Lip smacking Soft and Crunchy Fish Tikka

Lip- Smacking Soft and Crunchy Fish Tikka

I am not a fish lover but when it comes to fish Tikka or fish fry then it’s all together a different story for me. This is the only reason why I wanted to prepare something this time for all the fish lovers as well as non-fish lovers. I was very much sure that this was supposed to be a big challenge for me as I have never tried something different with fish before. But at the end it was a great success and the recipe was loved by the non-fish lovers more than the fish lovers. This is because their taste-buds felt a totally different taste with the discovery of this new recipe at the SAAS-Tastebuds kitchen.

So let’s talk about this innovative recipe in detail.

Ingredients: 600g – boneless fish (bhetki)
A pinch of red chilli powder
1/4 tsp each of red chilli & pepper powders
4 tablespoons of sunflower oil
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup corn-flour
1 onion finely chopped
Fresh parsley
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
Salt to taste

Preparation

• Wash and clean the fish, cut into cubes, apply salt, red pepper and keep aside for 10 minutes.
• Mix the white flour and corn-flour together very well and keep in on a plate.
• Turn on the flame and pour oil on the frying pan and let it heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Now it’s the turn to fry the fish cubes. Dip each fish cubes into the white flour and corn-flour mix so that it is totally covered with flour mixture.
• Now set these fish cubes one by one for some time, fry both the sides till golden brown.
• I added the white flour and corn-flour both to give them a crunchy taste.
• Now take out the fried fish cubes and keep aside on a tissue paper so that the oil gets soaked in the paper.
• Take out the left-over oil and keep aside.
• Add the butter to the frying pan and let it melt. Add the water and make a mix well with the butter to create a butter sauce.
• Add the chopped onions and add the parsley as per your need to the sauce and cook for 10 seconds. This will add a fresh flavor of parsley to the awesome butter sauce.
• Now, add the fried fish cubes to the sauce and stir for 30 seconds. Turn off the flame and take out on a plate.
  

  The cooked Fish cubes

• Take 3-4 pieces of the fried fish cubes and let a sharp-pointed stick to pass through.
• Pour the left over butter sauce on the Tikka, add the cooked onions, add the lemon juice and sprinkle the crushed black pepper on the top.
• Garnish with the fresh parsley and serve hot.

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Prawn with Cream and Coconut sauce

Prawn with Cream and Coconut Sauce

Having cooked chicken and mutton a numerous times, it was time to cook something with my favorite prawns. After having got the request of cooking “Prawn in cream sauce” as well from some of my friends made it happen at the earliest but like always different from every other recipes. This is the first recipe of 2013 from the SAAS-Tastebuds kitchen and hoping to come up with more recipes compared to last year.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons sunflower oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 grated coconut
• ½ cup water
• 10-12 large uncooked prawns, peeled and De-veined
• Hot cooked noodles or rice

Directions

• In a small saucepan, heat sunflower oil.
• Add butter to the hot oil.
• Add the minced garlic now. Cook gently till it forms a nice mixture and u get a good smell of butter and garlic.
• Add the grated coconut and half cup water. Stir in the cream and salt, mix well and let it cook till it forms rich thick white gravy.
• Now add the peeled and De-veined prawns and mix with the gravy and leave it to cook for 5 more minutes.
• Sprinkle pepper and add the fresh parsley.
• Serve hot with rice or noodles.

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Why you should include Carrots in your daily diet

Carrot is an orange colored root vegetable which is also found in red and yellow color in different parts of the world.  Also known as ‘Daucas carota’ it’s a horn-shaped vegetable which is eaten mostly as a raw salad. Not a regular vegetable in our daily food items but offers a lot of health benefits.

The taproot of the carrot which is orange in color is consumed by humans mostly, even though the green part is also eaten sometimes. Carrots are available throughout the year, but the best red carrots are mostly found in the winter.  The edible Carrot roots have a crispy surface and a light sweet taste. They are found in different sizes ranging from 2-3 inches to more than a foot.

