Announcing the Indian #chaiparty event and a recipe for Khari puff sticks

With the weather changing and the cold creeping in on us, its getting more and more depressing. Diwali is coming up, so that's something to look forward to, but come November and then we are in that awkward state, where you know Christmas is a few weeks away, but not close enough to start planning or shopping for. So we at Bloggers' Buzz thought we should do something to bring the colour back into gloomy London by hosting an Indian #chaiparty. Yup, a traditional afternoon tea party with an Indian touch. Its going to be held in a leafy bylane of SE10, conveniently located for everyone to get to and we've collaborated with some fabulous brands which we shall be revealing in the next couple of weeks. You can call it a supper club of sorts, cos we are going to be cooking and serving the food we serve at the event, but we are not following the traditional sit down supper club format. I don't want to reveal too much now, but i promise this is going to be a super duper fun event.

What's a chai party without some steaming hot, well chai? Tea India, with their exotic range of rich, flavourful teas have gladly agreed to be part of the #chaiparty and will be providing us the tea for the afternoon. We will be serving a tea inspired cocktail as welcome drink and there would be unlimited glasses of masala chai doing the rounds.

Talking about food, we don't want to harp on the word fusion, but we promise it would be something fabulous. It would be predominantly Indian inspired but with a touch of what the quintessential afternoon teas are all about. To give you a teaser, we're thinking gajjar ka halwa tarts, vodka spiked golgappas (I know!!), mango flavoured macarons, lamb and pistachio kofta's etc. 

If thats not enough, we also have in store some fun festive games, mehendi corner, music and dancing to get the party going. The tickets will go on sale soon, and spaces are limited, so you might want to jump in and book one off right away. I shall be back with more details but till then, leaving you with a lip smacking canapé.

Since we are on the whole fusion food topic, here is a recipe for the traditional Khari biscuits (spiced puff pastry biscuits), but with the addition of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, it takes on the form of cheese sticks, that, needless to say, no one can stop with just one. Topping 2, with a South Indian twist, were my absolute favourite. I cant explain the aroma while these were baking. 

Makes around 20 long cheese sticks

Puff pastry- 1 pack, thawed

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese- 1 cup, finely grated

Topping 1

Dried fenugreek leaves- 1 tbsp, crushed

Pepper- around 1/2 to 1 tsp

Red chilli flakes- 1 tsp (optional)

Sea salt- to sprinkle

Topping 2

Oil- 1 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 sprig, fresh ones

Shallot- 1 small, finely chopped

Salt- to taste

Preheat oven to 176C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper

If your puff pastry is not ready rolled, then roll it out to about 30 cms, 1/4 inch thickness.

Cut this sheet in two and sprinkle them both with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese . Generously

Sprinkle all the ingredients for topping one, one after the other on top of the cheese and using a rolling pin gently roll over the pastry sheet, just to put the ingredients all in place and to make sure they don't fall off.

Cut into long strips and carefully place them on the baking tray 1/2 inch apart.

For filling two, heat oil in a small pan and throw in the cumin seeds and curry leaves

Once they turn crisp, in about a minute if the oil is perfectly hot, add the finely chopped shallot and keep sauteing till they turn crisp.

This could take a while, but make sure you don't burn them, or else its could taste bitter.

Once the mix turn crispy, drain them on paper towels and leave to cool.

Once cool, crush them with a pestle and mortar, not to paste like consistency, but leaving a bit of bite to it.

Season with salt and sprinkle this mix on top of the puff pastry.

Cut them in strips and place on the baking paper.

Bake for about 15 minutes or till the pastry is golden brown in colour.

Take out of the oven, cool for a few minutes and bite into the crispy puff sticks warm.

Serve with a cup of tea and its perfect.

Sending the Cheese Sticks for the Parmigiano Reggiano #dinnertogether competition in association with London Restaurant Week. Wish me luck :)

Bitterballen (Dutch beef croquettes)

 

We were in Amsterdam last week for Ro's cousins graduation and other than doing all the wild stuff Amsterdam is known for, we also got around to sampling some of the Dutch food. Well, Ro and his cousin wanted to eat Indonesian food, while i made a big fuss and said I wanted to try Dutch food, which to be honest was nothing to brag about at the end of the day. I tried fried cheese, bitterballen, stroopwaffels (waffles filled with caramel syrup), poffertjes and i was almost talked into trying the raw herring, but that definitely didn't happen. 

The bitterballen was my favourite from the lot i tried and i had to figure out how to make them at home. I scouted around for recipes and finally put together all the info i got and came up with my version. Its basically white sauce and meat mixed together, refrigerated, made into balls and deep fried. Yeah, whats not to like about that? 

I am soooo going to serve this as an appetiser at my next party which reminds me, i haven't thrown a party in so long. Work and other commitments have got in the way, but don't get me wrong, I'm loving every bit if it. Bitterballen is served with a mustard dip, since I'm not that big a mustard fan, i made my own version with the addition of some mayo and chilli sauce.

Makes around 30 medium size croquettes

 

Stewing beef- 400 to 450gms, cut into cubes

Ginger garlic paste- 1 1/2 tsp

Meat masala- 1 tsp (optional)

Salt and pepper- to taste

Minced beef- 1 1/2 cups

Butter- 90 gms

Flour- 2/3rd cup

Beef stock- 2 1/4 cups

Nutmeg- a generous pinch

Salt and pepper- to taste

Parsley- 1 tsp

Egg- 1, large, beaten

Bread crumbs- 1/2 cup

Oil- enough to deep fry

Cook the beef with the ginger garlic paste, meat masala and enough salt and pepper till done. I used a pressure cooker to make this process faster, but you are more than welcome to cook them with some water on the stove top, or use a slow cooker.

Once done, shred using a fork, mince in the food processor or just finely chop.

This mix can go right into the freezer.

Make a roux by melting the butter on medium heat and slowly whisking in the flour to form a smooth paste.

Pour in the beef stock bit by bit, whisking well after each addition, and the roux absorbs all the liquid.

Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir it in.

Add the beef and chopped parsley, mix thoroughly.

Take it off heat and transfer to a shallow container

Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hr for the mix to harden which would make it easier to work with. This step is highly advised. *

When ready to fry, take the mix out of the refrigerator.

Take about 1 tbsp of the mix and roll into a ball, roughly the size of a golf ball. Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Meanwhile, pour in the oil into a frying pan, and heat on medium heat

Drop a crumb into the oil and if its floats to the top immediately, then that means the oil is hot enough.

Quickly dip the balls in the egg, roll in the bread crumbs and drop into the oil.

Once it turns golden brown, turn it over and fry the other side.

Once golden and fried all over, transfer to a kitchen towel to drain.

Serve hot with a mustard dip.

Notes:*I lined my baking tray with silver foil and spread out the mix so it would firm up faster and evenly. I also kept it over night in the fridge, covered.

I am not a fan of plain mustard, so i mixed a bit of mayo into the mustard for the dip.

I also froze the remaining balls, after dipping and rolling them in eggs and crumbs. Placed them in a ziploc bag for a rainy day.

Adding cheese to the beef mix is not something i didn't think about, but it was too late to defrost the cheese from the freezer. Feel free to add some. Cheese can only take it a notch higher.
You can try the same with any meat or even seafood. Finely chopped cooked vegetables should do the trick as well.