A Walk Down the Fish Market and A Quick Pan Fried Pomfret...

 

Some weekends, early in the mornings, I love to go to the fish market at Mahim to buy the fresh catch of the day. I have been lucky to have spent a large part of my childhood in the lovely Shivaji Park area in Mumbai. I have walked the small alleys of the fish market here as a little girl holding my dad's hand many times. To me walking around in this fish market comes very naturally and I feel at home here. The hustle bustle of the market, the slippery alleys, the fishy smell, the cats running here and there just don't seem to bother me. The fisher women chatting away merrily are all quite a familiar sight . So here's Kalpana..my camera shy fish lady. Her warm smile is hard to miss. She had some real fresh pomfret at her bench the other day which I could not resist buying and she happily cleaned and cut it for me just the way I wanted it.

Over the years, I have observed most of these fisher women sitting in this market. Sometimes, I still struggle with the names of the different fish, and when I ask them, they look at me with amusement and help me out with the same. Sometimes out of curiosity, I ask them how they cook these fish at home and they eagerly provide me with their recipes. As I walk amongst them, I cannot help noticing the camaraderie that they all share and how cheerful some of them are. Amongst all the hustle bustle and the pressure to sell all the perishable fish, they seem to be happy and at peace.  They share their tea together, chat with each other and joke around. They spent a large part of their day at this market and they make the most of it. 

 

 

So I made this whole stuffed pomfret with a very simple garlic and chilly paste filling. I usually bake it but sometimes I like to indulge a bit and pan fry it. My Mum was very famous for her stuffed pomfrets and I can't help thinking of her when I make them. She would make them with various chutneys, all of them equally delicious.

Here goes the recipe :

Ingredients :

2 medium sized pomfrets, cleaned and cut with slits for stuffing on both sides
juice of 1 lemon
a pinch of salt

For the paste :
10 cloves of garlic
3-4 red chillies
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp oil

Recipe :

1. Wash the pomfret thoroughly and marinate it with a pinch of salt and lemon juice.
2. Put all the stuffing ingredients in a mixer and blend to a fine paste.
3. Stuff the paste generously in the pomfret slits on both slides and also rub on top of the pomfret.
4. Take a pan and heat the oil in it and gently fry the pomfrets till cooked.

 

 

Happy Birthday My Angel!!

 

Underneath the moon,
Underneath the stars,
Here's a little heart for you.
Up above the world,
Up above it all,
Here's a hand to hold on to.

("Don't Let Me Fall" by Lenka)
 
 

Happy Birthday, My Angel! They say that before coming in this world, as souls, we get to choose our parents. If this indeed is true, then I am so thankful that this delightful little baby chose me to be his mommy. He has truly been such a gift in my life and has brought so much happiness and joy, much beyond something I had ever imagined.

 

The beginning of my Magical Journey : My whole world changed a little over four years ago when I first found out the good news. I had never imagined that pregnancy would be such a mystical experience. Here I was, doing my regular routine things, but something was different..my body was actually busy making a baby..my body! and I had no control over it!! That's when I realised how magical our existence truly is. While I was busy making excel sheets, reading, eating, even sleeping..this baby would exactly be getting 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose and 1 mouth, with all the exact details of the human body and will come out at just the right time. I was awed by the power of nature then. Being an ardent reader of  Deepak Chopra's books,  I ordered his book Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives : A Holistic Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth and wanted to understand more and live my pregnancy with full awareness.  There was a life growing inside me and I wanted to connect with it. As parents, all that we wish for our children is to be happy....whatever they may choose to do in life..we want them to be just happy..so we decided to call this baby in my tummy..Happy..till the time it came out. I felt a very deep connection to this baby and a new found sense of calmness had taken over me. And as strange as it may sound, I had a deep sense of knowing of what this baby  would be....But I myself found it strange to even tell anyone about this...so I just quietly patiently waited to know if my instinct was correct... :)

 

His timing couldn't have been more perfect.. I was going through a massive personal tragedy. I lost my mother in a car accident and my dad was seriously hurt and could never walk after that and soon passed away too. I could not afford to break down. I needed all the strength I could muster and this little 5 month old baby gave it to me. After completing the funeral and attending to my dad.. as I would sit to nurse my baby..this baby would stare at me with his big alert eyes, make gurgly noises and smile at me.. :) As bitter as I felt about my the departure of my parents, I couldn't help feeling thankful for the presence of this baby. Sometimes I think, if it hadn't been for this tragedy, I would not have seen him the way I do now..

