Cook Eat Travel Repeat!!

Monday 23 March 2015

Finally finished TV Series "Lost" in under 2 weeks ( NO SPOILER GIVE AWAYS)

Lost (TV Series 2004-2010)

Well where do i begin.

Umm the first television series i completed was friends.Back here in india 10 years ago we did not get a lot of viewers as we do now and neither had the world witness the torrent phenomena.So the only medium to watch american series were buying dvd's.But holy shit were they expensive.So i kept this series on my watchlist like many others and i will write about my obsession with american drama in detail in another article.

So coming back to lost,i just wanted to say wow!!!! How did i miss such a well written tv show? Why did i wait 10 years before finally watching it? Well i just told you the reasons above.The only other thing before this i did regret not watching instantly was "Goodfellas".

This is such a unique and different show as it has so many plots and so many genres all at once.Is it a mystery? Is it drama? Is it romance? Is it horror? Is it supernatural? Is it adventure? Is it fantasy? Actually it is all of the above!

Rarely you have a show where every episode ending leaves you wanting more and every episode ending has a suspense climax.Before i even start with the brilliant actors,you have to take a moment and salute the creators and writers of this show.You have a lot of series where the audience and the creators both do now know if there will be another season.But here comes a series where the first episode of season 1 was fully connected to the last episode of season 6 finale.For example you had a couple of dead skeletons in the first episodes discovered by the survivors and in the last episodes after 6 long years their names are finally revealed.This trend continues throughout the six seasons of the show.It was as if the creators sat down in the first season and wrote scripts right till the sixth season.Just brilliant.

First,Oceanic 815 crashes on a deserted island.there are characters appearing and disappearing in the story in all the seasons,there are women getting pregnant and having babies,we have a guy with drug addiction,we have a man in a wheelchair whose legs suddenly come to life after the crash,we have a person whose cancer gets treated automatic after arriving on the island,we have a smoke monster on the island which is an evil spirit,we have a time traveler,we have a con who likes to rob people,we have a criminal whose identity no one knows about,we have a guy who had won 150 million dollar lottery at home before the crash and who can also see ghosts apparently,we have an Iraqi torturer,we have a group of people called "the others" who were already at the island before the crash and who are now looking to kill the survivors of the crash,we have a crazy french lady who has been stuck at this island for 16 years,we have a whole army of the Dharma initiative people who have been at this island for decades doing government funded research,we have a guy who can see the past of a place after looking at that particular spot,we have an incest story plot in the first season,we have a white bright light in the center of the island which cannot fade or the whole world will die,we have a guy who does not age and has been on the island for centuries.

These are just some of the many plots of the show which make the show a hit.Because the stories and characters are connected this Tv show is a mind blowing roller coaster ride.

Without a doubt Matthew fox (jack) and terry o quin (Locke) are the two main characters of the show.The contrast in both these characters is amazing.They both are born leaders and want to help every single person on that plane.But jack wants to do everything to leave this island and thinks of the island as a curse while Locke disagrees.

Jack is the clear main lead in the starting seasons and in the latter seasons he plays supporting role.His character is that of a doctor who helps the survivors stay alive and is also the leader of the pack.He speaks the truth and is positive and ends up saving so many lives on the island with his skills.

Locke grows after the first season and after the mysteries of the island take different shapes and sizes,you obviously need more leaders.So he is another character who guides the survivors and is the most intelligent of the group.He has a passion for knives and adventure and when he magically gets up from his wheelchair after the plane crashes,He knows that this island is special.He knows that this is his destiny and even though they are all stuck on a deserted island,He is happy as he has an adventure to look forward too.

My personal favourite in the series was josh holloway aka swayer.He was definetly the most sexy of the characters and if i were gay i would go crazy over him.I have a wallpaper of his flawless body in my phone and i wish i could look like him someday.And how can you forget those dimples.WOW!! So sawyer was one of the leads throughout the whole show.He is arrogant and rude but also charming and has style.Even with his rudeness he attracts women.sawyer's importance in the later seasons rises and he is one of the main leads till the end of the show.

I have to mention the storyline of the korean couple on this show Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim.They are a married couple where the husband is a poor fisherman's son while the wife's father is a mafia back in Korea.They get married but the wife's father makes his son in law do things which take their relationship right at the edge.this couple story is full of drama,romance,lies and separation and will leave you wanting more.

Also both times i have cried watching this series were when the couple united after being separated from each other due to certain circumstances.Amazing actors.

Authentic Indian chicken tandoori

Authentic Indian Chicken Tandoori

Preparation time - 10 min

Cooking time - 30 min

From the word tandoor itself,you are attracted to this post and you have your taste buds going crazy.Because tandoor is one of the tastiest styles of cooking known world wide.In my previous post i told you a little bit about tandoors and here as well i am going to show you my Indian chicken tandoori dish with a gas oven tandoor.

First of all,the quality of the chicken matters,it really does.Sometimes you go into a restaurant and immediately understand that this meat is not fresh.So do not compromise with your meat.4 hours of marination is enough for the chicken to get juicy and tender so if you want to cook in the evening,Get the chicken marinated by afternoon.If you want to prepare early morning,then you can marinate at night and keep for 12 hours.But remember to remove the marinated chicken from the fridge atleast one hour before cooking so that it is soft.

