Monday, June 16, 2008

Italy de baad Punjab!

The pasta's turned out good! And her battery of hungarians stays testimony to that! Even someone who had not had Pasta before loved it! :)

The one in red sauce: Saute lotsa fresh garlic (finely chopped). Add to it again finely chopped tomatoes... saute and more saute till water dissappearate! Then add Tabasco sauce, chili sauce, a wee bit of mustard and loads of grated cheese and tumble it all together! Then add the pasta (obviously, boiled drained, cold watered, salted!) and cook on slow fire for about 5 minutes till the sauce coats the past! Serve as hot and as fresh as possible! (I had a bunch of late lateef's comin over... so....!)

The one in white sauce: Now white sauce is as versatile as there are genres of music! A li'l bit of drums, some good bass and trumpets and saxophones or just a song..! Oops.. I meant some thinly cut onions, maida, salt n milk and lots of black pepper are the basics.. vary it with garlic / nutmeg / mushrooms / corn / capsicum et al! To this delightfully playful sauce add the pasta and let the sauce coat the pasta for about 7 mins and ur done again! :)

The weekend found her experimenting with her brand of butter chicken! Now I've roamed left right and center in 'Namma Bengaluru' for want of some authentic butter chicken and I always come back disappointed! Tried a place called "Punjabi Dhaba" run by a Sardar himself... and was stunned beyond words to notice the butter chicken gravy as thin as sambhar and with curry leaves (kadipatta) in it! Have even gone to 'Oye Amritsar' and come back disappointed yet again! So well... I took it upon myself this time! It was again in Sanju and Anamika's kitchen! :D Now take onion paste.. tomato paste... ginger garlic paste... same old Indian style bhuno it all... add to it a paste of almonds and milk (generous mix)... then add the masalas! And the haldi phobic me again recommends not to add haldi! (i have no clue why I'm so paranoid about it!) and add 2 tablespoons of honey.. Mix bhuno et al.. let it just turn into this overwhelming bulbous mix! For authenticity of color you can add the orange color as well.. now add the chicken and let it cook cook and cook till it not just becomes soft but also absorbs all the masalas beautifully! By now the chef was down some vodka and a shot of tequila and the labor of masala was progressing well! Now add the cream and stir it slowly making sure it all blends... cook for another 10 mins... slow fire... let the smells of it pervade your soul... let the creaminess of it feel your hands... and then ladies and gentleman top it all with almost a cup full of melted butter! Simmer for a couple more minutes.. this time around make sure its covered so that that the aroma of the butter seeps into every tiny shred of the chicken! and yes.. what you have is before you now will be delightfully authentic "kukkad makkhanwala!" :) Goes amazingly well with Gin served neat with chunks of watermelon and chat masala mixed into the glass!

And the crowning glory comes with 'Rum de Rajma!'. C(r)ook up the Rajma as you usually would (without the haldi puh-lease!!!) add to it a generous 60-90ml of apni desi Old Monk! It's not just good for the tatse.. it's awwsumm for the color as well! :) This people was lapped up by an audience of 3 as if there's no tomorrow! [if u wanna know how i do my rajma in detail lemme know! :)]

Stay c(r)ooked! :)

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