Tools of the Trade Tuesdays: Cookright Hard Anodized Chef's Pan, 12"

Tools of the Trade Tuesdays - Introducing a new series on Tuesdays, I can’t promise every week though :)

Like most people who come to the US for graduate studies I had not cooked anything in my parents’ home. I learnt to cook more out of necessity than out of interest. As I spent more time, I have come to realize that I love it, I see it as an art form and I gain immense pleasure from feeding people and seeing their taste buds satiated. I am excited to try out new dishes, and love to exchange recipes and ideas with friends, family and strangers.

Along the way like most of us, I have developed a style and some favorites in the kitchen that I refer to here as “Tools of the Trade”. Due to these tools I look forward to cooking, cleaning and the associated prep work. They make my life easy and I am glad that I found them along the way.  The purpose of this series is to share my favorites and if you have any that you love, please write me a note to forayintomykitchen@gmail.com and I’ll feature them and try those out too.

Tools of the Trade Hard Anodized Chef’s Pan 12”

Price: $29.99 (before discounts)

Available at: Macys, Amazon etc.

I might be biased, of course I am ; but if there is one nonstick pan you should invest in go for this Tools of the Trade vessel.

The nonstick surface is really good ( I have been using mine for over a year at least once a week), the size is perfect for medium to large # of people (2-8 nos) and can be used for a variety of entrees. I have used it to make side dishes, main entrees and mutliple cuisine types. It is not super heavy, has a lid and a handle to hold when stirring, cleans easy and is very resonably priced.  Addiontally its wide base spreads heat evenly and open mouth allows vegetables to fry quickly.

The same kind of pan is available by other popular brands also like Circulon, Analon etc.  I think this size and style is perfect so you can pick your favorite there. But for me, I like many of the Tools of the Trade vessels for their price and durability. I have so far bought all of mine at Macy’s during their home sales when you can rack up pretty good deals. There is one that is ongoing and ends today :P

Images are from the web, from Macy's website and from milo.com.

Carrot Onion Sabzi

July 27th 2011

I am a big fan of recipes that require very few ingredients. To me that means I don't have to consult my recipe book :) People who know me know very well that I cannot part from it.

Anyway back to this post - this is a recipe for a side dish that goes equally well with rotis or rice. Very easy to make and can be modified to suit adults and kids alike. Just 2 vegetables - onions and carrots. So let us get started.

Time : 20 min (prep time), 20 min (making time)

Difficulty level: Easy

Ingredients:

• 3-4 carrots (chopped finely)
• 1 large red onion (chopped finely)
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1/2 to 1 tbsp chilly powder
• 1/2 tbsp sambar or curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• salt (to taste)
• 2 or more tbsp oil

Method de Preparation:

1. Wash the carrots (yes I like to start from the very basic instructions, thank you!). Then if you are picky peel them with the back of your knife instead of the peeler so you don't waste half the vegetable. Else skip it.
2. Cut the carrot into 2 lengthwise, then just cut them into very thin semicircles all along. Repeat for all the carrots. 
3. Peel and then wash onions. Use red onions and by washing them you prevent those tears rolling down your eyes.
4. Cut the onions into 2, then cut each half into 3 (horizontally) and then cut into thin long strips. They should look like coleslaw. Close your eyes, VISUALIZE. OK, now proceed.
5. Take oil in a pan, add the mustard and when it splutters - add the onions. Saute, Saute till they are soft but not yet very brown. Add a bit of salt to quicken this process [Thanks for the tip Chitra!].
6. Add the carrots and the turmeric powder. Saute, cover with a lid, allow to cook and repeat till the carrots are tender. Keep heat medium to avoid burning. 
7. Add the salt, chilly  and sambar powder and mix well. Taste to make sure everything is perfect and then turn off heat.
8. Serve as a side with rotis or with rice or take in a bowl, add yogurt and enjoy alone!

Sambaram (Chilled Spicy Buttemilk Drink)

July 27th 2011

I have grown up always in sunshine and never had to check the weather for most of my life. But the abundance of sun also leads to very hot summers and this is something my mom always made for those super hot afternoons/evenings. 

This is a great drink to also help with digestion or when you feel kinda stuffed and not sure what you want to eat. Finishing off with this will make you feel cool inside and out :)  Now when all over the US the temperatures are soaring expect for my beloved Northwest this is  perfect. Give it a try!

Time: 15 min

Difficulty Level : Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup or more of yogurt (curd)
• 2 inches ginger
• 2-3 curry leaves
• 2-3 green chilies (vary based on desired spice level)
• a bunch of cilantro
• a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 1 cup or more of water
• a few cubes of ice
• salt (to taste)

Method de Preparation:

1. Grind the first 6 ingredients in a blender or use a hand blender. 
2. Once all the ingredients and blended well and you have a green liquid, add the water and salt and blend till it froths (another min).
3. Serve with a few cube of ice.

Substitutions:

1. You can use buttermilk instead of yogurt but then reduce the amount of water. This is supposed be thinner than a milkshake but I prefer it to be about the consistency of a fruit juice.
2. Reduce/Increase the amount of green chilies based on spice level.
3. Add garlic/onions etc if you like and can stand the rawness :)

Confessions:

Apologize for the bad pictures. This was one of the those days when we decided to skip dinner and drink this instead as we were too stuffed; so poor lighting :D