A Lunch Lesson 

I was invited to a household in Darj to participate in a feast they were preparing to celebrate the 85th birthday of their patriarch last weekend. I find myself anticipating every weekend with quiet self-contained excitement only because my food quest comes to life on those days. I find the time to hold my workshops, go visiting, share recipes, explore, try a new recipe or just eat great food with friends and family. The rest of the days I just work which again I love to do.

Shooting these delightful pictures of the home that I visited was a pleasure that I can only describe with the vague words of an Ernest Hemingway quote about Paris wherein he says that if you're lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young person then everything stays with you for the rest of your life because Paris is an unending feast or something like that. To my mind, the same can be said about Darjeeling. It is to us, biased people, a never ending feast for the eyes and for the stomach!

dalles and eggs. i love shooting eggs!

And this is the lovely couple Punya and Pratap Subba, both of them of Nepali celluloid fame of yesteryears. She, the lissome heroine of Bachna Chahane Haru ( on the sets of where they met and fell in love) and he the filmmaker who made great films like Mashal, Paral Ko Aago and Bachna Chahane Haru. They have been cooking together ever since.

I owe her a lot because she taught me how to bake my very first cake and shortbread cookies, a recipe she had brought from Hong Kong all those years ago. Mine still doesn't taste as delicious as hers despite the many times i have made them.

She also features in my very first cooking memories since I was always there in her house when she baked. It was those days of hand-whipped frosting and old fashioned creamy cake mixtures.She taught me how to beat egg whites until they formed soft white peaks just like the snowy Kanchenjunga peaks, to separate the dry ingredients from the wet, the method of 'folding' all those in and how to check if my cake was done or not by inserting a tooth pick right in the middle of it. I was just a kid then but those words have stayed with me all my life.

And then to top it all, she would let all of us kids to lick the mixing bowl!

The birthday menu had too many items on it because when these two cook, they usually cook up a storm and a meaty one at that. It was a feast for thirty people including family and friends who came in from all over to pay their respects to the grand patriarch and eat this scrumptious feast.

Among the aloo dums, the mutton curries, veggies and dessert, I chose the Slow Pork Roast and the Tandoori Chicken as the main feature for this post.

Marinaded Tandoori Chicken

In it goes

Out it comes in golden glory

And on to the table

Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

1 kg chicken legs, skinned and trimmed of all visible fat

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon peeled and grated or crushed ginger 

2 tablespoon ground cumin

2teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Vegetable oil or butter , for brushing

Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

Slices of cucumber, red (Spanish) onion, tomato and lemon, for garnish

Preparation

Wash and pat dry the chicken.

Prick the flesh of the chicken all over with a fork and cut slashes with a sharp knife to allow the marinade to penetrate.

Place the chicken on a large tray or shallow bowl.

Combine the dry ingredients first - salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cardamom and cloves and rub the mixture evenly all over the chicken. Let it rest for fifteen minutes. 

Then combine ginger and garlic paste and smear it all over the chicken. Let it rest for another fifteen minutes allowing the ingredients to set properly.

The wet marinade is the last step. Take the yogurt and fresh lemon juice,  vegetable oil and pour it over the chicken and mix it well, turning the chicken several times.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.

It can be grilled or roasted. If using a charcoal grill, the fire must be prepared for direct heat cooking. Position the grill rack 5 inches from the fire. Allow the coals to burn until white ash covers them and the heat is moderate. 

Remove the chicken from the marinade, pressing lightly to extract the excess marinade and brush with oil. 

If roasting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, brush with oil or butter, and cook, turning once, 25 to 30 minutes and basting with the drippings of the roast -  until the juices run clear when a piece is pierced near the bone with a knife. 

Serve with cilantro, sliced red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, slit green chilies and lemon halves.

Slow Roasted Pork Thigh

This recipe is signature to this family and it has been gracing their table for many many years now. It has to be cooked long and slow for a moist and succulent outcome.

Ingredients

Whole Pork thigh, skin trimmed

Salt

1 bay leaf

Half a cup of Lemon juice 

1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon Fresh roasted ground cumin seeds

1 tablespoon Fresh roasted ground coriander seeds

Half a cup palm sugar or jaggery (optional)

Preparation

Rub the pork thigh all over with all the ingredients except the palm sugar.

Take a large and thick bottomed pot and place the whole thigh in it.

Cover the pot and dry roast it over low heat until all juices run out, taking care to keep turning the pork to ensure it chars on all sides, until you hear the 'charring' sound - so says the couple!

Then pour water over the pork until it just covers it. Then cover and slow cook on simmer until the water dries out and one can hear the 'charring' sound again.

