Home made Barbecue sauce

        When I started grilling on my charcoal grill, I realized that I need to get hold of some BBQ sauce.
I visited few superstores and found out that all BBQ sauce were pretty costly. For a casual griller like me such huge price was overhead. So I decided to make BBQ sauce myself. I went ahead searched on web, youtube and various food blogs and finally decide to mix 2-3 recipes to make one for me :) Basically its a mix of many sauces put together. I made one using tomato sauce as base sauce. So here is list of ingredients that I used. These ingredients shall yield about 300-400ml of sauce.

Things we need:
- 8 Big red Tomatoes
- 1/2 cup tomato ketchup (I used plain one)
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup soya sauce
- 1/2 molasses
- 1/4 cup chilly sauce (you can have 1/2 cup if you need more hot version)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- 8 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1" ginger finely chopped
- 1 tsp tamrind paste
- Sugar as per taste
- Salt as per taste
- 1 tsp vegetable oil

How to do it:
- Peel  and de-seed tomatoes and make nice smooth purée.
- Take heavy bottom pan and heat oil in it
- Sauté onion till they become transparent (don't let them brown)
- Add finely ginger, garlic and chillies and sauté well with onions.
- Then add Tomato puree and stir well and cook it.
- Add tomato ketchup and chilly sauce and stir well
- Then add soya sauce and molasses
- Add in tamrind paste, salt and vinegar and cook for about 3-5 minutes
- Now you will need to balance taste of sauce by adding sugar/chilly powder as per your taste.
- Well that's it its just mixture of sauce, let it cool and fill it in dry jars and refrigerate for storage. 

Pasta with red sauce

I must admit pasta was pretty late discovery for me. I love all kind of pasta, be it with white sauce or tomato sauce or any other sauce I love to eat it. Here is my try for pasta with red sauce. I don’t claim it to be authentic pasta recipe, I have made my own changes to it.  This recipe serves 2 people.

Ingredients:

-         - Pasta of your choice (I prefer penne).

-         - Medium size red tomatoes 8-10 nos.

-         -1tbsp. Minced ginger.

-         -1 tbsp. Minced garlic.

-          -½ cup finely chopped red onion.

-          -2 finely chopped green chillies.

-          -1/4^th cup fresh coriander/parsley finely chopped.

-          -1tsp. Oregano.

-          -1 tsp. basil.

-          -1 tsp. rosemary.

-          -1 tsp. sugar (preferably white).

-          -1tbsp tomato ketchup.

-          -Salt to taste.

-          -1 tsp. vegetable oil

Prepare pasta:

-         - Boil up 1 liter of water in a big woke, add a tbsp. of salt to it.

-         - It should take about 10-12 minutes for pasta to be cooked.

-         - Drain water and then sprinkle little bit oil to prevent pasta from sticking to each other.

Prepare sauce:

-         - Take woke and put all tomatoes in, fill in water until all tomatoes are submerged.

-         - Bring water to boil and turn off flame when tomatoes skin separates.  Let it cool down

-         - Peel of tomato skin and get rid of stem and seeds and prepare smooth paste.

-         - Take a frying pan and add vegetable oil, ginger-garlic and sauté for a minute or 2.

-         - Now add finely chopped onion and sauté till they are translucent.

-         - Now add tomato paste and bring it to simmer

-         - Now add oregano, basil, rosemary, sugar, tomato ketchup, salt and give it a nice stir.

-         - If sauce becomes too thick, add little water and simmer for a while, turn off flame.

Serve:

Add pasta to prepared sauce in frying pan and sauté, put lid on and let it steam for couple of minutes. Take a portion of pasta along with sauce in bowl, put some shredded cheese on top and serve hot. Enjoy while its hot :)

Beriani dajaj

Beriyani dajaj

                I had tested it in a "Dishdash" (Mediterranean restaurant) at Sunnyvale, California during my US visit. Description reads "Thin chicken strips cooked in Mediterranean spaces, served with saffron rice and aged yoghurt sauce". It was one of the best foods I ever had. Since then I visited same restaurant (Dishdash) almost every week to test their different delicacies and I was never let down by any dish that I tried.

                This is just my attempt and version to reproduce dish that I had. I think I was able to reach pretty close to what I had probably 4 years back :) So here it goes. This dish puts in 4 preparations in one. These 4 preparations are as follows. This dish must be served such that it appears warm. Rice and chicken should bit warm and yoghurt sauce should be at room temperature. Best accompanied with white wine ;) This recipe and quantities are sufficient for 2 servings.

