Chole

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! You know how as you get older, your little bubbles of belief go pop pop. Like, 'Santa Claus isn't real' or 'There's no such thing as the tooth fairy'? Well I have a real doozy for you! Brace yourself. Sit down if you need to. Ready? Here it comes. Unless you're from north India, the 'chole' that you have been eating all your life with bhaturas or pooris or even in your 'Punjabi' chaats aren't real. They're impostors. Pretenders. They are merely chana masala operating under an alias! Is your mind blown yet? No? Well it will be after you've tasted the outcome of this oh-so-simple recipe.

Today's recipe is what is referred to in my house as kicchad chole. Kicchad meaning muck. This muddy moniker has been conferred upon this dish owing to it's thick muck like consistency. The chole aren't hard and chewy like the ones you've probably had. They're soft and melty. The thick gravy is alive with the flavour of ginger and masalas. Best coupled with fluffy yellow rice, hot crispy bhaturas or aloo tikkis, these chole are the real deal!

Without further ado, on to the recipe!

For my Chole, you will need the following:

Chole (chick peas)	300 gms (Please do not get the canned variety!)
Onion	1 large
Ginger	big chunk
Garlic	2-3 cloves
Dhaniya (coriander) powder	2 tsp
Jeera (cumin) powder	1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder	2 tsp
Chole masala	1 tsp (Yes, chole masala. It works!)
Garam masala	1/2 tsp
Amchoor (dried mango) powder	1 tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil

Prep:

1. Soak the chole overnight.
2. Slice the onion.
3. Julienne the ginger. (Psst.. cut it into straws!)
4. Peel the garlic cloves.
5. Mix all the masalas.

Method:

1. Drain the soaked chole.
2. Empty the chole into a pressure cooker.
3. Add in water until the chole are submerged about 3 fingers deep.
4. Drop in the onion.
5. Plop in the ginger.
6. Pop in the garlic.
7. Sprinkle in some salt.
8. Slap the lid on.
9. Turn on the gas.
10. Crank it up to high.
11. Bung the cooker on.
12. Wait until the first whistle.
13. Drop the heat to low
14. Listen to the whistles and groans for 30 minutes.
15. Turn the gas off.
16. Let the cooker sit until all the steam escapes.
17. Turn on a smaller burner.
18. Bung on a pan.
19. Splash in some oil.
20. Count to 20.
21. Add in the masalas.
22. Cook until very brown.
23. Take the pan off the burner.
24. Open the pressure cooker. 
25. Put the cooker back on the burner.
26. Add in a cup of water if the water is all gone.
27. Smoosh some of the chole against the side of the cooker.
28. Mix well, randomly squishing and bruising the chole. (This is to thicken the gravy.)
29. Add in the browned masalas.
30. Mix well.
31. Add salt to taste.
32. Let the chole bubble and simmer for a few minutes. (Adjust the water content to get the right thickness.)
33. Turn the gas off.
34. Serve with yellow rice, bhaturas or aloo tikkis.
35. Stuff face.
36. Bask in the glory in your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Don't be alarmed at all the whistles and groans in the 30 minute wait. Patience will get you soft melty chole!

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

Methi Chicken

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! You know how grown-ups are always saying, 'Eat your vegetables!', or 'You need more green leafy vegetables in your diet!' and you're thinking, 'Umm.. No thank you, I'm fine with my chicken!'. Then there's people who try to convince you to try 'different' things, knowing full well that you want nothing to do with them, 'Beta karela kha lo. It's not that bitter. Accha lagega.', and you're still thinking, 'Umm.. No thank you, I'm fine with my chicken!'. Yes? Well then this recipe is for you! It offers a wonderful combination of a very underrated green leafy vegetable that is ever so slightly bitter to the taste, and tender juicy chicken that when cooked together with the right spices will introduce you to a whole new world of flavour.

I can't recall my mum making this (although I suspect she'll be calling me 'kanjar', when she reads this), but it is something that I have eaten a few times and enjoyed, and with some input from my mum and my own spin on things, I've come up with a recipe that I'm sure you'll like, and cook over and over.

The recipe is methi chicken; methi being fenugreek leaves and chicken being well.. chicken. Methi is native to the subcontinent and although you won't find it at your local grocery store abroad, you'll definitely find some at your friendly neighbourhood Indian store, probably sitting next to big bunches of dill and mint and spinach. So the next time you foreign types are in there to replenish your stock of all things 'subcontinenty', wander over to the fruit and veg aisle and pick up a couple of bunches of this bad boy. I promise, you won't be disappointed!

