Little Bites

When we were fussy [it happened a lot of times] and mom had a lot to do she would throw this dish together and serve it with hot rotis and an omelet which me and my sister would devour. Now a thousand miles away when nostalgia hit I ran to the supermarket to grab some baby potatoes and geared up to make myself some quick aloo kasa. Kasa in oriya cuisine is the equivalent of the term bhuna which basically means dry frying any dish be it egg, chicken or mutton in masala.
My mom's version had a lot of variations depending on whatever ingredients happened to be there on hand. Sometimes it would have rai or mustard seeds, sometimes it would benefit from chopped tomatoes and coriander and always it would be made on high heat.
In this adapted version the curry base is made of onion paste and I have added yogurt to it as well. I had a lot of time on my hand which explains the added touches. It had a lot of hints of mother's cooking as well as my own flavors which meant a happy me.

Ingredients:
1/2kg baby potatoes
2 medium onions
a pinch of sugar
1 tbsp Red chilly powder
3 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp chicken masala powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp kasuri methi
salt to taste
water for boiling
Prick the baby potatoes. Boil with salt and water until tender. Run under cold water and then remove skins.
Heat oil to its smoking point. Caramelize the sugar in oil. Add the onion paste and fry.
Add the red chilly powder and mix in. Cook stirring as the masala browns. Add some water if it sticks to the pan. This should take some fifteen minutes.
Remove pan from heat and add the yogurt stirring so as not to have lumps. Put the pan back to the heat and add the chicken masala powder. Stir and then add some water. Cook for five more minutes.
Fold in the boiled potatoes and mix. The masala should just coat them. Sprinkle garam masala and kasuri methi. Cook for five more minutes.

You can serve this as my mom did for a light dinner or skewer the potatoes on tooth picks and make it an appetizer. Anyway it tastes absolutely delectable.

Market Sights - Essentials

5 am Pakoras

Hegel, cravings and five am - in some parallel universe it might make sense, but in this one it meant a trip to check the supplies at hand for a really late night snack. In the perfect world there might be leftover fried chicken or egg fried rice kindly left to assuage your hunger. However since I am a very greedy person and not at all a domestic goddess all I could find staring back at me were one small onion, one red chilly and half a potato. And what I wanted out of them - pakoras. Crazy, I know!
Crispy, melt-in-the-mouth, golden brown, pakoras are the ultimate Indian snack food. Served with tea, for breakfasts, as starters for main course meals or a welcome morsel for guests it is as versatile as it is delicious. And apparently I have found a new use for it - satisfying late night cravings when you are deep into  studying western philosophy and you need something desperately unhealthy.

This recipe is very easy to make and can be adapted to any time when you are hungry and can spare a few minutes to make it.
Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 red chilly
Half a large potatoes
1 tbsp red chilly powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp amchur
1 tsp kasuri methi
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 cup besan/gram flour
water as required
Oil for frying
Chop the potatoes, onion and chilly into a tiny dices. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix in. Add the water slowly to achieve a thick paste like consistency.
Heat oil in the pan/wok enough to immerse the pakoras. Add spoonfuls of batter. Fry till golden brown.
Serve hot with red chilli sauce and if you like a can of coke.

Market Sights