Namu's Kitchen

Hi I am Ayush.

2010-11-14T12:46:00.006-05:00

Wanted to put this post from a very long time but kept on postponing it. This is my baby Ayush born on 29th Jan 2010 and this is the reason for my disappearance from the blogosphere. He is now 9 months old and very sweet but also very naughty. Here I am putting some random pics of the apple of my eye for my blogger friends .

Toast Sandwich

2009-05-13T13:00:00.004-04:00

I am sorry for not posting regularly. Life's become a little busy these days. Also I am having some problems with blogger ever since I came back to India. Photos appear as html tags, still I go ahead and publish them as they appear normal in the blog.
Here's a simple and easy breakfast recipe that I learnt from my mil. It can be made ready in just a few minutes but mind you it tastes superb. I have added some grated cheese while taking this snap but the original recipe doesn't require cheese. Both ways it tastes great.

Ingredients

Bread
Onion - Finely chopped
Tomato - finely chopped
Coriander Leaves - finely chopped
Red Chilli Powder - as per taste
Turmeric powder - pinch
Salt
Grated Cheese - (optional)
Butter
Tomato Ketchup

Mix together onions, tomatoes, cilantro, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric pdr.
Take 2 slices of bread. Apply butter on one side of both slices. Take one slice and place some of the above mixture on the buttered side. Apply a small amount of ketchup on this mixture. Add some grated cheese if desired and cover with the other slice.
Heat a tava and fry it till golden brown using butter. Serve hot with additonal ketchup.

Note: Don't keep the onion-tomato mixture for too long after adding salt or else it leaves water. If this mixture has to be made in advance add salt just before making sandwiches.

Simple and yummy Egg Curry and my first awards.

2009-04-24T05:40:00.009-04:00

Hubby loves egg curries. When in US, eggs were a must have in my refrigerator. I used to make 2 varieties of egg curry. This one is my mil's recipe and gets ready in few minutes itself. It tastes great with Jeera rice or plain rice.

Ingredients
Eggs -4
Coriander Seeds - 2tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Khus Khus - 1 tsp
Lavang/Clove - 1
Cinnamon - small piece
Freid Bedgi Chillies - 3 - 4
Coconut - 3/4th cup grated
Garlic - 1 big or 3-4 small cloves
Onions - 1 medium, chopped
Oil - 4 tsp
Coriander leaves- garnish

Boil eggs, remove shell and keep aside.
Fry coriander seeds, jeera, lavang, khus khus, cinnamon in 1/2 a tsp of oil and grind together with fried red chillies, coconut and garlic.
Heat 2-3 tsp of oil and fry the onions till pink. Then add the ground paste and water to make it into a gravy like consistency. Add salt.
In the mean while make 3-4 small slits on each boiled egg. Take care not to cut it into pieces.m
When the gravy boils add the eggs and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Cook for few more minutes.
Serve with naan or rice.

Aparna of Aps Kitchen and Suparna of Food Fascination have awarded me with these awards.

Thanks a lot Aparna and Suparna for these lovely awards.

American Chopsuey

2009-04-09T12:40:00.003-04:00

Few years back one of my college friends took us to this eatery in Ghatkopar and suggested that we try this dish. I found it very tasty but at the same time it was very very spicy. Years later I started craving for this dish while in US. I am not sure if the dish we tasted was actually American Chopsuey or something else. But from whatever I could remember I tried to recreate something similar. I couldn't recollect the exact taste that we tasted years back but my dish was definitely worth eating.
I made it twice thereafter and hubby too enjoyed eating it. Both times I boiled the entire pack of Hakka Noodles for making Veg Noodles and saved some boiled noodles for making this dish.

Ingredients
Hakka Noodles - 1/3 pack boiled as per instructions on the pack
Onions - Chopped lengthwise, 2 tbsp
Bell Pepper - chopped, 2 tbsp
Carrots - chopped lengthwise, 2 tbsp
Cabbage - chopped, 1 tbsp(optional_
Soya Sauce - 1 tsp
Chili Sauce - 1 tsp
Tomato Ketchup - 1 tbsp
Corn Flour - 1 tsp
Salt
Sugar - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

Deep fry the boiled noodles on low flame till crisp and slightly brown. Drain on kitchen towel.
In a pan take a some oil and stir-fry onions, carrots, cabbage, bell pepper till they are slightly cooked. Then add the sauces and salt and sugar. Adjust seasoning. Make a paste of corn flour with 1/2 a cup of water and add to the above. Cook for 2 mins till the mixture thickens.
To serve place some noodles in the serving bowl and top it with some of the above mixture. Serve hot.

Note: You can also use frozen mixed veggies and spring onions in place of onions.

Lettuce Saag

2009-03-19T12:31:00.002-04:00

I had never used Lettuce in my cooking. I brought it for the first time for making burgers for which I used only 3-4 leaves. I was left with a quite a big lettuce and started searching for recipes. All I could get were salad recipes which we are not very fond of.
Then suddenly I got the idea of using lettuce in place of Sarson in saag. I followed the Sarson ka saag recipe given to me by my NY neighbour ‘D’ aunty and replaced sarson leaves with lettuce. The outcome of the experiment was quite good and my hubby couldn’t even guess that it was lettuce.

Ingredients:
Lettuce – 1
Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped
Garlic – 3 cloves, chopped
Ginger – 1 inch, grated
Green Chillies – 2 finely chopped
Kasuri methi - 1 tbsp
Corn Flour – 2 tsp
Salt
Oil – 3 tsp

Boil water in a big vessel. Dip the lettuce leaves in the boiling water for 5 mins. Till they become soft. Remove the leaves and blend it to a fine paste.
In a pan, take some oil and fry the onions. When the turn translucent add the ginger and garlic. Continue frying till it turns brown. Then add the chopped green chillies and lettuce puree. Add salt and kasuri methi. Give it a boil.
Finally make a paste of corn flour and water and add it to the above. Heat for a minute or two and serve with hot phulkas or makki ki roti.

Note: For Sarson ka Saag use Sarson and Spinach leaves in the proportion 2:1

Corn Pizza

2009-03-19T12:26:00.000-04:00

Seeing the variety of pizzas in the blogosphere I wanted to try my hand at a corn pizza.
I just followed my Pizza recipe for the dough and replaced ½ a cup all purpose flour with corn flour.
I used plain Heinz tomato ketchup instead of the homemade pizza sauce and used the same toppings as before, in addition I also used some chopped broccoli. The pizza tasted great but became a little dry at the base.

Hey Friends I'm back

2009-03-17T12:30:00.003-04:00

Hi Friends...I'm back. I haven't disappeared from the blogosphere I just took a small break from blogging as I had no other option. I know its been quite long since I blogged any recipe. The reason for my absence is that we have moved back to Mumbai as my hubby's project assignment was over. Last few days have been very hectic for us. Now things have settled a bit. I am not sure if I will be able to continue blogging as before but I will try my best. Recently when I tried to put a post blogger was giving me some errors while putting pictures. Hopefully I will find out a solution soon.
Thanks for all your concerns and sweet comments my dear blogger friends and sorry for not being able to comment on your posts since the last few days.
Happy Blogging.
Enjoy.

Bread Halwa

2009-02-24T15:55:00.005-05:00

This is a simple and tasty dessert also known by the name "Double Ka Meetha". I tasted this for the first time when my friend Nandini brought this for us. And I couldn't imagine that it was made from bread. This recipe belongs to her and needs a small quantity of ghee in contrast to the deep frying method which is usually followed for making this. My picture doesn't do justice to this yummy dessert. I will update it the next time I make it.

Ingredients
Bread slices - 3, cut into small pieces
Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp
Sugar - 8 heaped tsp
Water - 3/4 cup
Milk - 2 tbsp
Nuts - cashews, almonds, raisins
Cardamom Powder - pinch (optional)

Make a sugar syrup with the above quantities. The syrup should be of one string consistency but I heated it only till it was sticky.
In a pan(preferably a flat one) heat ghee and roast the nuts. Remove and keep aside. In the same ghee roast the bread slices on a low flame till golden. Then add the sugar syrup. Do not stir. In the mean while boil the milk. When the sugar syrup gets absorbed add the milk, cardamom powder and nuts. Mix it slowly. Preferably serve hot.

Rajma Chawal

2009-02-19T21:27:00.004-05:00

I always get confused with this name. During college days my Punjabi friend Gurvinder(...ok lets refer to her as Priti...thats what she preferred to be called)...used to bring this yummy dish in her lunch box and we all used to relish it. Punjabis have a unique style of cooking. All their dishes taste simply great. Even if we make the same dish at home it lacks the Punjabi touch. Ok coming back to the topic her rajma chaval was a single dish in contrast to the usual rajma gravy which is eaten with rice. But in those days i was not so much into cooking so I never bothered to ask her the recipe.
Few days back I made rajma curry for which I boiled some rajma. But even after making enough gravy I was left with some more boiled rajma. So I made this One pot meal the next day.
This is not the authentic recipe. I have just added a few masalas and the dish turned wonderful. So I thought of posting it.

