Food-Dee-Dum
A scrumptious fling with all things edible!

Raw Mango & Mint Chutney

By Praerna Kartha May 19, 2013 1 Comment

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Is it just me, or does the colour green make you feel cool and fresh too? It is the perfect antidote to the summer heat. Obviously, eating or drinking something green and cool is better than just looking at a green curtain! So when I came across bunches of fresh, green mint at the vegetable vendor, I just couldn’t help grabbing a big bunch for myself. Having made a few mojitos, some lemonade and dunked the fresh leaves into curd for raita, I still had much more left than I could consume fresh. The cruel Delhi summer saps the life out of them and nothing can make the leaves stay fresh and green for more than a day.

So I found myself some kairi (raw mangoes) in my vegetable drawer and whipped up this raw mango & mint chutney – green and refreshing, with a hint of spicy heat that creeps up on you unexpectedly, almost like an after-taste.

Here’s what I used for about 1-1/2 cups of chutney:

3 raw mangoes (approx 400 gms)

2 cups loosely packed mint leaves, picked and washed

4-5 green chillies (or as per your spice threshold)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp roasted jeera (cumin) powder

Here’s how I made it:

I got all the ingredients together – washed and prepped the mangoes, mint and chillies

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Wow. I just realised how many greens there are in this post! Anyhow, I peeled and roughly chopped the mango flesh, discarding the seed, and placed it in the blender.

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Adding the rest of the ingredients, I blended it until it was a smooth-ish chutney. You can leave it as chunky as you like, but the problem with that is that the green chillies also remain chunky and that can be too much heat for any one bite. Personally, I prefer the finer consistency.

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Transferring the chutney to a clean glass jar, I stored it in the refrigerator.

Since there isn’t an abundance of preservative ingredients in this chutney, it is best to keep it for a maximum of 1-2 weeks, refrigerated, with lid always shut tight.

Here’s how I like to have this chutney:

  • As an accompaniment to an Indian meal like dal chawal or roti & sabzi – just like I would have pickle
  • As a spread for sandwiches in which I might add thinly sliced cucumber, tomato or boiled egg
  • As a dip for chips or crackers
  • As a flavour for raita – add 1 heaped tbsp of the chutney per cup of curd and you will have a zingy raita base ready. Then just add grated cucumber, or boondi, or boiled potato – whatever works for you!
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Chutneys, Sauces, Dips & Dressings, Everyday Home, Herbs & Spices, Indian, Quick & Easy, Sides & Accompaniments
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Banana Mango Cake

By Praerna Kartha May 14, 2013 2 Comments

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Or what to do when you have way too many bananas and mangoes in the house.

Coconuts have been very prominent in my recent posts – Mango Mojito, Banana Coconut Smoothie. In addition to the blog posts, I’ve been having a lot of idli/ dosa with coconut chutney and Tambli inspired by Revati too. This combination of mangoes and coconut has been in my head, waiting to emerge as a cake for a while. When I finally got down to it, bananas popped into the mix and I can’t say that it was a bad idea!  The recipe went from being a Coconut Mango to a Banana Mango Cake, and I assure you that nobody complained.

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Desserts & Confectionary, Flour & Cereal, Fruit, Indulgent
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Banana Coconut Smoothie

By Praerna Kartha May 8, 2013 9 Comments

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Now that we’re suffering the full brunt of the Delhi summer, coconuts are becoming my new best friend. Or, to be more precise, tender coconut water.  It is the most refreshing drink of all time! So everyday, after a run or a bike ride in Sanjay Van (a city forest near our home), AK & I stop by this coconut vendor…

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For 30 rupees, he cuts open a coconut and hands it to us with a plastic straw so we can gulp the water down in one go.

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When we’re done, he splits the coconuts in half, extracts the tender flesh from inside and packs it for me, to-go. This is what I used for this smoothie! Usually, I bring this fruit home and refrigerate it in an airtight container after I’ve cleaned and cut it. I like to munch on it through the day. But for once, I decided to experiment with it.

I was craving some sort of smoothie but the only compatible fruit I had at home were bananas and mangoes. I generally consume mangoes in very small quantities because it’s too sweet for my taste and the combination wasn’t calling my name. On the other hand, the huge stash of fresh coconut flesh prompted me to give this smoothie a chance.

Most banana coconut smoothie recipes I found online used bananas+coconut milk,  which sounded pretty rich to me. Maybe a bit much for a post workout recovery drink and not really my idea of a healthy-ish breakfast. But the version with fresh coconut was another story altogether.

This post wasn’t really planned. But a request for the recipe from a friend on Instagram & Facebook made me put it down here. Which should explain the Instagram pictures!

Here’s what I used for 1 serving of 400-500 ml:

1 banana

Tender flesh of 1 coconut

1 tsp honey (or more/ less as per your taste and ripeness of the bananas)

5-6 cubes ice

A few pinches of cinnamon powder

Here’s how I made it:

I blended the coconut, banana, honey, ice and 2 pinches of cinnamon in a blender till smooth. Poured it into a glass, sprinkled a little more cinnamon and gulped it down.

