SeaVIEW , SEAgull, SEE YOU SEE ME

Sphere: Related Content

 POPTI - ALIBAG

#Poptipicnicmff

#AlibagPopti

Gujarat has it’s #Umbadiyu while the Maharashtra coastal belt has a similar preparation named #Popti. Essentially similar in terms of technique I did find a few differences. Both are as rustic as they can be and I was told that ideally this is an evening event – where families and friends get together and the fire adds to the atmosphere.

The essential ingredient is Vaal (Field Beans), that are available in abundance during the winters. While I have not heard of a chicken version of Umbadiyu (they may exist), Popti depending on the need could have marinated chicken and Whole Raw Eggs too. I suppose the bird is used since the cooking time would be similar to the vegetables and red meat therefore is avoided.

The Clay pots are first layered with the leaves and stems of another common wild plant – Bhambudi (Cyathocline Purpurea). The vegetables viz. Sweet Potatoes, Whole Green Peas (with the casing), Potatoes, Vaal (Field Beans), Whole brinjal, Yam is put in the pot. The seasoning was sea salt and Carom Seeds. The chicken pieces marinated with garlic and ginger were packed in small packets of banana leaves and those went in too along with the Raw Eggs. The pot is once again sealed with the Bhambudi leaves and turned upside down. Firewood and dry shrubs are placed on the pots and lit.

Hot food will be ready in a while and while local folk might have a drink with a local alcohol produce, this group was happy with their Beer and Rum/ThumsUp combinations.

The Gujarat folk typically use Indian Nettle leaves and the spice mix would have chillies too. They like it hot.

I must thank Kamal Shah for organising this where we had a glimpse of how rustic things would have been earlier (LIVE) and that people in these regions have kept alive those traditional methods.

That was one splendid day at Alibag along with this motley group of food enthusiasts.

Sphere: Related Content

Grape Raita

Graped Raita!!!!

300 gms of  Yoghurt

100 gms of walnut kernels broken up to reasonable sizes

200 gms of Red Grape, deseeded and quarter sliced

20 odd mint leaves

½ tsp of Cumin seeds

2 Dry Red Chillies

Black Salt

½ tsp sugar

Whisk the yoghurt.

Dry Roast the Cumin seeds and Red Chilies grind to a coarse powder.

Mix in all the ingredients into the yoghurt, nice and tender. (Keep a bit of cumin chilly powder aside)

The Mint Leaves to be shredded by hand

Once done sprinkle the unused CC powder and refrigerate. Serve Cold

Sphere: Related Content

Khatta Meetha Baingan

Khatta Meetha Baingan

Tok Mishti Begun

Sour Sweet Aubergine

Fresh Dwarf Aubergines – Slit into fours leaving the stem intact. The pices whould whole with deep cuts.

Soak the Brinjals in salted water for about 30 minutes and drain the liquid.Apply Salt and Turmeric and set aside for 15 minutes.Shallow Fry the Aubergines until evenly red on all sides and set aside.Soak Tamarind paste in warm water.Heat Oil in a Wok and add Kashmiri Mirchi Powder. Immediately put in some dissolved Asafoetida.Cook for a minute and add the tamarind water.Add a bit of turmeric and some whole Garam Masala.Bring to a boil (add some water if required) and add the veggies. Add some sugar, fennel powder and ginger powder.The dish is done as soon as the aubergines are nicely napped with the masala and amino acids.

Sphere: Related Content

Chilly Garlic Stir Fry Shrimp with Veggies

Chilly Garlic Stir Fry Shrimp with Veggies

Ingredients:

300 gms of deveined shrimps

2 tbsps of Chopped Garlic

1 tbsp of Oyster Sauce

1 Carrot cut into strips (blanched)

6-7 French Beans cut into halves (blanched)

1 Capsicum cut into strips

3-4 Spring Onion Whites cut into strips

Same Spring Onions Greens cut into strips

3-4 Green Chillies Deseeded and cut into strips

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Butter

Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a wok and add 3 Tbsp of EVOO. Throw in chilli and garlic and stir. Add the white Onion Strips and prawns and cook until the prawns are done. Remove the prawns and set aside.

Add all the vegetables other than capsicum and stir-fry until tender. Add the capsicum and stir fry for another minute or two. Add the sauce and seasonings and stir. Add prawns back into wok and mix until heated through.

Serve with Rice!!

Sphere: Related Content

Thai Stir Fry Chicken with Basil and Red Chillies

Thai Stir Fry Chicken with Basil and Red Chillies

Ingredients:

300 gms of Chicken Strips

2 Tbsps of Chopped Garlic

1.5 Tbsp of Anchovy Sauce

6-7 Thai Basil Leaves

4 Tbsp of Thai Green Curry Paste

4-5 Deseeded Whole Red Chillies

3-4 Spring Onion white slits

Pinch of Brown Sugar

Pour  Oil in a Wok

Fry the Basil Leaves till about reasonably crisp and then remove them and set aside and discard the oil.

 In fresh oil,  stir fry the chicken till done and light brown in colour on Medium High Heat, remove and set aside.

Now fry the Whole Chillies and remove before it turns too dark and set aside.

Now put in the chopped garlic and stir for a minute until you smell the heavenly flavours.

Add the Sugar and stir.

Add the Curry Paste and stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium flame. Add drops of water if it sticks.

Once done add the anchovy sauce and stir. Add seasonings(may not be required) now according to taste and stir.

Add the fried chicken.

Add the Fried Chillies.

Stir for a minute or two.

Transfer to a dish. Spread those basil leaves on top.

That’s it.

Sphere: Related Content

Beef Pepper Masala

Beef Pepper Masala

The item in the agenda had to be fulfilled some day or the other and we ventured out in this NO- rain-delayed- Monsoon sunny Saturday afternoon towards Joseph’s at Bandra. Asked for some tenderloin steak beef about 500 grams and a few packets of bacon, the latter having nothing to with the topic here.

Came back home and slept after some delicious homemade Pav Bhajji. Post siesta had a cuppa tea and then cut the steak pieces in to medium-small pieces.

Peeled about 25 cloves of Garlic and kept it on my arrangement plate. De-skinned about 4 medium sized potatoes and cut them into…not too big pieces. Fried them in oil, fully cooked and set them aside.

The actual action started after this.

Heated the oil mixed with a tbsp of ghee and put in the following:

Medium Crushed – 5 Green Cardamoms, 10 Cloves, I Black Cardamom, 10 Pepper Corns

And a Bay Leaf.

Once the above was kind of done (all in medium flame), diluted 1 tbsp of Ginger Paste and 2 Tbsp of Garlic Paste and put it in and waited for the moisture to dry up.

Increased the flame now, and in went the meat. Stirred the meat nicely for the juices to seal and then reduced the flame to low. Some moisture would come out and once that evaporated, I put in the masala as follows-----------> ½ tsp of Turmeric powder, 1 tsp each of Coriander, Cumin and Red Chili Powder and 1 tbsp of Black Pepper Powder. Mixed the meat and the masala nicely and stirred often and on until the oil separated. Added those Garlic Cloves too while the masala was being cooked and along with that added  a few whole red chilies.

Then poured in 2 tbsps of beaten curd, 2 tsps of vinegar and stirred it again. Added salt to taste along with a minute pinch of sugar. Heated up some water and added the same and covered and cooked until the meat was fully cooked. Before covering the wok I spread those potatoes on top of the stuff but did not mix it in.

It would have taken another 10 minutes or so and then switched of the flame and transferred the same to a bowl.

We had this with some buttered rice, but any Indian Bread would go well too.  Next is your turn!!

Sphere: Related Content