Martini - Stirred, Not Shaken!

It is Thursday night. We are one step away from the Woohoo! Friday. Yet, it is the fourth working day and I need a drink. One Martini would be just perfect. One drink and still in time for work without a hangover on a Friday Morning. Perfect!

Martini is made with either Gin or Vodka. Classic Martini is made with Gin and Vermouth.

Red Vermouth is sweeter and White Vermouth is is less sweet.

Classic Martini

Ingredients

Ice Cubes    6

Gin   3 measures

Vermouth    1/2 measure

Lesser Vermouth will make the Martini Dry.

Olive     1 or three studded on a toothpick

Lemon Rind   1 thin strip

Method:

Put the Martini Glass in the freezer before you begin to prepare the Martini.

In a mixing glass, add in ice cubes.

Pour the gin and vermouth over the ice and stir vigorously (Don't Shake).

Strain into the chilled Martini Glass.

Serve with Olive and Lemon Rind.

Other Martinis:

Vodka Martini : Replace the Gin with 3 measures of Vodka.

The Gibson: 4 measures of Gin or Vodka with 1 measure of Dry Vermouth. Garnish with a Pickled Onion.

Martinez Cocktail: 1 measure Gin and 2 measures Sweet vermouth with a dash of Angostura Bitters and two dashes of Maraschino Cherries.

Dirty Martini: Just add some Olive Brine from the Jar into the Martini for that Dirty Martini.

Smoky Martini: Gin with Scotch Whisky. 

Beverage Measures

1 Measure  30 ml


Part           A part simply refers to a fraction of the glass that the drink is being served in.

Drop         A drop is simply a drop. 

Pony        30 ml

Shot         30 ml 

Dash       1/6th of a teaspoon or 1/32 of an ounce.

Splash     1/8th of an ounce or 1 teaspoon.

Eight Baby-Steps to Get the Bengali Yogurt Fish Curry Right. Doi Macch

Doi Machh is a yogurt based, mildly spiced fish curry from Bengal. It is prepared with a fresh water fish called Rohu or Greas carp Fish. If Rohu or Greas carp Fish is unavailable, this curry can be prepared with any other fresh water fish. The fish is cut into Bengali style pieces which means it is cleaned, the scales are removed, it is cut lengthwise and then cut into regular slices, which gives you thick triangular slices(Half of a darne).

The best thing about this recipe is that it is simple and delicious. Bengali moms will tell you that the head of the fish is the most flavourful part. Even if you don’t want to eat the head of the fish, add it to the curry while cooking and discard it later.

Doi Machh – Serves 4

Ingredients

Fresh Water Fish (Rohu)     600g, cut into Bengali Style Pieces

Turmeric (Haldi)    1 ½ teaspoon + ½ teaspoon

Salt (Namak)   to taste

Unsalted, Clarified Butter (Ghee)   2 tablespoons

Dried Red Chilli (Sukhi Lal Mirch)   2

Bay Leaf (tej patta)  1

Green Cardomom (Chhoti Elaichi)  5 pods

Clove  (laung)   3 cloves

Cinnamon (Dal Chini)  ½ piece

Onion (Pyaz)  2, small, quartered

Ginger (Adrak)  1 inch piece

Yogurt (Dahi)  1 cup

Refined Flour (Maida)  1 tablespoon

Almonds     6, blanched, peeled and grind into a fine paste

Method:

Rub salt and turmeric to the cut pieces of fish. Set aside and let it stand for thirty minutes.

In a pan, heat clarified butter (ghee), once the ghee is hot, add in dried red chilli and the whole spices, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon.

Once the spices turn a shade darker, add in the onion, add in ½ teaspoon of turmeric and stir, allow the onion to brown.

Add in the fish and stir. Add in ½ cup water, stir and allow the fish to cook on a low flame for five minutes.

In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of refined flour with 1 cup yogurt. Whisk the mixture well.

Add in this yogurt mixture to the fish and stir well.

Allow the curry to simmer for three minutes.

Add in the almond paste, stir it in and allow it cook for another two minutes.

Put the fish pieces in the serving bowl.  Strain the curry before adding it to the fish in the serving bowl.

Serve hot with Luchi (Bengali Bread).

Have You Tried a the Unique Curry made out of Banana Bark?

Bengali Banana Stem Curry (Thor Ghonto)

I am preparing the banana stem. It tastes similar to a bottle gourd; the texture is somewhat crispy and way more fibrous than the bottle gourd. I was very excited about preparing and trying out this curry. Just the day before, Mrs. Basu my mother’s friend had taught me the recipe and the intricacies of cleaning and preparing the banana stem recipe. Fortunately, the following day, our ten foot banana tree had to be cut down. The fruit was too heavy for the tree but I was ready to rescue the stem and add it to my delicious Bengali curry.

The Banana flower and the banana stem are both delicacies in Bengali culture. If you are new to these ingredients and recipes, like me, it may take a little time to adapt to the flavours and textures of this recipe. I must warn you it is not an easy job to get to that flavourful banana stem. Layers of the bark are peeled and right at the core is an off white, spine of the tree which is used in this curry. 

