The Moilee

 Fish moilee is best served with appams, which are an overnight affair, but we'll do that recipe once I've perfected mine. This dish takes me 10-15 min at the most.

For 5 fillets of basa (comfortably serves 5) cut into chunks, sauté half a sliced onion, an inch of ginger (julienned), three big cloves of garlic, three chopped green chilies and a handful of curry leaves in a little oil, preferably coconut oil. Add a spoon each of turmeric and pepper powder, a little lime, and a pinch of coriander powder, plus salt, and sauté further. Add a cup of coconut milk, mix, and then add fish, and simmer (don't stir) until the basa is cooked. Put round slices of tomato in the curry and turn off the heat after a minute. That's it!

The Rava Fry

 Mangalorean cuisine has always been a happy place for my taste buds. Paying a tribute to my early college days where I'd escape the canteen to eat at a roadside stall, here's pomfret rava fry.

Keep the pomfrets whole if it's small, else cut into halves as I did. For two pomfrets, mix a spoon of cumin powder, half a spoon of turmeric, a spoon of salt, two large spoons of chilli powder, or kashmiri laal (if you can't handle red chillies) and the juice of an entire lime, into a paste. Slice slits into the pomfrets and rub the paste liberally on both sides of each pomfret. Set aside for 10 min.

While you heat any white oil for shallow-frying, pour some course semolina (rava) onto a plate. Dip each pomfret or pomfret half into the rava to coat generously before shallow-frying for 8-10 min on each side on medium heat. 

Serve hot with coriander garnish, and ideally raw onions!

The Ayam Goreng Burger

 At least once a month, if not more, my husband and I crave Malaysian food. Thanks to finally finding store-bought sambal that actually has shrimp paste in it, I've been throwing sambal around in meals like it's no biggie. Here's a quick recipe of the ayam goreng (fried chicken) burger I made last night.

Marinate four chicken thigh fillets with a tablespoon of sambal (add shrimp paste if your sambal doesn't have any), half a spoon each of turmeric and cumin powder, a sprinkle of crushed toasted fennel, salt and smoked paprika to taste, and a beaten egg. While you heat up oil to pan-fry the chicken, mix 3 parts flour and 1 part corn flour, to which sprinkle some marinade from the chicken to make the batter rough. Coat each fillet in the batter and pan-fry for 7 min on either side. While that happens, mix a tablespoon of sambal with two tablespoons of mayo, a spoon of sriracha and some chopped fresh coriander leaves. Also slice and fry half an onion on the side.

To plate each burger, place two lettuce leaves, two fried thigh fillets, a generous amount of sauce and onions on top of the lower half of the bun. Cover with the top half and serve hot!

The Mushroom Soup

 It has been pouring in Sydney like no other. In anticipation of a La Niña summer, here's a hearty 20 minute cream of mushroom soup recipe.

Sauté a small, roughly chopped onion in half a cup of melted butter, along with 4-5 large cloves of garlic and a little rosemary. Once the onion softens, add about 10 large roughly chopped brown button mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mushrooms shrink, then remove the rosemary and blend the whole mix smooth. Continue to cook while adding 2-3 glasses of water (until flowy) and half a cup of cream. I also added half a cup of freshly grated parmesan. Adjust salt accordingly, simmer for 5-10 minutes and take off the heat when happy with the consistency. Serve piping hot with garlic bread or a salad.

The Achar

When I was little, my parents asked me if I wanted to taste "Zindagi ka mazaa" (fun of life) and then put achar on my tongue! My favorite achar is the stuffed red chilli achar. Please learn from my mistakes and wear gloves for this.

Ideally get 20-30 big red chillies. I used 160 small ones from my garden. Take the crown off, slit and remove the insides of the chillies. Meanwhile, coarsely grind together 3 tbsps each of mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, and double that of fennel seeds. Add a big spoon of turmeric, salt to taste, 5 spoons of amchur (dry mango powder) and a little hing. Add enough mustard oil to this mix to just get the mix sticky, then stuff the chillies with it. Put in a glass jar, cover with mustard oil and let it sit for a week in the sun!

