Easy

Alfredo Sauce

~ 1CupOfJoy ~ 3 Comments

Pasta tossed with butter and parmesan dates back to the medieval times. But the now popular ‘Fettuccine Alfredo’ was created in more recent years by “Alfredo Di Lelio”. In early 1900s, he got busy in his kitchen creating a rich, comforting, creamy and delicious dish to bring back the lost appetite of his wife, a new mother. Fast forward a few decades, this dish today is by far the most popular entree served in an Italian restaurant internationally.

You can make the dish the traditional way of adding cheese and butter to cooked fettuccine along with some water (in which the pasta was cooked) and vigorously mixing it with a fork until the cheese emulsifies into a creamy texture or you can make this sauce before hand and make an easy weeknight dinner. I also use this sauce with other type of pasta, on pizzas, for white lasagna, casseroles and on occasion as a dip to make Broccoli appealing.

Time for Prep: 10 mins     Time to Cook: 10 mins    Yield: 12 0z   Level: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped (roasted cloves taste better)
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (parmesan)
  • 1/2 tbsp thyme, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tbsp oregano, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Process:

  1. Melt butter in a pan.
  2. Add the garlic and sauté for a couple mins.
  3. Slowly pour in the heavy cream, keep whisking while bringing to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat, add the grated parmesan and continue whisking until everything is well blended into a smooth paste.
  5. Add in the thyme, oregano and ground black pepper, whisk it in.

Notes:

  • Butter cultured ‘European style’ results in creamier sauce.
  • If you want to cut down on the richness, then replace the cream with half and half or whole milk.
  • For richer flavor use fresh herbs and garlic.

Paan Ice Cream

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Paanwala
Paanwala crafting a Paan.

Paan is a preparation which combines various ingredients all wrapped up in a betel leaf. It has been an integral part of Indian (South East Asian) cultures for centuries, eaten at the end of a meal and believed to help with digestion. There is a whole host of varieties available for the hard core connoisseurs; Ram Pyaari, Meenakshi, Lal Pari, Kasturi, Surabhi, Mohini, Calcutta are just a few of them.  A Paanwala is the master craftsman who uses his skills to create the most perfectly delectable paans. Its a niche skill, really.

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Meetha Paan

Our Sunday family ritual growing up was a heavy lunch, usually Mangshor Jhol and Bhaath (Mutton Curry and Rice) followed by my dad treating us all to some paan and chocolates. Calcutta Ram Pyaari for them and Chocolates for my sister and me, which slowly turned into a delicious Meetha Pan. One summer my cousins were visiting and we followed the usual ritual. The kids chose to have a lollipops. While I was slowly enjoying my lollipop, my cousin, who is just 2 years younger to me, finished his in one bite and started to eye mine. He watched for a minute or so and then in one swift motion snatched my lollipop and quickly gulped it down. Typical boy!! To get me to stop crying my dad bribed me with a meetha (sweet) paan.. and thats how my love for paan began.

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Gulkand (Rose petal preserve)

Its nearly impossible to find good paan in US, even in Bay Area where you get everything Indian. So a few weeks back I decided to attempt in making some on my own. The main ingredients of a meetha paan are Betel Leaf, Gulkand (Rose petal preserve), Kharek (Dried Dates), roasted fennel seeds, cardamon powder, coconut powder and lime paste. I set out to find the ingredients. All ingredients are very easy to find in any Indian stores, unless your really particular like me, then you just make your own Gulkand at home. I ordered the betel leaves from Amazon, big mistake because by the time they reached me they were moldy and rotting, California heat! So I decided to beat the heat with some ice cream instead, paan flavored ice cream.

Time for Prep: 20 mins     Time to freeze: 12 hours      Yield: 8 Servings     Level: Easy

FullSizeRender 6Ingredients:

  • 2 cups milk, chilled
  • 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup Gulkand (Rose petal preserve)
  • 6-8 Dates- soaked, peeled and chopped (Kharek)
  • 1 tbsp roasted fennel seeds, corse powder
  • pinch of Cardamon powder
  • 1 tbsp Coconut powder
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp betel leaf juice
  • 1/2 tsp menthol (optional)

Process if using an ice cream machine:

  1. Mix all ingredients and follow instructions by the manufacturing company.

Process if Not using an ice cream machine:

  1. Whip the heavy cream till you get soft peaks, slowly add the sugar and continue whipping. Mix the milk in and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
  2. Mix the paan flavoring- Gulkand, chopped dates, cardamon powder, coconut powder, lemon juice, betel leaf juice fennel seeds. Mix this into chilled cream mixture from step1.
  3. Transfer to a shallow container and freeze.
  4. Take it out in a couple hours or after the mixture gets slushy. Whip or blend it and freeze again. Follow this step a couple times to get a very smooth ice cream.

Scoop and serve. You can garnish it with a pinch of saffron to give it some extra kick.

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Best served on a betel leaf, just don’t order them online.

Notes:

  • The Milk and cream has to be chilled before you add lemon juice to avoid it from curdling.
  • If you do not want to whip in between freezing, then replace milk with a 10 oz can of condensed milk and skip the sugar completely.

