The belly rules the
mind. -Spanish Proverb
Food. God’s greatest gift to mankind. Man’s greatest trait of curiosity and experimentation leading to an ultimate experience of satisfaction, peace and tranquillity.
People have this annoying habit of gender stereotyping right from childhood. Its ok if boys play with Gi Joe or Hot Wheels, while girls played house or with Barbies. Trouble starts when the scenario becomes vice versa and then gender stereotyping gains another perspective altogether. But what do I care! Then again cooking was never fascinating for me. My funda was simple- if it lands in the stomach within seconds, why on Earth would I take the pain of hours to make something? It was the time when cooking at home was becoming a lost art, with nuclear families having maids to do the job as they lazed around or got preoccupied with other work. My mindset changed with the TV show titled Masterchef Australia. The ease with which the contestants created masterpieces out of nothingness was sheer flabbergasting and jaw dropping.
Today cooking has become a method to relax and churn my creative cells.
People have this notion that cooking is an art. I think otherwise. I feel cooking is like chemistry, you mix and match concoctions and create a whole new formula to appeal taste buds. The art factor only implies in the presentation if you ask me.
My interest in cooking started with trying a hand at baking a cake. Thankfully (with help from Ma of course!) the first effort was not a disaster and thus it motivated me to keep learning how to cook. It was during graduation when I started asking my mother for her recipes, started spending time in kitchen practicing the same. My maid was amused at my interest and interpreted it as – "Biye-r kotha cholche bujhi?" (Is there a proposal for marriage?) – hinting at the social perception that girls try their hand at cooking only to increase their eligibility in the marriage market.
If one asked me what that one dish that could melt me was, it definitely has to be Biryani. It has rice, it has potatoes, it has eggs, it has meat loaded with the aromatic smells of rose water and saffron infused with piping hot lentils of Basmati rice - what is there not to love?
Food. God’s greatest gift to mankind. Man’s greatest trait of curiosity and experimentation leading to an ultimate experience of satisfaction, peace and tranquillity.
People have this annoying habit of gender stereotyping right from childhood. Its ok if boys play with Gi Joe or Hot Wheels, while girls played house or with Barbies. Trouble starts when the scenario becomes vice versa and then gender stereotyping gains another perspective altogether. But what do I care! Then again cooking was never fascinating for me. My funda was simple- if it lands in the stomach within seconds, why on Earth would I take the pain of hours to make something? It was the time when cooking at home was becoming a lost art, with nuclear families having maids to do the job as they lazed around or got preoccupied with other work. My mindset changed with the TV show titled Masterchef Australia. The ease with which the contestants created masterpieces out of nothingness was sheer flabbergasting and jaw dropping.
Today cooking has become a method to relax and churn my creative cells.
People have this notion that cooking is an art. I think otherwise. I feel cooking is like chemistry, you mix and match concoctions and create a whole new formula to appeal taste buds. The art factor only implies in the presentation if you ask me.
My interest in cooking started with trying a hand at baking a cake. Thankfully (with help from Ma of course!) the first effort was not a disaster and thus it motivated me to keep learning how to cook. It was during graduation when I started asking my mother for her recipes, started spending time in kitchen practicing the same. My maid was amused at my interest and interpreted it as – "Biye-r kotha cholche bujhi?" (Is there a proposal for marriage?) – hinting at the social perception that girls try their hand at cooking only to increase their eligibility in the marriage market.
If one asked me what that one dish that could melt me was, it definitely has to be Biryani. It has rice, it has potatoes, it has eggs, it has meat loaded with the aromatic smells of rose water and saffron infused with piping hot lentils of Basmati rice - what is there not to love?
India is
known for two schools of Biryani - the light fragrant Lucknowi version and the
spicier Hyderabadi version. Kolkata Biryani draws its inspiration from Lucknow
school of thought. Another interesting aspect about the two genres of Biryani
is the accompaniment with which it is served. Though the usual side dish is
raita (a yoghurt based side), in Kolkata, Biryani is often had with a chicken
dish (Chicken Chaap is a typical side dish often ordered with Biryani) , for me
gorging a plate full without any accompaniment was enough.
It was Eid, my Muslim friends had invited me over for sewayi , halim and of course biryani. I was jumping with joy, but realization had constrained my happiness. I had put on tons of weight a year ago with an almost borderline sugar detected by my family doctor and therefore weight loss was the need of the hour. A year later and 22 kgs lighter even thinking of such temptations was harmful for my health. Then again the ordeal became even more difficult for me as everyone claim themselves to be a foodie but I was born to a clan that revolves their life around food apart from a Bengali - The Punjabi clan . Being foodie is an inherent trait in us and therefore I rather die eating Pizza than eating nothing at all. So I decided that if I cant have Biryani because it is High caloric in content, I simply make a low calorie one! Trouble was , I have never cooked Biryani before!
I first checked whether I had all the ingredients for a low calorie biryani.
