The day I heard McDonald’s came to India, I wanted to instantly take a trip downtown. Not because I can’t live without the dreaded Mc Mac, but because I knew what happens to international food chains in India. They automatically take on the Desi avatar on landing! One look at the menu on the wall, and I knew why the place was filled not with just college-going-trying-to-ape-the-west-as-best-as-possible youngsters, but also the timid looking grandma prying open her sandwich.

Hubby Dear and me have made a Friday-night ritual of sorts that we try to follow as close as possible. It has to do with a lot of lounging on the couch in front of the big screen TV, gorging on the best of junk food. Before you go on to tell me how bad (read: comforting!!) a weekly intake of junk food can be for me, let me clarify.

Our menus certainly include the usual burgers, pizza and wings, as well as the much adored quesadillas, tacos, shawarma, and spanokopitas, to name a few. The only difference though, is that nothing is as it sounds. Our pizzas are loaded with the trendiest of toppings ranging from panner tikka, grilled veggies and the occasional tandoori chicken slices. Our quesadillas and tacos lack in cheesiness, but gear up in heat. And our burgers, well, let’s just say it would make that saree-clad grannie and her denim-donned teenage grandson, very happy campers!

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Our weekend was a blast. Me and hubby spent a good part of the day cleaning the house, and a better part of the afternoon in the kitchen together, making our favourite treats. There’s nothing better than spending a cold wintry afternoon in the warmth of your kitchen bumping into each other trying to food more into the pan and less on the floor.

After a successful feat a few weeks ago, Hubby Dear once again decided that we would cook a festive meal together. I held back and we compromised to make ONE dish together, while I would dish out the rest on my own. The reason was quite simple. I can be quite a control freak when it comes to cooking and my kitchen is my space. You’d have to fight me tooth and nail to convince me otherwise.

As I set the menu for the lavish dinner I had planned for later that day, I gave Hubby the liberty to choose what he wished to help with. After refusing about half of his requests, I gave in with one of the entre’s, only because it happened to be one of his all-time favourites.

It took a lot of patience, mainly from me, and tons of cajoling, obviously from him, and a while later, we had a result we would proudly display. Needless to say, Hubby Dear spent the rest of the evening informing guests how he had a huge hand in preparing the dish every time it was complimented. And tons of compliments it certainly got!

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With Diwali just around the corner, it’s no surprise that my little kitchen has been bursting with activity. Though I shy away from entertaining on a large scale on this occasion, I still look forward to the crowding of family and friends around my dinner table. I guess the old saying does hold true in my case that nothing pleases a cook more, than to see the happy faces of those enjoying the food.

Diwali in my home, has always been centered around food. In fact, any occasion I can think of, revolves around us hovering over the stove while Mom dishes out treat after treat. Now that I have my own household to care for, the tradition still continues. Hubby Dear has already declared an open house to his tummy. Friends and family have invited themselves over and requests have been made and duly considered. And I’ve done my part as well, by promising each of them their favourites on the table.

As I while away my time in the kitchen churning up one request to another, I can’t help but take a time out to snuggle in a treat for myself. After all, festivals are for indulging, and who am I to defy tradition. So before I head back to cooking up a storm for this weekend, how about joining me for a cup of coffee and some tasty bites?

Here’s wishing all my readers a Very Happy and Prosperous Diwali!

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Good food is nice. Delicious exotic food is even better. But when you’ve overfed yourself with a variety of scrumptiously rich delicacies, the mind begins to move to a more subtle and simple option. The past few weeks saw us gorging on the best of Indian festive delicacies, and what with Diwali Just around the corner, this trend is sure to continue for the next few days as well. But last night, as we came home after a long day of running errands, just in time for a quick hearty meal, our palates began to repulse at the slightest thought of anything even remotely extravagant.

In most North Indian households, the availability of the three basics - onions, tomatoes and potatoes, along with the most basic of spices cannot be missed. Truly, just with these three, one can can create a pretty hearty meal to feed the whole family. And the choices are never limited. By altering and changing the flavourings and spices, a variety of dishes can be concocted from these basics.

So it’s no surprise that when I look for simplicity, I undoubtedly turn to the basics.

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As I rushed to enter the lobby of my condo this morning after a short trip to the convenience store, it suddenly dawned on me how cold it’s been lately. Just yesterday I could swear that we had to crank up the air-conditioning in order to get a good night’s sleep. And today, BAM! Summer’s disappeared and we are wrapped in warm clothes piercing the cold winds.

It’s no surprise that when it’s cold out, you want to come home to warmth and comfort. And what better way to get cozy that with a big pot of curry simmering on the stove. Personally, I love the season of Fall. The warm colours, endless cups of warm frothy coffee, fresh baked pies, and curries. Yes curries!

