Guest Post : Rajma Masala from Anamika Arun of Taste Junction

I've been enjoying this foodie world things as I find everything in here is about delicious foods, making new friends and food photography. I know exactly where to go and find recipes of yummy foods that make me drool instantly. On the other side I can share and learn how to achieve good looking food photos from people who has the same passion with me in food photography. But above all, I met new friends from all around the globe. We only connected by our love in food and photography.

Anamika Arun from Taste Junction is one of my foodie friend I met through blogging world. How happy I was when she agreed to be my guest writer for Guest Post series this month. She cooked traditional dish from her homeland, India. It makes her recipe as my second Indian cuisine that has been featured on my blog. Thank you for doing this and make it happen, Anamika. Now, please give big and warm applause for Anamika with her Rajma Masala.

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Thanks to blogging, I've been fortunate enough to interact and know bloggers from different spheres, cultures and geographies of the world. And one such lovely blogger I'm so glad to know is Tika. Can't recollect exactly how our paths crossed in the online world, but I can say for sure that her amazingly captured food shots were definitely the starting point for it all. Her desire to learn, improvise and master food photography has been inspiring and one can see the results in her blog journey itself.

So when she asked me to do a guest post for her blog, the reply was nothing else than an assured confirmation. The post became even more exciting when she asked to share something traditional from my region, which is North India. This opened a great range of dishes for me to share, but since this post would be shared with people from regions of the world, I wanted to keep it simple as well. And at the same time I knew I wanted to share a popular recipe than a dish from the times of regal age, which rarely enters our modern kitchen. So keeping up to the spirit of my blog's essence – modern Indian kitchen, I chose the quintessential north Indian dish/curry – Rajma Masala.

Rajma or kidney beans are used world over in varied ways – in salads, wraps, casseroles, etc; but the flavour of cooking it as curry with onion and tomatoes is very very Indian. Add to this the fact that this “rajma and rice” combination is enjoyed by people of all walks of life in north India and is available at every dhaba (street restaurant) to high class restaurants, makes it a dish that you can never ignore. So lets learn this simple and flavourful curry, to enjoy for lunch or dinner.

Authentically rajma should not be overly spiced or layered, but the flavour of the rajma should stand out. You would be surprised to know that on many occasions we cook it without onion, ginger-garlic and whole spices. Just remember that tomatoes and red chilly powder are its key ingredients. But in this popular version we have made it little deeper in texture and taste with the addition of few spices. Also I personally prefer to use the smaller ones or “pahari rajma” (From the hills of Jammu & Kashmir). But you can use any variety, even the canned ones to ease on the preparation, though that would lead to a slight difference in taste.

Rajma Masala

Ingredients:             

1 1/2 cup Rajma/ Red kidney beans (Soaked overnight)

2 tbsp oil + 2 tsp ghee

Whole spices - 1 bay leaf, 2-3 black peppercorns, 2 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom

1 tsp cumin

1 onion – finely chopped or grated

1-2 green chillies – slit lengthwise

1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (optional)

2 large tomatoes – chopped

Salt To taste

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Corainder powder

1/4 tsp Red chilli powder (or as per taste)

1/2 tsp Garam masala

Pinch of sugar

Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method:      

• Soak rajma overnight. Wash and pressure cook with about 3 cups of water for 5-6 whistles or cook in a saucepan till it softens. Keep aside with the water in which you cooked it.
• Heat oil and ghee in a pan. Add sabut masala (whole spices) and cumin seeds. Let the cumin sizzle. Then add the chopped onion and green chillies. Fry till it turns pink. Now add the     ginger-garlic paste (if using) and a pinch of salt. Fry the mixture     for another 2-3 mins, till they turn brown.   
• Now add the chopped tomatoes and spices (except garam masala) with a     pinch of sugar. Cook the mixture till the rawness of the spices goes away and little oil starts oozing from the sides of the mixture. (This is an indication that the spice blend is well cooked)
• Add the boiled rajma with the water and salt. Simmer the flame     and cook for another 5-10 mins till rajma absorbs the flavour of the spices. Also with the help of back of the ladle mash few     beans to thicken the gravy. Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding more hot water, if needed. Ideally it should be medium-thick.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis or rice.

