Mustard Crusted Tuna with Spiced Couscous

Its tuna season, at least in Bangalore it is, and there were some wonderfully fresh specimens at the store. I love the feel of tuna, its skin has this leathery quality and the entire fish glistens in the light. I also decided to filet it at home, which with tuna is such a painful task as it has these little pin bones throughout. I served it up with a yellow mustard crust and some saffron infused couscous. The mustard adds a bitter crust, so if you're not serving it with the couscous, choose something a little sweet to cut through the bitterness.

Ingredients

Tuna

• 2 skin-on filets of tuna
• 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tsp paprika
• 4 peppercorns
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste

Couscous

• 1/2 cup dry instant couscous
• 1/2 cup water (or such other quantity as specified in the couscous instructions)
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 1/2 onion, filed chopped
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1 pinch saffron
• 4 almonds, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Grind the mustard seeds, paprika and peppercorns into a fine mixture.
2. Pat dry the tuna filets and rub salt into them.
3. Place them skin side down and dust with the mustard seeds powder. Cover the flesh side evenly with the mustard powder mixture by shaking the dish.
4. Set aside for 15 minutes.
5. Heat the oil in a pan, on high heat. 
6. Once it starts smoking, reduce the heat to a medium-high and add the tuna filets skin-side down.
7. Let the skin crispen up and then flip to cook the flesh side down.
8. Once the mustard crust forms and the fish is cooked to your desired doneness (I like it well done), remove from the heat.
9. Add the saffron to the tbsp of hot water and set aside to infuse.
10. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions.
11. Sweat out the onions till they turn translucent, then lower the heat and add the couscous.
12. Stir around to even coat the couscous and add the nutmeg powder.
13. Heat the remaining water and add the saffron liquid to it.
14. Add the hot water to the couscous and set aside for 5 minuted, covered.
15. Add the chopped almonds to the couscous and fluff it.
16. Create a bed with the couscous and place the fish on top. Serve hot, with a sprinkling of lime juice.

Baguette and Braided Bread

Warm bread lathered with fresh butter and served up with scrambled eggs; show me a person who can resist that. I left the dough to rise over-night, so it had a little sourness through it, but it can be made with just 4 hours of resting time. Also, I used a mix of wholewheat and white flour, to make just that little bit healthier. The same dough can be used to make braided bread, baguettes, pain d'epi or any other artisan bread. The preparation time is around 30 minutes for the kneading and 4 hours (minimum) to rest, and the cooking time is 25 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 cups white flour
• 1 cup luke warm water
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp sugar
• salt to taste

Method

1. Mix the sugar and yeast in the lukewarm water, and set aside for a few minutes.
2. When the yeast mixture starts frothing, add it to the flours and salt.
3. Make a soft dough, and knead it, punch it and roll it around to release that gluten.
4. Once the dough is elastic and contracts when stretched, roll into a ball and place in a large bowl.
5. Cover with a cloth and keep aside in a dry and cool place to rise.
6. Set aside till the dough doubles in size, about 4 hours or overnight.
7. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and split into four equal parts.
8. Roll out the each part into any desired shape and keep aside for 30 minutes.
9. Beat the egg and once each part has doubled in size, baste with the beaten egg.
10. Place each part on a floured board and in a pre-heated oven at 190C.
11. Cook for 20-25 minutes, till the bread gets a golden brown crust.
12. Lather with butter and serve up warm with soup or scrambled eggs.

Pan fried Pomfret with Zucchini Couscous

Got a new camera, so have put up bigger and clearer pictures. Also finally found some cous-cous in Bangalore, so I put the two together to produce that. A fresh filet of black pomfret lightly seasoned and pan fried served on a bed of zucchini couscous with some lemon juiced on top. You can use any firm white fleshed fish, I used pomfret as it adds sweetness and remains moist through the frying process. A thin bottom feeder, like sole is ideal for such pan frying as it skin crispens up beautifully. I rehydrated the couscous in chicken stock to add flavour, but ordinary salted water or vegetable stock can be used as well. This is quite literally a 15 minute dish, with the preparation taking around 10 minutes and the cooking another 5 minutes.

