The Kundapur Tribute

I couldn't possibly count the total number of times I've traveled long distances while in Manipal and Bangalore just to get myself some amazing Chicken Ghee Roast with fluffy neer dosas that I'm not even going to attempt to make. My friends still send me pictures of it to make me jealous! So I had to try it. And also, this was a great way of finding out exactly how much ghee went into a glorious dish like this, which, let me tell you, won't have you cooking this every week. But it's all sooooo worth it.

Chicken ghee roast, ladies and gentlemen

Marinate chicken with the usual ginger garlic paste, yoghurt, cumin, coriander, and red chilli powder, and salt and turmeric and cook in ghee till cooked. Set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of ghee and fry ginger garlic paste, dried red chillies, whole garam masala, Kashmiri red chilli powder for color, fennel, cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Add a little water and boil. Let cool into a paste, and grind. Set aside.

Heat another fat spoon of ghee and fry curry leaves with that masala you ground, and finally add the chicken. Add a spoon of jaggery, which I didn't have so I added sugar.

Coat the chicken in the ghee and masala but don't dry it up completely. Serve ideally with neer dosas but Malaysian parathas go well too.

The Parmesan Crust

Parmesan-crusted fish with Cajun sweet potato fries (baked)

THE FISH

Cut fillets of your favorite white fish and cover in Dijon mustard and some olive oil. Meanwhile grind breadcrumbs (enough to coat the fish) along with a fistful of parmesan cheese, some parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and garlic salt. Put the mustard covered fish on a plateful of this breadcrumb mixture and press the coating on. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

THE FRIES

Sweet potatoes take forever to bake. So I parboil them first before cutting into fries. Cover in a little olive oil and Cajun seasoning, and toss in a box with a little cornflour. Bake till crispy.

The Rosemary Pot

I love one-pot recipes, because honestly, no one has the time, energy or counter space for little chef bowls and multiple pans.

Wine-braised rosemary chicken

Sauté chopped onions, garlic and bacon, and then boneless pieces of chicken till brown. Add diced potatoes and broccoli florets and stir. Add a big chopped tomato and a two splashes wine sauce and simmer. Add water and salt as needed and keep stirring to avoid sticking or burning.

After you get to your desired consistency, Add pepper, basil, and finally rosemary. Take off the heat after 5 minutes. Serve on toasted baguette in the fanciest way you can manage, light a candle or two, and have a little date night!

The Chholar Dal

Dal, Bengali style, for when you have company over!

Soak chana dal for an hour before boiling and setting aside. Heat a little oil and let dried red chillies, mustard seeds, ginger paste and whole garam masala (cardamom, bay leaf, nutmeg etc) sputter in it. Add coconut pieces at this stage, if you like. Add the boiled dal and a little water, and simmer till thick. Add a pinch and a half of sugar, and salt to taste. The half-Punjabi in me likes to add a pinch of coriander and cumin powder. Keep it thick! Done!!

The Parcel

Mushroom parcels, or stuff it with whatever!

So I have a lot of puff and shortcrust pastry sheets left over and I'm getting creative.

Thaw puff pastry sheets and cut into squares. Meanwhile heat a little butter and add garlic and chopped mushrooms. Season with salt, oregano and paprika. Take off the heat and cool. Put some on a square of pastry and top with cheese. Then top with another square of pastry and press down on the sides. Brush with egg and bake till golden. 20 minutes to fancy town!

The 65

Chicken 65. My go-to guilt day takeout back in Bangalore. Give me some of that red goodness any day. Yum.

In a bowl, mix bite sized pieces of boneless chicken with salt, a little tandoori powder, an egg and enough cornflower to coat. Deep-fry the chicken till browned and set aside. In a shallow pan, add dried red chillies, curry leaves and mustard seeds to a little oil. Add garlic ginger paste. Add tandoori masala and a little yogurt to make a red paste. Add the fried chicken and cover. DONE!

The Gajar Halwa

Healthiest. Dessert. Ever.
And an Indian favorite.

This has been an insane six days at home, just full to the brim with family and food. Can't believe we are leaving already! Today I'm sharing my mother's signature halwa recipe. It's so easy!

You need equal parts carrots and full-fat milk. Wash, peel, grate carrots. Boil in milk in a heavy-bottomed pan. Let it boil on medium heat till the milk is almost dried up; stir occasionally. Add sugar to taste - note that you really don't need that much sugar because of the natural sweetness of carrots and milk (less than 2 cups per 1 kg carrots/1 liter milk). Stir vigorously till all dried up. Add a spoonful of ghee to the edges and stir some more till the milk becomes grainy and brown (khoya). You could add a spoonful of cardamom powder OR Rose water for added essence. Garnish with nuts!

The Coconut Curry

Finish the week off with a little fish!

Coconut fish curry

Fillet your favorite white fish (I used basa as usual) and cut into chunks. Heat up a little mustard oil with mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies. Add ginger, garlic and a chopped onion. Add salt and turmeric, and then add a fistful of desiccated coconut. Fry a bit before adding a pinch of garam masala to keep it light, and then finally pour in a half cup of coconut cream/milk. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, till done. Serve with brown rice and greens!

The Rezala

I'm in Kolkata right now, and there's a rule: when in Kolkata in the midst of mothers and street food, you don't cook.

Today's dish is brought to you by my mother-in-law. Chicken Rezala.

Boil some onions and make a paste. Fry in vegetable oil with slit green chillies and ginger garlic paste on medium heat and stir constantly to avoid blackening. Add chicken, bone-in. Add salt after the chicken goes from pink to white. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar. Add Kashmiri mirch for that glorious red color, along with a little garam masala. Make a paste of cashews and a tiiiny bit of posto and add that for texture. Then add a half-cup of coconut milk or any milk. Cook on low, covered; do not add water. Fry makhana (fox nut/ lotus seed) separately and add before the last simmer. Serve!