My Soba noodle bowl and passion of photography...

This post is going to be a bit different than my other posts. This will be more about my passion for food photography than the usual recipe posts I share. Don't worry, there is a recipe at the end,but I would like to call this one 'The monologue of a self taught food photographer'.

For last few weeks I was planning to add some movement, action and human touch to my food photos. But planning and execution are two different things, specially for a self taught photographer like me.

Whatever knowledge I have gathered about food photography is because of my food blog. During the course of shooting the food I cook, I have managed to understand and learn different aspects of food photography and there is so much yet to learn.

For me experimenting with the camera is the best way to learn. And I enjoy it immensely. I feel super enthusiastic about trying anything new, it gives me a rush, it is like a quest to do something I haven't done earlier.

While looking at a food photo, I  am always intrigued to get a feel of the story in it. Being a hardcore foodie and food lover, I think incorporating sense of movements like mixing the batter, or pouring sauce or holding a bowl of soup in a food photo brings out an emotion, it tells a story and that is what I love and want to share. I have shot a few like that previously, but all were very amateurish and I find them awful when I see those images now.

I am my worse critic, and I compare myself with the past me. The images I have taken earlier and now shows me it is an evolving process for a self taught food photographer. Photography in general needs planning and lots of trial. Sometimes it's frustrating but "never give up" is the mantra and above all enjoying your work is the fuel to keep on going. So I placed the camera on tripod, arranged a glass, a bottle and some orange juice and started. I tried a pouring shot. If you follow me on Instagram or like my Facebook page you have already seen the following image.

Prawn in sesame and mustard gravy...

After coming back from our weekend trip I was not in a mood to cook any elaborate dish, nor I had the supplies in my pantry. Luckily I had some large prawns in the freezer. I like prawns not only for its taste but also for the reason it needs very little cooking time. For such large gorgeous prawns one needs some special recipe. So I choose my friend Trina's sesame and fish recipe, an unique and quick one.

Pita and roasted red pepper hummus...

Pita and hummus, a Mediterranean food combo that has turned global now. As I'm already tardy on posting this particular post I don't want to discuss about the history and details of pita and hummus. If you are interested please go through this link below, it has a nice discussion both on pita and hummus. http://www.criticalskeptic.com/2012/05/08/post-4-the-history-of-pita-bread-and-hummus/ 

When I started baking bread at home, pita was the first bread I began my journey into the world of bread baking addiction. Thanks to Subrata da, who explained the process of pita making to me and provided endless encouragement to bake the first one. 

One can bake pita using an oven or on stove-top, I have explained both the options. I found the stove-top pitas retain their softness much longer and better than the oven made pitas.

Things needed to make Pita:

• Bread flour: 2 cups
• Active dry yeast: 2 tsp
• Warm water: 1 cup
• Olive oil: 1 tbsp
• Salt: 3/4 tsp
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Extra flour to dust

Steps of making Pita:

1. Proof yeast. Add yeast and sugar to the warm water, mix well and cover for 10 min. It will turn frothy and will bubble up. Use a deep bowl to prevent spilling.

2. In a large deep container, add flour, salt and olive oil, mix well with a spatula. 

3. Make a well at the center, add yeast and mix.

5. Turn the dough to a floured surface. Knead dough, dust flour as you knead. But do not use too much of flour. Knead for 10 min.

6. Grease a large deep container, put the dough in the container. Turn dough to grease from all side. Cover and let the dough rise for 1-2 hrs or till it doubles. After the dough rises to double punch it down.

7. For the oven method: Divide the dough into 8-10 equal portions. Keep the dough in a greased container, cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise for 30-40 min. As the dough is rising pre-heat oven to 400F. It is preferable to use a pizza stone to bake pita, but a baking tray is also good enough. Put the baking tray or the pizza stone inside the oven while it is heating up.  Dust working surface with flour, roll each dough into round flat disk of 1/4 inch thickness. Put the rolled dough on the hot baking tray or pizza stone. Bake for 3-4 min, it will puff like a football. If you want brown spots on the pita, broil for 1-2 min.

8. For the stove-top method: Divide the dough into 12-14 equal portions. Keep the dough in a greased container, cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise for 30-40 min. Dust working surface with flour, roll each dough into round flat disk of 1/8 inch thickness. Heat a heavy bottom pan, a cast iron skillet works best. Put the rolled dough on the hot pan, it will start to bubble, turn the bread and wait it puffs up to a round football.

