Malai Kofta

My first attempt at making this dish, and only because it's the only thing P will order at Indian restaurants. Improvements have been incorporated into the recipe below.

Makes 24 koftas
To make koftas, mix the following ingredients into a sticky ball:
2 cups boiled potatoes, peeled and grated
1 cup raw carrot, peeled and grated
1 cup grated paneer
5-6 tbsps cornstarch/rava/breadcrumbs/wheat flour
2 tbsps cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsps crushed cashews
1 tbsps chopped raisins (optional)
1 tbsp green chilies, finely chopped
1/2 tsp amchur powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Garam masala, to taste (optional)
Salt, to taste
Oil, for frying

Divide dough into 24 parts and roll each portion into a ball (round) or kofta (ellipsoid). Lightly dust with corn starch or flour. (Note: Kofta will be small but will expand in the gravy).
Traditionally, the koftas are deep fried but I used my handy-dandy aebleskiver/unniappam pan to cook all my koftas to a beautiful, even golden brown with just 4 tbsps of oil. Hehe.

Set koftas aside to cool while you make the gravy.


Gravy:
Blend together,
2 large red onions
5-6 garlic cloves
1/2 tbsp ginger paste
4 whole cloves
1 inch whole cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric

Heat 4 tbsps oil in a wide saute pan. Add 1 tsp shahjeera. When the seeds sputter, add the onion paste. On medium heat, fry the paste until the onions caramelize and smell sweet, approximately 15 minutes.

Incorporate into the cooked paste,
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp kasuri methi
1 tsp garam masala, more to taste
1 tsp Deggi or Kashmiri chilli powder, more to taste
Salt, to taste
Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in,
1 cup half and half, more for a milder flavor
Water, to achieve desired consistency of gravy (remember the koftas will absorb water as they sit in the gravy)
Bring to a gentle boil and cook covered for an additional 5 minutes to allow the flavor to meld.

Add koftas to the hot gravy only if serving immediately. Else, add the koftas after the gravy has cooled to room temperature. Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot, buttered naans. (I personally do not think this dish pairs very well with rice but you may disagree.)

Pear-strawberry milkshake

This is a fairly thick milkshake because I use unpeeled fruits and use less milk. Pear and strawberries are my new favorite fruit combo. I like to throw in a pinch of saffron to brighten the flavors on occasion.

Just blend together 4 ripe, hulled strawberries, 1 ripe bartlett pear (any pear will do), 1 pinch saffron, 1/2 cup milk and 1 pinch salt.  Add sweetener if desired. Pour into a tall glass and decorate with strawberry slices (optional). Happy holidays!

Rustic Home-made Cheesesticks!

This recipe took all of 20 minutes from start to finish. I used my handy-dandy toaster oven which heats up in no time so expect a range oven to take a few minutes longer. Use whatever herbs you have on hand and feel free to add/remove toppings. We enjoyed this with our evening Chai.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 roll of ready-to-bake pizza dough (Pillsbury or other brand)

1 tsp good quality olive oil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Red chili flakes or Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2-3 oz. chilled goat cheese

Handul fresh, torn basil leaves

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 C.
2. Line the bottom and sides of an ovenproof 9"x9" dish with aluminum foil. Spray a light coat of cooking oil over the foil.
3. Unroll pizza dough and press into the baking dish. Work quickly, don't fuss with the dough for more than two minutes. You don't need dusting flour or a rolling pin here. 
4. Spread olive oil over the dough with the back of a spoon.
5. Next, sprinkle oregano and pepper all over.
6. Crumble goat cheese over the dough. Fresh goat cheese has a creamy texture at room temperature, making it difficult to work with. I leave it in the fridge until I absolutely need it.
7. Bake on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes until the crust is browned all over (think dulce de leche) and the cheese has brown specks.
8. Allow the bread to rest for a minute.
9. Top with basil, cut into 1.5 inch wide strips and serve warm. No dipping sauce needed!

Guest Post: Dudhi Raita

A tasty recipe from my dear friend Preeti. It highlights the mild flavor of Bottle Gourd (Opo Squash). Serve at room temperature as an accompaniment to chapathi or serve chilled as a cooling side salad.

Method

• Peel and dice 1 small bottle gourd
• Pressure cook without water for 2 whistles. 
• Squash a bit after taking out of the cooker
• Temper in 1 tsp ghee (don't skimp on flavor here folks!): 1/2 tsp cumin, a pinch of asafotedia, 1 sprig curry leaves
• Transfer to a serving dish and beat in 1 cup fresh yogurt. Preeti suggest sour cream for enhanced yumminess :))
• Adjust salt to taste
• Top with cilantro.
• Serve at room temperature as a side dish or wrap and chill at least 3 hours before serving as a salad.

