Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

Some things in life are simple. 1+1=2, beach + margarita = holiday and cinnamon + sugar = awesomeness! When I chanced upon this recipe, I was skeptical. The ingredient list was small. The process was easy. And the final product seemed very basic. But the more I kept thinking about the muffin that’s going to be coated with cinnamon sugar, the more I wanted to make it. The story goes back a couple of years – in a mall in Bangkok. (It’s nothing like the Hangover II, so get your mind out of the gutter!). Now BKK is a shopper’s paradise. I landed and checked myself into a hotel which was bang opposite one their biggest malls – yes, I had my priorities in order! The city is hot as hell, so it’s very thoughtful of the government to connect malls to other malls via air-conditioned pathways. The end result being, you feel you are in the biggest mall on the planet!

My daily routine consisted of getting up early, grabbing a quick brekkie at the hotel café and waiting till the mall opened at 10 AM. As soon as the first store opened it’s shutters, I was in shopping mode! Like a ninja on a mission, I went from store to store and floor to floor – looking, comparing, bargaining and buying. The only break I took was a loo break and a lunch break. Ok, so I’m crazy! Luggiing my loot around (I used a big suitcase with wheels :P), I finally saw it. A pretty little bakery done up in pink and dark brown – like candy and chocolate. I was inexplicably drawn towards it - I completely empathize with Hansel and Gretel! There were rows and rows of all the goodies you could imagine – doughnuts, layer cakes, cupcakes, pastries, tarts, truffles and I could go on! I put as many things I could on the tray along with a sugar bun that also made its way there. I sat down to enjoy my sugar coma inducing meal. And you know what the surprise package was?  – The tiny little perfect sugar coated butter bun! I have dreams about it some days (no kidding!).

So the climax is simple. The sugar coated muffin = my substitute for the sugar coated bun. And I’m currently patting my stomach with a Looney smile plastered across my face. Enough said.

Hassleback Potatoes with Garlic and Sour Cream

Featured in Tastespotting.com on 12th Oct 2012

I’ll admit the only reason I made this is because it looks so cool. Like an armadillo or a fat fan or an accordion. A restaurant in Stockholm invented these and hence they took on the moniker of the restaurant. (The restaurant was called Hasslebacken!). I like fancy looking food, but I don’t really have the patience to make it look fancy. That’s why I’m always envious of pastry chefs. How many hours of practice and restraint does rolling out a perfect sugared rose take?! When you look at a hassleback potato you’re thinking it involves a fair bit of work. Well, it involves some work, but nothing more than slicing and stuffing. On a day when the whole of Bangalore was cooped indoors because of the bandh – I figured I might as well give it a go. The final product is a potato that is crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. Almost like soft crisps. (Oxymoron, I know!). Also since it’s mostly served with Sour Cream, you’ll be safe no matter how it turns out!

P.S. Yes, I’m exactly like Monica Geller in this situation – I will be friends with the foreign student if it means I get to eat sour cream everyday! (The last line is for those fools who used the TV show friends as role model behavior for most of the 90’s and 00’s – that fool includes me!)

Singapore Black Pepper Prawns

Singapore’s most famous dish is undoubtedly the Chili Crab and the Black Pepper Prawns. When you walk down Clark Quay or Boat Quay you will find innumerable restaurants and street café’s serving up these super fiery dishes. The Chili crab is generally made with huge Sri Lankan crabs. If you put both your palms together, the crab will probably be larger than that! I’ve spent quite a bit of money on many many nights in Singapore digging into these critters! Another one of my favorites is the Black Pepper Prawns – buttery, peppery, hot awesomeness! They generally use Tiger Prawns for this with the tails (and sometimes the head on.) You yank the head off and start slurping down the sauce and the prawn meat, then finish by digging out whatever else in left in the tail. At the end of the night you have steam coming out of your ears and are sticking your tongue out and downing litres of beer but you can’t stop smiling, because it was so awesome! So here’s my little imitation black pepper prawns. I used medium prawns with the head and tail off. I cooked them skewered on a bamboo stick. This way it makes for an excellent appetizer or cocktail snack. Don’t expect your guests to behave themselves and eat just one skewer… they are irresistible!

Paneer Butter Masala

Growing up in a South Indian household, Paneer was as exotic a dish to us as Polenta. Tandoor on M.G. Road was one of the first places I had a Paneer Makhni. Dada took us there with his business partner and family, when I was in junior school. The setting was formal and royal (ok, the waiters were dressed up in a turban!) and I was in awe of all the golden chandeliers. And there I tasted it…rich and creamy and tomatoey and cheesy. I was hooked…have been ever since. After that, it was something I religiously ordered whenever we dined out in a ‘North Indian restaurant’. (Ok, I still do!) The dish of course has moved from being exotic to completely local, with every Darshini across the corner serving ‘Paneer Butter Masala’! It’s almost staple in a North Indian Thali ordered in Bangalore. We never cooked paneer at home, because sourcing good paneer was difficult in the earlier days and mom’s home made paneer was at best – tough. Thankfully we have now come out of the dark ages and paneer is readily available in the supermarket. I know the original Delhite will scoff at the quality, but I know a trick which makes it as soft and pliable as the earstwhile Tandoor’s. Soak the paneer in hot water for five minutes before you cook it. It transforms into creamy, soft, textured awesomeness. Here’s a recipe that gives you all the flavor goodness without the evil restaurant flavor and colour additives. Who wants to stain their freshly manicured nails anyway?  

