Kob Khun Ka 2014

Aromatic lemon grass, coconut milk, palm sugar, kaffir lime leaves, various colours and spices- Thai cuisine consists of all this and much more. From the time I have tasted Thai food, especially Green Thai curry, I have loved it and the authentic Thai cuisine has been the highlight of my two trips to Thailand so far (more than shopping!). So when I had time on my hands and a great recipe to go as well, I gathered the ingredients and set out to cook this gorgeously divine and tasty dish. I was a little apprehensive with respect to how it would turn out since it has never been cooked back at home, but even in such situations, applying the thumb rules of
# reading the recipe again and again,
# using fresh ingredients as far as possible, and
# tasting and tweaking the recipe as per what suits your palate as you go almost always gets you good results.

After all, no recipe is carved in stone. With all this in mind I set out to prepare my first ever Green Thai curry with Chicken and Mushrooms. 

Here’s my version of the recipe.

Green Thai Curry with Chicken and Mushrooms

Serves 3-4 persons

For The Curry:

Green Curry Paste- 1 cup
Coconut Milk – 2 cups
Oil- 1 tbsp
Mushrooms- 100-150 gms thickly sliced
Chicken (boneless)- 150 gms  cut into small pieces

(Note: You can choose the veggies/ meat that you want to throw in. Popular and most used options include bell peppers, broccoli, baby corn, mushroom, cottage cheese or paneer, chicken and prawns.)
Sugar- a pinch
Salt- to taste

For The Green Curry Paste (makes 1 Cup):

Lemon Grass- 2 tbsp finely chopped
Coriander- 1 cup chopped
Onions- ¼  cup roughly chopped
Garlic- 1 tbsp roughly chopped

Green Chilies- 8-10 roughly chopped
Coriander  or  Dhaniya Powder- 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds or Jeera Powder- 2 tbsp
Black Peppercorns- ½  tsp freshly ground

Ginger- 25 mm (1") piece
Salt- to taste

Sugar- to taste
Lemon Juice- 1 tsp
Lemon Rind- ¼ tsp, grated

Method 

• Start off by combining all the green curry paste ingredients with approximately ½ cup water and blend in a mixer. You should be able to form a fine green curry paste with thick gravy like consistency. Keep this aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok or a broad non-stick pan.
• Add the green curry paste and sauté on a medium flame to release the fragrance- for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Add mushrooms, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute. Then add the coconut milk.
  
• Add the chicken pieces, stirring to incorporate and let the curry sauce come to a boil.
• As the curry comes to a boil reduce the flame to medium low for a nice simmer. Turn the heat down and cover the pan to let the chicken pieces cook. 
• Once the chicken is cooked check the taste and add salt and sugar accordingly. Note that this curry should be a balance of salty, spicy, sweet and sour flavours. If too spicy, you could add some more coconut milk or adjust the sugar.
• Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 more minute.
• Voila! Serve hot with steamed rice.

Easy peasy right? Try it and surprise someone :) .  I can't wait to make it for the family back in Dehradun.

With this we come to the last post of 2014. Let's bid this year a great farewell and resolve to cook more, have even better foodie experiences and try new things in the coming 2015. Kob Khun Ka or Thainkyeww 2014. You have been extremely kind to me and have been full of joy rides. 2014 is special also because it is the year in which I finally started blogging and Daiquiri Diaries was born. Here's hoping that 2015 is even better. I wish all you foodies a fabulous and fantastic 2015!

Keeping it Low (Budget)!

A dinner date on a Wednesday night and you know you can’t start early or end late because.. umm… work day (not for me though, I am a free bird these days, no really!).  Also, owing to my regular supply of income being on temporary hibernation I wasn’t ready to splurge. Nevertheless I was looking to have a good time. I made a rough plan on how to go about enjoying my evening, hopping around, and keeping my pocket happy as well. My company for the evening was in sync with the “lets-keep-it-low” plan so I had full peer support.  The post is a bit long-ish considering we ate/ drank at four places in total but read on to know the things that shouldn’t be missed (or visited).

