Colour full marinatedTofu Stir fry

Marinated Tofu Stir Fry
Serves 4 Time 30 mins

To Marinate Tofu
½ cup soy sauce
½ tsp sesame oil,
Rice wine vinegar, to taste (or small amount of synthetic vinegar)
6 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp red chilli flakes
1 block of Firm or Extra Firm Tofu

For the stir fry
¼ cup sesame oil
6 cloves garlic sliced thin lengthwise
1-2 green chillies sliced lengthwise
1 inch piece ginger sliced thin diagonally
1 carrot julienned
1 cup baby corn sliced diagonally
2 stalks celery (bias cut)
Medium size red and green peppers 1 each (julienned)
1 medium onion (julienned)
1 cup fresh brocolli florets
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 cup spring onion greens cut into one inch pieces
1 stock cube
2 tbsp water
½ tsp cornflour to finish (optional)

Squeeze and drain tofu and cut tofu into ½ inch by 1inch pieces. Place all the marinade ingredients together in large bowl and mix well. Toss tofu in the marinade and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes or overnight tossing once or twice if possible. To make the stirfry heat a wok to medium-hot, and add oil, strain out tofu pieces from the marinade and stir-fry for 2 minutes (reserve marinade for sauce). Remove tofu and set aside on a plate. Add the sliced chillies, garlic and ginger and stir fry for I minute until fragrant, add carrot and baby corn and stirfry for 1 minute, add celery and stirfry for I minute. Add Brocolli, sprouts and fry another minute. Add marinade, stock cube, salt and pepper to taste and a 2 tbsp water if required cover and bring liquid to a boil. Uncover add onion greens and stir well. Dissolve cornflour in a little water and add to the stir-fry, mix well and allow to cook till the gravy has thickened and coats vegetables a little. Serve over hot rice or rice noodles

Polishing a few apples for teachers day!

In April this year, I heard that one of the most inspiring teachers I had, Victor Arsientiev passed away in 2005! Luckily I had written to him to thank him for his contribution to my life long before. I have always had great regard for teachers. Some of the defining turns my life has taken have been because of dedicated teachers. Quite simply I am what I am because of them and I would like to take a moment to aknowledge their contribution.

Mrs. Dias, Dr. R.S.Wagh, Mrs Deepika Hazra, Mrs Anahita Lee, Victor sir thank you for taking the time to give a lost child direction. I would also like to aknowledge Mehta sir who has attempted to teach 6 generations of Munshaws including me math, may he teach my son, who will make up for the rest of us. And lastly someone I have always wanted to thank, Mrs Raman, my sons LKG teacher, so much of his good eating practices are thanks to her.

I thought Apples would be a good topic for today all things considered!
Apples are legendary for buttering up educators. According to web legend one story has it that all this classroom corruption originated from the practice of giving a simple gift of food for poorly paid teachers. Others believe the good health associated with apples made the present particularly meaningful. And giving an apple to a teacher is also the origin of the term "apple-polisher," (which also means bootlickers or toadies), which has a rather unkind connotation.

As a child I remember hearing “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Later as a precocious teen I took pleasure in scandalizing adults with the rejoinder of “if the doctor is good looking it might keep the apple away…” but there is truth to the first statement (the second too but lets not get naughty shall we…) apples contain Vitamin C, a host of other antioxidants that might reduce the risk of cancer by preventing DNA damage and are high in fiber which help in regulating digestion. Apples might also help with heart disease, weight loss and controlling cholesterol, as they contribute no cholesterol, but are rich in fiber which reduces cholesterol by preventing reabsorption.

Apples might keep doctors away but its also aknowledged that children who want to be in teachers good books should consider giving them Apples. Tossing cored apples, cheese subes, cucumber chunks, celery and raisins in olive or a nut based oil, salt and lemon juice make a tiffin stuffer for kids.

I always believed nothing could beat a crisp juicy apple until I began cooking them as baby food for my son. Stewing apples with a little ghee, sugar and a stick of cinnamon results in a silky puree that we adults found worked as a great topping for ice-cream or cake in the winter and chilled into a sorbet in the summer. It also makes great faux apple tarts if you spoon it onto marie biscuits! I guess I should have learnt from my first bite of apple pie that cooked apples are as delicious.