Ingredients
Boiled Rajma/Kidney beans - 1 cup
Boiled Rice - 2 cups
Onion - 1 medium, cut lengthwise
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Tomato - 1 medium, pureed
Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp
Kitchen King Masala - 1/2 tsp
Biryani Masala/Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin-Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro - few
Salt
Oil - 3 tsp

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin and when it crackles add onions. Fry till it turns golden. Then add the ginger and garlic paste. fry till the raw smell goes and then add the tomato puree. Fry for 3-4 mins. In the mean while add all the spice powders. Finally add the boiled rajma, rice and kasuri methi and adjust salt. Add some chopped cilantro. Mix all together cook for a minute or two and serve hot.

Rava Dosa

2009-02-19T11:47:00.001-05:00

Rava Dosa is a thin dosa with a lace like texture. Each person uses different proportions of ingredients for making this yummy dosa. I always follow my mil's proportions from whom I learnt to make this. This is one of my favourites as it is comes out very crisp and doesn't need fermentation.

Ingredients
Maida/All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup
Rice Flour - 1/2 cup
Rava/Semolina - 1/4 cup
Green Chilly - 1, cut into thin slices
Jeera/Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil

Mix both flours and rava and add enough water to make a thin batter. This batter must be thinner than ordinary dosa. Add salt to the batter.
Heat 2 tsp of oil and add jeera. When it begins to crackle add the chopped green chillies. Fry for a minute and add it to the batter.
For making dosas, heat a non-stick tava. Smear with 1/2 a tsp of oil. Take a ladle full of batter and pour from a height of 5-6 inches in a throwing fashion(just like neer dosa). Do not shape it as ordinary dosa. Cook on medium flame till it gets golden.
Serve with your favorite chutney/sambhar.
The above quantities make 7-8 dosas.

Note: Green chillies can be be added directly to the batter.

Egg in the Hole

2009-02-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

When people ask me if I am a veg./non-veg. i dont know what to answer. Eggs are still a controversial topic. Some believe them to be veg and some don't. I prefer saying that I am an Eggetarian but still have blank faces starring at me. Not sure if such a word exists. I guess it should be Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian but then that would be even more complicated for a layman to understand.

My egg consumption has increased after marriage and particularly after coming to US. Previously it used to be 1-2 eggs a year and now its 1-2 eggs a week. I always keep some eggs handy.
Egg in the hole/Egg in the basket refers to an egg which is fried in the hole of a bread. I came across this dish many months back while browsing the web. Since then I have made it many a times as it doesn't require any advance planning. I mostly make this as an evening snack. This is just my way of making them.

Ingredients

Bread slices (White or Brown)
Eggs - 1 per slice
Pepper Powder
Chilli Powder
Salt
Oil/Butter
Tomato Ketchup and Sriracha Chili Sauce - for serving

With the help of a cookie cutter or glass, make a hole in the bread slice. The hole should be big enough to accommodate an entire egg but the bread should still be intact.
Heat a non-stick pan. Add little oil or butter. Now place the bread on it. Break an entire egg directly into the hole. Cook this on a very low flame. Also fry the hole of the bread.

Sprinkle salt,pepper powder and chili powder.
Once it is fried from below drizzle some oil on top and slowly flip it. Add the spice powders. Fry this side also. Keep flipping till it is well cooked. Enjoy with ketchup.

Note: To check if it is cooked from within insert a knife in the center. If it is gooey cook for some more time. You can also leave it a little raw as per your choice.

Basundi

2009-02-17T14:11:00.005-05:00

This recipe was given to me by my friend S during one of our chat sessions. S and i met in a party here in US and since then we have chatted a few times. During one such session about 6 months after we first met we were surprised to know that we worked in the same company on the same floor while in India. The world is a small place afterall. Anyways coming back to the recipe S praised this recipe so much that I had to try this. After postponing it for many days I finally made it on our anniversary. It turned out very delicious. I also added some home-made anguri the next day and changed it to Anguri Basundi.
This happens to be my 50th post and I wanted to announce it with a sweet dish. I hope I can post many more recipes and learn many new ones on this endless journey of blogging.

I used half of the quantities mentioned in the original recipe and have changed the proportions slightly.

What I used :

2% Milk - 1 1/2 cups (3 cups As per Original recipe)
Half and Half - 1 Pint (3 cups As per Original recipe)
Heavy Cream - 1/2 pint (400 ml As per Original recipe)
Sugar - 1/2 cup (1 cup As per Original recipe)
Cashews and Almonds - coarsely powdered/ sliced
Cardamom Pdr

In a pan with a heavy bottom or a cooker boil the milk and half and half. Once it boils add the Cream. Again bring this to a boil, reduce the flame and continue heating till the mixture reduces to half its original volume. This may take some time. Keep stirring in between to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. When the milk has reduced to half the quantity the colour changes to pinkish. Now add the sugar and continue boiling till the sugar gets dissolved. Finally add the nuts and cardamom powder and relish it just like that or with anguri.
To make Anguri I followed my rasmalai recipe but made the malai balls very small(1 cm in diameter) and did not flatten them. Then added them to the basundi.

Tastes best after refrigerating for a day or two.
Thanks S for the recipe.

Kitchen Tips

2009-02-12T15:06:00.012-05:00

The following are the tips that I have learnt from my amma, mummy, some sites and personal experience and since then have adopted them in my kitchen. Here I have added only the ones which I follow. I will update this post as and when I come across new ones. Hope you find this section useful.

Freezing tips
Following is the list of items which i have been successful in freezing.

Carrots, French Beans, Beets. - Wash them well, dry them on a kitchen paper, cut them into the desired sizes which you require for a particular recipe, Put them into ziplock bags and freeze. For peas I buy the readymade frozen ones. The same procedure can be followed for the fresh ones also. I think cauliflower and broccoli can also be stored by this method but i have never tried that. Spinach can also be stored similarly but it becomes very soft on thawing. Same is the case with Green Chillies. They too become very soft on thawing but can be used for curries which doesn't require chillies to be chopped.

Pulses can be sprouted in advance and stored in ziplocks in freezer.

Home-made paneer can be cut into cubes and stored in freezer.

Curry leaves can be stored for a longer time by drying them in shade. When they become fully crisp store them in boxes. The dry ones need not be stored in the refrigerator. By this method curry leaves lose their colour slightly but are very good for making chivda as they have no moisture. I use the dried ones in all my dishes.

Cooking tips
When boiling dal directly in a pressure cooker add some oil to it to prevent the dal from oozing out of the whistle.

When frying onions if a little salt is added to it, the process becomes quicker.

Cleaning tips
If the cooker becomes dirty from inside try pressure cooking a lemon rind with some water for 1-2 whistles. The cooker becomes clean.

For stubborn stains and residues on the gas burner and platform sprinkle some baking soda, leave it for a min or two and then scrub with a cloth or a plastic scrubber.

If your metal scrubber catches rust, after use put it in a plastic bag and place the bag in the freezer. Use when required and place it back in the freezer. This prevents the scrubber from catching rust.

Rasmalai

2009-02-11T20:04:00.012-05:00

I am posting a recipe after nearly a week. There is no particular reason behind it. Its just that I am nearing the 50th post and i wanted the next two posts to be special. But today I had to post this as today is a special day for me. Its my 2nd wedding anniversary and Rasmalai is my hubby's favorite dessert. Before marriage I had never tasted Rasmalai. The sweet shops near my home never kept this sweet even though it is so popular. But after I got married I got to taste it many a times from the famous Brijwasi Sweets in Mulund and I absolutely loved it.
When we came to US i made many attempts to create this sweet dish at home. I tried different methods like using the instant mix, readymade rasgullas and also from scratch. But all of them failed. The ready-to-eat frozen ones were quite good but the rabdi was too thick and it had a different taste from the ones we used to eat in Mumbai.
One day I thought of giving it a final try and this time I chose Vah Chef's recipe. I am thankful to myself for choosing his recipe. My rasmalai turned just perfect.
One thing that we have noted is that these rasmalais taste best after 2-3 days when the ras gets nicely absorbed into the malai balls.

For the Ras
Whole Milk - 4 cups
Sugar - as per desired sweetness
Dry Fruits - Cashews, Pistachios, Almonds - 1tbsp each - coarsely powdered
Cardamom Powder

Take a pan with a heavy bottom. Add the milk. Bring it to a boil and simmer till it reduces to half its original volume. Then add sugar to obtain desired sweetness. Finally add the powdered dry fruits.

For the Malai balls Milk - 3 cups
Lemon juice or Vinegar - 1 tbsp (I mostly use vinegar)
Ice cubes
Sugar - 1 small katori

In a pan with a thick bottom boil the milk. Dilute the vinegar with very little water and add to the milk. The milk will start to curdle. (Add little more vinegar if required but do not add too much as it has a strong smell)

When it curdles completely(whey water is clear) switch off the flame and immediately add ice cubes. Then strain this through a muslin cloth or a new handkerchief. Wash the paneer well. Squeeze as much water from it as possible. Tie a knot to the cloth and hang it for about 20 mins.
After 20 mins take the paneer and rub it well. Then knead it like a chapati dough.
Make small smooth balls of about 1 inch diameter and slightly flatten to make discs. Makes around 12 discs.

