The Ant Blog

I have grown up in a family which loves seafood, and more so I have grown up in Goa. So the smell of the sea calls out to me. However, growing up I do not remember seeing my mother cook crabs at home. So I  thought of breaking the tradition by cooking some at home and sharing it with mom. I live in Mumbai now, for over a decade, but this is also the coastal belt and the produce are a lot similar. So I borrowed this recipe from a dear friend, a few weeks back and tried my hands on it.                                                    Crab Masala cooked Maharashtrian style It looks gorgeous, but is quite a simple recipe. Ingredients for Crab Masala: Crabs- Cleaned, 4-5 medium sized Garlic- 10 cloves, crushed and chopped roughly Bay leaf- 2 Asefoetida- 1/4 teaspoon Onions- 2 large Tomato- 1 large Chili Powder- 3 teaspoons Turmeric Powde...

This dish happened to us, on a weekday night! I say so because we were very happily surprised with the outcome of my little experiment on that evening. With some left over minced Chicken and about 200 g of Prawns in my freezer, I could make nothing out of them. Then I thought of blending the two together and balancing the flavors, and it did turn out to be quite palatable.  So to begin with, I threw in the Chicken and Prawns in the blender, with 1 chili, 1/2 inch of ginger, 1 teaspoon of garlic, for the binding 1 slice of bread (cut into pieces) and some salt. For some added color and heat one can also add some Red chili powder (optional). Within seconds, this blitz was ready. I removed the contents in a mixing bowl and added 1 egg, and mixed the ingredients together. This mixture needs to be slightly firm and form lumps, in the form of balls or mini cakes. The Minced Chicken n Prawn mini cakes in all their glory! Ingredients for  Minced Chicken n Prawn mini...

This is another one of those signature recipe dishes that my mother in law cooks, she had prepared this during my last visit to Kolkata. Over time as I have come to know her, did I understand her love for cooking. She would just about make any new dish in her kitchen if she found it interesting and she still does. She tells me that when she cooks, she forgets her worldly worries :) This particular dish looks vibrant and so like the Italian flag..that I included the word Tricolor in the name there. This kebab will suit the ‘Western’ palate as it goes slightly easy on the heat, but sure tastes brilliant nonetheless.  Chicken Makhmali Kebab ready to be eaten Ingredients ( Tricolor Chicken Makhmali Kebab) Chicken- medium sized, boneless 12-15 pieces Curd- 3 heaped Tbsp Salt- 1 tsp Roasted & Ground spices - 1 tsp (see below) Cashew paste- 4-5 tsp Ginger paste- 1/2 tsp Garlic paste- 1 tsp Onion paste- of 1 medium sized onion Lemon juice- of 1 lemon Vegetable oi...

Kebabs have always been one of my favorites..and Seekh kebab almost tops that list. Last month I got this special recipe passed down to me by my mum in law, well she is a great home cook to say the least :)  I must say that I was overwhelmed with the final product :D It’s a reasonably simple recipe for such a delicious kebab and the taste is absolutely restaurant quality, I thought that I must share it..and here is my take on it-                                  Chicken Seekh Kebab ready to be eaten! Ingredients for Chicken Seekh Kebab : Minced chicken- 250 g Salt- 1 and 1/2 tsp or as per palate Roasted ground spices- 3-4 tsp Ginger paste- 2 tsp Garlic paste- 3 and 1/2 tsp Curd- 5 Tbsp Lemon juice- Juice of 1/2 a lemon Red chili paste- 1/3 tsp Green chili- 1 and half, finely chopped Coriander leaves- finely chopped, few sprigs Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp Sattu or Roasted...

Most of the days I am really tired after a long day at work, so I just warm the left overs of the previous day and we have our dinner. But sometimes through the week, I feel the need to visit my kitchen and make something nice and kickback with a drink just to make the weekdays a little bearable. Well this one, I made on such a night. Ingredients for Grilled Chicken: Place these in a mortar and pestle/ grinder to make a fine powder Black pepper- 1Tbsp Paprika/ Red chili powder- 1Tbsp Chipotle pepper- 1/2 tsp Garam masala- 1Tbsp Cumin seeds- 2 tsp Oregano- 2 tsp Salt- 1 and 1/4 tsp Garlic cloves- 2 medium sized Transfer this in a zip-loc bag, add  2 Tbsp of Lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp of Sour cream or Yogurt.                                           Spicy Indian inspired Grilled chicken  Place the  Chicken breasts (450 g ) into this ba...

