[bblost]

Bored of the same tea, coffee and soft drinks in the office pantry.
Try a variation.

In a large glass take a little hot water and dip a tea bag. Preferably a ginger or lemon tea bag.

Discard the bag once the color is right.
Add a bottle of plain soda.

A refreshing drink on a hot day.

[bblost]

A simple fish gravy.

Make a paste from 1 onion and 3-4 tomatoes.

On Medium Heat.
Heat some oil, add a cinnamon stick, some cumin and cloves.
Let them brown just a little.
Add the onion+tomato paste.
Let it cook a little.
Add some ginger garlic paste.
Add a green chilly.
Add some turmeric and chilly powder.
Add water.
Once water heats up.
Add fish. I use Black Pomfret.
Add coriander.
Cover and cook on medium for a few minutes and then let it simmer on low flame for a few minutes.

Enjoy.

[WindRide]

Nenju Elumbu Kulambu (Goat/Lamb Rib bone curry) seems to be pretty famous in T.Nadu cuisine. Now, since there is no meat used in the cooking, what does one eat from that gravy? surely not the bones? i cant imagine chomping on the ultra hard lamb bones!

[bblost]

Once cooked the rib cage bones become softer. Taste awesome when you chew them releasing the marrow in them.

Once chewed and converted to a dry powder you spit it out.

These bones also have a thin layer of fat and cartiledge on them.

My favorite dish is made with these bones, green peas and pepper.

[carboy]

Slightly off topic - what's a good brand of bottled red chilli sauce (to have with fries or burgers or pizza). Almost every brand I checked seems to contain sugar. Are there any without sugar?

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by carboy

Slightly off topic - what's a good brand of bottled red chilli sauce (to have with fries or burgers or pizza). ...

Tabasco?
Or the Indian wannabe Capsico.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Tabasco?
Or the Indian wannabe Capsico.

Not looking for the tobasco kind of sauce - not a fan - had to make do with it when I lived abroad.

I am looking for the Indian kind of chilli sauce udipi hotels serve with their chinese food, pizza etc. It's nice and hot and red in colour. I have tried the maggi and chings chilli sauces - I didn't like either and I both of them have sugar.

[audioholic]

Have been using capsico from sometime. Quite a VFM product. Spices up food items well. Apart from that had tried one more, but dont remember the brand. Most hypermarkets have a good stock of various brands these days.

Need a suggestion. For a vegetarian pasta, apart from regular onion, capsicum, tomato and corn, what are the other vegetables we can add? Not a problem if it is exotic, but need to get some variation to the same old pasta I make using the above three veggies, and either sweetcorn or babycorn.

Currently I use Maggi Pasta sauce and a bunch of dried herb sprinklers. How do I create a tomato based sauce of my own? I used to do it with cream but that would be heavy on the stomach. Something with tomato and spices would help. Any suggestions/recipes?

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by carboy

... Indian kind of chilli sauce udipi hotels serve with their chinese food, pizza etc. ...

That's usually a bulk supply item not available in retail. I have seen that being sold in Metro in large bottles.

What you are looking for reminds me of Sriratcha Hot Sauce - a Thai concoction that sells in Europe and US. Unfortunately no one imports it in India. It is not crazy hot, but hot enough to make one sweat - not moderated with sugar.

Originally Posted by audioholic

... For a vegetarian pasta, apart from regular onion, capsicum, tomato and corn, what are the other vegetables we can add? ...

Zucchini, Ridge Gourd, Snake gourd, brinjal, broccoli, finely sliced carrots, mushrooms ... - there is no limit to variety. There is no "don't use" in Italian, only locally available fresh produce.

Originally Posted by audioholic

... Something with tomato and spices would help. Any suggestions/recipes?

1. Plain old tomato-basil sauce. Blanch and peel tomatoes, cut them up roughly. Fry some garlic in oil, add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes soften / become paste. Add some dried oregano, crushed pepper and salt (also a bit of chilly powder if you like it hotter). Chop basil leaves roughly (not fine) and mix into sauce before mixing with pasta

2. Pesto, made from basil, sun-dried tomatoes or parsley. Use green chillies to spice it up

[audioholic]

Thanks a lot for those ideas! But brinjal? I am quite a beginner in cooking so please excuse my naivety.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

That's usually a bulk supply item not available in retail. I have seen that being sold in Metro in large bottles.

Sad!!

Originally Posted by DerAlte

What you are looking for reminds me of Sriratcha Hot Sauce - a Thai concoction that sells in Europe and US.

Not really - I have eaten a lot of Sriratcha - it's OK. But not what I want

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Unfortunately no one imports it in India. It is not crazy hot, but hot enough to make one sweat - not moderated with sugar.

I am pretty sure Sriratcha has sugar.

[anupmathur]

Carboy, I don't know what Udipi hotels serve but here in Delhi the most popular chilli sauce is the one served with Momos. Every neighbourhood has Momo stalls and many people use the momos as a scoop to shovel in the chilli sauce into their mouths!

In its most basic form it is tomatoes, dry red chillies, plenty of garlic, roasted fenugreek seeds, salt, pepper and coriander leaves. Cook everything together in a wee bit of oil for a while and then puree it into a rough consistency.
You can fine tune it to taste.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by carboy

... Sriratcha - it's OK. But not what I want ...

Sure, though Sriratcha comes closest to what you get in local restaurants - with one major difference: salt. The Indian ones don't taste that salty.

Originally Posted by carboy

... I am pretty sure Sriratcha has sugar.

You are right - it does. I checked the ingredients of a bottle of Sriratcha I have.

But then, one would find sugar as an essential ingredient in any sauce that you would find in the market. And for a good reason - sugar gives the sauce it's gloss, same as putting sugar or jaggery in Indian gravies. The quantity of sugar in those sauces is not enough for upsetting the sugar balance in diabetics - especially in the quantity consumed per serving. Excess sugar does take away the taste.

Originally Posted by anupmathur

... I don't know what Udipi hotels serve ...

Mathur-sab, that is the chilly sauce equivalent of the 'red pumpkin sauce' served as tomato sauce in Delhi.

Originally Posted by anupmathur

... but here in Delhi the most popular chilli sauce is the one served with Momos. ...

Pure unadulterated red chilly paste, moderated with a bit of gingelly (til) oil! Contains no tomatoes, garlic or herbs - nor anything remotely healthy other than trace quantities of Vit C from the chillies.

Must try your recipe sometime, though - sounds delicious.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Need a suggestion. For a vegetarian pasta,

This is a recipe from my Friday night dinner.

1. Prepare your pasta by adding it to hot water+oil+salt. Drain and set aside.

Sauce:
Butter + Oil in a pan.
Add some onion julienne's.
When transparent add some finely sliced mushrooms.
Cover and cook for 5 - 7 minutes.
The mushrooms will get out a bit of water. Cook till the water evaporates.
Add finely chopped capsicum.
Cover and cook for a few minutes.
Add some salt, freshly ground pepper, oregano and fresh cream.
I use the Amul cream tetrapack.

Cook till the cream reduces.

Mix with pasta and enjoy.

[Aroy]

For a sugar free chilli sauce here is what you can do

. Take tomato puree - available in plenty without salt or sugar.
. Add either ground chillies or Tabasco/capsico to get the required heat.

The only downside is that the preparation has no preservatives (sugar is a good preservative), so it has to be refrigerated. It is better to make small batches which will last one week at the most so that you always have fresh sauce.