Today, he is a 4 year old big boy (he insists on being called that :)) and really tests my patience sometimes and we have our moments. But I remind myself that's its a test of my patience, not his. I am learning to be a better person because of him. His unlimited energy and exuberance for life is something that I truly get amazed over. I see in him, pure innocence and truly understand the meaning of unconditional love. I learn to be in the present moment from him.  I learn from him that I too can learn piano, paint, sketch, play chess, learn a new language and learn anything new that I put my mind to. I love the twinkle and excitement in his eyes when he sees anything new. His persistence and negotiation capability just leaves me amazed. Above all his curiosity and hunger for knowledge is something I have to keep up with. I love how he simply just asks..but Why Maa ?? and I have to rack my brains, go back to the basics and answer him. The list of my learnings just goes on and on....

 

Today, I am the center of his universe, the minute he wakes up he looks for me. But I also know that this window of opportunity is only for the next few years before his friends and external influences become more important to him. I know that phase is coming soon. So I want to make the most of my time with him. Today my time and attention is of prime importance to him and I want to give that to him. He is growing up real fast and very soon he will be his own person (he already thinks he is). And I will be happy then too. I want to be his safety net on which he can choose to fall on if he wishes to and not a net which stifles him. He can fly as far as he wants.. I have the satisfaction of having had my fill at the right time.

 

So to my dear big boy, Samar..I want him to know that he is truly a very special soul..he is not just ours, but a child of this wonderful universe. He will have his own destiny to fulfil and his own lessons to learn. And that there are two people who would do anything..literally anything to see just a smile on that cute dimpled face...:)

We already celebrated his birthday with all his friends with the superhero cake (no..i didn't make that) at the beginning of  the summers since everyone would go vacationing then. So today is our family celebration day..and I made these little cupcakes for my cupcake. Here goes the recipe.....

 

 

 

Ingredients (for 9 cupcakes) :

For the chocolate cupcakes :
2 cups all purpose flour
2 whole eggs
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 th cup milk

For the chocolate ganache :
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 th cup cream
2 tsp icing sugar
1/2 cup sprinkles
 

 Recipe :

1. Take a large mixing bowl. Whisk together eggs, sugar and butter.
2. Sift together flour,baking powder and cocoa and add to the wet ingredients.
3. Add milk and whisk till smooth ribbon like consistency.
4. Line the cupcake mould with the liners and spoon in the batter till 3/4th full.
5. Bake the cupcakes at 180 degrees C for 25 minutes.
6. Cool on a wire rack.
7. For the ganache, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave for 2 minutes.
8. Add sugar and cream to the melted chocolate.
9. Spoon the ganache over the cooled cupcakes and add sprinkles on top.
 

Singapore Chilli Crab and my Singapore Story

 

 

Well, is there anyone who has been to Singapore and not had this awesome dish? I had it the first time many years ago at  this wonderful place by the beach called Fisherman's Village at Pasir Ris Park. There are so many lovely memories of dining there by the sea. The place is right on the beach and the ambience is fantastic. If your idea of a romantic dinner is to delicately peck at your food.. fair enough, but I must warn you  that forget being delicate, you will need both your hands and a fair amount of crab cracking skills for this one .. :) So if you ask me... I'd say go for it!!! and bond over some crab cracking fun experience...

 

 

 

My Singapore Story : To me this amazing dish always reminds me of the wonderful couple of years that I spent in Singapore and the other South East Asian countries. It was by far the longest honeymoon anybody could ask for. This wonderful city gave me a chance to just live and experience life. After the strenuous years of student and working life, I was finally breathing and living. I was barely 23 years old then and my dear hubby would encourage me to just be and just soak in the experience. Gosh!! I am really so lucky to have him!. Reading and cooking has always been two of my favourite things to do. And this city had to offer the best of both...beautiful libraries filled with wonderful books on any subject under the earth and brilliant food courts offering a wide variety of international cuisine. Though I did make some feeble attempts to find work for myself, :) but in reality I would love spending my entire days in the libraries just soaking in all the books and then I would venture out in the food courts and try all kinds of dishes on display. Brilliant colours and flavours and aromas were just a treat to the senses. I would also go to the local markets and pick up all the fresh ingredients and try all the recipes..including the yummy jumbo crabs and all kinds of seafood...It was great fun!! 

