The Sixties, Sobre Las Olas and Raja's Special!

The Sixties, Sobre las Olas and Raja's Special

It was the early sixties. Father took us on long drives almost every day, inspite of his multifarious activities. His blue coloured Companion van was perfect for our family. The four of us brothers and sisters fitted well in the long back seat, while father drove with mother by his side. My brothers monkeyed around by jumping back into the open boot and hopped back to the back seat as and when they liked.

A picnic dinner at the grand Lalitha Mahal Palace (it was not a hotel at that point of time!)which stood at the foot of Chamundi hills was a frequent agenda. Mother packed our favourite sambar rice and curd rice, with vadams (rice crispies) and pickles for the much awaited dinner. But the high light of the dinner was the special parcel and a crate of Fanta Orange which we picked up from the Sports club on our way.

There was a sprawling lawn and a grand fountain in front of the palace. On the opposite side huge flights of steps landed us in different levels of gardens. The domes on the lamp posts at frequent intervals shed cool dim light like the moon. We parked our Companion Van in front of the stairs and carried all our paraphernalia to one of the landing which again had a huge fountain in the center.

Father took out the gramophone from the boot and turned the handle to play our favourite records. We loved to dance to “Chinkey Butterfly” which was a fast number, and “Over the Waves or Sobre Las Olas” which was a waltz. Father joined us in the fun while mother filled up our dinner plates. The lone watch man or the occasional wild wolves which came down the hill did not interrupt our merriment. The cool breeze and the privacy in the expanse of nature, under the star lit sky is most unforgettable.

And then it was time to open the parcel ! All of us pounced on it to take a big helping of the Raja's Special and Peas on Toast. Raja's Special of yore is masala nuts of the present day. It seems this was the Raja’s favourite dish prepared at the Sports club, and hence goes by the name Raja's Special.


INGREDIENTS:
Peanuts – 500 gms
Onion – 2
Green chillies -3
Salt – 1 tsp
Lime – 1
Cooking oil- 1tsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Fresh chopped coriander leaves -1/2 cup
METHOD:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
2. When it splutters add finely chopped green chillies.
3. Add peanuts and roast till they crack, and allow to cool.
4. Add finely chopped onions, salt and the juice of lime.
5. Shake all ingredients in a vessel covered with a lid to blend well.
6. Top it with coriander leaves.

Munch along as you watch your favourite movie, or as you watch this quaint version of Over the Waves or Sobre Las Olas!

Little Burger

This is a fantastic recipe from Jamie Oliver's "Jamie's Dinner". After followed his recipe I don't feel want to buy those frozen burger anymore. Nothing can be better than making your own homemade burger and it taste much better than those frozen one. His recipe is simply the best!

This suppose to be a large burger but I intentionally make it into small portions to match with the little homemade buns I've made.

Ingredients for the burger: (Makes Approx. 8 Burgers)
(book reference: Jamie's Dinner)

1kg minced pork (I used lean minced pork)
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Olive oil
A pinch of cumin seeds (powdered)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds (powdered)
sea salt and ground black pepper
a handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon english mustard (I used D-jon mustard)
1 large egg
115g breadcrumbs (I used fresh bread and pulse in a food processor)

For the Buns: (makes 10 buns)

300g bread flour
7g yeast
9g sugar
6g salt
4g milk powder
190g (1 egg + water)
20g butter

Method for the burger:

1. Fry the onion with some olive oil in a pan for few minutes until softened. When the onion completely cool down, mix it to the meat.


2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. (if the mixture is too sticky, add a few more breadcrumbs). Shape the meat into the eight fat burgers and place on a tray with greaseproof paper.


3. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top of each burger and press down gently. Chilled in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours.


4. Fry the burger in a little oil on medium high heat for few minutes, depending on the thickness of the burger you shape. (here is a little different from the book, I grill it at a preheated oven 190'C for 15 minutes)

Method for the buns:

1. Knead all the ingredients with a dough hook for 15 minutes. Proof for 40 minutes then divide it into 10 portions.


2. Let it rest for 15 minutes. Then shape it into little bun and proof for another40 minutes or double in bulk.


3. Bake in a 190'C preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Godumai Dosai - Wheat Flour Pancakes

Godumai Dosai -
Wheat Flour Pancakes

One of the quickest and easy dosas to make is the tasty, light and lacy Godumai dosai. Although not popular with my children, I would resort to making Godumai dosai when I ran out of ideas. Menu planning was never easy with three children with different tastes. It needed to appeal to their taste buds, and yet be nutritious. On then occasions when I made this dosai, I had to resort to cajoling, or using distracting techniques like telling stories, and sometimes even being very stern to make them eat. Sometimes, by the time the three kids ate, I would really feel enough is enough!

I don’t recollect how, but I started the practice of making dosais shaped like flowers, stars and so on, after which they would readily eat up these dosais, with a little sugar or curd. I still remember the kids sitting in a row in the kitchen and demanding dosais shaped like a house, rabbit, bird, lion and so on! I would be a sport and try to fling the thin godumai dosai batter into these shapes. Children are anyway very imaginative. They would happily see these shapes, in the odd shaped dosais I made!

Ingredients
Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Water - 4 cups
Salt - to taste
Chopped corriander - 1 Tbsp
Curry leaves - a few
Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida - a pinch
Ghee / Oil - 1 tsp per dosa
Optional:
Grated ginger - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 Tbsp
Finely chopped onion - 1 Tbsp

Method
1) Make a batter of thin consistency by mixing all the ingredients. The consistency should easily pour-able. Regular pancake or dosai batter consistency is too thick for this dosai. This should be watery enough, such that a ladle poured on the tava (pan) quickly spreads out on its own.

2) Heat a tava or pan. A non-stick pan is the easiest to use. Wipe a bit of oil or gree on the pan, using a halved onion. This helps spread the oil evenly all over the pan.

3). Stir the batter so that it is well mixed. Take a ladle-full and pour into the tava. If the consistency is right, the batter will spread out on its own, or you can swish the nonstick pan to help spread it.

4) Air bubbles will rise and break giving a porous appearance to the dosai.

5) Turn down the flame to sim. You can add a little ghee around the dosai and inside a few of the pores.

6) There is no need to turn over the dosai to cook it. Leave it untouched, until the bottom becomes reddish brown and crisp, and the Godumai dosai easily slides off the pan onto a plate!

You can serve this with a variety of chutneys. However I relish this with the adee rasam or the thick part of rasam!