Bhindi Kurkure

I hate Bhindi. Something about its gooeyness just throws me off. Unfortunately, everybody else in my family loves it. It is also one of those vegetables you can easily make as part of packed lunches. Hence, I have been forced all my life to have Bhindi on a weekly basis. Luckily for me, since it is such a loved vegetable, there have always been takers to empty my lunchbox; my Mom, and then later in life, my husband being none the wiser (I think).

On the flip side, it is a vegetable that I am forced to cook often. Hence, I have learnt to adapt it to my tastes. Now, I can eat it when the Bhindi is cooked to such a level of crispiness that it's almost black. That's where this recipe comes in.

My mom started making this as an easier and less time consuming alternative to Bharwan Bhindi. She finds it a convenient item to make when we have guests over as it pairs well with Rajma, Channa or a fancy Dal.

Recipe (Servers 4)

Ingredients
500 gm Ladies finger/Bhindi - Slit lengthwise
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
3 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

Method

• Wash, dry and slit the ladies finger lengthwise into 2 halves

• Take 3 tbsp oil in a large non stick pan, when hot, add the ladies finger and saute for 2 mins
• Turn down the heat and let the ladies fingers cook down till they turns dark green and crispy. Stir occasionally.
• When crisped up nicely, add the salt, chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and coriander powders. 
• Stir to mix the spices thoroughly. Let cook for another few minutes to ensure the spices cook out.

Alternatively, once the ladies finger is half cooked, place it on a tray in a preheated oven at 200 degree centigrade for 20 to 30 minutes to crisp up. The spices can be added after removing from oven

Notes
I like to wash the ladies finger the night before or a few hours before cooking to ensure there is no water when cooking this dish
Always add salt in the end to ensure that the dish is crispy.
Use a large kadhai, so that the bhindi has enough space to cook. Overcrowding leads to a soggy dish

Instant noodles in tomato sauce

This dish is what I can proudly call my first invention. I came up with this dish way back in my 6th grade when the only thing I could make (unsupervised) was dear ol' Maggi. I was quite bored of the taste of plain Masala Maggi and decided to change it up a bit.

This dish of mine is a weird fusion of Italian and Chinese cooking, although, I came up with it much before I knew what Italian food was. I make it when I want something nostalgic, comforting and easy to make. I usually find myself having it when I'm home alone, after a long day at work and Sanju is away on a trip. Probably, because, it takes me back to when I first started making it when I was home alone, just back from school and ravenous.

Over the decades, this dish has seen many iterations; starting from plating the noodles and sauce separately to mixing them together. The kind of noodles has also changed, from using Maggi to smoodles to finally the noodles of the whole wheat variety.

Recipe (Serves 2)

Ingredients

For the noodles
2 packets instant noodles
1 tsp salt
Water as per cooking instructions given on packet

For the Sauce
2 cloves of garlic - grated
4 - 5 medium sized tomatoes - quartered
2 tbsp chili sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp black pepper powder - freshly ground
Salt as per taste

Method

Noodles
Add the noodles to boiling water containing 1 tsp of salt. Once the noodles are cooked and water has evaporated, tip the noodles into a colander and rinse under cold running water (for 1 min) to get rid of all the starch.
Sauce
Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add  2 grated cloves of garlic and saute till light brown.
Add the quartered tomatoes along with 1 tsp freshly ground pepper and salt
When the tomatoes have softened, add the soy sauce, chili sauce and vinegar and reduce the heat for the sauce to simmer, till tomatoes soften completely .
Add the noodles and stir together.

Notes:
1. The type of instant noodles you use do not matter as the taste maker given alongside will not be used, although, I have found that using spaghetti or noodles does not work very well with the sauce.
2. Add salt to the sauce cautiously as the soy sauce will be salty and the noodles will also be salted.
3. If the tomatoes do not release much water, add 2- 3 tablespoons of water to ensure tomatoes soften properly and the sauce does not burn.

A lot of folks are quite disturbed when I tell them of this this dish. I have no idea why! But don't diss it till you try it. It is yumm yumm yumm!

Vegetable Rice Noodles

Ever since I can remember, my mom has made fancy dishes at home.  I would feel ecstatic when my friends would get so jealous and gush about what a cool mom I had. One who would make yum dishes like noodles, fried rice, burger and pizza at home and sometimes pack them for my school lunch as well. This was way before the entry of McDonalds, Pizza Hut or the influx of Chinese restaurants (God does that make me feel old)

Even after exposure to the variety of veg noodles out there; like that at a top end Pan Asian restaurant, the small Chinese place round every corner, or the roadside thela wala, I still like my mom's noodles the best. The only time someone has come close to her's has been the cook making 'Chowmein' in the pantry of the Mumbai- Delhi super fast express. Go figure.

