Couch Surfing Chef

Complexion Lightening Mask

Satya — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:05:58 +0000

Take four almonds with a teaspoon and a half of gram flour, a teaspoon of milk and four drops of lemon juice. Mix it and apply it on your face. Leave it on for the bleach to take effect.

Take lemon juice, mixed with gram flour, milk cream and honey for dry skin. Replace milk cream and honey with sandalwood powder and Yogurt for oily to normal skin. Apply it on your face to ensure a clear complexion.

Add milk, rose water, carrot juice and cucumber juice to the above to remove freckles. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse off.

Face Mask

Satya — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:14:39 +0000

Multani Mitti is a type of clay similar to Fullers earth. The clay is used for oily skin to lift off the bacteria and dirt off the skin with minimum loss to natural moisture in the skin. As the clay dries out, it reduces the inflammation.

Skin type – Oily

Procedure
Mix well, let the mixture rest for about 20 minutes so the clay is fully wet and worked. Apply the mask to your face. Wait for 15 minutes or longer till clay is dry. Wash off with Luke warm water.
Notes: If you have acne, add 1 teaspoon of Neem powder

Peter Reinhart’s Napoletana Pizza Dough Recipe

Satya — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:14:51 +0000

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn’t come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a tea- spoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50 to 55F.
Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping large pizzas), You can dip the scraper into the water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it, Sprinkle flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again. Transfer the dough balls to the sheet pan, Mist the dough generously with spray oil and slip the pan into a food-grade plastic bag.
Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days. (Note: If you want to save some of the dough for future baking, you can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)
On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Before letting the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours, dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Now let rest for 2 hours.
At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone either on the floor of the oven (for gas ovens), or on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.
Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift I piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss as shown on page 208. If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn’t as effective as the toss method.
When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter for a 6-ounce piece of dough), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other top- pings, remembering that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy. The American “kitchen sink” approach is counterproductive, as it makes the crust more difficult to bake. A few, usually no more than 3 or 4 toppings, including sauce and cheese is sufficient.
Slide the topped pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated 180 degrees for even baking, do so. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower self before the next round. if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone for subsequent bakes.
Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.

Makes six 6-ounce pizza crusts.

from - http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001199.html

Eggplant mash or Roasted Eggplant Pickle

Satya — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:58:36 +0000

Alright, I am going to apologize for that title – but that is exactly how I feel about this dish. My mom used to make it, i used to love it – I still do. There is a sense of rawness in this dish, yet it is strong, powerful and surprisingly refined.

Let me tell you something, in India we dont grill for shit! We never grill, we dont burn stuff – meat or vegetable and there is no question of barbecue, we dont know what it is. I am not kidding! I used to watch discovery channel, or well it was National Geographic at that time – and once in a while I would see some White people burning meat (BBQ) and some Blacks frying chicken. (oh dont be so sensitive, I call myself brown; I have more black, white friends than brown. I have no problem identifying someone by the color of their skin cause, it doesn’t come from my heart/head; it purely is a visual thing. I have 2 business partners, one black the other white. One of my good friend is Chinese from Los Angeles) OK, enough about race, who cares? Not me, and you shouldn’t too!

Back to the eggplant…lol…

I think my admiration for this dish comes from the fact that I’ve been suppressed and oppressed by my mother (I love you mom) in the kitchen and deprived of anything burnt/BBQ/grilled!!!! Try this and you might actually like it – it is a bit of an acquired taste!

There are several ways to do this, but lets burn the bastards today just cause I love to. You can also boil them in a pot, but, you wont get that burnt vegetably BBQed heavenly smell! Lets get primal friends!!!