Note:

1. Though all varieties of kidney beans taste great, I personally prefer t use Some people also like to use 1-2 tbsp of yogurt to the gravy to get a different taste.
2. This is one of those curries, which deepens in flavour after some time. So don’t hesitate to cook it little in advance and let it become even more tasty.

Guest Post : Shrimp Curry with Pomegranate and Coconut Milk from Soma of eCurry

Some of you might already know, the cuisines of India are similar to Indonesian cuisines.  The key is the using of various spices to make the food flavorful and to give the natural color to the food.  So it sure looks exotic in your eyes and scrumptious in your taste buds. Even though I have never eaten Indian food but some of Indonesian foods are close enough to Indian foods. We have kari and roti cane which I believe those were derived from Indian cuisine. 

After long time of waiting, I finally can feature a special guest post on my blog written by Soma Rathore of eCurry. Never thought she would say "yes" when I asked her to write a guest post for me. She has tons of delicious recipes with beautiful photos. No wonder she has won DMBLGiT for several times, because her blog looks good !  Soma, my dear cyber world friend and a sweet nice lady, has done a wonderful job for me through this post. She cooked a famous dish from West Bengal. Let's give her a big welcome with her homemade and traditional cuisine from India which also the first Indian food recipe on my blog, Shrimp Curry with Pomegranate and Coconut Milk.

Reminder : The giveaway event is still open and you still have few more days to join in. Please read here for details.

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These delightful shrimp curry carries the flavors from my home. Cooked in creamy coconut milk, it is redolent of cardamom and cinnamon – spicy but with a hint of sweet. And to this packet with memories, I have also added some pomegranate, a twist which worked out really well.

When Tika of Cemplang Cemplung asked me if I could write a post with a traditional recipe for her, I could think of nothing but my love for this particular shrimp curry cooked in coconut milk. A curry with a sweet aroma and the naturally orange hue calls my name. Chingri Maacher Malaikari is a classic. It is a well known and well loved recipe from my home state – West Bengal. Almost every special occasion (and not so special ones too) call for these jumbo shrimps and the air in the home dances with the fragrance of them getting cooked. I remember how I would eagerly wait for the meal time to lay by hands on these huge shrimps, all with head and tail on and the very aromatic yellow orange sauce seeping through the hot steaming rice.

The authentic recipe uses fresh coconut along with freshly squeezed coconut milk. My ma had to go though a very time consuming process of grating fresh coconut and making coconut milk at home. There were no pre-packaged cans; and even if there were, I double she would use it. The head of the shrimp does add a very different taste, texture and to some extent the orange hue to this quintessential dish.

The sight of these colossal shrimps enticed me as I walked by them; I turned around and came back to the counter and bought myself a few pounds. They reminded me of the times when my dad visited the Sundarbans (the largest mangrove forests in the world), for his work, he would get these really enormous shrimps, almost sized like lobsters. And when he got them, all I could think of was my next meal.

I “met” Tika in Flickr. Along with the cooking, the love for food photography leads most food bloggers to Flickr; the spot to mingle with like minded people, to learn and discuss food photography. Her beautiful stream of  photographs, led me to her blog. Besides the traditional recipes, she also writes about food photography which are like treasure posts for those who want to learn. Light, angles, tricks, you can find it all there. I am so happy to do this post for this warm wonderful lady.

This time, I did play around with the authentic recipe a tiny bit. I have the luxury of using ready to use cans of coconut milk. I have not used any fresh coconut. The original dish is spicy with a hint of sweet, and I though of using the fresh pomegranates that the season offers to further enhance this “little” sweet. The crunch and the juicy fresh pomegranates do add another dimension to it.

I also marinated the shrimp for a little while in pomegranate molasses. It might sound like a very unlikely combination, but the little tart and the depth of flavor of the molasses accessorized the dish without having it lose the original essence. And the scallions were crisp, fresh and very non traditional, but lovely too.
Here is the recipe for my friend! I am really happy to do it for you. 

Thank you!

