The Simplest Shortbread Recipe

While on our way to Toronto in November, Pranav and I each received a piece of Walker's chocolate coated shortbread as part of our on-flight meal. I've never really been a sucker for shortbread, but I had to admit, this was delicious. We were both anxious to taste it again on the flight home, but it never came. So, we decided to pick up a box at Heathrow.  

After having eaten half the contents of the box, I began wondering why I'd never been a fan before, and more importantly, why it had never occurred to me to try baking my own shortbread. My cousin's son is an accomplished baker and it wasn't until I heard of his recent shortbread-baking-success that I was determined to try my hand.

I did some internet research and came up with the following rules for making good shortbread.

1. Never underestimate the simplicity of making shortbread. Although it isn't difficult, it can be remarkably easy to botch.
2. Don't get too creative. While it may be fine to top your shortbread with coloured sugar granules, or even mix a few chocolate chips into the dough, you shouldn't get too ambitious. 
3. There is no substitute for butter. Leave shortening and margarine out of the equation; they have no place in a shortbread recipe. If you're not willing to ingest a bit of butter, then this cookie is not for you.

The above being noted, here is a simple and successful recipe for the most confident (and even those most novice) of bakers.

Shortbread

• 3 parts flour
• 2 parts butter (melted)
• 1 part sugar

That's really all you need. Mix everything up and don't forget to grease your cookie sheet. Roll the dough out to 1 cm thickness, and cut the dough into whatever shapes fit the occasion. Place the cookies an inch apart from each other and bake them for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F. Don't burn your tongue.

The 411 on Momos and Thukpa

After Diwali on our way back from Ambala, we stopped in Delhi to spend a few days with friends. One of my favourite places, Delhi is India's second largest city and home to more than the entire population of Canada. Pranav and I, along with Anshul, Swati and Tanveer decided to spend an afternoon at Delhi's famous food plaza and craft bazaar Dilli Haat. The bazaar houses craft stalls from all over India, and in 2003, the market became fully wheelchair accessible - a rarity in India. The goods range from sandalwood carvings to camel-skin footwear; from sophisticated drapery and fabrics, to beads, gems, and brassware. The food plaza offers numerous kiosks representing each state of India, and granting a variety of tastes. It was here that Pranav and I enjoyed our usual Dilli Haat speciality: vegetarian momos.

Momos are simple Tibetan-style dumplings made from a white flour-and-water dough. They are filled with vegetables, meat, or a combination of both. The dumplings are cooked by steaming them over a clear broth which is served alongside them with chili sauce. Momos can also be pan or deep fried. According to Wikipedia, momos are commonly served in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Mehgalaya, Himachal Pradesh, and even West Bengal. 

Standing at Momo Mia, the Tibetan food stand, Pranav and I decided to try something new as well. Looking at the menu board, our eyes fell onto the soup category: Thukpa. I had no clue what it was, but it came in a vegetarian option so we ordered one. What came was a flavourful broth with rice noodles and a variety of vegetables floating in the giant bowl. The broth was mild, but hearty, and my tongue was able to discern ginger, garlic, and lemongrass. The amount seemed more than we could handle, but somehow we slurped away and the bottom of the bowl came sooner than we expected. 

Next week, we're both heading to Toronto, my hometown, for a visit. I can't wait to eat my Mum's cooking. 

Sweetened Rice (Meethe Chawal) For the Sweet Tooth

Things have taken quite a busy turn here, and it's been a while since my last post. Suffice to say that since early September, I've taken up a new pastime - pool; specifically 8-ball and 9-ball. It all began last month when I cordially said yes to a quick game with an older gentleman who lives in the same complex as Pranav and I. It wasn't long before I was calling him "Uncle" and he had introduced me to several of his friends who played spirited rounds of pool each evening. I've gotten good enough to beat a few of them, and sometimes when I'm lucky I might even win a game or two against Uncle. Pranav has been tolerating my obsession very well, after all, he himself is an accomplished player of snooker and doesn't mind taking me on for a round or two after we hit the gym. Thankfully, my cooking hasn't taken a back seat. Here's the recipe for a quick little dessert that you can whip up with very few ingredients. 

Meethe Chawal (serves 2)

• 1 cup of basmati rice
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1-2 sticks of cinnamon (depending on the size)
• 1 cardamom
• 4-5 cloves
• 3-4 almonds (chopped)
• 4-5 cashews (broken into pieces)
• 1 tbsp of ghee
• sugar to taste

Cook the basmati rice with a pinch of turmeric in the water for colouring. Remove the rice from the stove when it's 80% done and strain any excess water. Keep the rice aside for later.

 Now, heat the ghee in a kadai on low heat. Add all the other ingredients except for the sugar.

When you can smell the aroma of the spices, add the rice. Be sure to keep turning it so that it doesn't stick to kadai. Add some sugar and keep turning so that it blends well. The rice grains shouldn't stick to each other or the kadai, and they should be only about 95% cooked. Enjoy this as a dessert, or as a snack on a rainy day.

I love Bharta

Baingan Bharta is one of my favourite dishes. I've tried my hand at it at least twice but it wasn't until recently that I realized just how wrong my attempts had been. Instead of roasting my eggplant, I'd been cooking it directly with the masala. Not only did it take forever to cook, but this prevented me from nailing the dish's signature flavour. I even added curd to one rendition which successfully made the dish very sour. Today, I set out to make the perfect bharta, and I must say that it was (finally!) a triumph.