Boil water with sugar in the ratio of 6:1. I use a very small katori (less than 1/2 cup) of sugar and 6 katoris of water.
When sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to boil add the discs and cover with a well fitting lid.

Keep the flame on high throughout. You can make it in 2-3 batches and the discs double in volume.
After 5 mins open the lid and carefully transfer the discs into lukewarm water. Then squeeze the discs slightly and transfer into rabdi. Refrigerate for atleast 1 day for best results.

What I usually do is make the malai balls at home and use the Gits Rabdi mix for making the rabdi. In this manner Rasmalai gets ready in a jiffy. I have tried this with 1% and 2% milk also and haven't noticed much difference in the taste.
My hubby says that my rasmalai tastes even better than the Brijwasi ones. Now that is the best compliment that I have received till date.

I am dedicating this post to my dearest hubby and sending this to Just For You event at Alka's blog.

Pani Poori

2009-02-02T14:50:00.010-05:00

Pani Poori/Poochka/Gol Gappa doesn't need an introduction. It is the favorite chaat item of many including me. I can never say NO to a pani puri. Initially I used to eat chaat and other fast foods only at restaurants but after studying Microbiology in college and gaining knowledge about food contamination, to my surprise I found myself eating more of street foods. I have eaten Pani Poori innumerable times while coming back from office even when my tummy was full, all thanks to one of my train friends P who would drag us to the Pani poori wala and treat us with Pani puris without any occasion. One place in Ghatkopar serves Pooris with chilled Pani which have small pieces of ice also. I love that version also.
During my initial months in US I used to have cravings for chaat and especially Pani Puri. On the contrary my hubby is not a great fan of chaat items. While in India I used to make Pani Puri, Sev Puri, etc many a times at home using the readymade puris. But after coming here I never made it as we get huge packs of puris here which is too much for the two of us.
Once I was chatting with my friend S and I informed her about my food blog. She was very excited and told me to include chaat recipes in my blog. She also gave me the recipe to make puris at home. Few days later we went to visit the Indian Street in New Jersey. There I ordered Pani Poori but was quite dissapointed with its taste. I challenged hubby that I can make better ones than them. All these years I always followed a particular recipe from a paper clipping to make the pani. But I lost the recipe or maybe its lying somewhere in India. This is how I made it with whatever I could remember.

Ingredients
For the Puri
Maida/All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup
Rava - 1/4 cup
Salt
Oil

Mix Maida and Rava. Add a little salt and water and make a stiff dough. Apply a little amount of oil and rest it for half an hour. Roll it into a chapati (I did this on a wax paper) as thin as possible using OIL. Cut out small roundels using a cookie cutter (or a small lid).

Deep fry in hot oil till crisp and golden.

For Pani
Mint - 1 small bunch fresh (I used 2 tbsp of dried leaves)
Ginger - 1 inch
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 2-3
Pepper - 2
Green Chilli - 1-2 depending upon its spicyness
Jeera - 1 tsp
Rock Salt- 1/2 tsp (I used Chaat Masala)
Salt

Blend all together with water. Add more water and strain it to obtain Pani.

For Meetha Chutney
Seedless Dates - 7-8
Tamarind - small ball (1 inch diameter)
Jaggery - 2-inch piece
Pinch of Salt

Soak the dates and Tamarind seperately in little warm water. Strain the tamarind water. Blend together dates, tamarind water and jaggery to a fine puree. Add a pinch of salt.

For Filling use any or all of the items below.
Yellow Peas - soaked and boiled with salt and turmeric till soft
Moong Sprouts
Boiled and Mashed Potatoes - add a pinch of salt and red chilli powder
Soaked Boondi
Dahi
Thin Sev

For making a Pani Poori.- Make a hole in the poori, add filling of your choice and top it with Meetha Chutney. Dip in/top it with the pani and enjoy your poori in one go.

Clockwise from top: Boiled Potatoes, Boiled Peas, Tikha Paani, Meetha Chutney, Soaked Boondi and the final poori in the centre.

Hubby loved it much more than me and also commented that my Pani Pooris were indeed much better than the restaurant ones.

Sprouted Moong Pulao

2009-01-30T16:09:00.005-05:00

This recipe is from my recipe collection. I wanted to try it from a long time. More than the recipe, the picture tempted me to try this out and I am glad I tried it as it was quite good. The sprouts and spinach make it healthy too.

For the rice:
Uncooked Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Bay Leaves - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cloves - 2
Turmeric - pinch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt

For the sprout mixture:
Moong Sprouts - 1 1/2 cups
Onion - 1 chopped
Green Chilli - 1
Spinach leaves - 1 1/2 cups, chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt

For the rice: Heat oil and fry bay leaves, cumin, cinnamon and cloves for a few minutes. Add washed rice, turmeric and salt and fry for 2-3 mins. Add 2 cups water, cover and cook. [This can also be done in a pressure cooker]

For Sprout Mixture : Heat oil and fry onion and green chilli for 2 mins. Add sprouts and cook for 2-3 mins. Add spinach and again cook for 2 mins. Add a little salt if needed.
Add cooked rice and mix well. Serve hot.

Note : I used around 1 cup each of moong sprouts and spinach and also added a little water for the moong to cook well in the sprout mixture.

I am sending this to My Legume Love Affair Seventh Helping and FIC yellow

Cucumber Soup

2009-01-29T15:30:00.004-05:00

Right from my college days I had this hobby of collecting recipes from newspapers. I have made a scrapbook with all the recipes but hardly tried any of them. I brought this book with me while coming to US thinking that it may help me in my cooking.
This recipe is from one such paper cutout. It is called Cold Cucumber Soup. I made a few changes to the original recipe and we had it as a hot soup as we were in no mood to have a cold soup in this chilly winter. My hubby loved this soup and wanted me to post it here.

Ingredients:

Cucumber - 1 big, peeled and grated.
Onion - 1 very small, chopped
Milk - 1/4 cup
Butter - 1 tsp
Pepper Powder
Corn Flour - 1 tsp
Lemon juice
Edible Green Colour - 1 drop (optional)
Salt

1. Heat butter in a pan and saute the onions.
2. Add grated cucumber and little water and boil for few mins.
3. Let it cool a little and then blend it in a blender until smooth.
4. Transfer it to a pan and add milk and give it a boil. Add more water if necessary.
5. Add salt, pepper and green colour.
6. Mix corn flour in little water and add this to the soup.
7. Simmer the soup for a few mins.
8. Squeeze some lemon juice just before serving and serve hot.

Variation: According to the original recipe the soup is strained at Step 2 and is served as a chilled soup. The rest of the procedure remains the same.

Choco-Narayankataar

2009-01-28T15:21:00.009-05:00

Nankatayi is called Narayankataar in Konkani. As I said before this is birthday season for our family. Today happens to be my brother's (Harish) birthday. I promised to make something special for him. I had recently baked a cake so did not want to make a cake again. But I wanted to make something with Chocolate as it is his favorite flavor. Whenever he brings home an ice cream it has to be chocolate flavor unless he brings two of them. I thought of making a Chocolate Walnut Fudge but realised that it required condensed milk which I did not have.
Finally I decided to make Shilpa's Nankatayi .I wanted to try these since the past many months. I converted it into a Chocolate Nankatai by adding some Cocoa to the dough. I followed her recipe exactly, only added a tbsp of Cocoa powder in addition to get that Chocolatey flavor. I was a bit skeptical about it as I always manage to mess up with cookies. I have tried 2-3 different types of cookies till date but they always spread and become rock hard. This time something different happened. I baked it for the required time and also got the cracks on top which was the indication that the cookies were ready. But they still appeared soft. I felt that they would become crisp after they cool down. On cooling they were not as soft but they are still quite fragile. I wonder if Nankatayis are ought to be like that or if I have messed them up this time too.
But this time I am satisfied with the outcome as they taste wonderful and have a nice aroma of ghee. I am sure my brother would have loved it.

I wish him a very Happy Birthday and a happy and bright future.

Treating myself with a cake

2009-01-26T16:24:00.007-05:00

Its the birthday season for our family. It was my mil's birthday on Saturday and mine on Sunday. We went to the temple and had our lunch at the nearby newly opened restaurant. We both love their rasam soup very much so this time also we ordered the same. The lunch was also good but I was full very soon.
Now coming to the cake, I thought of making a Black Forest cake to celebrate both occasions. I used Betty Crocker's SuperMoist Fudge mix for the cake and whipped cream for the icing. Previous time I used the Maraschino cherries but didn't like the smell of it so thought of using the cherries from the Cherry-pie filling. But these were slightly sour in taste. I think the first option was only better. I used only a few cherries as I made a small 2 layer cake. So the sourness wasn't noticeable. I topped it with some grated Milk Chocolate as that was the only one I had with me, though a dark chocolate bar would have given me the perfect colour for the Cake.

The cake was ready in a jiffy and was very yummy. I liked this much more than the one I made before as I used Whipped cream this time while the previous time I used a readymade frosting.

