Nethili Fry - Anchovies Fry

Nethili fry is served as a starter and even makes a perfect accompaniment for rice with rasam. If you happen to be the one who’s cooking this fish, then I can guarantee you that its hard to stop eating these hot and crisp golden beauties, as you fry them.
(I take back my words, that I said about the restaurant, because I found the anchovies fry very salty and inedible, when I had them recently from there. Sadly, the quality was compromised. Not my favourite place any more)

Ingredients
Anchovies                                500 gm
Turmeric powder                   3/4 tsp
Chilly + coriander powder    3tsp
Cornflour                                 1 1/4 tsp
Salt
Oil

Add the turmeric powder, Chilly + coriander powder, cornflour and salt to the fish and mix thoroughly until the fish is coated with the masala evenly.
Leave it aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
Heat the oil and deep fry the anchovies, until golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot.

Note:
The fish should be fried till they are crisp. The fish is eaten along with the bones, just like chips, as the bones also get cooked, when frying. So it will be crunchy, including the tail and there won’t be anything to discard at all.
Can add red food colour or kashmiri chilly powder, if desired to make them look more attractive.
Can fry some curry leaves and mix in with fried anchovies for flavour.

Souffle’ Cookies - Chocolate, Peanut butter

                         I think its time for a chocolate recipe. Chocolate souffle cookies are meringue cookies, crisp on the outside, soft and fudgy inside.  Found this chocolate souffle cookie displayed in this studio amidst the wonderful pastries and sweets. Every time I pick a recipe from other blogs, I feel like I am collecting a rare and a precious jewel and for that matter, I think I have made a good collection of fabulous recipes that are truly precious and satisfying.

The first batch of cookies had no takers. That’s the truth, a bitter truth, literally, because the cookies were way too bitter - I used bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa)  and for people who are used to sugar soaked sweets like gulab jamun, there’s nothing surprising about it.  I loved the bitterness and the healthy proportion of ingredients, with just a little sugar, it was a wonderful cookie. Though a little disappointed, I wasn’t going to give up and made another batch of cookies, this time with semi - sweet chocolate and there, it was all gone, perfect for the sugar cravin' palates.  I tried using a big dollop of whipped egg whites and peanut butter just enough to make a couple of peanut butter cookies, but unable to take the expressions like, "Is that all ?", "just two", "I want more",  I ended up whipping more egg whites again, making another batch of cookies. I am not that persevering kind, the last time I ever tried somethin' more than once consecutively was writing my medical entrance exam thrice in the 90’s, that  too in vain and now, I have tried the same recipe thrice consecutively, that’s unbelievable.

Ingredients

Chocolate souffle Cookies

Semi - sweet chocolate          6 oz (or) 170 gms

Egg whites                               2

Cream of tartar 

or

Lemon juice                            1/8 tsp
Vanilla                                     1/2tsp

Sugar                                        1/4 cup

Walnuts (chopped)                1/2 cup

Method

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler ( chopped chocolate pieces taken in a bowl, kept over a pan of boiling water without touching the water ) stir until smooth, remove from heat and let it cool.

Whip egg whites with lemon juice, until soft peak forms.

Add the vanilla and sugar. Beat until stiff peak forms. Do not over beat, else it will become dry.

Sprinkle nuts and pour the cooled chocolate. Fold the mixture gently, until evenly mixed.

Drop a tbs of batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, with little space in between. 

Bake at 180*c for 10 - 12 minutes or until the cookies look cracked.

Peanut butter cookies
Ingredients
Egg whites            2
Lemon juice         1/8 tsp
Sugar                     1/4 cup
Peanut butter       50 gms
Vanilla                   1/4 tsp ( optional)
Crushed Peanuts to sprinkle (optional)

Melt the peanut butter in a double boiler. Stir until smooth and let it cool.
Whip the egg whites with lemon juice till soft peak forms.
Add the sugar, vanilla and beat until stiff peak forms. Fold in the melted peanut butter. Drop a tbsp of batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle the crushed peanuts and bake at 180*c for about 12 - 15 minutes.

Spritzer

The weather is still hot and the thirst is never quenched with just water. Fruit juices may sound uninteresting to some who prefer carbonated soft drinks, especially young ones. A good alternative to such people will be Spritzer, a fizzy drink made with fresh fruit juice and soda (Carbonated water). This post will feature a few spritzers, made with orange, pomegranate and lemon. Soda can be substituted with water and with a few cubes of ice, it will make a terrific fruit drink. The syrup that is made can be stored in a refrigerator and used whenever required.

Orange Spritzer
Ingredients
Water               1/2 cup
Sugar                1/2 cup
Orange Juice   1/2 cup
Lemon Juice    1/8 cup
Club Soda
Method
Combine sugar and water and on medium heat stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange juice and the lemon juice, let it boil for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the syrup thickens.
Strain the syrup and let it cool. For one part of the syrup, add 2 to 3 parts of soda and serve chilled.

