My Big Fat Chicken Burger; Eight Layers of Satisfaction

Lettuce and Toamto + Cheese + Chicken Pattie + Barbecue Sauce + Sunny Side Up (Fried Egg) + Onion Rings + Pickled Cucumber + Barbeque sauce and Cabbage in a Toasted Sesame Bun = Eight Fold Satisfaction

How did I get to this? A combination of the Burger Episode in 'How I Met Your Mother' and a two week long craving for the Best burger in the World.
How did I achieve this large, gorgeous reward?

Want to know why I made burgers with eight layers of goodness? We all get hungry after watching movies and TV shows with those gorgeous pictures of food. I am talking about a particular episode of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ in which they described the best burger in the world. With the sesame toasted bun, the sweetness of the sauce and the pounded meat. That episode really makes me want to dig into ‘The Best Burger in the World’ as soon as I watch it. I was craving for burger but I didn’t want to rush to McDonalds, I wanted that burger, the exact same thing. If that craving was not already killing me, to top it my brother, Abhishek told me about a Big Burger at this little place in Pune called Burger Barn Café or Big Burger Barn, I don’t really remember the name. All I got from that was I want to eat a Big Burger, one that I have imagined. So, here is the translation of my imagination.

For One Burger

Layer One

Processed Cheese Slices (Cheddar),  2 slices

Put the cheese slices on the halves of the Sesame Bun before toasting them.

Layer Two

Iceberg Lettuce, shredded 1 cup

Tomato, slices  2

Put the lettuce over the cheese on the buns. Put a tomato slice on each both halves of the buns.

Layer Three

Chicken Patty

Cooked Chicken leftovers or minced chicken, cooked ½ cup

Spring Onion Greens, chopped 3 tablespoons

Garlic, peeled 3 cloves

Processed Cheese, grated   2 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Black Pepper Powder   to taste

Refined Flour (seasoned with salt)   ¼  cup

Egg 1

Breadcrumbs   ½ cup

Vegetable Oil for frying

Method:

Grind and blend together cooked chicken, spring onion greens and garlic with salt and pepper.

Mash them together and mix well.

Add in the grated cheese, mash and mix properly into the chicken mixture.

If the mixture is too sticky add in a little refined flour.

Smear oil in your palm and round up the mixture, and then flatten it with your palm. The size of the patty should be exactly equal to the size of the halved bun in diameter. Refrigerate for fifteen minutes to let the shape set.

Dust the patty in refined flour.

Dip the patty in the egg and then roll it in breadcrumbs.

In a deep pan, heat the oil for frying. Once the oil is hot, add in the patty to the hot oil. Deep fry the patty until golden brown.

Remove the patty and keep it on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil. Place it over the lettuce with some Spicy Burger Sauce.

Layer Four

Sunny Side Up

Egg 1

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Vegetable Oil 1 teaspoon

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, break the egg with the yolk facing upwards. Cook it on one side. Season it with salt and pepper.

Place it over the chicken patty.

Layer Five

Spicy Burger Sauce

Tomato Ketchup 3 tablespoon

Mustard Sauce 1 tablespoon

Garlic powder / garlic, minced 1 teaspoon

Onion dehydrated/ White onion, minced 2 teaspoons

Vinegar 2 teaspoons

Red Chilli Flakes or Cayenne Pepper ½ teaspoon

Sugar 1 teaspoon

Olive Oil 1 teaspoon

Method:

In a bowl, mix in the ketchup, mustard, garlic, onion, vinegar, red chilli flakes and sugar. The spicy burger sauce is ready.

Put a tablespoon full of the spicy burger sauce on top of the patty and spread it evenly.

Layer Six

Coleslaw

Cabbage, shredded ½ cup

Spicy Burger Sauce 1 tablespoon

Method:

Squeeze out the excess water from the cabbage. Mix the shredded cabbage and spicy burger sauce in a bowl.

Place the coleslaw on the patty.

Layer Seven

Caramelised Onion Rings

Onion, peeled 1, large (Do not half the onion)

Salt to taste

Sugar 1 teaspoon

Vegetable oil 1 teaspoon

Method:

Cut onion slices in the form of thin rings. Separate the rings.

Sprinkle salt and sugar over the onion and let it stand for five minutes.

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion rings. Toss the onion rings and allow them to turn caramel brown.

Add the onion rings on top of the coleslaw.