Cheppi Surnalli

2009-01-23T15:56:00.007-05:00

Surnalli is a thick dosa. Cheppi in Konkani means bland. That doesn't mean this dosa has a bland taste. It is only used to differentiate it from Godi Surnalli which is sweet. As I have mentioned before Surnalli can be made using watermelon/cucumber/ash gourd. This time I have used cucumber.
Surnalli is my favorite among all dosas. Amma always made the sweet version of surnalli as she knows that I love it. But recently I tried the Cheppi Surnalli and we liked this one too.

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup
Dessicated Coconut - 1/3 cup
Cucumber - 1 small or half of big one.
Poha (thick or thin) - 1 /4 cup
Bread slices - 2
Salt
Turmeric - pinch(optional)

Soak rice for 2-3 hours. Remove the skin of cucumber and chop it into small pieces.
Soak the poha and bread in little water.
Grind all ingredients except salt into a fine batter adding water. The batter shouldn't be too thin. The consistency of the batter must be thicker than regular dosa batter.
Ferment overnight or atleast 8 hrs.
Next morning add salt and mix well.
I also add a pinch of baking soda to the batter as the batter doesn't ferment well in winters.
Adding just a pinch of soda gives nice fluffy surnallis.

Heat a tava or non stick pan. Add a few drops of oil/butter. Pour a ladle of batter in the center of the tava. Do not spread the batter. Drizzle some oil on the sides. Cover and cook till it gets golden from below.
Serve with your favorite chutney or sambhar. Don't forget to top it with a dollop of butter.
You can also make small mini surnallis for kids.

Note: Surnallis are usually cooked only on 1 side. But I like to cook it on both sides. For making the sweeter version of this just add some jaggery in addition to the other ingredients while grinding the batter.

Sending this along with Undi to "Harvest the festival of Rice" event.

Also sending this to FIC - Yellow Event at TongueTicklers.

Hummus

2009-01-23T15:21:00.006-05:00

I had some leftover boiled kabuli channa after making Chole and I was in no mood to eat Chole the next day as well. Suddenly the idea of making hummus struck me. When I searched for the recipe I found that to make hummus you require tahini.
I didn't have tahini instead I added some sesame seeds. My silly experiment became sucessful and my hubby liked it a lot.

To make my modified hummus :
Blend 1 cup of boiled chickpeas with 1 tbsp of sesame seeds, little paprika, salt, 1 clove of garlic and some lemon juice. Add little water if needed.
Serve as a dip with nachos or chips.

Note: The original recipe has Olive oil also. As I did not have it I haven't added it.

I am sending this to JFI: Chickpeas event and also to Chutney/Dip Mania event

Pizza

2009-01-22T15:15:00.010-05:00

Who doesn't love a pizza. It happens to be the only western food that I love as it is not as bland as the other foods. So whenever we go out we look for pizza outlets.
During my initial days in US once we went to Target. After all the shopping we ordered a Cheese pizza. Compared to all the pizzas I have eaten till date, the target cheese pizza happens to be my favorite. It is a simple Cheese pizza but is very soft and rich. I haven't tasted such soft pizza elsewhere. But that day when I opened the pack there was a pizza with red roundels starring at me. I thought it to be tomato slices. To be sure I asked my hubby who was shocked to see the ham slices. We returned it back and luckily we got our money back.
Few months back my mil had come to visit us. On one weekend we set out to visit Manhattan. When we were hungry we settled at a pizza outlet. Hubby ordered Mushroom and Spinach pizza. When I was about to take a bite I noticed a red piece hanging from it. Again it was a piece of ham that got stuck to my veggie pizza. We had already cut the pizza so this time we couldn't get our money back. Nowadays I am very careful whenever we eat out. I thoroughly inspect the food before having a bite.

For making this pizza I have taken tips from Shilpa's Garlic Pizza and from Vah Chef's videos.

Ingredients :
For the base
Maida/All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Salt
Sugar - 2 tsp
Warm water - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tsp
Active dry yeast - 1 envelope

Take 1/4 th cup of warm water. The water should be warm not hot. Add the sugar. Mix and then add the yeast. Leave it to rise for about 10 min. Bubbles will appear which is an indication that yeast is active.
Then add the remaining water(warm) and salt.
Take the flours in a big bowl and add the water little by little and form a dough. Knead well. The dough will be sticky. Add the oil and again knead well.
Cover it with a plastic and rest in a warm place for an hour.
After an hour the dough doubles in volume. Punch the dough to remove the air.
Again rest it for half an hour.
Now spread the dough on a pan or pizza stone.

For the sauce
Tomato - 2 medium
Capsicum - 1/2, chopped
Garlic - 1 big, chopped finely
Butter - 1 tsp
Salt
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - pinch

Make small cuts on tomato and put in boiling water for 30 sec. Remove and put in cold water. Peel off the skin. I cut one tomato into pieces and pureed the other one.
Heat butter in a pan. Add garlic and fry. Then add the capsicum pieces. Fry for a minute and add the tomato pieces. Fry and add tomato puree. Now add salt, sugar, pepper powder, chilli powder.
I also added 2 drops of red food colour. Cook till the desired consistency has reached.

For assembling a pizza.

I spread the dough on a non stick pan without a handle. Spread the sauce on top and topped it with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, shredded cabbage and mozzarella cheese and dotted it with oil.
I heated the pan over a low flame for about 5 mins and then baked in oven at 450 F till the cheese melted.
Garnished it with chilli flakes, pepper powder and dried parsley.

With a remaining dough I made a thin crust pizza and topped it with paneer in addition to the toppings used above.

Both pizzas were absolutely delicious and it was a great experience to make it from scratch.

Note: Adding herbs like oregano and basil gives a nice flavor to the sauce. As I did not have any of those I haven't added it. I have used Imitation Mozzarella Cheese in place of Mozzarella as it is low in Cholesterol. I have also added a few pieces of fried garlic to the dough.

Update: I am sending this to Bread Mania event at Sindhura's blog

Undi (Steamed rice balls)

2009-01-21T11:41:00.004-05:00

Undi happens to be a very popular breakfast item among Konkani people. But I had never made it in all these months that I spent in US. One reason was because I did not have a steamer to steam the balls. Back in India all Konkani houses have a steamer which is called a "Pedavan" which they use to steam idli, undi, pathrado(alu vadi), etc.
Amma(mom) and mummy(mil) both had told me many a times to steam in a kadhai or any big vessel. But since my hubby hates idlis I never took their advice seriously. The other reason for not making undi was that I always had a feeling that is difficult to make and that I won't get it right.
One fine day I decided to make undi for breakfast and steamed it in a cooker without keeping the weight. But after steaming when I opened the lid, some water had gone inside the vessel and I had to resteam it. When I told all this to mummy she again reminded me of the kadhai method. The same evening I steamed the remaining rice balls with her method and finally I got nice, extremely soft undis.

Ingredients

For the batter:
Rice(uncooked) - 1 cup
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt

Soak rice for 3 hrs in water. I soaked it overnight.
Grind it with coconut and water into a slightly coarse batter. When you touch the batter you should get a grainy feeling. Add salt.

For tempering:
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Dry Red Chillies (Bedgi mirchi) - 2 torn.

Heat 2 tsp of oil in a kadhai. Add mustard seeds and when they crackle add the methi seeds, curry leaves and red chillies. Then pour in the batter and keep stirring till it forms a soild mass.
Switch off the flame.
Make small balls (2 inch diameter) from this mixture and make a small depression on top of it. The mixture is quite hot so dip your hand in cold water while making balls.

Steam the balls in a steamer for 20 mins.
[I filled a kadhai with water. Put this on high flame. When it starts to boil place a plate with holes which fits on top of it. The water below should not touch the plate. Place the rice balls on top of the plate and cover the plate. The water evaporates fast so use a bigger kadhai/vessel and fill it with as much water as possible.]

Serve hot with chutney or sambhar.

Note: The rice balls can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator and steamed just before serving. Mummy makes them with rice rava but since I dont buy the rice rava I followed my amma's version and made them using rice. Like all other preparations I have used dessicated coconut for this too. If using fresh or frozen coconut you may require a little more coconut.

I am sending this to Harvest: The Festival of rice event at Meetsudeshna's blog

Zebra Cake

2009-01-20T17:18:00.002-05:00

Ever since I saw the lovely Zebra Cake on Ujwal's blog I was drooling over it. I couldn't make it for New Year so was waiting for an occasion. Finally I decided to make it for my father-in-law's birthday. My fil is thousands of miles away from us and I can't even send him a piece of the cake but all I wanted was an occasion to indulge in this yummy cake.
The cake is not as difficult as it looks. It just requires some extra efforts.
I made it with half of the quantities mentioned in the recipe and got a decent sized cake.
I baked it for the time mentioned in the recipe and when the knife inserted in the center came out clean I took it out.
I was so excited to see it rise so beautifully but the moment I took it out of the oven it became flat, almost the size it was before baking.
It still tasted very good and was very nice and soft.

The plain and Chocolate batter
The cake before going into the oven

Cake just out of the oven

The final piece

This recipe is definitely a keeper. The next time I make it I will add a little more sugar as we would have preferred it to be a little more sweeter. And will try with the entire quantities.