Pomegranate Spritzer
Water                                       1/2 cup
Sugar                                        1/2 cup
Pomegranate juice                  1/2 cup
Orange juice or lemon juice  1/8 cup
Club Soda

Method
Combine sugar and water in a bowl, stir on medium heat the sugar dissolves and makes a syrup. Add the juices and let it boil for a few minutes. Strain, cool and mix it with soda or water to make a fruit juice. The addition of orange or the lemon juice to the pomegranate juice overpowers the taste of pomegranate and tastes like orange juice with the sweetness of the pomegranate.

Lemon Spritzer
Water               1/4 cup
Sugar                1/2 cup
Lemon juice     1/4 cup
Ginger juice     1/2 tbsp
Club Soda
Combine sugar and water and stir on medium heat till the sugar dissolves, add the juices and boil for a few minutes. Strain, cool and mix it with water for lemonade or soda for spritzer.

Goan Fish Curry

When you tour around the city and stop for lunch late in the afternoon, all tired and starving and if you could dig into a delicious, creamy fish curry and hot rice, then it is a divine feeling, which I happened to experience when I was in Goa, ten years back. I don’t remember what other food I had there, but for the fish curry, which I am sure I had more than once. I knew that I will make this, once back home and I did, as there wan’t much difficulty in guessing the ingredients. This gorgeous yellow Goan fish curry remains to be in my list of favourite food, which is quite contrasting from the south indian red and spicy fish curry. Goans use kokum in their cuisine , like Kodampuli used in Kerala. I am sure kokum was used in the fish curry, but tamarind is the closest ingredient that I can think of replacing kokum in this curry. I think the texture of the cooked rice  is also important to go well with the fish curry. The rice should be perfectly cooked and not overcooked or under cooked or even sticky.

Ingredients
Fish                                         250g  ( I have used Salmon)
Onion                                      1  (sliced
0Tomato                                  1  (chopped)
Ginger                                     1 inch  (julienned)
Green chillies                         2  (slit)
Cumin                                      1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder                   1/2 tsp
Chilly+coriander powder      1/2 tsp
Coconut milk                          200 ml
Tamarind                                 a small marble size soaked in water
Oil                                             1 1/2 tbsp
Salt
Curry leaves

Method
Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, when it begins to change colour, add the sliced onion, green chillies, ginger and the curry leaves. Stir until the onion is pink and soft.
Add the tomato and stir until it is cooked.
Add the turmeric powder, chilly+coriander powder, salt, stir until a thick masala is formed.
Add half a cup of water and let it boil for a few minutes, to get rid of the raw smell of the masala.
Add the tamarind extract and continue to boil for a couple of minutes.
Reduce the heat and add the coconut milk.
As it begins to boil, add the fish, close the pan and let it cook for about 5 to 10 minutes.
When done garnish with fresh curry leaves and serve with hot rice.

Note:
This is a moderately spiced curry. If desired, increase the level of spice ( chilly, chilly powder) and adjust the amount of tamarind accordingly.
I have used half a tsp of mustard for that south indian touch, which is totally optional.
I don’t know if I have mentioned this in my earlier posts, but I would like mention that Coconut milk is very helpful in curing mouth ulcers. Drink plain coconut milk, slightly rinse in the mouth so that it coats the ulcers and drink the milk. It gives instant relief.

Foccassia

As said, here comes another bread recipe, one  that was long over due and proved it was worth waiting all the time. Of all the beautiful cakes one can get obsessed with, from this lovely site, it was the Foccassia that caught my attention. This italian delicacy may not be our daily bread, but the rich aromatic concoction of herbs, garlic and cheese, hits every cell in the taste bud and does not fail to surprise us in terms of taste and flavour. I have adapted the toppings, just enough to cover the bread in my small baking pan. My first try, yet I would say the best.

Ingredients 
Flour                                  3 cups
Olive oil                             1/4 cup
Dry yeast                           2 1/4 tsp
Sugar                                  1 tsp
Warm water                      1 1/2 cup
Salt                                     2 tsp

For the cheese topping
Mozzarella                        1/2 cup
Cream                                100ml
Egg                                     1
Dried Mixed herbs           2 tsp ( oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary)
Thyme                                1/2 tsp
Red chilly spice mix         1 1/2 tsp (crushed pepper, garlic,dried tomatoes,parsley, dried mushrooms, celery)
Pepper powder                 1/2tsp
Garlic clove                       1 (big)

Method
Sprinkle yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup of water and leave it to rise for about 10 minutes.
Add salt to the flour and mix well.
Add the oil and the yeast to the flour.
Add the remaining water and mix to form a dough.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes, transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and leave it to rise for an hour.
Gently punch down the dough, knead lightly, transfer to the baking pan and stretch it to fit into the bottom of the pan.
Dock the dough all over with a fork, Cover with an oiled plastic wrap and leave it rise for 30 minutes.
When the final rise is finished, pour the prepared topping and bake for 15minutes at 400*F/200*c, then reduce to 375*F/180*c and bake for 15 - 20minutes.

