Weave a Thousand Flavors

Meat filled envelopes ~ Murtabak (Malaysia) & Tavaa Roti, Mughlai Paratha (India)

After a day of raiding the refrigerator, fixing 15 minute meals and eating out of bowls, I am ready to get back on the horse and bring out my exploratory cap for something different and delicious for lunch.

The prerequisite - nothing that involves rice or noodles or pasta. 'Nuf already!

My mind drifted towards samosas, since I had a some ground meat in the ice box but  when we do end up making samosas we're going to make the traditional variety first - punjab style stuffed with spicy potatoes and peas, the meat filled ones will just have to wait.

And then it came to me like Zeus' bolt - 'meat filled envelopes' known by a variety of names such as tavaa roti  in Mumbai or Mughlai paratha in Delhi or Murtabak in Maylasia.

 I grew up eating these. We'd go to this neighborhood restaurant row with outdoor seating and we'd order what was called tavaa roti (which essentially means griddle fried bread) and I would watch this guy facing a 5 ft long griddle , stretch and twirl the dough like it was made of nothing but elastic, crack eggs and flip the stuffed rotis,  high in the air with this long metal spatula. The one thing I do distinctly remember is that they were absolutely delicious.

Finally, standing at a roadside food cart outside the railway station at Johor Bahru, Malaysia, while these meat filled envelopes were prepared with similar theatrics was another dear memory. The rotiwala would throw the dough in the air and stretch it as he twirled  it high above his head ( not unlike the pizza makers in Italy). 

A lime sized lump of dough would become a large, smooth sheet in about a minute. It was then cooked and filled directly on the griddle with savory meat, chopped onions and beaten egg.

Only this time they were called  Murtabak . Now I can't promise theatrics but I reckon we can make a pretty decent Murtabak a.k.a tavaa roti or Mughlai paratha right at home.

 

Lacey Chicken Kababs

 

Lacey kababs that is kababs rolled in egg are very popular with the Parsi community in India. The Parsis are India's largest Zoroastrian community - ancient Persians. The influence of Arabic led to a drop in the 'p' sound in the Persian language, changing "Parsi" to "Farsi" (the name by which the language is now known).

This peace loving genteel community are so much a part of India's secular fabric and are interwoven like colorful strands in a rich dari (rug).

Affectionately known by other communities as Paarsi baawaas they represent an entrepreneurial spirit, an overwhelming love for the Queen of England (so much so that most of them will stand up and salute at the television when the Queen shows, affectionately calling her "my Raani'), a love for western classical music and unique foods including their fish that is sweet and tangy.

These lacey cutlets traditionally made with ground goat (mutton) are just as delicious made with leftover chicken. The term 'lacey' because of the 'lace' that forms when the kababs are dipped in breadcrumbs and then in egg rather than the traditional method the other way around - egg first followed by breadcrumbs.

The result is a light airy coating that I love and makes a nice change to the crispy breadcrumb coating that we're all so used to.

Give it a go and what better way jazz up leftover cooked chicken? 

Vinda-Who? It's Vindaloo! A Christmas Tradition Of Slow Cooked, Spiced Pork from the Shores of Goa, India

 
 
Goan food is a celebration of hot, tangy and spicy flavors.

And Vindaloo is a quintessential Goan specialty and especially popular during the holidays. In fact, Christmas would hardly be Christmas if it were not for the highly anticipated Sorpotel and Vindaloo in Goan homes. It was a much sort after meal for all of us who spent Christmas at the homes of our Goan Catholic school friends, growing up.

Here are 3 things you probably did not know about Vindaloo but ought to if you're going to serve it at your next Book club/dinner party or else risk end up being a proper Vindaloo-bumpkin!

1. Just because the term Vindaloo consists of the word 'aloo' which in Hindi means potatoes, there is no room for potatoes in a traditional Vindaloo.

2. The term vindaloo derives from the Portughese dish "Carne de Vinha d' Alhos", which is a dish consisting of meat, usually pork, with wine and garlic. The dish evolved into the Vindaloo when the Goans made it their own by adding plenty of spices and the subsitituting wine for their signature ingredient - Vinegar.