Kurmura Bhel / Chanbure Pachadi

2009-01-20T09:42:00.007-05:00

Kurmura/Mamra or puffed rice is known as Chanburo in Konkani. Pachadi is nothing but a simple bhel. This Pachadi can be made in a jiffy and is low on calories which makes it a perfect evening snack.

Ingredients

Kurmura - 2 cups
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Tomato - 1 small chopped
Sambhar powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Lemon Juice
Coriander leaves chopped
Salt

In a pan take a tsp of oil and add the kurmura. Put this on a low flame and fry for around 5 mins (till the kurmura become crisp). Switch off the flame and add a little salt and the sambhar powder. Mix well.
Transfer this to a bigger bowl and add the chopped onions and tomatoes. Add the coriander leaves and sprinkle some lemon juice on top. Mix well and add more salt if necessary. Thats it. Kurmura bhel is ready to serve.

Variations:
I also add sev or some farsan to the bhel at times. If Sambhar powder is not available chilli powder can be used. One can also used finely chopped green chillies. A pinch of chat masala can also be added.

I am sending this to EFM Savouries event taking place at Srilekha's blog.

Tila Undo (Sesame Ladoo)

2009-01-14T11:54:00.005-05:00

Til Gud Ghya Godd Godd Bola.
Happy Makar Sankranti to fellow bloggers.

Til laddoos happen to be my second favorite after Churma Undo (Wheat Four Ladoos). But I only prefer the ones which have the right amount of stiffness. I myself have no experience in making these ladoos so the next thing was to log in Aayi's recipes. It happens to be the first site that I look for any recipe. Luckily I got the recipe.
I followed Shilpa's recipe but used only half the quantity of the original recipe as I usually do when I fear that I may mess it up. But to my surprise I got perfect Til laadoos. They were neither too soft nor rock hard. Just perfect.

Ingredients

White Til (Sesame) - 1/2 cup
Cashewnuts - 1 tbsp roasted and coarsely powdered (optional)
Jaggery - 1/3 cup (1/4 cup according to original recipe)
Cardamom Powder
Ghee

Wash Til well. Drain all water and spread the til on a kitchen paper and let it dry for 15-20 mins. Then fry the til on a medium flame till they pop up and lend a nice aroma. Keep aside.
In another pan take the Jaggery and add 2 tbsp of water and put it on a medium flame. Keep stirring.
Take some water in a plate and put a drop of melted jaggery in the water. If it stays as a drop then the jaggery is ready. (If not heat for some more time.)
Now add the roasted til ,cashew nuts and cardamom powder. Switch off flame and mix well.
Take a big spoonful of the mixture on a plate and keep the remaining covered.
Grease palms with ghee and make small balls of 1 inch diameter.
The mixture is very hot at this stage so be careful. I almost burnt my palms so came up with one more tip.
Take a small spoon and spoon out small portions from the big spoon separately on a plate. Let it cool for a minute and then shape the individual portions into ladoos.
Repeat the procedure. Dont keep the mixture for long as it hardens quickly.

I could make 29 small ladoos from 1/2 a cup of til.

If you find making ladoos difficult press the mixture on a plate. Cut into desired shapes and make chikkis.

Thanks a lot Shilpa.

Sprouted Chana Bhel

2009-01-13T09:43:00.011-05:00

While passing by the petrol pump near my home a nice aroma always caught my attention. No not from the petrol pump. I can't tolerate the smell of petrol or diesel. A hawker used to sell chana Bhel near its entrance . I dont know if it is really called chana bhel or something else. All I know is he boiled green chanas and added onions, tomato, potatoes and some special masala. All this priced at just Rs 2 (=5 cents). Maybe it still costs the same. But the only problem was that he was always surrounded by the men from the nearby garages so it felt awkward to buy those chana. But I used to request my brother H to bring it for me.
I had some kala chana lying in my pantry from a long time. I wanted to use it but didnt know what to do with it. So i thought of sprouting it. Again the question arose what to make with the sprouted ones. Suddenly the idea of making the bhel came to my mind. And here's what i did.

Ingredients:

Kala Chana/Green Chana - 1/2 cup sprouted
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Tomato - 1 small, chopped
Boiled Potato - 1 medium, cut into cubes
Lime juice
Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp or less
Chaat Masala - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnish
Salt

Boil the Sprouted Chana till soft but firm.(around 1-2 whistles in pressure cooker). Drain the water from the chana. In a bowl take chana and add all other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings. Enjoy your nutritious bhel with a cup of tea or as an appetizer.

Note: It is not necessary to sprout the chana. You can just soak the chana in water and boil it. But sprouting makes it healthier. The original(Chana wala bhaiya's) version has green chana without sprouts. This bhel can also be made with Moong Sprouts. Just use sprouted moong in place of Chana. Moong need not be boiled.
This is a Zero Oil Recipe which makes it a perfect diet food.

Sprouts
Pulses have 20-25% protein by weight. Sprouting further increases the protein, vitamins and amino acid content and decreases the undesireable constituents.
To make sprouts, wash and soak the desired pulses in water for 8 hrs or overnight. Next morning drain all water, put the pulses in a colander and cover with a plate. Keep this in a warm place. After few hours you will notice small sprouts emerging from the seeds. Keep checking from time to time and sprinkle few drops of water if it looks too dry. The time for sprouting varies for different kinds of pulses. Sprouts can be made in advance and stored in ziplock bags in the freezer for future use.

I am sending this to My Legume Love Affair event which is the brain child of The well seasoned Cook Susan and is hosted by Srivalli.

Also sending this to JFI: Chickpea event

Strawberry Milkshake

2009-01-12T10:08:00.006-05:00

Strawberries are one of the most beautiful fruits created by God. In spite of that I rarely buy Strawberries as they are usually slightly sour in taste. But once while shopping with my friend Vinita, she told me to try this milkshake and it tasted yum.

Just add 4-5 strawberries with a cup of cold milk and 4 tsp of sugar in a blender. I also added a spoonful of Butter Pecan ice cream to enhance the taste. Blend till it is smooth.
Serve immediately.
If kept for longer time the acids in strawberry act on the milk and start curdling it.

Note: This milkshake can be made without ice cream but if using ice cream Vanilla flavor would be the best.

Cabbage Ambado/ Cabbage Vada

2009-01-09T15:23:00.004-05:00

Ambado means Vada in Konkani. I learnt this from my mil. To keep the vadas soft I have added a little urad dal.

Ingredients

Small piece of Cabbage chopped finely
Rice - 1 vati (1/2 cup)
Tur or Chana Dal - 3/4th vati
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp (optional)
Dry Red Chillies (Bedgi Mirchi) - 3-4 nos
Hing - a pinch
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Soak the rice and dals in water for atleast 2 hrs. Grind rice and dal with red chillies to a slightly coarse paste adding only little water as needed. The paste should be thick. Add the cabbage and salt and hing. Make small flat discs. Add more cabbage if it becomes difficult to shape them. Heat oil and deep fry the vadas. Remove vadas on a paper towel. Enjoy as a snack with ketchup or chutney or as a side dish with dal and rice.

One can also make this with methi leaves or using a combination of cabbage and onion.

This is my last minute entry to Trupti's Winter Treat event.

Veggie Burger

2009-01-07T15:59:00.008-05:00

I am not very fond of burgers for reasons not known to me so I have never ordered a burger for myself while in India. But after coming to US i wasn't left with too many vegetarian options and I had to order it once or twice. But it was quite bad or may be I was just not used to eating it.
But when I saw it on Sailaja's blog I couldn't resist myself from trying it. I brought the lettuce and bread crumbs specially for making this burger. I followed all her steps except one. Sailaja had baked the potatoes in a microwave and pressure cooked the other veggies.
But I boiled potato cubes with the rest of the veggies so I couldn't squeeze much water out of the veggies which was an important step. So when I tried to make patties they were a little more soft and difficult to handle. However I managed to make the patties. I did not add any Ranch Sauce as i didn't have it. I just added some red chilli sauce with tomato ketchup and I loved this burger of mine.
I refrigerated the remaining veggie mixture and made burgers the next day also and this time the mixture wasn't that soft and i could shape it into patties easily.

I plan to make more burgers in future but am still hesitant to try it again in a restaurant. This time i had deep fried the patties but the next time I will shallow fry it.
Thanks Sailaja for your lovely recipe and your step by step illustrations which changed my attitude towards this food to a certain extent.

Oats Upma

2009-01-07T15:53:00.005-05:00

Oats are a type of cereal grains which were previously used as livestock feed but is gaining popularity as one of the most healthy foods for human consumption due to its high fibre content. It can be a good source of proteins for vegetarians. It is also known to reduce cholesterol.
I never got a chance to see or taste Oats while in India although it may be easily available everywhere these days. Even after coming to US i had not purchased oats for many months. Then once when I was chatting with my friend S, she told me to include oats in our diet to obtain its benefits. S is a dietitian and I was taking few tips from her. So finally I brought a pack of oats.
This Upma is the only dish that I have made from oats till now. Hopefully in 2009 i will learn more recipes from Oats.