I made roasted red pepper hummus to go with the pita breads. You can make a plain hummus also. the process in same. Adding extra flavor like roasted red peppers, or jalapeno, or sun-dried tomato, chipotle, artichoke makes the hummus more versatile. Flavoring options are endless, try different flavors each time you make them.

Things needed to make Roasted Red Pepper Hummus:

• Canned chickpea/garbanzo beans: 1 can
• Tahini: 2 tbsp*
• Lime juice: 3 tbsp
• Garlic: 1 clove (chopped)
• Olive oil: 2 tbsp
• Red bell pepper: 1
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper powder to taste

(*Tahini is a paste made from toasted white sesame seeds and olive oil, I have added the recipe for your reference)

Steps of making Roasted Red Pepper Hummus:

1. If you are using canned chickpea, strain the chickpea and reserve half of the liquid.

2. If you are using dry chickpea, soak the chickpea overnight, wash them well, cook till soft (preferable using a pressure cooker). Strain the chickpea and let it cool down and reserve the liquid.

3. Roasting a red pepper. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Wash a large red pepper, wipe it dry with a kitchen towel. Grease the pepper with olive oil. Cook the pepper in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 min, turning once or twice. Broil for 5-7 min, till black spots appear on the pepper.

Take it out of the oven, keep it in a paper bag for 15 min. Cut off the stem, peel the skin, discard seeds and membrane from inside. Chop the roasted pepper into small pieces.

4. For the hummus grind all the ingredients in a food processor, till creamy and smooth. Add the reserved liquid as required while grinding, but not in excess.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tahini recipe:

(Recipe courtesy about.com)

Sesame seed: 5 cup

Olive oil: 1 and 1/2 cup

Toast sesame seeds for 5-10 min, take care not to brown the seeds. Cool down and make a paste with olive oil. Make thick but pour-able paste. The above mentioned measurement will yield 4 cups of tahini. Store tahini in an air tight container in the refrigerator. It will stay good for 3 months. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can cut the pita bread into small pieces and serve along with hummus or other dips. Or you can cut the pita bread into two halves, put filling of your choice inside the pockets and enjoy your pita pockets.

If you like to get regular updates from me go to my Facebook page and click on the Like button. You can also follow my blog on NetworkBlogs. Thank you..!!!

Til-kumro

Pumpkin with sesame seeds

Kumro (pumpkin) is a very common vegetable in Bengali kitchen. No we don’t carve them to a jack-o-lantern, but eat them. Even the flowers of pumpkin (kumro phool) and the soft young leaves (kumro saag) are also eaten with great pleasure. Pumpkin can be cooked in various ways; be it simple batter fried (bason diye bhaja), or some mixed vegetable mish-mash (chochhori), or a non-veg dish (with hilsha fish head). Here in  the US,  we get pumpkin regularly in the market, but unfortunately miss the kumro-phool bhaja (pumpkin flower) and kumro saag (leafy part of pumpkin). In Kolkata, my home town the ripe pumpkins are sweet and red-orange in color, here I need to add sugar to my pumpkin preparations.

Today I have made some simple fried pumpkin with sesame seeds, flavored with curry leaves and hing (asafoetida). It is a very easy, quick and tasty side dish to go with rice and dal (lentils).

Ingredients

• Pumpkin: (Cut in cubes): 2 cups
• Curry leaves: 10-12
• Mustard seeds (Rai Sorse): ½ tsp
• White sesame seeds (Sada til): 1tsp
• Grated ginger:1/2tsp
• Red chili: 3-4
• Asafoetida (hing): a pinch
• Salt
• Turmeric powder
• Sugar
• Oil

Procedure:

1.Wash and peel the pumpkin and cut into cubes.

2.Add oil in a pan. I used canola oil. You can use any other oil, like mustard or oilve or any vegetable oil.

3.As the oil is hot reduce the heat and add curry leaves, black mustard seeds, red chili and a pinch of hing.

4.As the mustard seeds spatter add the pumpkins. Add salt and turmeric powder. Add grated ginger. Mix well.

5.Cook till the pumpkins are cooked, but take care the pumpkins should not become mushy. Add sugar. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.

6. Add the sesame seeds. Cook for 1-2 min in high flame.

Serve it with some steaming hot rice and a bowl of musur/masoor dal(red lentils).