Crispy Garlicky Aloo

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! If you've grown up in India, you know how suspicious parents are when you hang out with a person of the opposite sex. What's worse is when some 'aunty' sees you with them and the news spreads like widfire and before you know it, everyone you know and their bai are looking at you with smug, 'judgy' expressions. 

A few years ago, I was headed back to the UK following a trip home to Poona. My return flight was via Delhi so I decided to switch flights such that I had a day in Delhi to meet up with a friend. My friend, incidentally, happened to be a girl. A very pretty girl who was kind enough to let me crash on her couch for the night before my flight the next morning. I landed in Delhi, got picked up at the airport by a friend and an hour later, I was deposited in Patel Nagar which happened to be my destination. Before I go any further, you should know that my mum is from Delhi, so I have about 50 relatives there; cousins, neices, nephews, aunts, uncles, the whole gamut, so I had to make a courtesy call to them to let them know I was in the city lest they find out from other sources and be upset that I was around and I didn't even call. I made my calls and explained that I was only there for less than a day and I was staying with a friend and that it wouldn't be possible to visit them. After (regrettably) thwarting their attempts at a joyous family reunion, I was told that they would be having dinner at a restaurant in Connaught Place to celebrate my bhabi's birthday and that I should at least catch up with them for a few minutes if not the whole evening. Seeing as they're my family and I love them and all, I consented and hung up. Getting back to my friend, after a few hours of catching up, we decided to go to dinner to a Chinese restaurant in Connaught Place not too far from where my relatives were dining. So we hailed an autorickshaw and putt-putted our way down to the restaurant where we spent a couple of hours talking, laughing and basically having a very good time. Too soon, sadly, it was time to leave and as we paid and exited the establishment, I called my relatives to say I was free for a bit and asked where I might meet them. After deciding on a place, we made our way there and as my friend stood a little way in the shadows, I was enveloped by my family. Massi, cousins I hadn't seen in years, kids I didn't know they had and more. After bone crushing hugs had been given, cheeks had been kissed, kids were cooed over and remarks about how much I'd grown (Kanjar kitna bada ho gaya hai!), my cousin (Hawkeye that she is) spotted my friend and asked if she was with me. 5 seconds after an affirmative response was provided, I was forgotten and she was suddenly the centre of attention, subjected to questions only a Punjabi family deems appropriate to ask someone they've met for the first time (in very loud voices, I might add). After several awkward minutes, we were allowed to leave unscathed. I apologized to my friend on the way back but thankfully she's a good sport so she just laughed and shrugged off my apologies. We got back to her place and I called my mum to tell her I'd met everyone and the even before I could say hello, she told me my massi had already called to say they'd met me and a girl who was 'rajj ke soni' (crazy pretty) and had asked if there was a 'story'. Fortunately, my mum knows me well enough and has a sense of humour so after chuckling all through the call the matter was put to rest.

What does this story have to do with today's recipe? Well, my friend is vegetarian and loves aloo. I happen to love aloo too and this recipe is so easy and so good that it seemed like a shame not to share it.

For Crispy Garlicky Aloo, you will need the following:

Potatoes                                  6 medium

Onion                                      1/2 medium

Chillies                                    3-4

Garlic                                      2-3 cloves

Dill leaves                                3 handfuls

Mustard seeds                          2 tsp

Curry leaves                             small handful

Red chilli powder                     2-3 tsp

Haldi (turmeric)                       1 tsp

Dhaniya (coriander) powder     1 tsp

Salt                                         to taste

Oil

Prep:

1. Peel and slice the potatoes into circles.
2. Thinly slice the onion.
3. Mince the garlic.
4. Chop the chillies.

Method:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a pan on.
3. Splash in some oil.
4. Count to 20.
5. Bounce in the mustard seeds.
6. Toss in the curry leaves.
7. Pop in the garlic.
8. Throw in the onion.
9. Roll in the chillies.
10. Sprinkle in the turmeric, red chilli powder, and dhaniya powder.
11. Cook until the onions are brown.
12. Slide in the potatoes.
13. Toss until the potatoes are coated with the oil in the pan.
14. Chuck in the dill leaves.
15. Add salt to taste.
16. Mix.
17. Pop the lid on.
18. Drop the heat to low.
19. Take the lid off and toss the contents of the pan like a chef at a teppanyaki restaurant every few minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
20. Once the potatoes are cooked, take the lid off and toss and cook for another few minutes until they get crispy.
21. Take the pan to the table.
22. Serve. (I love these with dal chawal)
23. Stuff face.
24. Bask in the glory of your succesfully executed dish.