Sweet potato fries and a new avocado dip

Tonight's dinner: Sweet potato fries, avocado dip and caprese salad. YUM!

Serves 2 as a main meal.

Sweet Potato Fries

• Preheat oven to 425C. 
• Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
• Peel and slice two sweet potatoes into approx. 0.5" x 0.5" x 3.0" strips. (I used two kinds: orange-fleshed and white-fleshed)
• In a large bowl, mix together: 2 T good quality olive oil / 1 t parsley / 1/2 t thyme / chilli flakes, to taste / salt, to taste
• Add veggies to bowl and toss well to coat. 
• Spread veggies in a single layer on cookie sheet.
• Roast on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, then broil on high for 2-3 minutes to brown. 
• Serve hot!

Make the dip a few minutes before the fries are done.

Avocado dip 

• Blend together: 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped / 1 red bell pepper, stalk and seeds removed, roughly chopped / 3-4 sprigs flat parlsey, both leaves and stems / 1 serrano pepper, stalk removed and chopped / 1 clove garlic / 1 t lime juice / salt, to taste
• Puree to a smooth paste and serve immediately.

To you, who complains she has no friends.

     Yes, this post is female-centric. It is dedicated to five women in my life who have developed a penchant for complaining about how they don’t have any real close friends or how their friends seem to drift away over time. I’m not talking about this with you face to face for three reasons. First, you are in staunch denial about why this is happening to you so will not be receptive to having this conversation with me anyway. Second, writing in this space puts me in home territory. Read the post or don’t, the choice is yours. Third, I’m spelling this out because I honestly believe nobody has taken the time to tell you what the problem is so maybe you have never had the chance to reflect upon your past behavior. 

First, let me address your fears:

1. Yes, the problem is you. And you are a repeat offender.

2. Yes, people talk about you. It's because they don't know how to deal with you.

3. No, your social problems will not be solved by changing friends or your city of residence.

4. No, venting your feelings (on any forum or platform) without actually doing anything will not help.

5. No friendship is ever truly lost. But maintaining strong relationships is not easy.

Continue to read, if you want to do anything about your worries. 

1. Pause

Before you babble without forethought or fling out that comment, take a moment to consider the impact of your words. Taking feelings for granted is the worst thing you can do to someone who lowers their guard around you. You, unfortunately, think that expressing your opinions without a whisper of tact is perfectly okay. And no, you are not as smart as you think with your snide remarks.

You hurt people with your words. Stop it, you are pushing them away.

2. Listen

I have seen you listen with your ears and respond “appropriately”. But you don’t listen with your mind and your feelings. The best communication is non-verbal. That is why two people can jump into a conversation after years apart and not miss a beat. You do your friends a disservice by not putting in the effort to truly connect with them. Why in the world should they confide in you?

If you want meaningful, timeless friendship, learn to listen for the feelings beneath your friend’s words.

3. Value

You must bring value to a friendship. This is a difficult concept to explain. Think about why you like a particular friend. Now think about what you “get” being friends with that person. The “things” are what makes the friendship valuable, to you. If you still don’t understand where this is going, let me put it crassly: You can’t keep using people forever without giving anything in return of yourself. 

Try to be mindful of what you take, tangible and intangible. Teach yourself to give.

4. Respect

Growing up, you missed an important lesson. Respect is the foundation of every stable relationship. Why? Because a strong sense of mutual respect nurtures favorable relationship outcomes such as trust, compassion and companionship. Sadly, you disrespect your friends in many ways. 

• You want to meet people, but only on your terms. This includes times and meeting places that work for you more than anyone else.
• You want to host and attend social events, but you don’t put in the effort to make your friends feel honored. This has nothing to do with your culinary virtues or your budget. 
• You compete (subconsciously, I hope). As well, this too takes many forms with you, from very subtle to very crude. Sometimes you feel the need to “outdo” others too. And by the way, your friends can tell when your queries don’t stem from a genuine place. 
• Don't insult people's intelligence. Nobody believes your lies (black or white), random excuses and exaggerated tales. Also, stop using your child as a generic excuse and/or a source of entertainment for social events.

Respect comes from thinking and behaving mindfully. So if you take the time to listen, pause and value your friends, you will automatically respect them.

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I know you read this space so if you want to talk, you know where to find me. Even if you don't, I hope this post helps you. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.