Wash the Eggplant
Grill/BBQ at around 400 F until the whole skin is burnt and you can feel that the inside is cooked (poke it)
Leave it for a few minutes to cool down once its properly grilled/burnt.
Peel off the skin from the eggplant
Mash the suckers
Add chopped onions and gree chili
VARIATION – if you dont like the taste of crunchy raw onions like my friend Isabel, grind both of them in a blender. I like it raw
Add Turmeric powder, mix em all well! (Onion + eggplant + green chili + turmeric powder)
In a smaller, separate pan (really small), heat 1 Tablespoon of oil
When it heats up, dump the Mustard seeds into it, let them splutter completely (p.s. – I usually run away or cover the damn oil with a tissue, cause it splutters and I end up cleaning up the mess next morning, cause I cant afford a mexican maid)
Take blended mix of from step 8 – combine them with the Oil+Mustard and let it heat for about 5 minutes – mix it well, keep mixing.
Add salt
Garnish with some coriander leave (I would normally be so hungry by now, that I would east the damn thing)

Meat Dumplings (Nepali Momo)

Satya — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:44:37 +0000

When I was in college in India, we had a restaurant (more like a home) which used to serve some awesome Nepali cuisine. They used to come around the winter to sell woolen clothes & stick around for a few months. I used to love the meat dumplings they made; never have I tasted anything like that before or since.

I found out about a restaurant in Detroit, close to where I live, but the google maps says, it closed. I have to chase them down – will keep you guys posted. Here is how to cook some delicious Nepali Momo

How to:

Dough: In a large bowl combine flour, oil, salt and water.
Mix well, knead until the dough becomes homogeneous in texture, about 8-10 minute.
Cover and let stand for at least 30 minute.
Knead well again before making wrappers.
Filling: In a large bowl combine all filling ingredients.
Mix well, adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow all ingredients to impart their unique flavors.
This also improves the consistency of the filling.

Assembly:

Give the dough a final knead.
Prepare 1-in. dough balls.
Take a ball, roll between your palms to spherical shape.
Dust working board with dry flour.
On the board gently flatten the ball with your palm to about 2-in circle.
Make a few semi-flattened circles, cover with a bowl.
Use a rolling pin to roll out each flattened circle into a wrapper.
For well executed MOMO’s, it is essential that the middle portion of the wrapper be slightly thicker than the edges to ensure the structural integrity of dumplings during packing and steaming.
Hold the edges of the semi-flattened dough with one hand and with the other hand begin rolling the edges of the dough out, swirling a bit at a time.
Continue until the wrapper attains 3-in diameter circular shape.
Repeat with the remaining semi-flattened dough circles.
Cover with bowl to prevent from drying.
For packing hold wrapper on one palm, put one tablespoon of filling mixture and with the other hand bring all edges together to the center, making the pleats.
Pinch and twist the pleats to ensure the absolute closure of the stuffed dumpling.
This holds the key to good tasting, juicy dumplings.
Heat up a steamer, oil the steamer rack well.
This is critical because it will prevent dumplings from sticking.
Arrange uncooked dumplings in the steamer.
Close the lid, and allow steaming until the dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Take dumplings off the steamer and serve immediately.
Alternatively, you can place uncooked dumplings directly in slightly salted boiling water and cook until done, approximately 10 minutes. Be careful not to over boil the dumplings.
You may also slightly sauté cooked dumplings in butter before serving.
To serve, arrange the cooked dumplings (MOMO’s) on serving plate with hot tomato achar or any other chutneys as condiment.

Chicken 69 – An Indian Starter

Satya — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:08:26 +0000

Every Indian knows this dish, popularly known as Chicken 65.

Wash, tissue dry and cut the chicken into 1 to 2 inch size
Add turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, ginger garlic paste and red colour; mix them well and marinate for 24 hrs
Heat the oil in a thick bottom pan, once it is hot add the chicken pieces and fry them on medium heat until cooked well
Once fried, drain them and keep aside
Drain most of the oil, except maybe 3 tablespoons of it
Fry curry leaves and green chillies for 2 min
Once fried, reduce heat and add yogurt
Cook it for a minute, add the fried chicken and fry until all curd dries-up
Keep stirring
Garnish it with chopped cilantro leaves, onions and lemon wedges
Serve it with a chilled beer or some really good wine!

Indian Fried Chicken

Satya — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:04:45 +0000

This is one my favorite fried chicken dish! Trust me, once you have this you will never go back to KFC! This is simple and can be made easily.

