Food – Page 655 – Smriti "Simmi" D. Isaac

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Simmi D. Isaac — Leave a comment

Love In The Mail

It came out of nowhere. Well, it came in the mail yesterday. But it came unannounced and without notice. And when opened, it was brimming with love. Love from my parents who live in warmer climes several hundred miles away.

The box contained among other things, a number of egg cartons, which when opened, contained the most perfectly-made and absolutely divine rava ladoos– sweet balls made with cream-of-wheat, brown sugar, and dry-fruits (cashews and raisins).

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for loving me!

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Simmi D. Isaac — Leave a comment

Two Green Subzis On A Snowy Day (And A Side Of Lamb Shanks!)

See the full gallery on Posterous

Well, the snow is pretty blinding if you continue to stare out the window, and since I’m not in the mood to make any snow-angels outside, I thought of doing the next best thing: being an angel in the kitchen. Yeah, yeah, I know that’s lame, but still, if it conjures up images of me flying around between stove and sink and refrigerator, well, you’ve come up with a half-decent picture, I’d say. And what would all that angelic activity produce? The most angelic dishes, of course. Fit for a heavenly feast. Here’s what:

A Palak Saag made with spinach and tomatoes, and seasoned with red onions, garlic and dry red chillies.
A Broccoli Subzi seasoned with cumin, red onions, garlic and coconut-chutney.
A hearty batch of Lamb Shanks pressure-cooked for starters, and then seasoned in the skillet with fried onions and a secret masala.

I guess I’ll serve this up with fresh hot white Basmati rice and whole-wheat Rotis later tonight. Picture a bunch of devils feasting on all this glorious fare!

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Simmi D. Isaac — 2 Comments

Toast, Eggs, et al on a Snowy Morning

So, what’s good for breakfast on a snowy morning? Well, anything at all! Anything you please!

I’ve been known to whip up an omelette just as fast as I can steam a batch of idlis or roll a few parathas, but on this snowy morning, the breakfast of choice was a simple one:

Two slices of multi-grain toast: one spread with peanut butter, the other with orange mamalade; two eggs not-so-scrambled; a glass of OJ.

It hit the spot, spot-on!

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Simmi D. Isaac — Leave a comment

Pie-like Omelettes

I had recently put up a lovely post on all things quiche: the lovely delicate pastry shells, both regular and mini size that contain all sorts of fillings.

Well, this is no quiche, but it sure looks like one. It could be called a frittata of sorts, but it contains no potatoes. And it’s certainly not a quiche because there’s no pastry holding its contents.

What it is, is a stand-alone omelette. Only it’s cooked on a stove-top but on so low a flame and with a covered lid that the egg mixture sets beautifully. Also, the onions, tomatoes, green chillies and cilantro are finely chopped and sauteed first, folded into the frothy beaten eggs, and then transferred into a sturdy pan.

What you’ll have fifteen minutes later is a gorgeous omelette that looks like a quiche or a pie. Ideally, there must be nothing sticking to the bottom and it ought to slide off onto a plate with ease, or at the very least must be able to cut firmly into wedges or squares.

Serve with toast, pitas or rotis. Makes a hearty entree any day. This was my slice from last evening. There were three more where that came from, BTW!

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Simmi D. Isaac — Leave a comment

What Goes Well With Roti and Rice?

Well, any number of things, of course. But I think if its a Sunday afternoon lunch to be made from scratch, well, then, only a palak-dal (spinach-and-lentils) will do.

And of course, the ultimate subzi to accompany that is an Alu-Gobi (potatoes-and-cauliflower).

Have it with rice. Or roti.

Enjoy!

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Posted on January 28, 2011 by Simmi D. Isaac — Leave a comment

Q is for Quiche! 10 Tempting Recipes for Homemade Quiche

via thekitchn.com

Get your quiche on! And don’t be afraid to improvise! Click on the link below the picture for more.

Posted on January 25, 2011January 19, 2013 by Simmi D. Isaac — Leave a comment

Baking And Cooking

Time for the old posts to come out to the new blog! This one was first published in my private blog on Thursday, December 04, 2008.

On a cold wintery mid-morning, what better a thing to bake than a loaf of my banana-walnut bread? So, here it is. I used a large round pan (actually my cheesecake pan), but technically, I suppose, a loaf pan ought to be used… Well, these things don’t matter too much to me—loaf pans, cake pans, cheesecake pans, square pans, they’re all one and the same. What’s of import is what’s inside them!

The other thing I made just now is choley—with a twist. I added a can of black beans to the standard garbanzo (or chickpeas) beans. Serve it up with hot steaming white rice, and its an entrée fit for a king, don’t you think? 🙂

Lovely blend of East and West in cooking techniques and choice of dishes, no? A slice of the banana-walnut bread will go nicely with a cup of tea or coffee. And the choley will be dinner, of course.

Bon Appetit!