1. Saffron rice

2. Aged yoghurt sauce

3. Thin striped chicken cooked in Mediterranean spices.

4. Fried jacket to hold chicken

1. Saffron rice:

- 1 cup rice.

- 1 and ½ cup water.

- 3-4 saffron strands

- 1/2 inch cinnamon stick

- Rosemary (if available)

 Saffron Rice

                Choose some aromatic long grained rice. We are looking to cook it so that it is cooked through but grains should remain separate. Wash a cup of rice and soak for about 30 minutes in 1 and ½ cup water. Every rice has different cooking time so here you should select quantity of water as per your experience. But generally to make such a rice, a 1 and ½ cup water is enough for 1 cup of rice. Cook rice through and then use back of spoon to carve out rice and spread it on flat surface and keep it uncovered.

2. Aged yoghurt sauce:

- 1 cup of aged yoghurt (it should not be very thick)

- Curry leaves 2-4 numbers.

- 1 tsp. cumin seeds.

- 1 tsp. spoon oil of your choice

- ½ tsp. spoon red chili powder

- ¼ tsp. spoon Asafetida powder (Hing powder)

- salt to taste

Heat oil in a woke. Once oil is hot enough add in cumin seeds, once they start popping quickly add curry leaves, asafetida powder. Then add yoghurt and stir a bit and turn off flame. Add salt to taste and red chili powder and keep aside.

3. Thin striped chicken cooked in Mediterranean spices

- 1 chicken breast piece cut in thin stripes

- 1 tsp. black pepper powder

- 1 tsp. rosemary (powder/dried)

- 1 tsp. basil (powder/dried)

- 1 tsp. thyme (powder/dried)

- 1tsp oregano (powder/dried)

- ¼ cup finely chopped onion

- 10 ml lemon juice

- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

- 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste

- salt to taste.

Prepared chicken

Take glass bowl and put together chicken, spices, salt and lemon juice and marinate for hour or 2 in refrigerator.

Heat oil in a woke and sauté ginger-garlic paste. Later add finely chopped onion and sauté till it turns to pinkish shade.

Now add marinated chicken and sauté for 2-3 minutes on high flame.

Reduce flame to medium and add ¼ cup of water and put lid on. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Once it’s cooked, lift off lid and cook for another 3-4 minutes, till majority of water evaporates.

Turn off heat and keep chicken aside.

4. Fried jacket:

- 1 cup plain floor (you can choose wheat floor as well)

- 1tsp vegetable oil

- ¼ th cup water

- Vegetable oil for shallow fry

Mix oil in floor and start kneading floor till oil is very well incorporated in floor, you should see lumps of floor

Once this step is over start adding little water to floor and keep kneading till a nice dough ball is formed.

Keep dough covered for about 30 minutes.

Make 2 parts of dough, take one part and knead it again. Take a rolling pin and roll out thinly in circle. Carry out same method for 2^nd part of dough as well.

Now put some prepared chicken in middle of dough and make a nice packet of it. Seal off edges with wet fingers.

Prepared packet

Shallow fry both packages till they take nice brown color.

(At end of this process you will have some chicken left, keep it as is, don’t try to over stuff)

Fried packet

Ok we have all of our stuff ready, now it’s time to serve it.

Take a microwave proof shallow dish and arrange half of rice in perfect center of dish. Put a packet of chicken on top of rice. Microwave for about a minute or 2 on high setting. Then pour yoghurt curry around rice. Add some garnishing, you can use left-over chicken and arrange it around yoghurt curry and serve.

 Beriyani Dajaj ready to serve

Cheese chilly toast

Sometimes I get cravings to eat pizza, but pizza costs hell lot and I can't afford to eat so much so often :D
In order to satisfy my taste buds for Pizza I often prepare cheese chilly toast. These small things are pretty cheap to make and satisfies taste buds for sure. Give it a try, they are very easy to make and great for taste.

Heres what you need:
1. Bread slices (White preferably, brown doesn't taste that good).
2. Cheese slice (! per bread slice) or shredded cheese.
3. Green chilli (cut in thin slices)
4. Red chilly flakes
5. Oregano
6. Black Pepper and Salt to taste
7. Butter.

Heres how you gonna do it:
1. Pre heat oven to 160 degree Celsius, if you don't have often take a frying pan.
2. Apply some butter on every bread slice and put in oven/pan till its bit brown and crisp. You may choose to apply butter on both side.
3.Now sprinkle green chilli slices on bread slices and either put shredded cheese or cheese slice on top of it.
4.Roast slices till cheese softens up in oven/pan.
5.Now put some chilly flakes, pepper, salt on top of soften cheese (if cheese slice is used then press it little so that chilli slices can be seen.)
6.Put back in oven/pan till cheese melts/changes color, or till you smell delicious pizza like smell :)
7.Sprinkle some oregano, cut slice in way you like and eat/serve.

