Colacasia Yoghurt gravy - Sepankizhangu morkuzhambu

Ingredients:

Colacasia - Sepankizhangu - 200 gms
Yoghurt/Curd - Thayir - 1 cup
Ginger - Inji - small piece
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 2 nos
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - 1 table spoon
Red gram - Thuvaram paruppu - 1 table spoon
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai paruppu - 1 table spoon
Rice - Arisi - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Turmeric powder - manjal thul - a pinch
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Mustard seeds - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1/2 tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - Vendayam - 1/4 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

Prepare yoghurt gravy as I have mentioned in yoghurt gravy items, wash and boil the vegetable in pressure cooker without closing the lid fully. Dont put whistle, as it become too much boiled and smashed. Then remove the skin and cut into small pieces. Add this to the gravy.

Sepankizhangu morkuzhambu is delicious and ready to be served. It can be served with white rice. Curd can be sour. It will suit this receipe.

Note: Always add a pinch of salt while cooking/boiling vegetables.

Optional: Red chilly can be added instead of green chilly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colacasia

We plan, we toil, we suffer - in the hope of what? A camel - load of idol's eyes? The title deeds of Radio City? The empire of Asia? A trip to the moon? No, no, no, no. Simply to wake just in time to smell coffee and bacon and eggs
J.B. Priestly

Beans Dal fry - Beans paruppu usili

Ingredients:

Beans - Beans - small quantity
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai paruppu - 1/2 cup
Red gram - Thuvaram paruppu - 1 table spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 3 nos.
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

For usili and seasoning please refer usili varieties. Wash and cut beans and boil it. Add to the usili.

Beans paruppu usili is delicious and ready to be served. It can be served with any of the rice items. It takes hardly 20 minutes to cook. It can be served for 3 persons.

Note: Cut beans into 1/4 inch size.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beans

A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch
James Beard

Dal fry - Paruppu usili

Ingredients:

Bengal gram dal - Kadalai paruppu - 1/2 cup
Red gram - Thuvaram Paruppu - 1 table spoon
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 2 nos.
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds - Kadugu - 1 tea spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and soak both dals along with one red chilly and cumin seeds for an hour and grind them to a coarse paste. Add only little water. Pour the paste in idly plate and pressure cook it.
2. Then split into small pieces with hands. Heat oil in a pan/kadai, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, red chilly, add little asafoetida and add the dal. Mix them well adding little salt. Fry them for some 5-10 minutes.

Paruppu usili is delicious and ready to be served. It can be served with any rice item. Any vegetables can be cooked and added to this. It takes some 15 minutes to prepare other than soaking time. It can be served for 3 persons.

Note: Since red gram will be more soft when grinded only a table spoon is more than enough. While keeping in idly cooker care must be taken so that it is not overcooked, else it will become too hard to break. It can be kept in microwave oven also. Then 3 minutes is more than enough if kept in oven. Some pour water in the cooker, place a stand/Piramanai and keep a plate, apply little oil and place the grinded dal and cook it. Anyways we can cook the dal.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed.

Everything I eat has been proved by some doctor or other to be a deadly poison, and everything I don't eat has been proved to be indispensable for life. But I go marching on
George Bernard Shaw

Chris Cheung on the move again

October 1

Remember Chris Cheung, recently of Monkey Bar until the Glazier Group sold it? Well, it turns out he’s a neighbor. I ran into him while I was running some pre-flight errands before leaving for Charlotte for Nation’s Restaurant News’ Culinary R&D conference. He says he’s not with the Glazier Group anymore. He is in talks to join another restaurant group, but he wouldn’t start until December, so he’s headed for Shanghai. His wife is from the area, so he’s going to visit her village as well as the giant metropolis, expand his flavor palette and generally enrich himself.
Obviously, I wish him the best of luck.
I’d better pack.

Crepe de Chine

Another Saturday of eating good food came my way when I went to Binondo and visited Crepe de Chine. Situated along Juan Luna St., it stands out in the clutter of typical Chinese restaurants. When I entered the place, I immediately noticed the French country design theme. The huge mural painted by Alfred Galvez was very eye-catching. A few minutes after, I met David Sy–owner of the restaurant. He told me that it’s been two years since they opened. As he told me how they started the business and how they took the risk of putting up the restaurant, the different pastas and crepes were served.

They served most of the dishes I saw on their menu. They actually have a wide variety of choices. I know it’s a fusion of Chinese and other cuisines like Filipino. Diana Sy, who is also the owner and the manager, concocted all the recipes. For me, the CDC Crepe salad is my favorite among all the dishes they served. The crunchiness and the freshness of the veggies inside the crepe made the CDC a champion! No wonder it’s their best seller. I also like their unique pizza crepe, so I think the people should not miss that when they visit Crepe de Chine. The owner’s creativity with the Adobo crepe is very fascinating! Though I told the owner that my suggestion for this crepe is to change the pork to chicken. I think it will complement the crepe better. I also suggested that since the restaurant is more like a fusion of different cuisines, they may want to try kebabs or Mediterranean gyros on their crepe. The Mexican crepe is also a winner! The distinct dressing made it so Mexican. So if you are a lover of Mexican dishes, better not miss that. And lastly, they also have different pastas and the one I tried was their Pesto which was served with bread on the side. Again I couldn’t help but make another suggestion. Since their restaurant idea is crepe, why not serve their pastas with crepe on the side instead of bread? You know, like pita bread. Anyway, I think I gave David too many suggestions already. And he got it from me for free! Hehe! But David was very nice and accommodating so I want to thank him for inviting me there. It was thru Apple, his PR person, that made all the arrangements possible.



It was indeed a good afternoon of savoring sumptuous crepe dishes and meeting new people. The location of Crepe de Chine is in the Binondo area so whenever you visit 168, Tutuban or Divisoria–don’t forget to visit this restaurant. The Artist Chef only suggests places she has already tried herself. This is one restaurant that I hope you will also try for yourself soon.  :-)

Crepe de Chine is located at Lower Ground 2 World Trade Exchange
215 Juan Luna St. ( near State Center and Binondo Church ), Binondo, Manila

Open Monday to Friday from 10:30 am to 9:30 pm
Tel no: (02) 244-2270