Unlike a lot of other fruit, apples lack a physical oomph factor but they are very versatile ingredients to work with in both savoury as well as sweet dishes. In fact I often snack on an apple along with a wedge of cheese alternating bites of crunchy, juicy, sweet apple with salty, grainy, soft cheese and that is where I find the best marriage for Apples, with cheese (Parmesan makes it even better). Take a leaf from my book and skewer chunks of apple and cheese on toothpicks for healthy finger food – beer drinkers will love them if my husband’s opinion is anything to go by. The oodles of chutney recipes Google throws at you is testament also to the fact that the sweet and salty pairing works. Try this when you're in the mood for something a little fancier...

Milli fuili of green Apple and Parmesan with Orange and Anise Sugar
Serves 4 Time 20 mins

2 green apples
200 gms parmesan cheese
4 tbsp Anise Orange sugar
2 tbsp orange zest

Slice cheese finely using slicer or sharp knife. Core each apple using an apple corer and then cut each apple in half. Taking half an apple, carefully slice so slices fall in order. Arrange slices in the shape of half apple on individual serving dishes alternating each slice of apple with a slice of cheese. Sprinkle over with the flavoured sugar. If you have a blowtorch give the arranged dessert a shot with it untill the skin caramelizes slightly or else briefly grill it in the oven (about 8-10 mins).

NOTE: For the Orange Anise sugar, combine 4 tbsp sugar with 1 tbsp of powdered zest, 1 tsp powdered anise and allow to stand for 30 mins or overnight.

GYAN and links

Caramelization or caramelisation is the oxidation of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting nutty flavor and brown color. Caramelization occurs during dry heating and roasting of foods with a high concentration of carbohydrates. In the case of vegetables and fruit it draws out the natural sugars in them which break down and cause the characteristic browning and develop the characteristic flavor. An example of pure caramelisation is the well-known dessert Crème Caramel. Sugar and water are boiled until the sugar is caramelised , and this then used to line a small mould. A vanilla-flavoured custard is poured in, and the mould is paced in the oven.

Modak Gelato Cake - I love it when ideas work!

One of my favourite things to do is work with themes. When I made candles I did great themes like Hot stuff and Spice shots below.Nowadays I like to take an ingredient, or a dish and roll with it, thats how most of my recipe features pan out. An ingredient catches my fancy; citrus, sprouts, nut oils even something like ugly veges or Baigan and I get obssesive. I will research them, try them the way they are used traditionally and then I get creative and design new recipes around them like this Kaffir lime and coconut soup I made after I found Kaffir Lime (my current obsession) at Nature's Basket. So when I began to consult with Amore Gourmet Gelato I popped up with idea of attempting a Modak Gelato Cake. Ganesh festival is incomplete without the naivedya of Ganesha’s favourite food the modaks but not the commercial Khoya ones out of molds, I wanted them to try something that would capture the flavours of the traditional home made Ukadiche modak (so named because the dough is cooked kneaded while it is still hot, a method that is called Ukad and it is this that gives the dish its distinctive flavor, texture and the name!) The innovative head chefs in Italy, Costanzo and Asher were days away from perfecting their 100% vegetarian Gelato cake, (which has become my choice of hostess gift to take along when I go anywhere because besides being delicious - particularly the Ferrero flavour - also has the advantage of being more healthy. It is mainly gelato with a low fat content and just a smidgen of cake to hold it together.

As luck would have it Chef Shyam Telang the guy behind all the fab gelato they serve up is Maharashtrian. He has grown up eating traditional Ukdiche Modak and was able to capture the flavours of the perfectly. Asif, his assistant added his creativity and the Modak gelato cake was born. It turned out so well that Amore decided to go ahead with it for this Ganesh Chaturathi! A bit of a mad rush ensued to get everything done in time, but its all come together perfectly as you can see. (Ganeshji must be smiling down on it).

I have been in the food business for six years now, I have had hundreds of articles in print, watched so many ideas come into being, successfully but I still get excited when an idea works, when my food shots are published and when my bylines appear after stories. It's these little things that motivate me, honestly! Do try the Modak Gelato cake and let me know what you think!

GYAN and Links....

AMORE'S MODAK CAKE IS AT A SPECIAL 25% DISCOUNTED PRICE OF 600 untill the 28 of Sept. Call 022 65208300 to place orders.

Otherwise Amore's Gelato cakes are priced at Rs. 800 and come in 4 flavours - Belgian Chocolate, Cookies and Cream, Ferrero and Cheesecake. Because they are made fresh the day they are delivered, Amore require 24 hours advance notice for orders. Here is a link to the Amore facebook page for those who want to keep track of new things happening at Amore.