Delicious.

The Crunchy Bhindi

Kurkuri bhindi is the easiest 10-minute vegan side-dish for any type of meal, and is delightfully tangy! Toss a bowl of okra (quartered along length) in half a spoon of the following: turmeric, red chilli powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, amchur and chat masala, plus salt to taste and a quarter cup of chickpea flour. Shallow fry and serve hot and crispy!

The Vegan Chilli

Indo-chinese food is for everybody! If chilli chicken or chilli paneer isn't your style, here's an easy 20-minute vegan-friendly chilli soy for you.

Soy chunks are available in any Indian store. Soak about 2 cups in hot water for about 10 minutes. While the soy meat soaks, chop half an onion, one hot green chilli and 4-5 large cloves of garlic. In a bowl, in 3/4 cup of water, dissolve corn flour until the water viscosity starts to just thicken. Add the green chilli and half of the garlic, plus a spoon of soy sauce and a little salt, and mix. 

Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan. Drain the soaked soy chunks and gently squeeze to get the water out. Then dump the soy in the bowl of cornflour mix. Flash-fry the soy in the oil just long enough for the coating to look dark brown and remove from oil. 

In a wok, heat a spoon of oil and add to it the onions and the rest of the garlic. Add 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce and a spoon of garlic-chilli sauce or paste, plus a pinch of garam masala and some salt and pepper. Add a dash of water and then the fried soy chunks, and cook on high heat for the 2 min it takes for the water to evaporate. Serve piping hot with a little cilantro and your favorite carb!

 

The New York Cheesecake

Friday cheat night done right - make yourself a massive solo New York style baked cheesecake!

Use a food processor to crush 250g of any sweet biscuit (I used Scotch Fingers). Once fine, add 125g softened butter and mix again. Press this crumb mix onto the base of your baking dish. Refrigerate for 30 min.

While that happens, preheat oven to 140C fan-forced. In the same processor, add 500g cream cheese, 3 eggs, a dash of vanilla, less than a cup of sour cream and 160g caster sugar and mix. Pour the mix onto the biscuit base in the baking dish and bake for 45 min when the top is set. Let it cool before refrigerating for a few hours.

Top with raspberries and dig in!

The Seared Scallops

Fine dining doesn't take more than 15 minutes to set up! Make your Monday lunch fancy as well as quick while you work from home like a pro.

Pat the scallops (12-13 pieces) dry before seasoning with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat 2-3 tbsps of butter in a pan and wait for it to sizzle. Place the scallops in the hot butter and sear on each side for 2 min before removing. Add 4 pods of chopped garlic to the butter and stir for a minute before adding half a cup of white wine. Once the liquid has reduced a little, add the scallops and bathe them in the liquid. Take off the heat after a few minutes. Serve with whatever! I had it with a side of parmesan rice, mashed green chilli potatoes and raw organic baby carrots, plus the pinot grigio that went into the dish!

The Karaage

 Karaage chicken is my go-to thing to order at a Japanese restaurant, and it's about time I made it at home. It's unbelievably easy!

Marinate chopped pieces of chicken thighs (1kg) with a tablespoon of ginger, a tablespoon of garlic, a tablespoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of sake and a quarter cup of dark premium soy sauce. After 10-15 minutes, add enough potato starch to coat all of the chicken. Deep-fry and serve hot. Itadakimasu!

The Sukka

Hi guys! We've started a vlog to make some of our recipes easier to follow :) check out our video below for directions to make this delicious spicy Mangalorean delicacy!

If you have trouble playing the video, please find it here.

Subscribe to us on YouTube :)

The Bhog part 2

Check out our brand new YouTube channel ❤️ recipe at Bhog er Khichuri on YouTube

The Jhinga Pakoda

Throw together the easiest Indian appetizer in 15 minutes - prawn fritters!

