Roasted jalapeno sweetcorn rice

Fresh sweetcorn – yum.

Chillies – yum.

Rice – yum.

Put ‘em all together – yum yum yum.

That’s the sort of maths I find easy, and that’s why I made this recipe from the eCurry website. I love the website, I love the recipes and the food, and I love the photos of the food. I can’t think of a single thing I don’t like there.

I've no idea what hatch chiles are, so I had to substitute jalapenos instead, but I think that was the only change I made from the original.

I made the chilli-flavoured oil from scratch, following her recipe exactly. (If you want to do it that way too, click the link to her recipe – there’s no point me repeating it here as I didn’t change a thing.) So while the home-made chilli-flavoured oil was nice, I do think that store-bought chilli oil would save on time and trouble (and some coughing and evil chilli fumes in the house as well).

Certainly if I wanted to make this rice again on a whim, I wouldn’t be able to if I had to start the chilli oil 24 hours ahead. Whims don’t really make for forward planning, and my life is very whimsical.

At this point I have to hope that the word whimsical means what I want it to mean – which is that my life runs on whims – and not whatever definition you get for “whimsical” in the dictionary… unless that definition includes “full of whims”.

Now, if I have ruined the word “whim” for you as much as I have for myself by making it seem suddenly weird, you are ready for the recipe.

Recipe for: Roasted jalapeno sweetcorn rice


Ingredients:

6 jalapenos
1 whole ear fresh corn
6 cloves garlic
a big handful of fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds + 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 cups cooked basmati rice
2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, diced
Chilli-flavoured oil
fresh lime
salt
1 can mixed pulses/beans (about a cup), rinsed under cold water and drained

Method:

1. Slice the kernels from the corn with a sharp knife and separate the kernels if necessary.
2. Lightly toast them on a dry skillet till the water evaporates and they acquire light brown spots.

Reserve.

3. Roast the jalapenos on an open flame till the skin is blistered all over.
4. Place the jalapenos in a ziploc bag and close tightly. Allow peppers to steam for 10-15 min. When cooled, the skin will peel off easily from the flesh.
5. Puree roasted peppers, peeled and chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, fresh coriander and 1 tsp oil till smooth.

Set aside.

6. Heat a thick bottomed pan. Add the 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds and lightly roast them till they are a shade darker and fragrant.

7. Add 2 tbsp oil and add the onions. Fry the onions at medium heat till they are tender, and starting to brown at the edges.
8. Now add the beans and cook them all together with the onion for 5 minutes or so.

9. Next, add the roasted pepper puree to the pan.

Add salt to taste and cook at high heat for 5-6 minutes till the oil starts to separate and the puree thickens.

10. Add the corn and the rice and stir them together for a couple of minutes till the green sauce is well combined with the rice.

11. Cook for about 3 more minutes, tossing frequently but carefully so as not to break the rice.
12. Drizzle the chili oil over the rice and stir.

13. Serve hot with lime wedges on the side so that people can squeeze over the juice to taste.


RECIPE: ROASTED JALAPENO SWEETCORN RICE

Ingredients:
6 jalapenos
1 whole ear fresh corn
6 cloves garlic
a big handful of fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds + 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 cups cooked basmati rice
2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, diced
Chilli-flavoured oil
fresh lime
salt
1 can mixed pulses/beans (about a cup), rinsed under cold water and drained

Method:
1. Slice the kernels from the corn with a sharp knife and separate the kernels if necessary. 2. Lightly toast them on a dry skillet till the water evaporates and they acquire light brown spots. Reserve.
3. Roast the jalapenos on an open flame till the skin is blistered all over.
4. Place the jalapenos in a ziploc bag and close tightly. Allow peppers to steam for 10-15 min. When cooled, the skin will peel off easily from the flesh.
5. Puree roasted peppers, peeled and chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, fresh coriander and 1 tsp oil till smooth. Set aside.
6. Heat a thick bottomed pan. Add the 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds and lightly roast them till they are a shade darker and fragrant.
7. Add 2 tbsp oil and add the onions. Fry the onions at medium heat till they are tender, and starting to brown at the edges.
8. Now add the beans and cook them all together with the onion for 5 minutes or so.
9. Next, add the roasted pepper puree to the pan. Add salt to taste and cook at high heat for 5-6 minutes till the oil starts to separate and the puree thickens.
10. Add the corn and the rice and stir them together for a couple of minutes till the green sauce is well combined with the rice.
11. Cook for about 3 more minutes, tossing frequently but carefully so as not to break the rice.
12. Drizzle the chili oil over the rice and stir.
13. Serve hot with lime wedges on the side so that people can squeeze over the juice to taste.