# 1. Janata Lunch Home, Pali Hill, Bandra West

The first stop- to drink of course- was humaara sab ka pyaara Janata Lunch Home.  If you’ve been in Mumbai long enough, you’ve most probably been here either to pre-game or to get smashed on a very modest budget, or at least heard of the place. Just as the name goes, this place is for the regular Janta. 'Do not judge a book by its cover' is an extremely appropriate idiom for this place. Even though from the outside it looks like quite a shady place, once you enter you will see that regular people like you and I visit it. And it’s not an all-men’s sort of place. I have frequented this place just with the girls as well.

We reached there and as usual had to wait because oh my God.. so crowded! Mumbai’s population along with the cheap prices here doesn’t help the situation. Nevertheless, the wait wasn’t long and, after some confusion, we were lucky enough to find a table on the air conditioned first floor. The catch- since it was just the two of us, we had to share the table with two random strangers. This is the second such place in Mumbai where I have experienced this (the first being Madras Café). The seating is quite ordinary- after all you get what you pay for.  For two bottles of Budweiser Magnum combined with rounds of chakhna we paid a total of Rs. 740.

Satisfied? Completely. This place is not fancy and you shouldn’t expect much from the ambiance except for crowded tables and a lot of chatter. However, once you enter you don’t mind all this because you become a part of it. The service wasn’t as fast as one would expect at such a place but the waiters are friendly serving with a smile always.

Will I go there again? Drinking at Janata Lunch Home is an experience. We didn’t order any starters here as we had plans to move on and hop around, though I have heard that the regular bar food here is quite alright and filling. Looking at my pocket these days I think I will be paying this place a visit soon for a fun drunken evening and maybe even give the Tandoori Chicken a try! 

Where is it? 78 A, Pali Naka, Dr Ambedkar Road, Pali Hill, Bandra West, Mumbai; Contact: 022 26058403 022 26058404

#2. Nothing Fishy About It, Carter Road, Bandra West

Being content with tucking one bottle of beer each we moved on to our next stop- Nothing Fishy About.

Nothing Fishy About It is a small eatery on Bandra’s Carter Road. The shop is shared by Nothing Fishy About it and Shahi Durbar, a dessert place.  I had read some great reviews on Zomato about how Nothing Fishy About it is as good as, if not better, than the likes of Mahesh, etc because of the good quality sea-food they serve while still being light on pocket.  However, what was brought to me was not as pleasant as hoped for. 

We started with the Butter Garlic Prawns served with Garlic Bread. The restaurant looks like more of a take-away than a dine-in. But to state the obvious through the silver foil dish they served the food in- a little putting off I felt. That would have gone unnoticed had the dish been up to mark. The prawns were fresh, no doubt, but the butter garlic sauce-average. Butter Garlic Prawns are usually served as a dry dish at most restaurants. The saucy version here, though different, is not as preferable as the dry one in which you can actually enjoy the chewy prawns and in which the flavors of garlic and butter enhance the flavour of the prawns instead of subduing it. Also, what was served in the name of garlic bread was two slices of white bread with garlic butter.

So yes, we only started with this dish at Rs. 299 and with that look on our faces it was clear that we weren’t going to go ahead with the mains here.

Will I go there again? No.

Where is it? A/6, Gagangiri Apartments, Off Carter Road, Bandra West, Mumbai; Contact:  +91 9920029020

#3.  Loco Chino, Carter Road, Bandra West

Image taken from www.timescity.com

We headed to Loco Chino after the unfortunately below average experience at Nothing Fishy About it. Loco Chino is a relatively newer restaurant at Bandra’s Carter Road. It serves Tex Mex and Chinese cuisine. The combination is rarely heard of but this place has done a little of both without any fusions.

