A Penny for Food

When leading a bachelor life, alcohol is one thing that there is never any shortage of at your pad. So, naturally, it has to find its way into everything you make. There is something divine about the smell of alcohol as it wafts from a dish you cooked. Its intoxicating. And it takes the pleasure of cooking to a whole different level. It amplifies the joy there is in that simple act. So, here is something simple to start you off on cooking with alcohol. Black Dog Mocha 1 part Coffee 1 part Chocolate 1 part Sugar 1 part Black Dog Whisky 3 parts Hot Milk Blend it all together till foamy. This wasn't really food. But it is a start. And maybe someday, you would be dishing out masterpieces. Here is a toast to that day. Cheers!

Paneer is the most common cheese used in India. It is fresh, un-aged, non-melting and completely vegetarian. Unlike most cheeses, paneer is not coagulated used rennet. Instead, only fruit acids are used to curdle hot milk. The process of making paneer is simple. You heat up the milk and add in a curdling acid (lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid. effectively, anything acidic and edible) and separate the curds. Now what you do after this if your wish. There exist variations across the country from this point on. What you do depends on what you want out of the end product. You can press dry it for a harder cheese or just hang it dry to get a softer, more moist version. You can ripen it or consume it un-aged. You can beat it smooth and make rasagullas or koftas or cut out slabs and make one of innumerable number of spicy dishes. Here is the recipe I use to make paneer: Ingredients: 1 Lt. Full Cream Cow's Milk 1 No. Juice of Whole Lemon Procedure: 1. Bring milk to a b...

The recipe for Soubise requires minimal interference from the cook, and as such, one can divert their attention to other pursuits while it slowly cooks away. Preparation required is minimal. This dish can be puréed and used as a sauce/gravy for meat dishes, especially chicken and fish. The key trick to this dish is finishing off the cooking of the rice in the water released from the onions. Use yellow onions for a pleasant golden colour because red onions result in the dish looking a bit muddy. Other vegetables with high water content can also be used for this purpose. Just remember the thumb rule, 1 cup Rice + 2 cups Water. Go ahead and try it out. This was the other recipe I submitted for the campus magazine,  The Fourth Estate . The magazine is still not out, but I just could not deprive my online readers anymore.

The recipe which I am sharing today is a personal favorite of mine. A cheap, vegetarian version of Spaghetti alla carbonara , using Ramen noodles instead of the pasta and substituting the bacon with bell peppers. The major time in the creation of this dish is spent in the preparation with the actual cooking coming together within ten minutes. This recipe should only be used as a guideline and let your judgment and taste buds make the final call. I have tried to make sure that the ingredients used are readily available but the dish is pretty versatile to allow for the omission, replacement or addition of vegetables, meats and/or cheeses. This was one part of a recipe I submitted for the campus magazine, The Fourth Estate . The magazine is still not out, but I just could not deprive my online readers anymore.

I realized that I have been neglecting this blog for a long time. Forgive me for that, but I return not empty-handed. A bit of a news first. I wrote two recipes for the college magazine . I will post them here once the magazine gets published. Until then, I present to you "The Humble Rice". Comprised primarily of starch and fiber, rice is a source of vitamins B1 and B2 and minerals like potassium and phosphorous also, while being low in sodium content. The carbohydrates in rice are digested slowly, which allows for the body to utilize the energy over a longer time. Rice contains only traces of fat and absolutely no cholesterol, making it an extremely healthy food. Rice is a staple food in India and most of the eastern nations, with each nation having its typical dishes made from rice. The variety of dishes that can be made with rice is astounding. These grains can be used in any course of the meal, be it appetizer or soup or entrée or a side or dessert. It can be had fo...

I have been eyeing a couple of handy gadgets for the Dorm Culinaire kitchen. They are not essential but are just something that I would really like to have on hand, for they would make life so much easier without occupying too much space in the room or digging deep into your pockets: two constraints that every college student has. I do not in any way advocate filling up your room with every little gadget that you can possibly lay your hands on, but some well thought out purchases can go a great way to filling up those ever hungry student stomachs or whipping up something to quieten that midnight growling while studying for that all-important test you have next morning. The first one, a handheld blender. It is so useful in any kitchen. And it increases the scope of what you can prepare to include drinks (smoothies, juices, shakes). Tired of those chumky soups, I can puree it up now. This is top of my wishlist at the moment. The other gadget is a Sandwich Press or Panini Press, whateve...

Now who doesn't like omelets. Light, fluffy, well-made sheet of eggy goodness. As I have mentioned earlier , the modest egg is the most versatile ingredient that one can work with. The Omelet is yet another display of its power to hold the sway of humans from the time it is served till the last bite vanishes down the throat and a moment more. Making this doesn't even take that much time. The key to to making a fluffy omelet: Beat the eggs, don't stir them . Stirring just mixes up the materials. Beating incorporates air into the mixture and if the material is capable, like eggs are, the air gets trapped. Stirring at this point will only aid in removing the trapped air. You can beat the eggs using a fork or an egg-beater, in case you have one. The beater just gets the job done quicker for it allows for more air to come in contact. The white and the yolk have different capacity for trapping air. For really fluffy omelets, beat the yolk and the white separately. Beat the whites...