Lean chicken – CHECK
Youghurt- CHECK
Rose Water- CHECK
Basmati Rice- CHECK
Vegetable Oil- CHECK
Spices- CHECK
And there I was ready to go! I never had a fixed recipe in mind, I let my taste decide the ingredients for myself. So here you go:
For marination of Chicken:
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tsp finely grated ginger
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp of red chili powder
5 tbsp natural yogurt
500g boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4-5cm pieces
Half tsp of vinegar
Half tsp of sugar
Method
In a mixing bowl, stir together all the spices and yoghurt. Tip in the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for about 1 hr or longer if you have time.
An hour later, I just took out the chicken and set it up on the gas to dry out the water from the curd. Once the chicken was cooked for about 10 minutes later, I placed it aside.
I was figuring out what next to get the “dum” effect in my Biryani with as less of oil as possible , not more than 5 tbsp of oil. My mind went back to Physics.. I remembered the valuable lesson of conduction and convention and decided to apply the same in my cooking.Coming back.
First step was to put up the tawa on the gas and then the vessel on top that will cook the rice and chicken.
Ingredients for the rice:
4 medium onions long chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
5 green cardamom pods, lightly bashed to split
3 cloves, salt to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
280g basmati rice,
2 potatoes cut in 4 pieces
1 tbsp rose water,
1 tsp turmeric powder
It was Eid, my Muslim friends had invited me over for sewayi , halim and of course biryani. I was jumping with joy, but realization had constrained my happiness. I had put on tons of weight a year ago with an almost borderline sugar detected by my family doctor and therefore weight loss was the need of the hour. A year later and 22 kgs lighter even thinking of such temptations was harmful for my health. Then again the ordeal became even more difficult for me as everyone claim themselves to be a foodie but I was born to a clan that revolves their life around food apart from a Bengali - The Punjabi clan . Being foodie is an inherent trait in us and therefore I rather die eating Pizza than eating nothing at all. So I decided that if I cant have Biryani because it is High caloric in content, I simply make a low calorie one! Trouble was , I have never cooked Biryani before!
I first checked whether I had all the ingredients for a low calorie biryani.
Lean chicken – CHECK
Youghurt- CHECK
Rose Water- CHECK
Basmati Rice- CHECK
Vegetable Oil- CHECK
Spices- CHECK
And there I was ready to go! I never had a fixed recipe in mind, I let my taste decide the ingredients for myself. So here you go:
For marination of Chicken:
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tsp finely grated ginger
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp of red chili powder
5 tbsp natural yogurt
500g boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4-5cm pieces
Half tsp of vinegar
Half tsp of sugar
Method
In a mixing bowl, stir together all the spices and yoghurt. Tip in the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for about 1 hr or longer if you have time.
An hour later, I just took out the chicken and set it up on the gas to dry out the water from the curd. Once the chicken was cooked for about 10 minutes later, I placed it aside.
I was figuring out what next to get the “dum” effect in my Biryani with as less of oil as possible , not more than 5 tbsp of oil. My mind went back to Physics.. I remembered the valuable lesson of conduction and convention and decided to apply the same in my cooking.Coming back.
First step was to put up the tawa on the gas and then the vessel on top that will cook the rice and chicken.
Ingredients for the rice:
4 medium onions long chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
5 green cardamom pods, lightly bashed to split
3 cloves, salt to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
280g basmati rice,
2 potatoes cut in 4 pieces
1 tbsp rose water,
1 tsp turmeric powder
Method
Heat the tawa and place your cooking vessel on it. In that put 5 tbsp oil and fry the onions, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves. Put in the rice, Potatoes, cumin powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and rose water and mix the concoctions with water. Once the rice is almost about to cook, put in the chicken , mix the concoction again and close the lid of the vessel with kneaded dough. Cook for about 20 minutes and voila, here’s you result.
I put my dish to the ultimate test, getting it tasted by my critic, my parents and the fact that nothing was left of the dish you see on the top of the page was enough justification of my success!
Whoever says cooking low fat stuff was impossible… IN YOUR FACE… while you guys enjoy the temptation and add weight on your tummy, I enjoy a guilt free delight. Who’s luckier now?! ;)
Heat the tawa and place your cooking vessel on it. In that put 5 tbsp oil and fry the onions, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves. Put in the rice, Potatoes, cumin powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and rose water and mix the concoctions with water. Once the rice is almost about to cook, put in the chicken , mix the concoction again and close the lid of the vessel with kneaded dough. Cook for about 20 minutes and voila, here’s you result.
I put my dish to the ultimate test, getting it tasted by my critic, my parents and the fact that nothing was left of the dish you see on the top of the page was enough justification of my success!
Whoever says cooking low fat stuff was impossible… IN YOUR FACE… while you guys enjoy the temptation and add weight on your tummy, I enjoy a guilt free delight. Who’s luckier now?! ;)