If you opt for the sweet and sour option, now is the time to melt the palm sugar/ jaggery in warm water and brush the pork with it. Slow cook it again until the glaze thickens and sticks to the pork skin.

Remove from heat.

If you prefer to go without the sugar, you can remove the pork from the heat after step 4.

It looks like this after slicing it. You can slice it slimmer or in chunks as below.

You can either have it warm or cold with a tomato and dalle based sauce

or

You can stir fry it with greens like raaye ko saag, some crushed garlic, dry red chilies, onions and tomatoes.

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Have you ever seen anything like this before?

You're wrong if you think this is a flower although it does not remotely resemble one.

It's the Great White Dalle from the plains of Nepal that my dad brought home from one of his trips.

Not as potent as what we are used to this side of the Himalayas but equally flavorsome and aromatic. 


Hell yea, i took a bite!

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Full Moon Cafe - Havelock

Island Vinnie's in the tiny island of Havelock in the Andamans, is where its at. I mean not just the Full Moon Cafe but the whole experience of a wild, hip, roughing it out, tropical,on the beach kind of life. This is the spot for divers in the island and people flock from all over the world to experience the secrets of the ocean with them. And this was where I had originally booked us into. But I changed my mind later on second thought and canceled it because I realized that although I was ready for the wild and hip tropical beach life, I still wasn't ready to rough it out. So eventually I decided that I would go to Island Vinnie's not to stay but only to eat at the Full Moon Cafe which delightfully came highly recommended.

And imagine more delight to this already delighted self when I heard that the head chef was from Nepal. It took me a moment of deep self-control to stop myself from clapping in further delight. And that is the story behind why I chose to eat a Thali on my first lunch at the Full Moon Cafe. I usually don't eat food that reminds me of home when I eat out because it just doesn't make any sense at all. I would stay at home if I want to eat home styled food,is my argument. But I couldn't resist the urge to know what a Thali prepared by a Nepali chef would taste like in Havelock. Would it have Nepali infused flavors was my curiosity.

It didn't but it was subtle and I think was a marked effort of delicate restrain from over-spicing and over-tempering the curries which was a welcome cry, far from the heavy and rich Indian Thalis that I have tasted so far. Which is why I went back and had it a second time the next day. 

The Full Moon Cafe became my favorite place to go, eat fresh, light food from around the world (Umm, I tried the Mediterranean Platter yet again which had Hummus and even Babaganoush), drink a couple of chilled and just relax with a book in the cafe or doze on the beach.


And I also really like them for the Anti - Plastic campaign which they have initiated in Havelock. Can we not pollute more beaches please? 

Fresh Papaya Juice - a daily staple

Fish n Chips

Silken Garlic Aioli

Falafels dripping with fresh Tahini

Part of the Mediterranean Platter - Babaganoush with roasted peanut garnish in the middle

Following my bliss...

My Hummus Recipe 


So today I am making hummus for you guys which was a huge hit in Petrichor (sniff!sniff!) and a daily staple to snack on for us. I still make it once in a while for Zy when he wants something 'tasty' to dip his carrots in. 


Ingredients
it sure is some of the best flavors in the world combined

cayenne pepper and roasted cumin powder

dry parsley( because fresh ones are not available in Darj) . boiled and strained chickpeas

lemon and garlic 

olive oil and natural plain yogurt

homemade tahini

and

salt 

Here's what i do :

Soak chickpeas overnight.

Boil them with salt and leave them aside with some remaining chickpea juice.

Dry roast the garlic and cumin seeds and grind the latter to a fine powder. You can use store bought cumin powder as well but i like to prepare it this way because the flavors are more rich to taste.

Next, i  make my homemade tahini. There's nothing much to it. Just dry roast your sesame seeds in a thick bottomed pan until it starts giving out its musky roasted aroma and turns slightly brown. Take it off the heat and blend it in a blender with a big splash of olive oil. You can add salt for flavor and some lemon juice if you want. But i keep it plain because i add the seasoning fresh when i'm actually making the main dish.

Now put the chickpeas with the juice, yogurt, roasted garlic and cumin in the blender and mix until a smooth and creamy texture is formed.

 Mix in the tahini and pour all contents in to a bowl. 

Add the cayenne pepper, lemon juice, salt, parsley and fold them in to the mixture. Top it with loads of flavorful extra virgin olive oil.

Serve the hummus with anything - it's healthy, it's light and will just about make anyone's day!!

Enjoy...

