THE PERFECT SUNDAY AFTERNOON COMFORT FOOD!
I slept at 5 am after a lovely evening at my
friends, Warren & Rubal's home. In my life I had never imagined spending a
Saturday night, drinking and chatting with friends at home! Not that it wasn't
fun, don't get me wrong. But Saturday night for me was always about a few
drinks at home before hitting a nice, quaint little pub or bar. The fancy
night clubs of this city infested with movie stars, wannabe movie stars or
social networking flies, stopped exciting me long ago! Drinking, dancing
& high-energy fun is what Saturday night was all about! So ever since our
watering hole Boat Club shut down, bringing our decade long memories to an end,
our Saturday nights turned into house parties. And last night Rubal and I found
ourselves craving to find another hole in the wall for us to crawl into and out
every weekend. So with that mission I returned home at 5!
As I lay my head on the pillow, I had visions of
what I wanted to eat for Sunday lunch! Yes, I know that sounds strange, but
that's me! And since Mom was here with me over the weekend, I found myself
craving for one of my favorite comfort foods, something that transport me
instantly to my childhood... A meal Mom would prepare on most Sunday
afternoons... Mom's sublime Garlic Dal, spicy Beef Pepper Chilly Fry with
steaming Rice!
The Beef Pepper Chilly Fry has a story. When my
mother was pregnant with me, all she yearned for was beef pepper chilly fry,
which her mother cooked for her! It didn’t stop there! Mom also expected her
mother to feed her! I guess now I know why this dish tops my comfort food list,
and I also know why I still crave to be fed by my Mom even at 40!
Anyway, I woke up to a familiar visual… I watched
my mother leave for the market, to buy me some tender beef, like she did every
Sunday morning when I was a kid. Most of the times I loved accompanying her then... I still enjoy going to the market with Mom, whenever I can...
Few hours later, while my lunch was being prepared, I watched two great actors, Jack Nicholson
& Morgan Freeman in the heartwarming film, The Bucket List, for the nth
time! Could one ask for a more perfect Sunday afternoon?
So here it is! The recipe to one of the many dishes that warms my bones on a Sunday!
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| The childhood favourite Garlic Dal! |
3 chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
A handful chopped coriander leaves
A few curry leaves
A pinch of asafetida
Heat oil in a dish (or pressure cooker if you're in a tearing hurry!), drop in the asafetida & cumin seeds. When the seeds pop, add the curry leaves and all the crushed garlic . Saute the garlic till it's a nice brown color, but not burnt! Add the tomatoes, the turmeric powder and fry nicely. Add the soaked dal and cook in 2 cups of water till it's nice and mushy. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steaming hot rice. Any side dish goes perfectly with this dal, but what I love eating with this dal is fried fish or spicy fried potatoes (recipe later), some nice pickle or of course, the Beef Pepper Chilly Fry!
Mom's Beef Pepper Chilly Fry
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| Comfort food! Beef Pepper Chilly Fry! |
Ingredients:
1/2 kg beef tenderloin
3 medium sized onions, chopped into fine cubes.
2 medium sized potatoes cubed (I prefer with the skin on!)
8 to 10 green chillies, minced (depends on how spicy you like it!)
8 large garlic flakes, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
1 tsp crushed pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Few peppercorns
2 tbsps oil
Salt to taste
Method:
Boil the beef with one onion, a large pinch of chopped garlic and a few peppercorns in one to 1 & 1/2 cup of water. Halfway through, add the cubed potatoes and cook till tender. In a saute pan or kadhai, heat 2 tbsps oil. Add the onions, minced garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry till the onions turn pink and are cooked through. Do not let them turn brown. Add turmeric powder, the crushed pepper (I usually use a generous amount), the beef and potato with the onions and the liquid in it. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with steam rice and garlic dal!
Enjoy! And let me know how these dishes turned out!
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