For my Methi Chicken you will need the following:

Chicken	400 gms
Methi (fenugreek leaves)	2 bunches
Onions	1.5 large
Tomatoes	2 medium to large (get nice red ones or open a tin)
Potatoes	2 medium
Green chillies	4
Cumin	1-2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste	1 tsp (I'd freshly chop it if I were you)
Dhaniya (coriander) powder	2 tsp
Jeera (cumin) powder	1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder	2-3 tsp
Haldi (turmeric)	pinch
Garam masala	big pinch
Amchoor (dry mango) powder	sprinkle
Salt	to taste
Water	1 cup
Oil

Prep:

1. Wash and cut the chicken.
2. Wash and roughly chop the methi.
3. Peel and quarter the potatoes.
4. Grate (or blitz) the onions.
5. Puree the tomatoes. (As always, watch out for the edge of the tin.)
6. Chop the chillies.
7. Mince the ginger.
8. Mince the garlic.

Method:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a pan on.
3. Splash in some oil.
4. Count to 20.
5. Throw in the cumin.
6. Slide the chillies in off the chopping board.
7. Watch a couple roll off the wrong side and roll under the pan or on the floor.
8. Try to get the bit under the pan with your fingers, pretending the heat doesn't bother you.
9. Burn fingers.
10. Give up.
11. Add in the ginger and garlic.
12. Breathe in the fresh aroma.
13. Add in the onions.
14. Dodge the spatter.
15. Cook until the onions get brown. (Not unlike the dusky beauty at the checkout counter of the Indian store.)
16. Drop the heat to low.
17. Sprinkle in the dhaniya powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder.
18. Pinch in the haldi and garam masala.
19. Mix well.
20. Cook until you're afraid the onions will burn.
21. Splash in some water.
22. Pour in the tomato puree.
23. Throw in the methi.
24. Cook until the oil separates from the tomatoes. (At this point, your methi will have started to shrivel.)
25. Pop in the chicken.
26. Plop in the potatoes.
27. Cook for a few minutes until the chicken goes white.
28. Add in a cup of water.
29. Shake in the salt.
30. Bump the heat up a notch.
31. Put the lid on.
32. Hang around idly for about 15-20 minutes.
33. Take the lid off.
34. Wipe the steam from your glasses.
35. Cook without the lid until the gravy reaches the desired consistency.
36. Turn the gas off.
37. Sprinkle of the amchoor.
38. Serve with rotis.
39. Stuff face.
40. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Onions cook quicker if you sprinkle some salt on them. So if you're in a rush or just impatient, sprinkle some salt on the onions when you drop them into the oil. Remember to add less salt later to compensate. Taste as you cook.

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

Peppery Prawn Curry

Hello boys and girls,

Welcome to cooking with Varun! Anyone else out there like prawns? And I mean really like prawns? I for one, love those little guys! Little compared to me anyway, I like my prawns big! I remember this one time, my Dad, brought home this gorgeous prawn curry with prawns bigger than ping pong balls, my eyes nearly fell out of my head! And the flavour was out of this world! Spicy with a hint of coconut! Piping hot curry on a bed of white rice and the ping pong prawns. Aww! Got drool on my keyboard again!

I remember, when I was in college, my friends and I would go out to eat every so often and some weekends we'd go for a buffet lunch. I don't know about other kids, but my allowance back then wasn't exactly massive so the objective of any buffet was, 'Get your money's worth!', and we'd tell ourselves, stuff your face with as many expensive things as humanly possible to cover the buffet cost and anything else is secondary. There was a magical post exam night when I ate 24 (very expensive) jumbo prawns on skewers (along with the rest of the buffet of course) and then spent all night holding my stomach but all I could think was, 'Worth it!'. I'm not suggesting everyone follow my method but I can proudly say, thanks to this simple practice, I've made the most of every buffet I've been to!

As far as cooking goes, over the years, I've tried out many different prawn recipes, ranging from starters to curries with gravies that contain coconut milk and chillies or tomatoes or even mustard. Today's recipe is a peppery tomato and onion based gravy that is hot enough to make you sweat, but not so hot as to burn your taste buds so you can't taste the prawns.

For Peppery Prawn Curry, you will need the following:

Prawns	500 gms (as big as you can get them)
Onion	1 large
Tomatoes	2 medium (tinned tomatoes will give it a great colour)
Green chillies	3-4
Mustard seeds (rai)	2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste	1 tsp
Dhaniya (coriander) powder	2 tsp
Red chilli powder	1 tsp
Black Pepper	2 tsp
Jeera (cumin) powder	1/2 tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil

Prep:

1. De-vein the prawns if you haven't already got them done. To do this, grab a small knife, hold it like a pencil and cut out the dark line running through the outside of the prawn.
2. Finely chop the onion.
3. Pop open the tomato can if you're using tinned tomatoes. (Try not to slice open your finger. I've done this more times than I care to count. I know you want your food to have that rich red colour but this isn't the way to do it!)
4. Puree the tomatoes.
5. Chop the chillies.

