No bones about it

Ready for carving.

Now the boneless chicken has long been considered my father’s speciality. Just imagine a completely de-boned chicken (just with the wing tips and a bit of the leg bone left for aesthetic purposes) stuffed generously with a savoury bread and vegetable medley. Then it’s slow roasted with a plain basting of turmeric and clarified butter (ghee) before it is carved at the table.

My father actually learnt this from his mother, but not directly. He picked it up watching her de-bone chickens for close friends and family functions and somehow managed to master the art himself. He has now become such a pro he has developed his own style of deboning the bird and can finish a complete deboning in less than 45 minutes. Last year my mother and he even took orders last for Christmas but with all the wedding preparations this year it wasn’t possible to do so this time as well.

This year we made the chicken Sean-friendly keeping the stuffing completely vegetarian (we usually add cold cuts and bacon) and making a finishing glaze with agave syrup instead of honey. The only thing we cheated at was swapping the clarified butter for some home rendered pork lard. Sean is allowed to eat animal fat, as long as it is organic, but the butcher couldn't tell us how the pig was raised so we kept the lard to a minimum. The finished chicken was moist and extremely succulent. My father was actually surprised that the vegetarian stuffing also turned out as delicious.

Most people who have had dinner at my home in Bombay known of the boneless chicken. It has travelled all the way to Dubai as well when one of my close friends coaxed my dad into sending one for me as a surprise last year. My dad has even deboned turkeys (the biggest one being nine kilos) and it's safe to say no festive meal at my parents' home is complete without some deboned poultry. We still have the one chicken I deboned stuck in the freezer and my father plans to stuff it with a rice filling for dinner on New Year's Eve.

By next December I want to be able to debone and cook a chicken exactly like my parents do for Christmas, which in all probability will be in Canada and miles away from them in Bombay. So I had my first lesson with my father last week, which proved to be harder than I imagined. Obviously I’m going to have to tear through several chickens before I can produce a product as perfect as my father’s. But hey, that’s part of the challenge.

I also learnt something about my father this year – the man has patience. He’s not known for sitting in one place and has been nicknamed ‘Restless Jack’ and ‘monkey on hot bricks’ because he always has to be doing something. But while learning how to debone the chicken with him I realised he actually has selective patience – just for the things he chooses to be patient for.

So this post is dedicated to my father and fingers crossed a perfect bird next year – salut!

Chicken (a petname of mine when I was younger) stuffing the chicken.

Stuffed and ready for suturing.

Dr. Father at work.

Bottle of luscious pork lard rendered last week.

Anointing of lard, mustard and turmeric.

Ready for the oven.

My father carving.

Perfection.

Christmas pictorial

Post-church treats

My sister and I had planned an elaborate Christmas lunch as it would be a family event after five years. Unfortunately she couldn’t make it to Bombay. However, that didn’t stop us from stuffing ourselves as usual. The menu was simple (pictures below) but we savoured every morsel and are already waiting to tear through the leftovers.

We had carols playing in the background and the house was filled with the aroma of the boneless chicken, which we basted with the pork lard my father and I rendered last week. Sean had Christmas lunch at his own parents' home so he'll have his share this evening.

To add a more festive spirit I mixed some limoncello mojitos with the liqueur that I had bought in July when I went on a press trip to Venice. It was our first time tasting limoncello and soon after the lunch my dad and I graduated to drinking straight shots of it while my mother enjoyed it poured over some vanilla ice cream.

Here’s hoping you all had a delightful and flavourful Christmas as well.

Limoncello mojitos

Boneless chicken, wedding rice and fugiyas

Fugiyas

Limoncello...almost gone.

Snapshots of Christmas

Milk cream being moulded by my mother

Christmas has kind of crept up on us this year. With all the running around due to the wedding my mother hasn’t had much time to make the huge variety of sweets she usually does. So we decided to keep it simple and just do a few.

I’ve also had my first lesson with my father to learn how to de-bone a chicken to make his speciality – boneless chicken. It went pretty smoothly (just two tiny holes) but I am going to need loads more practise before I can do it as quickly as him.

Tonight we’ll attend mid-night mass (which is actually held at 10pm) and then come home to Christmas cake that has been soaking in rum for the past two weeks and some wine. Then I’m off with Sean for a barbecue so will have pictures of that as well. As usual, my contribution is just the dip.

Here’s just a snappy look at what we’ll be devouring this year at home. Now you know what I mean when I say my wedding dress just might be a tad snug on January 8.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all.