TIP: If you are using fry pan make sure you keep eye on heat or toasts will burn out quickly. Put empty bowl over toast to create oven like effect.

You can be creative here and put whatever topping you have, you may like to throw in some small pieces of tomatoes, bell-peppers, chicken pieces, Jalapeños, onion rings, list can grow huge :).

You can use same recipe for making your own bite sized pizzas at home :) just apply some tomato sauce after step 2 and follow rest of steps and your little pizza is ready.  

एनचिलाडाज्‌ (Enchiladas)

एनचिलाडाज्‌


बऱ्याच दिवसांपासून हा पदार्थ डोक्यात घोळत होता, पण मुहुर्त काही लागत नव्हता. तन्मयच्या अर्धांगिनीने त्याच्यासाठी खास हा पदार्थ बनवला आणि बासा माझ्या डोक्याने एनचिलाडाज्‌ करायचचं असं पक्क ठरवून टाकलं. ह्या पदार्थासाठी मुख्य अडचण होती ती म्हणजे टॉर्टीला (मक्याच्या विशिष्ट पिठापासून तयार केलेली पोळी), ती कुठेही मिळेना. तन्मयच्या सौ.कडून असे समजले की टॉर्टीलाज दोराबजीमधे मिळतात. मग काय मी आणि अनुष्का शनीवारी संध्याकाळी दोराबजीमधे हजर झालो. मला सर्वात पहीले माझ्या आवडीचे ओरिगानो मिळाले आणि मी एकदम खूष झालो, मला ओरिगनो प्रचंड आवडतं. फ़िरत फ़िरत फ़ायनली मला टॉर्टीलाज दिसले पण लगेच मी ते खाली टाकून दीले, ३५०रु. बघितल्यावर माझे डोळे पांढरेच झाले. अजून काही खरेदी करून उदासमनाने मी आणि बायको परत घरी जायला निघालो, तरी नशीब कयानीचा फ़्रुट केक आणि मॅकडीचा बर्गर आधीच खाल्ला होता नाहीतर ते पण बेचव लागत होतं. घरी येउन माझं मन मला खात होतं की "यार हात को लगा पर मूह को नही लगा! :(". मला काही स्वस्थ बसवेना...गर्जना तर करून बसलो होतो की मी एनचिलाडाज करणार आणि बेसिकवर घोडं साफ़ अडकलं होतं.

मग मी उचकलो आणि डायरेक्ट डेस्कटॉपसमोर जाऊन बसलो, म्हटलं च्यायला टॉर्टीलाजपण घरीच बनवूयात. बरीच शोधाशोध केल्यावर एक चांगली रेसीपी सापडली, त्यावरून टॉर्टीला कसे करायचे कळाले, लगे हातो एनचिलाडाज्‌च्या २-४ रेसीपी मिक्स करून माझी नवी रेसीपी बनवली. मला ह्याकामी माझ्या बायकोने टॉर्टीलाज लाटून देणे आणि संपुर्ण कीचन (भयानक राडा होणार असला तरीही) माझ्या स्वाधिन करणे अशी मोलाची भुमिका बजावली. आईने सुद्धा टॉर्टीलाचे पीठ भिजवण्यासाठी दिलेल्या मदतीचा मी ॠणी आहे :)

सर्व यथासांग पार पडल्यावर कसोटीचा क्षण आला आणि सगळ्यांनाच पदार्थ आवडला आणि माझा जीव भांड्यात पडला. बघता-बघता सगळं एनचिलाडाज गट्टम झालं आणि ती चीजी चव अजूनही माझ्या जिभेवर रेंगाळत आहे. माझ्याहातून २ चुका झाल्याच. सर्वात पहीली म्हणजे सॉस बऱ्यापैकी कमी पडला त्यामूळे पदार्थ थोडा कोरडा झाला, तसंच टॉर्टीला सॉसमधे बुडवता नाही आल्या :) दुसरं म्हणजे १-२ टॉर्टीला थोड्या कडक झाल्या आणि सॉस आधीच कमी असल्याने रोल करताना तुटल्या. पण बाकी टेस्ट लईच बेस्ट होती. मी सगळी रेसीपी दिलीच आहे प्रचंड कंड असेल तर नक्की ट्राय करा.

