Kothu Parotta from Azad

For a foodie to be in India is one of the greatest delights. The spice, the diversity, the colors - everything is amazing. I mean at one particular time you can have spicy, tangy pani puris, steamed momos, kulchas with chana masala, aloo tikki chat, samosas with imli ka chutney, dosas with creamy chutney  and my mouth is watering at the thought of all of them on my table right now. The street food that us Indian have managed is simply mind blowing. As a seasoned street foodie in the sub continent I thought I had tried it all - from the northern capital of Delhi to the southern city of Chennai. That was of course before Trivandrum and Kothu Parotta.

The View from the Kovalam lighthouse, Kovalam Beach

Last week, I had a whirlwind tour of Kerala touching down in Trivandrum before finishing off with the great Mallu wedding up noth in Trisshur. The capital of Kerala has its own unique style of food from spicy chargrilled meats to pure veg lunches to very interesting ice-cream combinations. But, as my friend had put it, the best Mallu food is the one made by home cooks.
And indeed it is true. I have had the good fortune to dine with four great families with food that had been so different from what I have previously encountered. I mean chicken curry with idlis, idiappams[string hoppers] with egg curry in coconut milk, hot appam and stew, puttu and kadala curry, chicken roast, parippu - words never before heard and now words never to be forgotten. But, nothing the author sampled, came close to this particular street food.

 From the time the trip was conceptualized, the author's local friend Sulfia Santhosh talked up Azad and Kothu Parotta. You have to have kothu parotta, it is my favorited takeaway food of all times. And I was like really, really??!! The days in Trivandrum were spent visiting beaches, local sights and good home cooked food. But this particular food seemed more of a concept than a reality. And then on the last day, there it was on her plate for a late dinner. You know that scene in The Pink Panther where Clusseau has his epiphanic hamburger. The part where they is violin music and voices going hallelujah. For the author is was something like that. The Kothu Parotta is a mixture of chopped kerala parotta, scrambled eggs, spicy chicken curry, chillies, curry leaves. For me, it was a taste of Kerala in one big plate. And lots of servings. This particular plate is from Azad which is a local sight in itself in Trivandrum. Miss the sadya, miss the beef fry, miss the appam and stew but do not miss the Kothu Parotta from Azad. And have lots while you are at it. Because when you are miles away you will definitely crave the spice, the moorish parotta bits and the egg that gives an underlying texture and flavor.  If I were judging this it would be perfect ten - hell I'll break the rules and give it a 15 out of 10. It is that good.

Location: Azad Restaurant, Trivandrum [For directions, go here]
What to try: Kothu Parotta hands down.
Rating: 4.7/5

Loveofmylife: #Spot13

An Oriya lunch: Rice, Dal and Alu bharta

Cooking Classics: Garlic Butter Naan

My earliest memory of eating naan is my uncle and aunt's anniversary. As a treat they had taken all of us children to the dinner at the most luxurious hotel in my hometown of Cuttack - Hotel Akbari. I remember as a kid I was so excited throughout the entire time. My cousin and me were giggling the entire time before the food was served. My uncle is a connoisseur and he has a knack a ordering just the right thing in any restaurant. So we had an assortment of food that kept coming in. Much of what we ate baffles my recollection, but I do remember the Naan and the spicy Murgh makhani that accompanied. From that time onwards, this particular bread has become my favorite to have at special occasion. As a child, the making of this bread was fascinating to me. The kind of awe you get when you first see techniques of smoking or sousvide or even poaching and you are curious to find out its mechanism.Then of course the author grew up and figured out the process behind the making of this bread. And the revelation was very satisfying to her cooking spirit. The making of this bread took a lot of tries and a lot of patience in the test kitchen but finally I think I have hit upon the perfect recipe.

 The second memory - the current one - that inspired the current making of this recipe was the one of the episode of My Kitchen Rules. Four years ago, the author in search of cooking shows like Top Chef came upon two other shows that have had a great impact on her cooking inspiration and skill. One of them was the aforementioned show. Though the quality has come down over the years, it still is a good place to find the next new inspiration. And recently in a showdown round one of the teams made butter chicken, dal and tried to make their own naan. And the author decided to finally make her memories a reality. Making bread is a science. You need to adhere to certain measurements and certain procedures in order to make the most crispy and flaky bread. So in this particular recipe I urge you to follow the recipe to the tee for the first time. Once, you have the hang of the process, you can make your own adjustments and your own flavor combinations. So, good luck.

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
1tbsp sugar
1tsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup youghurt
1/2 cup milk
1tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic chopped

Method:
First get your mise-en-place ready. First mix the yeast with warm water and keep it aside for half an hour.  When you are ready to make your dough, mix the dry ingredients together - the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
In a separate bowl mix the yoghurt and the milk. Add it to the flour and then add the yeast mix. Mix everything together until a sticky dough forms.
Remove the dough from the bowl and then knead it for five to eight minutes until a smooth dough forms. Remember, the kneading is important. Once the dough is done, put it back on the bowl and then cover with a wet towel. Rest for 2 hours. If you are making this for dinner, make this in the afternoon so the dough is ready by that time.
When you are ready to roll out the dough, chop some garlic and then mix it with the butter.
Dust the surface with flour. Make balls from the dough and roll out into your desired shape - circle or triangles. Rub one side with water and put that side into a hot pan. When the surface starts to bubble, turn it over.
When the naan has nice black spots, brush it with the garlic butter. Turn it over and serve it with a nice veg tikka masala or butter chicken. Serve hot. 

Egg Curry with Green beans and Coconut Milk

Pan frying eggs is a lot of fun. Oh, there are so many childhood memories of mom frying snowy white eggs in oil and watching the skin splitting to form that golden color. And the later taste of curry and rice with fried papad and slices of cucumber. This particular egg curry has become something of a signature for my mom. The fried boiled egg, the grinding of cashew with tomatoes and lightly spiced - all come together to form a beautiful curry. Every time I am home, this curry has to be on the menu at least once a week.

The idea for my version began a week back with a craving for that fried eggs. And strangely for crunchy green beans. The idea kept rolling around my head until a proper dish could be constructed resulting in a spicy as well as creamy curry reminiscent of mom's yet a little different so as to incorporate my crazy ideas. The frying I have kept because I love the texture it adds to the eggs. And the coconut milk takes the role of creaminess that cashews do for the original. Damn, writing this has given me the serious craving for making the original.

This technique comes from the eastern part of India particularly in Bengal and Odisha. Sometimes there is panch phoran involved and sometimes its just mustard seeds. I think my grandmother caramelizes some sugar before frying the onions. So this recipe can be a take on the traditional cuisine and be a tangential to the series of posts on Oriya Cuisine. Try this out on a lazy Saturday evening when you are in the mood to make some spicy curry and rice.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, boiled
1 medium and 2 small onion sliced
2 green chillies
3 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
2 medium tomatoes sliced
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp kitchen king powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
5-6 green beans cut into halves
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp water
SaltOil for frying and cooking[4 tbsp]

Method:
Boil eggs for ten minutes. Peel skin and dry.
Heat oil to a smoking point. Add the eggs to the oil. There should be sizzle when it hits the oil. Fry till both the sides are golden brown. Remove.
Add the onion slices and 1 cut chilly. Fry till the onions are lightly browned. Sprinkle with garlic. Cook for three minutes.
Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook till the tomatoes mash into the onions. That should be for ten minutes. Sprinkle with red chili powder, turmeric, coriander and kitchen king powder. Add the green beans as well. Season. Cook for two more minutes.
Add the coconut milk and water. Sprinkle the garam masala and simmer. Half the eggs and then add to the curry. Serve hot.