 

But the only thing that I would terribly miss were my parents and my lil sister.. she was just a teenager then...my mother was still working at that age..my dad had some serious heart trouble...I could not leave them back alone and enjoy myself in this new found paradise. Something kept telling me that I needed to be back in India. As if some unfinished business was left behind. So even though we were Singapore PR holders we came back at the first opportunity available. And now when I look back, I can see why, because little did I know that I was about to lose both my parents barely few years down the line... I now cherish all the time that I spent with them.. I am glad that they were with me through my entire pregnancy..I am glad I was advised bed rest..  so I could just be in the present with them like never before.. I am glad they could hold my son and atleast see him through the first 5 months of his life... So irrespective of being judged by other people, I would urge you to listen to your heart and make your own choices. Because everything changes and everyone changes and the only things that remain with you are the consequences of your choices. Happiness is not country specific, it surely is specific to your priorities in your life...

 

Well, thats my bit of the food for thought. Like they say that your things will fade and break but your experiences will always stay with you forever....so whenever I see crabs at the seafood section, I get reminded of this wonderful Chilli Crab dish...and then its the same us again and the same battle with the crab.. :)

 

So put on some Jimmy Cliff songs, get in the groove and try this out. Here goes the recipe.... 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients :

 

2 medium sized hard shell crabs

2 medium sized onions

8 cloves of finely chopped garlic

1 inch finely chopped ginger

4 finely chopped bird eye chillies

1/2 cup tomato puree

3 tsp tomato sauce

1 tsp chilli sauce

1 tsp white vine vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp fish sauce (optional)

1 whole egg

a handful of coriander for garnishing

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

 

A note on cleaning and steaming the crabs : My mother had a technique of freezing the crabs and then scrubbing them before dismanteling them. I find it very useful so I continue using this technique. After freezing and scrubbing the crab thoroughly, I prefer to steam it in a steamer till it turns orange as it is easier to clean it then.  Remove the soft finger like things inside and all the unwanted parts from inside. Keep the outer shell. As you can later use it for garnishing. Yeah..thats a bit of work..but it surely is worth it!



 

 

 

Recipe :

 

1. Clean and Steam crab as per the note above.

2. Take a blender and make a fine paste out of the onions and the red chillies.

3. Take a wok and heat the oil in it and saute the garlic and ginger in it.

4. Then add the onion and chilli paste and cook it till its dry.

5. Add the tomato puree, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt and cook for a minute.

6. Then add the steamed crabs and cook in the sauce for a few minutes. 

7. Then whisk up an egg and add to the sauce. This will give the sauce a rich consistency and taste.

8. Cook for a couple of minutes more and garnish with chopped coriander.

9. Serve with some bread to mop up the sauce.

 



 

It's a beautiful Saturday evening...What's for Dinner..Honey??

Thai food is my personal favourite cuisine.Though I enjoy cuisines of all origins but given a choice, I always prefer to eat Thai food. I love the perfect balance of the sweet, spicy and sour flavours in the all the dishes. I love the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, bird eye chillies and fresh basil. I absolutely adore these bold flavours. My little son and my dear hubby know that when I am talking about a curry, I am usually talking about a Thai Curry.. :) I had even made my parents fall in love with Thai cuisine. My Dad used to love the Thai curries with simple steamed white rice and my Mum had fallen in love with these flat rice Pad Thai noodles.

This particular recipe of Pad Thai noodles similarly has a perfect balance of sweet, sour and spicy flavours. This perfect balance is achieved with the right amount of tamarind paste, sugar , chilly powder and lemon juice. I have not added any fish sauce this time. Also I have made a vegetarian version packed with loads of colourful veggies. You can simply add stir fried prawns and eggs in the recipe and relish the same if you want to. Just look at the beautiful colourful veggies..how can you go wrong with this? Most of these veggies will wilt down when you cook them so add more than you think you'll need. Also sprouted beans and crushed peanuts add a wonderful texture to the noodles.