Cool. Refreshing. Light. Summery. Perfect.

Notes:

  • If the smoothie is too thick for your taste, you can thin it down by adding tender coconut water (fresh or bottled)/ iced water/ yoghurt/ milk/ soy milk/ coconut milk
  • The version with banana+coconut milk sounds equally delicious but just a tad rich for my taste. Go ahead and give it a try if it’s calling your name!
  • If you don’t have access to fresh tender coconut flesh/ water, use bananas and bottled tender coconut water as the main base and add 2 tbsp of packaged shredded coconut for the intensified flavour.
  • Since coconuts are not native to Delhi, the ones we get are riper than the ones available closer to the coast. Ideally, the most tender/ soft flesh of the coastal (and not transported across the country) coconuts would be ideal for this smoothie. It will be even lighter, more refreshing and packed with flavour.
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Breakfast & Brunch, Cocktails & Beverages, Fruit, Refreshing
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Mango Mojito

By Praerna Kartha May 6, 2013 4 Comments

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Or when FDD came back to life with a Monday morning cocktail!

I don’t know if you have noticed, but Mangoes are everywhere. I’m not convinced that the best mangoes of the season have arrived, but that hasn’t stopped AK from buying 2 kgs at a time, leaving me no choice but to peel, chop and freeze them every week for milkshakes, sorbet and cocktails! You may find yourself overwhelmed with the mango recipe explosion to come, but I thought this refreshing Mango Mojito was a nice light one to start with. Plus, the site being back up is definitely a reason to reason for me to celebrate. And what better way than with a refreshing, summery cocktail?

Here’s what I used for 2 Mojitos:

60ml Malibu coconut rum

60ml Bacardi white rum

4 tbsp lemon juice

Flesh of 1 whole mango

1 tbsp sugar (only because the mangoes I had were slightly tart – add sugar as per your taste)

Club soda/ Sprite/ lemon flavoured soda to top

handful of mint leaves, with some sprigs reserved for garnish

lemon slices for garnish

3-4 cubes of ice per glass

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I placed the mango flesh, sugar, mint leaves, lemon juice and rums in the glass of a hand-blender and whizzed it till smooth.

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Dividing this thick puree, I poured it over ice in 2 glasses and topped mine with club soda and AK’s with Sprite.

Stirred, garnished with lemon slices and mint and gulped them down in under a minute. For best results, I suggest that you don’t follow my lead and sip on it slowly! It will knock your socks off. I promise!

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Notes:

If you don’t have Malibu, then you can use regular white rum and add some tender coconut water or even coconut milk for the combination to work.

And for a more “frozen” cocktail feel, you can even blend the ice in with the other ingredients rather than pouring over ice.

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Alcohol, Cocktails & Beverages, Refreshing
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A Time for Change

By Praerna Kartha April 22, 2013 2 Comments

I wanted to share with you all that I will be making some changes to the FDD site and that it is possible that the blog might be down for a few days. I hope you will bear with me and stay in touch via the Facebook page in the meanwhile.

I also wanted to thank everyone single one of you who reads, follows, subscribes, supports and encourages me. I’m counting on it right now.

More information and updates will come soon and I hope to be back with a new post by the weekend.

See you on the other side!

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Uncategorized

Banana Bran Muffins

By Praerna Kartha April 17, 2013 5 Comments

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I know I’ve been on a muffin kick lately, but it’s just another attempt to ensure that I don’t skip breakfast. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t whip up a batch of muffins every morning. But a batch of 12 baked in the evening will ensure my breakfast for the next 3-4 days, as well as an evening snack once in a while! Another trick I tried a few days ago, for a more regular breakfast, was Baked Oatmeal. Although I loved it, the muffins win over it because (a) less effort on a daily basis and (b) it’s summer and a hot breakfast is NOT my first choice!

To be honest, this batch of Banana Bran Muffins was perpetuated by the sad overripe bananas in my fruit basket. AK lives on banana milkshake, specially when he’s in his fitness mode – every run/ cycle/ gym session has to be followed by a tall glass. So my fruit basket is always full of too many bananas, more than we can finish in time! So the next time you have leftover bananas, do try this. I promise you won’t be sorry!

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Breakfast & Brunch, Flour & Cereal, Healthy & Wholesome
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Baked Oatmeal

By Praerna Kartha April 12, 2013 3 Comments

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I have an extremely horrible habit. An unhealthy one. One I know I need to kick.

It’s the habit of skipping breakfast. Not because I don’t like it. In fact, I love breakfast. It’s just a schedule and priority thing. I never skip my tall glass of milk, with a shot of espresso or filter coffee to make an iced latte. But all the other wholesome stuff I keep meaning to have – egg, fruit, cereal, nuts, seeds – just gets pushed to the back burner because I’m always in a rush to get somewhere or do something.

