CHOCOLATE PLUS

There is a saying that for some there is therapy and for the rest of us, there’s chocolate and what’s more it is cheaper than therapy and doesn’t need an appointment!!

Truer words were never spoken at least where my experiences are concerned. Not a single time has chocolate let me down then I turned to it as my “go to” food.

While my consumption has reduced (just a teeny bit), for me it’s a piece of heaven wrapped in crinkly sparkly paper and I so love chocolate jokes:

Teacher: If you had 10 chocolates and someone asks for two, how many do you have left?

Me : 10

Teacher: Okay what if someone forcibly takes two of the chocolates, how many would you have left then.

Me: 10 and a dead body!;)

This is one of my earliest recipes I learnt before I ventured into cooking big time was how to make chocolate. I am including it here along with some variations

Ingredients:

1 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

2 cups milk powder

1 cup sugar (preferably powdered sugar)

Butter – 50 grams (unsalted only)

Ingredients mentioned in variations: dates, nuts, fruit etc.


Method:

1. In a bowl, mix the cocoa powder and milk powder well.

2. Turn on the stove and melt sugar along with 1.5 cups of water. Add a bit more if it is too thick but do not overdo it.

3. Stir it continuously till it comes to one thread consistency.

4. Add the butter and allow it to melt.

5. Switch off the stove as soon as the butter has melted and it looks frothy.

6. Now add the cocoa-milk powder mixture to this – ONE SPOON AT A TIME stirring continuously till you get the thickness you desire.

7. Step # 5 and 6 is most important. If you end up adding the cocoa – milk powder by the cupful or all at once, it becomes powdery and hard and ruins it completely. You need to add the mixture bit by bit so it looks all shiny and buttery.Do not forget to switch off the stove after the butter has melted.

8. At this stage, it’ll look like chocolate sauce. Transfer it into a bowl and you can use it as a dip mentioned in variations below.

9. OR wait till it cools down completely and you can roll them into chocolate balls. You can also pour the sauce in moulds and allow it to set for a couple of hours

10. Note: If the sauce is too thin even after transferring it to the bowl and it is not really up to rolling consistency, add some more cocoa-milk powder one spoon at a time and stir it well till you get the desired consistency in the same bowl. This has to be done while it is still hot. There is no need to heat this up.

11. Tip: Do wash the vessels immediately as the chocolate tends to harden over time and it would be tough to scrub it off. I use a non stick pan for this recipe.

Variations: now this is the fun part!;)

1. Dip seedless dates in the chocolate mixture until fully coated.

2. Dip strawberries or bananas. You may need to use toothpicks for this.

3. Add raisins and cashews. You can also add bits of roasted almonds.

4. Roll the chocolate balls in desiccated coconut powder.

5. Spread the sauce on sponge cake slices.

Description of pictures above:

I have added raisins and cashews to the mixture.

While still in the sauce stage, I dipped seedless dates till completely coated with chocolate as you can see above.

After the sauce had cooled and hardened slightly (though it still had to cool further), I rolled them into shiny chocolate rounds.

It took all my will power to wait to eat till I clicked the photographs;)

Forget love! I’d rather fall in chocolate;)

BHELPURI SANDWICH

I used to contribute recipes to a popular cooking website a few years ago. The website once asked its viewers to contribute a kid friendly recipe that is easy to prepare and different and this was my contribution. I don’t make this very often, but when I do, I skip lunch for it is a meal in itself. Very tasty and filling!


BHELPURI SANDWICH

For the Bhel:

100 gms plain puffed rice.
One medium onion – finely chopped
One medium tomato – finely chopped
One medium potato – boiled and chopped.
Mint chutney. (see recipe below).
Sweet chutney (see recipe below)
Salt to taste.
Lemon juice to taste.
Sev/mixture for garnishing – a spoonful.
A few sprigs of cilantro/coriander leaves – finely chopped.

For the mint chutney:

1 bunch mint leaves
1 bunch coriander leaves.
1-2 green chillies. (or see the spicy green chutney recipe for the month of July 2016 in this blog)

For sweet chutney:

Combine a handful of seedless dates (10-12) and a small marble sized ball of tamarind and grind to a fine paste with a little water.

Sandwich bread slices.

METHOD:

1.To prepare mint chutney, grind mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies to fine paste by adding a little water and salt to taste and grinding it in a mixer.

2.Keep some mint chutney aside for layering the bread slices.

3.Mix all the vegetables – chopped onion, tomato, potato and puffed rice in a bowl.

