Soul of the Indian kitchen

Our motherland has always been known for its flavours. The nation was invaded time and again by various communities who came here in search of spices. Infact spices were India's claim to fame, since prehistoric period. Pepper, nutmeg, turmeric, cumin, ginger, mustard and many more were included in the list of expensive trading items. As early as 80 BC we find evidence of Indian spice trade with Egypt. Later of-course with Vasco da gama discovering the sea route to India in 1498, began the European domination of the east.After  the Portuguese, came the Dutch, then the French and finally the English. Rest is history.

So spices essentially form the heart and soul of the Indian Kitchen and by spices I really do not mean the extensive ones that make your curry hot and wild. Spices add to the soul of your food. It imparts the "maa ke hath ka swad" to the food. often we use spices for medicinal purpose as well, like that pinch of turmeric in milk for the pain, the dash of ginger in your chai for the sore throat, a bit of ajwain or carom seeds for that bad stomach.

In the kitchen each spice adds a unique flavour to food, however used in a perfect concoction the spices can actually add to the culinary magic.

So after much persuasion, my mother agreed to share the secret to the typical taste in her lassi, sabji, chole and many more such things.


100 gm corriander / whole dhania
25 gm fennel / sauf
25 gm fenugreek / methi
5 gm aesafodita / hing

Grind all the things together in a mixer grinder and keep it safe in an airtight jar for the extra taste in your veggies.

Do try!!

Tea & me

Somewhere in my mind I am overjoyed when I see thousands of roadside stalls selling tea in Kolkata, unlike those in the rest of India, Kolkata’s chai has something unique…and yes, those who know it will know that the uniqueness is in the way tea is served here. The local chai walas here serve chai in earth cups popularly called bhars. These bhars are kind of symbolic to Kolkata. Over the years I have seen many foreign tourists, pack up and take home these bhars to recycle and use...

Coming from a Bengali household, I have definitely growing up with a cup of tea and newspaper in the morning. Till date tea is an integral part of my day to day life.

Like my baba, I guess each Bengali family will have their secret recipe to tea that they have brewed. Bought from the neighboring chai store or from the Dhruba Tea and Star tea of Lal Bazar area, the tea leaves are usually a blend of loose tea, giving a unique flavour and of course the colour of liquor. However many Bengali families are today replacing the masterful hand blend with the pre-packed, Brooke bond, Lipton, Tatas of the world. Yet to me it seems that Darjeeling being a part of the same state Bengalis take great pride in calling themselves connoisseurs of tea, and take great pride in serving homemade tea to the guests. The pride not one comes from prefect brewing of tea, perfect soaking, but also from the fact that the man of the house has taken great effort to selectively choose the accurate blend of flavour and liquor.

Years back the only upmarket variation of tea served outside home was Dolly Aunt’s neighborhood store in Dakhinapan, that truly transforming the quant place into a hub. They served enormous variety of tea, and yes they were the first to introduce me to my favourite Lemon Ice Tea as well, maybe when I was in class 10-11. Back then they were a niche, and yes with Mrs Dolly Roy, the first woman tea taster and the first woman tea auctioneer in the world, the place got the authenticity and expertise. The store I guess opened somewhere in the late 80’s and was hugely popular by mid-nineties. Yes this was the first tea boutique in Kolkata. And I have my share of memories of the place, digging into the lovely ham sandwich with the special one.

Today we have a number of tea boutique as well as tea joints in the city…from the close road side chaiwala competition Tea Junction, to the fancier ones like The Tea Trove in Sarat Bose Road, Tea Café in Vivekananda Park, Tea Lounge – Esplanade, By The Way in New Alipore, Cha Bar at Oxford book store in Park Street and many more. And the varieties include a host of Masala Chai, Lemon Tea, Ginger Tea, The Kashmiri kawah, Methi Chai, Green Tea, Peach Tea, Orange tea, Jasmine Tea, Camomile tea, Cardamom Tea and many more include individual specialties.

