With the temperatures decreasing at a considerably ridiculous rate, I find myself constantly looking for something warm enough to melt my insides. Now these are not one of those simple craving of comfort that could easily be taken care of by a steaming cup of rich hot chocolate or some spiced infused tea. No sir, these longings call for something more that compels me to take the extra tiny step further.

When I think of soups, my mind always seek the ones filled with lots of vegetables and other bites of goodness like dumplings or bits of meat floating in a light flavourful broth. Seldom ever do I desire one that is thick and rich, and made with dashes of cream. Infact, to be honest, I almost never do. You see, for me, soups are best when they come in a clear broth, and that’s eactly always the way I prefer to make them.

I’ve been having a hard time the past few weeks what with being buried in reports and deadlines. With all that finally taken care of and set aside, I was happy to find some quite time in my kitchen on this cold friday evening. With a few hours to spare before Hubby Dear came home, I had enough of time and a lot of energy to make a big pot bubbling with the most fragrant and aromatic flavours that would warm up our home and give me the comfort I so needed.

A few hours later we were nestled on the couch infront of the TV with a big bowl as we slurped and cuddled, of course all warm and cosy together!

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There comes a time a in a girl’s culinary life when she just has to take the plunge. Being the neurotic cook that I am, I am too stubborn to give up on a recipe once I’ve decided to take that plunge.

When I look back at the special meals we shared on festive holidays, one dish that is always fondly remembered is Satay. Satay is a Malaysian version of the kabab. Skewered pieces of meat are marinated in aromatic flavours and grilled to perfection. The highlight of this dish however, is the spicy peanut dipping sauce.

For those of you who know me, also know that I’ll go to pretty much any lenght to duplicate my favourite flavours but at the same time, struggle to create a much easier and simpler version of the recipe in question. Conquering the Satay was one such daunting task. Never having been witness to its cooking process, all I had to help me with were the familiar flavours and a bunch of off-the-web recipes. The taste was still fresh in my mind, the recipes on the other hand, I winced at. Some I thought had wierd ingredients, most others, had those which I had never heard or seen, let alone be able to find around me.

So, as always, I turned to my ever-growing spice cupboard, and most importantly intuition. They say, a woman has a sixth sense when it comes to just knowing things, something of a hunch. I’m happy to note that mine often gives me the answers I seek. Re-creating the Satay was a breeze. What hurt my back though, was the peanut sauce. Until I threw caution to the wind and just followed my instinct. Works every time!

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Let me make a confession. I am not a baker. I am not into baking, nor do I enjoy the tiresome process of folding one part of the batter into the other. Infact, the closest step I take to baking is opening a pre-packaged box of cake mix, breaking an egg or two into it as per the instructions, a spash of water as needed, and popping it into a warm oven.

Except until I decided to throw down my shield and create this. It was simple, quick and easy - not something I can easily relate to with baking. And so today, once more, I thought of doing the unmentioned. I decided to create a recipe that wouldn’t drive me away from the oven, but instead, could be my run-to solution for a quick remedy to those sugar pangs.

For the past one week, I’ve been craving chocolate. Not just any chocolate, but those sinfuly, rich, dark, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth-rest-on-your-hips decadent chocolate cakes. And it didn’t help that all the food magazines I subscribe to (yes, all 10 of them!) were filled with the most drool enhancing photographs of chocolatey holiday treats.

Looking puppy-eyed and battling my eye lids to Hubby didn’t work either. He refused to buy me a 12-inch cake to eat all by myself (locked in a room, gorging on it with my bare hands and having cream all over my face and hands, just like in my most secret chocolate fantasy!). So I had no choice but to experiment, and that I sure did. I studied over a dozen recipes, worked out the necessary ingredients, altered the measurements and of course, simplified the process.