4.Add a spoonful of mint chutney, sweet chutney, lemon juice, and salt to taste and give it all a good mix.

5.Add sev and cilantro leaves and mix once more.

6.To prepare the sandwich, take one bread slice, spread a spoonful of mint chutney and a spoonful of sweet chutney over it.

7.Add the bhel on top of the chutney. You may add extra sev if you wish.

8.Place another slice of bread on top of the bhel mixture.

9.Tasty bhelpuri sandwich is ready.

10.*You may add grated carrot if you wish to the bhel mixture.

SPICY GREEN CHUTNEY

This recipe has gone international! I am not kidding when I say that. It is not as if world renowned hotels and chefs use it, but more in terms of talking about it whenever the topic of childhood memories comes up.

This recipe was actually taught to me by my mother. When I was younger, my brother and I used to love raw mangoes and cucumbers smothered with the spicy green chutney sold by vendors in carts around the city. Mom replicated it with a touch of her own. There were times she used 40 (yes 40!!) green chillies and it was enough to make one go through the roof! But nothing stopped us from liberally spreading it on tomatoes, cucumbers and mangoes and relishing every bit of it.

I introduced it to my friends and neighbors (some who were children that time). To say that they loved it is an understatement. Now they are all grown up married with kids of their own and settled abroad. Yet on their rare visits to India and my neighborhood, the first thing that they say when we meet up is how delicious mom’s green chutney was and how they still drool when they mention it to their friends abroad when speaking about childhood.

Such is magic of the spicy green chutney which can be used to make chaat, bhel, spread it on bread to make sandwich, dip bajjis into it or eat it like we did – on raw mangoes and cucumbers and lemon squeezed over it.

Ingredients:

1 small bunch of coriander leaves – Washed and chopped

1 small bunch pudina/mint leaves – Washed and chopped

Marble sized tamarind (do not soak this)

5-6 cloves of peeled garlic cloves

1 or 2 medium sized onion cubed

1 inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped

Green chillies – 8 to 10 or depends on how spicy you want it. For the picture above I added 30 of the spicy variety.

Salt to taste

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a mixer with very little water and grind to a smooth paste. If water is less then add it bit by bit. Chutney should not be too watery.

For salt: Do a taste test after grinding and before transferring it to a bowl/jar, then add some more per taste if you feel it is not enough and grind again.

Preferably store the chutney in a glass jar. It’ll stay fresh for up to a week.

STUFFED CHILLI BAJJIS

What’s monsoon season without Bajjis and Bondas? I can finish them in batches, good for the soul and not so good for the waistline.

For me, rainy weather + good book + Hot bajjis = Happiness. As far as bajjis go, I like them all but my favorite is chilli bajjis.

I make them just like the ones you’ll find in any regular bajji shop – street side or in small hotels, but the onion topping included here gives it its own unique mouthwatering flavor.

Ingredients

5-8 Green chillies big bajji variety.

One or two medium sized finely chopped onions.

Chaat masala 1 lemon.

Oil for frying.

For the bajji batter-

Two cups of besan/Gram flour.

1 tsp chilli powder. 1 tsp Turmeric powder.

A pinch of sodium bicarbonate.

One or two cups water.

Salt to taste. You may also use any of the readymade bajji/bonda mixes available in most supermarkets.

METHOD

Mix the chopped onions, chaat masala with lime and salt and keep aside.

Mix all the ingredients of the bajji batter along with water to make a fine paste. Ideally, you need to add water little by little to ensure that the batter does not become too watery or remain too thick.

Slit the green chillies in half (this means you get two bajjis for each chilli). Heat the oil for frying.

Dip the green chillies in the batter and fry in the oil. Ensure that the bajji is well coated with the batter.

Fry till golden brown.

Once they are all done, take them out and arrange them on a flat plate. You may want to drain the excess oil on to a paper towel.

Wait for them to become warm. Then using a knife, slit the prepared chilli bajjis.

Stuff each of the bajjis with the chopped onion mixture.

You may even add finely chopped coriander leaves to the mixture if desired.

Serve immediately as the lime and onions may make the bajjis soggy and they may lose their fresh, crispy taste.

SUN DRIED CURD CHILLIES

Visit any Andhra restaurant in the city and you’ll find these fried curd chillies displayed in a bowl on the table, to be eaten with every meal. I just love its crunchy, spicy flavor. It usually goes well with curd rice, but it can be eaten just as it is or with rice and sambar too. Depending on the variety of chillies used, the spice quotient differs.