Roasted jalapeno curry

Hyderabadi mirchi ka saalan is a recipe that I’ve wanted to try, but for one reason or another never got around to making. I’ve never had it anywhere before either. (And on an aside, the next time I’m in Hyderabad, I’m so going to collar a native Hyderabadi and go on a gastronomic tour of the best that this city has to offer. I do understand that it won’t be THE BEST - because I’d really rather not eat non-vegetarian food - and I understand that THE BEST biriyani is definitely not vegetarian. Oh well. I’m sure I’ll be happy with the saalan and other such recipes.)

Anyway, I came across a recipe in Bong Mom’s Cookbook for something approaching saalan without using coconut, and felt very thrilled because I had some jalapeno chillies, once green but now rapidly becoming orange and red - to use up.



The recipe also said to roast the chillies in the oven (which is another thing I’d been meaning to try, and now I have). Of course, I didn’t really notice that Bong Mom’s roasted chillies in her photo were only very mildly brown after 40 minutes. No, all I registered was that the recipe mentioned “30-40 minutes roasting”, and so, blithely blind to any note of caution (such as “these are my toaster oven settings”), I set off to roast the chillies in my regular, fan-driven, electric oven at a blistering 190C.

Boy, was it ever blistering! It very nearly blistered my poor jalapenos to charcoal. Only a serendipitous check at 20-odd minutes saved the chillies from a horrendous death by burning. Perhaps because the chillies had been over-roasted, they felt very insubstantial when I took ‘em off the tray – quite limp to the touch, really, and I wondered if I’d entirely burnt the taste and heat from them as well. (No, I hadn’t, thankfully, as I discovered later. I also discovered that the ideal size – for serving and eating purposes - would have been about 1.5”-2” long, rather than 4” or thereabouts.)

Apart from that, though, the recipe went swimmingly well. I used light soy milk in place of regular milk, and I don’t think it made much difference to the final result... although after I’d poured it in and smelt the milk’s sweetish aroma, I had a few moments of doubt. I needn’t have worried – you couldn’t have said that the dish contained soy milk, once it was finished.

MAN was the curry tasty, though! I had it with plain basmati rice and some sautéed roasted chickpeas. The mild sauce was the perfect foil for the heat from the chillies - but if I was making this dish using bell peppers, I would definitely up the heat quotient for the sauce. It would be too boring for me otherwise... although perhaps chilli-intolerant people would disagree.

Recipe for: Roasted jalapeno curry



Ingredients:

10 jalapeno peppers (or bell peppers or long "bajji" chillies, cut into 2.5" pieces)
10 almonds (with or without skin, soaked in water for 30 min)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1" piece ginger, grated
1 medium tomato, cut into small chunks
1 cup light soya milk (or use regular milk)
1/2 tsp nigella seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp oil
1 tbsp kasoori methi
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander for garnish

Method:

1. Toss the chillies with 1 tsp oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 20 minutes or so at 180C/350F.



They should have brown spots here and there. (Try not to burn them, which I nearly did.)



2. While the chillies are roasting, put the almonds in hot water and let soak for 30 minutes or so. Reserve.



3. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the onions, garlic and ginger.



4. When the onions begin to soften, toss in the chopped tomatoes.



5. Fry for 3-4 minutes till the tomatoes turn soft, then turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.



6. Grind the cooled tomato-onion masala along with the almonds (you can remove the skin if you like, but I didn't)



to a fairly smooth paste. Mine is pinkish, probably because of the red onion I used, as well as the almond skins.



7. In a pan, heat the remaining oil, then add the cumin and nigella seeds.



8. Let the seeds fry for 30 seconds, then add the ground paste and mix in well.



9. Add the paprika (if using), turmeric powder and kasoori methi.



10. Pour in the soya milk, add salt to taste, and stir till the mixture is homogenised.



11. Let the sauce come to a gentle boil on medium heat (about 4 minutes), then add the roasted chillies.



12. Stir it all gently, let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add the chopped coriander. Serve hot with plain basmati rice, jeera rice, ghee rice or any mild pulao. Also good with chapaties.

