Sitting at work on friday before new year and of course surfing. Some random serach lead me to this.. It talks about fitting a mason jar into your regular blender for grinding smaller quantities. Have any of you been doing this or tried this ?
Disclaimer : TRY IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!
How do busy Indians get their thrills while going about the daily grind….Click on the Play button to Find out!
Did you notice how the man runs for his life and then pulls his girlfriend up only when he is safe?. Ah…Love!
What’s in a name, you say? ‘For a Rose shall still be a rose …’ and all that. Well, if you are a ‘tam or a mallu’, heck of a lot in a name, according to this guy. Meet the Funny Indian and his take on the travails of Single South Indian Men of conservative upbringing.
Have a Good Weekend, All!
(This post was first published in my other blog Past, Present and Me)
Rarely has a movie been so readily accepted by me without any reservations as “Lage Raho Munna Bhai” has. I don’t remember a film that sends a message across so eloquently without being sermonous or making you feel guilty. With the laugh-a-minute joke fest and the excellent chemistry between Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi, it fools you into believing that you are watching an out and out comedy film. The fact that the movie actually deals with history and its application in the present and the fact that it almost makes you believe its possible just whizzes past you for the couple hours of the movie. You sit there as the protaganist tries to convince people to take the gandhian approach towards solving their problems through his radio show, while in the back of your mind you are going “yeah, like that is going to work”. Yet, you find yourself rooting that the approach works and end up with a jerky smile on your face when it actually does. So, when a man calls in to complain about a neighbor who thinks its ok to spit outside his door every morning, your first instinct is to pick up a fight with a neighbor, if you were in his place. Yet, you find the protaganist asking him to calmly clean up the spit in front of the offender. This goes on for quite a few days, before finally one day, the neighbor doesn’t spit, raises a hand in apology and leaves. The solution so simple yet effective, solves the problem, keeping the man’s dignity and teaching a thing or two in dignity to the offender. For some one like me, who was born in an independent India and sat through history lessons wondering whether the Mahatma would have been as successful in this present day and age, it was an excellent presentation of how it could be applied in today’s life. Considering the popularity of the movie and the buzz that ‘Gandhigiri’ created, it seemed like everybody thought so, too. Apparently, not so.
A vandalisation of a statue, two trains, hundred of other buses burnt and crores of rupees lost down the drain later, we are back to square one and any sembelance of dignity has been shattered. After reading all of that, the next news headline talking about possibilty of more 7/11 type bombings in bombay fails to faze me. While it really sent me into quite a rage when it happened, now I have a different view. See, Mr. Terrorist, don’t bother. While our strive to achieve self-reliance has lagged in certain sectors, when it comes to ruining our country, we can pretty much do it ourselves, thank you very much. Aren’t you proud of what we have achieved post-independence, Baapu?
Now that I have shared my frustration and anger, I am going to do what every body else did, snuggle up to a cup of chai and read why Aishwarya is going to marry a tree.
I discovered the joys of roasting a whole chicken as recently as three months ago and I have been doing it left and right since then. You would understand the significance of the statement appropos coming from me, if you knew me better. Meet me. A firm believer in the fact that if it used to move on its own, it needs a lot of help (read, heat and spice) to be made edible. Me, for whom seafood or chicken (the extent of my non-vegetarian existence) equals hot and spicy food. The neurotic eater, who would never touch a dish that does not have at least 50 spices in it. Ok, so maybe that is exaggerating a bit. 49 would do as well. But, you get the point. I did not try alfredo for quite a while after I came west just because it was…ahem… not colorful enough. That’s me.
The only reason I ever tried my hand at it was because it satisfied some primeval urge in me. There is something primal about cooking a whole bird. No use of those fancy knives (until after you have cooked them, that is), no chopping, no bhuno-ing. Just some TLC is all it needs and a hot oven…well, medium hot oven…you know what I mean. But, that urge to go primitive stops at the swanky grocery store. Nope, not gonna see me wring a chicken’s neck and pluck its feathers, no siree. I have to hop in my heated seats, power doors, gas-guzzling much-bigger-than-I-actually-need sports utility vehicle, pick me up some nice, already dead, de-necked, de-feathered and definitely ‘de-cavity’-ed chicken before I can go ‘primitive’. Again, that’s me.
