The Kofta Connection

As a child I rarely, if ever had Kofta curry (meat-ball curry) unless there were guests coming to our house. Although the journey from the keema (mince meat) to a kofta seems rather simplistic, for some reason Kofta never got inducted into the routine repertoire. 

 

So as a child I always looked  forward to the holidays and the special occassions when there was a great influx of people in our house and naturally the kofta was there to impress.

 

Now take my word for it, making this curry is simple. Nevermind my peculiar family dinner dynamics. The recipe which I have for you here is my version of the Kofta curry. It is not the Bengali recipe that I am used to.  The pungent Mustard oil and the other spices that go into it is an acquired taste.

 

My friends are coming home tonight and none of them are Bongs. Keeping that in mind I re-worked the recipe. It is prepared with Punjabi tadka here. With Diwali right round the corner take the additional 10 minutes to make this gorgeous dish. A little would go a long way.

Call of the Middle-East: Hummus

I am going to go out on a limb here and say I never had hummus before I landed in Bangalore. It was just something that was not as easily available in the densely Bengali world of Kolkata.

Though late, I lapped up the opportunity of savouring Lebanese and Middle-eastern food once I got exposed to it.

So you might ask, why Hummus? First of all, it is dang easy. So easy that you can say hummus and be ready with a spread to be had in less than 5 minutes.
Second, adding the caramelised onion and garlic like I did here, makes this hummus so delicious that you can base an entire meal around it without missing any protein.

Throw in a salad and get yourself some pita bread (ideally) or crackers and get into the world of this Mediterranean/ Middle-Eastern delight.

The Curry Delight

Chicken Keema Curry

The Spicy food that we Indians generally have is quite an addictive food pattern. Once you have gone the spicy way, and your tongue starts relishing the heat of the magic-box spices, there's no going back. Although there is one tiny problem. Some of the most alluring dishes are definitely time consuming to make. Plus, what about the novice cook or people just getting introduced to Indian cooking? 

My answer is mince chicken. Easy to eat, easy to make and so very versatile. Its absolutely idiot proof. So what are you waiting for? Just follow this simple recipe and start your 20 mins dinner plans today.

The Punching Peppers

The Unripe Pepper [Courtesy: Wikipedia]

So you know that I am an Indian and therefore, I have an above average tolerance for hot and spicy food. I absolutely love my spice for that matter. However, when a horticulturist friend of mine from Assam sent me the infamous Naga Marich peppers I was in for the ride of my life. Initially painful but eventually once tamed, very worthwhile. 

Now for those of you who don't know, Bhut Jolokia or Naga Marich (perhaps more popular with the misnomer Ghost Pepper outside the Indian subcontinent) is the world's hottest chilli. A Scoville Score of 855,000 units is no joke. It is in fact so hot, that a small bite from this chilli would make your eyes water and give you a runny nose for no less than 5 hours. Need I elaborate the pain your mouth would be suffering from?

Anyway, getting on with it. I had a dozen dried bhut jolokia with me and I couldn't wait to try them out. Glove in hand (as directed and warned vehemently by her) I decided to try to make my spicy masala chicken curry. I often douse that home-y chicken with an insane amount of spice. It tastes brilliant no matter which rendition is being used. So I figured why not try it there.