In my home, it’s a known fact that throughout the months of September and October, you will always find a big pot of rich creamy goodness perched up on my stove-top. Friends know that when they drop by, they will undoubtedly be served rice topped with ladlels of curry glory. Indeed, there is something very soothing about digging into a bowl of rich, spicy gooeyness.

I love playing with the many flavours available and sometimes even surprise myself by trying out something so unconventional that ends up tasting as one of my best creations ever. This dish was one with similar tale to tell. And as I go in for a second helping, I wonder how come I didn’t think of it before.

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Even great cooks don’t eat it all, sometimes! I am a very picky eater. Yes, strange as it may seem to you, it’s true. Up until a while ago, I wasn’t even adventurous with my palate. I would stick to flavours I understood and forgo the rest. Part of my reasoning on whether or not I would enjoy a dish, came from how it looked.

Being born and bred in the Arabian Gulf, everyone simply assumes I am the Guru when it comes to Mid-Eastern fare. But, in fact, I’ve only had hummus (and can now gulp down bowls of it!) for about 2-3 years now. In Canada. Yes, strange again, I know, but also true! You see, when we were growing up, hummus was almost a weekly guest at our table. My parents and siblings loved it, and relished every mouthful. I, on the other hand, thought it to be gooey (my husband would scorn with gooey not being a word!), and hence, never dared to give it a try.

But since being with Hubby Dear, the adventurous soul that he is, I’ve begun to mellow down a lot. It was with him that I took my first scoop of hummus, and decided, that though being gooey, I quite liked it. In fact, now it very easily makes it”s way into my kitchen every week!

Ever since I’ve started this blog, I’ve begun cooking things that I normally wouldn’t. I now see my weekly grocery trips as a chance for me to explore and learn. I pick up veggies that I would run away from and try and create new ways of enjoying it.

When we were growing up, spinach was one such vegetable that I would often hide from. I would cry and cry until my Mom got tired enough to allow me to leave it aside. Then I moved to India and was introduced to a dish I can swear by. Till today, it’s one of the few ways I would eat spinach without a gun on my head.

So today, as I was scanning my fridge, thinking of what to make for dinner, my eyes set upon the lonely bunch of spinach lying there, bought only a few days ago. I decided to tackle it head on. And what do you know, the rest as they say, is history!

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We cramped the whole of summer into the past long weekend. After a cancellation of our camping plans, due to the bad weather that poured on us, we decided to make the most of whatever enthusiasm was left. We took to the city and visited the sights, slept in and went out for a lavish brunch, walked by the lake, read a book in a cafe and took pleasant afternoon naps. And as Tuesday sprung, trying hard to get back into the weekly groove, it suddenly dawned on me that the weekend marked the end of summer.

As a child, the first day of school always marked a drastic end to a wonderfully joyous summer. Suddenly, our trips to the park were cut short because of pending homework that was to be done. Barbeque parties came to an abrupt end since most parents had to shuffle their kids between weekend extra-curricular activities. And the first of all, we had to get yo bed early on Sunday nights and wake up at the break of dawn on Monday mornings.

But as the sun slowly hide behind heavy clouds and the rains became more frequent, I always looked forward to something even better. Rainy day food. Comfort food. Food I can come home to from the cold, wet outdoors, that would instantly bring out the warmth in me and perk me up. Tpday, lounging on my favourite chair with a great book and bowl of warm melt-in-your-mouth goodness, I look out the window and bid a sad farewell to summer. Only to follow it with a warm welcome to my most favourite season of all. The Fall.

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Beat the Heat

Just when I was done sulking about the rains that swept my weekend picnic plans away, out comes the Sun and makes me run to the nearest shelter!

The sweltering heat and the unwelcome humidity has led us wanting to shed skin and drown in a cold pool somewhere. but horror of horrors, neither am I an amphibian, nor am I able to grow new epidermal layers! So the only choice we have is to fight it, fight it with that we have. And what is it I have, that you ask? I’m glad you did! It’s none other than the star of every show around here. Yes dears, it’s spicy, and it’s a definite killer of the heat waves!

I really have no idea why, but just as it gets real hot outside, I begin to crave more and more heat in my food as well. They say, heat kills heat, and I’m a firm believer of that!

