An ode to my Maharashtrian roots

Hola guys!

Mid week food inspiration anybody??

For a quick snack any time of the day,  flattened rice or Poha has been a go to recipe at home. Ma always made this for us usually for breakfast or as a quick high tea accompaniment when we entertained guests at home. It's quick, easy & healthy. Most homes in Maharashtra have their own style of preparing the Poha. It's a state in the western part of India-can I call it a West Indian state?? :) 

Here's my version(obviously Ma's :) with a little tweaking here and there) of it:

1. While I soak the Poha in water-enough to just lightly cover the top, I boil some peas and potatoes.(I am a multitasker so I am also chopping, taking pics and preparing something else at the same time! )
(I usually use medium Poha available at Indian stores(Bharat Bazaar in the bay area) and soak it in water for about 10 mins since I like it soft. If you're using thicker poha, the time might have to be extended to about 15-20 mins and of course for thin poha, just a 5 minute soak is more than enough).

Boiled peas and potatoes(a little overdone!)

2.  I then heat a non stick pan and add some olive oil(Ma uses simple sunflower oil). I don't use too much oil however I've seen the difference is flavor with more added oil-it's tastier-your choice of course.I don't heat the olive oil too much. I fry some raw unsalted peanuts in it for a bit-make sure it doesn't burn. I realize I have to keep stirring continuously else they tend to burn very easily. I then remove the peanuts from the pan and drain the oil from them by placing them on kitchen towels. After, I add some mustard seeds to the same remaining oil and wait for the crackling noise to settle. Then add a generous pinch of asafetida, some curry leaves, and fry with sliced onions and sliced green chillies.

3. I usually add the turmeric and salt once the onions are translucent just to blend them well with the onions and for other ingredients to come. After about 5 mins, I add the peas and potatoes. I have tried adding grated carrots too and love it!

4. Finally I stir in the soaked Poha and blend it with the rest of the mix, gently but well. Poha cooks really quickly so I just cover the pan for about 5 minutes while blending in intervals and that's it! Sprinkle some freshly chopped cilantro over it, top with some fried peanuts, bhujia(baked chickpea strips- also available in Indian stores) and slices of lemon and there you have it!  A perfect hot yummy snack!

The best part about this humble dish is that one can experiment with ingredients!I introduced this to a neighbor and she's been serving this to her own guests too! Her version includes beans too!

Poha-hot n ready to eat!

Enjoy with a big cuppa of tea!

P.S-Like I mentioned before, though I am not an expert at cooking at all, I still don't measure anything..(Except while baking of course!). For e.g., to measure the poha, I now know through practice that just 2 of my handfuls are enough for one person(that comes to about a little bowlful). Everything else I have arrived at through practice so please don't ask me for portion sizes, teaspoons and cupfuls! :) 

♥le grá

  hauteinterpreter

Mexican today!

I am always for quick and easy one pot meals for those days when I'm just exhausted and yet need something exotic for my palette.I saw this yum recipe from pinterest and it has been a favorite ever since. 

So here goes:

While my pan heats up, i chop up some garlic and jalapeños(you can use green chillies if you like it nice n spicy like me). Add olive oil and fry the garlic and jalapeños for a bit.Add everything else(ingredient list below), cover and cook for 20 mins on a medium flame and you're done!

The original recipe called for vegetable broth but I love the twist chicken broth gives my recipes. I have tried this recipe with orzo as well and have loved both versions-I'd like to mention here that these are both pretty 'filling' grains!  Planning to try it with wild rice the next time (Will let you know how it goes!)

You can substitute the black beans with kidney beans or even garbanzo beans/chickpeas if you like!A super quick, easy, versatile and healthy meal you can dish up for lunch or dinner!

Here's the original recipe from Damndelicious:

Note: I usually never go by measurements, though it does help when one is starting out..As you go along, you'll realize you don't need to measure anymore and still get the recipe quite right every time!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 jalapenos, minced 
• 1 cup quinoa 
• 1 cup vegetable broth (I substituted with chicken broth)
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I used fresh chopped tomatoes)
• 1 cup corn kernels 
• 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I reduce the salt since canned chicken broth usually has high salt content-I use the Kirkland brand from Costco)
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced (I love this bit!I am super generous with the avocados!)
• Juice of 1 lime 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
• Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro. 
• Serve immediately!

