Mid-week Treat: Bombay Duck Fish Pie

I bought a bright, shiny red pie pan approximately a year and a half ago in the hopes of becoming a regular pie-baker. I don't know if that's the right term, but you get the drift. I did look up some sweet pie recipes, but was so intimidated that I didn't venture out into that territory.The tin just sat on the rack where I store my baking supplies calling out for a spin in the oven. Until, one day when I had a crazy day at work and just couldn't make the time to cook a full Indian meal for lunch.

I looked in the freezer - there were two kinds of fish - Pomfret and Bombay Duck. If Bombay Duck being a fish confuses you, I can relate to it. When I was little, I couldn't wrap my head around the concept either. It's a lovely, soft, delicate fish, native only to the waters along the western coast of India. For a seafood junkie, it is love at first bite but it may well be an acquired taste for others.

I've always had it the traditional way - shallow fried with a crispy, masala-batter coating. I wondered, if I could make a fish pie out of this delicious catch. A savoury pie didn't seem as scary. I Googled 'fish pie', and chanced upon a Jamie Oliver recipe.

Now is probably a good time to tell you that am a big fan of JO. He is responsible for my obsession with attempting to grow fresh herbs, tomatoes, lemons, strawberries and what-have-you. So far I have succeeded with coriander, mint and a lemon tree is spreading it's branches in my balcony. Hopefully we'll have some lemons to sample this summer.

Back to my pie though. JO's recipe looked so easy (one of the reasons we love him so much), included veggies and was topped with a delicious potato mash instead of a pastry. Looked like a wholesome meal to me. Here's the original recipe: Jamie Oliver's Fish Pie.

While JO's recipe calls for a variety of seafood, I used about half a kilo of Bombay Duck and veggies. Also, you can poach the fish for a few seconds in some boiling water and tease out the bones easily. Since Bombay Duck tends to have a lot of water content, I tossed the meat in some rice flour to avoid a soggy pie. From there on, I pretty much stuck to the rest of the instructions in the recipe.

The baked potato mash on top is glorious. If you do bake this wonder, be sure to coat it with some olive oil to give it a lovely golden finish. We really enjoyed our lunch that afternoon and the leftovers made for a cozy dinner.

What is your fave simple, one dish meal?

Low Fat Brownies: Midweek Treat

I firmly believe that chocolate, ice cream or brownies can fix anything.

A few days ago, I had a super high intensity craving for brownies. Now, I can't get my hands on any brownies, living where I live. Thankfully, I had on hand all the stuff I needed to bake some and a nice Sanjeev Kapoor recipe too. I improvised a little tossing in some walnuts and adjusting the flour ratio.

Since they turned out pretty yummy, I had to spread the love! So here's the recipe with some modifications and tips.

Makes about 16 brownies | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 25 mins or more

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup wholewheat flour
3/4 cup refined flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda bicarbonate
3/4 cup caster sugar (Original recipe calls for a cup, but I cut down on it for a less sweeter version)
2 egg whites, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 tablespoons oil (Original uses 1 1/2, but I found this makes the brownies too dry and flat)
1 tablespoon butter, melted or a blob will work too
My own little fourish, 1/2 cup of walnuts broken into tiny pieces. Avoid the temptation to chop or bash the walnuts, you will end up with quite a bit of crushed powder.

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C / 350 deg F. Grease an 8 inch square tray or line with butter paper.
Sift the flours, baking powder and soda bicarbonate into a bowl.
Melt the butter over very low heat. Add the cocoa powder to this and slowly stir over the low heat for two minutes. Make sure the mixture doesn't boil or burn. You can also add some of the milk to this, to prevent the chocolate from burning. Melting the butter and cooking the cocoa powder makes for a better tasting, non-doughy batter.
Beat the caster sugar with the eggs until combined and fluffy.
Divide the flour up into three parts. Start with folding the egg whites and sugar into a portion of the flour. Alternating between dry and wet ingredients mix in the remaining ingredients until everything is well integrated. Be careful not to over beat the mixture. If you're using an electric blender, keep it to low speeds.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until it's firm to touch and an inserted knife comes out clean. Leave in the tin until completely cooled.
Use a sharp knife to cut into 16 odd squares and remove from tin using a spatula.

These low fat brownies are a real treat, especially if you have been on a diet. The walnuts add a crunchy texture and crank up the health quotient too. A perfect excuse to stuff face.

They are great as a dessert after a scrumptious lunch or even better as a midnight snack. You can wash them down with some chilled milk.