Stop Press! Fresh Fish!

Celebrating the twofold joys of living in Mumbai and working from home - in no specific order!

Munna Chauhan, the fish seller proudly displaying his wares.

Is there anywhere else in the world that one can buy fish at one's doorstep?

Every second day or so the watchman will buzz us on the intercom. Machii Chahiye? So, today while I am supposed to be finishing a story on the A-Z of Aphrodisiacs for BTW magazine, I am instead slacking off!

First to buy fish, then to decide how I want to cook it for lunch, then because I realise I need to order some vegetables because I do not have eveything I need to make the recipe I want to cook, and then to actually cook the damn thing.

Why do I need to cook fish now? Well; because there are no leftovers from dinner that I can rework into a meal for lunch, because although my son loves fish, my husband is not very fond of it so fish at dinner means making an entire third so we are all happy, a prospect too challenging with the many things I am already juggling at the moment due to the a new baby in the house, because JUST LOOK AT THE WHOPPER I BOUGHT!

I am pretty new to fish in my kitchen so at the moment I can't tell you more thant the fact that the above is a Halwa fish (I have not been able to figure out what it is called in English yet) and I paid Rs. 550 for it. Cleaned and cut into fillets, it gave me enough for 5 -6 meals.

I had been hankering after a dish I had eaten years on a work trip years ago in Aukland, New Zealand. I know it was a whole steamed fish in a thin watery soya sauce with los of spring onions on it, but I cant recall it's name or the name of the restaurant (this was before I became obsessed with food) but I recall the chinese restaurant we had it at was next door to the Air new Zealand office because they were the ones hosting us at the meal.

Well I googled Stemed fish + Kylie Kwong, figuring if there was any chance of me finding a dish such as this it would be a recipe of hers and right enough google did its thing and threw back -Steamed Fish Fillets with Ginger and Scallions.

I now knew what I wanted to do with my fish for lunch but scanning through the recipe I found I was missing a few ingredients.

The scallions were taken care of with a quick call to the corner vegetable seller, who had them delivered to me in minutes, but i was fresh out of rice vinegar/sherry, chinese cabbage and peanut oil. I only had some grape vinegar mom brought me from Turkey and an iceberg lettuce in the fridge.

I decided to wing it.

Steamed Fish Fillet with Ginger and Scallions

4 servings

I cut down the vinegar to 1 tbsp to be on the safe side and Kylie's technique of first steaming the fillets awhile, then adding the cabbage leaf sections to the same steamer basket actually worked out brilliantly with the iceberg because the outer leaves absorbed some of the juices from the fish and the inner leaves stayed crunchy. I also finished with gingelly, til or cold pressed sesame oil in place of thepeanut oil.

2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons shao hsing wine or dry sherry
Four 3 1/2-ounce firm white-fleshed fish fillets, such as King George whiting, cod, barramundi or mahi-mahi
2-inch piece peeled ginger root, cut into julienne (very thin strips)
1 Chinese cabbage leaf
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup scallions, white and tender green parts only, cut lengthwise into very thin strips
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish
Pinch white ground pepper, for garnish

Combine the soy sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine the water and wine or sherry in a measuring cup.



Place the fish in a shallow heatproof bowl that will fit inside a steamer basket. Pour the water-wine/sherry mixture over the fish, then sprinkle the fillets with half of the ginger. Place the bowl inside the steamer and position over a deep saucepan or wok containing a few inches of boiling water. Cover and steam for 5 to 6 minutes.



Cut the cabbage leaf crosswise into 4 sections and slip them inside the steamer, around the edges of the bowl containing the fish. Cover and steam for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cabbage has warmed through and the fish is opaque. (If the fish is still translucent, cook for another minute or so.)

Arrange the hot cabbage leaf sections on a platter. Use a wide spatula to carefully place the fish on top of the cabbage. Pour any liquid left in the bowl over the fish, sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with the soy sauce mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining ginger and half the scallions.



Heat the peanut oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until it is moderately hot, then carefully pour over the fish. Sprinkle the fish with the remaining scallions and the cilantro and pepper. Serve immediately.

We had the steamed fish over rice with greens sauteed in Garlic after which I resisted the call of my bed and got back to my computer to finish E - Z of the artile I had left to go. Unfortunately I did not get past F because I then got to writing up this blog entry!