What surprises you is how juicy, the chicken that results, is. I am a firm believer that any kind of meat, poultry or seafood tastes better on the bone. Not that, that stops me from appreciating the quick cooking nature of the boneless ones or using it to the optimium. But, the biggest difference here is the use of the skin,which has all the fat. The fat that keeps the meat moist during the lengthy cooking process. It is the kind of thing that makes you appreciate the meat for its own flavor and taste rather than its blandness that takes well to being smothered in a spicy gravy. Which is why, even someone like me, who can’t imagine a meal without rice or roti or any meat without gravy, can make a whole meal with this. With a little rice on the side, of course. You know by now, that’s just me.
I am not going to go into the details of How to roast a chicken. You can just google it and find hundreds of sites that will tell you how to do it. I am just going to give you some tips to twist it to the Indian palate without turning it into Murgh Musallam
1. First of all, I do not eat the skin of the chicken. There are hardly any Indian dishes that cook chicken with its skin on. Even the famous Tandoori Chicken is not cooked with its skin on. While this may largely be due to the fact that we most often than not broil or stew our chicken which does not bode well for the skin, it also means that much less fat that we are consuming (which we make up for in all that ghee we use for the gravy, but hey, the chicken is healthy). So, I concentrate all my seasonings under the skin.
2. Seasoning, Seasoning, Seasoning. Most sites you see will tell you the season the bird well. But, how well? And how well is seasoned well? How do you know? Well, the measure I use is this. Consider, chopping up the whole bird to make a Chicken curry. Consider how much salt you will put into the curry, in that case. That’s the amount of salt you require to cover every portion of the bird. Season the outer skin, under the skin and inside the cavity, too. Be equally liberal with the Black pepper, too. Try using rock salt as opposed to regular salt. Much more flavor.
3.Consider the flavorings you are going to put. Resist the temptation to put in all your regular spice powders. Concentrate on one or two and use that to the optimum. Consider mixing in the spices with room temperature butter and then slathering the bird with it rather than just sprinkling on the top. Since, I prefer to put my flavorings under the skin, I always mix them with unsalted butter. Separate the skin from the meat using a thin paring knife.Now, this requires a lot of practice and a stomach of steel. But, the end product, my friend, is worth it. I mostly go with some Chilli powder, Cumin and some garam masala. I also like using some dried herbs, thyme, being the all time favorite with chicken. It also goes well with the spices. Massage the flavored butter into the bird all over. If you decide to mix in the salt and pepper with the butter, remember to sprinkle some more salt on the skin and the cavity.
4. Consider using a spice bouquet. I fill the cavity with a whole garlic bulb slit across, an onion-halved,two cinnamon sticks, a bay leaf, two Black cardamoms and some cloves. Sometimes, a lemon halved.
5.Place the chicken on a bed of veggies, especially some root veggies like Potatoes and carrots. The veggies absorb all the flavor from the chicken juices making them delicious. Remember to coat the veggies with a thin layer of oil and salt.
6.I do not bother tieing (trussing) the chicken legs. I have never ended up with burn’t chicken tips, so I haven’t felt the need to.
7. Even though, We don’t eat the skin, I like to bring a golden brown bird to the table. Pre heat the Oven to 450 degrees F. Cook the chicken for 15 mins before lowering the heat to 350 and cooking for another 35 to 40 minutes depending upon the chicken and the oven. I always use a 5-pound chicken and these instructions work perfectly with them.
8.Most sites will tell you to cut into the thigh of the chicken and check the juices that run out. If they are clear, you have a cooked bird. That’s very sound advice. I know the chicken is cooked, when the leg moves freely when wiggled. That is the test that works for me. When in doubt, use a thermometer
9. Let it rest. For at least 15 minutes before you start carving it. Results in a juicier chicken.
10.You can try carving it in a fancy way. I just like doing it in a very basic way. Use a very Sharp Knife. Hold the tip of the chicken leg and let your knife in to the joint between the leg and breast and slice right through. If you are at the correct place, the knife will cut through like butter. If not, wiggle the tip of the knife gently, till you hit the spot. Apply the same logic to the joint between the thigh and the leg. For the breast, I just like to let the knife follow the breast bone and get the whole breast out in one go. Remember to slit through the bone between the two breast first, though. That’s it.