3. Why the Portughese influence in Goa? Because the Portughese landed on Goa's shores in the early 16th century as merchants, and conquered it soon thereafter. The Portuguese overseas territory of Portuguese India existed for about 450 years, until it was annexed by India in 1961.

It's best to use a cheap cut of meat like pork-butt for such a recipe and it is essential to allow the meat to marinate overnight to season and infuse with flavor. I also use a slow cooker to cook the meat instead of cooking the Vindaloo stove top as it is not only convenient on a busy weeknight but also renders an incredibly flavorful and moist result.

Can Vindaloo be made with prawns or chicken? Sure, but forgo the overnight marination if using seafood and it is best to use boneless, skinless, chicken thighs if you end up using chicken. Also, seafood will cook very quickly right on the stove top with no slow-cooking required.

As with all Goan food, chilli rules so though the recipe is authentic it is no means a traditional, fiery hot rendition and I have subsituted the usually called for 15 red chillies for a meek 2! But if you can happily ingest the called for 15, I say go for it!

 

Nothing like Homemade Ghee

 
We had some acquaintances over to dinner the other night. They are some friends of friends and we had only met them a couple of times at community gathering events. They had heard of my cooking skills (not shy am I?) and they wanted some authentic home cooked Indian grub. So we invited them.

One of the ladies saw that I was using ghee and she started talking to the other women about how she picked up a bottle of fragrant ghee at this high end organic foods store (for something like 8 or 9 bucks). Now no offense,  but I have experienced some of these ready made ghee's available in  the high end markets and all I can say is - close but no cigar!

I realized as I was stirring the dal that as long as one can get their hands on sweet cream butter (I bought 2 lbs on sale at 1.59/lb just to make ghee)  and stir a pot, you can get the most awesome, liquid, golden ghee in 45 minutes flat, for one-thirds the cost and double the quantity!

Now for those of you unfamiliar with ghee, it is also known as clarified butter and it is fantastic in  rice dishes, Indian cooking and makes a mean steak au poivre to tow -- you think I'm kidding - try it and see for yourself.

I cook my steak with nothing but - and here's why. It has a much higher burning point, than  butter and I think of it as the 'clean fuel of cooking fat'. Good term, eh?

It has no strong discernible flavor so you can use it in just about anything - roasted veggies, roasted potatoes (to die for) and almost all Indian cooking - for which olive oil has too strong a flavor and scent. Do you what my favorite food in ghee is? Fried eggs! Yummy!

Fusion Cobb Salad

 Tandoori Chicken tenderloins served on a bed of fresh lettuce, herbs & vegetables, tossed with a ginger-honey dressing & finished with raisins & tortilla crisps

It's spring & there's nothing funny about that where I'm concerned! I have yet to shed the 7 lbs I have put on from Christmas...from Christmas, you hear me? I want to scream. It's Easter next week and I'm still stuck with Christmas weight! Ugh....

So when I first began finalizing plans for dinner tonight, it had to be a salad and before I entered the kitchen, I had every intention of preparing  a classic Cobb salad.

Somewhere along the way, once I opened the refrigerator door, I was seduced by the variety of herbs & fresh produce in my refrigerator (other than those called for Cobb's salad) a half finished container of plain yogurt, a lonesome tortilla in its bag & the scant golden raisins waiting to be used. And very soon plans drifted from traditional Cobb salad to what can only be called a Fusion Cobb salad.

There is some irony to the fact that Robert Cobb himself invented the salad back in the 1930's in California in a similar fashion, using items he had found in the refrigerator at his restaurant - The Brown Derby. So it gives me some comfort that since there was method to his madness,  perhaps such will also be the case in mine!

The recipe can be categorized into 5 sections -

• Tandoori Chicken & its marinade
  
• Dressing 
• Salad
• Garnishes & tortilla Crisps
• Assembly

Chicken -

  

In the container of a mini chopper or blender gather together ingredients for the chicken marinade - yogurt, cilantro, mint, roughly chopped ginger, peeled garlic cloves, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, cream & salt. Pulverize to a  paste.