Tada!Here's the finished product!

Bon appetit Mademoiselle!

♥le grá

hauteinterpreter

Let's talk food lovelies!

Hi friends!!

It's good to be back after my literal winter + now (spring+half of summer )hibernation!I can't believe it has been that long! I went silent around halloween didnt I? Watch out guys!!Just kidding..

A lot has been up lately. Have been busy aplenty and was traveling for a while too!

In the months that I was in 'active hibernation', I also got bitten by what i tell people is a 'cooking or food bug'. Yep, that happens to me once a while in tandem with phases of the moon ;) Gotcha again..No no..it's just that I get this whole kick to try new recipes every once in a while and this time I've been bitten after ages! I'm still 'infected' and so excited that I am, I thought why not share my food journeys along with you all and have fun in the process. So I'll be dressing up and cooking!! Sounds cool eh?:) If you've been following my instagrams, you also know i have been learning a bit of cake decorating too!..will come to that!

I learnt to cook 3 years back and pretty much learnt to cook myself learning through trial and error. Of course things seemed to come back to me as I remember my mom's cooking, a class in home science I had taken in school and some cool food shows I used to keep watching on and off.

I am so excited to share with you all of my new wardrobe additions as well as all the new recipes I have been trying!
I have been trying recipes from everywhere. I do tend to get bored with everyday cooking and I love to experiment with the unknown or unfamiliar I should say. Everyday cooking for me usually includes Manipuri/Indian dishes, my go-to recipes you could call them but everyday i add in that little twist factor.







Anyway!So none of this deterred me from experimenting with food none the less. I will dedicate this section of hauteinterpreter to interpreting food my way! :)
I'll share links to recipes I took off the internet and keep adding the little twists I made with ingredient substitutes etc.


Yet another disclaimer her:(Huh?! I know :)) : I may have already posted pictures of a lot of foods i have experimented with on instagram so the surprise element may be missing but hey there's the recipes and stories around them too that you can look forward to isn't it!


Shall we start with an authentic Manipuri dish?

The humble Kangsoi

The Kangsoi is one of the simplest, healthiest broths i know to be around. My go to when i'm wanting for time and a healthy dose after a string of binge eating sessions.
Though a very simple dish, households in Manipur have their own style of cooking it.


Here's my recipe:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil(I used my pressure cooker). In the meanwhile, add grated ginger. Sometime I do add in 2-3 cloves of garlic depending on my mood ;)
2. Add fermented Manipuri fish-now this is tricky-authentic fermented Manipuri fish is only available in Manipur. It's rarely sold outside of Manipur(you could acquire some from some cool Manipuri friends like me ;) ) but I have found some cool alternatives in Asian grocery stores. You can use a fermented herring that is sold in packets-This might be a task. :( . The fermented fish is actually the essence of the Kangsoi but don't worry, adding any kind of dried fish works just fine too.
3. Add chopped onions, green chillies-sliced and sliced potatoes. After about 5-7 minutes, add the green beans and green peas(I use frozen ones-so convenient!). This is where you can work with stuff in your refrigerator. You can add bok choy/mustard greens/edamame/broad beans/mint/snap peas/dried prawns etc according to your liking and tastes. I keep alternating between these though my favorite after a long tiring day is the green beans, peas, mint and tomatoes version.
Add the bok choy.
4. Add salt to taste. Just as the bok choy is done, turn off the heat. And that's it! No oil no drama!And yum! The flavor could be overwhelming at first if you're using authentic fermented fish. 

5. Serve with steaming hot rice

Tip: If you're using a pressure cooker, add all ingredients at once and boil for 4-5 whistles!That's it!

Here's the broth just as it is about to be done!

There is an oil-version to this which i'll share if you're interested!

Enjoy! :)

le gra,

hauteinterpreter