Fridge Cleanout : Chicken and Mushroom Pasta with Arctic Thyme (Vegan option)

In winter, it feels like our tastebuds are a bit frozen and sluggish, so the 2 of us need more intense flavours than we need in summer. Not necessarily spicier, but just more robust.

The food we ordered in last week from Norma & Vilma Caterers was fantastic, but the flavours in the Aji De Galina - chicken casserole - were a bit too mild for us in this weather.

I had ordered 2 plates of this, so I had quite a large quantity. I knew the flavours and texture would go very well with pasta.

Since I did not want to “mask” / “override” the original flavours, I just sautéed 3 cloves of garlic, and a mix of fresh Shiitake and oyster mushrooms with a smidgen of coarsely ground pepper, a large pinch of Arctic Thyme and 2 tsps sunflower seeds for crunch.

Put in about 20-30gms of cheese bits and ends lying in the fridge that were drying out and a soup cube dissolved in 1 cup of hot water.

Now added the chicken casserole to the pan and warmed it up gently.

When hot, I added 250 gms of cooked whole wheat pasta and gave it a quick stir. Sprinkled some arctic thyme that I think Aunty Sujata gifted me from her Iceland trip and served hot. So delicious.

For a veggie/vegan version, consider using a creamy mushroom soup or a sweet corn soup instead of a chicken casserole.

Using a tinned soup and adding some herbs and fresh veggies is a quick fix to making a pasta sauce.

Kim's Tips on Leftovers :

Sometimes when we order in from a new restaurant or a new cuisine, we may find that their balance of flavours doesn’t suit us.

My nana taught me her hard learned lessons in frugality. Never throw away anything that is usable / consumable, instead adjust, tinker, add flavour etc to suit yourself.

*Too salty, add boiled potatoes.

*Too spicy, add yoghurt / coconut milk depending on the base.

*Too plain, add herbs.

*Meat is too tender, turn into kebabs/ cutlets/samosa stuffing.

It’s not too difficult to tweak a cooked dish to give a completely new flavour profile at the next meal and #LoveYourLeftovers

We often have  leftover bits of cheese in the fridge that get dried out, before they are consumed or bits and ends that don't look pretty or don't fit in a sandwich. Pop all those bits and bobs into a pasta sauce for a bit more creaminess.

Recipe : Sajjige Rotti / Rawa Rotti / Rulavanchi Bhakri / Thick Semolina Dosas

Sajjige rotti / rulavanchi bhakri / rava rotti / thick semolina dosas with 2 types of chutney.

I may have mentioned before, but weekend brunches are special. These are the only 2 days that the husband has time for a leisurely noonish meal - without being on a conference call or rushing for one.

While he loves eggs made any which way for a weekend brunch, I’m taking the opportunity during this lockdown to cook dishes from my childhood or other memories. I'm not a breakfast person at all. I normally have One Meal a Day, since long before OMAD was a thing. During our 5 years in London, weekends meant heading out to see / do  / experience something and breakfast / brunch was built into the day's schedule.

This is the first time, I'm actually cooking so many breakfast / brunches at home - albeit only on the weekends. This is also the 2 meals of the week that I enjoy a carb heavy meal (since its eaten so much earlier in the day) and a cup of coffee with sugar - during the week, its green tea without sugar.

Coming back to the sajjige rotti, the way I made today’s rotti was not the thinner crispy version that’s made like a crepe. This is a very rustic style thick batter (almost chapatti dough consistency) that is shaped by hand on the pan / tawa, so its much thicker like a bhakri.

Since I was doing the hand shaping for the first time, the first dosas / rotis were a bit uneven shaped. Once I got the hang of it, they became much rounder, but since they are slow fried on a low flame, we were gobbling them as soon as they came off the pan - so didn’t take a better picture.

Ingredients:

2 cups Bombay Rava - medium fine semolina

2 cups sour curd (slightly liquidy, not as thick as store bought yoghurt - for store yoghurt, make it 1.5 cups yoghurt + 1/2 cup water)

2 tbsp coconut / dessicated coconut (optional)

1 medium onion chopped

1-6 green chillies chopped (depending on spice tolerance)

2 sprigs curry leaves chopped (only leaf not stem)

2 sprigs corriander chopped - with stem

2 tsp chopped fresh ginger (don't use the stringy bits)

1 tsp jeera / cumin

salt to taste

oil to fry

Method:

Mix the Bombay rava, coconut if using and the curd / yoghurt.

Mix well and leave overnight.

You want a dough, that is much thicker than a dosa batter and actually comes together, but not as tight as a chapatti dough.

You can keep the dough for just 20-30 minutes too, but I like the way the flavour / sourness develops overnight.

It also means a tiny bit of extra sleep in the morning :)

If you have left it overnight, depending on the weather conditions, you may notice that your batter has become drier or wetter than the night before.