Cashew nut marzipan

Jujubes 

Stuffing for the boneless chicken in progress 

Nankhatais

Christmas is coming

Perfect with some dark chocolate post dinner

One of the best things I like about the season is being able to make edible gifts for my friends (that’s aside from all the other sweets made at home by my mother). The past few years I’ve packaged chocolates, cookies and cake and it wasn’t until a friend (thanks Caru) reminded me recently – Irish cream was always a particular favourite.

As we were celebrating this particular friend’s bachelorette party last week I made her a bottle since a lot of alcohol-laced beverages were going to be consumed that night. I used the same recipe I’ve kept in my records from Allrecipes.com and it turned out spot on even though I replaced the chocolate syrup with melted dark chocolate and added an extra swig of whiskey.

This recipe is honestly fool-proof and is ready in under five minutes just using a simple whisk. A little bit was leftover, which my father sampled that night and he absolutely loved it as well. Just bottle, tie on a ribbon (or a recipe card) and you’ll have some grateful gift receivers.


Original Irish cream (Allrecipes.com)
Makes a little more than 750ml

1 cup heavy cream
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (I dissolve this in the whisky first before adding it to the cream and condensed milk)
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

In a blender, combine heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, Irish whiskey, instant coffee, chocolate syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Shake well before serving.

Get the party started

All done and ready to be delivered.

Ever since I’ve touched down in Bombay it has been one celebration after the other. The morning Sean and I got in, I was invited to a very close friend’s bachelorette party and was immediately designated the job of bringing the dip.

Now this dip has been making the round of all our parties for more than ten years. It is actually my best friend’s mother’s recipe and includes ingredients that most cooks would have at home. My best friend, Mrinaal (who will be standing by my side as my maid of honour on January 8) actually taught me how to make it and it’s referred to as ‘Mrinaal’s dip’ in my house, much like we have personalised ‘Ingrid’s chocolate cake’.

It was a hit at the bachelorette party that night and most of the girls asked me for the recipe. It’s all about taste with this one, just add ingredients a bit at a time and taste as you go to get the right balance. The only thing that takes a bit of time is hanging the yoghurt so all the whey is eliminated. If you're counting calories you can use low-fat yoghurt as well.

I've honestly never cared to experiment with this recipe because its the simplicity of it that makes it stand out. You can probably add mint or some grated and drained cucumber, but I like it just the way it is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

It goes well with thick-cut crisps or even a crudités platter with celery, peppers, carrot and beetroot. Because the taste is similar to that of a ‘raita’, you can serve it as an accompaniment with biryani as well. I’m now off to make it for another bachelorette party tonight. Fingers crossed, it will go down well with all the attendees as well as the last time.

Mrinaal’s dip

1.2kg yoghurt, unhung (I use three large tubs of Amul’s Masti Dahi)

salt to taste

2tbs sugar* (preferably icing sugar)
1 medium-sized red onion, chopped finely

4 small cloves of garlic, minced

Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped finely

1 small green chilli, de-seeded and chopped finely

Place a muslin cloth over a large deep bowl. Empty the yoghurt into the muslin cloth and tie a knot firmly above the yoghurt so that the whey starts dripping through the bottom. Place over the sink or another bowl for at least one hour. The yoghurt should be thick and creamy for the dip.

Add the hung yoghurt to a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add some salt to taste and the sugar and mix well until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients (you can add a small quantity of each and taste whether it is to your liking) and mix well. Chill until ready to serve.

*NOTE: You can sweeten the yoghurt with xylitol, stevia or agave syrup as well. As long as it gets a bit of sweetness.

Disclaimer: The information on this blog regarding brain tumours is meant only to be informative and is not a means for diagnosis or treatment.

Recreating memories

Four delicious slices up for grabs.

When I was younger and wanted to try something new to eat, usually as the result of reading a book or seeing an advertisement on television, my mother always had one reply – “Let’s try making it.” I don’t remember eating out at restaurants or ordering take out much, if at all, because my parents both believed in wholesome home cooked food and trying to make something from scratch – whether cinnamon buns or a stir-fry – was much more fulfilling than having someone else make it for you.

Obviously at that time my sister and I would complain about how we never had a chance to dine out like many of our friends did with their families. Little did we know that those kitchen experiments with our parents would leave such an indelible mark on the both of us, and subsequently influence our choice of careers. Of course today I love eating out and taking my parents to new restaurants, but now it's an opportunity to get inspired in the kitchen and we often try recreating what we’ve tried at home.

As I mentioned earlier, my parents visited me for a week in Dubai before Sean and I packed up permanently. We took them to try a Kerala-style restaurant, Nalukettu, where they both fell in love with Meen Pollichathu, which comprised of thick slices of king fish smothered in a fiery red spice paste and cooked in a banana leaf. Coupled with steaming appams (fermented rice pancakes) and a cold beer, it made one of the most memorable meals we had during that frantic week.

