Category: dip

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

Mayonnaise first came on the scene in the 1700’s a recipe that is believed to have been conceived and developed by the great Chef Anton Careme. Mayonnaise changed the culinary world because it could replace ingredients like cream, enrich, thicken, stabilize so many different recipes and ingredients that it became a substitute for cream and gelatine and soon led to the north of hundreds of recipes based on its qualities. it is used in salads, sandwiches, soups,  as a side, a spread and a thickening agent.

It involves beating egg yolks over a long period of time while slowly incorporating oil into it.

The technique and the recipe is very simple. What is required is patience because in the ‘old’ days it was prepared by hand with a wire whisk.

The lack of time and patience is what created millionaires like Hellmans and Heinz who quickly

created packaged mayonnaise to replace homemade mayo and soon this ingredient because. permanent fixture in every kitchen worldwide.

Even today when hand and stand mixers make this task so much easier folks buy their mayonnaise. But nothing beats a homemade mayo. Its just two ingredients oil and egg yolks and you can use pretty much any oil you like. Add a few drops of basil or chilli oil to your vegetable oil. Add sesame or avocado oil.

Add any flavouring spice and herb you choose. Add minced garlic to make aioli. The sky is the limit.

For this of you who are vegan try my vegan tofu mayonnaise recipe also on this site. Watch the video on my IGTV feed.

Ingredients

. 3 egg yolks room temperature not cold

1 tablespoon wine vinegar or lemon juice (

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dry or prepared mustard

1½ to 2¼ cups of vegetable or olive oil room temperature and not cold

1 tablespoon boiling water

 

METHOD

Beat the egg yolks for 1 to 2 minutes  using a hand or stand mixer with a ballon whisk until they are thick and sticky.

Add a drop of oil and beat again. Every one minute add one drop of oil for about 6-7 minutes.

Then increase the speed and add a teaspoon at a time. Keeping whisking.

Once the mayonnaise begins to thicken add the vinegar or lemon juice, salt and mustard. Beat for 30 seconds more.

Add more oil and continue to beat until all the oil is used up.

Now whisk the boiling water into the sauce quickly. This is an anti-curdling measure that will help produce a smooth mayonnaise that will be more resistant to splitting when added to say a hot soup or baked.

Season to taste. Scrape into an airtight container and refrigerate upto 10 days.

METHKOOT

Methkoot is a classic semi- dry spice mix from Maharashtra with a long list of ingredients. Methi- refers to dried fenugreek seeds, which is the main flavour of this spice mix and koot in Marathi mean ground or powdered mix.
Methkoot contains no coconut, garlic or onions and is traditionally eaten with steaming hot rice and ghee, with white butter and poles or thalipeet or served as a condiment in a thali.A flavourful combination of roasted lentils, grains and spices you can also mix it into clam fritter batter, Karwari sambhar lentils I also add it to dals, sautéed vegetables, yogurt and even pea and potato pattice while kneading the potatoes.
The ingredients of methkoot must be dry and at room temperature when they are ground. If you must wash your lentils, rice and wheat be sure not to soak them and to drain and dry them throughly before roasting them. I buy my grains commercially packaged is I can avoid washing them.

Methkoot refrigerated can keep for 6-8 months.
Methkoot is said to aid digestion and if an old housewives tale is to be believed boosts the immunity system.

INGREDIENTS FOR APPROX 2 CUPS

GRAINS AND LENTILS
1⁄2 cup raw, milled wheat grains, 1⁄2 cup raw, short or medium-grained rice, washed and completely dried ,2 tsp husked, split Bengal gram or chana dal 2 tsp husked, split moong beans or moong dal 2 tsp husked, split pigeon peas or toover/arhar dal 2 tsp urad dal

SEEDS AND SPICES

1 tsp white sesame seeds, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1⁄2 tsp turmeric powder, 1⁄4 tsp white pepper powder, 6 dried red Byadgi or Kashmiri chillies, stalks and seeds removed

FOR TEMPERING

1 tbsp vegetable oil 1⁄2 tsp mustard seeds 1⁄4 tsp asafoetida powder

TO SEASON

2 tsp salt 1 tsp fine granulated sugar (OR TO TASTE)

METHOD

remove any large fibres from the spices and seeds and any chaff from the grains. If your grains are clean do not wash them. If you do wash them drain immediately and let dry completely before you grind them.
Roast the wheat and rice grains in a dry skillet on medium heat for about 15 minutes, till golden.
Add the dals to the same skillet and roast them on medium heat for 6-8 minutes till golden.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, salt and sugar to the same skillet and roast them on medium heat, till fragrant and golden. Set aside to cool completely.
Grind the cooled grains to a fine powder. This spice mix should not be grainy  so  grind it repeatedly in small batches, then mix the batches up and grind again. A coffee grinder or a specialised spice grinder is suitable.

Put the oil in a small pan on medium heat. When hot, sauté the mustard seeds and asafoetida powder for about 60-75 seconds until fragrant and bubbly.
Cool completely and add the contents of the pan to the powdered mix with the salt and sugar and grind again to a very smooth consistency. The oil will make the mix a little damp but that is fine.
Taste for salt and adjust. The mixture must be slightly salty as it is eaten with plain, unsalted, boiled, white rice. However if you plan to use it as a spice mix you may want to under salt it so you can add salt to your taste.  While we use a small amount of sugar this is not a sweet spice mix so add sugar very carefully, only to heighten the flavours.
Store in a clean, dry airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 6 months.

Tsukejoyu-Sushi Dipping sauce as a salad dressing

While this is a great dipping sauce for sushi, tempura and sashimi I also use it as a marinade and a salad dressing -options are given below.
Ingredients
1 cup mirin (sweet cooking wine)
2 cups shoyu (fermented soy sauce)
4 ounces katsuobushi (dried tuna fish flakes)

Method

Place the mirin in a saucepan over medium heat, add the shoyu and bring it to a gentle boil. Switch off the flame and then add the fish flakes. Let it rest until it reaches room temperature. Whisk it again. Strain the shoyu through a fine strainer. Bottle and refrigerate for up to 6 months. Scan be served chilled from the fridge as well as at room temperature but whisk it before use.

Salad dressing
Combine half cup Tsukejoyu with 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds and juice of one lemon, 1/2 tsp or. more ground wasabi paste. Drizzle over cucumber, tomato and lettuce salad.

Noodle salad dressing
Combine 3/4 cup Tsukejoyu with 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter, 2 tsp finely minced garlic, 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, 1 tbsp red pepper hot sauce of your choice. Adjust for sweetness with brown sugar and toss with 200 grams of noodle salad.

Marinade
Combine 1 cup Tsukejoyu with 1 tbsp ground ginger root paste, 1/2 tbsp fermented red chilli paste, 1 cup good quality orange juice, 1 teaspoon orange zest and salt to taste. Pour over 750 grams of chicken, fish or pork and marinate overnight. Grill or roast the meat as desired. Thicken the leftover marinade with some corn starch and serve with the cook meat.