Not only is tea a healthier option than many other beverages available, it also adds to the instinct of the gossip lover within us. We are never short of excuses to go for a tea break, the adda never ceases to end. Whatever the style, however ancient the technique, it is always good to invite and be invited for tea.

So the beverage of class and culture is back and truly as we all say any time is tea time. When are you hosting your tea party?

So heres Miss Miranda...South Indian Rendition of Your Chicken

So Miss Miranda was actually Poulomi Roy....
https://www.facebook.com/#!/polfly

Selected from over hundreds of people in Kolkata..she made it to the next round of Masterchef...but unfortunately she could not make it to the next rounds...
Maybe there was not enough drama in her story or recipe.


and heres the chicken that was shared by her as promised in the last blog...

Try it..its really easy and simple....and will remind you of the southern flavous that her marriage brought into her kitchen...

The chicken recipe from the platter

Ingredients:

• Chicken-with bone -500 gms
• Onion- 3 large
• Ginger garlic paste-1 table spoon
• Curry leaves- about 20
• Black pepper- two large spoon.
• Coriander leave-chopped (about a small cup)
• Turmeric- 1 pinch
• Garam masala-(whole)-two 1 inch cinnamon, 5 elichi
• Black mustard seed-1/2 table spoon
• Garam masala-half spoon garam masala (powder)
• Ghee-5 large spoon
• Gincer- Julian ginger about 15 strands & 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt as per taste

 

Procedure:

1)      Heat ghee in a heavy pan, preferable with led.

2)      Put in the whole garam masala , ginger & garlic paste & the black mustard seed.

3)      Next put the onion & saute till the onion is light brown in colour.

4)      Now but in the chicken , add salt, 1 pinch turmeric and stir well on high flame.( 2 mins)

5)      Now add the black pepper, curry leaves to the chicken & cook for 2 mins.

6)      No add about 200ml of water put the gas on low flame, cover the pan and let the chicken cook until it’s nice and tender.

7)      Once the chicken is cooked properly, put the gas on high flame and let the water evaporate. the gravy should be of medium consistency.( the onion will is going to give you the gravy base ,please do not leave excess water).

8)      Before removing the dish from the flame, add chopped coriander, chopped garlic & Julian ginger, mix it well with the chicken, cook for about 40 sec & then bring it down from the flame.

Main Masterchef Banna Chahiti huu/Chahata huu

Essentially this show in India is an International Format show, which started in 2010

I was under an impression that the show is about food, but no the show is also about people (read Akshay Kumar and his Punjabi fans). In the last season the show was back sans the celeb host, and Vikas Khanna the cute chef from NY, did a splendid job of conducting the show.  But even then the show was more Drama than Food

From the serpentine queue of people hundreds were chosen, and the contestants broke into pangs of emotion, throwing pans and other stuffs in the air. Pheww…it reminded me of the Prestige Cooker ad when I was a kid, that went “phek do yeh kadai, yeh frying pan, yeh pressure cooker, le ayoo…….”

The dramatics or the mellow-dramatics often went beyond that to say how desperately he/she wants to be the Masterchef for this season…

I really want to add here that all the selected ones look and cook like pros and definitely have a story….                                     

Hence this one is a word of advice for a dear friend who is super excited and is participating in the show this year to cook up a story before she really cooks up the cuisine.

Since the Kolkata auditions are scheduled tomorrow, I dare not divulge the secret of who she is right now, for her sake, or for mine aswell (so that I don’t get killed). But I promise to share the recipe as soon as I can. So for now we will call her Miranda, owing to the orange that she is wearing today.

So Miss Miranda, is quiet excited since the last few days, and putting in all her efforts to decide what she will prepare and how she will present it.

The technical hitches are quite a few given the fact that she need to reach the venue sharp at 9…so she needs to wake up at say 4 am in the morning and prepare as she has decided a host of stuffs for the gastronomical delight of the judges.

This includes fish, chicken, rice, some kind of roti/paratha, desert, chutney ….

She needs to buy a great looking plate, and think about presenting the food in a great way…and also shop for the best ingredients.

