RECIPES
Masala Cutting Chai
Recipe for a single serving Chai
- In a saucepan, boil 1/4 cup water
- Once it reaches a rapid boil, add 1/2 tbsp of Tasting India's Masala Cutting Chai mix (more, if you want a stronger cup)
- Boil for 90 seconds and then add 1/4 cup Milk
- Boil for 2 minutes, strain into a cup and add your choice of sweetener (I prefer honey!)
- Enjoy a steaming cup of Masala Cutting Chai!
- In a saucepan, boil 1/4 cup water
- Once it reaches a rapid boil, add 1/2 tbsp of Tasting India's Masala Cutting Chai mix (more, if you want a stronger cup)
- Boil for 90 seconds and then add 1/4 cup Milk
- Boil for 2 minutes, strain into a cup and add your choice of sweetener (I prefer honey!)
- Enjoy a steaming cup of Masala Cutting Chai!
East Indian Bottle Masala
The East Indian Bottle Masala is a cook's best friend. It's so versatile that you can use it in virtually any Indian recipe! But one of my favorites is a quick Sunday Chicken Khudi!
Ingredients
2 lb Chicken (I prefer bone in thigh but you do you!)
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp Bottle masala
1 -2 tsp Salt
2-4 tsp tamarind pulp or Lime juice
2 Potatoes (cut into medium size cubes)
For the Khudi Paste
4 medium Onions (finely sliced)
4 fresh green chilies, sliced (you can skip this if you don't want the dish to be too spicy)
1/4 cup grated Coconut (you can find frozen grated coconut in most Asian stores)
4 tsp fresh Ginger
6-8 cloves Garlic
1/4 cup fresh Cilantro leaves
Method:
- First we will prepare the Khudi paste.
- In a skillet, add 2 tsp of Oil and begin cooking the Onions, chilies, and Coconut (you want the Onions and Coconut to toast nicely until they are light brown)
*Tip: Keep stirring to ensure they don’t burn or stick to the bottom of the skillet.
- Once ready, grind the Ginger, Garlic, Onions, Coconut, Chilies and Cilantro into a smooth paste.
On to the Chicken!
- In a large pan or dutch oven, add the prepared Khudi paste and sauté it for 7-10 minutes, till it starts to brown. Keep stirring so the paste does not stick to the bottom.
- Stir in the Bottle Masala. Next, add the chicken and sauté well for a few minutes. Make sure to stir it all around to coat all the chicken pieces really well in the masala.
- Now add the Tamarind pulp/Lime juice and mix well.
- Add 1.5 - 2 cups of water, cubed Potatoes and Salt.
- Now lower the heat to low-medium and cover the pot to cook for 20 -30 minutes or until the Chicken is cooked.
- When you are ready to serve, squeeze some fresh Lime juice over the Chicken as well as some fresh Cilantro. Serve with steamed Rice and enjoy!
Cardamom Filter Coffee
The beverage of choice when in South India, is this strong, milky coffee decoction that's made with a stainless steel coffee filter. The infusion is obtained by percolation brewing, the resulting decoction is thick and strong and makes for a delicious cup of coffee. What makes Filter Coffee so special is the blend of Coffee and Chicory. The addition of roasted chicory not only helps elevate the flavor but chicory also retains water well, thus resulting in a prolonged percolation which helps extract extra goodness from the coffee!
Here, I have infused the coffee with Cardamom - it's my all time favorite combination, the resulting decoction has this floral nuttiness to it which is so enjoyable.
No stainless steel coffee filter? No problem! Below, I have listed ways to still enjoy this amazing coffee, without the use of a filter.
Filter Coffee using a traditional stainless steel coffee filter
1. Add 3 tbsp of the coffee powder to the top compartment and press down gently with the plunger. * Note: do not press down to hard or too loose. You want the coffee to be packed in well enough for the water to permeate through it all. Too loosely packed means a diluted decoction. Too tightly packed means the water will not be able to filter through well enough, resulting in a very small quantity of decoction or none at all!).
2. Place this compartment over the bottom container
3. add 1/4 cup of boiling water to the top compartment, gently pouring it over the plunger. (Adding the water too quickly may result in a diluted decoction as the water may filter through the coffee very rapidly).
4. Close the top lid and let the infusion percolate. The decoction should take about 15-20 mins (longer if you've added more coffee grounds).
5. In the meantime, bring 1/4 cup of milk to a gentle boil. Set aside.
6. Once all the water has dripped down into the bottom container, your decoction is ready! It should be thick in consistency.
7. Pour the decoction into your coffee cup and add the hot milk over that.
8. Add desired sweetener (I prefer caramelized sugar or cane sugar).
9. Now take another empty cup and carefully start pouring the coffee/milk mixture back and forth from one cup to another. Aerating the hot mixture this way serves a few purposes:
- It helps mix the coffee, milk and sugar really well
- It helps to cool down the coffee to sipping temperature
- It aerates the coffee to develop a froth without introducing additional moisture through steam (like it would when using a steam wand etc.)