Ingredients

Fish

• 2 filets of black pomfret with skin
• 1 tsp paprika
• flour for dusting
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp butter

Cous-cous

• 3/4 cup dry couscous
• 3/4 cup chicken stock (or as per package instructions)
• 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
• Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Wash and pat dry the fish filets, and add the paprika, salt and pepper to the flesh side of the filets.
2. Rub the seasonings into the flesh of the fish and dust with flour.
3. Rub a little salt on the skin side of the fish.
4. Spread the flour on the fish and set aside for 10 minutes.
5. The flour and salt will pull some water out of the fish to make firmer.
6. Heat the oil in a pan.
7. When the oil begins to smoke, lower the heat to a moderate-high heat and add the butter.
8. Stir and melt the butter, and once the froth subsides add the fish, skin side down to the pan.
9. Shake a pan slightly to make sure the fish does not stick and then leave it on a moderate-high heat for 3-4 minutes.
10. Once the skin has crispened, gently flip the fish onto the flesh side.
11. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
12. Remove from the pan and save the butter-oil mixture.
13. Heat the chicken stock and add it to the couscous, cover and set aside to rehydrate for 5 minutes.
14. Fry the zucchini in the butter-oil liquid (add a tbsp more oil in case the fish absorbs most of the oil), to soften and cook through.
15.  Mix the rehydrated couscous with the zucchini and create a bed of the couscous on a plate.
16. Place the fish over the couscous and dress with the lemon juice.

Hortobagy Pancakes

Soft crepes stuffed with either chicken or a vegetarian protein (like paneer) and served with a creamy sauce. These 'pancakes' are very vocally claimed to be a Hungarian creation from the 1950s and can be served at breakfast with a hot cup of strong coffee or at lunch. Its really easy and uses a handful of ingredients. Its also a very creamy and rich dish. I had these at the winter wonderland christmas market at Hyde Park, and spent many hours of the next week googling away to figure out its name.

The total preparation time is around 30 minutes and the cooking time is around 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Crepe

• 1 1/2 cups plain white flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup carbonated water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 3 tsp sugar

Filling

• 300g boneless chicken filets, sliced (I used thigh, but you can use any cut)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1tbsp plain white flour
• 3 tbsp fresh cream
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 3 tsp sweet paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Crepe

1. Mix all of the ingredients together to create a smooth batter. In case you dont have carbonated water, just add 1/2 tsp baking powder to the mix. Set it aside for a hour.
2. Heat a flat pan on medium high heat, and oil its surface lightly.
3. Add a ladleful of the batter to the hot pan and turn the pan to spread the batter out.
4. Let is cook for a few minutes, until lightly brown.
5. Turn over and let it cook for a minute.
6. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.

Filling

1. Heat the oil and fry the onions until translucent. 
2. Add the tomatoes and let it cook down on high heat till it softens.
3. Add the chicken slices, paprika and pepper and let it cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add some water and salt to taste and cook covered till the chicken slices are completely cooked through.
5. Beat the cream lightly with the flour to create a smooth mixture. Add a little milk if the mixture is too thick.
6. Reduce the heat and add the cream mixture and let it infuse on low heat for 3 minutes.

Pancakes

1. Grease an oven proof tray and pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees centigrade.
2. Take a crepe, add some of the chicken slices in the centre and bring the sides in to create a thick roll. Tuck the sides in and place fold side down in the oven proof tray.
3. Keep the stuffed pancakes close in together to prevent them from unravelling.
4. Take the leftover cream sauce from the filling and spread it over the pancakes.
5. Place in the oven for 10 minutes, and serve up right after.
6. These pancakes can be served either as it is, or with a cream sauce, made by heating, on a low heat, 2 tbsp cream with paprika and salt, poured over.

Kanom Krok

Little thai dumplings that are crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside, with a sweet coconut milk jelly filling. I had these in thailand, stuffed with crisp bacon and scallions. These little dumplings need a special pan, called an appa pan, a flat bottomed pan with small circular indentations for batter (like an aebleskiver pan), and with the amount of coconut milk in, are quite easy free to make as it slips off the pan. It needs around 30 minutes of preparatory time and 4-5 minutes to cook. They're great by themselves, or can be served with a little sweet chili sauce to add some heat.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp rice flour
• 2 tbsp uncooked rice
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 1/2 cup water
• 5 cups coconut milk
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• chopped cilantro to garnish (or finely chopped scallions, ginger or bacon bits)