Anyhow for now I end the ordeal by wishing Miss Miranda good luck.

And a easy…Tropical Chicken recipe for you to try

Ingredients

·         4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts,

·         Salt & Pepper to Taste

·         2 tablespoons olive oil / Amul Nutrilite

·         1/4 cup dry white wine, or rum

·         1/2 cup heavy cream

·         2 tablespoons Mustard Paste - Mild

·         1 teaspoon dried Kasuri Methi/ Fenugreek leaves

Directions

• Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; saute until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate; keep warm.
• Pour wine/rum into hot skillet; cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Whisk in cream, mustard, and Kasuri Methi. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Pour any accumulated chicken juices from plate into sauce. Right before serving, drizzle cream sauce over chicken

Bengali National Food

We have already spoken a lot about the multi ethnic influence on the cultural landscape of Kolkata.
Chinese play a very important role in this arena. Around the 18^th Century, the Chinese emigrated from China to work at the Calcutta port and Madras Port.
Today the unofficial estimates put the number of Chinese in Kolkata anywhere from 5,000 to 200,000. The Chinese have significantly contributed to the socio-economic fabric of the society. Today a majority are engaged in business leather products, mainly show shops lining Bentinck Street, dentistry, beauty parlours and of course my favourite restaurants. Kolkata is the only city in India to have a Chinatown today.
The Chinese Community from Canton settled at Chinatown Tangra, a place on the eastern fringe of Kolkata post World War II. Dentistry &Leather processing and shoe making was their primary business. However around the mid-seventies many tannery owners sold off their  business, and tried establishing themselves as restaurateurs. And as a results the food loving  Kolkatans fell for Chinese food (say Tangra Type Chinese).
The Macher Jhol Bhaat eating bengali is hugely influenced by the Chinese Food. Nothing works better on for family dinner or lunch than a bowl of Sweet Corn Soup, Fried Rice and Chilli chicken. Today we can easily say that Fried Rice Chilli Chicken is the Bengali National food. J
Inspite of dingy lanes and stinky joints Tangra rocks with some great joints like Beijing, Kimliloy, Kimling, Big Boss, Kafulok, China Garden and many more
Ingredients:
500gms Chicken breast skinned and boned
Salt to taste
1/2 Tablespoon White Pepper +1/2 Tablespoon Black Pepper
1 cup white cooking oil for deep frying
2 Medium Red Onions, diced in medium size
½ a pod of Garlic, about 7-8 flakes roughly chopped 
Enough Corn flour for coating chicken pieces + 2 eggs
6-8 green chillies, deseeded and chopped diagonally
½  Cup water
¼ Teaspoon of MSG(Aa-ji-Nomoto)
¼  Cup Dark Soya sauce + ¼ Cup Light Soya sauce
2 Teaspoon corn flour mixed in ½ Cup Water
1 Tablespoon white Cooking Oil
Instructions:
Cut the Chicken into 1 inch cubes or bite size pieces
Keep in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with little salt and half of the Pepper powder
Set aside for 15 minutes
Now mix Corn flour + eggs to coat the chicken pieces
Shake off any extra corn flour
Heat 1 cup white oil in a Wok and deep fry the chicken pieces in batches
Fry till they turn into nice Golden colour
Drain the oil and keep aside
Now remove the oil from the Wok (Retain for future frying)
Add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and heat
Add the Onions, Garlic and chopped chillies and fry quickly for 30 seconds on high heat
Add the deep fried Chicken pieces and stir for another 30 seconds
Add very little salt, rest of the pepper and MSG crystals
Stir and fold well by shaking the Wok in a forwardly motion and cook for 30 seconds
Now pour in the Soya Sauce (both the dark and light sauce)
Cook for 2 minutes
Now pour in the Corn flour mix at the centre of the Wok
Wait for 10 seconds and then fold well to coat all the chicken pieces nicely

Chilli Chicken is ready to go with a plate of Hakka Chow Mien or Mixed Fried Rice…Try in the Bong Style Chilli Chicken as authentic as it can be…

Roshogolla or Khirmohan

Roundels of white spongy sweetness that melts in your mouth…

No not roshogolla…its Khirmohan the elder brother to our celebrated roshogolla, that originally was born in Orissa.

