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COCKTAIL IDLI SKEWERS



    I am a hardcore Punjabi but somehow we make a lot of South Indian breakfast and snacks at my home. I recently posted the recipe of Milagai Podi, which is also known as Gunpowder masala, and I thought I should share one of the ways we eat it at home! Here's a recipe that's super simple, yet has bold and complex flavours.







    Basically, Podi or Gunpowder masala, as the name suggests is a fiery dry powder which is a blend of spices and lentils. It’s a popular southern Indian food condiment typically served as side dish with idli as a dipping condiment along with ghee or sesame oil. It's got a rich nutty and earthy flavour with a kick of spice, and the ghee adds a buttery coating on your palate.


    I love serving this as a cocktail snack or starter, as I find this recipe to be one of the quickest way to impress your guests – it's so simple but no one will guess it just by tasting it!


    To learn how to make the Gunpowder masala from scratch, click here!

    YIELDS: 15 cocktail skewers

    PREP TIME: 15 minutes

    COOKING TIME: 20 minutes



    INGREDIENTS


    For Marinade:

    • 1/4 cup Milagai podi

    • 2 tsp lemon juice

    • 1/4 tsp salt

    • 2 tbsp warm melted ghee

    For Kebabs:

    • 1 cup ready idli batter

    • 2 onions, cut in 2cm pieces

    • 3 medium bell pepper (red, yellow and green) cut into 2cm pieces

    • Oil for grilling the skewers

    Equipment needed:

    • Mini idli mould

    • Cocktail skewers



    METHOD


    1. To steam the idlis, take a large cooking pot/ steamer, or a large pressure cooker. Pour about 1 and a half cup of water, cover to let it boil.

    2. Meanwhile, brush mini idli mould with oil. Pour the batter in the mould, stack the plates in its stand and place it in the cooker. Cover and let it steam for 10 minutes on low flame.

    3. Remove stand from the steamer/ cooker, unmould the idlis with the help of a table knife. Keep aside.

    4. Thread the cocktail skewers with idlis, onions and colored bell peppers alternatively. Heat the griddle pan and brush it with little oil. Now grill the skewers on low heat, turn the sides to evenly roast. Grill until bell peppers and onions are roasted and slightly charred.

    5. While the idli skewers are grilling, prepare the marinade. Pour Milagai podi powder, salt, lemon and ghee in a small bowl and mix together. Brush the marinade over the grilled skewers and serve it with coconut or tomato chutney.



    COOK'S NOTES:


    • Pour just enough water in the steaming vessel where it’s not touching the idli mould. It should be just below the bottom tray of the mould.

    • If you do not have the podi masala already prepared, you can always make these with sambar masala powder if you have one in your pantry. To prepare milagai podi powder, follow the recipe of Milagai Podi on the website under the breakfast category.

    • To prepare idli batter at home soak 1 part urad dal and 3 parts of idli rice along with one part of poha and half a tsp of fenugreek seeds for 4-6 hours. Drain water from soaked rice and dal and reserve. In a grinder mixer, add the drained rice and dal mix, adding little reserved water from soaked rice and grind it to a smooth paste. If you find the batter thick add little more water. Cover the batter with a lid and leave it to ferment for 6-8 hours or overnight. Once fermented add little salt and it’s ready to make the idli.

    • To make this dish vegan, replace ghee with sesame oil.


    GOBI MUSALLAM

      Musallam literally means whole or complete.


      Gobi Musallam is a dish made with a whole piece of roasted cauliflower which is cooked with mildly spiced creamy gravy.

      Gobi Musallam is a dish which is inspired by the famous stuffed chicken dish called Murg Musallam, where the whole chicken was stuffed with boiled eggs, keema(minced lamb meat), which is marinated and cooked in a rich makhni gravy, and delicately flavoured with whole spices. This dish gained its popularity because of its royal heritage as it was cooked in the imperial kitchens of Mughals. This dish is also a centerpiece of Avadhi lavishness. Awadh (which is now known as Lucknow) invented 'dum' style of cooking or an art of cooking on slow fire. So basically, Gobi Musallam is actually a vegetarian version created by adapting these two imperial styles of cooking. The whole head of cauliflower is blanched then tossed in oil to fry or is roasted and drenched in makhani gravy, cooked on slow fire and served whole.


      You can serve this with usual Indian fixes of flat breads like naan, parantha, roti or even with the rice or pulao.


