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Monday, May 19, 2014

Traditional Lunch Series Day 1 Vengaya sambar Vendakkai curry Potato Roast

For the next few days - we are going to be having traditional Tambram food for lunch. When its just me, I usually make one-pot meals which have a fair balance of carbs, proteins and loads of vegetables. Now that I have company for the next couple of weeks, proper lunch it is!

Im just doing this for fun to chronicle how many such traditional (read non-fusion) recipes I can cook :) Anyway it is also a great way to share authentic (almost) recipes from my heritage with anyone who may be interested.

All items are accompanied by rice / broken wheat and with lots of yogurt to end the meal and serve 3-4 people

Day One - Sunday

Menu

Vengaya Sambar
Potato Roast
Vendakai Curry
Special add on: Fried vadam

Recipe for Vengaya Sambar (Onion sambar)

Ingredients
3/4 cup tur dal (pressure cooked with pinch of hing and mashed)
5 medium sized onions, peeled & quartered
2 tsp oil
fat pinch asafoetida
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 dried red chilli broken
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp ready tamarind paste or 1 large lemon sized ball soaked in water and extracted
3 tsp sambar powder
1 tsp salt or to taste

Directions

1. In a heavy pan, heat the oil. Temper with asafoetida, fenugreek, mustard, curry leaves, dried chilli and saute for a few seconds.
2. Add the quartered onions, turmeric, pinch of salt, saute on medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add a glass of water, cover and cook till onions are soft.
4. In a bowl, make a slurry with sambar powder, tamarind paste and 1/2 cup water.
5. Add this slurry to the softened onions, bring to a simmer.
6. Next add the mashed dal, salt, bring to a simmer.
7. Check for salt and sourness, adjust and bring to a simmer again.

Remove from flame and keep covered until ready to serve with rice.

Notes
This tastes better after 1-2 hours of making it, as the flavours improve with time.
You can use chinna vengayam (Madras onions / Shallots) instead of regular onions.
I will share with you the recipe for homemade sambar powder in a later post, you can use MTR sambar powder instead.

Recipe for Potato Roast

Ingredients
5 medium potoes, boiled, skinned and cubed
2 tbsp oil

For the dry marinade:
1 tbsp fine rice flour
1/4-1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder

Tempering ingredients:
fat pinch asafoetida
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Bengal gram dal (chana dal)
1 tsp udad dal
2 sprigs curry leaves

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander for garnish

Directions

1. Sprinkle the ingredients for the dry marinade on the boiled potato cubes, coat using light hands and keep aside for 15 min - half hour.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add all the tempering ingredients, stir around till the dals turn golden.
3. Add the spiced potato cubes, toss well to coat with whole spices. Let the potato brown on a low flame. For this it is necessary that you dont keep tossing them around, keep them on a low flame and turn around after 10 minutes, to brown the other sides.
4. Once ready, garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Notes
The udad dal, bengal gram, fennel seeds and curry leaves are not added in a typical Iyer style roast, I have incorporated some Chettinad flavours in this. So you can avoid them to make a simpler roast.

Recipe for Vendakkai Curry (Dry okra / ladys finger / bhindi saute)

A curry in Tamil Brahmin cuisine is a dry sauteed preparation, not involving any gravy. Most curries are prepared in the similar manner using a variety of vegetables.

Ingredients

2 cups thickly sliced okra
(Preparation: Wash okra well, wipe completely dry, top, tail and slice with a dry knife)
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 broken dried red chillies
1 tsp udad dal
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt

Directions
In a wok, heat oil. Splutter the mustard seeds, fry the red chillies and saute the udad dal till golden. Add in the sliced okra, tumeric and salt and saute on medium flame off and on for 7-8 minutes till okra is cooked yet lightly crunchy.
Do not cover while cooking.

Serve with rice and rasam / sambar / mor kozhambu.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

2010 Food Wine Classic in Aspen Top Ten Highlights Parts 1 5

Choosing just ten highlights from Food & Wine Classic in Aspen is no easy task. Unless youve attended this event before, or been lucky enough to cover it, its hard to fathom the variety of foods, wines, spirits, and culinary personalities youll experience.

Having said that, heres part one of my top ten most memorable experiences. The final five highlights will be posted tomorrow. Enjoy!