Method:

1. Turn the gas on.
2. Bung on a pan.
3. Splash in some oil.
4. Count to 20.
5. Bounce in the mustard seeds.
6. Slide in the chillies.
7. Grab the lid to the pan as a proactive measure to thwart the onions' dastardly plan of spattering you as it hits the oil.
8. Add in the onion.
9. Throw the lid on.
10. Listen with satisfaction as the lid is peppered with a mixture of oil and onion water!
11. Wait for the spattering to subside.
12. Gingerly remove the lid.
13. Deftly avoid the last ditch sneak attack of the onion spatter.
14. Cook the onions until brown.
15. Add in the ginger garlic paste.
16. Mix into the onions and cook for a few minutes.
17. Sprinkle in the dhaniya powder, chilli powder, jeera powder and the pepper.
18. Pour in the tomato puree.
19. Cook until the oil separates from the tomatoes.
20. Add in the salt.
21. Pour in 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer.
22. Plop in the prawns.
23. Drop the heat down to a little above low and slide the lid back on.
24. Cook for 5 minutes.
25. Take the lid off.
26. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the gravy meets the desired consistency.
27. Turn the gas off.
28. Serve with rice.
29. Stuff face.
30. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Never cook the prawns for more than a few minutes. Overcooking prawns makes them shrivel up and makes the texture rubbery. 

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

Walnut, Date, And Honey Cake

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! You know, I was on Facebook a few days ago and I noticed that more and more people were adding 'Life Events', and I got to thinking, that in a time when my friends are adding events like, 'Got Engaged to..' or 'Married..', the most I can put up is, 'Learned to bake a cake!'. I know, I know, their life events aren't as great as mine, but let's face it, baking isn't for everybody! Now, now, don't look so put out, I'm only joking, but you cannot deny the joy you feel when you open the oven door and your kitchen is filled with the glorious smell of freshly baked cake. A joy eclipsed, perhaps, only by the act of cutting yourself a big piece and taking a bite of the warm, sweet, light sponge!

As far as cakes go, if baked right, I don't think there's such a thing as a bad cake. I mean, chocolatey and sticky or warm and nutty or even a good old fashioned Victoria sponge, just give me a big ol' piece of cake and I'll be in high heaven! And today, I'm going to walk you through a simple recipe that if you follow correctly, you will end up with a gorgeously soft and deliciously nutty cake that you can put together and bake in 90 minutes. Just imagine the beaming face of a loved one you can surprise on their birthday or anniversary or just about any occasion! But enough of this, on to the recipe!

For Walnut, Date, and Honey Cake, you will need the following:

Self raising flour                                   225 gms

Butter                                                  175 gms

Sugar (brown, if you can wangle it)        100 gms

Dates                                                   100 gms

Walnuts                                                50 gms

Honey                                                   3 tbsp

Bananas (ripe)                                       2

Eggs                                                      2 large

Cinnamon                                              1/2 tsp

Prep:

1. Beat the eggs.
2. Mash the bananas.
3. Chop up the dates.
4. Roughly chop the walnuts.
5. Soften the butter.
6. Grab a 1kg loaf tin to bake the cake in.
7. Tear off a piece of greaseproof paper (that's the really smooth, kind of oily one).
8. Use it to butter the inside of the loaf tin.
9. Line the inside of the tin (bottom and sides) with greaseproof paper. (The butter will help it hold on to the tin. Post-baking, this will make sure your cake comes out in one piece without breaking or sticking.)
10. Turn the oven on to 140 degrees Celsius if it is fan powered or 160 degrees Celsius if gas powered.

Method:

1. Take a deep breath.
2. Grab a large mixing bowl.
3. Tip in the flour.
4. Drop in the butter.
5. Add in the sugar.
6. Sprinkle in the cinnamon.
7. Add in the honey.
8. Pour in the eggs.
9. Plop in the bananas.
10. Throw in the dates.
11. Toss in the walnuts.
12. Grab a wooden spoon.
13. Flex your biceps.
14. Beat the contents of the bowl for about 3 minutes until your arm feels like it is about to fall off and the ingredients are well mixed.
15. Tip the mixture into the baking tin.
16. Use the wooden spoon to smoothen the mixture.
17. Sprinkle some walnuts over the top.
18. Open the oven door.
19. Get hit with a heat blast.
20. Curse.
21. Slide the tin into the oven.
22. Close the oven door.
23. Clock watch for 60 minutes. (Or do something productive!)
24. In 60 minutes, open the oven door.
25. Get hit by another heat blast. (This time with the smell of fresh cake!)
26. Remember you haven't got your oven mitts on.
27. Put on your oven mitts.
28. Gently take the tin out.
29. Stick a knife in the cake.
30. If the knife comes out clean (it will be buttery), turn the oven off. If not, bake for another 10 minutes.
31. Lift the cake out of the tin using the greaseproof paper.
32. Place on a cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes.
33. Serve.
34. Stuff face.
35. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: You can drizzle some honey over the top as it cools to give it a sticky kick!