Tip: For a little extra tang, you can sprinkle the potatoes with amchoor (dry mango) powder when you serve.

Creamy Fish Curry

Hello boys and girls,

Welcome to cooking with Varun! As someone who loves to cook, it is always nice to get compliments on my cooking from friends and family. But what is even better, is getting compliments from a professional.

Back in 2013, I was visiting my cousin and his family in Switzerland over Christmas. 10 days in Switzerland with my cousin, his wife and their 2 kids. My niece was 13 at the time and really quite pleasant to hang around with, and my nephew, the 'Gangnam Style' obsessed pain in the rear, was 7. The first couple of days were peaceful; bros hanging out, catching up over beers, tucking away my bhabhi's sumptuous cooking, occasionally interrupted by shouts of 'Varun chachu, Varun chachu'. Day 3 onwards, my nephew was over his some-strange-bloke-who-appears-to-be-my-dad's-cousin phobia and began following me around singing Rihanna's 'Shine bright like a diamond', at the top of his voice. After 2 days of trying to reason with the kid and bribe him to stop his, what could only be described as wailing, I did my nut. I picked him up by his ankles and walked over to the loo where I offered to dunk his little head in the toilet if he didn't stop singing. He finally swore he'd stop so I set him down but no sooner did his feet hit the floor, that he began singing again. 3 seconds later, he was upside down once more, with his head inches away from the toilet when he decided to use his secret weapon. Taking a deep breath, he started yelling for his Dad to come save him. My cousin arrived a few moments later and stopped and stared at the scene in front of him. Me, hanging his 7 year old son (who was now pretty red in the face), over the toilet about to dunk him and as I braced myself for a scolding, he reached calmly into his pocket, drew out his cell phone and said, 'Wait, photo to lene de'. Smiling broadly, I lowered the little tyke's head closer and closer to the water in the bowl and about the time his ears were past the toilet seat, he was howling so bad, I decided to let him off. Nevertheless, we both learned our lesson. He learned not to mess with Varun chachu and I learned that my cousin was even cooler than I thought he was.

What does this have to do with professionals liking my cooking, you ask? Well, on the very same trip, my cousins friend, who happens to be a chef in a fancy restaurant in Montreaux, was over for dinner on a night I had volunteered to cook fish curry. She had some of the curry and loved it which pretty much made my day.

There are a lot of little anecdotes from the trip that you will come to read from time to time but for now, here's the recipe to that fish curry.

For Creamy Fish Curry, you will need the following:

Fish                                           300 gms (A nice white fish or perhaps, salmon)

Mustard seeds                            3 tsp

Fenugreek seeds                         1 tsp

Onion                                         1 large

Green chillies                              2-3

Ginger garlic paste                      1 tsp

Tomato                                      1 medium

Red chilli powder                         2-3 tsp

Coriander powder                        2 tsp

Cumin powder                             1 tsp

Dry fenugreek (kasoori methi)      small handful

Coconut milk                               400ml tin

Salt                                             to taste

Oil

Prep:

1. Cut the fish into cubes.
2. Chop the chillies.
3. Grind the onion.
4. Puree the tomato.
5. Open the tin of cocolnut milk without cutting yourself.

Method:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a pan on.
3. Count to 20.
4. Splash in some oil.
5. Bounce in the mustard seeds.
6. Drop in the fenugreek seeds.
7. Spoon in the onion. (Careful! It's going to spatter!)
8. Roll in the chillies.
9. Cook until the onion is a light brown.
10. Plop in the ginger garlic paste.
11. Mix.
12. Cook until the mixture resembles me with a tan. (Dark brown. Not burnt!)
13. Sprinkle on the red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.
14. Mix frantically because the mixture is about to burn.
15. Add in a splash of water.
16. Put in the pureed tomato.
17. Mix.
18. Cook until the oil separates from the tomatoes.
19. Pour in the coconut milk.
20. Pour half a cup of water in the coconut milk tin and swill it around to mix with all the milk stuck to the sides of the tin.
21. Pour into the pan.
22. Mix well.
23. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil.
24. Drop the heat to low.
25. Slide in the fish and cook for about 10 minutes with the lid on.
26. Take the lid off.
27. Cook for a couple of minutes.
28. Turn the gas off.
29. Sprinkle on the dry fenugreek (kasoori methi).
30. Serve with rice and a lemon wedge.
31. Stuff face.
32. Bask in the glory of your successfully exceuted dish.

Tip: For a little extra tang, you can add in some tamarind paste. Taste as you add it though. You don't want to add too much and ruin the flavour.

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!