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Glimpses from a Nepali Kitchen

I finally gave a green light to the cooking classes that had been at the back of my mind for quite a while now. It felt like the right time since Petrichor has been temporarily shut down and I can’t speak for when it will reopen. So it felt like the opportune moment to not give up on what I love doing most especially when good friends come up and lend the much-needed support, letting that pass would have been a foolish thing to do. 
My doors opened to my friends who came rushing in with bottles of red and the sharpest knives ever!

Poster from my cooking class

I determinedly stuck to teaching Nepali cooking to them (although that's not the only thing on the menu) entirely because a couple of them can out cook some of the best chefs on any side of the world...and yea, you can't teach a fly how to fly, right?

It was one of the 'funnest' days ever!!

Helly's got the best job in the world - Baking and shelling peanuts!

Susannah - Stringing beans

Denna - Mistress of all food Italian!

A quintessential of every Nepali kitchen - the silauto lohoro!

Cath - Roasting tomatoes for the achar

Tomatoes and chives - In chopped glory!

And we sit down to savour what we cooked

Simi ko Tarkari in peanut and sesame seed marinade, almost on its way to the table.

Fresh mint leaves and dried dalle - ready to be ground 

Blanching  Tomatoes

Mula ko pickle

This side of heaven

Roasting a tomato for the Silam ko Achar for that charred, rustic flavor...on a gas stove!

Take a look at the “Beginner’s” MENU :)

Sadheko ko Aloo/ Aloo ko Achar (marinade method) – Marinated Potatoes in Mustard
Ingredients

1 kg Potatoes

4 Tbsps Mustard Seeds

Dried Red Chilies

Salt

Coriander Leaves

Lemon

Mustard Oil

Method

Boil potatoes until cooked. Cut them into bite sized pieces.

Toast the dry red chilies and mustard seeds in a pan or 3-4 minutes.

Grind them to a paste with the coriander leaves.

Heat a little mustard oil in a pan and add the paste. Cook until oil comes on top. Remove from heat.

Add the mixture to the cut potatoes with some salt to taste.

Add some lemon juice.

Toss well and serve.

Sadheko Simi (marinade method) – Marinated Beans in Peanuts and Sesame Mixture

Ingredients

1 kg Beans

250 gms peanuts

250 gms sesame seeds

Salt

Turmeric

1 Tbsp Red Chili Powder

1 tbsp Paanch Phoren

Slit Green Chilis

Lemon

Coriander Leaves

Mustard Oil

Method

Dry roast the peanuts and sesame seeds in a pan and grind them to a powder.

Blanche the beans in slightly salted water until just done. Drain.

Heat oil in a pan and temper the paanch phoren with turmeric powder, red chili powder and green chilies.

Add the ground peanuts and sesame seeds. Mix well with the rest of the ingredients in the pan.

Add the drained beans and remove from heat.

Mix well until the marinade mixture coats every bean.

Add salt to taste.

Finally, put some lemon juice and coriander leaves.

Toss well before serving.

Tamatar ra Silam ko Chutney – Tomato and Seeds Tangy Condiment

Ingredients

1 Large Red Tomato

2 Dalles

Mustard Oil

Salt

2 Cloves Garlic

Chives

Churpi

Method

Roast the tomato until charred.

Mix dalles, mustard oil, salt, garlic and tomato in a blender or grinding stone.

Pour the achar in a bowl and top with chopped chives.

Rajma Daal (Braising) – Kidney Beans Gravy

Ingredients

1 kg Rajma Beans

5 Cloves Garlic

1 Inch Ginger

1 Large Onion

2 Large Tomatoes

1 Cup Tomato Puree

Yoghurt to garnish

2 Tbsps Nepali Spice Mix

Garam Masala

Bay Leaf

Salt

Ghiu

Method

Soak rajma beans overnight in water with a pinch of salt.

Cook them in a pressure cooker until soft and drain.

Chop ginger, garlic, onions and tomatoes to an almost paste like consistency.

Heat ghiu in a skillet and the mixture.

Add the tomato puree, Nepali Spice Mix and let it temper for five minutes.

Add the drained rajma beans to it, mix well and cook in high heat until the beans simmer.

Then cook in low heat for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle Garam Masala and a dollop of yoghurt.

Garnish with coriander leaves before serving (optional)

Halwa – Semolina Dessert

Ingredients

1 cup Sooji / Semolina

4 cup water

Sugar to your taste

2 Cardamoms

Raisins, Crushed Cashews and Almonds

Butter or Ghee

2 Tbsps Heavy Cream (optional)

Method

Heat the butter and add the sooji to it, continuously stirring it to prevent it from burning.

On the other side, heat the water and when it is warm enough, add sugar and cardamom to the sugar-water mixture. Stir until sugar blends with the water taking care not to let the water boil, only letting it get warm.

