Charcharleli means crusty, and batati is potato. I inherited my grandmom's recipes from my aunt Suhas Velkar, written in neat Roman script by my grandad. My aunt is one of the finest cooks I have never come across, second only to her mother - my grandmom, Leeli. Of all her recipes, this one needs special metion. It's a simple dish made with potato, oil and masala, but needs exceptional finesse for it to turn out right.
My aunt would make it a the drop of a hat, whether I dropped in for lunch unannounced or we were picknicking at her hourse in Matheran. The secret is in that one ingredient that makes all food taste great - lots of oil.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
2 cups potatoes, sliced
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped
Hint 20 mins; Serves 4; hot chapati or poori
METHOD
Heat oil in a work and add the mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter and crackle. Then add asafoetida and saute for a few seconds. Add sliced potatoes and mix well. Stir in the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook this for a few minutes till the aromas are released. Cover the potatoes with a lid and let them cook. Pour water on the lid to prevent the curry from the burning and sticking to the pan. Stir occasionally.
Once the potatoes are cooked, transfer the contents to a serving dish and sprinkle freshly chopped coriander leaves on top.
Serve hot.
EGG
Egg is no longer just a breakfast food. You'll find it in burgers, bake atop casseroles, poached on pasta, in a curry, as a pizza topping. scrambled with masala and in desserts. With eggs you can fry, poach, bake an cook. You can even heaven,bind, thicken, coat, glaze, clarify, moisturize. They submissively perform uncounted and untold culinary functions. Egg is that magic additive that gives a souffle its stuff, a sponge it's lightness and makes a meringue float. It is also the first choice of those vegetarians taking Montessori step towards carnivorism.
AKOORI ON TOAST
Masala scrambled eggs, Parsi style - that's what Akoori is essentially. I blame 79 of my 97 kilos on my Parsi friends and their food. Had it not been for their enticing cuisine, I might have been a slim, trim 50 kilos. But every ounce of my generous pounds pays homage to their native hospitality and expertise in the kitchen. My earliest memories of extravagant, decadent breakfasts start with the old Fountain Hotel, Mahabaleshwar (before the Parsi owners sold out). Those spectacular breakfasts can still be had it at II Palazzo, Panchgani, Dhansak powder, often used in Parsi cooking, is a variation of sambar masala, combining whole spices, roasted and ground to a fine powder. It is readily available at most masala stores.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
6 large eggs
25 gm butter
1/2 cup cream
2 small spring onions, finely chopped
1 green chilli, de-seeded an chopped
1/2 tsp garlic, finely grated
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp dhansak powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Handful of coriander, chopped
Hint: 15 mins; Serves 2; buttered toast
METHOD
In a bowl, beat eggs with milk and a little salt. Set aside.
Heat a little butter in a frying pan, add onions and fry until almost golden-brown. Then add in the garlic, cumin seeds and green chilli and fry to release the aromas. To this mixture, add turmeric powder, dhansak powder and red chilli powder. Cook for one more minute.
Now pour in the egg mixture. Mix well and stir gently on medium heat. Cook till the dish reaches a nice creamy consistency. Sprinkle it with fresh coriander leaves and the finely chopped spring onion and mix gently.
Toast some bread and butter generously.
Serve the eggs on the buttered toast.
PIZZA SUNNY SIDE UP
Laugh at me if you will, but the first pizza I ever are was at Haji Ali juice Centre in Mumbai. That was before I traveled to Italy, New York or any other place that is known for its pizzas. There was no known pizza in Mumbai at the time and only the odd five-star hotel served this Italian bread.
Haji Ali Juice Centre made its pizza with a thick base, bottled tomato ketchup, piles of onions, capsicum and grated processed cheese. It is made the same way today, and the taste hasn't changed either. However spurious that may sound, the pizza tasted really good! It also helped me keep an open mind on what one could do with a so-called authenic recipe.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
The Pizza Dough
31/2 cup refined wheat flour (maida)
2-3 eggs
21/4 tsp yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup cold water
The Pizza Sauce
500 gm tomato puree
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Hint: 30 mins; Serves 2; rocket salad leaves
METHOD
Mix flour, yeast, oil, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add water slowly and gently knead the dough with your fingers till it separates from the side of the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise until it
doubles in size (2-3 hours).