For about 25 medium shelled prawns, mix together a tablespoon and a half of chopped garlic, three chopped green chillies, two tablespoons of chopped cilantro, salt to taste, and a pinch each of cumin and coriander powder and paprika. Cover the prawns and the mix with about a cup of besan (chickpea flour) and enough water to make the batter thick, like pancake batter. Spoon each prawn with generous amounts of batter into hot oil; deep fry for a couple of minutes each side, and serve hot with a sprinkling of Chaat masala!

The Sticky Ribs

Hi people! I know it hasn't been easy for most of you to deal with self-isolations and social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic; it definitely hasn't been easy for me. Luckily, you can throw yourselves a little self party with easy and delicious homemade sticky pork ribs. All that time + nowhere to go + online groceries delivery = a little indulgence!

Preheat oven to 130C. Spray the set of ribs with a little oil, then liberally rub pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper and a little salt into both sides. Wrap properly in foil and set on a baking sheet meat side down and leave it in the oven for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, heat in a pan two tablespoons of butter, and add a quarter of a chopped onion and three chopped pods of garlic. Once the onions are translucent, add a cup of tomato sauce, a cup of generic BBQ sauce, half a cup of mustard sauce, half a cup of Worcestershire sauce, a spoon of cinnamon sugar, a tablespoon of maple syrup, and lots of cayenne pepper and paprika. Add a little water and simmer to reduce until thickened.

Get the ribs out of the oven and change the oven temperature to 240C. Remove the foil. Brush lots of sauce onto both sides of the ribs and pop back into the oven for 8-10 min each side or until the sauce has carmelized onto the ribs. Brush a little more sauce on and serve hot! (Save the rest of the sauce for later !!)

PS: remember to wash your hands with soap before you get your hands sticky and especially after! Stay safe and sane.

The Rajputana Maas

Inspired by the famous laal maas recipe of Rajasthan, here's my own take on what royal/Rajputana means!

Marinate 600g mutton in yogurt, a tablespoon of chopped garlic, a small spoon of chilli garlic paste, half a grated onion (or one small onion), half a squeezed lime, salt,  a tablespoon of chopped ginger and a spoon of Kashmiri red chilli powder (Kashmiri because mostly for color rather than spice). Set aside for at least an hour.

In a pressure cooker, add liberal amounts of ghee (a little less than a cup) and put maybe one and a half large onions (3 if small), thinly sliced, and fry until just starting to brown. Then add a stick of cinnamon, 4 cardamoms, 2 star anise, 2 bay leaves, a spoon of chopped garlic and as many dried red chillies as you can handle (if in India, 5 ish, more if you're abroad because the chillies aren't as potent) plus a small spoon of Kashmiri red chilli powder. Add a spoon of coriander powder and a little turmeric. Stir well and add the mutton. Salt as needed.

Without adding water, close the pressure cooker and give it 2-3 whistles, just enough to barely cook the mutton. Open and stir until cooked; check for salt and spice and add milk and lime if too spicy. Towards the end sprinkle a little more fresh garlic. Turn off the gas and serve hot with fresh chapatis or methi parathas!

The Hyderabadi

Every Hyderabadi curry recipe I look up is different than the previous one. The recipe I enjoy the most is a sesame-peanut based curry rather than one with cashewnuts. Here is my 30-minute recipe (serves 3-4).

Lightly toast a spoon of sesame seeds with half a cup of peanuts. Grind this mix and mix the dry ground mix well with about half a cup of milk. Add this mix to a bowl of 600-700g bone-in skinless chicken along with half a cup of yogurt, a spoon of salt, a pinch of turmeric, a small spoon of kalonji (nigella seeds), a spoon of kashmiri lal chilli powder, a tablespoon each of ginger and garlic paste, and a spoon and a half of garam masala. 

While the chicken marinates for a few minutes, heat a little vegetable oil in a pan or wok and caramelize one sliced onion and 4 chopped green chillies. Once caramelized, add the chicken and all the marinade. Cook on low with the lid closed - adjust the salt as necessary, and maybe a little water to keep the gravy plentiful. Reduce the curry to your preferred amount and add a light dash of lime. Serve hot with parathas!