Have you ever been consumed by a craving so much that you're willing to do anything to satisfy it?

Infectious Creativity: Illustrated Bites

In a sea of beautifully styled food blogs with glamorous pictures of vittles, here comes a delightful blog with illustrated recipes and cooking tips. Heather Diane is an artist who has combined two loves - image making and food. A wonderful idea, isn't it?

Head on over to her blog Illustrated Bites to dive into a world where your imagination will get a high and your stomach will rumble with desire.

Weekend Cooking: Bengali Style Prawns in Mustard Sauce

Hello, am back after a long break. Travel and work has kept me away from sharing more Sunny Nomad stories with you (one can flatter oneself that she's been missed). But I plan to make up for it with almost incessant chatter.

Last month, I made a short trip back home to Mumbai. Meeting friends and family was just what I needed after living in a small hotel room for almost two months! Going to my workplace and absorbing the gentle hum of advertising infused a new energy in me. Working from home can sometimes make you feel like you're bubble wrapped. So I made the most of my trip, soaking in the sights, going back to old haunts, indulging in retail therapy.

And getting the chance to cook made me as happy as a clam.

While I was there, my mother took me along to a fresh seafood market on a Sunday morning. On our way back home, I offered to cook a lovely Bengali recipe a friend had shared with me. It's her mum's take on the traditional one and a complete winner. I was a little apprehensive though, my mother is a skilled cook and not very open to new flavours. She prefers her rustic preparations, but thankfully everyone, including her was thrilled with this treat.

Thanks Mou, for sharing the  recipe, you've brought much joy to fellow foodies. The beautiful mustard sauce, the sweet prawns, the tangy tamarind and the bite of the green chilly make this a mellow, soul nourishing dish.

Here's the real quick and simple recipe, in case you'd like to give it a try.

Serves Four | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients
15-20 (depending on size) Prawns - shelled and de-veined
1/3 cup of Mustard seeds - soaked for about 4-6 hours
3-4 Green Chillies
2 tablespoons Tamarind pulp
2 tablespoons Mustard oil or any cooking oil
1 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 Potato peeled and chopped into wedges - This isn't a part of the original recipe, but I love the buttery soft texture of potato wedges with the mustard sauce. You can choose to skip the potato.
Salt to taste
Water

Preparation
Sprinkle some salt and 1/2 a teaspoon of Turmeric on the cleaned prawns and set aside for 20 minutes.

Grind the soaked mustard seeds adding a little water as you go to make a smooth paste.

Tip: If you don't have the time to pre-soak the mustard seeds, don't worry, you can still whip up this meal in 15 minutes. Just grind the dry mustard seeds to a powder in a spice or coffee grinder and add water later to make a paste.

Make tiny slits on the chillies and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a deep pan or wok. If you're using mustard oil, be sure to let it smoke so that it loses its pungency and gives a more well-rounded flavour to the dish. Once the oil has smoked, reduce the heat to a medium, carefully add the green chillies and let them splutter in the oil for a few seconds. Follow this with the mustard paste and saute this for a couple of minutes. Now pour in about two cups of water and bring the sauce to a boil.

Slide the potatoes into the gravy and cook until potatoes are almost done before you tip in the prawns. Prawns cook very quickly, so adding them later ensures they don't get overdone. Finally, add the tamarind paste, adjust the quantity of water and sprinkle salt to taste. Bring the sauce up to an even simmer, and take the pan off the heat once the sauce thickens.

Serve with hot rice while the aroma is still wafting through your kitchen. Be sure to share how it turned out. After all, sharing is caring.

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P.S.  If you're vegetarian, you can substitute the prawns with paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or mushrooms. I haven't tried it myself, but if you do, drop me a line and let me know if it worked.

A Little Relish Magazine: Recipes, Restaurants, Cafes

A Little Relish Issue Two is something I just have to share with all of you. If you haven't seen it already, I suggest you do it as soon as you've had a bite to eat, because this gorgeous magazine is a treat for the eyes but punishment for your tummy! The second issue covers quaint cafes and fresh food markets in Montreal alongwith a bunch of delectable recipes that are easy to whip up.

Created by Chantelle Grady, the magazine gives you an interesting peek at the life and culture of Montreal. I have spent a couple of magical afternoons just flipping through the pages covered with beautiful shots of food, bicycles, people, buildings and boulangeries. Montreal is now on my list of places to go to before I kick the bucket.

Just go here to find something to drool over! Don't miss the recipes for a day-long binge in the morning, noon and night section.