This is one of the most delightful easy cook dishes. Very simple yet really delicious. During my last visit home, I spent some time in the kitchen while my Mom quickly cooked these up.So thought of sharing it here!  To get the flavor of the fish, one should use really fresh fillets of fish. Marinate this in garlic, ginger paste, lemon juice and salt for about 3-4 hours. Take vegetable oil in a wok, and let it heat up to boil, then dip the fillets into a bowl of beaten eggs, and then dust on both sides with bread crumbs. Gently lower into hot oil. They will  turn brown, make sure they do not turn dark.  Ingredients for Fried fish fillet : For marinating Fish fillets- 15 pieces Lemon juice- of 1 lemon Garlic paste- 2 and 1/2 Tbsp Ginger paste- 1 Tbsp  Salt- as per palate For frying Egg- 2 beaten Bread crumbs Vegetable oil Fish fillets in marination                         ...

These babies go as perfect accompaniments as party starters. They are light, crispy, delicious and hardly any sweat. As finger foods, they will taste great and the canapes look great don’t they. Ingredients for Canapes of Lemon Pickled Prawn Tortilla Prawns- med sized 250 g Sweet Lime pickle Ginger Yogurt Tortilla                                            Canapes of Lemon pickled Prawn Tortilla Blend this to get a smooth paste. Ensure that the lemon pickle is the sweet version. If it is the salt based pickle, then you would need to balance the taste of the blended mixture by adjusting the flavor as per taste. Marinate the prawns in this mixture for about 20 mins. Place these on the griddle with a dash of oil, for a couple of minutes. Do not overcook the prawns.  Place these on  tortillas over small cubes of cheddar ...

I have baked this many a times, and it has been a family favorite. A luscious chocolate cake is a great holiday treat. The lovely baking aroma of the rich chocolate cake draws my loved ones into the kitchen and makes it truly special.   Ingredients for Traditional Chocolate Cake Flour- 1 and 1/2 cup Sugar- 1 cup Baking powder- 1 tsp Baking soda- 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence- 2 tsp Sour cream- 2/3 cup Butter- 3/4 cup Cocoa- 1/3 cup Eggs- 2 Transfer the entire contents in a food processor and blitz together. Alternatively, mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately and then mix them together and mix them until they all blend together.  Pour the contents into a tin (buttered and floured beforehand) and bake for 35-40 mins at 350 deg F or 180 deg C. Check with a knife, if done it will be clean after dipping in the cake. *Pre-heat oven at 350 deg F or 180 deg C before baking. For the icing , I double heated the dark chocolate 175...

My effort over the previous Sunday was very rewarding. It is by far one of the simplest things to make, and yet has the flavor to blow one’s socket! The prawns need to be fresh. I had gone down to the local market and picked up some fresh sea food that day.  To start off, the prawns need to be de-shelled. It is ok to take some extra time, but ensure that these babies are de-veined properly, else they may give you some serious sort of food poisoning. Clean the prawns well. Next, marinate them with  Lemon juice of half a lemon ,Lemon zest of the same, Red chili powder, Salt, Ginger and Garlic paste and keep this aside for half hour.                                 Coconut-crusted Beer dipped Prawns In a mixing bowl, take 1/2 cup Flour, salt,egg, ground peppercorns, baking powder and mix this with a fork. To this pour beer and mix the batter till the consistency is semi-liquid. If...

Inspired by a recipe from a magazine, I tried making this simple yet decadent treat at home. I had first tasted this at a shack in Goa. The cook tastes great with fishes like Mackarel, Surmai, Pomfret, Seer fish etc. Fish Rava/Semolina fried is a must try dish in Goa while you look out at the sea chugging down a mug of beer. I tried to recreate this experience , with a bottle of Brit-brewed beer and some average television :D Fish- 4-5 pieces Lemon juice of 1 lemon Ginger - 1 inch grated Salt- as per palate Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp Red chili powder- 1/2 tsp I mixed these ingredients and marinated the fish pieces for 25 mins. I dabbed  a little bit Red chili powder on both surface of the pieces, so that it takes the hue. (You may not follow this step, if you chose to. This will add an additional hint of heat, which goes with this fish) Take Semolina/ Rava and spread it on the surface of a plate. Place each fish piece on this plate, one at a time, and c...

This dish smells and tastes holiday. It is inspired by a dish of one of the hottest and one of my fav celebrity chefs, Nigella Lawson . For the caramelization we use Maple syrup . Alternatively, you may use honey. At first we marinade the chicken breasts on the roasting tray with some salt, ground peppercorns and thyme. For some acidity, squeeze half a lemon on these and zest of the same half lemon.  To this, add the rest of your vegetables. I have added Sweet potatoes because it tastes very good and is the hero in this dish (apart from the Chicken of course!). Also added peeled and diced carrots, one large diced onion. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on them too. Then pour onto the surface the luscious maple syrup over the chicken and  the vegetables. Toss everything well so that the ingredients cover the surface of the chicken and vegetables. I have also added some chili flakes to this, but that is optional but recommended.   Over this add about 2 Tbsp of Oliv...