The Banana Stem or flower, whichever you choose, is first chopped and dipped in water with salt and a pinch of turmeric. For the banana stem, once it is chopped and dipped in the salt and turmeric water, it releases thread like fibres from its surface. These fibres must be removed before cooking the stem.

Banana Bark Curry – Serves 2

Ingredients

Banana bark (Kele ke ped ka tana)    200g piece, chopped 

Salt (namak)  to taste

Turmeric (Haldi)   1 teaspoon

Ginger (adrak)     1 ½ inch piece

Corinader Greens (Hara Dhaniya)    1 cup

Green Chilli ( Hari Mirch)     2

Cumin (Jeera), roasted    1 teaspoon

Bengal Gram/ Black Chickpeas (Kala Chana), soaked overnight     ½ cup

Clarified Butter (Ghee)   2 tablespoon

Green Cardomom (Chhoti Elaichi)      2 pods

Cloves (laung)  3

Cinnamon (Dal Chinni)   ½ inch piece

Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)  1

Whole Wheat Flour (Atta)   1 tablespoon

Milk (Doodh)    3 tablespoons

Method.

Cut the banana bark and dip it in salt and turmeric water for thirty minutes.

Remove the fibres of the banana bark with your hands.

Steam the banana bark in steaming vessel or on a strainer placed over boiling water. Allow it to cook for fifteen to twenty minutes, until it is half done. Set Aside.

Make a smooth paste with Coriander, green chilli, Cumin and ginger. Marinate the banana bark along with the soaked Bengal gram in the mixture for an hour.

Heat clarified butter in a pan. Add in the whole spices, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf. Once the whole spices turn a shade darker, add in the marinated banana stem and the Bengal gram to the pan.

Cook for fifteen minutes on medium heat. Stir. Put the lid on and cook for fifteen minutes on a low flame. Sprinkle a few drops of water if necessary.

Mix the flour and milk together in a bowl. Add this mixture in the curry and stir it in. Allow the curry to cook for five minutes on low heat, until the flour in the curry is cooked completely.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Note: There is a lot of iron in the banana bark. It goes black if it is not dipped in turmeric water immediately. 

Saturday Night.. Time to Get the Good Stuff Out: Long Island Iced tea

It is Saturday night and it is time for lots of alcohol. Tequila with salt and lime? Nope, that's not it. How about white rum with Cola, gin and tonic or some Vodka with orange juice? How about put them all together. I am not up for just a tequila or white rum tonight. I will drink up the entire distillery. To redefine 'drinking like a fish!'.

So, there I am going to pour in tequila and the gin with vodka, white rum and some Cointreau. I am going for some Long island Iced Tea.

Long Island Iced Tea

Ingredients

6 Ice Cubes

1/2 measure Gin

1/2 measure Vodka

1/2 measure White Rum

1/2 measure Tequila

1/2 measure Cointreau

1 measure fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 teaspoon Sugar Syrup

Cola, to top up

Slice of lemon to Decorate

Method:

In a mixing glass, put the ice cubes, add in gin, vodka, tequila, white, Cointreau, lemon juice and sugar syrup. Stir well and strain into a glass. Top it up with Cola and decorate with a slice of lemon.

Four of those for me please!

Moist Dark Chocolate Mousse with Orange and Vodka: Irresistible

I call this a seduction recipe. It can seduce anyone, your man or your woman, your boss or your colleagues. It is the perfect bribe. I mean don’t get me wrong, chocolate mousse is a great bribe in itself but this just adds that extra X factor that will seal the deal for you. So go ahead because winning has never been simpler.

Layered Dark Chocolate and Orange Vodka Mousse – Serves 2

Ingredients:

Dark Cooking Chocolate    2 cups, chopped

Butter      1 tablespoon

Gelatine      1 ½ teaspoon + 1 ½ teaspoon (soaked separately in 3 teaspoons of water each)

Whipped Cream     1 cup

Egg, separated            2

Water    2 tablespoon

Orange, peeled            6 to 8 segments, de-skinned, cut into half

Orange marmalade    1 ½  tablespoon

Vodka     2 tablespoon

Method:

For the Dark Chocolate Mousse

In a pan, add Dark cooking chocolate + Butter. Melt this mixture with a tablespoon of milk in the microwave OR

In another wider and deeper pan, add water 1 ½ inch high and allow it to come to a boil.

Place the pan with the chocolate and butter over the boiling water and allow the chocolate and butter to melt in the double boiler.

Once, the chocolate is warm, take the pan off the heat and add in 1 ½ teaspoon of soaked gelatine (that is half the quantity that was soaked in water) in the melted chocolate. Allow the gelatine to melt, mix well.

Allow this mixture to set in the refrigerator for thirty minutes.

Just before layering the mousse, add in ½ cup whipped cream and fold it in the chocolate mousse.

For the Orange Layer

Soak the de-skinned, cut up segments of orange in Vodka for about an hour.

Separate the eggs. Take two egg yolks in a heavy bottom pan, add in 2 tablespoon full of water and stir.