Layer Eight

Gherkins or Pickled Cucumber 4 slices

Method:

If gherkins slices are unavailable. Use pickled cucumber.

For pickled cucumber, peel cucumber and remove the marrow.

Cut 1 ½ inch lengthwise slices of the cucumber. Soak them in Vinegar salt and sugar for athree to four hours.

Add these on top of the onion rings

To finish, keep the other half of the toasted sesame bun with cheese on top of the eight layers of the burger.

Secure with the kelp of a wooden satay stick or a long toothpick and serve with chips.

Stuff the Sauce and Sauce the Stuffing; 8 Tricks to Make Simple Ravioli

The trick behind the perfect ravioli is in its dough and how that dough is rolled. If the dough is too soft or too thin, it will not hold the mixture. If the dough is too thick, the bite will be rubbery rather than tender. The rolling should be done evenly. If the dough is not rolled evenly it will cook unevenly, with certain pieces under-cooked and others will be overcooked.

The thickness of the rolled-out ravioli dough should be similar to a regular chapatti or a tad thinner than the chapatti.

Spicy Tomato Ravioli with Mushroom, Cream and Oregano – Serves 4

Ingredients

Refined Flour   1 ½ cup

Egg  1

Milk  as required

Salt  to taste

Tomato  2 large

Red Chilli Flakes  1 teaspoon

Red Wine  2 tablespoon (For a Variation use Balsamic Vinegar)

Basil   5 leaves, shredded

Sugar 1 teaspoon

Butter  1 tablespoon

Garlic 3 cloves, crushed and minced

Mushroom (Button Mushroom) , sliced  1 ½ cup

Cream  ½ cup

Oregano  1 teaspoon(Dried)  few sprigs (fresh)

Parmesan Cheese  for garnish, grated

Method:

For the Ravioli Dough

On a flat surface, take flour, make a well in the centre and add egg and salt in it. Mix and make a hard dough. Add a little milk to bring the ingredients together if required. First, the dough should be stiff.

Cut 1/3 of the dough out and cover the rest with a wet cloth, set aside. Take 1/3^rd cut portion of the dough and roll it out on a flat surface with a rolling pin.

Second, roll it evenly on all sides. Turn it and roll it again like a chapatti. Make sure it is not too thin on one side. To roll out evenly, roll from the centre, outwards, making it even on all sides. [If the dough is not rolled evenly it will cook unevenly, with certain pieces undercooked and others will be overcooked.]

Third, make sure the rolled out dough is thin so the ravioli is soft to bite however, it should be thick enough to hold the mixture. Ever tried a thin chapatti? It should be the same thickness as a chapatti.

Take a round cookie cutter or a round bowl with a thin rim.

Fourth, cut same size circles out of the dough. Cut even number of pieces. Similarly Cut 1/3^rd of the remaining dough, roll out and cut out circles of the same size. Finish the entire dough by repeating this process.

For the Stuffing

Remove the eye of the tomatoes and make a cross incision with a sharp knife on the base of the tomato.

Boil water in a deep pan and add these tomatoes to the boiling water and allow them to cook for two to three minutes.

Remove the tomatoes from the water and remove the skin and seeds from the tomatoes. Chop the tomatoes finely.

In a bowl, mix wine, paprika, shredded basil, salt, sugar and the chopped tomatoes. Mix well and allow the flavour to soak into the tomatoes for a few minutes.

To Prepare the Ravioli

Place 1/2 teaspoonful of this mixture in the centre of alternate circles cut out of dough. Place another circle on top of it. Sixth, seal it by pressing the sides together with the back of the fork.

To cook the ravioli, boil water in a deep pan. Once the water starts boiling, throw in the ravioli into the boiling water, three at a time.

Seventh, when the ravioli is cooked it will pop up to the surface of the boiling water on its own. Remove the ravioli one by one as they are cooked.

Once the ravioli is cooked, set it aside. Eighth, do not overlap, place them away from each other to prevent them from sticking to each other or sprinkle a film of oil to prevent them from sticking to each other.

To Finish

Heat butter in a pan, add in garlic, and allow it to turn golden brown. Add in the sliced mushrooms, salt and oregano. Allow the moisture in the pan to dry out completely. Allow the mushrooms to cook until they turn a shade darker.

Once the moisture dries out completely, add in the ravioli and stir gently, to prevent the ravioli from breaking.

