Wine and Cheese

There is something very uplifting about a mid week "girls only" outing.It's not really something you have to do or  even 'need' to but when it happens it's definitely a lot of fun. A "wine and cheese" evening was suggested by a friend and I loved the idea of spending time relaxing and catching up with the others....Like she said 'it's not about the food'....so ,I was all set to put my foodie thoughts aside and focus only on the company and conversation,an equally pleasurable task,if I may add !

Was I in for a surprise...more like delighted amazement.The table looked so beautiful and appetising...'not about the food ??!!' Really ??!!...Accompanied with cranberry juice,pink champagne,proseco and chardonnay and candlelight...it did start off on an unforgettable note.As the conversation flowed more than the spirits did and the topics ranged from politics,to face lifts (of movie stars only!!!)to movies,to children,music and much more,the slow assault on the cheeses began. First to get completely vandalised ,was the goats cheese and we so enjoyed the various pairings with the fruit and the yummy preserves . 

A bit of this ,a dollop of that , a smear of this and a drizzle of that...the action had begun and no one seemed keen to stop...the marinated olives and bites of pineapple and jalapenos...I was in foodie paradise.For me personally,it was just what I needed after a particularly long day,the freshness of the green grapes and lusciousness of the juicy strawberries were so reviving.I did sample some cheeses for the first time ,a red cheese,which had a smoky flavour and a cheese with nettles...interesting,though ,not my favourite ! Gouda,blue cheese,cheddar ,some flavoured,some plain...with little rounds of bread and crackers,loads of laughter in between ,ended on a sweet note with chocolate fondue with berries and cake for dunking...I'd say it was the perfect evening and oh...it "was not about the wine" !!!!

All of these cheeses are available at Godrej Nature basket which is open in the metros.In Coimbatore,we do have quite a good variety available at Nilgiris and Nuts n Spices...except for the goat cheese.
So,my reason for sharing this, is,a relaxed evening with friends can be special without having to slave over a hot stove...although my host did go to a lot of trouble ,as is evident ! It's something to consider,the next time you plan an all girls evening.... iced tea and a variety of mocktails will go great with cheeses too !

Post the cheese attack !

Justice done to the cheese platter !

SriLanka on a plate

The island nation that is so close to home ,that feels like home but is yet so different , unique and beautiful...Sri Lanka ! Visiting a country where the people are so familiar and hospitable...makes for the perfect getaway...adding to that, is the charm of a culture very prevalent even today while simultaneously embracing modern thinking ! The mouthwatering food that is so similar to our own Indian cuisine and yet manages to surprise and excite the taste buds with it's own special flavours and fragrances,keeps the visitor waiting to return to savour it again ! However number of times one visits this country,it still never ceases to amaze us by the sheer cleanliness , respect shown to visitors,the vibrant Tuk Tuks (my favourite!!!)

and unimaginable vistas....you can tell,I thoroughly enjoyed my trip and I bring with me ,some very simple recipes to share with you and help you put together an authentic SriLankan meal at home !
A simple vegetarian Sri Lankan meal
Milk rice
Sri Lankan Dhal
served with coconut sambol/chilli sambol
Very comforting and very satisfying...what more does one want ?!!

The Tuk Tuk :))))

milk rice

Sambols

SriLankan dhal and Fish curry

Recipe for milk rice
250g brown/white rice
11/2 cups of water
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup of coconut milk
Method
Wash the rice well and transfer it to a medium sized cooking vessel
Add the water and salt and cover and cook on low heat until the rice is soft and plump and all the water is absorbed.
You may alternatively cook the rice in the rice cooker and then transfer to a vessel before adding the milk
Now,with the heat on very low,add the coconut milk and stir it in with a spoon
Let it cook on a very slow simmer for 10mts...check seasoning,add a bit more salt if necessary !
If it cooks too fast,the texture will not be right and the rice may burn
Once it is creamy,take off the heat and let cool a bit
Grease a baking dish and press the rice onto it and flatten well with the back of a spoon
Score a square or diamond pattern on the surface of the rice
Once it has cooled and stiffened,cut with a knife and place the squares onto a serving plate
Serve with warm dhal or fish curry with sambols as an accompaniment.
Sri Lankan dhal curry
1 cup red lentils (masoor dhal)
1 onion sliced
3 green chillies
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
fenugreek powder-1/2 tsp
red chilli powder-to taste
curry leaves-a few
a small piece of Cinnamon
pandan leaves(if available)-1 inch
1/2 c of thin coconut milk
1/2 thick coconut milk
For seasoning-mustard seeds,curry leaves and dried red chillies-3
salt to taste
Method
Wash the dhal really well a few times
Add it to a pressure cooker with all the ingredients except the thick coconut milk
Add salt
Cook until the dhal is cooked
Add the thick coconut milk,on low heat and mix
Temper the mustard,curry leaves and red chillies in some oil and add to the dhal at the end...like a tadka
Serve hot.
While I'm sure the pandan leaves add aroma and flavour,do try the recipe even if you don't get your hands on the pandan leaves...it will still taste pretty good !!!