Now, place this pan on a double boiler or very low heat. Whisk the mixture. Do not allow the pan to become too hot. As soon as you see fumes coming out, take the pan of the heat and whisk vigorously. Allow it cool a little and then cook it again. This egg mixture should become thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Take the pan off the heat. Add in the remaining half of soaked gelatine and allow it to melt and mix well. Now, add in the soaked oranges along with the vodka, grate a little of the orange side of the peel in the mixture (orange zest), soften the marmalade and add it in the mixture. Whisk the mixture well, so the marmalade does not form lumps.

Allow this mixture to set for thirty minutes in the refrigerator.

Beat the egg whites to form soft peaks. Remove the mixture, whisk it and then incorporate the beaten egg whites by gently folding them into the mixture. Do not over mix or the mousse will loose its volume.

Fold in the remaining half cup of whipped cream in the orange mousse.

For the Layering

Add a spoon full of the orange mousse in a dessert glass so the layer visible on the side is thick. Set it for twenty minutes.(if the mixture is thick enough you can set it for ten minutes so that the next layer does not sink)

Alternate it with a spoonful of chocolate mousse and set it for twenty minutes.

Similarly, add on two more alternating layers of orange and chocolate mousse. Set it for ten minutes before garnishing it.

While setting the mousse, if you tilt the glass to one side in the refrigerator, you can form diagonal layers of mousse in the glass.

For the Garnish

Orange Mousse on top: with Chocolate Buttons and Orange Wedge on the side.

Chocolate Mousse on top: with a layer of melted chocolate and a curly peel of orange on it.

No Need for Bigger Jeans Mousse; Layered Eggless Mango Mousse

I love eating something special every single day of my life. I look forward to my dessert; it is like rewarding yourself at the end of a perfect day, cheering you up when the day hasn’t been so perfect. I even love to begin my day with something sweet, a little sweetness in the morning to wish you a great day! Obviously, I don’t like to buy a bigger pair of jeans, so, to prevent that I made this. It is fruit and broken wheat get rid of the whipped cream to garnish and it can be served as breakfast.

Layered Eggless Mango Mousse - Serves 2

Ingredients

Mango, large         3 nos.

Gelatin powder    2 teaspoon soaked in 4 teaspoon water

Hung Curd     1 cup

Broken wheat  (Dalia)   ¼ cup

Cardomom Powder     ½ teaspoon

Powdered Sugar   1 tablespoon  (Alternative for the healthy version, use Sugar free)

Whipped Cream   4 tablespoon +  for garnish  (Alternative: use beaten egg whites or hung curd instead for the healthy version)

Method:

For the Mango Mousse Layer

Peel and cut mango into thick slices. Keep aside a few slices for garnish.

Grind the mango into a pulp. The pulp will have the fruit fibres and will not be a smooth, mousse like consistency. Strain the pulp to remove the fibres and make the pulp smooth. Do not use a fine mesh strainer.

Soak the gelatine in a glass or metal bowl. To melt the gelatine place this bowl in a vessel filled with some hot water. Once the gelatine melts, add it into the mango pulp and blend it in, mix well.

Allow the mixture to set, in the refrigerator for thirty to forty minutes.

1. Once the mousse is partially set, add in four tablespoons of whipped cream for EGGLESS MANGO MOUSSE. Fold in the cream gently for volume, do not over mix.

OR

2. Alternatively, you can also skip the cream and instead use two egg whites with ½ teaspoon on vanilla essence, beaten to form soft peak, to add volume to the mango mousse.

OR

3. For EGGLESS, MANGO Mousse you can use 4 tablespoon of hung curd and blend it together. The version with the hung curd will add flavour, bulk and volume but it is not as light as mango mousse with whipped cream or egg white.

The Mango Mousse Mixture for the layered mousse is ready.

For the Second Layer

Cook the ½ cup broken wheat in ½ cup water. Bring it to a boil, the broken wheat swells up. Allow the water to get absorbed. Once the broken wheat is cooked and tender, strain it and drain out the excess water. Place the cooked broken wheat in the centre of a muslin cloth, hold the cloth by the ends and squeeze all the excess moisture out of the cooked broken wheat. Be sure to remove all the extra moisture and dry the broken wheat completely.

Flavour the Hung Curd with Cardamom powder and blend in the powdered sugar properly into the hung curd.

Add in the dry, cooked broken wheat to the flavoured, sweet hung curd. Fold it in and do not over mix.

For the Layering

In a small glass with a broad mouth and one that is shallow enough to fit a dessert spoon, add in one layer of the mango mousse with the help of a spoon or a piping bag. Make sure the layer is thick and visible from the sides. Allow it to set in the refrigerator for thirty minutes.

On top of it, add in a layer of the broken wheat and hung curd mixture. Allow this to set for thirty minutes in the refrigerator.

Add in another layer of mango mousse. Allow it to set again.

Add in the last layer of hung curd and allow it to set.

You can interchange the layers by starting with the layer of hung curd.

Top it up with whipped cream OR a dollop of smooth sweetened hung curd and chopped mangoes.

Variation: If you are in the mood to indulge, get rid of the hung curd and broken wheat use Condensed Milk with cardamom or Rabdi in place of the hung curd.