The Fearless Olive

So as you relish your bhuna khichuris with fried eggplants and your kamranga bhorta, allow me to offer a few dishes that do justice to the weather and can satiate these rainy day cravings. And above all, dishes that are healthy!  

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. - Rabindranath Tagore

Risotto with local 
mushrooms and zucchini
As we gorge on our khichuris with fried veggies like eggplants and various bhortas, allow me to take a spin on our local monsoon favourites with a popular Italian dish -- risotto. Primarily consumed as a first dish, this creamy rice based dish lends itself to a rainy day when you have had rain water splashed all over you and the rain gods have been singularly unkind!! 

Ingredients
20g desi ghee (as my regular readers will know I support the use of desi ghee, in moderate amounts)
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500ml chicken stock
100g risotto rice, (available at Unimart in Gulshan II or use organic brown rice )
50ml white vinegar
2 tbsps olive oil
100g button mushrooms (local ones available in markets)
1 tbsp melted Dhaka poneer cheese
1 heaped tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 large zucchini diced thick in julienne-style
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt and black pepper

Method
Stock: Take one large chicken and boil it with a sprig of celery, salt, pepper, 1 tbs garlic paste and 1 large onion sliced. After boiling it for 1 hour add 1 tsp dried rosemary and thyme and after 15 minutes add 1 tbs dried basil. Use this as a broth. 

In a saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the ghee, cook for about 2 minutes then cover it for 2 more minutes. Pour the chicken stock into a separate pan and bring to a simmer. Add the rice to the onions and coat in the ghee. Add the white vinegar, boil and reduce for 2 minutes. 

Add just enough hot stock to cover the rice. Heat the olive oil in a separate frying pan and fry the mushrooms for 3 minutes until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper then add to the rice. Cook the rice and mushrooms for 10 minutes, adding a little more stock once the previous batch has been absorbed by the rice. In a pot of boiling water add the zucchini and blanch it for 1 minute then sautee it in some olive oil with some rosemary. Add this towards the very end. When the rice has softened but still has a slight bite, add the poneer and lemon juice. 

Serving
Check the seasoning and serve with Parmesan and parsley. 

SHRIMP CONGEE
A congee is an Asian specialty, consumed all over and is basically rice gruel, more like our jau bhaat but the condiments that go with it define the status of the consumer. So whether you are sick or just in need of something warm and filling, the congee shapes itself according to your tastes. I chose this for a rainy day with the tangiest of additions to go with it!

Ingredients
8 cups chicken broth (stock)
1.5 cups rice soaked for an hour at least (don't soak for more than 4 hours, use a rice with small grain like ataf chaal)
1 cup small shrimp OR shredded chicken
1 tbs galangal/ginger, finely grated
1/2 to 1 cup chopped coriander
1 bay leaf
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 to 3 Tbs fish sauce 
½ cup roasted peanuts
2 small onions sliced thin and fried to make them crispy 

TO SERVE:
optional: fresh red chillis, sliced

Method
Stock: Take one large chicken and boil it with a sprig of celery, salt, pepper, 1 tbs garlic paste and 1 large onion sliced. Use this as a broth. 

Congee: 
Bring broth and rice to a boil and once the rice has swollen turn the heat to medium low, and continue cooking for an hour, after adding the bay leaf. Add more broth if it gets too thick. Remember, it needs to have the consistency of a jau bhaat or gruel. Add prawns for the last 5 to 10 minutes and keep adding broth to keep the consistency going. Add fish sauce plus the ginger/galangal, and stir. Add salt and pepper to your taste and give it a final boil before taking off the stove.

Serving:
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with fresh coriander, spring onion and fried onions and peanuts. 

BAKED TORTILLA WITH A TANGY FILLING
After office hours on a rainy day call for something that enlivens us. Tortilla chips fit this bill perfectly.

Ingredients
Tortilla Chips:
1 cup maize flour (bhutta atta)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour 
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1 tsp olive oil                                            
Plain flour (maida) for dusting
Salt to taste

Filling:
½ cup each of red kidney beans, garbanzo beans and white beans soaked overnight. 
1 tbs chopped celery
3 jalapenos or 2 capsicums cut into round pieces 
2 diced big onions
1 tbs garlic paste
½ cup tamarind paste mixed with ½ cup brown sugar and salt and pepper
Salt and pepper 

Method
Boil the 3 beans with the rest of the ingredients (except tamarind paste) in a pressure cooker till they are totally soft. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead into a soft dough using hot water. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Roll out each portion between two sheets of plastic into a thin circle of 7" diameter. Dust the tortillas generously with flour to make the rolling easier. Lightly cook the tortillas on a non-stick pan. Cut each tortilla into 6 triangular pieces and place them on a non-stick baking tray, slightly brushed with oil. Bake at 190°c for 7 to 8 minutes or until the tortilla chips are crisp and lightly browned. You can cool and store in an air-tight container also. 

Serving:
Place the beans in a bowl and sprinkle diced green chillies and coriander then pour tamarind chutney over it. Scoop it out with the tortilla chips. 

Photo: Collected