Pour into a dish (not metal) with the defrosted chicken tenderloins & marinate for  anywhere from 1-4 hours. Longer the better. Set aside.

 

Dressing - In a cleaned out bowl of the mini-chopper or blender, add the juice of freshly squeezed lemon, grated ginger, olive oil, honey, sugar if you're using, chopped mint leaves, crushed garlic, chopped 'Thai' red chilly & salt.

Pulverize until it is completely blended to a fine, smooth consistency. Refrigerate till ready to use. 

Salad-  Begin preparations approx 45 minutes to an hour before serving time.

Prepare all ingredients for the salad - hearts of romaine lettuce, fresh cilantro, mint, red bell pepper, black olives, avocado, red onion, tomatoes & cucumber.

Hearts of romaine lettuce - Wash, discard any brown or discolored leaves. Tear with hand or kitchen  shears to approx 1" bite size pieces.

Place in a large mixing bowl lined with kitchen paper towels.  

Using a kitchen paper towel pat dry the lettuce to remove as much moisture as possible. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the other ingredients.

 

Avocado -  Cut an avocado into half. Retain the other half with the seed, in the refrigerator.  Score the avocado with a knife in a criss-cross fashion. Do not cut into the skin.

Turn the avocado inside-out so the fleshy square come away from the skin. Set aside on a large platter.

 

Herbs & olives -  Wash & finely chop the mint & cilantro. Halve the black olives & set aside on the platter with the avocados.

Vegetables - 

 Red onion - Peel & finely slice in semi-circles

Tomatoes - Wash & dice

Cucumber - Peel leaving alternate strips intact (for looks), cut lengthwise & cut into 1/4" semi-circles.

Gather all the vegetables on the platter.  Refrigerate till further use. 

 

 

Chicken -  If using the oven, turn the oven to 'broil' setting. If using a gas grill or charcoal grill, heat to medium-high.

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Discard excess marinade.

In the broiler pan, place the tenderloins on a baking stone or parchment lined baking tray (sprayed with non-stick spray) & cook the tenderloins for about 8-9 minutes or until cooked. Baste with 'ghee' or olive oil. Grill for another 8-9 minutes. Baste with olive oil or ghee & set aside.

Cook until no longer pink but do not overcook or they will dry out.

If using the gas or charcoal grill, grill the tenderloins until golden brown and cooked through about 6-7 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill or broiler pan and let rest for 10 minutes.

Tortilla Crisps -

 

Use any tortilla you have at hand or buy the kind you would use later on for wraps etc.  The one I had on hand was a honey wheat tortilla. It is a little stale so it is  perfect for the tortilla crisps.

Using a serrated bread knife, cut the tortilla in half. Overlap the edges & cut into radial shapes like pizza triangles. Heat olive oil in a small pan & heat on medium heat till  hot but not fuming.

 

Add one tortilla triangle at a time & fry till to a lovely golden brown. 

Assembly- 

 

Remove the lettuce from the refrigerator. Discard the kitchen paper towels. Add all the herbs & vegetables. Add half the dressing & toss.

Cook's Note - I would serve the extra dressing on the side. Nothing worse than having way  too much dressing to begin with. This way everyone can help themselves to more at the table.

Sprinkle the garnishes - the raisins & crumbled aged cheddar cheese. Mound the Chicken tenderloins over the salad & serve with the tortilla crisps.

This salad can  best be described as a palimpsest of flavors. The zesty tang in the lemon dressing carries a hint of sweetness throughout, while the ginger & minty aromas amp up the flavors in the salad. The raisins add a touch of whimsy & sweeten the palette most unexpectedly.

The chicken with its moist tender flesh is an explosion of flavors with the cumin, spices  & yogurt set against the refreshing canvas of the salad.

A perfect, light dinner with the tortilla crisps adding just the right touch of crunch!