One of the most delectable ways of feeling the love between all the vegetables and meats is to throw them all in to a pot and let them all bubble away. It might sound a very sappy thing to say, but it is in fact quite "soup"y. A well made soup brings out the flavors of the ingredients composing it in such a burst of sensation that plays a merry jig on your taste buds all over your tongue. And as with everything that I instruct my readers about, it is a really simple thing to do. Just a matter of choosing your vegetables, your meat (Optional, in case you are one of the poor, hopeless souls inhabiting the earth and calling yourself Vegetarian just so that you can be Green, like a Martian perhaps!) and the garnish. There are three vegetables that are almost omnipresent in every soup. The three great aromatics: Onion, Carrot and Celery. If not directly present, they are present in the form of the stock (or flavor concentrated water, if you please). Add to these, a few herbs and...

Vegetables contain texture, flavor and loads of nutrients, thus making them a really necessary part of the diet. This is especially true in the case of college going students for the regular dose of fast food is unable to completely fulfill our body's requirement for nutrition even though it might fill up the stomach. But, admit it, none of us really like eating vegetables. Given a choice between a healthy salad or a heart stopping bacon explosion, I would definitely choose the latter. But veggies are good, tasty and easy to make. And it does no harm to that wonderful piece of meat that has been making your mouth water. Good side dishes always add to the experience of the meal. And even simple Pan-Roasted or Sautéed Veggies will add the texture to every mouthful along with a burst of varying flavor. Some vegetables that you might consider using are: Root vegetables of various kinds, like Potatoes, Carrots, Beets etc. Beans of various kinds, like French Beans, Broad Beans, Soybeans ...

Cooking doesn't always involve heat and all that goes with it. Sandwiches are a great way to satisfy the midnight hunger attacks. All you require is: Some slices of bread Something to put in between With just these two components, there are so many variations possible that the world is still not tired of discovering new recipes, be it for those summertime picnics or the sophisticated tea parties. Choose a bread that you like. I prefer simple Brown Bread for my sandwiches, but you can even get yourself a Baguette and slice it up. For the inner layer I would give the following suggestions: Tomatoes Cucumber Lettuce Onions Salami Bacon Buy want you want and only as much as you need. For these stuff won't last long without proper storage which is difficult to attain outside of a refrigerator, which I am assuming that you don't have. In case you have one, go ahead and stock it up. Just have a few jars of jam or peanut butter or mayonnaise or mustard and ketchup on hand and a who...

Eggs are, perhaps, the simplest of proteins that you can manipulate to satisfy your appetite. And the simplest act of cooking that can be performed on it, Boiling. Eggs can be boiled up to different stages of the setting of the yolk. Runny, soft, medium or hard. A runny yolk is in no way unfit for consumption for it is still cooked to the temperatures where Salmonella does not remain a problem. Choosing eggs: Choose eggs without cracks. Eggs should be about 3 to 5 days old. (Stored hygienically, of course.) To boil eggs: Place eggs at bottom of the vessel and cover with cold water to cover an inch above. Heat to boil the water. When it comes to a rolling boil, remove and set aside with a lid on. Keep for 3-5 mins for soft yolk, 5-7 mins for medium-cooked yolk and 12-20 mins for hard yolks depending on size of the eggs. Remove from the water and quench the eggs into cold water to stop them overcooking. De-shell and enjoy. Whats Cooking America has a good set of tips, techniques and ho...

What every kitchen requires in order to dish out good food is not much. People think that restaurants produce such great food because they have lots of equipment. Pots, pans, loads of knives, blenders, food processors, ovens, microwaves and lots of other devices which require utmost delicacy to handle. Well, they do have all that and they spend a fortune for all that. But, then, they make a fortune too. I, on the other hand, get a little allowance every month, usually at the beginning, which I have to utilize till the end. What do I do in such a situation? Well, I team up with some of the seven hungry souls that I promise to feed, and I go and win some contests and use up that prize money to get the necessary equipment. The following is a list of the bare essentials required for any Dorm Room Cook (What I have with me is marked with a *): *Heat source : Preferably something that won't burn the building down. Gas supply is a big NO-NO! *Cooking vessel : This is what you cook in. You...

Hello reader, I would like to welcome you to the world of Dorm Room Cooking. Here, I would be detailing my culinary experiments and cooking for a group of seven hungry guys while restricted to the bare minimum that can be possible in a tiny room for one. I will try to incorporate pictures of what I cook too. Since that would have to be done on a borrowed camera, I cannot assure you of that. This is my first food blog and I hope you will encourage me by being a regular reader and writing your comments for the posts you read. I completely open to tips and suggestions, even from those who have never even boiled a cup of water in their life. The first actual post will be up real soon. It will be about the basic equipment required. Until then, enjoy my other non-food (almost) blog here .