Ingredients

Instant Oats - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Frozen Peas - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Chopped Tomato - 2 tbsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli - 1 slit
Lemon Juice
Coriander Leaves/Cilantro - for garnish
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt

Boil the water in a pan.
In the mean while, heat oil in another pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the urad and chana dal and fry till they turn golden. Then add the curry leaves and the onions and fry till the onions turn slightly golden. Now add in the tomatoes and cook till they turn soft. Pour in the boiling water and add the peas. Finally add the oats and some salt. Cover and cook till all the water is absorbed. Keep mixing once or twice in between to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Top it with some lime juice and cilantro. Serve hot.

Variations: If fresh peas are used cook them for longer time in water before adding. One can also use chopped carrots, beans or other veggies in place of peas.

Welcoming New Year with a sweet treat

2009-01-06T15:32:00.009-05:00

I wanted to make a cheese cake since a long time. But I have never tasted a cheesecake in my life so didn't know what to expect. I searched for few recipes and all the recipes called for a spring form pan. That was another reason that I kept postponing the idea.
Then one day I wanted to use up half a pack of cream cheese that was lying in my refrigerator. All I could think of was a cheese cake.
Most of the recipes required sour cream along with cream cheese and the quantity of cream cheese I had was very less to follow any recipe. So I just went with basic method and didn't follow any recipe.
With the ingredients I used I could just make a small cake. Infact it looked more like a pie.
For the crust, I powdered some biscotti and biscuits and mixed them with melted butter. Also added a tsp of milk.
Lined a small use and throw kind of a baking foil pan with parchment paper. Buttered the paper and spread the biscuit mixture evenly. Then baked at 350 deg F for 15 min.

Then I took the cream cheese at room temp. and blended it with half an egg, some powdered sugar, little vanilla essence and poured it over the crust. Kept the baking foil pan in a bigger pan with some water(water bath) and baked for 30 min at 350 deg till it was set. Decorated it with some grated chocolate and coloured sprinkles.

It came out quite well and so I wanted to post this dish to refer in future. May the next time I make it I may be able to post the exact recipe.
Now its upto to you whether u call it a cheesecake or a pie or just a sweet treat.

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-02T21:36:00.007-05:00

The year 2008 is very special to me and my blog as this is the year my tiny lil' blog came into this vast blog world. Cooking isn't my new found passion. I have loved cooking from my college days. But i have never cooked a full fledged meal. Before my marriage my encounters with this art were limited to deep frying and making punjabi curries that too only during the weekends. Amma used to do all the cooking. After marriage I used to help mummy in the kitchen but then too she was the one who did majority of the cooking. After I came to US, it was the time I actually started cooking an entire meal. Though I was comfortable making lunch and dinner, breakfast was something that I wasn't so confident about. But slowly I gained confidence. Except for once or twice the rest of the times my dishes turned out quite good or atleast edible.
Then while searching for some recipes I came across blogs. A year ago I wasn't aware of what a blog meant and today I have my own blog.
A variety of items are available in US which motivates you to try dishes which you never thought can be made at home. I couldn't believe that I could bake a cake and pav(bread) at home.
My cooking experience in 2008 was very good and I plan to try out and blog many more recipes in 2009 and also participate in as many blog events as I can.

I wish everyone in this blogosphere a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. May this year bring health, wealth and happiness to you and may you post many more recipes in your blog.

Musti Polo

2008-12-31T09:23:00.008-05:00

Musti in Konkani means fist. Musti Polo is a thick dosa which uses very little urad dal just a fistful and hence the name. It is also known as Urada Surnalli.
These dosas are very soft and fluffy and are one of my favorites.

Ingredients:

Urad Dal - 1/2 cup
Uncooked rice - 1 1/2 cups
Fenugreek Seeds/Methi - 1/2 tsp
Poha/Flattened Rice - 3 tbsp
Dessicated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Salt

Wash the Urad dal and rice and soak them with methi in sufficient water for atleast 3 hrs.
Soak the poha in little water just before grinding.
Grind all ingredients together along with coconut in a mixer/grinder to a fine paste adding water as needed. The consistency of the batter should be like any other dosa (not too thick not too thin)
Ferment overnight.

Next morning add salt to the batter and mix well.
Heat a tava or a non stick pan. Drizzle some (1/2 tsp) oil if needed. Pour a ladle full of batter in the center. Spread slightly.
This dosa has to be thick.
Cover and fry till it gets golden from the bottom.
Add some oil on top and flip it.
Cook till this side also gets golden spots.
Remove from tava and serve hot with chutney/ sambhar.

Note: Salt can be added to the batter before fermenting itself but I prefer adding it in the morning.

Pomegranate Juice

2008-12-30T15:48:00.010-05:00

Pomegranate/Anaar/Dalimb is a fruit that kids aren't fond of. When we were kids I remember being told that a Dalimb can give u an elephant's strength. But that didn't make me to eat it. I would just eat a few seeds. That hasn't changed in all these years. I am still not very fond of fruits. But considering their benefits I try to incorporate them in our diet in whichever way possible.
This juice is the result of one such effort to consume Dalimb.

For this we need:

Dalimb/Pomegranate - 1
Sugar - 2 tsp
Water
Chat Masala - 1/4 tsp or even less

Remove the skin and the white membranes.
Add the seeds in a blender. Pour a little water(around 1/2 cup). Add the sugar. Blend it for 30 sec. Add more water or sugar if required. Blend again for few more sec.
Seive it to extract the juice. Discard the seeds.
Add the chat masala to the juice and enjoy the freshly extracted juice.

* Whole fruits are always better than their juices.

Sevaiye Payasu/ Vermicelli Kheer

2008-12-29T16:26:00.008-05:00

In India friends and relatives often invite a newly married couple for lunch or dinner. The main idea is to familiarize the bride or groom with their new relations. Just after our marriage we were also invited for a get-together at S aunty's place. S aunty is a close friend of mummy(my mil). After the yummy food, she served this kheer as a dessert. We all enjoyed this kheer very much. S aunty readily gave us her recipe for this yummy kheer.
After that mummy made this payasu many a times and now after coming to US I follow suit.
This is a dessert I usually end up making when I am short of time or when I can't think of anything else.

For this we need:

Thin Vermicelli (preferably the plain ones) - 1/2 cup
Milk - 3 cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup approx.
Cardamom powder
Cashew halves - 2 tbsp
Raisins - few
Ghee - 2 tsp

Boil the milk and keep it aside.
In a pan heat ghee and fry the cashews till they are golden. Remove and set aside.
In the same ghee fry the vermicelli on a low flame till it is lightly golden in colour. Add about 3/4 cup of the hot milk. Let the vermicelli cook in the milk for about 3-4 mins. When the vermicelli becomes soft add sugar and cashews. Finally add the raisins and cardamom powder.
Just before serving add the remaining milk, adjust the sweetness and give it a boil.
Serve hot.

PS : For best results use whole milk. The recipe requires the plain variety of vermicelli but I have used the roasted ones as it is the only variety available here. The vermicelli makes the kheer thick and so the remaining milk is added at the end. If serving immediately add the entire quantity of milk in the begining itself. Saffron can also be added to enhance the colour.

I am sending this to FIC White Event of TongueTicklers being hosted by Yummy Food.

Palak Paneer (Spinach-Cottage Cheese Combo)

2008-12-23T15:36:00.007-05:00

Spinach or Palak is one of the first vegetables i learnt to cook. It is rich source of Iron and Calcium. The cartoon character Popeye is also depicted as eating spinach to grow stronger. Spinach is such a wonder vegetable. But in Mumbai it is mostly grown besides the railway tracks and that is one of the main reasons that people avoid eating it.
When i came to US i felt that we would get some fresh clean spinach here but my assumption proved wrong. When all the other vegetables look fresh and clean i am still not satisfied with the quality of Spinach.
I have also tried the frozen stuff but then they dont taste the same as fresh ones. I have also seen fresh clean baby spinach sold in plastic boxes but these are way too expensive.
So I mostly buy the fresh ones, clean them thoroughly and hope that rest of the germs are killed in the process of cooking.
This dish is originally from Punjab where it is called Saag Paneer. Saag is also refered to Mustard Greens in the dish Sarson ka Saag.
I always like to add some peas whether its Palak Paneer or Aloo Palak. At times I add all three and make Aloo-Palak-Mutter-Paneer or should I say Palak-Aloo-Mutter-Paneer, whichever sounds correct.

Ingredients

Palak/Spinach - 1 bunch
Paneer - 150g, cut in cubes
Frozen Peas - 1/2 cup (optional)
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 2 to 3, grated
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Green Chilli - 2
Tomato - 1 small, chopped
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp, crushed
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala powder - a pinch
Turmeric - pinch
oil - 4 tsp
Salt - as per taste

Remove the stem of spinach and discard. Clean the leaves thoroughly. Heat some water in a large vessel. When it comes to a boil add the spinach leaves. Turn it once or twice. Let it boil for 3-4 mins. Strain it through a sieve and add some cold water. Drain all the water. Grind the leaves with 2 green chillies into a smooth paste adding little water. Keep aside.