Recipe for

Fusion Cobb Salad ~ Tandoori Chicken tenderloins served on a bed of fresh lettuce, herbs & vegetables, tossed with a ginger-honey dressing & finished with raisins & tortilla crisps

Preparation time - 40 minutes

Cooking time - 20 minutes

Serves 4

Shopping list - 

8-12 chicken tenderloins (1 packet)

Marinade -

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1" fresh  ginger root

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilly powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbs heavy cream

2 tbs lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

Salad -

1 - 1/2 bundles hearts of romaine lettuce (6-8 cups torn leaves)

3 Roma tomatoes

1/2 ripe avocado

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 red onion

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

8 black olives

1 English cucumber (1 cup sliced)

Dressing -

1/4 cup+ 1 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3  garlic cloves

1-1/2" fresh ginger root

1 'Thai' red chilly

1/8 cup fresh mint leaves

1 tbs honey

1/2 tsp powdered sugar (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

Garnish-

1 large tortilla

1/4 cup golden raisins

1 oz aged cheddar cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup for deep-frying

Preparation

Garlic Cloves - Peel & crush. Discard skin

Ginger -  Scrape skin off with a knife. Roughly chop " piece for marinade. Grate 1-1/2" ginger for dressing (to make 3 tsp)

Chicken & Marinade-  In the container of a mini chopper or blender gather together ingredients for the marinade - yogurt, cilantro (for marinade only), mint (for marinade only), roughly chopped ginger, 3 crushed garlic cloves, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, cream & salt.  Pulverize to a  paste.

Pour into a dish (not metal) with the defrosted chicken tenderloins & marinate for 1-4 hours. Set aside. Longer the batter.

Thai red chilly - Finely chop. Set aside. Wash hands thoroughly with soap & water to get rid of chilly oils.

Mint (for Dressing) -  Wash & roughly chop.

Dressing - In a cleaned out bowl of the mini-chopper or blender, add freshly squeezed lemon juice, grated ginger, olive oil, honey, sugar, chopped mint leaves, crushed garlic, chopped 'Thai' red chilly & salt. Pulverize until to a fine, smooth consistency. Refrigerate till ready to use.

Salad -

Hearts of romaine lettuce - Wash, discard any brown or discolored leaves. Tear with hand or kitchen  shears to approx 1" bite size pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl lined with kitchen paper towels. Using a kitchen paper towel pat dry the lettuce to remove as much moisture as possible. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the other ingredients.

Avocado - Cut an avocado into half. Retain the other half with the seed, in the refrigerator.  Score the avocado with a knife in a criss-cross fashion. Do not cut into the skin.  Turn inside out to separate avocado fruit from skin. Set aside on a large platter.

Red onion - Peel & finely slice in semi-circles

Tomatoes - Wash & dice

Olives - Remove from liquid & halve (lengthwise)

Cucumber - Peel leaving alternate strips intact (for looks), cut lengthwise & cut into 1/4" semi-circles. 

Mint  & Cilantro (for Salad) -  Wash & finely chop.

Gather all the vegetables on the platter.  Refrigerate till further use. 

Cooking Method -

Chicken -  If using the oven, turn the oven to 'broil' setting. If using a gas grill or charcoal grill, heat to medium-high.

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Discard excess marinade.

 In the broiler pan, place the tenderloins on a baking stone or parchment lined baking tray (sprayed with non-stick spray) & cook the tenderloins for 8-9  minutes. Baste with 'ghee' or olive oil. Grill for another 8-9 minutes. Baste with olive oil or ghee & set aside.

If using the gas or charcoal grill, grill the tenderloins until golden brown and cooked through about 6-7 minutes on each side.

Remove from the grill or broiler pan and let rest for 10 minutes.

Tortilla Crisps - Using a serrated bread knife, cut the tortilla in half. Overlap the edges & cut into radial shapes like pizza triangles.

Heat olive oil in a small pan & heat on medium heat till  hot but not fuming. Add one tortilla triangle at a time & fry till to a lovely golden brown. 

Assembly- 

Remove the lettuce from the refrigerator. Discard the kitchen paper towels. Add all the herbs & vegetables. Add half the dressing & toss. Serve remaining dressing table side.

Sprinkle the garnishes - the raisins & crumpled aged cheddar cheese. Mound the Chicken tenderloins over the salad & serve with the tortilla crisps.

Enjoy!