Baingan Bharta (serves 2-3)

• 1 medium sized eggplant
• 1 large finely chopped tomato
• 1 large finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
• 1-2 finely chopped red chilies (depending on your taste)
• 1 tsp ground or whole jeera (cumin)
• 1.5 tsp haldi (turmeric)
• 1 tsp dhania (coriander) powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• pinch of red chili powder (optional)
• salt to taste
• fresh dhania (coriander) for adding as well as garnishing

Start by roasting, baking, or broiling the eggplant. For baking, preheat your oven to about 400 degrees; if you prefer to broil, then your oven should have it's own setting. Either way, it should take about 15-20 minutes. I don't have an oven here, so my only option was to roast on the open flame of our gas stove. I must admit, I was a little scared to do this, but it's plenty easier than I thought. If you have a gas stove, then definitely give this a try. For whichever method you choose, you will have to lightly brush the outer skin of your eggplant with some oil or ghee. This will help when it comes to peeling off the skin, and it also helps in the broiling/baking/roasting process. If you're doing this on an open flame like me, then it's nice to have a pair of tongs handy. It's not the end of the world if you don't, just get creative.

I believe the open flame roasting took me about 15 minutes, but it might depend on the size of your eggplant, or the thickness of it's skin. You'll know it's time when the skin gets wrinkly. The skin should not however, become totally black, or catch fire; a little charring is perfectly normal. Start taking off the skin - no! Don't use your bare hands! Try poking a little hole at the top with your knife, then shave or peel it off with the edge of the blade. It should come right off. When the skin is totally off, chop your eggplant into little pieces. 

Preheat the cooking oil in a kadai or wok. I used mustard oil this time, which has a unique heating pattern. A ring of bubbles will start to form, and this ring will work its way from the periphery of the oil toward the centre. Just before the bubbles disappear in the middle of the oil, add the jeera, onion, and ginger/paste. Try to get them in all at the same time so that there it minimal splattering. If you manage to get these in before the ring of bubbles goes, then you should be ok. Next come the red chilies if you are using them. Green are acceptable as well; I have only red at home right now. Next add the tomatoes along with the rest of the spices, but not the salt. Cook this masala until the pieces of tomato dissolve. The onions will also become translucent and soft. Then in go the pieces of eggplant. If at any point in the cooking it looks like the masala or the bharta is getting dry, feel free to add a touch of water. Be careful not to add too much though. If anything starts sticking, add a little oil or ghee. 

The bharta is finished when all traces of chopped elements have disappeared. You can help in this process by mushing any chunks with your pot spoon. Now would also be a good time to add the salt. I always do this in the end because I find it tough to gauge the salt content while I'm still in the middle of adding ingredients or spices. Remove the bharta from the stove, and add some finely chopped fresh dhania. Never add fresh dhania to anything while it is still cooking, The leaves are very delicate, and the steam of any dish alone will be enough to release 100% of the dhania's aroma. Also, wilted dhania is never attractive. Save a bit of those leaves for garnishing and add them on top just before you serve.

This can be eaten with naan, or chapati, or as a side dish along with anything else. Enjoy!

Stuffed Tomatoes

So, I started making dinner this morning at 9:30 AM. I don't always do that, I just figured that since I was making a new dish, I should take a head start. One of my husband's favourite combinations is rajma-chawal with stuffed tomatoes. I learnt this only recently after spending two weeks with my in-laws in Ambala, Haryana. I was halfway through stuffing the tomatoes when I remembered that I started this blog yesterday, and that I should probably post an entry or something. Although I don't have any visual references for the process of making stuffed tomatoes, here's what it entails:

Stuffed Tomatoes (serves 2-3)

• 6 small firm tomatoes for stuffing
• 1-2 extra tomatoes for the sauce
• 1 medium sized boiled potato (with skin removed)
• 1 medium sized finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup paneer (cottage cheese)
• 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
• 1 tsp haldi (turmeric)
• 1 tsp lal mirch powder (red chili powder)
• 1 dhania powder (coriander powder)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

To stuff the tomatoes, it naturally follows that they should be hollow. To do this, poke a knife into the top of a tomato and cut out a little circle. Stick your finger inside and pull out the seeds and juice. Keep these aside in a bowl because you will need them to make the sauce.  For 6 tomatoes you will need about 2/3 cup of tomato guts to make the sauce. You probably wont get that much by hollowing simply 6 tomatoes, so chop up the extra one (or two).

Put half the chopped onion, the tomato guts and the extra chopped tomato into a blender. Add only 1/2 tsp of each of the spices, except for the jeera. Throw in a bit of salt to your liking, as well as a dash of black pepper, then hit the puree button. Keep this aside for later.

For the stuffing, combine the boiled potato, paneer, the rest of the chopped onion and the remainder of the spices, except the jeera. Mush everything up using a fork, or your hand, or whatever makes you comfortable. Add a bit of salt and black pepper. Now, stuff this into the tomatoes. Really pack it in there but don't overstuff! The tomatoes should be full, but not bursting.

Put the tomatoes into a kadai, or wok, along with the olive oil and (finally) the jeera. The tomatoes should be facing up or on their sides so that the stuffing doesn't fall out. Let them roast a little - about 2-3 minutes - but keep an eye on the skin. It shouldn't start falling off, or bursting. The tomatoes should become little softer without falling apart. Feel free to keep turning them around so that different sides get roasted. Now add the sauce into the same kadai (pour it over the tops of the tomatoes too) and let it all cook for another 3-4 minutes. You can also do this in the microwave, but you'll have to add the sauce in with the tomatoes from the start, and it will require about 8-9 mintues on medium-high setting. One down side to this is that the tomatoes wont have that roasted flavour, but they'll still be tasty :)

This can served with plain rice, or as a side dish. Tuck in!

*Thanks very much to my mother-in-law for showing me how this is done!