The Voltaggio Brothers and the BLT - Past, Present, Future

Aspen

Liquid nitrogen has become as ubiquitous on Top Chef as sleeve tattoos, so it was no surprise that last years winner, Michael Voltaggio, used it to help create this unusual offering for the Food & Wine Classics opening reception at the St. Regis.

Paired at the same table with his reserved, but no less talented brother, Bryan, their menu was billed as BLT - Past, Present, Future. Bryans version was delicious, albeit relatively traditional; crisp pork belly roulade, thin slice of tomato gelee, garlic scape mayo and baby greens, served on a soft bun. This bite clearly had the longest line waiting to try it, which once again proves my theory that, well, you know, bacon.

Aspen

I assume this was the "past, present" part of the program, because as I moved towards his little brothers side of the station, it was clear wed been transported into the future. Inside the clear shot glass was a tomato "gumdrop" on a stick, topped with bacon "dippin dots," and micro greens.

This isnt food you eat, its food you experience, and what an experience it was. Impossibly cold, the smoky spheres stuck to the sticky cube of sweet tomato jell, and together they melted on the palate in perfect harmony.

Jose Andres Pork Communion

Aspen

Imagine a pig roast set-up alongside a gorgeous mountain stream. Picture a whos who of star chefs sipping the finest Spanish wines alongside the biggest names in food publishing, press, and public relations, as thin wisps of sweet, pork-scented smoke float by.

Aspen

This was the scene at the annual Wines from Spain barbecue hosted by Jose Andres. As the giddy crowd mingled around platters of chorizo, blood sausage, and savory pig parts from snout to tail (literally), the always jovial Spanish chef performed what can only be described as "pork communion."

Aspen

Using the preamble, "this is the pig of God," he would lovingly place a crispy wafer of mustard-dipped pork skin, or juicy slice of medium-rare skirt steak on someones tongue. Dear God, it was good. Sacrilege you say? More like sacrilicious!

Food & Wines Best New Chefs Dinner

While I enjoy the parties, celebrities, and limitless libations as much as the next reporter, Im in Aspen to cover the food, so for me it doesnt get any better than Food & Wines Best New Chefs

Aspen

Ten of the countrys best and brightest culinary stars are brought together to show off their skills and cutting edge cuisine in a head-to-head battle royal. Im sure these chefs always try to put out great tasting food, but knowing that nine of their peers are pulling out all the stops to be named, "Best New Chef," would certainly raise anyones game.

This years title went to Jonathon Sawyer, chef at the Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland, Ohio. Chef Sawyer (who also won for "best beard") served a fromage blanc raviolini on stewed tomatoes, topped with herbs and crispy crumbs. It was delicious, and perfectly executed.

Aspen

Another standout was an impossibly light, yet strangely satisfying scrambled egg mousse with salmon roe and birch syrup, served by John Shields, chef at Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia. I admitted to the chef that this one had me worried when I read it on the menu, but it was stellar. I never get tired of being wrong.

Aspen

Street food legend, Roy Choi, mastermind of the famously successful Kogi BBQ trucks in Los Angeles, offered up a "chego" meatball, served with polenta, sesame, cilantro, peppers, glazed with a sweet and spicy sauce. Apparently "chego" is a Korean exclamation meaning something to the effect of, "Holy [expletive deleted], thats unbelievably delicious!" If it doesnt, it should, because it was.

Kudos to all ten of the Best New Chefs for an amazing evening of edible improvisation. If youd like to see all ten dishes, check out this captioned photo gallery.

The Thomas Keller Preservation Society

Aspen

Arguably Americas top chef, Thomas Keller is known for creating some of the most beautiful, forward-thinking, innovative food in the country. So Ill admit to being just a little bit disappointed to find out his demo in Aspen was called, Worlds Best Preserves. When I think preserves, I picture dusty mason jars in the back of a cupboard.

Having said that, if the demo was titled, "Thomas Keller Reads from the Aspen Yellow Pages," Id have still been the first one in line. In fact, to give you a better idea, I missed an event called "Fat is Phat" to see him. As it turns out, not only wasnt I disappointed, I was completely enthralled.

Aspen

Charming, witty, and sternly professorial all at the same time, this "chefs chef" took the audience through three easy-to-make, multi-functional preserves. We learned how to do cured lemons, mushroom conserva, and olive tapenade, all of which were from his critically acclaimed Ad Hoc at Home cookbook.

In addition to learning how to make the preserves, Chef Keller offered lots of ideas on how to use these "life savers," as he calls them. It was a fun, informative lecture, and Ill be posting recipes from it soon, so stay tuned!