Remove skin (if you have it on them) from the chicken, wash, dry with a towel or tissue. Make deep cuts/slit (so the spices get into it)
Marinate with Lemon/Lime juice, salt, chili power & ginger garlic paste for 2 hours
Crack an Egg in a bowl, wisk it well, add just a pinch of salt, wisk it again.
Add chopped curry leaves & 1 tablespoon coriander leaves to the wisked egg.
Mix breadcrumbs and all purpose flour in a seperate bowl, keep them aside.
In a thick deep dish pan, add enough oil to deep fry the chicken, let it heat up.
Once it is hot enough, dip the marinated chicken in the egg mixture. Then roll it in the bread crumbs mixture and fry on medium heat.
Fry both sides, untill it is golden brown. Remove and place them on a tissue, to remove the excess oil.
Serve them with sliced onions, coriander leaves and some lemon juice.

Losing my virginity…finally

Satya — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:59:12 +0000

Ok – so the title is mis-leading… well in some ways. I’ve always wanted to write about food, infact, I registered this blog when I had little or no money, struggling to feed myself and living on friend’s couches! So the name Couch Surfing Chef. I’ve travelled to a lot of different countries, like

India (ofcourse, I was born there)
America
UK
Singapore
Thailand
Spain
France
China
Cambodia
Germany
Amsterdam
South Africa
Russia
Italy
Sri Lanka
Malaysia
Vietnam

Thats all I can remember for now. I’ve tasted most cuisines, ate almost every kinda meat, did some cooking for friends and customers, but my quest to talk+write about food never went away – cause I am always hungry, always on the lookout for something more delicious. I started sneaking in a few food recipes/tricks into my main blog, but was caught by my nerdy tech followers! So, after this long wait, I ‘ve finally decided to have my own, me-too food blog with a pinch of aginomoto (flavour enhancer)

Indian Culinary Terms

Satya — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:35:32 +0000

Baghar (Tempering)
Balchao (Pickling)
Bhunao (Saute/stir-fry)
Bhunna

Spices and herbs are added one at a time to hot oil and this tempering is either done as the first step in the cooking process, before adding the vegetables for example, or as the last, pouring the tempered oil over dal. The oil extracts and retains all the sharp flavours of the rai, kadipatta, jeera, hing, etc and coats the entire dish being prepared.Also known as tadka or chonk.

A Goan speciality where vegetables like aubergines or seafood like prawns are “pickled” in sugar, vinegar and spices for a day or two before eating.

Small quantities of water, yogurt, and stock are introduced to the pan if and when the ingredients start to stick. Usually onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chillies are fried in oil, but to make sure that this doesn’t stick, burn or cook unevenly, a small amount of water is added, repeatedly. After the oil separates from the mixture, the main ingredient (meat or vegetable) is added and cooked.

In India, roasting of meat is done in tandoors, or mud ovens. As the meat cooks, its fat, and marinade dribs onto the charcoal, sending up sizzling steam that permeates the whole joint. This smoky flavour is greatly prized.

Bukhara
Dhuanaar (Smoking)
[tab
1

Dum Pukht cuisine in India is over 200 years old. When Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah was building the Bara Imambara during the famine of 1784 to provide work for his starving people, huge quantities of food was cooked in large vessels, degs, in massive double-walled ovens called bukharis. He tasted the food one night and loved it so much that bukhari cooking was incorporated into the royal court.

Glowing charcoal is placed in a small katori, or bowl, cooked meats are placed around this. Dry spices and ghee are poured on top of the coals and a lid is quickly placed over the meat. This smoking adds a delicate flavour to the prepared meats. In Rajasthan, for example, matha or buttermilk is served after ghee is poured over hot coals and placed under a lid along with an earthenware pot of buttermilk for a minute or so.[/tabs]

Glossary Baby!