Making this, however, is a process that has taught me a lot of lessons

Patience: In this age of doing everything in the blink of an eye, this totally tests your patience. Every single chilly has be washed, wiped carefully so it doesn’t turn soggy or spoilt and each one of them has to be slit carefully. And the days it takes for it to turn out right to be able to store and fry.

Responsibility: Each day take it out at 8 a.m. ensuring it is kept in the sun in a safe dry place so that no insects get into it, and take it back at 3.30 p.m. keep mixing it. I am responsible to see this through every single day.

The role of nature in food: Especially the sun. It’s got to be sizzling hot for it to turn out really crispy and speed up the process. If god is bored and looking for some fun and sends some rain during this process, tough luck!

The comfort of a ritual: Take it out, bring it in, mix, take it out bring it in, mix, take it out bring it in, mix… day in and day out…knowing that it’s a process, and there is no magic wand to make it ready immediately and yet being at peace with it.

The sense of accomplishment: Ok. It is just a recipe. I didn’t win a Nobel prize but boy! When the process is over and the chillies are fried and eaten with lunch or dinner, there is a feeling of fulfillment that is different when compared to cooking with instant / ready made items.

Here’s the recipe:


Ingredients:

Half kg or quarter kg green chillies.
2 liter curd.
5-6 tsp of salt or to taste.

1. This is a great recipe to make separately or to use up lots of leftover curd during summer season.

2. Buy green chillies that are slightly bigger as each one needs to be slit.

3. Wipe the chillies on a dry towel. If you are washing the chillies, it has be done the previous night and air dried.

4. Slit each chilly with a knife from the stem to the end. Keep the stem intact, so it looks like one chilly split in the middle.

5. In a large bowl, add salt to taste to the curds and drop the chillies into them.
Mix thoroughly till each chilly is well coated with salt and curd.

6. You may do a slight taste test to see if there is enough salt. Do not overdo the salt. In case you feel you have added too much salt, then you may balance it out by adding more curd, but this can be done only at this stage.

7. Leave this mixture overnight.

8. Next day, Take the chillies out and spread them on a plate.

9. Keep the curd in which the chillies have been mixed in into a bowl. These will reduce over the days.

10. Spread only the chillies out in a plate and dry them in the sun. (Preferably afternoons when it is really hot).

11. Leave them for a couple of hours. When taken indoors, mix them again in the curd that the chillies were mixed in the previous day. Again do not overdo the curds, add just enough to coat the chillies for a day or two.

12. Dry it in the sun every single day for the next few days till it is thoroughly dried and crisped. This may take about four to five days to a week, depending on how well it dries and the weather.

13. Once thoroughly dried as in there is no wet curd residue on the chillies, you may store them in air tight containers.

14. Heat a little oil – a table spoon or so in a wok, fry 5-6 (or more if you like) chillies in oil anytime you want a delicious crunchy accompaniment with curd rice, sambar rice etc.

Note: Do not add water or any extra curd once you start the drying process. Use the same curd the chillies have been mixed in the previous day if there is any leftover. If the curd has dried up easily and the chillies are well coated, then leave the chillies as they are and continue placing them in the sun everyday.

The pictures above are in 3 stages when I first started and mixed them into the curd (note the chillies are still green), stage two the drying process and stage three when it was fried, ready to be eaten….turned out to be yumlicious!:)

Elaborate though the process is, it is well worth the effort!

UDHIN BONDAS & CURD BONDAS

Sigh! I could have these every day and through it does involve a lot of deep frying, it is well worth the effort. I call them bondas because of the shape though the ingredients are the same as udhin vadas and curd vadas that you can find in any south Indian restaurant.

I usually make these deep fried bondas and as a variation, turn them into curd bondas (see pics above). Recipes for both included here.

The plain bondas can be enjoyed on their own. They are usually served with coconut chutney. I eat them with homemade mango pickle which is a weird combination but tastes awesome!!

Both varieties of bondas are delicious, sinful and fattening but what the heck! You live only once! ;)

UDHIN BONDAS

Ingredients:

2 cups of urad dal, 1 spoon of channa dal and 1 spoon of plain rice, all to be soaked in water for about 3 hours.

Half a bunch of finely chopped coriander leaves.

10-12 green chillies chopped to bits. I use more and the local variety of chillies as I love the bondas being spicy. However, you may reduce/increase it as per spice preference.

2 tsp pepper corns.

Oil for frying.

Salt to taste.

