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Friday, April 4, 2014

STORY OF VEGETARIAN METE CHA CHADI LIVER FRY

WARNING: THIS IS NOT A VEG DISH
VEGETARIAN METE CHACHADI sounds crazy??

Many years back, in a small gathering at home, I was reading out the simple diner menu.

"To start with you will have vegetarian mete chachaDi, with hot rice and green chili, followed by Dal, fish and then vege Mutton."

There was obvious roars, " Ghosh has gone crazy...what do you mean by vege liver, vege mutton...stupid ..and etc etc."

I continued " Actually in many culture onion and garlic are treated as non-veg, like old traditional Bengali veg dishes, all Kashmiri dishes (including mutton) , Jain dishes are devoid of onion and garlic. Similarly meat from a " Boli-r patha" ( sacrificed animal) during Puja is regarded as Prashad and always cooked without onion and Garlic. I have seen hardcore vege Brahman friends eat this "meat Prashad". So I call these dishes veg meat preparation, " Pyar-se".

So since then we call these dishes ( devoid of Garlic onion) as Veg-Nonveg dishes or Veg Mutton, just for fun only.

THE RECIPE

In a remote place in Orissa where I spent my childhood, meat or liver was not available much. The man would slaughter one goat if he saw enough customer else one had to come next day.

Every body needed a piece of liver, and it used to be very tiny piece for each and sold with mutton. It was so small that you couldnt cook any dish with the liver. There were many people at home who wanted a piece of liver, so it could not be put in the meat curry.

My mother used to chop them into very small pieces and fry them...

It is one of my favorites and often a party dish when liver fans are there

Here it is

CAUTION . This should be tried by foodies who appreciate the typical light aroma of liver in original form, unmasked by the riot of garlic, ginger, onion, spices.

INGREDIENTS

1.Liver 200 gms ( mutton, Lamb, ( Beef can be used) NO CHICKEN LIVER, I dont like it , never used it). You can try with 50 gm also if you are not sure if you would like it.

2. Turmeric 11/2 level tsp

3. green chili 7, or more, ( 3 chili broken into 2 -3 pieces for seasoning, rest for garnishing)

4. Kalo Jeere ( Kala jeera, Kalounji) 1 level tsp

5 Oil 1tbsp to 11/2 tbsp

6 salt to taste

PROCESS

cut the liver into tiny pieces 8 to 12 mm,

Heat Oil in a Kadhai ( I dont use non-stick ones for most Indian dishes).

Add the Kalo jeera and green chili seasoning, keep stirring and when the green chili turns white to very light brown, add the liver.

Add salt and turmeric powder,Keep frying , until the liver changes color ( about 3 minutes).

Add 1/2 cup water

simmer for 7-8 minutes covered. ( Liver is generally cooked in 3-5 minutes and remains soft, any heating beyond 5 minutes makes it stiff, but cooked). Here in this recipe , the liver will be stiff but cooked.)

Remove cover and dry out the water while stirring allow the material to stick to the Kadhai.

IMPORTANT. When sufficient material sticks to the wall, reduce heat put 1 to 2 tbsp water, and scratch out the sticky material in water, and mix with the liver.

Picture below , material sticking to the Kadhai just before adding water

Most stuck material taken out with water and being mixed

Repeat this process 3 times , i.e allow the material to stick 3 times and remove with water and mix 3 times. In Badshahi cooking it is called " BHUNO THRICE" ( fry 3 times) , it can be bhuno twice, 4 times...etc depending upon Chefs whims :-)

( I remember, when I was young, many people who learnt this dish from me would come back and say " I cooked it, was very nice, but nowhere near yours". Obviously it wouldnt have been , because I never told this Bhuno thrice business to them..Looking back I feel sad, I was so mean....but feel bit better when I think that most great Chefs dont share every thing)

Reduce heat , add rest of the green chili and mix

Remove into a dish and eat , straight or with rice

RESCUE OPERATION

After making this, if you find it is just not edible or you dont like it...here is the good news...Proceed as usual from here, ginger garlic paste, onion, tomato , garam masala , diced Potato et al..recover the dish and devour

This is not a part of the dish , it is for you dear foodies

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Scents and Scentsability A Jo Malone Love Story

I was an awkward, dramatic, and outspoken 11-year-old when I started wearing my first fragrance that didnt come from a Barbie box. (You remember those right? The little solid perfumes in round plastic discs, smelling reminiscent of a baby prostitute?) My perfume of choice was then newly released ck one, the unisex "cologne" that launched a million black and white ads featuring unisex looking people and an obsession with all things Calvin Klein, at least in my Houston suburb middle school circa 1996.

When I went off to high school, I then discovered Chanel fragrances, and quickly accumulated a collection that included Chance, Allure, and No. 5. I also quickly lost many friends, citing painful headaches likely induced by the gallons of whore bath I drowned myself in every morning. But I didnt care--it was worth it.

My love of fragrance hasnt slowed down in the past decade. From Ralph Laurens Blue to Kate Walshs Boyfriend to Givenchys Very Irresistible, I simply cant.get.enough. If I were ever on an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive, it would be because I was buried under a pile of perfume samples and body oils and yelling about having "the vapors" or something equally incomprehensible. I dont believe in having a "signature scent," because there are far too many odoriferous (yes, real word) ones to enjoy. Cue Jo Malone, fragrance juggernaut:

The Jo Malone fragrance line has everything you might possibly want in fragrance form: candles, colognes, lotions, body wash, and body oils. And while all the scents are named after various florals (i.e., orange blossom, white lily, and jasmine), they are surprisingly unfloral, thank goodness. I hate floral scents. The end.

I scored some major loot for my first Jo Malone purchase a couple weeks ago, thanks to buddying up to the sales woman at the counter. I bought the candle and the cologne you see above in one of my favorite scents, White Jasmine & Mint, but I also scored these mini samples of cologne in Grapefruit and Lime Basil & Mandarin, just for, ya know, being me prolly:

JK, it was some "spend more than you intended and probably should and well give you this free junk you dont need" deal. You know the kind. I like them enough, but I doubt Id actually buy these scents with money, but free is good.

Can we just talk about the packaging for a sec? I mean, the candle is adorable wrapped in plastic and tied with a bow, but did you see the box above?? Literally wrapped like a present. Just in case a box tied in a bow doesnt ring your bell, the sales woman really impressed me by spraying the tissue paper in the bag with the scent I bought. Zut alors, yall!!!

And because it was the end of her shift on a Friday night and her feet probably hurt and she might have been bored and what does she care cus its not her money anyway, the sales woman also sent me off with half a dozen mini samples of other fragrances. Im basically obsessed with Amber & Lavender and Pomegranate Noir now.

What I dont have a picture of is the sample of body oil she included as well. So if youre keeping track at home, thats:
- a White Jasmine & Mint candle
- a bottle of cologne in White Jasmine & Mint
- two mini bottles of other fragrances
- 6 samples of 6 OTHER scents
- a sample of body oil
I pretty much feel like I robbed the Jo Malone booth. In a good way.

If I were recommending any one item to someone to try for the first time, Id suggest either a fragrance or a lotion. The body oil is nice, but not as moisturizing as you might want it to be. And though I love a good candle, the scent isnt as strong as I want it to be. But like I said, I want to smell like a baby prostitute, so maybe itd be strong enough for you. Or you mom. I mean, hello! Mothers Day is just around the corner. What better way to tell mom you love her than by insinuating she stinks? I mean, am I right???

Any other Jo Malone devotees out there? Which fragrance do you love? And what are you getting your Mom for Mothers Day??