So here are the ingredients for the dish for 500gms chicken :

Chicken - 500gms

Yogurt - 4tbs

Cumin powder - 1tsp

Corriander powder - 1tsp

Red chilli powder - 1tsp

Garam masala powder - half tsp

Pepper powder - half tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp

Fenu greek dry leaves (Kastoori methi) - 1tsp

Salt - 1tsp

Turmeric - 1tsp

Lemon juice - half a lime

Oil - 2tbs

Butter - 1tbs

Raita dressing:

Yogurt - 6tbs

Cucumber sliced - 1

Cumin powder - 1tsp

Salt - half tsp

Pepper - half tsp

Lime zest - 7-8 shreds

Lime juice - half a lime

Cilantro - a handful

Preparation :

Step-1

Cut chicken into medium pieces so they are not too big to cook and not too small to fall off the grill.make small cuts at the meaty parts of the chicken as these are the parts where we want most of the marinade to settle.

Step-2

First marination:

In a bowl add the chicken pieces.sprinkle half the salt,pepper,lemon juice,ginger garlic paste and red chilli powder and start rubbing it inside the cuts of the chicken.Use gloves if you are concerned about the heat.leave in fridge for one hour.

Second marination :

Now add rest of the above ingredients except the butter and start mixing it well.The yogurt and spice have now formed a nice mixture and you would be getting a nice fragrance at this point.Keep in the fridge for 3-5 hours.

Step-2

Remove the marinade and allow to rest for a bit while you place the tandoor oven on the gas.Make sure it is well hot before you start to place the chicken pieces on the grill.After arranging the pieces close the lid of the oven and put the flame on medium heat and let it cook.

step-3

After 20 min open the lid and check inside.by now the chicken must be 70% done.All this time the marinade falls down in the metal plate and hence the smoke is created which gives the chicken a smoky flavor.

Step - 4

Now turn the chicken pieces and add melted butter over the pieces.This will not only make them tasty and moist but also help with giving smoky flavor when the butter melts on the metal plate.After adding the butter close the lid instantly.

Step -5

Close the stove after 10 min,the chicken will be done.Be careful in this preparation as the appliance and the smoke will e hot.Use a tong while handling the chicken.now mix all the raita ingredients and serve on the side.

Tandoor - The Indian Barbecue

If you are an indian you are very much familiar with this word.If you are not you probably must have heard of it.A tandoor basically does the same function as a barbecue but just a little bit better.Basically india is a dense populated country so the kitchens are less in area and the houses are small.So there are more appartments rather than those single surbarban households.I think this is a very good reason why barbecues which are heavy and bulky are not much used in India.Rather we have given birth to a thing called tandoor which do not take much space.

Now that does not mean you can put a tandoor right in a middle class owned Indian home.No.These tandoors are mostly used in big hotels or fancy restaurants.

Why do i prefer tandoor over barbecue? Because tandoor is basically cooking meat in mid air from all directions and still getting the charcoal effect on the meat.Tandoor cooked chicken is more tastier than grilled chicken for me.

Best dishes for Tandoor -

Naans and Rotis,Chicken Drumsticks,Qualis,Lamb Kebabs,etc.

Note - I think India has the most religions and castes in the whole world combined.So eating all kinds of meat are prohibited.Cows are worshiped in India while pigs are banned to eat in Islam.so i have not heard of people cooking beef,pork,etc in a tandoor here.But it does not mean you cannot cook it.

The Principle

The principle is basic.You have clay or metal ovens which can maintain heat upto a whooping 500 degrees and provide smoky quick cooking.You layer the bottom with bricks and add coal.The coal heats up and raises the temprature of the tandoor and you can use steel rods to pierce the meat and place inside,Or you can stick all purpose flour made naans on the walls.

Types of Tandoor

1. Clay Oven Tandoor

This is the oldest traditional method where the substance used in manufacturing is clay and hence the name.As we all know clay has properties of withstanding heat at high tempratures and it serves the purpose.It is mostly used in the oldest traditional restaurants of the country.

However being bulky in size,they are mostly permanently fixed to the ground with cement and cannot be moved around.

2. Metal Oven Tandoor

From the name you know it has a metal body instead of clay.The purpose and result is same as that of a clay oven tandoor.The added advantage is a hole in the bottom which can be used to change the coals whenever you want to.Whereas the clay oven tandoors are mostly fixed permanently to the ground and do not have that option.Also it has wheels and can be moved with ease.

It is slightly less in size and has a good metallic finish to it and hence is a very fancy utensil to keep in a 5 star hotel.Now a days whichever 5 star hotel in any part of the world you may be,you will always find a metal oven tandoor as the tandoori dishes have gained huge popularity.

3. Drum Tandoor

This version used by local restaurants and food joints.It is basically an oil drum which is emptied and bricks are added to layer the metal at the bottom,while on the bottom you add coal like a regular tandoor.This is brilliant as it is so inexpensive to manufacture.

4. Gas Oven Tandoor

There is a simpler smaller and very compact version now made for homes which is operated on a stove.It is unbelievable how similar smokiness you can achieve in it compared to a traditional tandoor.I find it amazing that using just a simple home stove you can mount this tandoor and make the perfect tandoori chicken.

this is my gas oven tandoor which i use regularly at home.

There is also a more modern version of the gas oven tandoor now as you can see below.The advantage it provides is that it does not heat up much like the metallic gas oven tandoor and as you can see the look is good too.Also,you have a glass plate so you can see what is happening inside without lifting the lid,Otherwise the function is pretty much the same.

As you can see the inside plate of modern gas oven tandoor has holes and cuts instead of the grill in the case of normal gas oven tandoor.Now the marinade and butter will fall and create the smoke in both the cases.But what i like about the grill is that it will create those grill chars on the meat.The grill will stick to the meat and it will get a more traditional look.

Concluding this article,i would like to say that this is a very cheap and convenient option.Whether you want to go for metal oven or drum oven or gas oven,You can select any considering your type of use and price.If you are new to cooking you should try this baby out and tell me how ot worked out.If you are not an Indian,I really want you to test this out and check the difference in taste it will provide to your regular barbecue.

Happy Cooking :-)