Yes centuries before Nobin Chandra Das, of Kolkata made his own roshogolla, the neighboring state of Orissa had already mastered the art. Probably during the period where Bengal drew heavily from the culinary delights of Orissa and in many rich Bengali households in Kolkata employed “Ude Thakurs” Oriya Brahmins as cooks; came the secrets of roshogolla. Yes Nobin babu popularized the misti had gave hands and feet to it.

Around 1868, he modified the recipe of the roshogolla as he wanted to extend the life of the sweet which was originally highly perishable. As a result of his modification, the roshogolla became a lot spongier than it originally was but it remained non-perishable for quite some time, which made it easier for Nobin Das to market it as a product at his small Bagh Bazar shop. Subsequently, K.C. Das who was Nobin Das's son began to can the rasgulla which resulted in the widespread availability of the sweets. Another confectioner from Phulia also finds mention when we are talking about the origin of Roshogolla.

In Orissa, Roshogolla was served since centuries. In fact, it is an age-old custom inside the temple to offer roshogolla to Lakshmi in order to appease her wrath for being ignored as the siblings had gone out on a trip, on the last day of the eleven day long Rath yatra(chariot festival). Historians have referred to the origin of the 600 year old rosogolla to the Puri Temple ritual. So Roshogolla is as old as the Rath Yatra in Puri.

There are various versions of the sweet available across.

In Orissa, the Bikali Kar roshogolla is particularly famous and available all over the state. The other variant is the Pahala variant available in Pahala village between the cities of Cuttack and Bhuvaneshwar.

The roshogollas in Pahala are a softer version, more creamish in colour than white, and not as spongy as the Bengali ones. The Pahala sweet sellers say that one reason why the Bengali roshogolla is tougher than theirs, is that the Bengalis want a longer shelf-life for their product. They add arrowroot powder to their roshogollas. In Pahala, they mix shuji with chena while making of roshogolla. To this is added cardamom for flavor. A dough is made, it is rolled into little balls, and dropped into boiling sugar syrup. The sooji is used to hold the chenna together in the sugar syrup.

There are other versions available like the ones in Jagery available both in Kolkata and Orissa. Also with time several other forms like saffron, black current, strawberries came into being.

With time Roshogolla acquired popularity in Bengal. Today in every nook and corner of Kolkata you will find a sweet shop. And suggesting the best amongst them is like suggesting the best momo in Tibet.

However KC Das, Nakur Nandy, Bhim Nag, Balaram Mullick, Girish, Suresh at Bhawanipur, Maity at Ballygunge and many many more serve delicious Roshogollas keeping the sweet tooth of the Bengalis intact.

So today I share a Chocolate Roshogolla recipe

Roshogolla is essentially a simple five step procedure.

1.        Make the chana, using whole milk and lemon.

a.       Bring 1 lts, full fat milk to boil string constantly.

b.       Add 2-3 spoon full of lemon. Wait till the chana separates from water.

c.       Strain it through a muslin cloth.

d.       Put cold water over the strainer and wash away the lemon from chana

e.        Drain all water

f.        Keep the chana aside

2.       Kneed the chana with cornflour/arraroot

a.       Kneed the chana for about 2 minutes roughly to make it greasy

b.       Add 2 spoon full of arraroot

c.       You can also use 2 spoon full of suji – however if you add suji it will not be fluffy.

d.    Add 2 tsp of cocoa powder and 2 tsp of chocolate syrup - for chocolate roshogolla

d.       Kneed with all ingredients till its greasy and make the dough

3.       Form small balls with the dough. Mak esure there are no cracks in the roundels.

4.       Make sugar syrup. Boiling water and sugar

5.       Boil chana balls in sugar syrup.

So u have it ready…try it…

Park "Food" Street

"Food Street" and "The Street that Never Sleeps" or Park Street owes is origin to the South Park Street Cemetery.