Since my parents bought a whole lot of fish today, we trolled the Internet for the recipe and decided to try making the Meen Pollichathu at home(this is the recipe we used). We used king fish as we had at the restaurant and substituted foil because there were no banana leaves available. About half an hour in the oven and it was ready to eat.

The paste was not as spicy as I had expected it to be and the flavours really burst on the tongue as we had used all fresh ingredients. It was great for Sean as well as the recipe included loads of garlic, chilli and  ginger - all great for fighting the brain tumour. Since it was cooked in the oven, there was also no added fat making it an indulgent but healthy meal.

Having enveloped the fish in the paste, it remained lovely and moist. It wasn’t spot on like Nalukettu’s but was relished it with hot chapattis for lunch today. My father thinks the restaurant added some tamarind paste, which is why it had more of a sweet-sour flavour. Note made and will be experimented with the next time.

If you’d like to try the restaurant you can find details here. Look beyond the seedy ambience and far out location, the food is really the star here.

Paste ingredients.

Paste all done.

Fish marinating. We marinated six slices but baked only four.

Disclaimer: The information on this blog regarding brain tumours is meant only to be informative and is not a means for diagnosis or treatment.

Banana breakfast

So simple, yet so delicious.

I love waking up to a good breakfast. It’s a habit that my parents instilled in us when we were growing up and was always the first meal of the day together. Sean wasn’t much of a breakfast eater when I met him but since his diagnosis has become vigilant about kick starting his day with a proper meal as he finds it makes him more alert.

Now research has also proved that breakfast is important to help the mind and body function properly throughout the day and regulate weight as well. Its one thing I can’t help chastising friends about when they tell me they don’t have time in the morning to eat.

Luckily at the office I last worked at, we had a morning ritual as well where we would all have breakfast together before starting our work. My friend Harshita made the traditional Indian spiced masala chai and we would all share whatever we had brought in whether it was an egg sandwich or some parathas (flavoured Indian flatbreads). Its probably one of the few things I miss about not working anymore.

Back at home, my mother surprises me every morning with one of my childhood favourites. This morning she made fried bananas. It’s extremely simple to put together and can also be used as a stuffing for crêpes or served with some vanilla ice cream for dessert garnished with some toasted nuts.

My father and I love it by itself dusted with some powdered cinnamon. Coupled with some masala chai made with a generous helping of grated ginger and mint (thanks for the recipe Harshita) it was a spicy start to the day and brought back fond memories of my old colleagues and schooldays as well. The chai is also great for brain tumour patients (made with organic grass-fed dairy milk, rice or soy milk with agave and xylitol to sweeten) as both ginger and mint are known to quell inflammation.

Fried bananas
Serves 1

2 semi-ripe bananas
1tsp oil
1/2tsp sugar (optional)
cinnamon for sprinkling

Slit the bananas lengthways. Heat the oil. Add the sugar and let it caramelise slowly. Spread the sugar over the base of the pan.  Add the bananas (cut side down) and cook slowly until well browned on one side. Then gently flip over and cook on the second side until browned as well. Remove from fire and serve sprinkled with cinnamon.
TIP: If you choose not to use sugar, just fry the bananas slowly so their natural sugars start to caramelise. Alternatively, you can add a squeeze of agave syrup to give it a more sticky texture. Cinnamon also helps quell inflammation in the brain.

VARIATION: I would suggest skipping the oil and adding some butter to caramelise the sugar to give the bananas a more toffee-like taste. This would work extremely well if you’re planning to serve the caramelised bananas for dessert.

Disclaimer: The information on this blog regarding brain tumours is meant only to be informative and is not a means for diagnosis or treatment.

Instant gratification

No time for a proper ice cream scoop - we want dessert!

My parents and I were sitting around after dinner last night when my father had a sudden craving for ice cream. It was 11.30pm. The beauty of living in Bombay (I live in a small suburb called Bandra) is that you can get most stuff delivered right to your doorstep. So off he went to the telephone.

Both my parents are ice cream fiends and their brand of choice is a local company called Natural. There is always one box of some seasonal fruit concoction in their fridge, probably in case of events like this. Sticking to their name, the brand uses only milk solids, sugar and seasonal fruit to make their ice cream so it is great for an occasional treat for Sean as well – no nasty preservatives or additives. A half litre box of ice cream costs Rs.155.