      I was introduced to this dish when I got married; my mum-in-law would prepare this dish on special occasions. I learnt it from her and gave my own little spin to it. It certainly is an attractive center piece dish. I love to serve this stunning dish whenever I have a get together or a lavish dinner party as this is one of those dishes which always grabs my guests’ attention.


      I am really excited to share this beautiful finger-licking vegetarian dish which is deep, rich and perfectly balanced with harmony of spices blended together that elevates this humble cauliflower dish to a delicious gourmet standard.


      Try making this dish following the step by step instructions given in the method, and I’m sure you will win the hearts of even your hardcore non-vegetarian eaters. Read the cook’s notes for a slight variation of cooking the recipe.




      SERVES: 8-10

      PREP TIME: 20 minutes

      COOKING TIME: 45-50 minutes




      INGREDIENTS


      For Blanching Cauliflower:

      • 4 small cauliflowers

      • Large cooking Pot

      • Water for boiling

      • 1/2 tbsp salt

      • 2 tsp turmeric/haldi

      For Tempering:

      • 3 large onions, cut into eights

      • 5-6 fat garlic cloves

      • 2.5” piece ginger, peeled roughly chopped

      • 3 large tomatoes, blanched, deskinned and puréed

      • 1-2 green chillies, chopped

      • 6 tbsp oil

      • 4 cups oil for frying

      • 1 tsp cumin/jeera

      • 2 bay leaves/tej patta

      • 1 cinnamon stick/dalchini

      • 4-5 green cardamom, slightly bruised

      • 2 tsp salt

      • 1 tsp red chilli powder

      • 2 tbsp coriander powder

      • 1/2 tsp garam masala

      • 1 tsp turmeric

      • 2 tsp salt or to taste

      • 2/3 cup yogurt

      • 3-4 tsp sugar

      • 1/3 cup raw cashews

      • 1/3 cup water

      • 1 tsp kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves

      • 3-4 tbsp fresh cream (use coconut cream to make it vegan)

      For Garnish:

      • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

      • 2-3 tsp fresh cream



      METHOD

      1. Wash and trim the green stalks or leaves from the cauliflowers. Remove the extra long stem, keeping intact some stem upto the base of cauliflower.

      2. In large cooking pot, pour enough water to fully immerse the cauliflowers. Bring it to boil. Once boiled, add salt and turmeric. Immerse the cauliflowers in the water, cover the lid and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes, until they are par boiled.

      3. With a slotted spoon, remove cauliflowers from the water, drain them on absorbent paper.

      4. Now heat the oil for frying in a wok or deep pan, gently slide in the cauliflowers and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside until used.

      5. In a blender jar, add onions, garlic and ginger, blend to a coarse consistency.

      6. Heat a large pot, then add 6 tablespoons of oil used for frying the cauliflowers, add cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, cardamom and bay leaves. Roast for few seconds to release the aromas from whole spices. Add blended onions, give it a stir for few seconds and then add green chillies. On a high flame, keep stirring in frequent intervals for about 7-8 minutes until well roasted and light brownish in color but not burnt.

      7. While the onions are getting roasted, make the cashew paste. In a small blender jar, drop cashews along with 1/3 cup of water and blend to a smooth paste. Keep aside until needed.

      8. Reduce flame and add salt, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and stir for few seconds to roast the spices. Now add the tomato purée, increase the flame to high, stir and cook. After 5 minutes add tomato paste and keep stirring every now and then. Cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until tomatoes shrink down, all the water is evaporated from them and oil is separated from the masala.

      9. Now whisk the yogurt and add it to the prepared onion and tomato masala. Add a little water (about 1/4 cup), and cook further stirring frequently for another 4-5 minutes until its nice thick and creamy. Add sugar and stir.

      10. Pour the prepared cashew paste, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes on slow fire until its rich, creamy and thick in consistency. Add little water if it starts sticking to the bottom.

      11. Add kasuri methi and stir. Reduce the heat, add cream and 1 cup of water. Stir to combine. Check seasoning, add more if required. Place the fried cauliflowers gently in the pot, spoon some gravy on top of the florets to coat them well. Cover the lid and simmer for 5-6 minutes on low flame.