As early as 1784 the map of Kolkata points out to the current Park street as “the street to the Burial Grounds”. So technically speaking the South Park Street Cemetery is the key to the beginning of the Élan and Aura that we witness even today.

In 1792 the street was renamed again as “the Street to Deer Park”, deriving its name from a deer park of Sir Impey, the chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Kolkata, located at Middleton Row, the present day Loreto House & Loreto College location. It’s from here that the current name Park Street came into being. Later however the street went through many name changes. In 1832 the street was renamed again to The colonial Residential Street, where the whites started settling in and around the area. The growing economy and strategic geographical location led to enormous growth of Population. With rise of population Park street started developing further towards Park Circus. In the early 20^th Century big mansions were build turning the street in a colonial boulevard with western grandeur.

The earliest buildings on the street were of the Asiatic Society, build by Captain Lock of the Bengal Engineers and  completed in 1808.

The other landmark buildings that find mention was the San Souchi Theatre, opened in 1841 and was sold in 1844 to Arch Bishop Carew, after it was gutted by fire in 1843. It’s here that today stands the prestigious St Xaviers College. Other old buildings that find reference between 1900-1940 are the mansions like Queens Mansion, Park Mansion, Karnani Mansion among others.

Even long after the British Raj was gone, Park Street retained its aura with an unforeseen Élan. It was not just a stretch of road that housed all the top quality restaurants and lounges but much more than that. Park Street became a major witness of the cultural shift that Calcutta was experiencing during the 1960s and the 70s. It was no longer a place reserved only for the elites. More and more middle and upper middle class Bengalis had started to come out of their closet of conformity and they dared to inhale the fragrance and odor of Park Street, soaking up the dimmed neons and jazz music of its innumerable restaurants and lounges. Many noted musicians had played at popular night spots such as Trinca's, Blue Fox, Mocambo and Moulin Rouge. Even today much of Kolkata Night Life is centered around Park Street in spite of unwanted incidents of violence.

Mrs & Mrs Flurys established a tearoom called Flury's & Trinca's in 1926. A decade later, Mr Trinca set up another tea room across the road and christened it Trincas. It was only after Puri and Joshua bought the place in 1959 that it metamorphosed into a night club. Famous singers like Usha Uthup, Gautam Chattopadhay laid the foundation of rock and pop from hereon. In the meanwhile Flurys, became a popular joint amongst all age groups and till today serve the best cakes and pastries. The tea room bears testimony to legends like Satyajit Ray and many others. In 1956 began another heritage restaurant Mocambo, by an Italian chef. Even today the eatery is famous for its landmark Fish Muniere and Devil Crab. In 1967 came The Park, first of the chain of hotels, with 150 rooms. Later with time the in-house night clubs Some Place Else and Tantra took over as the most happening night spots of Kolkata. In the map of Park Street emerged with time many big and small eateries all distinct with its flavor and trademark cuisine.
All memories of dining out in my childhood is connected to Park Street. Be it Chinese at Waldorf, or continental at Mocambo or the famous Iranian chelo kebab at Peter Cat or the fantastic ice creams of the Indian Hobby Center. Park Street definitely holds a huge place in Food Map of Kolkata.
So my tribute to one of the 1^st tea bars in the country, Flurys with an effort to recreate their famous Chicken Omelette – of course my way

• Sauté Chicken Sausages with mushrooms and American corn in a pan with little butter and pepper. Keep aside
• Beat eggs till fluffy. Add finely chopped onions, jalapenoes and a spoon of cream cheese; season with salt and pepper.

Heat Butter in a pan and pour the beaten eggs. Once the omelette has set and puffed slightly, carefully flip.

In a small bowl, combine chicken vegetable and cheese dressing. Stir well to coat.

Spread the chicken mixture over the omelette, sprinkle cheese on top, followed by  chopped tomato. Turn off heat and cover with a lid, allowing the cheese to melt.

Fold omelette in half, and serve with coriander garnish and french fries

**compiled from various sources available in Public Domain