Image taken from www.zomato.com

The interiors are rather cute- their salt and pepper shakers are in the shape of sombreros. The place is enough to seat around 12 people and has quite a chirpy feel to it owing to the colorful wall art in the form of caricatures of Mexican and Chinese characters on the walls. Dim sum baskets have been converted into lamps and give a very pretty look to the place. The staff is quite friendly too.

While we were debating on which tacos to order (hard or soft) one of the servers very politely suggested that we order the soft ones. So Chicken Tacos and Chicken Quesadillas it was! Both the dishes were extremely delicious. The colourful Chicken Tacos (2 pieces) with the right blend of veggies, beans, chicken and sauces were gobbled rather quickly by the both of us. Also, you can select your own toppings for the Tacos. The Chicken Quesadillas (4 pieces) were warm with a somewhat crisp outer covering. The warm stuffing of chicken and cheese was divine.

Chicken Nachos (Soft)

Chicken Quesadillas

This experience at a price of Rs. 250 only! I am drooling while writing about the food at Loco-Chino. With the city having extremely limited choices for the Tex Mex cuisine I am really hoping this place is here for good.

Will I go there again? Definitely going to this place again and their Burrito and the Chicken Burrito Bowl is already on the to-try list for my next visit!

Where is it?  389, A Wing, Gagangiri Premises Co Operative Society, Carter Road, Bandra West, Mumbai; Contact: 022 65006544

#4. Dessert time @Wafflist, Carter Road, Bandra West

We headed for dessert to stuff our otherwise satisfied tummies because according to us Punjabis, meethe ke liye toh hamesha jagah hoti hai.  And if you’re on Carter Road and love waffles, oh how can you miss the Wafflist sign!

Waffle with bananas, chocolate sauce and whipped cream

The Wafflist is also a relatively newer joint on Carter Road and I had been meaning to try it for a while.  We got a customized order – warm waffle with sliced bananas, a generous drizzle of dark chocolate sauce topped with light whipped cream- a combination that can’t go wrong. The service was with a smile and that always adds to one’s experience at a place.

At Rs. 200 for our customized order I won’t say this is as reasonable considering the prices we’d paid at the Tex Mex restaurant but please let’s not forget how warm and yummy waffles are!

Will I go there again? Yes, when I crave waffles.

Where is it? Gagangiri Apartments, Carter Road, Bandra West, Mumbai; Contact:  +91 9819680380

***

Ended our day with a stroll along the promenade on Carter Road. 

Tummies satisfied with beer and delicious food, a beautiful view, walk by the sea; all this without burning holes in our pockets = I love Bombay!

My Comfort Food

Hello hello hello! So I have been missing, hibernating and undercover(s) (literally) for a while now, at least as far as the blog is concerned. Not to say that I haven’t been gorging on scrumptious food now and then but the lazy bum in me has just not been penning it down. And could that be because nothing was as inspiring to be written about? Let me think. No. it’s just me- I am lazy. However, I have finally come out of my shell and I am ready to bombard the blog, for the benefit of all my lovely readers, with some delicious stories.

Winters are here, whatever little we get in Bombay (Nothing compared to the winters in the North. Nothing!), and the mood is all set. Spicy food is always a plus in winters because of the heat it generates. And here, keeping in line with the lovely weather, I give to you the tale of me cooking this amazing, simple, colourful, fiery and delectable Super Junglee Chicken Curry. This one is specifically for all the mirchi lovers but of course, the spice can be adjusted for those with delicate palates.  Another fuss free dish that I love, and which turns out extremely tasty is our very own, close to heart, and comfort food for many- Paneer Bhurji.

Both the dishes are extremely easy to prepare and are well suited for someone to inaugurate their inner chef with!