Spinach corn muffins

When I tasted cornbread for the first time (I made it myself) I have to say that I was not particularly impressed – it was so bland! Now, I know that at that point, I considered all foods bland that were not chilli-hot. That’s an attitude endemic to (most of) us Indians because so much of our food contains chillies and/or strong spices and flavourings. If you’re used to loading vegetables with lots of masala, for instance, plain boiled green beans with just salt and pepper would definitely be termed as “bland”. It’s not just vegetarians, either – even non-veg Indians find it difficult to face plain roasted chicken (or other meat)… they usually like their meat cooked in a spicy sauce or maybe coated in a fiery masala.

I remember going with my friend Lakshmi (or KiwiGee fame, such as it is) to a restaurant in Mount Road that specialised in “western” food (I cant remember the restaurant name now, it was many years ago while I was working in the Indian Express). We had been there before and enjoyed the vegetable au gratin – or maybe it was the sheer novelty of it, vegetables in a cheesy white sauce - and decided it was time we educated another colleague and friend in the ways of international cuisine.

Poor chap, he had the most awful struggle to get it down. He was through-and-through a traditional South Indian - he wasn't even really into North Indian cuisine, and he had probably never wanted to try anything European at all. But he was a sweet uncomplaining pal, and he let himself be forced by us into having a go.


Two forkfuls into the gratin, and he turned green and said he couldn’t finish it. We, being cruel to be kind, perhaps – or maybe just determined to introduce him to “sophisticated” food - sat there, one on either side of him, insisting that he shouldn’t give up so easily. He sprinkled crushed red chillies, stirred in industrial quantities of chilli sauce, and in general did all he could to mask the blandness of the white sauce and the grilled cheese topping… but in the end, he just balked at eating any more of it. For quite a while after that I think he avoided any mention of “treats” from us…

What I didn’t realize then, I do now – that it takes a conscious effort to let your taste buds slow down and adjust to fewer spices, and enjoy the real flavour of whatever vegetable you’re eating... or even get used to the lack of chillies and the presence of unfamiliar spices and seasonings. Of course, in this I speak mostly for myself and my taste buds, which sadly did not grow up amidst authentic international cuisine and therefore were ignorant and inexperienced in many ways for the longest time.

So anyway, long story short, I did eventually learn to like vegetables that weren’t cooked to mush, steamed veg that had the most basic of seasonings - I may have mentioned this before, but fresh green beans cooked just so, eaten immediately with just a sprinkling of salt is probably one of my greatest pleasures now! - pasta that did not have crushed red chillies (at the very least) sprinkled all over it, cheese-on-toast without sliced green chillies on it… and so on. I tried to keep my mind and tastebuds open to new flavours and give new foods at least one good try before condemning them.

But this cornbread – plain cornbread without cheese or onions or anything else savoury... it literally WAS too bland and boring. It was just blah - and blah it remained despite my sternest lectures to myself to be open-minded. I didn’t bother with making cornbread again for ages, until I came across other recipes for it on the Net (this after I had started this food blog) and decided to give the whole thing another go.

Now of course I adore cornbread – as long as there’s no sweetness involved. I don’t understand or like the addition of honey or sugar. I do add onions, scallions, quick-cook vegetables like spinach, cheese (although not excessively) but, most important of all, green chillies. Yes, I'm aware that I lectured about chillies or the lack thereof, thanks - but there are SOME things which totally require heat. Cornbread, as far as I’m concerned, is one of those things. That’s how it has to be. It’s just one of those things.

These muffins make a nice snack by themselves or, more traditionally, you could serve them with chili con (or sin, in my case) carne. I didnt use fresh chillies this time - I just chopped up some super-hot-but-fruity sliced manzano chillies in vinegar that were lurking in my fridge, and used those.

Recipe for: Spinach corn muffins



Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup plain flour
1 large egg
1 cup milk (I used semi-skim)
1/2 cup canned corn niblets
1/8 cup oil
1/2 cup spinach leaves, shredded
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp freshly milled black pepper
2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno peppers (I used manzano chillies)
salt to taste

Method:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.



2. In another, smaller bowl, whisk together the oil and egg.



3. Pour in the milk and stir it in.



4. Pour the egg-milk mixture into the bowl containing the flour



and stir till just combined. Do not beat.



5. Add the corn and spinach and stir them in gently.



6. Sprinkle the ground pepper



and add the jalapenos (if using), and stir them in.



7. Fill muffin pans with the batter about 3/4 of the way to the top and bake in a 180C/350F oven for about 15 minutes. Test to see if the muffins are done; if not, give them another 5 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and serve warm.