Making something spicy enough was the easy task. Deciding what it was that was going to take on the avatar, was the test. I picked up a batch of lovely fresh mushrooms over the weekend, and was pondering on what I could do with t. I’ve always loved mushrooms. But getting Hubby Dear to enjoy it even half as much as I do, always challenged me. We are one of those couple who go out for pizza and say, ‘mushrooms on one half, NO mushrooms on the other’! So even though I somehow accepted that Hubby Dear might not be thrilled with the idea of coming home to a plate of mushrooms for dinner, I was determined to make him beg for more!

Long story short, we can now both enjoy mushrooms over glasses of chilled water! I guess sharing a mushroom pizza would have to wait a while!

SPICY PEPPER MUSHROOMS

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Prep time: 10 min, Cooking time: 10 min | Serves: 2      

2 cups mushrooms, sliced 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped 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 tsp black pepper salt, to taste 1 tbsp light cooking oil 1 tsp pur sesame oil 2 tbsp cooking oil

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

ADD mushrooms, and stir-fry till they begin to cook and lose moisture.

ADD salt, pepper, and soya sauce and cook for a minute.

GARNISH with chopped green onions and serve along-side fried rice or noodles.

A Culinary Journey to West Bengal, India

During my college years, when I was in Bangalore, I spent sometime living with a very close friend of mine. She, being a Bengali, and being how Bengalis are about their culture, food and language, taught me a lot of what I know today about the state of West Bengal. Needless to say, one of the first few words I learnt from her in Bengali, could easily see me through any uninvited mishaps. Yes, like most of us, when asked to learn a language, I too wanted to know the big “bad” words.

Besides its language, West Bengal is widely known for its league of extra-ordinary artists. From admirable writers like Rabindranath Tagore, to talented movie-makers like Satyajit Ray, Bengalis have dominated every field from music, dance, cinema, and not to mention, sports.

With an abundance of culture in its offering, Bengal is not one to be left behind in its food. From their humbly delicious vegetables, to their mouth watering fish dishes, and their sweet tasting desserts, Bengal hosts a treat for any adventurous palate.

As I continue on my Culinary Journey to the whole of the Indian sub-continent, let me take a break in this wonderfully diverse state, to bring to you one of my personal favourites. A melt-in-your-mouth dish of eggplant slices smeared with spicy tangy spices, to tantalize the taste buds.

FRIED EGGPLANT

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Prep time: 10 min, Cooking time: 30 min | Serves: 4 

2-3 medium-sized eggplants 2-3 tbsp light cooking oil 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala 1/4 tsp amchoor powder salt, to taste

CUT eggplant into slices and let soak in cold water for 15-20 minutes. Pat dry and set aside.

MIX all dry spices, including salt, to form a spice mix.

HEAT oil in a pan and place eggplant slices without overlapping with each other.

LET eggplant fry on one side for 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat. Flip once, sprinkle each slice with spice mix, and let it cook on the other side.

FLIP slices once more, sprinkle spice mix and remove onto a plate.

Serve with steamed rice over Dal, with a side of Tomato Chutney, to relish a simple, yet wholesome Bengali meal.

Perfectly Simple

Most days, by the time I get home in the evenings, I am strved and craving for warm home-cooked meal. And most often than not, I am too tired to dish out something wholesome.

Since hubby dear has been out of town since the past two weeks, I’ve found myself spending much less time in my kitchen. The reason being when I’m alone, I couldn’t care much about how, when and even if I eat. I can be just as happy opening up a pack of instant noodles or having a grilled cheese sandwich.

But last night, after many days of eating left-over and processed foods, I was craving for a good home-cooked meal. Something wholesome, fulfilling and delicious. And not to mention, quick! Oh yes, it just had to be quick. I was tired and hungry. And no one messes with me when either the one. Not even Mr. Time!

As I set a pot of my favourite Dal to cook alongside some steaming rice, I thought of making a real quick side. No guesses as to what it would be made of. I walked into my pantry and found them - a nice big bowl of red baby potatoes!

Potatoes are one of the staples of the classic Indian meal. It is also the most versatile and beautiful vegetables I know. I let a batch of them boil just till tender and the stage was then set for a wonderfully delicious and fulfilling dinners!

SUKHE ALU
SAUTEED POTATOES

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Prep time: 20 min, Cooking time: 10 min | Serves: 2  

8-10 red baby potatoes, boiled and peeled 2-3 dried red chillies 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp aniseeds

1/2 tsp red chili powder 1/4 tsp turmeric powder salt, to taste 1 tbsp light cooking oil

CUT boiled potatoes into quarters and set aside.

HEAT oil in a pan and add dried red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and aniseeds, and fry till they start to sizzle.

ADD in red chili powder and potatoes, and stri-fry till spices mix well with potatoes.

ADD salt and cover cook for five minutes.

SERVE warm as a side with Dal, and rice or Rotis.