Tangy plantain curry/ Aratikaya Kura

This recipe is my mom-in-laws speciality. It tastes very good with rice and rotis!

Ingredients
4 medium size Plantains cut in cubes
2-3 medium tomatoes pureed
2 tsp tamarind pulp (optional if you do not prefer lot of tangy flavour)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste

For Tempering
2-3 red chillies
sprig of curry leaves
1/3 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp split urad dal
1/2 tsp chana dal
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
a dash of asafoetida
4 tbsp oil

Preparation

Heat a wide pan with 2 tbsp oil, add the plantain cubes and fry on high heat for 2 minutes.
To the Plantain add salt, turmeric, chilli powder, tomato puree, mix well and cover with lid. Cook on medium to low heat till the plantain absorbs all the moisture and becomes soft. This might take about 5- 7 minutes.
Open the lid, add tamarind pulp and cook on  high heat for 2 minutes till crisp. Turn off the heat.
For tempering in a pan heat 2 tbsp oil, mustard seeds. After they splutter, add urad, chana, fenugreek , asafoetida, red chillies and curry leaves in the given order! Add this tempering to the plantain and toss. Serve warm with rice or roti!

Super Chef Aditya Bal and Creamy Corn Gravy

NDTV Good Times took the food celebrations to its viewers in more ways than one. This year, as a lead up to the main events, They invited foodizens for interesting “Meet the Super Chef” sessions,held in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. In these sessions,Super Chefs – Vicky Ratnani, Ritu Dalmia and Aditya Bal shared some of their signature recipes.
I along with fellow bloggers was invited to attend live demonstrations by Chef Aditya Bal. He prepared the following recipes:
Dilli Ki Fried Aloo Chaat
Bengali Doi Maach
Zaffrani Pulao

Check out the 3rd NDTV Food Awards 2012 winners !

He hosts a show CHAKH LE - INDIA where Aditya hits the road less travelled into the unexplored, and forgotten pockets of India in his hunt for authentic flavours.

About The Chef in his words- "After a successful career as a model spanning 8 years and traveling far and wide, I stumbled across my love of cooking by chance a few years later. A self taught chef with 2 years of experience working at a few select restaurants and honing my skills in continental cuisine and the intricacies of the business. I love travel, adventure and of course, food. I am obsessive when it comes to cooking in all its forms. Love baking and slow cooking as well. It’s my passion and mission in life to create fine food and I promise a great dining experience when I open my own restaurant. I’m always on the look out for new ideas and feel the culinary world is never ending. There’s so much more to see. "

Corn Gravy
I learnt this recipe from his TV show and it was a super hit!

Ingredients

1 corn cob
2-3 green chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/3 dash of asafoetida mixed in 2 tsp water
2 tsp freshly chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

Preparation

Grate the corn cob in a grater and you will get a thick corn paste called Mawa. Keep aside. Heat a pan with oil, add the mustard and cumin seed. Allow it to splutter. Now add all the green chillies allow them to get fried a little and add spice powders. Keep the heat on low flame. To this add asafoetida mixed with water. Now add the corn paste and salt. The gravy thickens fast so if required add 1/2 cup water to it. After the gravy comes to a boil, remove from heat, Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis!!

BritanniaTreat Fruit Cream Biscuits

A lip smacking treat, Britannia Fruit Cream biscuits are deliciously flavored fruity and ice-creamy bikis. A delicious layer of ice- creamy fruit cream coupled with crispy, crunchy biscuits creates an exciting treat that promises to leave kids craving for more! Britannia Treat Fruit converts kid’s favorite ice-cream flavors - pineapple, mango, strawberry and orange, to the creamiest, softest and yummiest cream flavors packed in biscuits. The unique design of the biscuits gives a sneak peek into the delicious flavored cream, opening up a window to the ice-creamy world. Kids can now give into the temptation of having as many ice-creams as they want by gorging on Treat Fruit Cream’s lip-smacking cream biscuits. It is just what the kids ordered for – a yummy fun filled delicacy to give them more of things they love! Kids can now dive straight into the four awesome combos of fruit and ice-cream flavored cream biscuits and cherish the never-before-experience of enjoying mouthfuls of delight…all bundled into one explosive, eye-popping pack of Britannia Treat Fruit Cream!

About Treat: Since its launch in 2002, Treat has been one of the best loved brands by children all over India. They have always relished unravelling the irresistibly, delicious cream hidden inside each Treat biscuit – and this time they have unique fruit flavored creams to top it off!



When I got this Treat Fruit cream Biscuits , It was a true treat. The cream inside the biscuit was not dry but tasted fresh and creamy. I did not have enough biscuits to click pics:) Not only my kids but even elders in the family enjoyed the Treat:)

Party Ideas - It can be served during birthday parties instead of chips and fries! I created a center piece of these Biscuits with different flavours along with chocolates, cheese cubes, cherry tomatoes.
You can also use strawberries, blueberries, candies and many more for a party! Kids would love it!

Another Party idea is to make butterscotch or vanilla sauce. Kids would like to dip the biscuits in their favourite flavour and then use some colourful sprinkles, gems and chopped cherries to decorate them. They can do this before the party like a cooking session for the kids! This can be refrigerated before biting into crunchy goodness. serve these quick bites with banana smoothie to up the health quotient!!