Paneer Butter Masala

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

 

What you need:

250 gms Paneer (soaked in hot water for 5 mins and drained)

½ tsp Chili Powder

½ tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves)

2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste

1 Tbsp Ghee

1 Bay leaf

1 heaped tsp Coriander Powder

2 Tbsp Tomato Puree

4 Tbsp Cream

10 Cashew nuts

½ tsp Garam Masala

1 Tbsp Butter

Salt to taste

What to do:

Slice and dice the Paneer. Ensure its not too thick. Mix ¼ tsp each of the chilli and turmeric powder into the diced panner along with ½ tsp salt. Meanwhile soak the kasoori methi in teaspoon of hot water.

In a medium pan, heat the ghee on high. When it is hot, add the paneer pieces and fry from two minutes on either side, or until pale brown. This will seal the spices and prevent the paneer from falling apart in the gravy. Remove the paneer pieces and set aside. In the same fat, fry the bay leaf. When it starts sizzling, add the ginger garlic paste and stir for two minutes. Now add the coriander and the remaining chilli and turmeric, along with the tomato puree and stir vigorously for 2 mins until the pungent masala smell softens. Lower the heat, spoon in the cream (can substitute Yoghurt for a healthier option) and let it simmer for 5 mins. The colour will change from white to a rich orange as the spices blend in.

Meanwhile, grind the cashews with a Tbsp of hot water to make a smooth paste. Stir into the masala along with the paneer pieces, the garam masala and kasoori methi with the water. These are added to balance the tangy taste of the curry. Let the mixture simmer away for two minutes to ensure all the flavours meld.

To finish, stir in the butter and salt and enjoy hot with phulkas, naan or even some Ghee Rice!

Divine Mushroom Risotto

‘Risotto is an Italian dish of rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. The broth may be meat-based, fish-based, or vegetable-based; many kinds include parmesan cheese, butter, and onion. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy’ – or so says Wiki. But in most of the restaurants in Bangalore it looks and tastes more like Pongal - which is the biggest insult both to the humble pongal and the exquisite risotto! This is the reason that I religiously bypass the risotto in any restaurant menu here. I hadn’t seen anyone who could get the final product creamy but not gluggy and still have some bite to it…. Until I ate at Graze.  Oh… my…. God!! It was like I died and went to heaven! So of course I begged the chef to tell me his secret. Let’s just say I now have the ingredient list! Ahem ahem…There arose the problem – the man was using truffle oil and pea sprouts and Enokitake mushrooms and all the wonderful, if not crazily expensive ingredients to make it taste the way it does!!! So could I replicate it at home? – Yes, but I’d have to lock and stalk my pantry 24/7 to safeguard these items. As this is feasible only in theory I begged him again to give me substitutes. This he gladly obliged, because now he knew, no matter how I try to replicate it at home, I’d have to come back to Graze for the original! (Clever man!) That said, this version is the closest you can get to heaven with your pockets not devoid of cash.

Mushroom Risotto

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1 ½ cup Arborio Rice

300 gms mixed Mushrooms (Button, Oyster)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp Butter

4 Shallots, finely chopped

3 cups Chicken/ Veg Stock (kept hot) + 2 cups extra if required

½ cup grated Parmesan

Salt and Pepper

To Garnish:

1 Tbsp chopped Chives

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar with 2 cloves, ½ inch cinnamon, 4 peppercorns (reduced to 2 Tbsp)

What to do:

Wash the rice and drain. Brown each type of mushroom in batches in 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Remove. In the same pan add 2 Tbsp of Butter and sauté the shallots till soft but not colored. Toss in rice and stir to coat each grain with the butter so that the rice looks shiny. Pour in a ladle of hot stock. Wait for the rice to absorb it. Repeat the process till you have poured in about 3 cups of stock. Check to see if the rice is 80% cooked. (Smash a grain with your finger – there should be resistance but no hard bits). Now toss in the mushrooms and stir to incorporate. Put another ladle of stock if you feel the rice needs more cooking. Continue till you get the consistency of double cream. Take off the flame and add in the 2Tbsp of butter and Parmesan. Stir. Garnish with chopped chives, Dash of olive oil and the reduced balsamic vinegar. Eat up immediately!

P.S. For the Balsamic reduction – Heat the balsamic vinegar with cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns till the liquid reduces by half. Take it off the stove, strain and use as required. You can also do the same with some Port wine.