Luckily the store closes at 12am. Ten minutes after ordering we had a choice of either anjeer (fig) or custard apple (also known as cherimoya). We wanted the usual tender coconut but it was out of stock. Anjeer won out as the flavour for the evening and was filled with generous portions of the dried fruit. As the creamy ice cream melted the little seeds could be felt floating in it providing a nice contrasting texture.

Have to admit like children, we all went to sleep with smiles on our faces last night. Custard apple, we are coming for you tonight.

Delivery time - ten minutes.

Polished off, five minutes later.

Nature's expensive basket

Loads of choice but all pocket damaging

It’s just been five days since we’ve been back in Bombay and I’ve already noticed a few new places that didn’t exist when I was here five months ago. One that particularly caught my attention was called Godrej Nature’s Basket, which is an upmarket gourmet food store that stocks a wide range of imported food. Yes, it was the first place that I visited.

Sean and I initially decided to check it out because we are having a tough time sourcing whole wheat bread that isn’t dyed or so white in colour that it is obviously not what it claims to be – despite what the label says. So off we went with my mother in tow with high hopes of coming back with a wide selection of bread and some cured meats as well.

The store had a no frills interior and was stocked with a wide range of pasta sauces, cheese, cold meats and had a small wine section as well. I was walking around like a kid in the candy store, getting overtly excited when I recognised brands that I picked up in Dubai, until I started looking at the price tags.

It was obvious everything was marked up exorbitantly. So although my tastebuds were goading me on to fill the shopping trolley with some Stilton and sherry vinegar, I exercised careful restraint knowing that my pocket wouldn’t justify such a splurge. Instead, we stuck to what we actually needed and managed to pick up some multigrain bread (Rs.65) and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (Rs.570) from Indian wine label Sula.

It’s fantastic that we now have a choice of an international array of food but it would be great if the import taxes were a bit more reasonable so everyone can enjoy a taste of the goodies on a more regular basis rather than just for special occasions. Now I have my eye on a bottle of truffle oil (Rs.675) that I might just convince Sean we really need for Christmas.

To make up for the loss, we visited Sandwich and Co. which also sells breads, cured meats and cheeses and drowned our sorrows in a hearty Country Club sandwich (Rs.325), while my mother enjoyed a delectable BBQ Chicken sarnie (Rs.175) with Emmenthal cheese. Touted as the ‘mother of all sandwiches’ on the menu, the Club lived up to its reputation as it was stuffed with ham, smoked chicken, egg salad and fresh veggies all sitting on a bed of garlic mayo. Best of all, the sandwiches were served on multigrain bread.

Three bites in and Nature’s Basket was long forgotten.

The saviour of the day

I'm home

Just landed in Bombay yesterday morning. Finally home. Finally some time to relax and enjoy the wedding festivities and seasonal events to come.

Started the day with one of my favourite breakfasts mum makes – burji and chapattis. It couldn't have been a better beginning to a fabulous vacation that is going to involve loads of home cooked food and lessons in the kitchen.

Time to start jogging daily to make sure the wedding dress fits in a month’s time.

The final night

Tired doesn’t begin to describe what Sean and I were feeling the past week. Having had our electricity disconnected we relocated to his cousin’s home where we spent the final few days in our adopted home.

Fittingly, the last night was spent with family and we decided to have a wine and cheese evening. Sean’s cousin and her family had just returned from South Africa with a couple of new wines to try so I decided to make a cheese board – a first for me. So it was the last time I shopped in Spinneys and we picked up some pâté, chorizo, aubergine stuffed with smoked salmon cream cheese and stuffed olives as well to make an antipasti platter.

I kept it simple with a goat’s cheese, camembert and garlic and herb cream cheese. By no means am I a cheese connoisseur but I do know that a cheese board is generally sampled from the mildest to the strongest cheese. We served it with some crackers, apple and walnut chutney, dried apricots and a wholewheat baton.

I’m sure many would argue that there are fixed rules to putting together different flavours, but for amateurs like me, it’s usually helpful to do a board that comprises of cheeses from the same region or made from one kind of milk to have some uniformity. At least, that’s what I’ve learnt from a cheese master I interviewed.

I was nervous about how Sean’s family would react to the selection but luckily they enjoyed all three cheeses and tucked merrily into the pâté and chorizo as well. Obviously, flavour is a personal perspective and that night there were no rules. We served the wines in the wrong glasses, broke a cork screw and probably have a few cheese lovers rolling their eyes at the cheese selection.

However, it was a great night and the next morning conversation was still dominated by the cheeses and where they were sourced from. I guess that was the best measure of the evening’s success.

Antipasti 

 

 Wine 1 - Merlot

 

 Wine 2 - Chardonnay

 

Wine 3 - Chenin Blanc