Fresh Carrots

While buying, always look for carrots that are smooth in surface and consistent in color. Regardless of their sizes and variety, all the carrots should be uniform in size, shape and color. Avoid buying carrots which have rough surfaces and the greens are darker in color. These will let you identify those which are growing old and which are fresh.

Carrots can be eaten raw or cooked. If eaten raw, they are sliced, chopped, or grated and then added to salads. Many techniques are used to cook carrots – boiling, steaming, sauteing and roasting. In Indian cuisine, the usage of carrots is varied – as salads or as vegetables added to spicy rice (fried rice, biryani, carrot rice) or different daal (lentil) recipes and many types of curries.

Gajar ka Halwa or Carrot Pudding

Carrot is a very popular vegetable in North-India and it is used in desserts to a larger extent. Gajar Kaa Halwaa or Gajrela or Carrot Pudding is the most popular sweet dish of North-India and has become a popular dessert in many parts of India. For Carrot Pudding, the carrots are grated first and then cooked in milk and butter until the whole mixture is solid, after which nuts, pista (pistachio) and raisins are added. They are also often added to other dishes, such as in omelets, different type of soups, and curries. Carrots are also used in cakes and breads and Carrot cake is a different flavored cake which is always found in Europe & America.

Carrots, though not so popular in our daily life yet has many benefits. A glass of carrot juice everyday can cure many ailments. They are excellent for the eyes and can rejuvenate your eyesight to a great extent, while also toning your skin. The eye-doctors always prescribe eating a carrot everyday to have a good eye-sight for your entire life. A carrot once in every two days is must for the kids who are more vulnerable towards weak eyesight.

Carrot juice

Some more facts why you should make carrot a part of your daily life:

• Carrots contain large quantities of Vitamin A, which is needed by the retina of the eye for both color vision and low light visibility.
• Carrot juice is also very beneficial for weight loss as it contains less calories.
• Carrot juice contains Vitamin E which helps in preventing cancer. It can also cure cancer.
• Carrot juice works as an anti-oxidant and prevents cell deterioration which helps in slowing down your ageing process.
• Carrot being a daily food for your body can improve your liver health and functioning abilities. It also helps against cholesterol and in bone disorders.
• Carrots are very good for your skin and it really helps you and your kids to gain more immunity, so give your kids a glass of carrot juice daily and also make sure you make it a part of your daily routine.

Like me, I feel many of these precious facts of carrot are unknown to most of you. So reap the benefits of carrot and make it a daily food for you and your family to enjoy a very healthy life.

Stay tuned to my page for more such interesting facts about different food items which are still unknown to us.

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What’s so great about Bengali Cuisines?

Authentic Bengali Food

Bengali cuisine is a culinary style which originated in Bengal and which carries its flavor & aroma across the globe. This cuisine is diversified between the boundaries of West Bengal and its neighbor, Bangladesh. With the prominence of fish, vegetables and lentils being the preferred food items for every Bengali household, Bengali cuisine is known for its simple and luscious flavor. The huge varieties of mouth-watering desserts make this cuisine very popular across the globe.

Bengali food is an ancient cuisine arising from the historical and other links with the people of the different parts of the world. Bengal being ruled by Muslim governors for a long period, led to the development of its cuisine. The Bengali food culture gained more prominence due to the Mughal influence that started in Bangladesh. This Mughal influence brought in the richness in the Bengali food, and together with influences from many other cultures, Bengali cuisine got labeled as one of the most aromatic and most favored cuisines of the world.

The Bengali food culture gained more momentum with the women. The British governed Bengal had many tradition-bound cultural restrictions running across the families, which held back the female population at home. This was the time when most of the housewives started developing their cooking habits, experimenting  with different types of cuisines in their kitchen. As a result, various types of cuisines became popular among the several households of Bengal.

Roshogolla or Rasgulla

The most significant among them was the advent of the range of delicacies in the form of sweets. The usage of milk to a larger proportion in various forms gave rise to the various forms of deserts, the most popular being the “Rosogolla” or “Rasgulla” and “Misti-doi”.