In another pan, heat 2 tsp of oil and add the onions. Fry till it becomes slightly golden. Then add the grated ginger and garlic and also the ginger-garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell goes.
Now add the tomatoes and cook till they turn soft. In the mean while add all the spice powders. Add half a cup of water and mix well. Now add the Spinach puree and the frozen peas (if using) and adjust salt. Add more water if required. Let it boil for 5-10 mins on a low flame.

In a small kadai, heat the reamining 2 tsp of oil and fry the paneer pieces till their edges turn golden. Add it to the gravy and cook for 5 more mins.
Serve hot with rotis or parathas.

Note: The entire cooking procedure has to be carried out in an open pan. On covering the pan, the Spinach loses its colour. Also cooking for very long or on a very high flame makes it lose some of its colour. For a thicker consistency fresh cream can be added to the gravy before the final boil.

Viangana Saglen (Egg plant in Coconut Gravy)

2008-12-22T16:18:00.012-05:00

Egg plant/Brinjal /Aubergine is called Viangan in Konkani. It comes in 3-4 different shapes and colours. Another variety of brinjal is round, light green in colour and is called Gulla.

Gulla is rarely found in Mumbai though it is very common in my hometown and used to make Gulla bajji.
Both Vaingan and Gulla are also commonly used while making Sambar.
Saglen means whole. In this curry small whole brinjals are used and hence the name.
Compared to others here we get many different vegetables in the Indian grocery stores. But only a few make their way to our home. S loves this dish and so do I. Hence it is one of the most common veggies in our purchase. Sometimes I buy the green Thai eggplants instead of the purple brinjals. They also go very well with this curry. Except for the colour I haven't noticed any change in the taste.

Ingredients

Small variety of brinjals/ Thai egg plant - 8 to10 nos.

For the Coconut Paste
Dessicated Coconut - 2/3 cup
Fenugreek Seeds(Methi) - 1/4 tsp
Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Dry Red Chillies(Bedgi) - 3
Tamarind - very small piece

Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt
Sugar/Jaggery

Remove the stem of the egg plants and make vertical slits in such a way that the bottom is intact.

Heat 1/2 a tsp of oil and fry the methi and coriander seeds. Also fry the red chillies. Grind the methi, coriander, red chillies, coconut, tamarind with little water to a fine paste.
Little salt and a little jaggery(1-2 tsp) can also be added to this paste.
Now add the finely chopped onions to the coconut paste.
Stuff this mixture into the egg plants. Reserve the remaining paste.

Heat the remaining oil and add the mustard seeds. When they sputter add some curry leaves. Now place the egg plants and add the remaining coconut paste. Add about 1/2 a cup of water.

Cover and cook. Keep turning the egg plants so that they are cooked from all sides. Check salt and sugar. Add more if required. Cook till done. Serve with hot rice and dal.

Note : This curry has a sweetish taste. The sugar/jaggery can be reduced if desired.

Pav for Pav Bhaji

2008-12-22T15:24:00.014-05:00

I wanted to bake a bread since a long time. So finally bought a packet of dry yeast. I was very scared to venture into bread baking so I kept on postponing the idea. One final day I made up my mind to bake it and zeroed on Chef Sanjay Thumma's pav recipe.
I followed his instructions carefully but was still very skeptical about it as I had planned to make Pav bhaji and our dinner was dependent on the success of my pav. But it turned to be better than expected.

As I used dry yeast instead of Rapidrise I waited for 10 min for the yeast to become active.

Then I followed his recipe as it is. I added a little less water than mentioned as my dough was already too sticky.

After resting for an hr.

I gave it a milk wash instead of egg and baked for about 40 min. I could make 13 pavs and 1 loaf from the dough.
Added some dry parsley, chilli flakes and pepper powder to the loaf and some sesame seeds to the pav just before baking.

Before baking.

Baked for 40 mins at 350 deg F.

After baking

The resulting pav was just like store brought ones and very soft on the inside.
My only problem was the crust which became a little hard. May be I should have added the entire quantity of water or given an egg wash instead.
All in all a great experience in bread making. S was very much suprised to see a home-made bread.
Thanks Vah Chef for the step by step instructions. You made my day.

Ekpani Chutney

2008-12-19T15:49:00.005-05:00

Ekpani (ek paan)means one leaf. It is known as Brahmi in Ayurveda and its scientific name is Centella Asiatica. It is considered to be a memory booster according to Ayurveda. Read more about Brahmi on Wiki.
I brought a Brahmi plant while coming back from our vacation but it did not survive. Then after reading Shilpa's post i adopted her idea of using Watercress in place of Ekpani.

Ingredients

Ekpaani/ Watercress - 1 cup
Dessicated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Green Chilli - 1
Dry Red Chilli - 1
Ginger - 1 inch
Tamarind - 1 inch
Salt
Sugar or Jaggery

Grind all the ingredients in a blender with little water. adjust salt and sugar as per liking. Serve with hot rice and curry.

Also check Shilpa's (of Aayi Recipes) version of this Chutney called Ankre Tambli which is a non sweet version.

Uttappa/ Uttapam

2008-12-19T15:07:00.006-05:00

Uttappa/Uttapam is a thick dosa with onions and/or tomatoes. I made some Uttappams with left-over dosa batter.

Ingredients:
Dosa batter
Onions - finely chopped
Tomatoes - finely chopped
Coriander leaves - finely chopped
Green Chillies - finely chopped
Oil

Mix onions, tomatoes, green chillies and coriander leaves and keep handy.
Heat a tava, add a spoonful of oil and spread it. Pour some dosa batter. Do not spread as ordinary dosa.
Add some onion-tomato mixture on top of the dosa.

Drizzle some oil on the sides. Cover and fry till the bottom gets a golden colour.
Add a few drops of oil on top and flip it. Pat it slightly and fry till this side also becomes golden. Serve with chutney or sambar.
Make similar uttappams with remaining batter.

Note: The onion-tomato mixture can be added to the entire batter itself but onion tends to ooze water if the batter is kept for longer time. Chilli powder can be used instead of green chillies.

Medu Vada and Dahi Vada

2008-12-17T15:47:00.014-05:00

The term Vada is used to refer to a snack that is round in shape and usually deep fried. Medu Vada is the first thing that comes to my mind while going to a restaurant as it is a dish very rarely made at home as it absorbs a lot of oil and is considered unhealthy. The same batter (as Medu Vada) is used to make Biscuit ambado(pronounced as Biskut, vada without a hole), a very famous snack item in Konkani weddings. The Biskut ambado is more common in Konkani households than Medu Vada. I love both the versions (afterall what difference does a hole make in its taste).
After coming to US i have purchased the Instant Dahi Vada mix a few times and also made biskut ambados with it. But on watching Vah Chef's video i decided to make it at home. Sanjay Thumma gives some very nice tips while making dishes for which i love to watch his videos.
I have followed his exact recipe without making any changes. But making the hole was the toughest part as my batter had a little more water than required. So i couldn't get a good shape for the vadas. But the taste was awesome and it was very crisp.

From the leftover batter i also made a few dahi vadas the next day.

For the dahi vadas I deep fried the vadas and then soaked them in water for around 5 mins. Soaking in water helps make the vadas soft. In the mean while i took some thick curd and whisked it to make it smooth and added little salt.
Then i squeezed the vadas to remove water and added it to the dahi and topped it with a little red chilli powder and cumin powder.
I served S these vadas and then added a little sugar to my dahi as i like it a little sweet but he prefers the savory version.

Note : The Dahi Vadas can also be served with some Green Chutney and Tamarind Chutney on top.

Chef Sanjay Thumma has a different version of Dahi Vadas. Check his version here.

Birthday Cake

2008-12-08T17:33:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was my dearest hubby's birthday. I wanted to bake a cake from scratch. I dont have much experience in baking cakes and i have never prepared a frosting. In my previous Black Forest Cake i had used readymade frosting. Initially i was planning to make a pineapple cake but finally made Shilpa's Simple Egg Cake. For the Frosting i followed the Butter Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from Martha's Baking Favorites DVD.

For the Cake:
I followed Shilpa's recipe as it is and baked for nearly 50 min.

For the Butter Cream Cheese Frosting: The original recipe
Unsalted Butter - 1 stick (1/2 cup)
Cream Cheese - 8 oz
Confectioners Sugar - 1 lb
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Crushed Pecans - 1 cup

Take butter and cream cheese at room temp. (R.T.)
Add Vanilla essence and beat till soft and fluffy.
Add sugar and beat till smooth.
Then add pecans.
Chill in refrigerator.

I used half the quantities mentioned above and did not add pecans. I added 2-3 drops of yellow food colour.
I made the cake the previous day and cooled it in the refrigerator.
I cut the cake into 2 halves. Spread some butter cream mixture on one half of the cake. I added few pieces of pineapple murabba on top of it, placed the 2nd cake and spread the remaining mixture on the top and sides of the cake.

I decorated it with few chocolate coated peanuts and coloured sprinkes and added some Ready whipped cream just before cutting the cake.

The cake tastes great but has a slight smell of egg. I think i should have added 1 more teaspoon of vanilla essence to the cake batter. But the smell wasn't noticeable on refrigerating the cake.