As I sat down and took the first bite of the warm cake, I was taken to a place I had since long yearned to go. I suggest induling in the sin fresh from the oven. The soft chocolate chips in their almost liquified form, gives the cakes a warm gooey goodness. almost to the likes of a molten chocolate interior.

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Whoever invented the ever-so-rich-finger-lickin’-melt-in-your-mouth delicious Butter Chicken, truly did not take my whims and fancies into consideration! Let me explain…

I never enjoyed eating Butter Chicken. Yes, you heard me right, and no, I’m not kidding! Whenever I refuse to order this age-old dish at any restaurant, people didning at my table often look at me like I’m from out of space. But it’s true, I do not enjoy this dish that is considered to be the epitome of the Indian cuisine. Infact, I think it is way too rich to my liking, if I may say so.

Though Hubby Dear has been seen wiping his plate clean of this dish whenever he gets the (good) fortune to dip into it, being the sweetheart that he is, has not once asked me to cook it at home. You see, I hate cooking with cream and/or milk. There’s something about adding cream/milk to my food that makes me look at it with such torment. While I happily add dollops of cream to make my own chocolate desserts, adding it to my actual meal gives me the jitters. So clearly, Butter Chicken, which is as rich as the amount of cream and/or milk added to it, steered clear from my palate.

Until today that is. I woke up this morning with my mind made. I was going to invent a rich Chicken Curry, and cream would be nowhere near the picture!

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I can never stress enough how quick and simple meals are important in my household. Though we love our slow-cooking wonders over the weekends, we often come home during the week with little less than just a craving of good food, with no energy what so ever to deal with it’s creation.

Call me crazy but even scramble eggs can be made to look elegant by me. Yes, I have a sickness. I’m somehow very uncomfortable with the fact of showing off simple food just the way it is. When Hubby Dear comes home each evening to a table laden with the best of flavours on a platter, he often thinks that I’ve slaved over the hot stove for hours. I always smile a cunning smile, because even though my food looks and tastes like it’s been simmering for hours, only my stove knows how long it’s actually been running to bring our dinner from pot to plate.

I always glorify myself in the thought of having made a splendid meal that looks like I’ve spent half my life over. But I know how much I resent having to actually make a slow-cooked meal from scratch! I can’t even remember the last time I made my own stock.

A couple of days ago, when we were having our usual “something different for dinner” mood swing, it only seemed reasonable to make something out of the ordinary. Elegant, yes. Simple, definitely!

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It’s funny how the palette knows of season change even before the mind is ready and willing to accept it. A week ago, I found myself craving for soup. No matter how much I tried talking myself out of it, it only grew stronger. Suddenly visions of warm spicy curry drowned rice began dancing in front of my eyes.

Growing up, I remember coming home to the warm comforting aroma of Mom’s chicken soup simmering on the stove on cold winter evenings. She would throw in a variety of vegetables and serve ladles of it over warm rice. It was a sure shot way to melt away the frozen senses.

The minute I walk in from the wet cold air outside, I can’t help but be overcome with a calmness that’s only characteristic of ambience in my home. As I stroll into my kitchen and look at my stove, as if waiting for some kind of sign for tonight’s dinner, I picture Mom pouring ladles full of warm hearty soup in big bowls around the dining table. That was it then, it had to be done. That was the sign and there would be no ignoring it. We were having soup, that would be hearty enough to double up as curry. I set out my ingredients and got to work.

A couple of minutes later as Hubby Dear walked in through the door, he was greeted with a warm aroma floating in the air. And I couldn’t help but notice the smirk on his face when he walked into the kitchen and saw a big pot of hearty goodness simmering on the stove.

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Pantry Essentials

It’s been hot, and I think I’m melting! I could’ve sworn I was an inch taller just two weeks ago!!Thank goodness for the rain Gods, it’s been much cooler the past two days. At last, I can actually enter my beloved kitchen, without getting cooked myself. Although I enjoy making elaborate meals and spending precious time creating culinary art, there are times when I just want to come home and not take more than a few minutes to whip up a delicious yet wholesome meal.