The Banana Bread

It's baking season! Banana bread combines two things I love the most - using up food that needs to be eaten, and the smell of something freshly baked. If you've got a few bananas that are overly ripe, use this easy recipe.

Preheat oven to 170C. Mash three overly ripe bananas until smooth. Then add a cup of sugar, a fourth of a cup of melted butter, a dash of vanilla essence, a sprinkle of cinnamon powder and an egg. Combine, and then add 1.5 cup self rising flour. If nut allergies aren't an issue add a cup of broken walnuts. Combine till just mixed. Grease a small loaf pan (or a big loaf pan if you want cake-ish slices like I got) and pour the batter in and bake for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs. I like mine the tiniest bit undercooked :)

Cut slices and serve warm with a dab of butter.

The Sooji Halwa

Sooji (semolina) halwa is possibly the most common recipe to be used as prasad (holy offering) in a puja (Hindu religious ceremony). However, you don't need religion or an excuse to enjoy one of the simplest and mildest desserts of all time! This recipe takes maybe 15 minutes to make and will serve 15 to 20 people (depending on serving size).

In a pan, heat a cup and a half of ghee on low. At the same time, in another pan, heat a little more than 6 cups of water and a cup and a half of sugar on medium heat. When the liquid starts to boil, lower to a simmer. Once your ghee is hot, add a little more than 2 cups of fine sooji/rava (semolina) along with a cup of cashews. Keep stirring vigorously to mix well for about say 8 minutes or until you start to see a nice golden color in the sooji. Add two teaspoons of green cardamom powder and optionally a cup of raisins. Mix well.

Now add the sugary water very slowly to the pan with the sooji and keep mixing. The semolina will soak up all of the liquid. Once you've added all the liquid, you've got yourself a nice, soft halwa that's ready to be served hot!

The Karei Raisu (Japanese curry)

My trip to Japan last year turned my love for Japanese food into an absolute obsession. Being an Indian, the taste of Japanese curry is so different to my palate, and I find myself ordering a side of curry to literally anything I order in a Japanese restaurant. This is my take on Japanese chicken curry, traditionally made with beef. Also, this recipe does not use boxed Vermont curry cubes.

Fry 2 chopped onions, 3 slit red Birdseye chillies, 4 chopped garlic pods and a spoon of ginger paste in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add to it 800g chopped chicken thighs - or small cubes of fatty beef if you like - and fry until no longer pink. At this point add a diced potato and a diced carrot (both of which I didn't have) Add salt, a pinch of turmeric, a spoon of red chilli powder, two spoons of garam masala, a spoon of curry powder, a tablespoon of honey and two tablespoons of butter. Mix everything together and add 4 cups of water. Grate a small sweet skinless apple into the water. Bring to a boil and remove the scum from the top.

In a bowl, add a little water to 4 tablespoons of flour and mix well until you have a well-mixed slurry. Add this into the pot, mix and reduce until your texture seems right. A dash of ketchup and soy sauce might add a little complexity to the curry, or skip it if it tastes right.

Serve hot with white rice. Itadakimasu!

The Khichdi

Khichdi, khichuri, khichra... A universally loved yet vastly versatile dish that is made so differently by each culture in India. This recipe is significantly more "North Indian" than the bhog-er khichuri recipe I've shared earlier.

To serve two, pressure cook half a cup of molng dal with half a cup of rice, salt, half a spoon of turmeric and some asafoetida (Hing), and 4 cups of water, for about 6 whistles or until everything is mushy. M

 in a small sauce pan or tadka kadhai, heat a generous spoon of ghee, to which add some cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, ajwain and kalonji. Then add two broken green chillies, a little ginger, a half spoon of red chilli powder, half a cup of peas and less than half of a tomato (chopped).

Once the mush is ready pour the tadka over the Khichdi and garnish with coriander leaves or a little dried pudina (mint). Serve piping hot!