      12. With a flat wide serving spoon, gently remove cauliflowers from the gravy and place them on the serving platter. Pour the gravy on top of the florets using a ladle. To garnish, drizzle cream on top and sprinkle chopped coriander. Serve with paranthas, naan or roti.



      COOK'S NOTES:

      • Do not over boil the cauliflowers as it will break apart when you cook it in the sauce and serve.

      • This dish can be prepared in advance but keep the gravy and cauliflowers ready separately. Just before serving, heat the gravy by adding little water, place the cauliflowers in the gravy and follow the rest of the recipe.

      • To make this vegan friendly, replace the cream with coconut milk.

      • Alternatively this dish can also be cooked by roasting it in the oven. Once the gravy is ready, place the cauliflower heads upside down in a baking dish, pour pour some gravy on them to deep through the cavities of the cauliflower head. Carefully turn them all around and pour the rest of the gravy on of all to cover them completely. Place in preheated oven at 200°C and cook for about 25-35 minutes depending on the size of the cauliflowers. For even roasting results turn the baking dish around halfway during baking.

      • To make it bit more appealing to the eyes, garnish with silver leaves and lightly toasted flaked almonds.


      BEETROOT CARPACCIO SALAD



        Beetroot carpaccio is the vegetarian version of the classical Italian recipe of carpaccio which is prepared with thin slices of raw beef dressed with a vinaigrette using olive oil, lemon, capers, and even mustard is added for bit of a kick.


        This beetroot carpaccio salad is an impressive yet effortless appetizer salad which is so fresh, healthy and delicious. It’s one of those recipes that barely requires any cooking but still looks like a million bucks on the table.


        Beetroots are packed with essential nutrients and are a great source of fibre, folic acid, vitamin B6, iron, potassium, magnesium and many more.


        Recently I was detected with low iron deficiency and I was kind of worried. Started googling, reading and searching about the best natural sources of food to enhance the levels of the deficiency and found that beetroot is an amazing vegetable which contains nitrates and pigments that helps in increasing the blood flow.

        During this lockdown I ordered my bulk quantity of the veggies from the vendors and I had a large bag full of beautiful beetroots and I still had some organic arugula leaves growing in my garden. I paired it with orange vinaigrette which adds the beautiful sweet citrusy note to this refreshing summery salad. I served it with some grilled sumac and za’atar chicken and hassle back potatoes and everyone in the family was thrilled and thoroughly enjoyed the feast.



        SERVES: 4-5

        PREP TIME: 10 minutes

        BAKE TIME: 1 hour

        PASSIVE TIME: 1 hour

        ASSEMBLE TIME: 10 minutes



        INGREDIENTS


        • 3 medium beetroot

        • 4 cups/1 bunch Arugula leaves, washed and spin dried

        • 40g feta cheese

        • 40g hazelnuts, toasted & roughly chopped


        For Orange Vinaigrette:

        • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

        • 3 tsp lime juice

        • 1 tsp grated ginger

        • 1/2 small navel orange, zested and juiced (2tbsp of juice)

        • 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

        • 1/3 tsp salt or to taste

        • Dash of freshly cracked black pepper


        METHOD


        1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

        2. Wash the beetroots and wrap them individually in a piece of foil.

        3. Place them on a baking tray and bake them for an hour.

        4. Cool completely and gently peel off the skin.

        5. Slice them thinly with the help of a mandoline or a sharp knife.

        6. Arrange the slices on a platter, slightly overlapping each other.

        7. Mix all the ingredients of the orange vinaigrette to prepare the dressing.

        8. Sprinkle half of the vinaigrette dressing on the arranged beetroot slices. Place arugula leaves in the center, sprinkle feta cheese and toasted hazelnuts, drizzle rest of the dressing on top of arugula leaves and serve immediately.


        COOK'S NOTES:


        • Beetroots can be baked and kept wrapped in the refrigerator for 2 days. Cool them completely before placing in the refrigerator.

        • Dress the beetroots only at the last minute before serving else the beetroot will sweat and the arugula salad leaves will wilt and won’t stay fresh and crisp.

        • I added ginger in my vinaigrette but you can always skip it if you don’t like the flavour.

        • Prepare vinaigrette few hours ahead or a day before and refrigerate. This will intensify the flavours and make it more delicious.

        • I don’t prefer to boil the beetroot as all essential nutrients and deep colour of beetroot is lost. Always try and bake them wrapped in foil to ensure all the nutrients are still intact.


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