This is another recipe that is a specialty of my mom. It always comes out perfect when she makes it and everyone I know has taken the recipe from her but never quite gotten it right. I admit I’ve never tried, I mean, she makes it for me right? But here she is at work…

This can be pure vegetarian if you use the vegetarian gelatin and eggless mayonnaise. But other additions she’s added in over the years have been combinations of pineapple and shredded chicken or lamb, oranges (skins removed, – wonderful but very painstaking), fish, egg slices, peas and chopped carrots.
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Pineapple SaladGel Serves 6-8
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INGREDIENTS
450gm tin pineapple chunks (never use fresh pineapple – see note below)
I cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons gelatin
1 1/2 cups milk

PREPARATION
Soak the gelatin in a small bowl in just enough water to cover

Chop up the pineapple chunks small and spread at the bottom of a flat dish about 5x10inches wide. The flatter and wider the better so that you dont get a very thick gel, and everyone gets enough pineapple. (more…)

The Diwali weekend draws near and everyone is in a holiday mood. Our Fridays are usually crazy; packed with feverish deadlines, but we decided to go out to lunch today. Unanimous choice was a place we’d all been to before – ‘Malwani’ the restaurant run by the Pune Goan Institute at Quarter Gate. Or at least, it’s inside their property.
Be warned, it’s a shabby little joint with bleary eyed drinkers hanging round even in the afternoon. But there’s a ‘family room’ and anyway the food more than makes up.

There’s a lot of stuff on their menu but we had the thalis. The Pomfret Fish Thali, and the Surmai Fish Thali. Mind-blowing! Delicious! Actually not quite the thing to have is you plan to return to work. They have the option of a vegetarian, Chicken, Prawn and Crab thali too, but though we have had the Crab and can vouch for it 100%, that needs a more relaxed pace.

This is my thali (not a great picture I know ) Pomfret for me. A full fried pomfret, 2 bowls curry, one with a small piece of pomfret, ‘solkadi’- the typical Konkani appetizer, rice and unlimited chappatis. Yes I finished all of it except for some of the rice.

Happy Diwali everyone!

Finding something to entice my 3 year old to eat is close to impossible. But luckily Aloo Parathas, a Punjabi favourite, are something she learned to eat at school and in usually happy to see.
Naturally her version of the recipe has no spices but apart from that, here goes…
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ALOO PARATHA Makes 12-15
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INGREDIENTS
For the stuffing
4-5 large potatoes
1 large onion
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4th teaspoon turmeric powder
3-4 green chillies, finely chopped
Handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Cooking oil

For the dough
2 cups wheat flour
1/4th cup wheat flour for dusting
1 teaspoons ghee / butter / oil
Salt to taste
2 tbsp yogurt
Enough water to make dough
Oil to fry parathas

PREPARATION
Make the dough
Sieve the flour. Add the yoghurt, salt and oil.

Add water a little at a time, kneading gently into medium firm dough – about 7-10 minutes. Cover with a wet cloth and set aside for about 30 minutes. The more firm the dough the easier it is to control.

Make the filling
Boil the potatoes. Cool, peel and mash them. In a pressure cooker it shouldnt take more than 10 minutes.

Meanwhile chop 1 onion as fine as possible.

Heat oil in a small frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add cumin seeds, and as soon as they splutter, add the onion and fry till pale golden.

Take off the heat and mix in the mashed potatoes and all the spices and mix thoroughly. The mix should be dry; don’t add water or it will be tough to roll out parathas. Set aside. (more…)

I was hardworking and real ambitious this weekend. Ambitious because I’ve never considered making a preserve before. It’s always seemed too involved to me though I’ve watched my mom making this particular Tomato Chutney as far back as I can remember, and I’ve always heard everyone complimenting her on it.
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MOM’S TOMATO CHUTNEY Makes about 1 1/2 kg (3 bottles)
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INGREDIENTS
5 kg plump, pulpy tomatoes
5 full garlic pods
5 heaped teaspoons jeera (cumin seed)
10 to 20 red chilies, de-seeded. Take a call on how spicy you want this.
3-4 cups sugar
2 cups vinegar
Salt about 2 teaspoons or to taste

PREPARATION
Wash the tomatoes thoroughly. Cut of their tops and set them to boil in 1 1/2 cup vinegar, and only as much water as needed. Remember the more water you add the longer it will take to dry it out later.

Meanwhile blend together the garlic, chilies and jeera in the remaining vinegar.
(more…)