It's a beautiful Saturday evening and I am making these yummy noodles..chopping veggies..soaking noodles in hot water..heating up my wok....listening to Adele's songs in the kitchen...while the two boys are busy playing battleship.. Life is Sweet!!! :)

 

 

 

Ingredients :

 

200 gms flat rice noodles

 

1/2 cup spring onions, bulbs and green stems cut seperately in 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, cut in thin long jullienes

1/2 cup red bell pepper ,cut in thin long jullienes

1/2 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 cup white cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

4 tsp crush peanuts (for garnishing)

1 juice of lemon juice

1 tsp oil

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

a pinch of salt

 

For the Pad thai paste :

 

2 tsp tamarind paste

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp red chilli powder

 

Recipe :

 

1. Boil 2 cups water and soak the flat rice noodles in the boiling water for about 20 minutes.

2. Put oil in a wok and add garlic and sliced bulbs of spring onions saute it.

3. Add all the veggies one by one and saute till slightly cooked.

4. Then add the Pad thai paste and mix with the veggies. Add a few drops of water if the veggies go dry. Mix well and add salt.

5. Then drain out all the noodles and add to the veggies. Add the basil leaves.

6. Mix well, switch off the gas and add lemon juice.

7. Top with sprouted beans and crushed peanuts while serving.

 



 

Pizzas for the Kids !! Sure..Anytime!!!

But Maa... teacher said pizzas are unhealthy!? That's what my 4 year old son, Samar retorted back with genuine confusion when I told him that he can eat as many of the homemade pizzas that he wants. Infact he was highly confused when I further offered that I'll be happy to make them as often as he wants. At this point, I sensed from his expression that he needed further explanation on my sudden generosity...:)  So that's when I had to explain to him that when we think out of the box and create our own solutions to the so called problems we can get so much more out of life. Being a curious kid that he is, he wasn't satisfied till I explained the technicalities of an unhealthy pizza vs. a homemade healthy version. He only let the case rest when I confessed that his pizza is actually a no bake uttappa pizza but created in such a way that it tastes exactly like a traditional pizza.

We recently celebrated his 4th birthday with all of his friends. And I knew I would have to feed a whole battalion of kids some yummy treats. I guess.. it is more than obvious by now that I like to do my own catering..:) such occasions are something that I really look forward to. They are my own little Masterchef tasks which I thoroughly enjoy. So making food for this event was something  I really was excited about. I knew that all these kiddies really enjoy eating pizzas and pasta but somehow my heart was not allowing me to make the flour based traditional ones for these little innocent babies. I wanted something more nutritious. So I thought for sometime and hit upon this idea of a no bake pizza. I made a small batch and tried out with my son..he loved them and after all the technical explanation..He finally okayed the menu... :)

 

So here's the recipe which all the mommies loved and wanted to note down and so I promised that I would put it up in detail on the blog. So to begin with, the base of the pizza is actually a baby non-fermented uttappa. I soaked the white split urad dal and rice overnight, then liquidised in a blender with a pinch of salt and sugar and immediately made the baby uttappas just like baby pancakes. I did not let the batter ferment. The texture of the base is really soft and something that the kids really enjoy. These bases can be easily made in advance and stored.

 

 

 

Once you get this part right, everything else is a joyride. Spread the basic tomato based pizza sauce either store bought or homemade and you are ready to have some fun. You can top it up with various toppings that your kids or you enjoy. You can have an array of bowls of cheese, boiled peas, corns, carrots, herbs, olives, jalapenos , sausages, smoked salmon, pepperoni, or whatever you can think of. And I promise you that they taste really delicious just like the baked pizza or even better. Infact you can let the kids assemble their own pizzas and create their own one eyed monsters or three eyed aliens..:) My son is into Roald Dahl's books these days.. so he thoroughly enjoyed making his own monsters.

Ingredients : (Makes about 30 baby pizzas)

For the Base :

1/2 cup raw split white urad dal
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp sugar
a bit of oil for lightly greasing the pan

For the toppings :

Basic tomato based pizza sauce , grated cheddar cheese, olives, jalapenos, torn fresh basil leaves, boiled peas, boiled corn, smoked salmon, sausages, etc....


Recipe :

For the Base :

1. Soak the urad dal and rice overnight or for about 6-8 hours.
2. Drain the water out and blend into a smooth batter in a blender with a pinch of salt and sugar.
3. Heat a flat pan, slightly spread some oil on it and make small baby circles as bases (as shown in the pic)
4. Flip around and remove when fully cooked.
5. Keep covered in a kitchen towel till assembly.
6. Bring all your toppings together and assemble the pizzas as per your liking. There is no need to bake them further.

 

No More Cheesy Dips ... Please!!!