Gulkand (Rose Petal Preserve)

~ 1CupOfJoy ~ 3 Comments

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It all started with a craving for some meetha (sweet) paan. Since I moved to US, I have searched for a place to get good paan. Not the pre-packaged, chemical laden version you get in a store, but a freshly made one. Finally I decided to attempt in making some on my own. Gulkand is the main ingredients of a meetha paan and can be easily found at any Indian stores (and Amazon), unless your really particular like me, then you just have to make your own at home.

In my last trip to India I made it a point to chat with the local Paanwala and charm my way to get his secret recipe. You will be surprised by how charming dollar bills are to them! So here is his secret recipe, ssshhh! don’t tell anyone.

Time for Prep: 20 mins     Time to get done: 6-10 days      Yield: 10 oz     Level: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rose petals – I bought a bunch of  light pink roses from the local farmers market.
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey (I used local wild flower honey)
  • Rose essence (Optional)

Process:

  1. Wash and dry the rose petals and roughly chop them.
  2. Sterilize a masons jar (or any Glass jar).
  3. Spread a layer of the rose petals, followed by a layer of sugar, drizzle a little honey.
  4. Repeat step 3 till all petals are over.
  5. Close the jar and place it in sunlight 3 weeks for only 6 hours everyday. Every couple of days turn the jar upside down so that all contents really integrate well.
  6. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes:

  • The more fragrant the roses, better flavor and aroma of Gulkand.
  • It tastes wonderful on a piece of toast as well.

Basic Yellow Dal – the best comfort food

~ 1CupOfJoy ~ 1 Comment

Some food just gives you that instant calm and satisfied feeling, takes you to a place where you feel nurtured and confident. Growing up I remember getting back home from a long day at school, frustrated with something very silly and venting to mom while she cooked dinner. I would sit on the counter and snack on whatever it is she was using, onions, cabbage, green peas.,. and talk as if it was the end of the world. She would listen, give me a hug and say ‘Tomorrow is a new and better day, don’t worry”. And at that moment everything felt good. This dish takes me back to that moment, it is the ultimate comfort food in my book.
And in case your wondering, Yes, I was a very dramatic teenager!
FullSizeRender 3India has numerous regional cuisine and every region has its own way of making this basic yellow dal. My way is a hybrid of my mom’s Bengali cooking and my mom-in-laws Havyaka style. I cook it for almost 3 hours in low heat either in a Crockpot or a Tagine, but thats not necessary. I prefer slow cooking because it really enhances the flavors and allows them to mingle with each other. You can use a pressure cooker and make this a quick meal too.

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I use Shallots and Grape tomatoes in this recipe. But you can use regular red onion and tomatoes if thats what you already have in your pantry. Grape tomatoes have extra sweetness, which enhances the flavors of the ginger, plus the red ovals look nice on a plate. As for the Shallots, they integrate better with the dal and have a milder flavor when compared to a regular onion which maintains its shape even if finely chopped.

This can be served with plain white rice, cumin rice or roti.

Time for Prep: 20 mins     Time to Cook: 3 hours      Yield: 4 Servings     Level: Easy FullSizeRender 2 Ingredients:
For the Dal:

  • 1 cup Toor Dal (Pigeon Pea)
  • 2 tbsp Moong Bean
  • 2 tbsp Chana Dal (Split Chickpea)
  • 3-4 Green Chilli Peppers, finely chopped
  • 1 inch Ginger Root, finely chopped
  • 9-10 Grape Tomatoes, cut.
  • 6-7 Shallots, Cut
  • 1/2 tsp Salt (or more depending on your personal taste)
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

For Tempering:

  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp Asafetida (Hing)
  • 4-5 Curry leaves
  • 2-3 Dried Red Chillies
  • 1 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)

For Garnish:

  • 2 tbsp fresh Cilantro, chopped

Process:

Cooking the Dal:

  1. Rinse and soak the lentils for 30-40 mins.
  2. Drain the water, transfer it to the cooking pot. To this add the chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, salt and turmeric. Add 3 cups of water. Stir Well
  3. Cook on medium heat till you get a boil, then reduce heat to low and let cook for around 3 hours (Or till the lentils are soft). If the dal is too thick, you can add more water to get desirable consistency. Check salt and add more if needed based on taste.

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Tempering:

  1. Heat Ghee in a small pan. Add the curry leaves, cumin, mustard seeds and dried red chillies. Let it crackle.
  2. Add the Asafetida. Fry for 30 seconds.
  3. Pour this entire tempering, along with the ghee in to the cooked dal and mix it in. You can also serve with the tempering on top of it.

Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

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Notes:

  • I prefer Grape Tomatoes for the sweetness they add, you can use 1 regular tomato also.
  • I use Shallots because they integrate better and have a milder flavor, you can use 1 regular onion if thats what you have in your pantry.
  • This can be cooked in a pressure cooker as well. Let the cooker whistle 6-7 minutes or more, until the lentils are soft.
  • Oil can be used instead of Ghee for the tempering.