Monday, August 27, 2007

Delights of Indian Cooking





India is a complex country, rich and fascinating, just like its food. The cuisine can be as simple as a one dish meal or a sumptuous feast with courses and condiment after condiment arranged like jewels on a tray.

Most people unfamiliar with the cuisine expect it to be very spicy, with overwhelming lists of ingredients and unfamiliar words. The ingredient lists may be long, but usually the length is made up of spices you can just line up on the counter and add as you cook. Indian cooking tries to incorporate sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and spicy into all meals; this balance of flavors has spiritual meaning as well.

The most important advice is to relax and have fun. You are broadening your horizons and adding zip to your life by trying Indian recipes. I believe that food defines us as a culture and brings us together as people. And the more you know about other cuisines, the more you will understand the world.

This simple microwave recipe is very easy to make, and so delicious.

Sprinkle Fish Fillets

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. fish fillets, in serving size pieces,
2 Tbsp. lemon juice,
1/4 tsp. salt,
1 Tbsp. butter,
1 Tbsp. flour,
1/2 tsp. curry powder,
1/2 cup milk,
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley,
Mango chutney,
Toasted coconut or chopped peanuts.


Method:


Arrange fish in 12 x 8" microwave safe dish, with thickest parts to outside. Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt. Cover with microwave safe plastic wrap and microwave on high power for 3 minutes. Rotate dish and microwave 2-4 minutes longer, until fish flakes with fork.

Remove, cover, and let stand 3 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare sauce.
In 2 cup microwave safe glass measuring cup, melt butter. Add flour, salt and curry powder and blend well. Add milk and stir to blend with wire whisk. Microwave uncovered on high power, stirring every minute, until sauce is thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Pour sauce over fish, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with chutney and coconut or peanuts.


4-6 servings.
Cook Time : 10min.


Monday, August 20, 2007

Choose Indian Cuisine

The Wonderland of Indian Cuisine


That is how Shakespeare would have undoubtedly put it…..talking about Indian Cuisine, which, with its immense variety, has carved a niche for itself internationally. People from other parts of the world, especially in the West, simply adore Indian cuisine, despite the fact that a majority of its dishes are spicy, tangy and hot ! Indeed Continental as well as American cuisine (save Mexican) is rather bland when compared to their Indian counterpart. Down the centuries, Indian spices have always lured the adventurous, sea-farers and explorers to come to India and carry away bulk quantities to their native lands. All that is a part of our history now.


Food, glorious food...The way to a man's heart is through his stomach...An army marches on its stomach....and so many other cliches that all centre around one of life's necessities - eating. Without exception we aim to ensnure you into a truly unique, unforgettable cuisine experience. We combine the ancient with the modern and take you down the path to losing yourself in the exotic flavours of INDIA.


Indian cuisine is gaining popularity around the globe. Easy to prepare, tasty and it's mainstay grains, lentils and vegetable dishes is allowing Indian cuisine to gain popularity all over the world. Today, many people want a balance of both protein and carbohydrates. Indian cuisine offers the health promoting properties of various herbs, ginger and spices, as well as a well-balanced diet. Yogurt, an accompaniment to Indian meals, introduces good flora into the digestive system.


Many of our menus are vegetarian, which tend to be more alkaline than non-vegetarian menus. Fresh fruit follows Indian meals, which also contributes to an alkaline balance. meals are easy to prepare, taking about 20 to 30 minutes to prepare at an averga. Many foods can be cooked in crockpots, pressure cooker or in pans. Beans/lentils can be soaked overnight. Whole wheat dough for chappatis and rotis can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for later use. Tortillas and pita breads may be substitued for Indian flat breads.

Monday, August 6, 2007

AN ANGLER'S TALE

I used to be quite a keen angler in my vagabond days. I'd catch a trout, gut it, clean it and cook it whole in a foil over a slow fire.

A whole fish is a treat. If the fish is fresh, and you have some basic ingredients, such as, lemon juice, butter and pepper, you can transform it into a gastronomic delight .

I suppose there are two reasons why a whole fish tastes so good. For one, the juices are trapped within it. And, second, a whole fish is usually cooked over slow heat -- grilled, smoked or baked -- and that again helps in enhanching the tastes.

I remember another occasion when I had a delicious whole fish. This was cooked in Delhi by an Italian friend. She had taken a huge ruhu made slits all over it, which she filled with garlic. She smeared the fish with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and then steamed it.

You really can't go wrong with a whole fish. The only problem that I have with it is that it tends to look a little balefully at you with its glassy eyes. But I would suggest you look right back ---------- attack.


SPICY POMFRET


Ingredients:

1 Pomfret,
Salt and vineger to marinate,
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced,
1 carrot, thinly sliced,
1 onion,thinly sliced,
1 green chilli, minced,
1 tsp gralic minced,
1 cup fish stock,
juice of two limes,
1 tsp suger,
1/2 tsp salt,
1/2 tsp pepper,
1 tsp chilli sauce,
1 tsp coriander leaves,
1 tsp cornflour,
oil.

Method:


Clean and gut the Pomfret. Slit on both sides, and then marinate with salt and vineger for an hour or so. Heat oil in a pan, deep fry the fish for about seven minutes, and then drain and keep aside. Now, in another pan, take one tablespoon of oil and fry the garlic, onion, green chilli, cucumber and carrot. Add the fish stock, lime juice, chilli sauce, suger, salt and pepper and let it come to boil. Thicken with cornflour and then pour it over the fish. Garnish with fresh coriander.