Barbecue Night

Sunday night we set-up a small barbecue on our terrace. Unfortunately the weather was not so comforting and we were sweating it out by the end of it. But we had some great food that night - Grilled paneer, mushroom, potatoes, onions, capsicums and roomali roti with dal makani.

Getting the grill to heat up ain't no easy task. It took me about 2 hours to really see that lovely reddish orange flame emerge out of the coal pieces. It's an art I am hoping I will be able to get a hang of it if I had some more of these sessions. But alas, the Mumbai weather isn't so supportive. But I am glad that by the end of it the taste was something we cherished very much. Also there was this lovely aroma of the food in the air which made it even more exciting to sit out there in the open and feast on the hot pieces off the grill.

Some pointers for those who would like to have a barbecue night at home:

1. Make sure you tell the coal seller you need it for home use so you can give you small brittle pieces.
2. Coal takes a lot of time to ignite, so give it ample time before you intend to start grilling stuff on it.
3. Coal needs a agent - I used kerosene but I believe you also get propane cans which can also be used. Make sure you don't use too much of this because otherwise the food can start smelling of it.
4. You are going to need a strong hand-held fan so give the coal necessary air for the sparks to rise.
5. Ensure that the marination is not a very thin gravy it should be thick enough so that it doesn't drip onto the coal.
6. The skews should be well oiled so that they come off smooth once roasted. Of the lot paneer is the most messy and potatoes the toughest.
7. Somebody should keep a watch and keep rotating the skews so that all sides are well cooked.
8. And .... don't expect to be a pro in your first few tries. This was my third attempt and I could manage to feed about 6 people in good time.

I would love to hear your experience or some expert tips, if you have organized a barbecue at your place. More photos from the evening at my flickr.

Scrambled Eggs

Winter in Bombay is as precious as gold. You get a very few of those chilly mornings where you can enjoy a nice cuppa of tea of a hearty breakfast. I am not a very morning person, so usually my breakfast is light.

But when the weather is good and office is closed on a Saturday morning - what better way to start the morning than to cook up some eggs. So having made a quick phone call to the neighbourhood grocery shops I got the necessary ingredients for my Scrambled Eggs breakfast.

I was going to look up the instructions online, but then my mom volunteered to guide me through, so under her expert guidance I cooked myself a hearty meal.

Pancakes at Mc Cafe

For those who thought I had stopped eating or cooking - Well, I haven't and I am back. Hope to get some long due posts in here, so keep checking. To start with here is something from my honeymoon trip to New Zealand.

Delicious - is not the word for this. I wish I could find something more superlative. Yummy pancakes at McDonald's coffee chain - Mc Cafe. They are supposed to be on the breakfast menu, but we managed to have the staff get one ready for us even in the evening. Thank them!

Strawberry Cake

About a week back, Mom surprised us with some dessert on a Thursday night. No such rule that NO desserts on a week-day but just you know how it feels nice to have something delicious in the middle of the week.

And I was lucky because I had got home early that evening and so dinner was relaxed and then a plateful of this cake. If there is something mom cherishes in desserts it's always been strawberries and cheese-cakes. But this is just a plain "strawberry cake". The cake was from Gaylord @ Churchgate and Mom made the strawberry cream at home.

Tomato Soup & Malaysian Noodles

A few Sundays back, I was sick - really sick. But I had spent that week thinking I would cook on the weekend and I didn't want anything to stop me. So I decided to cook something which would help me relieve my cold. Lucky me, as I was thinking Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor had already made my life easy, my giving a lovely soup recipe on that Sunday Mid-Day's edition.

Tomato & Basil Soup
This soup is an excellent choice for somebody who loves tomato soups. The extra essence of the basil and other ingredients make it very tasty. Just a bit of warning: This ain't a very simple soup to make. Lots of effort went into grinding the ingredients and give it that rich taste. But trust me worth the efforts, after all - Mom appreciated the soup very much. And let's not forget without her I am a lost soul in the kitchen. Thanks Mom!

Malaysian style noodles
I'll be honest, I dived into this one for only the egg pieces which I think were the only highlight of the noodles. I don't know, maybe I didn't do it right, but it turned out quite bland and kind of dry also. But what I mixed some Maggi Chilly sauce and it became a bit tastier. Top it all, not my choice, I like my noodles to be nice & juicy with some gravy in them. Share a recipe if you have something.