Now, at this point, most cooks will ask you to save the carcass to make chicken stock. I haven’t reached that culinary peak yet nor has my stomach. Which is why I don’t save the carcass. I do save the bits of meat on the back of the chicken and the juices that accumalate in the roasting pan and make my stock using them. Any guesses on what my next post would be??
Helpful Links :
Rarely has a movie been so readily accepted by me without any reservations as “Lage Raho Munna Bhai” has. I don’t remember a film that sends a message across so eloquently without being sermonous or making you feel guilty. With the laugh-a-minute joke fest and the excellent chemistry between Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi, it fools you into believing that you are watching an out and out comedy film. The fact that the movie actually deals with history and its application in the present and the fact that it almost makes you believe its possible just whizzes past you for the couple hours of the movie. You sit there as the protaganist tries to convince people to take the gandhian approach towards solving their problems through his radio show, while in the back of your mind you are going “yeah, like that is going to work”. Yet, you find yourself rooting that the approach works and end up with a jerky smile on your face when it actually does. So, when a man calls in to complain about a neighbor who thinks its ok to spit outside his door every morning, your first instinct is to pick up a fight with a neighbor, if you were in his place. Yet, you find the protaganist asking him to calmly clean up the spit in front of the offender. This goes on for quite a few days, before finally one day, the neighbor doesn’t spit, raises a hand in apology and leaves. The solution so simple yet effective, solves the problem, keeping the man’s dignity and teaching a thing or two in dignity to the offender. For some one like me, who was born in an independent India and sat through history lessons wondering whether the Mahatma would have been as successful in this present day and age, it was an excellent presentation of how it could be applied in today’s life. Considering the popularity of the movie and the buzz that ‘Gandhigiri’ created, it seemed like everybody thought so, too. Apparently, not so.
A vandalisation of a statue, two trains, hundred of other buses burnt and crores of rupees lost down the drain later, we are back to square one and any sembelance of dignity has been shattered. After reading all of that, the next news headline talking about possibilty of more 7/11 type bombings in bombay fails to faze me. While it really sent me into quite a rage when it happened, now I have a different view. See, Mr. Terrorist, don’t bother. While our strive to achieve self-reliance has lagged in certain sectors, when it comes to ruining our country, we can pretty much do it ourselves, thank you very much. Aren’t you proud of what we have achieved post-independence, Baapu?
Now that I have shared my frustration and anger, I am going to do what every body else did, snuggle up to a cup of chai and read why Aishwarya is going to marry a tree.
Its the season for cranberries. Its one of the main things that I look forward to as thanksgiving approaches and it is also something I buy only during thanksgiving and never before. In any form. No cranberry juice all around the year for me. This is the only time of the year that it seems right. Though, I experimented with cranberries (dried ones in cranberry muffin, juice in a cranberry martini etc), I never went Indian with them. Until this year for thanksgiving, I made some cranberry chutney and I could’nt resist putting in some of this and some of that and a whole lot of jaggery to make it family friendly. I like the tartness but my husband is not so much a fan. I mean, it is a chutney , you know!. The chutney is really good , especially with some hot parathas.
Heat , in a medium size sauce pot
1 tsp of ghee
Add,
1/4 tsp Black mustard seeds
When that sputters add,
2 Cloves
5 Green chillies (slit length-wise or chopped finely)
4-5 Kadipatta (Curry Leaves)
a pinch hing (Asafoetida)
2 Apples , chopped into cubes size of cranberries
1 12 oz bag of Fresh cranberries
Salt to Taste
Mix everything together and cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat. The cranberries pop, the apples melt and results in a wonderful dark pink concoction. If you taste it now, you will get, other than a burnt tongue, a really really tart taste. Its time to sweeten things up.
Add
1 cups of Jaggery
1/4 cup Orange juice
Cook, covered on medium heat till the jaggery melts and remove from flame. Add
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
to finish off a wonderful-tart-yet-sweet-and-with-a-hint-of-heat chutney. This was a part of my neither-here-nor-there-Thanksgiving dinner and we have enough leftovers to have with parathas. My son loves them in his PB & J Sandwich. I get the feeling that his palate is becoming neither-here-nor-there, too. But, of course, I would prefer it to be called “Well-Rounded” Palate!
This is my contribution to Jihva-Jaggery hosted by Kay of Towards a Better Tomorrow and also
to Festive Fair hosted by Anna of Morsel’s and Musings
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