Tapas ideas

Tapas...a word which in Spain refers to small servings of food of different kinds,easy to pick up and eat,usually the more snacky kind ! The word Tapa originally meant 'to cover',people covered their glasses of sweet sherry with a slice of bread to ward off flies...this got the owners of the bars to add toppings on the bread,usually a salty piece of salami,which in turn will increase thirst,thereby leading to more sales of alcohol ! Smart :))...now of course Tapas bars are very popular in Spain,it encourages a kind of social eating where people feel free to stand around a table of small appetisers and gives one the liberty to converse easily...it's not uncommon to go Tapas bar hopping in Spain,the variety of Tapas on offer is immense !
Thanks to a friend who recently hosted an "Asian Tapas" party at home and asked me for suggestions for Asian inspired Tapas desserts...I was quite inspired and would like to share my ideas with you.Tapas can be as light or as wholesome as you choose,cold or hot,a dish can even be as simple as olives and cheese.

My suggestions for an Asian Tapas dessert selection was;
Green tea sorbet with toasted almonds
Sweet saffron vermicelli,served in shot glasses with slivered and toasted almonds
Rose water and pistachio mini cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting
Mango fool served in tiny cups with a crumbled cookie topping
Almond/Cardamom/Saffron flavoured Naan Katai- butter cookies
I would also like to add to that;
Lime pudding with toasted coconut shavings
Poached pears in red wine and cinammon
Honey and seasame brittle
Black sesame and jaggery balls (how exotic does our ellu urandai sound ? ;)) )

For Savoury Tapas- Asian inspired

Broccoli and cashew nut stir fry

Rice paper rolls with veggies and herbs with a sweet chili dipping sauce

Cheese/meat samosas

Discs of bread with prawn and mango chutney

Roasted cherry tomatoes with garlic on crackers

Jalapeno poppers served in tiny glasses with a green gooseberry relish

Tempura vegetables with a dipping sauce

Crispy chili chicken/fish nuggets

Veg or non veg koftas

I'm sure those of you who have never tried it,now get the general idea...it involves a fair amount of planning but it'll all be totally worth your while in the end !

All these dishes except for the last minute frying (if any) can be pre prepared which also leaves the host stress free,to enjoy the party and actually be able to eat something.It's fun and informal at the same time ,very special,some good music, a few cocktails alcoholic or not,lively conversation and an awesome evening guaranteed,whether it's for 5 people or 50!!!!...I'm sure your brain will be buzzing with ideas too...A tapas party is for all adult age groups and planning it,cooking it and deciding how to serve it adds to the fun quotient...do I have all of you thinking of planning a Tapas party soon ??!!! ;))

Nithya's Asian Tapas dinner

 

This is a photo of the dinner hosted by my friend...I hope this picture inspires you even more...li'l bigger than bite sized portions of delicious morsels ! Yummy !!!

Menu for Halloween

Halloween or All Hallows eve is a yearly celebration in many western countries on Oct 31st.Typical activities include trick or treating, attending costume parties,apple bobbing,carving jack o lanterns out of pumpkins,listening to horror stories playing harmless pranks and just a lot of fun ! As we live in a global community...kids celebrations quickly get popular everywhere...so too Halloween parties have become popular this side of the globe too ! Have received a few requests for food ideas for Halloween,I got quite excited at the thought of inventing gory food and wanted to share my Halloween menu with you...my mom will be very upset by the way :p...bats,witches,warlocks are just not her thing...well,we just won't tell her...mom,u know I love you !!!!
Halloween menu
Blood and guts potatoes-baked potatoes with cheese and ketchup
Mummy wraps-sausages rolled in bread
Swamp slime-green jelly in coconut shells
Witches brew- black channa with bread
Devil's candy-dark chocolate and nut squares
Fallen angels-black cotton candy
Bat bites-black olive tapenade on bread
cobweb cups- stir fried glass noodles in a cup
Rattling teeth- fried puffed rice
Other options include...spooky cupcakes,monster cookies,gummy worms and graveyard goop-chocolate jumbles !!!!
Have a spooooky evening folks !!!!!

