From my kitchen to yours

From my kitchen to yours

Sunday, October 31, 2010

DAY41: DO MEN "CLAM-UP" HA HA HA


I love going to the fish market, i just love the buzz and the chatter and the colourful fisher folk and all the amazing gifts from the sea, and fortunately because i live in Bombay (yeah that's what i will always call it , because that's what i love it as), i have been introduced to the whole fish buying culture at a very early age, i remember going to buy fish with my dad and his brother my uncle Cashmiro (who fed my mum frog legs , saying they were chicken legs ha ha ha ), and they were completely awesome at getting the best deals in the market, so yup the men in my family went out and bought fish from the market.....

Still remember live crabs in my kitchen basin, prawns being cleaned , lovely pink lobsters with beady eyes looking back at us , pomfret , baby shark also known as "mooshi" and my grandmothers special clams, she was truly gifted and her food was awesome , feel terrible that i never ever learned to cook from her....
If i shut my eyes can still hear my granma and our favorite fisher woman Laxmi, my granma ofcourse haggling in "east-indian" Marathi , which is diff from normal Marathi, and Laxmi in her high pitched but not fighting tone normal Marathi ,and then after lotsa banter and "tumhi kai bolte" and "nako nako" "zaun dya""agga agga" ""bony kara bai"and stuff like that the fish would be bought and many smiles would be exchanged and all would end on a happy note....

We'll today i have done a lot of shopping of various kinds, but want to share with you this clam recipe that i made for my adorable friends inspired by Nigella Lawson who i love and am fully inspired by , i love the way she cooks, the way she looks ,the way she unabashedly eats and is always exited about food, i fully connect with that thought process...

So now back to my clams always remember when you buy clams, they have to be closed, shut tight like a high secret vault and they must be open when they are cooked like you have the pass word and the treasure is now yours, just follow this simple rule and you are in the "clamy business"


1 kg fresh clams
Handfull spring onions
Handfull garlic
250 ml white wine
East-Indian garam masala
Amul cream

The reason i have no quantities is because i just put as much as i wanted into this pot and used East - Indian masala for that special home flavour and voila i was done....

Rinse the clams with ice cold water and throw away any ,that are even slightly opened...
I then put some olive ail and just ever so slightly browned the garlic , i then added the wine (after tasting it ha ha ha ) , the onions , i used a sweet wine because i like my wine fruity and sweet , i let this get to a boil and then added my curry masala to it, after i felt that the masala is cooked , i just dunked all the clams into the pot shut the lid and cooked it on high for just 4 minutes, i then tossed it around with the lid on, and when you open it after 4 minutes , you are greeted with the ever so fresh aroma of freshly cooked clams ooooh i love it,
you then add the cream stir it around and you are ready to serve, hot and steaming really succulent ,yummy clams ,fresh and juicy only from "Maria"s Kitchen"

8 comments:

  1. Dear Maria,
    I have loved you since your MTV days and have been reading your blog for quite some time.You are a prolific blogger.Baking with such expertise and art,oh my!

    Seriously,and you must(okay,please )answer this-how do you maintain yourself if you cook(and I am assuming eat) all the goodies that you bake?Please do share with us your food and fitness regime.

    Oh!And I just happen to catch some of your pictures from this launch of a book XL to XS and I would like to congratulate you for looking so different,ethnic and elegant sporting that red and white saree.So so chic!Far better than those who looked alike.
    Much love
    A fan for life :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Sassy fork,
    thank you.....

    Dear Lajjo,
    you are a doll thank you so much..
    ok im blessed with super genes (thank God for that) and so it takes me a little while longer to put on weight, but i do pile it on if i neglect myself completely, so i do run once in a while and have just started training with my fantastic trainer Vilayat...
    and where did you see the pictures , i love sari's but hardly wear them because get worried it may fall apart, so this is the second time , i love traditional stuff , so thanks for all the compliments...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Maria Goretti!No,you are the doll!How incredibly sweet of you to read your fans' comments and actually reply back.Many a smaller celebrities would simply snide.I just fell in love with you more :).And while we are at it,can you please tell Mr.Warsi that he's my favourite Bigg Boss host by far.

    I caught your picture on Miss Malini's Facebook page here- http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=490189891822&set=a.490189406822.291070.101827586822 and again,you looked divine.

    Wishing you a very Happy Diwali :).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maria:
    I have been enjoying your blog for a while now and this post with your granma haggling with a fisherwoman, totally struck a chord home! I am a Goan, from Bombay, (now settled in Chicago)and your post took me down memory lane, with my "nana" bantering with the fisher woman!! lol, those were the days.
    I've never added cream to the mussels I cook, must try that out next time.
    I have been fortunate enough to get my nana's awesome recipes and cook, whenever nostalgia kicks in!
    Absolutely love your style of writing, makes one feel like being in a conversation with you :) keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi .. Maria
    so nice to see after such a long time .. lovely blog ... all the best .. i love reading food blogs so i will surely be folowing u closely
    hope u remember me
    love
    Khadija

    ReplyDelete
  6. i am following yo om twitter aswell

    ReplyDelete
  7. ....and then I would take my cycle and ride it right into 'Laxmi' the fisher lady (not on purpose of course but with the desperate attempt to get my balance) :) Going to now try this recipe ....mouth watering even thinking about the taste xoxo
    Love you
    Juliet Albuquerque

    ReplyDelete