Shrimp Curry with Pomegranate and Coconut Milk

 Ingredients: (serves 3-4 as a side dish)

1. 1 pound  (head on if you want) jumbo/colossal shrimp, de-veined, but tail on (you can keep the shell on if you want)
2. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric + 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3. 1 teaspoon sugar
4. salt to taste
5. 2.5 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
6. 1.5 cups coconut milk
7. 1.5 inch ginger, peeled and grated or made into paste
8. 2 hot green chili pepper, slit
9. 3 tablespoon oil
10. 2 small green cardamom
11. 1 inch stick cinnamon
12. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
13. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
14. 1 teaspoon red chili powder (or to taste)
15. 4 stalks of scallions – green parts only, finely chopped
16. 1/2 cup pomegranate arils to garnish/add before serving

Method:

1. Clean, de-vein and wash the shrimps. Leave the tail on and if you wish leave the shell and the head on. Pat them dry. Place the shrimp in a bowl. Add some salt, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and pomegranate molasses to the shrimp. Toss to coat and set aside to sit for about 15 – 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the marinated shrimp to a pan and cook with a couple of tablespoon of water added to it, for a couple of minutes, or just until the shrimp changes color and start to curl up. Remove from heat.
3. Combine coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, cinnamon, salt, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, sugar and red chili powder; set aside.
4. In another pan, heat oil. Add the cracked cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and the cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle and pop, add the slit green chili pepper and the grated ginger. Stir it for about a minute at medium heat. Do not overcook or brown the ginger. Just when the spices starts to get fragrant, add the spiced coconut milk, stir everything in and simmer from about 5-8 minutes in medium heat. The sauce will come to a boil. Add the partially cooked shrimp and any leftover liquid with it in to the pan. Partially cover the pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes.
5. Switch off the heat and add the chopped scallions into the pan and stir them in. Adjust salt.
6. Just before serving add the pomegranate arils to it and stir them in (add the fresh pomegranate only to the part you would be serving as the arils wilt and change color in the sauce and does not taste as good if stored and saved for later). I would want to suggest that you serve the pomegranate arils by the side and garnish it as you eat.
7. Serve over hot white rice or with some nice crusty bread.

Grilled fermented cassava

Can't believe time flies so fast and 2011 will be over soon. December is like a festive month for me, Christmas and New Year. Yes...party, party, party ! I'm very enthusiastic with the upcoming festive season. For you who celebrate Christmas, I'm sure you already chose what you want to serve for your family. Everyone will be serving their best foods !

While I do not celebrate Christmas, but I will post good foods. Like the grilled fermented cassava which is suitable for tea time or late night snack. It's an alternative snack you can munch on new year's eve. :D Perhaps you could serve it to your guests on Christmas as well.

Fermented cassava is made from cooked cassava. The fermentation process is by adding yeast on top of cooked cassava. Store it for 3-5 days in air-tight container before being used. I never make fermented cassava since I can find the sellers easily in traditional market. But hey...it's worth a try to make some with my son for his homeschooling project :D

It's not Christmas yet, but I already got a present ! Remember the Foodography Photo Contest I mentioned on my previous post ? I won the first prize and also deserve a camera locket necklace !!! Check out the announcement here. Talking about gift, I will celebrate my 2nd blog anniversary next month. Wait for the announcement because I have something for you :)

Grilled fermented cassava

Ingredients :
- 250 gr fermented cassava
- 2 tsp margarine
- 1 tbsp sugar
- chocolate sprinkle
- sweet condensed milk (plain)

How to :

1. In a bowl, mix fermented cassava, margarine and sugar until well-blend.
2. Place a non-stick pan over low heat. Take about 3 tablespoons of fermented cassava mixture and grill. Shape into square (the size is up to you) and cook until golden brown on each sides.Remove from heat.
3. Serving : place the grilled fermented cassava on a plate. Pour sweet condensed milk and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkle. (you could also sprinkle grated cheese if you like)

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan :

- 250 gr tape yang matang , buang bagian tengahnya (ambil dagingnya saja)
- 2 sdt margarin
- 1 sdm gula pasir

- mesis (untuk taburan)

- susu kental manis (untuk coretan)

Cara:

Campur tape,  margarin dan gula pasir sampai rata dan halus.
Lalu dibentuk kotak2 / bebas (kalau saya dibentuk kotak di atas wajan anti lengket tidak usah pakai margarin lagi dan langsung dimasak sampai kecoklatan)
Penyajian, tata tape bakar di atas piring coretn dengan susu kental manis dan taburkan mesis.

This post is also an entry for IFP (Indonesian Food Party).

Enjoy.....