Daal Bhaat Bhaaji

Once in a while, a simple meal is more sumptuous than a gourmet dish. One of my favorites is rice and lentils with a side of a vegetable dish, it could be any vegetable and usually dry, devoid of curry. This is also what is cooked and enjoyed in majority of homes in India, in the state of Maharashtra everyday. It can be made to be healthy or indulgent like how I do it for my family, depends how heavy your hand is with the ladle of Ghee.

Boil pigeon peas with half teaspoon turmeric and a teaspoon of salt. You can add tamarind or tomatoes. Here added is 'cockum', a sour fruit found in the tropical region on Konkan, India

Boil white rice

Chopped onions and crushed garlic cloves

Saute onions and garlic with fresh Bay leaf

Coarsely chopped Spinach

Add Spinach to the fried onions and garlic. Sprinkle turmeric, red chilli powder and salt

Tadka - Curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin

Heat tadka with Ghee until mustard seeds crackle

Add tadka to the cooked Daal (pigeon peas soup)

Serve Rice, Daal with fried Spinach

Szechuan Paneer

My mom never liked Chinese (Indo-Chinese) food in India, so we would usually eat street food with friends and then come home and eat again. With some simple and fresh ingredients you can make a quick stir fry which will take you back to those evenings with your buddies, procrastinating life, over Chinese food. Good times!

Chopped mushrooms, paneer and onions

Saute onion and garlic paste in sesame oil

Add mushrooms and stir over high heat

Add paneer to the reduced mushroom 

Use assortment of Asian sauces

Stir fry with mix of umami sauces until paneer is fried

Serve with rice

Or as an appetizer

Full circle.

There comes a point in your life when you have pushed your creative limits only to recreate your fondest memories. And this exactly what I have experienced with cooking. I have incorporated ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques from around the world and have realized that, the only food that you remember is the one which reminded you of your mom's cooking. It may not taste the same. It may not look the same. It does not even have the same ingredients. But if you are taken back in time with that one bite, you have recreated it.
These recipes follow here as a photoblog. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Ourika Rassaa.

Saute onions and garlic in spiced oil.

Season Tajine with spice oil.

Layer sauteed onions in Tajine.

Layer marinated chicken on onions in Tajine.

In a separate pan saute onions.

Make Chicken bone broth.

Slow cook for an hour and half.

Slow cook chicken and chicken bone broth.

Separate Chicken bones from broth.

Chicken bone broth.

Blend Chicken bone broth.

Heat oil in a pan.

Fry chicken bones.

Add butter to fry chicken.

Fry chicken with butter.

Fried chicken.

Pour blended Chicken broth to fried chicken.

Slow cooked chicken in Tagine.

Add chicken from Tajine to fried chicken broth.

Serve with rice.