It is often at such times when i find retreat in my always over-stocked pantry. I love my pantry, and I sincerely believe that if I happen to have an unexpected emergency at hand, I’ll most probably be very well prepared to cook up a meal for 10 people using just the contents from it. I always make sure my shelves are well stocked with a variety of pasta, flour, canned beans, sauces and quick eats.

I always loved grocery shopping, which only added to my pantry stock. I love the feeling of losing myself in the aisles with the variety of oils, sauces and international fares. Learning to grocery shop the right way is an acquired art. It takes brain power and perfect precision, to buy things in just the right amount to stock a pantry. There were times when I would find myself staring at 5 cans of tuna, each with an expiry daye well passed.

It took time, and a lot of practice, but I learnt. I now have a perfect pantry to help me build my meals each day. And at times like tonight, when all I want is a quick fix and hours in front of the TV, my pantry is what I can count on!

SPAGETTI WITH MEAT SAUCE

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Prep time: 10 min, Cooking time: 20 min | Serves: 4     

2 handfuls of spagetti, boiled according to boxed instruction 1 pound ground meat (I used chicken) 2 cups pasta sauce 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped handful of basil leaves, cut into ribbons 1 tbsp olive oil salt, to taste a pinch of dried oregano a pinch of dried parsley

SAUTE ground meat with chopped garlic and onions in hot oil till browned. 

SEASON with salt, parsley and oregano, and add sauce. Cook for 3-5 minutes till it comes to a slight boil, and add basil leaves.

STIR in spagetti and serve warm with a side of fresh baked garlic bread.

It was a Sunday…

… not like any Sunday!

We were tired (from a really late Saturday night), a bit lethargic, and the pouring rain outside didn’t help liven up our spirits.

While Hubby Dear and me love to keep our Sundays free of any commitments, there are times when we wished we were doing something adventurous, really adventurous. Even if it concerns our palates.

I’ve always talked about my love and appreciation for Indo-Chinese fision cuisine, so much so that even dear Barbara decided to name a slightly influenced creation of hers after me. While we craved for the spicy goodness that it offers on this rainy droopy day, we were in no mood to drive through the bad weather to get a bite. No matter how strong a craving, I always feel that there must be a solution to it. And on this day, I found it in my kitchen.

Not one to be let down by the weather, I decided to brave the challenge and attempt to create my very own versions of our favourite Indo-Chinese spicy fare. Aah, I could already taste the flavours. Simple enough, I thought. And boy was I right! Don’t believe me? Well then, you’ll just have to try it out then!

CHILLI CHICKEN

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Prep time: 10 min, Cooking time: 15 min | Serves: 4    

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 medium-sized onion, sliced thin 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped 2 tbsp green onion, chopped 2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp corn starch mixed with 3 tbsp water salt, to taste 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper 1/2 tsp red chili powder 1 cup water 2 tbsp cooking oil

HEAT oil in a non-stick pan and saute chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic till fragrant. Add chopped onions and fry till lightly brown.

ADD chicken pieces, and stir-fry till chicken gets cooked.

ADD salt, pepper, chili powder and soya sauce and cook for a minute. Add water and allow to come to a boil.

ADD corn starch mixture and stir till sauce thickens. Cover cook for 2-3 minutes, and garnish with chopped green onions.

Serve over warm steaned rice. Need to warn you though, eat with caution, for this can be very, very spicy!

Hopping on the Bar-B’!

No matter how much it rains day in and day out, I can’t help but smile that we are still enjoying some pleasantly warm weather. Living in a city where it snows and is extremely, unbearably cold almost half of the year, one can’t help but smile when there is no “white” in sight!

Ever since hubby dear invested on a great BBQ grill last fall, we have been basking in its glory. I can’t even begin to count how many times we’ve gotten outside and enjoyed our dinners fresh off the grill. He even treated me to a lovely BBQ surprise B’day last month, which was just perfect.