Tim Love Love

Aspen

If I had to choose just one chef from the impressive collection in Aspen to drive cross-country with, it would be Tim Love. And thats before I saw his epic High Steaks Grilling demo. This is a man who knows how to have a good time, as well as grill a damn fine steak.

Aspen

Ive been to many educational cooking lessons, and Ive been to many entertaining cooking lessons, but very rare is the occasion where both meld into one perfectly pleasurable presentation. This was maybe the single most enjoyable cooking demo Ive every attended.

In additional to being hilarious, and laser-fast with the one-liners, Love is a natural born teacher with a ton of great grilling knowledge. He had the large audience in the palm of his hand from the moment he poured his first glass of white wine, which by the way, is what he suggests you drink while you grill.

Aspen

Next week Ill be doing an in-depth grilling tips and tricks post with all the information I collected. I think youll be very surprised at some of Loves somewhat controversial theories and practices. Ill also be posting a short, but priceless video clip of something called "oil shot roulette." In anticipation, you can read this blog post I did at last years Classic for a little tease.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the final five highlights from the 2010 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Duck Confit Part 1 Prep and Roast

Duck Confit is one of the World’s great culinary experiences. “Confit” is an ancient French technique of cooking and preserving meat in its own fat. What makes this so irresistible is the combination of the soft, succulent, fragrant meat encased in the impossibly crispy and crunchy skin.

Traditionally this takes days to make. The duck legs are rubbed with salt and herbs and pressed overnight. Then the legs are covered with gallons of rendered duck fat and slowly roasted for hours. Finally the legs are crisped-up in a hot oven and serve with some type of tangy fruit-based sauce. The two part version you are about to watch is specially designed for the home Chef.

While not exactly the “classic” method, the results are still AMAZING and must be tried!! In part one we prep and slow-roast the legs. They are cooked in a low oven, 225 degrees F., for 2 1/2 hours. After cooling to room temp., they are kept in the frige overnight. Check for part 2 and see this great dish finished.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Cronuts! The Doughnuts That Make People Go Nuts! Part 1 The Dough

I’m assuming that since you’re on a food blog youve probably heard about “cronuts,” but just in case, here’s a quick review.

This croissant/doughnut hybrid was invented by Dominique Ansel at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City. It became an overnight sensation, and now people stand in line for hours just for a chance at getting one of the precious few that are made each day.

Why all the hype? Very simple – it has the shape and flavor of a doughnut, yet features the crispy, flaky texture of a buttery croissant. What’s not to hype? Anyway, after seeing like two dozen new reports on the craze, and receiving a scary number of food wishes for it, I decided to give it a go, if for no other reason than to save a few of my NYC friends the humiliation of being Instagrammed standing in that line.

Since I’ve never tasted a cronut, what follows is purely an educated guess, but I think I got pretty close. Maybe one of you New Yorkers will mail me one, so I know for sure? My game plan was simple. Make a slightly sweet, yeasty, doughnut-esque dough, which I’d then layer with butter, using the classic croissant technique.

It’s a procedure I do all the time, as in once, back in culinary school, thirty years ago. So, instead of going by the book, or even looking in a book, I winged it, and not only that, I streamlined things too. Instead painstakingly pounding out perfectly sized slabs of cold butter, I decided to try simply spreading softened butter instead. I also threw caution to the wind, and pulled off the rare and terrifying “double fold and turn,” and lived to tell the tale.

Like I said in the video, we’ll cover the final results in Part 2, but spoiler alert…these were awesome. I did two different versions, one regular, and one with an extra “fold and turn” which resulted in a taller, and even more impressive cronut. Stay tuned!

Ingredients for 16 Cronuts:

1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1/2 cup warm water (105 degrees F.)

1 teaspoon fine salt

2 rounded tablespoons white sugar (add an extra if you want a sweeter nut)

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pound all-purpose flour, more as needed

6 ounces soft, unsalted, "European-style" butter (12 tablespoons)

Fist steps:

- Combine yeast and warm water, and let sit five minutes.

- Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the flour and the European-style butter, and whisk to combine.

- Add the flour, and knead for about three minutes or until a soft sticky dough ball forms.

- Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

- Roll dough out into roughly a 18 x 9-inch rectangle.

- Proceed with butter as shown!

View the complete recipe

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Terro 1 Ounce Liquid Ant Killer ll

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