Pour olive oil in a saucepan on low heat. When oil is hot, fry the garlic till it starts to colour (but do not let it turn brown). Stir in the tomato puree and cook on medium heat, adding basil and oregano. Cover the pan and cook the sauce on low heat for ten minutes. Mix in salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees C. Make three balls out of the dough and roll them out. Make sure the pizza base is half a centimetre thick and the edges are turned up slightly, so the pizza sauce does not drip. Spread the sauce evenly. Break a couple of eggs on top of it. Bake a 190 degrees C for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with rocket salad leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
INDIAN SCOTCH EGG CURRY
Scotch eggs are boiled eggs encased in minced mutton and then fried. It is quite similar to an Anday ka Kofta or a Nargisi Kofta. Whether the Scotch egg came first or the kofta did, is debatable. Exclusive London provisioner, Fortnum & Mason, claim they invented the Scotch egg in 1738. Not that it really matters to me. I am a big devotee of Egg Curry, and this one remarkably incorporates the Scotch egg.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
3 hard-boiled eggs
The Mince
500 gm minced mutton
1 egg for frying
1 small onion, chopped
4-5 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp gram, ground
1 tsp poppy seeds (khus khus), ground
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 cup oil
Salt to taste
Small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
The Gravy
4 onions, finely sliced
4 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp mace (javitri) powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg (jaiphal) powder
1 cup oil
Salt to taste
Hint: 40 mins; Serves 4; rice or hot pav
METHOD
Mix together all the ingredients of the mince. Divide this mixture into three equal parts. Coat the three boiled eggs with the mince mixture, giving it an oval shape. In a bowl, beat the raw egg and dip the mince-coated eggs into it. Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry the eggs. Take them out of the oil and then deep-freeze the eggs for 15 minutes. Then with a sharp knife, slit the eggs into two halves and keep aside.
Heat the oil and fry the onions in it till they turn golden-brown. Cool the onions and then grind them. In the oil, add ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Cook until the raw smell fades away. Add plain yoghurt, nutmeg powder and mace powder. Cook till the gravy thickens. Add the eggs and cook on slow flame for five minutes.
Garnish with the tomato and green chillies and serve warm.
My aunt would make it a the drop of a hat, whether I dropped in for lunch unannounced or we were picknicking at her hourse in Matheran. The secret is in that one ingredient that makes all food taste great - lots of oil.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
2 cups potatoes, sliced
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped
Hint 20 mins; Serves 4; hot chapati or poori
METHOD
Heat oil in a work and add the mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter and crackle. Then add asafoetida and saute for a few seconds. Add sliced potatoes and mix well. Stir in the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook this for a few minutes till the aromas are released. Cover the potatoes with a lid and let them cook. Pour water on the lid to prevent the curry from the burning and sticking to the pan. Stir occasionally.
Once the potatoes are cooked, transfer the contents to a serving dish and sprinkle freshly chopped coriander leaves on top.
Serve hot.
EGG
Egg is no longer just a breakfast food. You'll find it in burgers, bake atop casseroles, poached on pasta, in a curry, as a pizza topping. scrambled with masala and in desserts. With eggs you can fry, poach, bake an cook. You can even heaven,bind, thicken, coat, glaze, clarify, moisturize. They submissively perform uncounted and untold culinary functions. Egg is that magic additive that gives a souffle its stuff, a sponge it's lightness and makes a meringue float. It is also the first choice of those vegetarians taking Montessori step towards carnivorism.
AKOORI ON TOAST
Masala scrambled eggs, Parsi style - that's what Akoori is essentially. I blame 79 of my 97 kilos on my Parsi friends and their food. Had it not been for their enticing cuisine, I might have been a slim, trim 50 kilos. But every ounce of my generous pounds pays homage to their native hospitality and expertise in the kitchen. My earliest memories of extravagant, decadent breakfasts start with the old Fountain Hotel, Mahabaleshwar (before the Parsi owners sold out). Those spectacular breakfasts can still be had it at II Palazzo, Panchgani, Dhansak powder, often used in Parsi cooking, is a variation of sambar masala, combining whole spices, roasted and ground to a fine powder. It is readily available at most masala stores.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
6 large eggs
25 gm butter
1/2 cup cream
2 small spring onions, finely chopped
1 green chilli, de-seeded an chopped
1/2 tsp garlic, finely grated
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp dhansak powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Handful of coriander, chopped
Hint: 15 mins; Serves 2; buttered toast
METHOD
In a bowl, beat eggs with milk and a little salt. Set aside.