METHOD:

1. Grind the soaked urad dal in a grinder with as little water as possible. This step is important. You may add water, very little of it if you feel the ground batter is far too thick, but remember the idea is to shape them into rounds with your hands, which can happen only if there is less water.

2. Transfer the batter onto a mixing bowl. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and green chillies. I usually use the local coriander and green chillies which gives out a fresh smell.

3. Grind the pepper corns coarsely and add to the mixture.

4. Add salt to taste. You may want to do a taste test for this and add them step by step. Should you add too much salt by mistake, you can balance it out by adding a spoonful or so of rice powder to the mixture.

5. Give it all a good mix and let it sit for 5 minutes.

6. Heat oil in a wok for frying.

7. Take a little batter in your palms and drop them into the hot oil. Keep turning them till they are fried evenly to a crisp, golden brown on all sides.

8. Remove and transfer it to a tissue paper to drain out the excess oil. Serve hot.

CURD BONDAS:A yummy variation of the above.

Ingredients:

5-6 Udhin bondas prepared as described above.

Half liter fresh curd

Salt

2 pinches of red chilli powder.

A pinch of pepper powder.

Chaat masala to taste.

Finely chopped coriander leaves.

METHOD:

1. Prepare bondas as described above. Allow them to cool a bit.

2. Soak the bondas in water for about 5 minutes, not too long as they can get real soggy. Drain them lightly on a tissue paper, taking care that they don’t come apart.

3. In a bowl, add fresh curd and salt to taste, red chilli powder, pepper powder and mix well.

4. Gently arrange the bondas in the curd bowl, spooning some curd over the bondas but not drowning them in curd.

5. Add chaat masala and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

PEAS AND BABY CORN CURRY

I am always on the lookout for good gravies that are tasty and flexible. I have tried different bases for gravies - tomato based, onion, cashew nut paste, peanut paste, and coconut based gravies. Of the lot, I absolutely love this one. It’s a green chutney based gravy that goes best with ghee rice or steamed rice.

I got this recipe while attending a food festival here in the city. The demonstration for that was the same gravy, using chicken as its main ingredient. Since I am a vegetarian, I have substituted chicken with peas and baby corn and also cut short the process a bit to make it easier. However, there really is no limit on the vegetables- you can use this same gravy and add boiled potatoes, cauliflower, paneer, baby corn, peas and even okra if you wish. Best bets are peas, cauliflower, baby corn and paneer in combinations.

Ingredients:

For the masala paste.

One small bunch coriander leaves
One small piece ginger
5-6 garlic cloves
2 medium tomatoes
2 medium sized onions
1 piece cinnamon stick
2-4 cloves.
Green chillies – I add about 10 to the masala paste and one or two more for the curry, but it is up to you. If you don’t like it too spicy, restrict it to about 3 or 4 for grinding and one or two for the curry.

FOR THE CURRY:

Half cup fresh green peas boiled.
6-8 baby corns. You can cut each baby corn in half and further thinly slice them or cut them in rings.
Fresh methi/fenugreek leaves (optional)
½ tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of turmeric powder.
One cup coconut milk – you can get this in any grocery store.
Oil or Ghee for frying.
Salt to taste.
Few sprigs of chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.

Method:

Make a paste of coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, one onion, two tomatoes, green chillies, cinnamon and cloves. Keep aside.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and lightly fry the baby corn for few minutes. Do not overcook. It should be light brown at the sides. You may par boil them if you wish so that the raw taste of baby corn goes and yet retain the crunch.

Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Chop the remaining onion and add it to the ghee. Add one or two slit green chillies and fry lightly till onion turns translucent. Do not overcook the onions.

At this stage, you can add a handful of freshly chopped methi leaves if you wish or skip this step.

Add the vegetables – boiled peas and baby corn. You may also add any other vegetable of your choice paneer or cauliflower.

Fry for two minutes.

Add the green masala paste.

Mix in well till all the vegetables are evenly coated with the green chutney.

Add coconut milk, red chilly powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, salt to taste.

Allow it to simmer in the coconut milk till all the ingredients are blended well. Stir well so the curry does not stick to the pan. This should take about five to eight minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or ghee rice.

Everything about this is so versatile. Skip the cinnamon and cloves, add a bunch of fresh pudina/mint leaves and you can use the spicy green chutney on fresh tender cucumbers or make paneer mint chutney. Add less of the coconut milk and make it more like a dry curry. This chutney can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for about a week and reuse whenever you wish.
Whatever the options you use, the smell and taste of this dish is heavenly!!