CULINARY LITERATURE- GETTING TO KNOW OUR FOOD: Maggi.. The noodles of joy !

CULINARY LITERATURE- GETTING TO KNOW OUR FOOD: Maggi.. The noodles of joy !: "This post of mine is dedicated to one of my oldest culinary friend-.Girl friend.. Maggi! Just like any true friends she has just never let m..."

Maggi.. The noodles of joy !

This post of mine is dedicated to one of my oldest culinary friend-.Girl friend.. Maggi! Just like any true friends she has just never let me down. She has made me believe that I CAN cook. As early as my school days maggi gave me the confidence and encouraged me into cooking..simply because she is so simple to cook ! My true buddy is just so simple to make, anytime, anywhere..a quick fill in the stomach, in between meals or simply when I dont feel like having proper meals. When I got married and entered into a new kitchen, I was so relieved to find my friend gleeming at me through the kitchen cabinet. As I happened to eat maggi in the hostel rooms (illegally made on hot ketteled water), I realised even, making something as simple as maggi is an art. I then tried different ways of cooking and concluded that making these noodles with varied proportions of water, the time of addition of the cake of the uncooked noodles into the hot water and added other flavours like garlic can make huge difference in the taste. Even today Maggi continues to fullfill its responsibility as a good friend making my sundays special.

I call Maggi as noodles of joy..you name it and see how she brings smile on peoples faces.As a kid, mom used to make maggi as reward for doing well in tests. Maggi was like a little carrot hanging making us strive to do better. As I grew older, from a tiny reward, Maggi turned into a quick fill or a quick replacement of the mums food I dint like. Today. I have her like a celebration, making each time I have her special.
The south west monsoons have hit the deccan coast, and as these rain filled clouds slowly move north, they bring relief from the suns fury and give nature a chance to give birth to life. There surely cant be a better occasion to celebrate than the arrival of monsoons. The weather settled for a rainy day, and as small and big droplets of water quenched the thirst of the Rajasthans dry sand, the air was filled with the aroma of wet soil triggering all our senses. I thought I should romance with the lovely monsoon evening with a hot bowl of Maggi.

The perfect gastronomical combination to stimulate all the senses...

Maggi...the way I like:

1. One small bowl of chopped  vegetables- Carrots, Capsicum
2.  Two tomatoes finely chopped
3. One big onion finely chopped.
4. One green chilly finely chopped
5. 4-5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
6. Vinegar- one teaspoon
7. 2 tablespoon vegetable oil.
8. Tomato sauce.
9. Maggi noodles
10. 1and half cups of water.

Put the pan on flame, add the vegetable oil. When hot toss in the chopped onions, Fry for a bit and then add the garlic and chilly. Fry till onions are light brown. By now the garlic gives out insane amount of smell announcing its presence..I totally love. At this point add the tomatoes. It all  will sizzle like a magical portion. Stir till tomatoes have lost all their water. Now add the magical secret ingredient- Maggi masala. Empty the whole pouch. Stir well for a few seconds. Add vinegar and vegetables. cover the top with a lid, letting the veggies cook and absorb all the spices. Once done add water and the Maggi noodle cake. Bring to boil soaking all the noodles well in water. Finally put some ketchup and stir well till all water evaporates. By now if you have a Maggi crazy family like mine..someone is surely pulled tot he kitchen by the typical Maggi odor.
Serve hot.

I sat in my balcony watching the rains, smelling the perfect blend of spices, tasting the slippery mushy mix of noodles, spices and vegetables and hearing myself say..what a perfect day! ..

As I said.. A perfect gastronomical combination of all senses !

Cilantro- the leaves with beauty and flavor

When someone says the word hara dhania or cilantro, there is a rush of unique freshness and flavour that comes to my mind almost immediately. Even though it is one of the most widely used herb for garnishing Indian food, I believe it has the ability to do much more than just garnish a dish. As a little kid when I went vegetable shopping with mom, she always insisted upon getting some free dhania stems in the end of the long argument on payments with the vegetable seller. I would be surprised at the way the vendor would eventually put these stems generously while still grumbling demanding more money. This was a ritual followed each time we went vegetable shopping. Today I realise, some free dhania stems can do so much in my kitchen, I rather spent that extra time arguing with the vendor to give it to me than not have it at all.