South indian lunch

I've often been asked how to figure out a menu where the dishes compliment one another,especially a vegetarian one ,where many feel the choices are so limited... I do believe that our country is a veggie lover's paradise,with so much to choose from and so many variations to the way 1 vegetable can be cooked...nothing can beat Indian food... now while planning a simple tasty Indian  meal I would suggest to keep in mind a few basic rules...
1 or 2 carbohydrate dishes
a light fresh salad
Definitely a crunchy side dish
A gravy dish
A semi dry dish
A yoghurt based dish
Some pickles,chutneys...that can be made ahead not necessarily on that day...
And of course ,the best for last...a sweet dish
so...how does this sound...
Chappathi
Rice-brown/white
Thattapayir kozhambhu(Red lobia gravy)
Sprouts salad
Beetroot vadai
Avvaraikkai poriyal (broad beans stir fry)
Rasam
Curd with mango/lemon pickle
The sweet dish does not have to be a traditional Indian sweet,some ripe yummy mangoes can be just as satisfying,don't you think ?!

Simple veg menu

Food and celebration go so hand in hand in most cultures bringing with it immense amounts of satisfaction and comfort...while we no longer,in most Indian households ,put in the hard work of grinding,chopping,churning by hand,for large gatherings,we still do feel the need to replicate the occasions from past memories from childhood ! In those days the calories lost by working in the kitchen was quickly replenished by the food consumed...leading to a healthy mind and body !
Since by and large the food for celebrations is supplied by a caterer,these days ,I think while we may not have the time or the inclination to do manual labour,we can still keep our health in check by eating food that is not only delicious but very nutritious and not fattening...even on a long weekend,one finds people planning on having a meal out or a leisurely enjoyable meal at home...a non fussy but satisfying Saturday veggie lunch could be:
Aloo paratha with yoghurt
Spinach and paneer cutlets
Curry leaf and garlic gravy
Baby brinjals saute'
Rice,Rasam and some roasted pappad maybe
I find the aloo paratha can just be lightly brushed with a few drops of ghee and will taste even better than adding dollops of butter/ghee...having been told for years by my mum and grand mum about the health benefits of ghee,I am forced to eat humble pie now as more and more nutritional experts swear by that little bit of ghee everyday along with virgin coconut oil ,so everything is beneficial taken with the right foods and most importantly in the right quantity !

Simple italian veggie menu

A vegetarian menu can be slightly daunting to people who are non-veggie lovers...on many an occasion I have had people, who are excellent cooks,ask me for suggestions for a completely veggie meal.While our Indian cuisine does offer a staggeringly wide variety of veggie options,when one wants to pick another cuisine to cook from,very often,the sheer thought process needed to think up a menu can leave one long exhausted before actually beginning to prepare for a meal !!! And cooking or time spent in the kitchen is not meant to be stressful and exhausting....cooking,to me is an art,one of the best ways to show people how much you care :)) So an Italian veggie menu could go something like this....strict vegetarians,please exclude the egg dish!
For a informal but special dinner for 8
Penne pasta with mushroom
Baked spinach and ricotta
Roasted bell peppers with garlic and tomatoes
Eggs with a tomato caper sauce
Potato and chive salad
This menu was designed keeping in mind ,as i think one needs to,the food groups...The potatoes and pasta are the carbs, the eggs and ricotta offer the protein, the bell peppers apart from being full of vitamins/minerals offer the much needed lightness/freshness to the meal,spinach is the super food ;),the tomatoes really do add the acidity required in any meal...so the guest has the option of eating a light/heavy meal.
Dessert...I would suggest a simple chocolate(no cream ,no butter)fudge pudding
              A fruit sorbet would also be lovely !
Follow with an espresso or a liqueur of your choice ! Yummy !

Simple veggie menu

It's always a dilemma for a foodie what to serve when inviting people over for a meal...keeping in mind the general preferences,if any,it's always best I think to follow a few simple rules
1.Never try more than 2/3 new dishes for the first time,for a party
2.Stick to a few dishes that you are familiar with and is always well received
3.If it's a slightly bigger group...keep in mind a few dishes that are quick to prepare and easy to serve
4.Sometimes,dips,chutneys,desserts can be made the previous night,so do take advantage of that time saving factor.
5.Since the host needs to have a good time too and that will in turn reflect on the guests,serve food that needs not too much attention to detail...food can look stunning and be super easy at the same time !
For eg...an easy dinner for 2 guests can be;
Drink of choice
starters
Baked potato wedges
veg crudites with a hung curd dip

Main course
a spiced papaya salad
jasmine rice with thai red/green curry
tofu and bell peppers in a herb sauce
baby corn fritters
Dessert
Fresh mango fool
The dessert can be made ahead of time as well as the curry...all it takes is a bit of organising and planning!