The usage of the rich spices, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and many other herbs such as garlic, ginger, onion, chilies etc. gave a wider dimension to the Bengali cuisine. The types of Bengali cuisines which have become more popular over the last few decades, primarily have either the fish or mutton that are preferred by the majority of the people.

The nature and array of dishes found in Bengali cooking are unique even for India. Freshwater fish is one of the most distinct food, which is preferred by almost every household in Bengal. The countless rivers, ponds and other water bodies have made it easier to have a taste of varieties of fish such as Rui (rohu), Katla, Hilsa, Pabda, Koi, Chingri (prawn) & Tangra and many more. The usage of vegetables in most of the Bengali recipes, is also different from the other recipes of India. The usage of mustard and poppy seeds and radhuni (wild celery seeds), paanch phoron (combination of cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek and black cumin seeds) with different types of vegetables and fish creates different textures and flavors compared to the recipes which belongs to the other veg- and non-veg recipes in India.

Shorshe Ilish

Fish Kalia, chingri maacher malaikari, pabda maacher jhol are the most loved fish-preparations relished among the Bengalis. “Ilish” (Hilsa) or “pabda” cooked with white or black mustard seeds is very popular among the Bengalis and is being loved by many in the other parts of the country as well. The softness of the fish, along with its rich aroma, makes this recipe unique compared to the other fish recipes.

Pathar mangsho or Goat Meat curry

Mutton is the preferred meat among the Bengalis and the Khashi (castrated goat) & Kochi (kid goat) panthar jhol are the most delicious of all meat preparations of Bengal. The other very popular preparation is “Rewaji Khashi” (a well-developed goat containing good amount of fat), which is being preferred with rice mostly. However “luchi mangsho” is one combination which is now preferred over rice or roti, and is very popular among the kids. Additionally, chicken is also very popular and is cooked in various ways. Chicken curry & chicken kasha, chicken chaap are some of the common chicken recipes which belong to the Bengali cuisine.

Luchi-torkari

Among the veg-cuisine, Shukto – a favorite Bengali appetizer – is a much-loved rice-starter among the Bengalis. It is prepared with different types of vegetables, including at least one bitter vegetable like “uchchhe” or bitter gourd. It’s cooked with a hint of sugar and milk to bring out the best flavor of the vegetables. “Shaak” refers to various types of leaves / herbs available in Bengal or India. Any recipe with these herbs, is also a much-loved food with rice. “Luchi” (unleavened bread) with “torkari” (veg-curry) especially “Aloor dum” (“Dum Aloo” or potato curry), being a popular combo among many households is also loved by all. However the most simple and popular recipe of every Bengali family is “Bhaat” (rice), “dal” (lentil soup), “daaler bora” (lentil fritters) & “maacher jhol” (cooked fish soaked in its soup).

The Sweets of Bengal

Bengali Sweets

When it comes to sweets, the list is endless. Bengal is famous for its plethora of desserts. Shondesh or Sandesh is made from sweetened and finely ground chhena (Indian cottage cheese). There are 2 major types of Shondesh – “kora pak” (hardened mixture of chhena) and “norom pak” (soft mixture of chhena). Misti doi (sweetened curd) is a must for every Bengali family after the main course and even tok-doi (bitter curd) is also loved by many. “Laddu” is a very familiar sweet in Bangladesh and West Bengal, especially during festivals.

Roshogolla is the most favorite sweet-meat among the Bengalis and these white, sweet, round-balls are world-famous. People from all over the world come to Bengal to have the authentic taste of this delicious sweet. Roshomalai, Pantua, Chamcham, Pithe, Jilepi, Payesh, Langcha etc. are the other well-known Bengali desserts.

Rasho-malai

Being a Bengali, I’m too a lover of all these above-mentioned foot items. Simple, yet very delicious, is what I can affirm about the Bengali cuisines. In short, the richness, simplicity, taste, flavor and the sweetness of the Bengali delicacies, together represent the the Bengali cuisine – which is one of the most-loved cuisines of the world.

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Ingredients of Indian Cooking #3 – Onions

One of the most important and common ingredients of Indian cuisine is Onion.

