Salsa up the rice!

It’s been a long time away (the long should read loooooong with at least 50 Os). All due to the fact that I had some preconceived notions about what my next few posts should be or what kind of pictures I wanted to go with my posts, and I kept imagining shoots that I could not have accomplished in my home kitchen. As you can see, none of it happened. Well, today it ends. Ends with a simple yet very tasty dish (eight people in office cannot lie at the same time!) And yes, let alone ‘awesome’ pictures, I do not have any pictures to go with this post!

As usual, one day, I was toying with the idea of providing a great end to a bowl of some leftover rice in the refrigerator… I was thinking something new, and yes, masaaledar. My eyes fell on the bottle of salsa sauce resting on some inner corner of my refrigerator ever since I bought it, mistaking it for pizza sauce (ok ok, in my own haste, didn’t check the bottle before purchasing it.) The idea was quick to hit. The process simple, and fast, the result, delicious. Try it for yourself.

Ingredients
Leftover cold rice – as much as you have (or want to try out!)
Spring onions/ scallions (including white or green) – 1 for every 2 cups of rice
Tomatoes – ½ for every 2 cups of rice
Green capsicum (bell pepper) – ½ for every 2 cups of rice
Coriander (cilantro) – a few springs
Salsa from a bottle – 3 tablespoons for every two cups, or more, to your taste
Salt – to taste
Garlic paste, sauce, or in any form – ½ teaspoon or to your taste
Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Chop all your veggies finely, including the coriander.
2. Heat the oil in a pan or wok. Once hot, add the garlic, onions and capsicum.
3. Stir for about two minutes or so and add the tomatoes.
4. After two more minutes, add the rice and mix.
5. Add the salsa, mix to a very slight liquidy consistency and taste for salt. Add as much as you need.
6. Add some of the coriander and mix it for taste and use some as garnish.
7. Wait no more, just dig in!

Notes:

• As usual measurements are indicative; you can use them to your taste.
• You can use plain onions if you do not have spring onions.
• If you want it slightly spicy, you can add red chilli powder to your taste while stirring the onions.

My most liked food - muthiya

Whatever be the case, my first post had to be about muthiya. Though there may be many recipes available easily off Google, this one is for a few people I cherish, who absolutely love the dish....Did I say absolutely? I mean to craziness... Amrita at one point nicknamed me muthiya rani and Swati claimed her 'one pound of muthiya' when she visited Mumbai in December 2010.

Somehow, this reminds me of the old days at the Times of India when we often did potlucks and when it was my turn to say what I'd be getting, I was given no choice! It had to be muthiya. That said, I want to establish that I have become a little tired of eating it... love to cook it though.

It is basically a Gujarati recipe devised to take care of left over rice, but over the years it has become so popular that numerous variations of the same are tried and tasted, and loved all over the world... and since it is basically a steamed dish, it can I guess fall under the category of 'low fat' or 'health' food :)

Now, getting to the point:

The recipe
Ingredients (measurements are indicative only, you can vary them a bit according to taste):

For the muthiya:
Boiled rice - 1 cup
Chickpea flour (besan)- 2 tablespoons
Whole wheat flour (atta) - 1 to 1.5 cups
Grated cabbage - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 tablespoon
Green chilli paste/ sauce OR red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon (optional)
Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons
Baking soda - 1 pinch
Oil – 2 teaspoons

For the garnish:
Oil – 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds – a pinch
Cumin seeds – a pinch
Finely chopped coriander (cilantro) – 1 tablespoon
Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) – 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Start your steamer, so that the water is ready to with the dough. Ideally, it is a perforated plate (thali) placed on a stand in a large vessel filled with water. You can also use your steamer in an electric rice cooker, over water.
2. In a mix bowl, put in all the ingredients except the flours. Mix well.
3. Add the chickpea flour, mix and at first add only once cup of the whole wheat flour. Mix and start binding to a soft but firm dough. If it is a bit runny, add more flour. On the other hand, if it becomes too hard, use a splash of water to soften it.
4. Grease your palms with a bit of oil and roll the dough into small cylindrical shapes, as large as can fit in your steamer.
5. Steam for around 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, check that the steamer has not run out of water or refill it, otherwise your muthiyas will burn. After 20 minutes poke in a knife and if it comes out clean, the muthiyas are done. If not, steam for a minute or two more.
6. Once done, let the cylindrical rolls cool down, and slice into small pieces. Arrange in the serving plate.
7. For the garnish, heat the oil in a very small pan and throw in the mustard seeds. Once they pop, throw in the cumin seeds and turn off the heat. Spread this garnish evenly on the muthiyas. Sprinkle the coriander and the grated coconut and the dish is ready to serve.

Notes:

* Grated squash (dudhi) can also be used instead of the cabbage. Other leafy vegetables that can be used are methi and spinach (palak).
* The proportion of the two flours can vary. In fact, you can do away with the chickpea flour, if you don't have any and use only whole wheat flour.
* Any kind of cooked rice can be used… the type of grain does not matter. Even brown rice can be used.
* It is not necessary to have rice in the recipe… it can be cooked without the rice, though it’ll be much softer with the rice.
* For fat free options, skip the oil in the muthiya dough and skip the garnish.
* Finely chopped coriander (1 tablespoon) can be added to the muthiya dough as well.

Why Ethnic Eats?

Ever since I have started appreciating food, I have always been faced with ethnic labels... the most popular in India being 'South Indian' and 'Punjabi'. Of course, with time many more were added, and the ethnic influences in food increased exponentially. No where but in India will you find Chinese bhel or Chinese idli... and no one but an Indian will add loads of spice to the food, be it chilli sauce, chilli powder or chutney. The spice is added no matter what the food, be it a delicate soup, salad, curry, rice... or even noodles!

In a recent experience in an upscale Ahmedabad restaurant, my excitement knew no bounds after I read the elaborate menu and looked up the description of a few Mexican dishes. By then, I had missed the cuisine so much after my return from New York, that after reading the precise description and ingredients, I chose to order the portobello fajitas. Just to make sure, I even asked the captain for a description, and that too fit the bill. Imagine my utter surprise, that when my dish was served, it consisted of a cut-up roasted roomali roti with what I can at best describe as a paneer jal frezie! There was no trace of any kind of mushrooms, let alone any Mexican flavours. My friend Eisha who was with me, had warned me about the Gujarati influence on food she said it goes to the extent of even pasta in Gujarat being sweet...but even with that warning, I was surprised.

Whether it is ketchup on noodles or mango and coriander (cilantro) chutneys on a bagel, across the globe, food is ever evolving, with new combinations, tastes and flavours. And I want to make the most of these ethnic influences even when I so much as think about cooking.

The first samplers of food at Ethnic Eats were Swati and Aditya, where the menu consisted of a universal soup, a Greek salad, Mediterranean appetizers, an Italian main course and an Indian dessert, all set in New York. Not to mention that all the recipes I had were altered, whether to keep in mind the preferences of the guests, the use of the ingredients and availability of time. The term Ethnic Eats was used by me in early 2010, but at that point it was just a one time thing. Now, I am here to stay!
So, let's cook... and eat :)