at least for people who pay special tribute to their taste buds. Besides I find many a people preferring something salted for breakfast hence the idea of a salted oatmeal. There is something about the perfect yellow of a boiled egg which makes my mornings seem special and makes me happy.

The ingredients are simple (serves 2)


Oatmeal 1 cup
Vegetable stock or chicken stock 3 cups
Garlic cloves
1.5 Onion
Red wine vinegar/ Balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
chili flakes
Steamed vegetables chopped julienne style (optional)

So one takes 1 tsp oil and fries the finely chopped garlic. I learnt a trick of adding the garlic to cold oil and letting it get cooked along with the rising temperature which prevents browning and burning of the garlic. When the aroma fills the kitchen, one puts in the thinly sliced onions and lets it become golden and adds the vegetables, adds the oats and slowly adds the stock stirring the pan constantly making sure the oats get cooked and do not stick together and then add enough stock and bring everything to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes making sure to add a bit of stock if it becomes too dry so that the final consistency is of a creamy one. If serving to someone who is all green add pre boiled soya chunks otherwise the boiled egg would be the best accompaniment. This is a low calorie , highly nutritious breakfast. With a fruit for pre-lunch snacking one is set for the day as a healthy person.

P.S. I recently I ran out of chicken stock but had a good amount of whey left-over after making homemade cottage cheese and boy did it make a creamy affair for breakfast . Just use 2 onions instead of one and the usual garlic, freshly crushed pepper and ah I did use balsamic vinegar for its awesome taste .Ah yes did add a bit of dried dill leaves, if used fresh then more power to you :)