Most of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian dishes are cooked with onions. They are used extensively to enhance taste of vegetables / meat / poultry, render bulk to the gravy, to make some of the most delicious soups and chutneys, as well as consumed even raw in Indian salads.

You’d rarely see Indian recipes that do not contain Onions. But what are the factors that make onions a healthy addition to Indian cuisine? This post is dedicated to exploring this aspect.

Botanical Roots

Onion is also known as bulb onion, garden onion and just onion. Botanically, Onion – Allium Cepa – belongs to a large varied family which includes more than 500 species. It’s available in various forms, such as – fresh, frozen, canned, pickled, chopped plus a few more, and used for both culinary and non-culinary purposes.

Onions are an exceptional resource of natural vitamins like B6 and C, chromium, biotin, and fibers. As such the health benefits of onions are vast. Ranging from normal cough & cold to diseases of heart, diabetes, bacterial infections, breathing problems, asthma, bronchitis, etc. onions have proved to be real effective even for poor appetite.

Thus not only for culinary purposes (as vegetable ingredient), Onions are also used for adding medicinal value to food, because of their rich content of sulfides, sulfoxides and other sulphur composites. Studies have proven that together with garlic, onions help to keep up blood levels, avert blood clot formation, lower levels of pressure & sugar in blood, and cure many other diseases.

Types and methods

Onions are found in varied colors, red, yellow, white, and green, each possessing their individual distinctive essence, from very strong to slightly sweet. They are eaten in various ways – raw, cooked, fried or roasted – each has its own different taste and effect on your health. Other than the common bulb onions, spring onions are also used in cooking purposes. Spring onions are green and add a different taste and color to your recipes.

In case of Red Onions, the smaller it’s cut, the more widespread is the variation of the sulfur substances. The more powerful the odor of Onion and its impact on your eyes, the more healthy it is, since it’s believed to contain more vitamins and minerals. So while cutting onions, if it makes you cry with the pungent odour, it will make you healthier.

There are many ways you can cut onions, depending on the dish you’re cooking. When cut in larger blocks, it stores the vitamin and mineral capacity to the maximum while cooking. On the other hand if you finely chop it and keep in room temperature for sometime before cooking, it makes the onion turn golden brown quickly and reduces your cooking time.

Spring onions on the other hand add a very mild taste to the food. It is used raw and preferred fried compared to the red onions. Noodles, sandwiches, soups and curries are cooked using spring onions.

Treating onions in different ways while cooking, implants a specific flavor and releases a specific aroma. For example, proper Sautéing of the onions is very important as it can add a different dimension to your favorite dish. Sautéing for 5-7 minutes is considered apt for cooking most Indian dishes. Light golden brown should be the only color after you are done with sautéing the onions. If the color turns dark brown it will leave you with a bitter taste and the recipe could get spoilt totally.

So the next time you feel like crying when cutting onions for your favorite dish, do remember that you’re crying in favor of health and taste!

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Ingredients of Indian Cooking #1 – Mustard

The ingredients used in Indian cooking are as exotic as the cooked recipes themselves! In fact, our ancestors made sure that the ingredients for their food are carefully chosen, to meet the daily nutrient requirements for your body, make sure that the primary vegetable, poultry or the fish is well cooked to remove offensive smells and toxins, as well as make sure that a unique taste is created every time, which stays forever.

For example, any fish recipe could be cooked using any cooking oil – sunflower oil, corn oil, soya-bean oil, rice-bran oil, refined oils, etc.. However, when Mustard oil is used for cooking a certain number of fishes, the taste-meter goes north and nutrition value best maintained.

Mustard Seeds (image-source:http://tradeindia.com)

Mustard is the base of many vegetarian and non-vegetarian cooking in India. The rich smell gives you a better sense to cook, adding new breadth to your recipes. It is so much loaded with essential vitamins and nutrients, so that the oil from Mustard seeds is often the recommended massage oil for growing babies and adults in India. It improves blood circulation of your body, helps in hair vitalizing, acts as an appetizer, improves skin texture, is anti-bacterial in nature and loads of other goodies are ingrained in it.