Turn off the heat and add in the cream.

Stir and serve hot with grated parmesan cheese.

Stuff the Sauce and Sauce the Stuffing; 8 Tricks to Make Simple Ravioli

The trick behind the perfect ravioli is in its dough and how that dough is rolled. If the dough is too soft or too thin, it will not hold the mixture. If the dough is too thick, the bite will be rubbery rather than tender. The rolling should be done evenly. If the dough is not rolled evenly it will cook unevenly, with certain pieces under-cooked and others will be overcooked.

The thickness of the rolled-out ravioli dough should be similar to a regular chapatti or a tad thinner than the chapatti.

Spicy Tomato Ravioli with Mushroom, Cream and Oregano – Serves 4

Ingredients

Refined Flour   1 ½ cup

Egg  1

Milk  as required

Salt  to taste

Tomato  2 large

Red Chilli Flakes  1 teaspoon

Red Wine  2 tablespoon (For a Variation use Balsamic Vinegar)

Basil   5 leaves, shredded

Sugar 1 teaspoon

Butter  1 tablespoon

Garlic 3 cloves, crushed and minced

Mushroom (Button Mushroom) , sliced  1 ½ cup

Cream  ½ cup

Oregano  1 teaspoon(Dried)  few sprigs (fresh)

Parmesan Cheese  for garnish, grated

Method:

For the Ravioli Dough

On a flat surface, take flour, make a well in the centre and add egg and salt in it. Mix and make a hard dough. Add a little milk to bring the ingredients together if required. First, the dough should be stiff.

Cut 1/3 of the dough out and cover the rest with a wet cloth, set aside. Take 1/3^rd cut portion of the dough and roll it out on a flat surface with a rolling pin.

Second, roll it evenly on all sides. Turn it and roll it again like a chapatti. Make sure it is not too thin on one side. To roll out evenly, roll from the centre, outwards, making it even on all sides. [If the dough is not rolled evenly it will cook unevenly, with certain pieces undercooked and others will be overcooked.]

Third, make sure the rolled out dough is thin so the ravioli is soft to bite however, it should be thick enough to hold the mixture. Ever tried a thin chapatti? It should be the same thickness as a chapatti.

Take a round cookie cutter or a round bowl with a thin rim.

Fourth, cut same size circles out of the dough. Cut even number of pieces. Similarly Cut 1/3^rd of the remaining dough, roll out and cut out circles of the same size. Finish the entire dough by repeating this process.

For the Stuffing

Remove the eye of the tomatoes and make a cross incision with a sharp knife on the base of the tomato.

Boil water in a deep pan and add these tomatoes to the boiling water and allow them to cook for two to three minutes.

Remove the tomatoes from the water and remove the skin and seeds from the tomatoes. Chop the tomatoes finely.

In a bowl, mix wine, paprika, shredded basil, salt, sugar and the chopped tomatoes. Mix well and allow the flavour to soak into the tomatoes for a few minutes.

To Prepare the Ravioli

Place 1/2 teaspoonful of this mixture in the centre of alternate circles cut out of dough. Place another circle on top of it. Sixth, seal it by pressing the sides together with the back of the fork.

To cook the ravioli, boil water in a deep pan. Once the water starts boiling, throw in the ravioli into the boiling water, three at a time.

Seventh, when the ravioli is cooked it will pop up to the surface of the boiling water on its own. Remove the ravioli one by one as they are cooked.

Once the ravioli is cooked, set it aside. Eighth, do not overlap, place them away from each other to prevent them from sticking to each other or sprinkle a film of oil to prevent them from sticking to each other.

To Finish

Heat butter in a pan, add in garlic, and allow it to turn golden brown. Add in the sliced mushrooms, salt and oregano. Allow the moisture in the pan to dry out completely. Allow the mushrooms to cook until they turn a shade darker.

Once the moisture dries out completely, add in the ravioli and stir gently, to prevent the ravioli from breaking.

Turn off the heat and add in the cream.

Stir and serve hot with grated parmesan cheese.

Try Saying Wazhai Thandu Kari and Wazhai Thandu Kootu Correctly.This Tamil Word is a Real Tongue Twister

Juice from banana stem is a well-known remedy for urinary disorders. It improves the functional efficiency of kidney and liver thereby alleviating the discomforts and diseased condition in them. It clears the excretion organs in the abdominal region of toxins and helps to eliminate them in the form of urine. It has been found to be of great help in the treatment for the removal of stones in the kidney, gall bladder, and prostate. It is advisable to mix this juice whenever possible with the juice of ash pumpkin.