While most times we love having friends and family over for deliciously grilled dinners, we love to indulge ourselves with some quality “together-time”, just the two of us, by the fire. We’ve had some yummy taco/fajita nites, evenings filled with kababs and spicy tikkas, and even the not-so-usual-but-surprisingly-delicious grilled pitas with hummus! But one of our personal favourites just has to be our big burger nights. Delicoiusly thick and juicy lamb burgers, sandwiched between toasted buns and topped with your choice of veggies. Sounds goo? Then what are you waiting for? Hop on and let’s get grillin’!!

SPICY LAMB BURGERS

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Prep time: 20 min, Cooking time: 20 min | Makes: 6-8 medium-sized burgers    

1 lb lean ground lamb (could easily be substituted with chicken or beef) 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped

salt, to taste 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/4 tsp garam masala 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp light cooking oil 1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup bread crumbs

MIX all ingredients in a large bowl to incorporate well.

FORM into patties and grill till done on both sides.

RECIPE NOTES: To grill in an indoor oven, heat oven to 375 degrees and grill for 20-25 minutes till done, turning once in between.

Enoy over toasted buns, topped with your favourite choice of toppings!

My Dad has always cribbed about our long-distance phone bills. The main cause of which  was the exchange of recipes between Mom and me. Ever since I left home, Mom and I have had many a conversations around food. There would be times when the sole purpose of my call would be to find the ingredients to go into one of my favourite dishes.

Even though I’ve mastered my own art of cooking, I would take Mom’s home-cooked meals any day. With the “10 things I miss most about Mom’s cooking” meme doing the rounds, how was I to stay away from it. In no particular order, a few things I miss most about Mom’s cooking.

1. Her nonchalant way of adding spices to flavour a dish - no measurements, just instinct that never goes wrong.
2. Her “Hurry Mom, I’m starving!!” specials - a few things into a pan and a couple of minutes later, lip-smacking goodness!
3. Shortcuts/Solutions - she always has a solution to troubleshoot any culinary disaster, even for custard that would not firm up after a whole day in the fridge! (made by yours truly, ofcourse!)
4. Biryani - no doubt whatsoever, this is the BEST you can get!
5. Her baked goods - I’ve never been into baking, but loved watching Mom make her special cakes. And to top it off, she would always leave a little extra batter for me to lick afterwards.
6. Hot cures for cold days - Mom has a knack of making delicious soup out of annything available in the kitchen. No matter what she added, it would drive away all the sniffles.
7. Fish - I’d eat any kind of fish that Mom makes, any kind at all. And that’s the only way I’ll eat fish - if she cooks it!
8. The way she effortlessly cooks and entertains for over 50 people.
9. The crisp evening snacks I would devour over fresh coffee.
10. Her spic and span and highly organized kitchen!

After this lovely walk down memory lane, I’d like to leave you with a little something. One of the fastest and fulfilling meals my Mom would make for me was Fried rice. Whenever we get together nowadays, we spend hours on end talking. The hours would wheez by and late into the night, we would get hungry. Fried rice is something we always come back to during times like these. It’s simple, splendid and hard to resist!

Egg-Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked plain rice 1 cup mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen) 2 eggs, beaten 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tbsp soya sauce 1 tbsp honey-garlic sauce

1 chicken buillion cube  1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 1/4 tsp red chili powder 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper salt, to taste 2 tbsp cooking oil chopped spring onion for garnish

Method:

1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry onions till transparent.
2. Add vegetables, bullion cube, salt, pepper and chili powder and fry till all the water from the vegetables evaporate.
3. Add rice and mix well. Splash soya sauce and honey-garlic sauce, and stir-fry rice till everything is mixed well.
4. Pour beaten eggs and mix well, stirring constantly till eggs cook through and blend with rice.
5. Garnish with spring onions and serve warm.