तर रेसिपी खालील प्रमाणे, सर्वप्रथम ही रेसीपी संपुर्णपणे माझी नाही आणि ही ऑथेंटीक मेक्सिकन रेसीपीपण नाही. त्यामूळे मेक्सिकन रेसीपी येणाऱ्यांनी उगाच शिव्या न देता त्यांची रेसीपी शेअर करावी ही विनंती. रेसीपी मीच संपुर्णपणे इकडे तिकडे शोधा-शोध करून, थोडे माझे बदल करून एकत्र करून लिहीलेली आहे.

टॉर्टीला बनवण्यासाठी: (५- ६ इंच डायमिटर वाल्या)

तव्यावरील टॉर्टीला

तुम्ही सरळ बाहेरून विकत आणू शकता किंवा घरी बनवू शकता.
टॉर्टीला ह्या मक्याच्या विशिष्ट प्रकारे तयार केलेल्या पिठापासून बनवतात, त्या पिठाचे नाव "हरीना मासा" असे आहे, पण ते मला काही मिळाले नाही. पण आपण मैदा आणि कॉर्नफ़्लोवर वापरून टॉर्टीला तयार करू शकतो.
१. १ कप मैदा
२. १ कप कॉर्नफ़्लोवर
३. १ चमचा बेकींग पावडर
४. चवीपुरते मिठ
५. पीठ भिजवण्यासाठी पाणी
६. १ चमचा तेल
७. तळणासाठी थोडे तेल.

क्रुती:
१. मैदा, कॉर्नफ़्लोवर, बेकींग पावडर आणि मिठ चाळून घ्या आणि व्यवस्थित मिक्स करा.
२. हळू हळू पाणी मिसळून पिठ मळायला सुरुवात करा.
३. सगळ्या गुठळ्या फ़ुटून पीठ मऊ झाले की त्यात १ चमचा तेल मिसळा आणि पीठ मळत रहा.
४. पीठ जास्त कोरडे अथवा जास्त ओले नको, हे पाहण्यासाठी पिठाचा एक छोटा गोळा घेऊन तो तळहातावर दाबा. जर कडा व्यवस्थित राहील्या तर ते पिठ योग्य आहे असे समजावे. जर कडेला चिरा पडल्या तर थोडे पाणी घालून परत तपासावे.

कडा व्यवस्थित आहेत, ह्याचा अर्थ पीठ व्यवस्थित भिजलेले आहे
५. आता पीठ १ तास झाकून ठेवावे.
६.तासाभराने परत एकदा पिठ तपासून घ्यावे.
७. पिठाची सुपारी एव्हढी गोळी घेउन ती गोलाकार आणि थोडी पातळचं लाटावी पण ६ इंचपेक्षा जास्त मोठी नको.
८. तुमची पहीली टॉर्टीला तयार झाली, अता ही टॉर्टीला तव्यावर हलकी भाजून घ्यावी. (तुम्ही अश्य टॉर्टीला भाजून फ़्रीजमधे १-२ दिवस ठेवू शकता.
९.ह्यानंतर ती थोडी शॅलो फ़्राय करून घ्यावी (भाजताना आणि तळताना ती फ़ुगणार नाही ह्याची काळजी घ्या)
तळताना टॉर्टीला कडक होणार नाही ह्याची काळजी घ्या (कारण नंतर त्या रोल करायच्या असतात)
१०.अता उरलेल्या पिठाच्या अश्या पद्धतीने टॉर्टीला बनवून घ्या.

भिजवलेले पीठ

लाटलेली टॉर्टीला

सॉस:
सॉसला ह्या डिशमधे फ़ार महत्व आहे, डिशचा मेन पार्ट सॉस आहे, त्यामूळे तो झक्कास जमलाच पाहीजे (म्हणजे बाकीचे दोष कळून येत नाहीत ;) )

तयार केलेला सॉस

साहीत्य:
१. १ कांदा बारीक चिरलेला
२. ४ लाल टॉमेटो
३. ४ लसूण पाकळ्या
४. १ चमचा आल्याची पेस्ट
५. २ बारीक चिरलेल्या हिरव्या मिरच्या
६. बारीक चिरलेली थोडी कोंथीबीर.
७. २ चमचे टॉमेटो सॉस
८. १ छोटा चमचा विनेगर
९. २ चमचे तेल.
१०.१ चमचा कॉर्नफ़्लोवर