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

Rajma Chawal

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! If truth be told, I am more than a little excited about today's dish! To say that it is my favourite is an understatement. I mean, we're talking about a dish that is embedded so deeply in my life, it's practically a part of who I am! I remember visiting my Nanima (maternal grandmother) in Delhi when I was little, every year when schools broke for summer and occasionally Diwali vacations. I had a special plate that only I would eat out of. Well, there was a set, but it wasn't for everyday use but me being me (and Nanima being Nanima), I always got my plate! (Although my younger sister and my cousins often piggybacked onto my demands and got one from the same set). A white plate with red roses around the circumference, linked with green stems and a big serving of arguably the best rajma chawal in the world, in the middle. Years have past, and Nanima isn't around anymore, but I still get my rajma chawal, cooked using the same recipe, in the same plate, whenever I'm in Delhi.

Thankfully, the magic of Nanima's rajma chawal still lingers in the family's cooking and surprisingly, in my own. A few years ago, I made a trip to Delhi sans my folks to meet Nanima and I was welcomed, not surprisingly, with my favourite rajma chawal. The next day, I went to visit my aunt who also welcomed me with, yes, rajma chawal. To make matters better (yes, better!), the very next day when I went to visit another aunt, I was welcomed once again, with rajma chawal! After 3 consecutive days of rajma chawal, I realized that I had found the one thing that I would never get tired of eating. This was true then and it is true now. And after months of avoiding learning to cook it, for fear that it would never taste as good, I finally gave in and asked my mum for the recipe and was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't suck at making it. I was in fact, pretty good and having made it a fair few times over the past several months, I have finally deemed myself worthy of sharing it with you.

So crack those knuckles, loosen those limbs, and stretch those muscles, for we are about to dive headfirst into the recipe for the greatest Punjabi dish ever. Rajma chawal!

For the Rajma, you will need the following:

Rajma (kidney beans)	250 gms
Onion	1 large
Tomatoes	2 large
Ginger garlic paste	2 tsp
Dhaniya (coriander) powder	2 tsp
Jeera (cumin) powder	1 tsp
Red chilli powder	2-3 tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil

Prep:

1. Soak the rajma in water overnight (or for an hour in warm water if you've forgotten).
2. Grate the onion.
3. Pureé the tomatoes. (Or just use tomato pureé.)

Method:

1. Discard the floaty rajma.
2. Drain the water from the rajma.
3. Grab a pressure cooker.
4. Bounce the rajma in.
5. Add water until the rajma is submerged under 3 fingers of the liquid.
6. Pinch in some salt.
7. Lock the pressure cooker.
8. Turn the gas on. 
9. Crank it up to high.
10. Bung the cooker on.
11. Daydream.
12. Break out of your reverie by the cooker whistling.
13. Drop the heat on the cooker burner to low and leave it for 30 minutes. (Ignore all the hissing and spitting.)
14. Turn the burner off.
15. Wait for the steam to escape the cooker. (Don't open it!)
16. Put on another burner.
17. Bung a saucepan/kadhai on.
18. Splash in some oil.
19. Count to 20.
20. Arm yourself with the lid to the kadhai.
21. Slide in the onions.
22. Slap the lid on to prevent the sputtering oil from making your cook-top all oily!
23. Cook the onions until they get light brown.
24. Add in the ginger garlic paste.
25. Cook until the onions get really brown. (Not unlike my complexion after a football game on a summer afternoon in India.)
26. Sprinkle in the coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder.
27. Mix.
28. Add in a dash of water.
29. Mix until the powders blend in with the onion.
30. Pour in the pureed tomatoes.
31. Cook until the oil separates from the tomatoes indicating the tomatoes are cooked.
32. Bring the heat down to low.
33. Shift attention to the pressure cooker.
34. Lift the weight to let out any lingering steam
35. Open the cooker. (The rajma should be soft and bursty to the touch.)
36. Fish out the rajma and add them into the tomato-onion base. (Don't pour the water away!)
37. Cook for a minute or two.
38. Pour in the rajma-water from the cooker into the kadhai.
39. Mix well.
40. Add salt to taste.
41. Simmer for a few minutes adjusting the consistency as desired.
42. Turn gas off.
43. Serve with (jeera) rice.
44. Stuff face.
45. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Leftover rajma is best enjoyed with a spicy parantha.

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