For the topping
Beat the cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the herbs and the crushed garlic. Add the egg and beat on low speed followed by cream, add the pepper powder, mix.

Note:
Water used for the bread varies. Adjust according to need. I used a little more than 1 1/2 cup, while the original recipe calls for only 1 1/4 cup of water.
The original recipe toppings includes goat cheese as well.

Gulab Jamun

There are  many ways to prepare Gulab Jamun, using milk powder, milk khova, milk or just by buying a ready mix that is  available in market and if there’s no time for all this, the best thing to do, is to drive to a sweet shop and satiate the craving, hassle free. I chose the long process of making using milk, the basic method, because of two reasons, one, I had time, second I wanted only a small number of gulab jamuns,  to avoid eating a large quantity of this sweet treat, which I always do,  if I make it using ready mix. I made mini gulab jamuns, giving the satisfaction of eating more in number but, less in quantity and when you share with two other people the count still goes down, not a good feeling especially when it is gulab jamun. Well, less is always good.

Ingredients
Milk                  500 ml
Flour                 1/2 tsp
Sugar                 3/4 cup
Water                1/2 cup
Rose essence     2 drops
Cardamom        1

Method
Take the milk in a heavy bottomed pan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let it boil, stirring now and then.
When the milk is reduced to 1/4 th of its original quantity,  ( it will take about 30 to 40 minutes) stir well until the milk leaves the sides of the pan and comes together. This is called khova.
Remove from heat, add the flour and knead to a soft dough. Make small balls and set aside.
Combine sugar and water in a pan and on medium heat, boil the mixture until the sugar dissolves and makes a sticky syrup ( The syrup when touched between two fingers should be sticky).
Turn of the heat, add the rose essence and the crushed cardamom to the syrup.
Heat some oil in a pan and fry the balls on low heat until golden brown or little darker as desired.
Drop the fried Jamuns straight from the frying pan into the sugar syrup.
Leave it to soak in the sugar syrup for a few hours.
Can serve these cold with a scoop of ice cream.

Note:
The given quantity makes about 8 to 10 small gulab jamuns.
The amount of flour added depends on the consistency of the milk khova, if the milk khova is a little thin it may consume more maida, the khova I made was dry, so I used only 1/4 tsp of flour, so adjust accordingly.
Add the flour as little as possible otherwise the jamuns will be hard and chewy.
If it is sticky use the sugar syrup or a little oil to make smooth balls, but don’t add flour, the mixture should be slightly sticky.
Never press too hard while making the balls, do it gently.
Always fry on low heat, otherwise outside will be brown but the inside will not be cooked.
As there was some syrup left over from the first time, I made another batch of jamuns and used it. So reduce the amount of sugar for the syrup or you can use it make sweet maida chips.

Vanilla Mousse Cake

The thought that was haunting me for a while, ever since I had that gorgeous piece of cake in Germany, finally took its shape in my kitchen, though not to a hundred percent, it was about 75%  close to the one I had. The best part is, it is eggless and delicious, the only drawback in the process was, with the combination of summer heat and my impatience the vanilla mousse started to melt during the photo shoot. The rest of the cake was given a good 12 hours to chill and it was perfect for a good decadent bite.
Adapted from Nita Mehta.

Vanilla cake
Ingredients
Condensed Milk        200 g (1/2 can)
Milk                            100 ml
Butter                         80 g
Sugar                          2 tbsp (powdered)
Flour                          125 g
Soda bi carb               3/4tsp
Baking powder          3/4tsp
Vanilla                        1tsp
Walnuts and black cherry preserve for garnish

Method
Whisk flour, soda bi carb and baking powder .
In a bow, combine sugar and butter, add condensed milk and beat well.
Add the milk and vanilla, beat to mix well.
Add in the flour mixture gradually, beating  on low speed until smooth and light.
Transfer to a greased and dusted baking tin and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes at 160*c/325*F.

Vanilla mousse
Gelatin                          4 tsp
Condensed milk           1/2 can
Cream                            300 g
Vanilla                           1tsp
Water                            100 ml

Method
Sprinkle gelatin over the water in a small bowl.
Combine vanilla and the condensed milk and mix well.
Whip the cream and set aside.
On low heat stir the gelatin until it is dissolved. Add this to the beaten condensed milk+vanilla mixture.
Fold in the whipped cream.

Cut the cake into two, pour the mousse on the bottom layer of the cake and chill until set. When it is almost set place the other half of the cake on the mousse and let it set for a few more hours.
When done garnish with nuts on the sides( apply a little sugar syrup on the sides ) and top it with any fruit preserve. I have used black cherry preserve.