Super Junglee Chicken Curry

This dish is extremely close to my heart because it was the first chicken dish prepared by me without any help/ supervision from my mom or any other person. It was just one of those times when I really wanted to eat the ghar ka chicken curry with rice and well when you’re staying over 1500 kilometers away from your home then no, calling up mommy and requesting chicken curry is not an option. So I just decided to give this recipe that I had found online a shot. I mean how difficult could it be right? Right! It is extremely simple. You can actually read a book or watch your favourite movie side by side or even chit chat on your phone while this dish is being prepared. Trust me.

Let’s get started!

This dish serves 2-3 persons.

Ingredients:

Skinless Chicken (on the bone)- ½ kg (washed and cleaned)

Oil- 3 tbsp

Fennel Seeds / Saunf - 2 tsp

Red Onions  - 2 large thinly sliced

Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 springs

Tomato-4 chopped

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat the oil in a pressure cooker on medium flame and once heated, add the fennel seeds/ saunf.
• Once the fennel seeds have crackled add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes.
• When the onions have been sautéed well, add in the ginger garlic paste and mix well.
•  Next add in the salt and all the spice powders. Mix well.
• Throw in the chopped tomatoes. The tomatoes can be roughly or finely chopped  depending on the type of texture you prefer. Throw in the curry leaves as well and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy.
  
• Once the tomatoes have become soft add in the chicken pieces. Toss well in the masala.
• Now cover the pressure cooker and let it cook for 3 whistles. (This is the time you can read a book or do something else on the side).
• After the 3 whistles, lower the flame and cook for 15 minutes on a low flame.
• Switch off the flame and let the pressure go all by itself. 
• After opening the pressure cooker add the coriander leaves and mix well.
• Serve with rice or roti.

Paneer Bhurji

Simple vegetarian comfort food- that’s what Paneer Bhurji means to me. It is a popular north Indian dish. Bhurji means scrambled and in this dish the main ingredient is scrambled cottage cheese. I remember there used to be days at home when I would insist on Paneer Bhurji being made if something that I wasn’t too fond of had been prepared for a meal. The fact that it’s simple, quick and easy is an added bonus.

This dish serves 2-3 persons.

Ingredients:

Paneer (Cottage Cheese) - 200 gms, crumbled

Red Onion- 1 medium sized, finely chopped

Tomato- 1 large or 2 medium sized finely chopped

Green Chillies- 1 or 2, finely chopped

Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder or haldi- ¼ tsp

Red Chilli Powder- ½ tsp

Garam Masala Powder- ¼ tsp

Cumin Seeds or Jeera- ½ tsp

Oil/ Ghee/ Butter - 1.5 tbsp

Salt as required

Coriander/dhania leaves for garnishing (optional)

Method:

• First and foremost, crumble the paneer/cottage cheese and keep aside. If you are using frozen paneer (Amul or any other brand), take it out of the packet and soak it in luke warm water for a few minutes. This will defrost the paneer and make it soft thus making it easy to crumble.  (Note- The paneer can be crumbled by chopping, grating or mashing with hands. Out of all these methods, mashing the paneer with hands would be the best so as to retain the soft texture of the paneer. I would insist you do that. Get your hands messy. It’s worth it!)
• Heat the oil/ ghee or butter in a pan and once heated, add the cumin seeds.
• Once the cumin seeds have browned add the onions and sauté for a few minutes.
• Do not let the onions cook for a long time. As soon as they turn translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and the chopped green chillies. Saute the ingredients till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.
• Then add the tomatoes and cook till they become soft. Adding a pinch of salt at this stage will help the tomatoes cook faster.
• Once the tomatoes have become soft, add all the dry spice powders - turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala powder. Mix well.
• At this stage add the crumbled paneer and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not cook the paneer for a long time as it would lose its soft texture.
• Lastly add chopped coriander leaves to paneer bhurji and mix.
• Serve the delicious and colorful paneer bhurji with toast/ roti/ paranthas or pav. I served mine with fresh and warm pav :) !

Needless to say, both these dishes make me think of home and home food! Try them out and surprise someone :)