Panfusine

The title of this note should have given y'all a hint about what this dish is.. For those of you who've grown up in or visited Mumbai, India, recall a visit to your favorite Pav Bhaji place, potatoes & other assorted vegetables mashed beyond recognition, flavored with masala & served up with a generous dollop of melting butter, chewy pav, soaked up with the essence of the bhaji, and finely sliced onions with a wedge of lime.. Not exactly the kind of food that would be served up on a balmy spring evening with a chilled glass of Reisling!!! The difficult thing about making Pav bhaji @ home is that you can never make it in small quantities. you invariable find yourself with a generous portion left over. ( & you've run out of the Portuguese Saloio rolls that seem to be the closest to 'asli' pav in the US). Making these pies is a novel way to tackle the excess bhaji & the best part, they freeze well for a future instant snack. The pie dou...

Qn1. Identify the dish: a. Waffles b. Pop tarts c. Medu vada d. A really late April Fools Joke e. None of the above For all those who either said waffles or medu vada, pat yourselves on the back. This has been a staple snack in my kitchen ever since I received a waffle iron as a gift & had to figure out what to do with it. to make this you need the following I cup urad dal soaked. Salt to taste, your personal choice of spices (green chillies, red chili powder, pepper...) grind the Soaked urad dal with salt & spices till it forms a stiff whipped batter much like the consistency of a well beaten egg white. A stone grinder works best for achieving this. 1 tbsp oil and brush A waffle iron with nonstick plates & yes, you can put these back in your cupboard Method: brush plates with oil. Drop a dollop of batter on to a heated waffle iron & let cook until the steam ceases to escape. Open the waffle iron and transfer into a serving d...

In 1492, Christopher Columbus set off to find a sea route to India. But as many men are wont to do, he just did not stop & ask for directions, he took off in the opposite direction & quite serendipitously, discovered the Americas... and a slew of new culinary gems that were to redefine classic cuisines in other parts of the world. (potatoes & chili peppers ring a bell anyone?) Corn or Maize is a Native American staple, and corn bread is a well known comfort food in the southern parts of the US. Its baked in cast iron pans using baking powder rather yeast as a leavening agent, and hence can be whipped up quickly if the right ingredients are available. My' Desi' tribute to Cornbread was a 'handvo' made with hominy grits combined with a store bought 'handvo' flour. The end result is a dish which tickles the tongue with the added crunch provided by the corn grits. (for those who are unfamiliar with American staples, Grits is just corn, grou...

Sauteed Green beans 1 lb green beans 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp Mustard seeds ½ tsp urad dal 1 dried red chilli, broken in two 1 tbsp Yellow Moong dal ½ cup water A pinch of asafetida powder. 1 sprig curry leaves, torn Salt to taste. 1 tbsp shredded coconut Trim the ends of the green beans and cut into desired size. Heat oil in a skillet or wok; add mustard seeds, urad dal & red chilli. Stir till mustard pops and the urad dal changes color to reddish brown. Add water & moong  dal. Bring to a boil. When the moong dal appears to have cooked partially, add the green beans, asafetida, salt   and curry leaves. Stir well. Lower heat, cover with lid, and cook till the beans are tender. Add shredded coconut and mix well. Transfer to tableware and serve.

If there is a word that raises the hackles on many a conservative South Indian brahmin matriarch, its the mere mention of ... FISH!! To them its the tipping point indicator for anyone from the younger generation gone over to the dark side... i.e an omnivorous diet. Being an avid NY times reader, I came across this in today's Dining & Wine section. How to make Sushi without the fish, & of course my radar shot up. http://www.nytimes.com/201 0/05/05/dining/05mini.html ?ref=dining I had been working on this idea for quite a while, just never got around to blogging about it, simply because, the food got eaten before I could photograph it , or the lighting wasn't optimal, or that all 3 rice variations were not made yada yada... Well the stars aligned today, & I present to you, a SUSHI triumvirate of the most revered mixed rice dishes of the south Indian world, lemon rice, Tamarind rice & that mother lode of the ultimate southie comfort food; Yogur...