According to Mrs. Raman these two dishes made of the banana pith originally comes from Kerala but has now migrated to Tamil Nadu. I learnt it from a Tamilian lady. 

Processing the Banana Bark:

       

The green layers of the banana bark are peeled off to expose the white pith of the stem.

 This white pith is used to make the dried vegetable Wazhai Thandu Kari and the vegetable curry Wazhai Thandu Kootu.

 This white stem is now cut up into thin slices.

While cutting it the fibres within the stem are pulled out with the fingers.

The thin slices of the stem are now chopped finely into 1 cm pieces.

To prevent the cut up banana stem from turning black (oxidising) it is dipped in buttermilk for thirty minutes or more before cooking.

  If the banana stem is to be stored, it must be cut up and stored dipped in buttermilk in the refrigerator.

To cook the chopped banana stem, add a teaspoon of turmeric (Haldi) and salt to the chopped banana stem.

Do not add water to the chopped banana stem.

 To steam it, add about inch deep water in a pressure cooker then keep the vessel with the banana in it.

 Make sure the water does not enter the (stainless steal) vessel with the banana.

 Pressure cook for four whistles.

 Or steam the chopped banana for an hour until it is cooked. Make sure it is not mashed or looking mushy but crispy after cooking. Cook until Al Dente or to the bite.

This cooked banana stem is now used to make the dry or wet preparations as mentioned and the recipes below.

For the Dry Banana Bark Preparation ;

Wazhai Thandu Kari (Banana Stem dry vegetable)-Serves 4

Ingredients

Banana Stem, chopped and processed as given above (Kele ka tanaa)    2 cups

Coconut Oil (use any vegetable oil) (tel)   1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds (rai)   1 teaspoon

Urad Dal   1 tablespoon

Green Chilli (hari mirch), chopped     1 teaspoon

Curry leaves (Kadi patta)   5

Asafoetida (Hing)  ¼ teaspoon

Fresh Coconut (Nariyal/ Gari), grated   2 tablespoon

Method:

In a pan, heat oil and add in mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to splatter add in the urad dal.

Once the urad dal turns golden brown, add in the green chill, curry leaves and asafoetida. Stir.

Add in the chopped and processed banana bark.  Stir.

Allow all the water in the banana stem to dry out completely. Stir. Do not let the vegetable burn from the base, keep stirring.

Cook for another four to five minutes on a low flame and then turn off the heat. Stir.

Once the heat is turned off, add in the grated coconut on top and stir in. Do not cook the coconut.

Serve hot with Sambhar and steamed rice.

For the Wet Banana Bark Preparation;

Wazhai Thandu Kootu

Banana Stem Mixture – Serves 4

Ingredients

Banana Bark, chopped and processed (kele ka tana)    2 cups

Toor Dal    ½ cup, soaked

Turmeric (Haldi)    ¼ teaspoon

Salt (Namak) to taste

Fresh Coconut (Nariyal/ gari), grated   4 tablespoon

Cumin (Jeera)    1 teaspoon

Green Chilli (hari mirch)   2, chopped

Rice Flour (Chaval Ka aata)   1 tablespoon (to bind the mixture)

Coconut oil (tel)    1 teaspoon – Use any vegetable oil if coconut oil is unavailable

Mustard seeds (rai)   ½ teaspoon

Urad Dal   1 tablespoon

Red Chilli (Lal Mirch)   1

Curry leaves (kadi patta)  5

Method:

Process the banana bark as mentioned above.

Boil the toor dal, with turmeric, salt and ½ cup water and mash it up into a thick dough-like mixture.

Make a paste with coconut, cumin, green chilli and rice flour with a little water. Make a fine paste.

In a pan, add the processed banana stem and the mashed up toor dal with a little water (2 tablespoon) and stir.

Cook them together on low heat for five minutes.

Add in the coconut paste made earlier into the pan and cook on medium hest for three minutes.

Turn off the heat.  Serve it in a serving bowl.

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a separate pan, add in the mustard seeds, once they clatter add in urad dal and allow it to turn golden brown, now add red chilli and curry leaves. Turn off the heat

Add this mixture on top of the banana stem curry in the serving bowl.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

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).