Mustard Oil (image-source: http://www.alibaba.com)

Mustard oil has a strong sinus-irritating aroma – somewhat like that of wasabi – a hot nutty taste and is regularly used for cooking in Eastern & Northern India. The oil is always pre-heated before cooking which is trying to cut its strong taste and stink.

According to a survey by American Heart Association, Mustard Oil is better than Olive Oil from the health point of view. Mustard oil is considered to have low saturated fat as compared to other vegetable oils, e.g. sunflower oil, palmolein oil and other cooking oils. This pungent tasting oil consists of fatty acid, oleic acid, erucic acid and linoleic acid.

Mustard Oil has the goodness to improve your Heart function, keep triglycerides under control, improve blood fluidity, and helps the patients of Crohn’s disease, asthma, arthritis, cramps, adult diabetes. It has antioxidant and cholesterol reducing properties which is one of the most important reasons for its extensive use in Northern & Eastern India.

Therefore the next time you feel like cooking a vegetable or meat, consider cooking it in Mustard Oil, and you’d find your recipe taste like never before! For a recipe prepared in Mustard Oil, please look through my next post.

References:

1. Benefits of Mustard Oil
2. Mustard Oil is best for your Health
3. The Hindu – Mustard Oil best for your Heart
4. Why Mustard Oil beats Sunflower, Safflower, soybean and other oils
5. American Chefs Discover Mustard Oil
6. Mustard is about to get its moment
7. So You Think You Like Grated Wasabi on Your Sushi?

 

My Love for Indian Food

3 colors in Indian Cuisine (source:www.flickr.com/photos/cherrylet)

Every Indian develops the taste of traditional herbs and spices very early in life. I too started developing this taste and love for Indian food early,  through the wonderful dishes my mother cooked at home. The characteristic flavors stayed on my tastebuds and  started developing some sense of curiosity within me.

That’s when I initiated my journey to the kitchen & started taking short lessons on cooking from my mother. I slowly realized how the spices & other major ingredients give the typical flavors, which make these recipes “Indian”. So, on taking lessons, and on understanding the various spices and herbs, ignited the zeal within me for Indian food.

The flavor and the aroma take the Indian food to greater heights  compared to the western food. Regardless of being vegetarian  or non-vegetarian, every Indian food has its unique richness and spice, which is difficult to find in western food items. And not to forget about Indian desserts. You have the sweets like Rasagolla, Laddoo and Barfi which are the winners – not only in India, but also recognized all over the world.

Most common ingredients of Indian food

3 main colors of Indian spice (source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madpai)

Many Indian recipe is incomplete without Turmeric – which is the most commonly used spice for Indian foods. It adds the yellow color, flavor and aroma to Indian food. Turmeric has been associated with many health related benefits since time immemorial!. The turmeric helps detoxify the liver, stimulate digestion, boost your immune system and helps fight allergic reactions. It also helps to counter problems such as arthritis to some extent.

Coriander is another commonly used herb in Indian cuisine. Coriander powder adds the green color to Indian food, and fresh green coriander leaves are mostly used as a garnishing agent to decorate your recipes. However, it also contributes largely to your health in many ways. This herb contains anti-rheumatic and anti-arthritic benefits. It also helps in decreasing levels of cholesterol in the blood

Red Chillies – popularly known as Lal Mirch – is another “must have” and regularly used ingredient in Indian cuisine. Red chili adds the red color and a hot and acidic flavor, enriching the taste in your food. Chilies have high levels of vitamins A and C which boosts the immune system.

Thus we see that the 3 most important ingredients of Indian cuisine not only add taste and flavor to the food, but also have great health benefits attached to them. One more reason for my love of (and perhaps all lovers of) Indian food. As a result, our love of Indian food is even stronger than ever and our culture has continues to embellish the fantastic recipes of Indian cuisine more than any other!

No wonder then, that the rich taste and aroma, and use of exotic spices have made Indian cuisine a popular choice for individuals and families all over the world!