सॉसचे साहित्य

क्रुती:
१. घरी ओवन असल्यास १८० सेल्सियसवर प्री-हीट करावा आणि त्यात ४ टॉमेटो १० मिनीटस्‌ बेक करून घ्यावेत. ह्यामूळे टॉमेटोचे रस आतमधे मस्त मोकळे होतात आणि फ़्लेवर जास्त डेव्हलप होतो.
२. भाजलेले टॉमेटोची साल काढून नंतर छान प्युरी करून घ्यावी (ओव्हन नसल्यास टॉमेटो उकळत्या पाण्यात २ मिनिटस टाकून लगेच बाहेर काढावे आणि साल काढून टाकून प्युरी बनवावी)
३. एका कढईत २ चमचे तेल टाकून गरम करावे आणि त्यात लसूणा (ठेचून) घालावी, मग आले आणि चिरलेली मिरची टाकून परतावे. आलं-लसूणाचा वास सुटाला की मग त्यात कांदा टाकून, कांदा पारदर्शक होईपर्यंत परतावा.
४. आच मध्यम करून त्यात टॉमेटो प्युरी मिक्स करावी व व्यवस्थित ढवळून घ्यावे.
५. आता टॉमेटो प्युरीच्या समप्रमाणात पाणी घालावे (२ कप प्युरीला २ कप पाणे).
६. आता २ चमचे टॉमेटो सॉस, १ चमचा विनेगर, आणि चवीपुरते टाकावे, आणि चव घेउन पहावी (जरा आंबट लागल्यास १ चमचा साखर घालावी)
७. वरील सर्व क्रुतीमधे आच पुर्णवेळ एकसारखीच ठेवावी नाहीतर टेस्ट बदलू शकते.
८. मध्यम आचेवर सर्व मिश्रण १५-२० मिनीटे ठेवावे.
९. १५-२० मिनीटस नंतर १ चमचा कॉर्नफ़्लोवर अर्ध्या कप पाण्यात मिसळून सॉसमधे टाकावे आणि गॅस बंद करावा.


एनचिलाडाज:
आता फ़ायनली एनचिलाडाज बनवूयात :) मी स्टफ़ींगसाठी भाज्या वापरल्या (श्रावण आहे ना....), पण आपण काहीही वापरू शकतो अगदी हवे ते.

साहीत्य:
१. १ मूठ मक्याचे दाणे
२. १ मूठ बटाट्याचे छोटे चौकोनी काप
३. १ मूठ गाजराचे छोटे चौकोनी काप.
४. १ मूठ उभ्या चिरलेल्या सिमला मिरचीचे तुकडे.
५. २ कप किसलेले चीज ( अमूलचे चौकोनी तुकडे वापरू नका ते अजिबात मेल्ट होत नाहीत),
कीसलेले चीज नसेल तर चीज स्लाइस चालतील.

स्टफ़िंगचे साहित्य

क्रुती:
१.ओव्हन १८० सेस्लियसवर प्रीहीट करत ठेवा.
२.सर्व भाज्या (सिमला मिरची सोडून) वाफ़वून घ्याव्या ( १ शिट्टी द्यावी)
३.आता सॉसचे दोन भाग करावेत आणि एक भाग बेकींग ट्रे मधे सारखा पसरावा, थोडा ओरिगानो भुरभुरावा

बेकिंगपॅनमधे पसरवलेला सॉस

४.एक टॉर्टीला घ्यावी, आणि ती उरलेल्या सॉसमधे बुडवावी, एका ताटलीत घेउन त्याच्यात थोडे चीज आणि स्टफ़ींग भरावे, आणि हळूवार पणे दोन्हीबाजूने फ़ोल्ड करून, ट्रेमधे ठेवावी ( कडा खालच्या बाजूने असाव्यात)

स्टफ़ करून फ़ोल्ड करण्याआधीची टॉर्टीला

५.सर्व टॉर्टीला वरीलप्रमाणे ट्रेमधे ठेवून घ्याव्यात.
६.आता उरलेले सॉस समप्रमाणात ट्रेमधे पसरावे आणि वरून उरलेले चीज पसरावे (चीजने सर्व झाकले गेले पाहीजे..)

पुर्णपणे चीजने झाकलेली डिश

७.आता ट्रेवर ऍल्युमिनीयमची फ़ोईल लावावी, २-४ चिद्र पाडावीत आणि १८० सेस्लियसवर १५-२० मिनीटे बेक करावे.

फ़ॉइल लावलेला बेकिंगट्रे

८.थोडा वेळ सेटल झाल्यावर गरमा गरम खावे.

प्रयत्न केलात तर मला जरूर कळवा.

बेक झालेले एनचिलाडाज