Quick Dip

A little spicy, a little tangy and perfect on a hot summer's evening.

I'll say it again, the simplest food is the best tasting. I make many versions of this dip, today's is the most basic and most popular. It works with chips, with dry toast, with cheese straws or vegetables. You could also use it as a sandwich spread.

Pictures by ime ©

Ingredients

2 boxes Amul dahi
2 tbsp Amul cheese spread
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder (mine is not spicy)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Salt if needed

Method

Hang the curd for a while till the water separates; retain the water.
Stir in all the other ingredients, tasting as you go. Careful with the spice since there are two kinds of chilli being used.
Add back about half the water that was removed, to bring it to a nice smooth consistency.
Refrigerate. Serve cold.

... & that's how it's done!

Peppery Tomato Soup

The best part about winter, aside from.. well the cold, is yummy vegetables. Everything you eat at this time tastes better because all the vegetables are fresh and crisp and flavourful. One of my favourite things to do with these yummy vegetables, is to make soups, more soups and yet more soups. What can I say, I love them!

Most of the time my soups consist of things that are already in the house and once in a while, when it turns out exceptionally well, I will write down the recipe to duplicate. Today's soup falls into this category.

Pictures by ime © 

I have already been asked to duplicate it, so I best write down the recipe before I forget it and in the bargain, I get to share it with you. So here we go..

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes
2 medium onions
1 beetroot
1 each red and yellow bell pepper
1 tbsp green pepper corns (in brine)
White vinegar
Mixed Italian seasoning
Chicken / Vegetable stock cube
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Method

Roughly chop and boil all the vegetables till properly cooked through. Strain (retain the water) and cool the vegetables before blending them well. Once the pulp is a nice consistency, mix it back with the cooking water.
Crush the pepper corns and add them to the soup, along with the vinegar, pepper, seasoning and stock cube. Taste the salt and pepper and adjust.
Once the flavours are blended through, strain the soup in a normal sieve..

& there you have it...

Palak Chicken

Sometimes the most basic of food hits the sweetest spot. 

I started out imagining a nice palak paneer in my head, but halfway through it, my husband sticks his head into the kitchen and goes: “What are you cooking, it smells like meat.” This changed my mind and from there grew the idea of a palak chicken dish - made with a slight North Indian influence.

I would never eat this kind of food without inviting over one of dearest friends and biggest food fans. He and his wife loved it (and that’s all the praise I need). They also helped with the plating. I guess they weren’t wrong. Soul food doesn’t need fancy plating, it needs to go back to the basics!

My version of this simple fare:

Ingredients

3 bunch fresh spinach, cleaned & chopped into thin strips
½ bunch fresh methi (optional)

500 gm boneless chicken

4 onions, chopped fine

4 tomatoes, chopped fine

Garlic paste

Ginger paste

Green chilli paste

Dry masalas - jeera, hing, red chilli powder, haldi powder, dhania / jeera powder, garam masala

Salt to taste

Ghee

Oil

Method

Heat a tablespoon of oil with the jeera and hing. As soon as it starts bubbling, add the onions and cook (on a slow flame) till transparent. Add in the ginger, garlic and green chilli pastes and cook for a bit.

Add the dry masalas (except for the garam masala), saute well. Then add the tomatoes and cook till the oil releases (or all the tomatoes are broken down and most of the water has dried). 

Meanwhile in another pan, heat a teaspoon of oil mixed with a teaspoon of ghee and add the chicken with a little salt. Cook till the water releases and dries. 

Once the tomatoes are done, fold in the chopped spinach and methi (if using) bit by bit till it is mixed through and add a pinch of salt to this. Cover and cook on a slow flame, for 10 minutes, stirring once. 

Open the pan, cook for 5 mins till some water burns of. Then add the chicken and some garam masala and some water. Once again cover and cook on a slow flame for about 10 to 15 mins, stirring occasionally.  

Uncover the pan, check the seasoning, cook till the consistency is something you are happy with and eat hot!

pictures by ime © 

Notes

When I make this, I do not increase the flame till the absolute last step, I prefer to slow cook this from start to finish. 

Yummy accompaniments are onions (with lemon and salt), haldi achaar (two kinds of haldi with lemon and salt) and garam garam rotis (would work with rotlas too). 

I put chicken in this, but I know this would work as well with paneer or fish, or mutton, or even without any additions. 

I hope you make it and I hope you enjoy it. 

Best wishes for 2015 from IME’s Kitchen!!!

Easy Peasy Chicken Stroganoff

I have been toying with two recipes in my mind, one is a nice creamy chicken stroganoff and the other a mushroom & paprika chicken. Since I couldn't decide which one I would rather have, I kinda went for a little bit of both. The best part is I used only ingredients I had in the house.

Pictures by ime ©

Ingredients

Spaghetti / Fettuccine / Tagliatelle
1 packet maggi mushroom soup
400 - 500 ml milk
1 packet boneless chicken, cubed
1 packet fresh mushrooms, cubed
2 onions, cubed
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried parsley
Red chilli powder / flakes to taste
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

Make the mushroom soup with the milk and about 100 - 200 ml water, stirring continuously. Once it thickens slightly, turn off the heat and set aside.
Heat a little olive oil in a pan and add the chicken with a pinch of salt. Once the water is released and before it burns off, add ½ teaspoon of paprika. Once dry, set aside.
In another pan, heat the onions in a little olive oil till they start to get translucent. Add the mushrooms and remaining paprika. Once they are half cooked add the chicken and cook till almost dry.
Add the dried parsley and the mushroom soup to the pan and cook on medium flame while stirring occasionally till the chicken is nice and tender. If you want to add spice to this, use some red chilli. Remember paprika is only for flavour and colour, not spice.
Cook the pasta al dente & serve hot!

Note

Turn this vegetarian by adding par boiled potatoes and eliminating the chicken. Even peas would be a nice add in.

Roasted Vegetables with Citrus Thyme Dressing

On a recent flight, I was lucky to have a fresh and tasty warm salad. I liked it so much that I have been wanting to recreate it all these days. Finally last night, I did!

Ingredients

Pictures by ime ©

4 small potatoes
1 medium zucchini
1 each colour medium bell pepper
2 oranges
1 tbsp thyme (I used dried)
Olive oil

Method

Peal and cut the potatoes into wedges and soak in water for 15 minutes. Then drain and pat dry.
Cut the zucchini into cubes and salt them over a sieve for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Cut the peppers into squares.
Peal and separate the orange slices of 1 piece and extract juice from the 2nd.
In a heavy skillet, heat a little oil with half the thyme and let rest for a few minutes so that the flavour permeates the oil.
Once cool, start the heat on full and heat the skillet and oil through. Toss in the potatoes, coat well with oil and cook till the colour changes and the edges start browning.
Toss in a little more oil, herbs and the zucchini and sauté. Add the bell peppers and cook some more. Make sure the vegetables remain crisp.
Pour in the orange juice and toss vigorously. Once most of the juice is absorbed / burnt away, switch of the heat and allow it to rest for a minute, stirring occasionally.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with orange slices.

Note

I have deliberately not used any salt. If you feel the need to add salt, please do so only after you have switched of the heat and just before plating. Or it will release the water from the vegetables, making it all soggy!
Next time, I am going to add a little orange rind as well. I am quite convinced it will add hugely to the flavour..