Heat a little butter in a frying pan, add onions and fry until almost golden-brown. Then add in the garlic, cumin seeds and green chilli and fry to release the aromas. To this mixture, add turmeric powder, dhansak powder and red chilli powder. Cook for one more minute.
Now pour in the egg mixture. Mix well and stir gently on medium heat. Cook till the dish reaches a nice creamy consistency. Sprinkle it with fresh coriander leaves and the finely chopped spring onion and mix gently.
Toast some bread and butter generously.
Serve the eggs on the buttered toast.
PIZZA SUNNY SIDE UP
Laugh at me if you will, but the first pizza I ever are was at Haji Ali juice Centre in Mumbai. That was before I traveled to Italy, New York or any other place that is known for its pizzas. There was no known pizza in Mumbai at the time and only the odd five-star hotel served this Italian bread.
Haji Ali Juice Centre made its pizza with a thick base, bottled tomato ketchup, piles of onions, capsicum and grated processed cheese. It is made the same way today, and the taste hasn't changed either. However spurious that may sound, the pizza tasted really good! It also helped me keep an open mind on what one could do with a so-called authenic recipe.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
The Pizza Dough
31/2 cup refined wheat flour (maida)
2-3 eggs
21/4 tsp yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup cold water
The Pizza Sauce
500 gm tomato puree
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Hint: 30 mins; Serves 2; rocket salad leaves
METHOD
Mix flour, yeast, oil, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add water slowly and gently knead the dough with your fingers till it separates from the side of the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise until it
doubles in size (2-3 hours).
Pour olive oil in a saucepan on low heat. When oil is hot, fry the garlic till it starts to colour (but do not let it turn brown). Stir in the tomato puree and cook on medium heat, adding basil and oregano. Cover the pan and cook the sauce on low heat for ten minutes. Mix in salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees C. Make three balls out of the dough and roll them out. Make sure the pizza base is half a centimetre thick and the edges are turned up slightly, so the pizza sauce does not drip. Spread the sauce evenly. Break a couple of eggs on top of it. Bake a 190 degrees C for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with rocket salad leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
INDIAN SCOTCH EGG CURRY
Scotch eggs are boiled eggs encased in minced mutton and then fried. It is quite similar to an Anday ka Kofta or a Nargisi Kofta. Whether the Scotch egg came first or the kofta did, is debatable. Exclusive London provisioner, Fortnum & Mason, claim they invented the Scotch egg in 1738. Not that it really matters to me. I am a big devotee of Egg Curry, and this one remarkably incorporates the Scotch egg.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
3 hard-boiled eggs
The Mince
500 gm minced mutton
1 egg for frying
1 small onion, chopped
4-5 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp gram, ground
1 tsp poppy seeds (khus khus), ground
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 cup oil
Salt to taste
Small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
The Gravy
4 onions, finely sliced
4 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp mace (javitri) powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg (jaiphal) powder
1 cup oil
Salt to taste
Hint: 40 mins; Serves 4; rice or hot pav
METHOD
Mix together all the ingredients of the mince. Divide this mixture into three equal parts. Coat the three boiled eggs with the mince mixture, giving it an oval shape. In a bowl, beat the raw egg and dip the mince-coated eggs into it. Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry the eggs. Take them out of the oil and then deep-freeze the eggs for 15 minutes. Then with a sharp knife, slit the eggs into two halves and keep aside.
Heat the oil and fry the onions in it till they turn golden-brown. Cool the onions and then grind them. In the oil, add ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Cook until the raw smell fades away. Add plain yoghurt, nutmeg powder and mace powder. Cook till the gravy thickens. Add the eggs and cook on slow flame for five minutes.
Garnish with the tomato and green chillies and serve warm.
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