10. You may need to do the back and forth pour action 4-5 times to achieve the desired effect. Once you are satisfied with the final cup, sit back and enjoy the best Kaapi you've ever had!
Filter Coffee without a filter
Method A - Using a small bowl/saucepan
1. Add 3 tbsp of the coffee powder to a small saucepan/bowl.
2. Next, pour over 1/4 cup of boiling water and cover the saucepan. Let this marinate for 30-45 seconds, then give it a little stir to ensure no coffee is floating to the top.
3. Cover the saucepan again and let this mixture rest for 2.5 minutes.
4. Now Strain it through a fine mesh sieve or muslin/cheesecloth and your decoction is ready!.
- Follow steps 5-10 in the traditional method, for your Kaapi.
Method B - If you have a Muslin Cloth/Cheesecloth
1. Set your Muslin/Cheesecloth over a sieve, place over a small bowl/saucepan.
2. Add 3 tbsp of the coffee powder and gently pack it down with the back of a spoon.
3. Pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over the coffee, cover the saucepan and let it percolate following the traditional filter method. Here you may need to add a little more water as you lose some with absorption into the muslin/cheesecloth.
- Follow steps 5-10 in the traditional method, for your Kaapi.
You can definitely use these coffee grounds in a traditional coffee maker or espresso machine. I personally have never tried it so do report back if you decide to go this route! Instinct tells me that a coffee maker will not result in a thick decoction, which is signature of a Filter Coffee. An Espresso Maker might come close but may not produce as strong of a decoction as the percolation method. Hey, but you do you!
Here, I have infused the coffee with Cardamom - it's my all time favorite combination, the resulting decoction has this floral nuttiness to it which is so enjoyable.
No stainless steel coffee filter? No problem! Below, I have listed ways to still enjoy this amazing coffee, without the use of a filter.
Filter Coffee using a traditional stainless steel coffee filter
1. Add 3 tbsp of the coffee powder to the top compartment and press down gently with the plunger. * Note: do not press down to hard or too loose. You want the coffee to be packed in well enough for the water to permeate through it all. Too loosely packed means a diluted decoction. Too tightly packed means the water will not be able to filter through well enough, resulting in a very small quantity of decoction or none at all!).
2. Place this compartment over the bottom container
3. add 1/4 cup of boiling water to the top compartment, gently pouring it over the plunger. (Adding the water too quickly may result in a diluted decoction as the water may filter through the coffee very rapidly).
4. Close the top lid and let the infusion percolate. The decoction should take about 15-20 mins (longer if you've added more coffee grounds).
5. In the meantime, bring 1/4 cup of milk to a gentle boil. Set aside.
6. Once all the water has dripped down into the bottom container, your decoction is ready! It should be thick in consistency.
7. Pour the decoction into your coffee cup and add the hot milk over that.
8. Add desired sweetener (I prefer caramelized sugar or cane sugar).
9. Now take another empty cup and carefully start pouring the coffee/milk mixture back and forth from one cup to another. Aerating the hot mixture this way serves a few purposes:
- It helps mix the coffee, milk and sugar really well
- It helps to cool down the coffee to sipping temperature
- It aerates the coffee to develop a froth without introducing additional moisture through steam (like it would when using a steam wand etc.)
10. You may need to do the back and forth pour action 4-5 times to achieve the desired effect. Once you are satisfied with the final cup, sit back and enjoy the best Kaapi you've ever had!
Filter Coffee without a filter
Method A - Using a small bowl/saucepan
1. Add 3 tbsp of the coffee powder to a small saucepan/bowl.
2. Next, pour over 1/4 cup of boiling water and cover the saucepan. Let this marinate for 30-45 seconds, then give it a little stir to ensure no coffee is floating to the top.
3. Cover the saucepan again and let this mixture rest for 2.5 minutes.
4. Now Strain it through a fine mesh sieve or muslin/cheesecloth and your decoction is ready!.
- Follow steps 5-10 in the traditional method, for your Kaapi.
Method B - If you have a Muslin Cloth/Cheesecloth
1. Set your Muslin/Cheesecloth over a sieve, place over a small bowl/saucepan.
2. Add 3 tbsp of the coffee powder and gently pack it down with the back of a spoon.
3. Pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over the coffee, cover the saucepan and let it percolate following the traditional filter method. Here you may need to add a little more water as you lose some with absorption into the muslin/cheesecloth.
- Follow steps 5-10 in the traditional method, for your Kaapi.
You can definitely use these coffee grounds in a traditional coffee maker or espresso machine. I personally have never tried it so do report back if you decide to go this route! Instinct tells me that a coffee maker will not result in a thick decoction, which is signature of a Filter Coffee. An Espresso Maker might come close but may not produce as strong of a decoction as the percolation method. Hey, but you do you!