So here I am back again.. this time with a simple spring onion curd dip recipe which is a favourite with my friends.. and its so healthy that I love whipping it up for them. I love having friends over and making a delicious spread of healthy food for them. It really is a joy which I don't take for granted.

 

Over the last few months I have been experiencing a major shift in myself...my relationship with food, with my body and my thoughts. Everything has just changed for the better by a simple choice that I made mentally to get healed. All the bitterness over the sudden loss of my parents seems to have made way for a new connection with my inner self and the Source. I have been swimming, sketching, painting and have this irrepressible desire to learn piano..make music...will keep posted on how that goes..:) Above all just being a mommy to my 4 year old delightful son just fills me up with joy. I think I need him more than he needs me. :) And I am so grateful that I am able to do all these things without any pressure. Also I have been able to keep a promise that I made to myself to swim for 45 minutes, 5 times a week. There is something so magical about swimming ..not only for the wonders that it does for your body but also your mind. Just being in the water can be so therapeutic. I can finally feel my dad smiling at me when I am in the water. And I am so grateful that I have access to a beautiful large swimming pool with fresh flowing water right in the middle of Mumbai. Being able to swim daily is such a blessing.

So coming back to the point...I have become extremely aware and choosy of what I feed my body with. So just the sight of the gooey cheesy nachos puts me off..initially this would actually have been a very tempting proposition but not anymore. After reading Anthony Robbins' books my brain has started associating gooey cheese with the pain of unhealthiness rather than a pleasurable experience.. so I simply don't get tempted anymore by the gooey cheese. So I whipped up this healthy quick curd dip with corn nachos for starters. Its simpler than actually making tea. You don't even need to have hung curd for this recipe. Also you can pair it with a healthy tomato-bell pepper salsa, olives or pickled jalapenos to make it really interesting. I personally love eating this dip with just long wedges of fresh cucumber.

 

So this one is for the girls ..who fill my life with fun, silly laughter and girly mad memories...

 

Ingredients :

250 gms fresh curd
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp mixed dries herbs
2 tsp finely chopped green spring onions
salt to taste

Recipe :

1. Take a medium sized mixing bowl and whip the curd till smooth.
2. Add sugar, salt, herbs and finely chopped spring onions.
3. Chill in the fridge for an hour and serve with long wedges of cucumber or nachos.

Told ya... simpler than making tea. :)

 

Homemade Hummus

Hummus is another of my favourite things to eat. Hummus is basically made of boiled chick peas, tahini, garlic, olive oil paprika and lemon. You can eat it as a dip or a spread and serve with flat breads such as pita or lavash or even serve it with freshly cut vegetables such as carrots and cucumber.

 

At my home we usually eat it as mid meal snack spread generously on a toast of brown bread. I usually make a big batch every few days and keep in an airtight container in a fridge. Its also my favourite snack after a swim or a workout. Its filled with protein and is highly nutritious. One sliced toast of bread with hummus on it can keep you happy and satiated for quite some time. While writing this post I came across a complete blog dedicated to hummus called "The Hummus Blog" . Being a hummus lover I found this blog very interesting and informative.

 

The recipe that I have given below is very basic and very yummy. The ingredients are very simple and can be easily found at any home apart from the tahini paste (sesame paste). Earlier I would use store bought tahini paste but now I make that at home as well. Its really very simple to make. To make the tahini paste at home blend together white sesame seeds with some sesame oil, salt and some tepid water. Store this in the fridge in an airtight container. To make a good hummus make sure that the chickpeas are soaked overnight and boiled until very soft and mushy. I use a pressure cooker to boil the chickpeas and wait till about 5-6 whistles of the pressure cooker. Also make sure that you blend the hummus while the chickpeas are still warm and use some of the cooked chickpea water for liquidising and adjusting the texture.

 

 Ingredients :

 

250 gms dry chickpeas

2 full tsp tahini paste

4-5 cloves of peeled garlic

juice of 1 lemon

a pinch of salt

1 tsp paprika

1/4 th cup extra virgin olive oil

few tsp of warm chickpea water

 

Recipe :

 

1. Soak the dry chickpeas overnight and boil them till they become very soft and mushy. Keep few chickpeas aside for garnish.

2. Take a blender and put the boiled chickpeas, tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice, salt, paprika, extra virgin olive oil, a few tsp of the boiled chickpea water and blend till soft and smooth.

3. Remove in the serving dish and garnish with the remaining chickpeas, paprika and some extra virgin olive oil.