Pav Bhaji and No Name Chicken

Nupur's blog, OneHotStove has been an absolute favorite of mine for a while now. In fact, her food blog made me a blogophile (if there's such a word). That one blog opened up a 16"x18" world that I must troll through every single day. I have favorite posts of course, that I will read over and over again, either just for the stories or more for the recipes. So many earmarked, many more printed, and some tried and tested.
Which brings me to the pav bhaji post that Nupur put up on her blog. This was the second time I've made it and both times it's turned out pretty authentic. I wish I could be brave enough to add as many dollops of butter as I want, but that will happen when I want arteries of steel. But really, even with dodgy old MDH pav bhaji masala - I swear that masala is o-l-d - it turned out pretty nice.
All I'll do, is add some pictures...

Good old adrak (ginger) and lasoon (garlic)












Gobi (cauliflower) and aloo (potatoes) in a pressure cooker









Kachcha (uncooked) masala with green peppers











FINISHED PRODUCT !!
I thought it was quite authentic looking and tasting













Spouse-unit's reaction on tasting the bhaji. I thought it was spot on.

Since his reaction was flames in the mouth, I thought I would make him some of my no name chicken.

No-name (or is it Teriyaki) Chicken

3 Chicken drumsticks
2 Tbsp Soy sauce (extra thick)
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp soonth (ground ginger)
1/2 tsp chilli powder/paste
and maybe some oil (I have found though, that if the chicken has skin and some fat, adding oil is gilding the lily)
Do not add salt, especially since soy sauce has plenty.

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Mix all ingredients really well. In goes the pan of chicken for 40 minutes. Take pan out. Turn drumsticks. Increase oven temperature to 400F and in goes pan again for 15 minutes. I then turn off the oven, and leave the chicken in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes. I've found that way the meat literally falls off the bone, and the caramelization, I'm told, is finger-and pan-licking amazing. I'm a pescitarian, and so all my meat preparations are literally by smell: tasting is done by spouse-unit) Savory and sweet.

So, the final meal looked something like this -
Spouse unit's

Mine -

The pav didn't turn out right. Oh well.

I need chocolate

Just one of those blaaah days that begs for chocolate to make it better. And of course, of all times to not have any at home, would be today! Scoured the house and purse aaaaaaaaand - drumroll here - not a crumb anywhere. So who do I blame? The spouse-unit - that Bakasura.
Guess I'm making a chocolate cake tomorrow.
Oh well -

I'm back, I'm back

let the bells ring and whatever ....
So - it's been a year after my pizza post. I still make it, and still watch "As Time goes by" (apt, isn't it?). It's a boring life, what can I say.
But I will try and be better about posting though. At least one post a week minimum: food/non-food - I will not discriminate.
What really brought me out of my somnabulistic bliss, was Anita's (of MadTeaParty blog fame) call to batata-f(r)y. And, I thought of the song 'Batata Vada'. I must have spent an obscene amount of time - 5 minutes - googling. Wasn't in luck today at least. I think an entire generation in their teens in 80's India, probably heard this Madhuri Dixit/Anil Kapoor (I think I've blocked out the playback singers names) assault. This song and the picturization is still burned in my memory. Now if only someone would upload it on YouTube...
To get back on topic: fried potatoes coming up !
Idli,
Leaky

Leaky's first post

... should have begun almost 2 weeks ago: instead, I decide to start on a nice sunny Sunday. By all counts, it's a glorious day - sunny, bright, clear blue skies with just a sprinkling of clouds. And I'm hunched over the computer to start a blog - criminal. I tell you, I'm a hopeless rust bucket. But the spouse-unit's off to his bat-cave in an attempt to finish his thesis (please God!) while I sit desperately trying not to listen to a truly god-awful "singer" from the pub downstairs, yowling her way from here to my deafness. I swear my hair automatically falls over my ears to protect my hearing, and I have one shoulder permanently higher than the other one so that I can type and pretend to not hear.
The trials and tribulations of living above a bar is for another post.
What I need is comfort food - something sweet and savory and dripping in warmth. Ma reminded me of an oldie but goodie one this morning while yammering on the phone with family-unit in Mumbai: thanda dahi (cold yogurt), with a tadka (tempering) of kadi patta (curry leaves), sarson (mustard seeds) and hari mirch (hot green chillies). Now of all the things I don't have, it'll be the kadi patta, plus it's not really warm, so instead, it'll have to be the old standby: spouse-unit's favorite, pizza. Here goes ...

Pizza Dough (makes 2 crusts)
Ingredients:

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 .25 packet is perfect)
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar (eyeballing is fine - just don't go and add a fistful)
1 cup warm water (if you can dip your pinkie without screaming in pain, that's the right temperature)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil (any oil will do; I generally use veggie)

My M.O.
In a measuring cup, dissolve yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Add to flour and knead until the dough is soft and pliable.
Place dough in an oiled bowl, and cover with a warm wet cloth. The dough should double in an hour. Punch down dough, and form 2 tight balls. Let dough relax for a minute before rolling. You could go all out and make one humongous pizza crust, Chicago style, but I've found that if you leave the unbaked pizza crust in a warm place (an unheated oven) it rises again and the crust is chewier. This dough is also quite forgiving. I've added rosemary and garlic (cloves, powder and salt), red chilly flakes, basil, herbs de provence before, and it has still risen to the occasion (horrible pun - sorry).
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Also, make sure that if baking your pizza in a pan, to lightly oil it, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before adding the toppings.

Toppings
Tomato sauce
Mushrooms
Spinach
Red Onion
Pepperoncini
Jalapeno (optional)
sprinkling of dried oregano and rosemary
salt to taste
Mozzarella, sharp Cheddar, and Parmesan/Reggiano cheeses
Red chilly flakes to taste
(above stated ingredients are all eyeballed. Just don't add too many mushrooms, as despite the highish temperatures the crust has to firm up and get all crusty and golden along with cooking the mushrooms. Won't happen if there's too much of one and too little of the other. Judiciousness is the key)

and it all comes together ...
Spread thin layer of tomato sauce over crust. Sprinkle herbs with a light hand. Layer spinach, then mushrooms and onion. Sprinkle salt over the veggies. Add cheeses (I generally start with the parmesan/reggiano mix, as it's not the "melting" variety, whereas cheddar and mozzarella are). Arrange pepperoncini and Jalapeno (if using). Bake in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add red chilly flakes per taste (around this stage, my arm jerks and shakes over the slice as though in an apopletic fit. My slices are generally red with the cheese just managing to peek through.)
I've always wanted to try the tomato slices, basil and goat cheese pizza. Next time. No pictures either as I'm working out publishing this post without having to hit the back button all the time.
Now - off to make my nectar with
a mug of hot milk,
1/2 tsp sugar,
1 1/2 tsp cocoa and
3/4 tsp Nescafe instant
and watch As Time Goes By for the nth time. Bliss.
Idli-doo