However, with Sanju and me going on all types of health food fads and the big hullabaloo on the ill effects of eating refined flour, one day, I decided to try making my Mom's recipe with rice noodles. We loved it so much that now I almost always make this dish with the rice noodles instead of the traditional flour noodles.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 pkt rice sticks/rice vermicelli

5 - 6 cloves garlic

1 large onion or 1 bunch spring onion

2 medium sized carrots

1 bunch runner beans

1 cup shredded cabbage

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp chilli sauce

1 tsp vinegar

2 tsp pepper

Salt to taste

Preparation

Preparation is key when making any Chinese dish. I'm never more organized as when making Chinese food in my kitchen. Not even when baking. Although it takes time, the fact that the cooking time is minimal makes up for the headache.

• Cut carrot, beans, cabbage and capsicum into thin long strips
• Cook the carrots and beans in boiling water for 15 - 20 mins till they go soft.
• Remove from heat and add the cabbage. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes after which, drain out the water
• Finely chop garlic and onion
• Pour boiling water into the rice noodles, cover and let stand for five to seven minutes. Drain water

Method

• Take oil in large pan
• To this add garlic and onion and saute till onion turns translucent
• Add the capsicum and stir for a few minutes
• Add the carrots, beans and cabbage
• Add salt and pepper and stir everything together
• Reduce the heat and add soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar and stir for a few minutes to let the vinegar cook out
• Add the rice noodles and stir until everything is evenly mixed.

Notes

Instead of adding the carrots and beans to boiling water, the mix can be microwaved with water for 20 mins.

The water drained out of the carrot, beans and cabbage mixture is an excellent vegetable stock. It can be stored and used in soups or even risotto.

Lebanon - The coastal beauty Part 1

Lebanon is a very small country. 60 km from east to west at is widest point and 250 km from north to south. Here people live in far away cities and still take only an hour to reach their work place at Beirut. What luck.

It may be small in size but definitely not so in things to do. My tour guide today told me that it will take her six months to show me all the sights in this country. However, if you don't have the luxury of traipsing around this country for six months, then there are a few places that you should not miss.

This post will cover the beautiful Jeita Grotto and the coastal town of Byblos.

Jeita Grotto.

These are magnificent limestone caves located around half an hour away from Beirut in the Mount Lebanon region. Stalactites and Stalagmites have formed over millions of years inside these breath taking caves. There are two of them; an upper cave which is the larger one and can be accessed by foot. Here you will find three chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites and various shapes, forms and colours. This cave also contains the largest stalactite in the world, measuring around eight meters. Considering that a stalactite grows by a few centimeters every century, this is one heck of a natural wonder. The lower cave is slightly less impressive, only cause its smaller. The inside of the cave is accessed by boat. 

Unfortunately, photography is not involved inside, but no worries, its not a sight you will forget in a jiffy. Details and photos can be found on their official website http://www.jeitagrotto.com

The other must sees are the the three old old old coastal cities of Byblos, Sidon and Tyre. Byblos is located an hour to the north of Beirut where as Sidon and Tyre an hour or so towards the south.

All three have archaeological sites dating to the BC era.

Byblos

Byblos has the honour of being the second oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. When I heard that I was in awe. Can you imagine all that must have happened there, the countless civilizations and cultures that must have made Byblos their home. 

The city welcomes you with a beautiful albeit small harbour. Looking at the city, it as modern as any other. Civilizations have clearly adapted to their futures. You will find modern cafes and fast food chains sharing walls and views with ruins of eras gone by. 

The main sites to visit are the Crusader Castle (go up to the top, the views are gorgeous), the old souk; which is a set of narrow lanes selling various local trinkets, artifacts and mementos. If time permits, do visit the fossil museum which has very well maintained fossils of marine life. Weird shaped fishes, turtles and even a fish which has eaten another fish!

Both Jeita grotto and Byblos can be covered in a day with another day dedicated to Sidon and Tyre. More on these two towns in another post.

One Pot Spaghetti

Happy Happy new year from the winter wonderland that is Lebanon.

I am starting off this year with one of my true favourites. I am a huge pasta fan as all those who know me will certify. In all its varied shapes, forms, sizes and flavours, pasta ranks right on top of foods I love to eat.

My stint in Abu Dhabi of washing vessels multiple times a day led me to come up with this dish. Instead of using three to four pots and pans that I use when I choose to go down the longer route, I came up with this one pot version.

This dish is comfort food at its best. Yummy, easy to make and it gives you those warm fuzzy feels.

Recipe

Ingredients
4 large tomatoes
1 large onion
250 gm spaghetti
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups water
2 tsp crushed pepper
1.5 tsp dried herbs
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method

• Take olive oil in a large pan with a thick bottom. To this add one finely chopped onion and three to four crushed/grated cloves of garlic. Saute till the onions turn pale pink.
• Add four chopped tomatoes and three cups of water.
• To this add salt and pepper.
• Add the spaghetti 
• Let the mixture come to a boil and continue to cook on high heat, stirring occasionally.
• When water has reduced to 1/4th, add the dried herbs. 
• If the sauce is sour, add 1 tsp of sugar to balance the flavours out
• When the water has evaporated completely, the pasta is ready to eat.