Satya — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:19:56 +0000

Are you confused with the Indian names of various ingredients, categories and processes? Solve your problems with our comprehensive glossary. Search for the Indian/Hindi name in the alphabetically indexed first column and find the corresponding English terms

Glossary Of Pulses:
Indian Names For Spices, Fruits, Dairy Products

English Name	Indian / Hindi Name
Beaten Rice	Poha
Bengal Gram	Chana
Black Gram Sabut	Urad Dal / Kaali Dal
Black Eyed Beans	Chawli / Lobhia
Broken Wheat	Dalia
Chickpeas (brown)	Chana
Chickpeas (green)	Cholia / Hara Chana
Chickpeas (white)	Kabuli Chana
Gram Flour	Besan / Chane Ka Atta
Green Gram	Moong
Horse Gram	Kulthi
Maize Flour	Makai Ka Atta
Puffed Rice	Kurmura
Red Kidney Beans	Rajma
Red Lentil	Masoor
Refined Flour	Maida
Rice	Chawal
Semolina	Rava / Suji
Split Bengal Gram	Chana Dal
Split Black Gram	Urad Dal / Kaali Dal
Split Green Gram	Moong Dal
Split Red Gram	Tuvar Dal / Arhar Dal
Split Red Lentil	Masoor Dal
Wheat	Gehun
Wheat Flour	Gehun Ka Atta

Common Indian Names	English Names	Category
Adrak / Sonth	Ginger	Spices
Ajwain	Carom Seeds / Thyme	Spices
Amchoor	Dried Mango Powder	Masala
Anaar Dana (Powder)	Pomegranate Seeds (Dried)	Masala
Angoor	Grapes	Fruit
Atta	Wheat Flour	Flour
Badam	Almond	Dry Fruit
Besan	Gram Flour	Flour
Bhutta	Corn Cobs	Vegetable
Chana	Bengal Gram	Pulses
Chana Dal	Gram Dal	Pulses
Chikoo	Sapota	Fruit
Chhuara	Dates (Dried)	Dry Fruit
Dahi	Curd	Dairy Product
Dalchini	Cinnamon	Spices
Dhania Patta	Coriander Leaves	Vegetable
Dhania Powder	Coriander Powder	Masala
Elaichi (Chhoti)	Green Cardamom	Spices
Elaichi (Moti)	Brown Cardamom	Spices
Ghee	Clarified Butter	Dairy Product
Hari Mirch	Green Chilly	Vegetable
Hing	Asafetida	Spices
Imli	Tamarind	General
Jaiphal	Nutmeg	Seeds
Javitri	Mace	Spices
Jeera	Cumin Seed	Seeds
Kaju	Cashew Nut	Dry Fruit
Kala Jeera / Black Cumin Seeds	Caraway Seeds	Seeds
Kala Namak	Rock Salt	Masala
Kali Mirch	Black Pepper	Spices
Kari Patta	Curry Leaves	Herb
Kheera	Cucumber	Vegetable
Khoya, Mawa	Dried Whole Milk/Thickened Milk	Dairy Product
Kishmish	Currants	Dry Fruit
Lasan / Lahsun	Garlic	Spices
Laung	Clove	Spices
Maida	Fine Wheat Flour	Cereal
Malai	Cream	Milk Fat
Mattha (Chhaach)	Butter Milk	Dairy Product
Methi	Fenugreek Seeds	Seeds
Mirch	Chilly	Vegetable
Moong Fali	Groundnut	Dry Fruits
Nimboo ka Sat	Citric Acid	Acid
Paneer	Cottage Cheese	Dairy Product
Patta Gobi	Cabbage	Vegetable
Paav / Pav / Pao	Bun	Cereal
Phitkari	Alum	General
Phool Gobi	Cauliflower	Vegetable
Poha, Chiwda	Flaked, Beaten rice	Cereal
Pudina Leaves	Mint Leaves	Vegetables
Raai / Raee	Mustard Seeds (Small)	Spices
Saboodana / Sabudana	Sago	General
Sarson	Mustard Seeds (Moti)	Spices
Saunf	Aniseed	Seeds
Shimla Mirch	Capsicum	Vegetable
Tadka	Seasoning	Cooking Process
Tej Patta	Bay Leaf	Herb
Urad Dal	Horse Bean	Pulses