I’ve tried lots of tricks to make it more convenient not to miss breakfast. I manage 3 days in a row, at most, sliding back into my horrid habit.

So today I tried a new trick, disguised as a new recipe. I doubt I’m going to succeed in doing this everyday, because it’s not exactly the quickest or the most convenient. But, hopefully, the thought of the wholesome deliciousness will force me to have this once or twice a week! For the rest if the week, I’ll make do with bran cereal or a bowl of fruit.

Baked oats aren’t exactly a summer breakfast but it’s been on my mind for a few days and I’m glad I gave in to the idea after all. I arrived at the recipe because I was craving a dose of bread & butter pudding for breakfast but I knew I shouldn’t have all the “white bread” and butter that goes into it! Specially not after a(n attempt to) run! So I substituted the bread for oats! How simple is that?

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Breakfast & Brunch, Flour & Cereal, Healthy & Wholesome
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Lemon Poppyseed Tea Cake

By Praerna Kartha April 11, 2013 22 Comments

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Last evening, I realised that it had been a while since I baked a cake. For no real reason or occasion. Just for the two of us. I felt like something refreshing and summery (because it is well and truly summer now, what with the max 40 C temperature). And nothing too rich. I toyed with the idea of muffins and wanted something with poppy seeds but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

As fate would have it, a mailer for a home baker popped into my inbox. And Lemon Poppyseed Cake was on the menu. It just made sense and I set out to make lemon poppyseed muffins – changing my mind halfway to make it as a tea cake. More moist and soft than muffins but not much richer or heavier. But wholesome. Just right, as a thick slice, with a cup of tea or with a glass of iced black coffee!

I didn’t refer to a specific recipe, but just cooked it up as I went along. And the result didn’t disappoint!

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Comfort Food, Desserts & Confectionary, Flour & Cereal
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Baked Eggs

By Praerna Kartha April 7, 2013 2 Comments

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Those of you who have been following this blog would know that AK is egg-crazy. Literally. He can consume eggs in any form, any number of times in the day and for days on end! Which means that the usual fried egg-omelette-scrambled egg gets old pretty quickly!

Another type of egg recipe, that is good for more than breakfast, is egg curry. But I’ve never found it very exciting. I see boiled eggs as breakfast food, to be had simply with salt and pepper. Dunking them in curry has never quite appealed to me. But a version of this “curry” that my mom used to make occured to me yesterday. And I remember liking it.

She would cut and cook masala – onions, tomatoes, green chillies, cilantro – add some spices, make indentations in it and crack eggs into the indentations. Then she would cover and cook, without stirring, till the eggs were done. We would have this for lunch often, and it goes equally well with toast, paranthas and rice. She told me that she learned it from a Parsi friend, who would make this dish with the variation that it would be baked once the eggs were cracked rather than finishing it up on the stove. I have been wanting to try the oven/ baked version for a while.

Even though I have had a lot Parsi food at my parents friends’ homes, and am a huge fan, breakfast dishes just hadn’t come up. I searched the www for the recipe but could only come up with multiple versions of Akuri and this eggy-potatoey-gem. And of course the usual Dhansak, Sali Boti and Patrani Machhi. So using my own judgement for ingredients and masalas, I tried out the recipe yesterday. (Only belatedly realising that I could have just called and asked for the recipe!)

But never fear. It was a big hit.

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Breakfast & Brunch, Eggs, Everyday Home, Indian
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Espresso & Chocolate Chunk Muffins

By Praerna Kartha March 21, 2013 8 Comments

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For the longest time, I had no idea what the difference between a muffin and a cupcake was. I know that that might come as a big surprise from a food blogger, but it’s the unashamed truth. Since we weren’t exactly raised eating cereal and muffins for breakfast, it’s an understandable situation. And let’s face it, the global food invasion only hit us a few years ago. Now everything is cupcake this and cupcake that.

When I first googled the difference, I was overwhelmed by responses like cupcakes are frosted and muffins are not; I also got my fair share of technique and formula differences. But very few bothered to explain the fundamental difference in plain simple terms – a cupcake is a cake baked in a cup mould, usually to serve 1, while a muffin is a type of quick batter bread which may or may not be sweet and can be consumed just like bread – toasted or not, plain or slathered with butter and/or jam/ honey/ maple syrup/ pancake syrup/ peaut butter or any other spread.

Matters or frosting, glaze, type of flour, flavours and additives is irrelevant to the fundamental difference.

In fact, when AK first had these, his first reaction was “I think these need more sugar”. As soon as I explained that it’s just like bread – add some butter and maple and it will be all better, his joy knew no bounds!

It’s been years since I actually baked muffins and Kristin’s post really jolted me back into it! I used her recipe pretty much as is, just bumping up the coffee (to mask the flaxseed from AK). I was so happy with the result that I think I might bake muffins once in 1-2 weeks and have them for breakfast instead of toast or cereal.

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Breakfast & Brunch, Flour & Cereal, Healthy & Wholesome
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