SHALLOW FRIED POMFRET FISH

Amongst the indigenous catch of sea food, along the coastal belt of India, Pomfret fish is perhaps the most prized one and a delicacy. This sea-water fish is available in white and grey varieties. Being a north Indian, I am more accustomed to the fresh water variety  and find the grey one having a somewhat unpleasant smell but the white one suits my north Indian palate perfectly. It tastes good in gravies as well as in fried form.

When my hubby got transferred to Mumbai, sea food was around in abundance and after our initial apprehension regarding sea food (especially my husband) we thought of giving it a shot.

I found this recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor which has wonderful flavours (seemingly a tad strong) but they work perfectly well with this fish. The amalgamation of freshly ground masala with whole garam masala results in an aromatic, moist and lip-smacking fried fish. The best part about this recipe is that it is shallow fried and takes little time to prepare and cook. 

Though, I have increased the amount of certain ingredients to suit our taste. I also added fresh coriander which happens to be our favourite herb.

You need the following: 
4 Pomfrets (250-300g each)
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Oil for shallow frying


For the Masala you need:
1 tbsp ginger paste 
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp cumin powder
5-6 black pepper corns (crushed, not powdered)
5-6 cloves 
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 tbsp vinegar
4-5 (or as much heat you want) Dry Red Chillies
Salt to taste
A generous handful of fresh coriander


For Serving
2 Lemons (wedged)
1 medium Onion (Cut in roundels)

METHOD:
While buying fish, tell your fish monger to make shallow diagonal slits on both the sides of the fish. 


Wash the fish with water and then sprinkle some salt on it. Keep it aside for 1 minute or so. Again wash it with water.


Pat dry the fish. Rub salt, lemon juice, turmeric powder inside and outside the fish and keep it for half an hour in a refrigerator (preferably). (Ensure that you cover the vessel, in which you have kept the marinated fish, with a cling film to avoid the smells of fish getting transferred to other foods in the refrigerator)


Grind the ingredients of the masala to make a paste. 


Apply well the paste on both sides of the fish and keep it aside for fifteen minutes again (keeping it covered in the fridge).


Heat oil in a grill pan and fry the fish till it is done on both the sides. 


Serve hot with lemon wedges and onion rings. You can also serve it along with chutney/sauce of your choice.


Note: You can use this masala for other variety of fishes too.

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VANILLA CHOCO-CHUNK CAKE

(I know the name sounds a bit ‘off beat’ or rather peculiar but fact is that I have used a chocolate bar instead of chocolate-chips.)

The lovely Mumbai monsoon was the triggered factor behind the creation of this cake. My hands were itching to make something sweet and warm but I was in no mood to make any Indian sweet using milk. Making Kheer of any sorts or even Halwa for that matter would mean that I will have to keep an eye on the burner and keep stirring the contents of the pot every now and then. I wanted to enjoy the monsoon in its full glory from my bedroom window with a cup of hot coffee for company.

I thought of baking a cake and let its warm aromas fill the air… I thought Chocolate Chip Cake would be a good idea and would offer a novelty to my daughter but the catch was – I didn’t have chocolate chips! I had a decent stock of chocolates lying in my fridge and I decided to bake a cake different from the ones I normally do. 

Well, chocolate chips are not necessary to whip up a cake. Or are they? Well, not I guessed…all I wanted was something chocolaty. So, I used the ones which were available at hand. Hubby had got stock of Belgium chocolates during one of his official trips abroad. These chocolates are somewhat sweeter than their Swiss counterpart. I stuck to the basic recipe of the vanilla cake that I normally bake and added the chopped chunks of chocolate bar to it. And voila it turned out super delicious!! I hope you enjoy the cake as much as my family and I did.

I used the following ratio of ingredients:

1 cup oil or butter

1 ½ cup caster sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 ½ cup refined flour

2 level tsp baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (you can reduce or increase the amount)

Beat together the first four ingredients until well integrated and you have a smooth liquid batter.

Mix together and sift well the refined flour and baking powder. Chop the chocolate bar into small chunks.

Add the refined flour mix in three batches to the liquid mixture gradually along with the chocolate chunks and incorporate well.

Transfer the batter to a greased and dusted baking tin.

Bake at 180 degrees till the cake is done. You can check it by inserting a needle in it. I generally use a knitting needle to check if the cake is done or not.

Once it is done, remove it on a rack. Normally I would say, let the cake cool before you cut it and store it but in this case the cake turned out to be totally irresistible so I would say, “straight away dig into it”!!


As far as serving portions are concerned, really can't say since my daughter and I can polish it off single handedly in a day. Well, jokes apart, serves 5-6.

Note: I would recommend that you use best quality chocolate for a chocolate chip cake because it will make a huge difference to the taste of your cake.

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CRUDITÉS WITH SOUR CREAM DIP

The days before vacations had been hectic. Lot many dinners were due and I was ticking each one off my list. Though my husband and I love entertaining friends over for dinner/ lunch but some times the heat of the Indian summer can come across as quite a deterrent.

So during one of those days, I thought of creating a menu where I would not have to slog in the kitchen or indulge in any sort of cooking over fire for a long duration, which is generally the case with some Indian recipes. 


I decided to serve 'finger food' as starters/ appetisers followed by a continental affair. For starters I kept sausages, cold cuts of salami, crackers with topping and crudités. For main course it was Oregano Chicken, Layered Potatoes in Sour Cream (baked) served with Toasted Garlic Bread and raw papaya salad {I know it isn't continental but I thought it was certainly somewhat exotic and easy ;-)} . For dessert, I served caramel custard. 


It looked like a huge spread and appeared as if I had indulged into a lot of hard work in the kitchen but the reality was definitely far from it!! (Apart from cooking the sausages and chicken, which actually is a very simple recipe, I didn't have to venture any where near the stove.) My friends simply loved it...what more could have I asked for!! 

For crudités, wash and chop the vegetables of your choice as per the size and shape you desire. For the dip, you will need mayonnaise and thick curd in an equal quantity. Add freshly chopped mint and some dry mint. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper and give the dip a nice stir. Taste it before your serve and adjust the seasoning if required. Your dip is ready in no time!!


Note: You can use low fat mayonnaise if you are calorie conscious and if you are vegetarian, opt for the vegetarian version of mayonnaise.

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PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

This recipe by chef Curtis Stone is an absolute winner. I must admit that I had never ever tried baking cookies before because I was time and again given an impression that they are not-so-easy to bake and one needs to be a real pro in the baking department to venture the territory of baking cookies. 

But this simple recipe is a myth buster! These cookies should actually come with a warning though - 'you simply can not stop at one'!!! These cookies get polished off the very same day they are baked. Without any further words, here's the recipe...

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup natural chunky peanut butter (about 9 ounces / 280 grams)

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar (I used packed brown sugar)

1/2 cup granulated / caster sugar (I prefer the caster sugar)

1/2 cup (1 stick / 125 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ tablespoons honey

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 ounces / 155 grams semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (ensure that you use the best quality chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.

Line 3 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, honey, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended.

Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture in 2 additions.

Stir in the chopped chocolate

Scoop about 3 tablespoonfuls (I used just 1 and a half table spoon) of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies puff and begin to brown on top but are still very soft to the touch.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.

Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack and eat warm or cool completely.

Makes about 20 cookies

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