There are certain dishes that I can recall where cilantro serves a purpose more than garnish, without which one small but significant element in the recipe would be missing. for example what is pav bhaji without fresh fennely chopped cilantro sprinkled on it or what is dal tadka without cilantro in it. When added in minute quantity in buttermilk or raita it can make huge difference in the flavour. Infact, green salads have a distinct flavour when this fresh herb is added along with lime. I cannot miss the most amasing lemon coriander soup and dhania chutney !

I firmly beleive, this delicate slender herb is used for garnishing because of its beauty. The rich green cilantro when added on the top of cooked food is like that precious stone studded on the crown that magnifies the beauty of the crown. Its contrasting rich green colour not only adds beauty but also symbolises freshness and health.

One of my personal favourites is a Maharashtrian dish called koshambir which uses cilantro for its rich flavour rather than just looks. This recipe is an healthier alternative to simple curd or boondi raita.

1. One bowl of cold curd.
2. Chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum
3. roasted peanuts
4. half teaspoon ground sugar
5.Salt and red chilly powder
6.Cilantro

Extremly simple..just beat the curd to a raita consistency. Add all the above ingrediants. Mix and serve chill. The cilantro added is just around the same quantity as the other vegetables..clearly for its flavour.
When I made it for my hubby he liked it and said "the addition of capsicum and coriander was a midas touch in this". My husband confirmed the power of cilantro and I smiled cause I had found the topic for my blog.

If you have any similar story or views please share and or comment.

A not so perfect summer Sunday

I work hard the whole week..well pretty hard. My little seven month daughter occupies a large part of the day and the night. I do a bit of dentistry, read on food, blog on food and bit of cooking here and there. So as the minutes turn into hours and hours into days, even before I realize its a Sunday. I try very hard to make my sunday special.  Get up thinking of all the breakfasts I can do to impress my hubby. Or of making the special sunday lunch I have been having as a kid..Rajma chawal. But before my thoughts can be turned into actions.. the heat gets on to me. Summers in Jaipur are harsh and unforgiving. At 46 degrees, the whole body systems are just occupied with one thing..beat the heat! So between my thoughts and them turning into action lies the intolerable heat, and I try hard to fight it. Eventually the heat wins and  like a totally lost opponent, I just keep lying down on my bed with the AC on.

Coming from a more cooler regions like Mumbai and Pune, I am not used to such harsh long summers...more psychologically than physically. Lazing out a whole day is quite a waste for me. But unfortunately at 46 degrees, one is just helpless. So me, my hubby along with my seven month daughter just spent the entire sunday doing..Nothing!! you got it..absolutely nothing ! While my husband completely enjoyed lying like a crocodile, around six thirty in the evening I decided this is not my Sunday. I pulled my husband and myself out of the bed, put on some presentable clothes and drove to the Chaat wala...to have GOL गुप्पस!

Gol guppas or pani patashas or more colloquially  puchkaas are a favorite among the north Indians and can now be found in other parts of the country aswell.  Described in simple words, its fried wheat discs served with tangy spicy water along with potatoes and chickpea fills. The make of the this spicy water is a piece of art in itself. As I opened my mouth as wide as I could to get the whole guppa in, I could almost instantly taste the wonderful concoction of a million spices put together in the perfect quantity. With a  unique combination of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, hot, tangy, chilly this water fills the mouth almost instantly and while I was  still wondering which flavor is it, the chaat wala thrust another one of the water filled guppa in my bowl. By the time I finished having one, I said 'what the heck..just enjoy it'. With a trail of fire still on the tongue, one just cant stop enough of it. Finally, the chaat wala usually rewards his customer with  some of this magically spiced up water as if confirming that its just never enough.

Starting as a hot lazy day, I ended my sunday with spiced cool all time favourite Gol guppa.

While one can sit and fry all the puris to make the guppas, I found it much easier to just follow this recipe to make it simple ..