Don't adjust it at this stage.

Add  the onions, chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves, ginger, jeera and mix well.

These are the traditional additions, feel free to experiment with flavours you like.  For eg. my chillies are now 3 weeks old (grocery run in the coming week), so I felt they weren't spicy enough, so I also added a 1/2 tbsp of crushed black pepper.

Mix well, preferably use your hands to get a more even mix. (be sure you have washed with soap and not just used santizer :) )

There will be some liquid content in the onions, ginger and herbs.

Now if the dough feels too dry, add a few drops of water.

If the dough feels too wet, add a little rava to the mix.

The picture above shows the consistency that you want.

Make portions. With the above quantities, I got about 10 portions.

The next step is shaping them.

Traditionally, the rottis are shaped on banana leaves or some other traditional leaves (I forget which ones my nana used) and flipped onto the pan.

Modern methods, involve shaping the rotti on a greased plate or on plastic sheets.

Personally, I found these methods very fiddly and also I was only cooking for 2, so I shaped them directly on the pan.

Take a flat frying pan  / crepe pan or dosa tawa.

Heat the pan on medium heat.

Grease the pan with a few drops of oil. The traditional method is to use a small onion or potato cut in half speared onto a fork (don't let the tines come all the way through, you will end up scraping your pan). I currently use a silicon pastry brush to grease the pan.

I made portions like above, popped one on the pan. Dipped hand in a bowl of water and then flattened  the dough directly on the pan itself.

You need wet hands to use this method, doughy hands will make the dough stick to your hands. So rinse hands in a bowl of water, before shaping the rotti.

Flatten the rotti evenly to between 1/2 - 1 cm thickness.

Don't make them too large or they will be very difficult to flip over.

Fry for a few minutes on each side until slightly browned.

I served it hot off the pan with 2 types of chutney, although I have to say that the coconut chutney went better with this dosa / rotti. The advantage of this rotti, is that it can even be eaten without chutney, making it a one pot meal.

A dab of white butter on top is also a perfect accompaniment.

Kim's Tip 1 : If you have just a little chutney left in the fridge, you can add it to the rotti dough.

Kim's Tip 2 : This recipe is an excellent way to use up curd / yoghurt that has turned a bit sour. If you don't have sour yoghurt, add a tsp of fresh lemon / lime juice to your yoghurt and use.

Let me know if you try this out.

We got a good warm bit of sun this winter noon.  So, after this meal, someone decided a nap was in order, followed by a cheery wake up with South Indian Filter Coffee.

While the other someone was out in the sun tending to the garden and feeding our sparrows, laughing doves, wagtails and other birds who have become extremely demanding. They chirrup loudly if the feeders are approaching empty to let me know it’s time for a top up.

Recipe : Bean Sprout Salad (Vegan)

This salad is bean sprouts.

2 minutes stir fried in a hot pan (any more and you will lose the liquid as they start to turn soggy and soft). I’m not a fan of their raw taste, so just about 2 minutes.

You can use them raw if you like.

Dressing

2 tsp lime juice,

1 tsp soya sauce,

1 tsp chipotle chilli flakes,

1/2 tsp Chinese all spice powder

1 tsp of hazelnut oil - I need to finish this bottle, any olive oil or salad oil will work too.

Toss gently.

I served it warm, because sprouts once heated can turn soggy quite quickly.

It barely takes 5 minutes to put it together.

So glad the weather is turning warmer and we can eat a lot more salads.

I served it with a Texan slammer - jalapeño poppers with cheddar cheese, encased in pork mince / sausage meat and rolled in bacon from @marksandspencer Lightly pan fried at home.

Recipe : Pan Seared Scallops with Chipotle Butter

This is a very quick and easy recipe, that takes less than 10 minutes to put together.

Ingredients :

200 gms cleaned fresh scallops.

2 tbsp butter + few drops oil

2 tbsp garlic chopped fine.

1 tbsp chipotle flakes (substitute - red chilli flakes)

Method:

Rinse scallops and pat them dry with paper towels before cooking. They won't brown if they have too much moisture on the outside.

Heat a little butter in a pan with a few drops of oil (to prevent the butter burning)

Fry some finely chopped garlic in the butter.

Once it crisps up, add some chipotle flakes (chilli flakes can be used, but the chipotle has a sweet smoky flavour, not just heat)

The flakes burn quickly and scallops cook quickly, so you need to move fast.

On high heat, sear the scallops on both sides (a few seconds), then lower the heat and cook gently till they are done (2-4 minutes depending on thickness).

Look for the scallops to  just about turn opaque. If you overcook them, they will become tough.

Take the scallops out of the pan, cook the remaining liquid in the pan until it thickens to a sauce like consistency and pour it over the scallops.

Serve fresh and hot.

Options:

You can make this recipe with fresh prawns or any light fish