When the sooji is done, add the nuts and raisins to it and then slowly pour the sugar-water mixture onto your sooji while stirring it.

Stir it continuously until the mixture starts to thicken and remove from stove.

Garnish with crushed cashews and serve hot.

Bhat

Boil 3 cups of rice in 41/2 cups of water until half done.

Drain and steam in low heat for 10 minutes or until done.

Serve hot with the accompaniments.

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Sonika's Mean Fried Chicken Nepali Style - with a twist!

 So this is the girl i went to school and grew up with, had my first 'real' and disastrous cooking lesson with at the age of 15 i think... have fought, cried, laughed and jammed with since infant days of yore. Therefore, no surprises about the fact that she has been chosen to grace the first page of my new blog with her mighty, wild and unconventional presence, although i don't use that word 'unconventional' to describe my friends anymore. It just seems too mild...you know ;)

Also all my friends are great cooks and can whip up a mean gourmet meal within seconds even if an egg and a tomato are the only supplies in the fridge! To my mind, it comes from years of living by ourselves in city apartments doing the nine to five and coming home weary, sometimes very late in the night ravenously hungry,just to open the fridge and only find eggs and tomatoes in there! What can one do but make the best of a bad situation? I, for one, can find ten different things to rustle up with just eggs and tomatoes - that i might as well start a whole new blog on that! Just kidding...:0

Sonika is all that and more with an attitude to match - my best friend, fellow crafter and artist, tattoist, DJ, awesome dancer, world's top shrink, ruthlessly honest critic, partner in crime but the one attribute that drives it all home is her honest to goodness heart. There is so much to love about this extraordinary woman but I heart her heart the most :)

She and i always agreed on how each family or household have their own styles of cooking which is unique to only them. For instance in Darj, the same raaye ko saag and sungur ko masu might have varied tastes depending on where it is cooked and who cooked it. That is what i love about the art. One can get creative and do whatever the hell you want with a particular dish as long as it tastes good... let's make that 'awesome'.

That is how I cook and how Sonika cooks - we keep with tradition as much as we can but where's the fun if you don't put your own signature into that dish? How does that become yours? Of course most recipes out there are just too good to be messed with, but sometimes for your own sanity's sake, You got to OWN it.

She made the time and effort to cook AND click all the photographs for this entry because i couldn't be there where she lives.

Here's Sonika's take on her Grandma's Nepali Chicken Curry.

NOTE: This is a very simple dish but it needs a lot of attention.  It's not one of those dishes you put on the stove and come back after 30 mins and find it ready.  And the temperature is very crucial so make sure you use the smaller burner on your stove.

The Recipe

Ingredients:

500 gms chicken with bones

2 medium size Onions

2 medium size Tomatoes

1 tsp (heaped) fenugreek seeds

1” ginger thinly sliced

1 bunch coriander chopped

Green chillies as per taste

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli pwd

4 spn Oil

Salt to taste

1sp vinegar / twist of lime

1tsp sugar

Use a big wok / pan for this dish.  Heat the oil.

Once hot add the fenugreek seeds. The seeds turn brown almost immediately (do not let them burn so keep the chicken close)

Add chicken, onions, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder and salt and cook on medium heat for a minute.

Add tomatoes, green chillies, vinegar, sugar and half of the coriander.  Cook for a minute.Add about a cup of water.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat.Uncover and cook till all the water dries up.

Leave the dish on low heat and keep stirring every minute till all the onion tomato mush has become crisp and starts coating the chicken pieces, should take about 15 minutes.

(Keep a strict watch since it can easily burn at this stage.  Incase it starts to burn, add two spoons of water and cover for a minute and continue with the last step again).

And lastly the all important taste test.  Check the salt, sourness and sweetness. If it's too sour add a bit of sugar, if it's too sweet add a bit of vinegar.  Garnish with the rest of the coriander and serve! Or eat.

Guest Speak

My mom is an amazing cook and I grew up eating such fantastic food that I guess it was just natural that I took to cooking (and eating!) like a fish to water.  I remember making an omelette - the first thing I ever cooked when I was just 10 and bragging about it for days!  I love entertaining and cooking for family and friends and this dish I’m sharing today is an old family recipe, with a twist!  Everytime I cook it, it takes me right back to my grandmother’s home in the plains of Nepal, a rustic sleepy village called Salakpur. It was surrounded by beautiful rice fields and flanked on one side by a bamboo grove, next to which was the wooden kitchen built separately from the main house.  Food was cooked on firewood   and the aromas would come wafting through all day!  You just could not be NOT hungry there!  

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