1. One packed of ready made guppas
2. One boiled potato , mashed with salt and red chilly powder.
3. Black channa boiled.

4. Tamarind sauce ( Soak the tamarind in ½ cup of warm water for approximately 45 minutes. Strain out the pulp to get tamarind water.Add mint leaves, chopped coriander, ginger, chilies and cumin seed. Add a little water and mix to a smooth consistency using a blender.)

5.  Pani puri masala. (Even jal jeera masala can do the trick)

Extremely simple..mix the mash potato and channa in one plate. Take chilled water in a bowl. Add pani puri masala and tamarind sauce in the water. As per your taste add the masala. To make it more tangy you can also add rock salt and jeera powder. 
Now take the puri in the palm, delicately crack the puri by making a hole in the center with the thumb without breaking the whole puri. Stuff the potato and channa. Fill the rest with the tangy chilled water. Open the mouth wide and pop the whole of it in.

The cheesy slice of Italy

I dedicate this post to one of my personal favorites...pizza! I am completed awed by the manner in which this   foreign cuisine found its place so comfortably in India that it tops the chart of favorites among the youth of urban India. Though its loosely termed as a fast food..its not really so..as it does take enough time and effort to make one ! Imported from Italy , its said to be a part of Neapolitan cuisine.
I remember the time when the first Pizza hut outlet had opened in my city of Pune. In those days, eating out was restricted to good restaurants on weekends. On the name of fast food fast food we just had pav bhaji, dosas and few more desi items. There were long waiting of eager people outside pizza hut all wanting to take a bite of this imported bread make. In fact cheese itself wasn't pravalent.  I don't think an average Indian housewife was aware of the mozzarella cheese at all ! To top the unfamiliarity of this delicacy were the added unseen vegetables like black olives and jalapenos. Even the spice added of oregano and chilly flakes casually kept of the tables was new. We were used to seeing only salt and pepper kept on the dinning tables of the biggest of all restaurants.Thus started the journey of these fresh smelling, hot cheesy soft disc breads with unbelievable toppings of fresh vegetables in India.

Today, the consumption of pizza is  easy.The home delivery of most of the makers of pizzas in attractive cardboard boxes, has made pizzas favorites among urban India. So well has pizza made its place in India that the makers of pizza have Indianised the flavors just to suite the Indian palate. Like the other I went out with my friends to pizza hut, I realize that the menu contained pizza with tandoori paneer and chicken toppings! This Italian- Indian concoction however, is sumptuous. Even the bases are with constant innovation. Eat from the back, thin crust, thick crust, pan crust, cheese inside, cheese outside, cheesy bites..etc just all add more guilt of all the sin of gluttony after the pizza meal.

Here is one of the easiest and yet one of the most yummy and not to forget healthier versions of home made pizza

•   Pizza base (wheat)
•   3-4 tomatoes, boiled and pureed or simple ready made tomato puree.
•   Vegetables - chopped onions, ringed Capsicum, black olives, jalapenos, baby corn ( cut longitudinal),
•       paneer if you wish.
•   mozzarella cheese grated.
•   Garlic paste 4-5 cloves.
•  Chilly powder
•   Oregano
•  Salt.
•  Butter.

To start lets make the topping base. It should be nice and tangy to mask and over come the blandness of the base. So take a pan, add butter to it, add garlic paste, oregano, chilly powder, tomato puree and salt. you may add chilly sauce as well to enhance the flavor. Bring to boil.
In another pan, saute all the vegetables you may want to add, leaving olives and jalapeno, with little butter and salt.
Apply butter on both sides of the pizza base, and then generously spread the tomato  topping on it. Then with all the dexterity in the fingers add the vegetables, olives and jalapenos.
Feeling as less guilty as possible, add the mozzarella cheese over the pizza. Sprinkle some chilly flakes and oregano powder and put it in the oven to bake.

As the cheese melts and the bread bakes, the whole kitchen will smell of this unresistable Italian dish.

Remove when all the cheese melts. Use pizza cutter to slices. Take the slice in hand and dive in the cheesy oregano, tomato, vegetables and bread concoction. Enjoy with chilled cola !