Method

1. Heat 1 cup of the coconut milk with the cornflour water mixture and 2 tbsp sugar. Heat on a low flame and cook until it thickens to create a sweet thick coconut jelly. Set aside and let it cool.
2. Grind the grated coconut and uncooked rice together into a fine mixture.
3. Add the remaining coconut milk, sugar, rice flour and salt and blend it with the ground rice mixture to create a thin batter.
4. Heat the appa pan on a low flame and pour spoonfuls of the batter into each indentation, making sure that it remains just below the rim of each indentation. I used a non-stick pan and thus didn't need to add any oil to the pan, but in case your pan isn't non-stick, brush some oil over it prior to pouring the batter. 
5. Add a small spoonful of the jelly to the top of the batter and garnish lightly with the chopped cilantro.
6. Cover and let it cook for around 3-4 minutes on a low flame, until the bottom of each dumpling half is a crisp brown.
7. Take out each dumpling half with a spoon and keep aside.
8. While still hot, place one half over another to create a circular dumpling and leave aside. Do this while hot as the jelly will act as a glue and keep the dumpling halves together.
9. Keep stirring the batter prior to pouring as the ground rice will settle to the bottom.
10. Serve hot, but be aware that the jelly will be piping hot. So avoid gulping down or biting directly into the dumpling. Gin Dee Dee

Hummus Bi Tahini

Have a new food processor, or your food processor is just being a cranky old cow, give it a good work-out with hummus. Nothing tests out the capacity of a food processor than hummus, especially when you make the tahini just before it. Its a simple enough recipe, with all of 5-6 ingredients and a minimal preparatory time. The only thing that really needs to prepped are the chickpeas, either by soaking the dry chickpeas overnight or by soaking it for 4 hours in boiling water, in both cases with a little baking soda added to help it soften.

Ingredients

Tahini

• 1 cup white sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt to taste

Hummus

• 2 cups chickpeas
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• salt to taste

Method

Tahini

1. Roast the sesame seeds in a pan, and keep shaking it around to prevent it burning. 
2. Roast until the seeds are aromatic and have turned a light brown.
3. Take them off the heat and place into another pan to stop the cooking process.
4. Once cool, add it to the food processor and grind until fine.
5. Add the olive oil and some salt to the mash and run the food processor again to create a thick paste. 
6. This tahini can be stored away and used as a spread or dip.

Hummus

1. The quantities listed above will make about a 1/4 cup of tahini, or about 2 tablespoons.
2. Boil the chickpeas 4 cups water with the garlic and a tsp of baking soda.
3. Boil until cooked through, where you can crush the chickpeas between your fingers.
4. Strain the chickpeas and garlic and keep the cooking liquor aside.
5. Add the chickpeas, garlic, chili powder and tahini to a blender, add around 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquor.
6. Blend until smooth to create a thick paste. You can add a little more of the cooking liquor to make a lighter paste.
7. This hummus can be serves by itself with jalapeneos, or in a wrap with some  baby spinach, onion and a light fruit vinegar.

Mutton Donne Biryani

A gloriously minty and ever popular biryani here in Bangalore, with significant variations from one locality to another. This quick and hassle-free biryani comes in colours that vary from bright almost phosphorent green to a muted yellow with specks of green. This biryani can be made with chicken or mutton and needs around 40 minutes to prepare, with the cooking time being around 15-20 minutes. The proportions in this recipe will be enough for around 4 people. Serve with a chilled cucumber and onion raita and a hard boiled egg.

Ingredients

Mutton

• 1/2 kg Mutton, cut into big bite sized chunks
• 1 tsp red chili power
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp oil

Mint Paste

• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 green chilies, chopped
• 1 bunch mint leaves, chopped
• 1 bunch coriander leaves with stalks (or substitute with a handful of mint)
• 1 tbsp oil

Biryani

• 3 cups basmati rice, washed and cleaned
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 2-3 strands of mace
• 8 black peppercorns
• 2 inches cinnamon, broken
• 1 tbsp ghee
• salt to taste

Method

Mutton

1. Mix the ingredients, other than the mutton and oil, together to create a thick paste and rub it into the mutton.
2. Set aside for 2 hours.
3. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add the mutton with the marinade.
4. Stir and cook the mutton for 2-3 minutes and add 5 cups of water.
5. Close the pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes, until the meat is tender.
6. Separate the meat from the stock and keep both aside.

Mint Paste

1. Heat the oil and ghee together and add the onions.
2. Fry the onions till they turn brown around the edges.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and chopped green chilies and let it cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the mint and coriander and let it cooked covered for another 2 minutes.
5. Take it off the heat, let it cool and make a blitz in a food processor with a little water to make a thick paste.

Biryani

1. Heat the ghee in a cooking pot and add the spices.
2. Cook until fragrant and add the mint paste, rice and mutton.
3. Stir it around to ensure that the paste evenly coats the mutton and the rice.
4. Add the stock, cover the lid and let it cook on medium/high heat till the rice absorbes all of the liquid.
5. Serve with raita and a hard-boiled egg.