Bread and butter pudding

2008-12-02T09:44:00.010-05:00

Bread and butter pudding is a traditional dessert popular in British cuisine. It is the baked form of French toast. Read more about this on Wiki.
Few days back I was googling for a bread halwa recipe. My friend N had made this bread halwa and we liked it a lot. I wanted to use up a few slices of bread which were lying in my refrigerator since a week. But while searching for the halwa recipe the first site I landed upon had a Bread pudding recipe. I found it quite simple and I dropped the idea of making halwa and instead made this pudding. It is simple, easy to make and tastes great. Here's the original recipe.
I have changed the proportions slightly to make a smaller pudding.

Ingredients
Milk - 1 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1/3 rd cup (brown or white) (I used white) [Increase or decrease as per taste]
Eggs - 1 large
Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
Ground Nutmeg - pinch
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp
Bread - 2 cups, torn into small pieces
Raisins - few (optional)

In a pan, heat milk just until a film forms on top. Add the butter and stir until butter melts and then cool to lukewarm.
Combine sugar, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 min. (I did this step with the help of my blender at the lowest speed possible). Slowly add the milk mixture.
Place bread in a lightly greased pan.
Sprinkle raisins. Pour the batter on top.
Bake at 350 deg F for 30-40 min or until set. Serve warm.

Note :
Depending on the type of pan used adjust the time of baking. Don't forget to grease the pan. I have tried this in a square pan as well as a loaf pan and prefer using a square pan as it bakes within 30 mins in it. This dessert tastes best when warm so while serving take the required amount and heat it in a microwave for 30 sec. Store the rest in the refrigerator. This recipe is good for using day old bread. I have also tried this using pieces of jam filled Danish pastry.

I am sending this along with Banana Walnut Loaf to Mansi's Vegetarian Thanksgiving event.

Update : I am sending this to Bread Mania event at Sindhura's blog.

Gobi Manchurian

2008-11-20T16:38:00.007-05:00

Indo-Chinese cuisine has recently gained popularity in the last decade or so.
Gobi Manchurian is one such dish adapted from Chinese seasoning and modified to suit Indian taste buds. It is a favorite among both kids and adults. I have become a great fan of Indo- Chinese cuisine. I have cooked few dishes in this category and plan to try more.

Gobi Manchurian is a dish that I have cooked many a times after marriage. It so happened that once when me and mummy(mil) were going to the Mangalore store we bought a packet of Gobi Manchuri mix(yes it is called Manchuri in our native place). It contained a powder for the Gobi and also a recipe for manchurian. I followed the recipe with minor changes and it was a hit with everyone at home. My hubby who was initially skeptical was the one who enjoyed it the most. My fil who never eats Chinese also complimented my dish.

After that I never purchased the mix and started making it from scratch . I still have that piece of paper with the recipe and all the stains of soya sauce that i have decorated it with. I refer to it everytime i make it. Mummy always says that this dish which requires lots of efforts. But I feel once u keep all the ingredients handy it doesn't take more time than any other dish.

Ingredients:

Gobi(Cauliflower)cut into pieces - 2 cups
Maida/all purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Corn starch - 1/2 cup
Salt
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Garlic - 2 big, grated
Baking soda - pinch (optional)
Orange-red colour (optional)

Clean the gobi and keep aside. Mix all other ingredients with water and form a thick batter. Heat oil in a kadai. Dip the gobi florets in the batter and deep fry. Drain on kitchen towel. Set aside.

For the sauce:
Onions - 2 medium size, chopped
Capsicum - 1 small or half of the big one, chopped
Garlic - 2 chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, chopped or grated
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Green chillies - 1-2 finely chopped, depending on the hotness
Soya Sauce - 2 tsp
Tomato ketchup - 2-3 tbsp
Oil - 3tsp
Salt
Coriander leaves - for garnish
Lemon juice

Heat oil and fry onions, garlic, green chillies, ginger and finally capsicum. The capsicum should be crunchy. Then add soya sauce and tomato ketchup and salt. Few min before serving add the fried gobi. Mix it well with the sauces and sprinkle some water (1-2 tbsp) and mix well. Sprinkle lemon juice and mix. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note: Add red chilli powder or chilli sauce for more spicy flavour. I have used Ching's Dark Soy Sauce in this. This dish gets a nice orange-red colour from the tomato sauce even when food coloring is not used.

Churma Undo (Atta laddoo)

2008-11-20T16:03:00.005-05:00

Churma Undo is very popular in Konkani cuisine. It is common sweet made by women especially during the festival of Diwali. It is very easy to make and requires minimal ingredients. I am not very fond of laddoos but this one is an exception and it has to be home made. The store brought variety don't have the same taste. Only thing is that these are quite delicate and should be handled with care or else they easily break.

Ingredients:

Atta/Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Powdered Sugar- a little more than a cup
Ghee - 6-8 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Heat 4 tsp of ghee in a pan. And fry the flour on a medium to low flame till it is aromatic and slighty brown in colour. This may take around 10 min. Switch off the flame and mix in 1 cup of sugar and the cardamom powder. Check the taste and add sugar if necessary. Heat the remaining in a seperate pan and add to the mixture. Grease palms with ghee and try to form balls from the mixture. Store in airtight container.

Note: If laddoos tend to break while forming balls, heat some more ghee and add to the laddoo mixture until u can form balls. In India powdered sugar is used for this but i used granulated sugar which gives a little coarse texture to the laddoos and thus prevents it from sticking to the palatte while eating. I have used Pillsbury Whole wheat flour so mine appear light brown but authentic ones are off white in colour.

Dabeli

2008-11-13T16:34:00.006-05:00

Dabeli or Kutchi Dabeli is a Gujrati food but commonly found on the streets of Mumbai. I can say it is a quite popular street food in Mumbai. It looks similar to a burger and has a potato filling inside the bun.

Ingredients:

For Masala:
Potatoes - 3 boiled, peeled and mashed
Garlic(Lasun) Chutney - a small ball of 2 cm diameter
Imli - size of a table tennis ball
Jaggery - 2-3 tbsp
Dabeli masala/Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt
Oil

For garnish:
Onion - 1 small chopped
Sev
Coriander leaves
Pomogranate(Anardana)
Grapes preferably black
Peanuts - a handful
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Powdered sugar

Burger buns - 6

Soak imli and jaggery in half a cup of warm water for 20 mins. Blend it to a paste. Alternatively you can use any imli and gur chutney of your choice.
Heat oil in a pan and add lasun chutney. When it starts sizzling add dabeli masala. Fry for few seconds and then add imli and jaggery paste. Then add mashed potatoes and salt. Mix all well and check the taste. It should be sweet as well as spicy. (Add sugar or chilli powder accordingly.)
In another pan heat some more oil and deep fry the peanuts until crisp. Remove and add chilli powder, salt and sugar to the peanuts and mix.
Spread the potato mixture on a plate and garnish with the masala peanuts, anardaana, grapes, coriander leaves and sev.

For making a dabeli, slit a burger bun. Spread the above mixture and add few chopped onions. Fry it on a hot tava applying oil or ghee on both sides. Serve hot.

Karate Kismuri (Bitter gourd Fry)

2008-11-13T15:59:00.005-05:00

My hubby S has an aversion to bitter gourd except for this kismuri. But for me it is one of my favorite veggies. Karate is the Konkani word for bitter gourd/bitter melon.

Ingredients
Bitter gourd - 1 chopped finely
Dessicated coconut - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 medium chopped finely
Dry Red Chillies - 2
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Tamarind(Imli) - 1/2 inch piece
Salt

Add little salt to the chopped bitter gourd and keep aside for about half an hour. Squeeze as much water as possible from the bitter gourd and discard the water. Now in a pan heat some oil
and add bitter gourd pieces. Fry on a medium to low flame till it becomes crispy. This may take about half an hour. Till then chop onions and make coconut paste.
In a blender, blend together coconut, red chilles, imli and coriander seeds to a smooth paste adding water only as needed. This is a dry side-dish so dont add too much water.
Just before serving mix the fried bitter gourd, coconut paste and chopped onions(raw). Taste and add salt only if necessary as the bittergourd already has enough salt. Serve as a side-dish with dal and rice.

Corn Chivda

2008-11-13T15:23:00.005-05:00

A very easy and comparatively healthier version of Corn Chivda is here.

Ingredients:
Corn Flakes(Plain variety) - 3 cups
Peanuts - a handful
Dalia(Roasted Gram dal) - 2 tbsp
Curry Leaves - 2-3 sprigs
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew pieces - 2 tbsp (optional)
Fennel seeds(Saunf) - 1 tbsp
Raisins - 1 tbsp
Salt
Powdered Sugar - 1 tsp
Oil - 4-5 tsp

Heat oil in a kadhai. Add peanuts and fry. When they are half done add dalia and fry both till crisp. Now add fennel seeds and curry leaves and fry till curry leaves become crispy. Add cashews pieces and fry for some more time. Now add raisins and fry till they swell. But dont let the raisins burn. Add all the other powders. Bring heat to lowest setting and add corn flakes. Mix everything properly. Switch off flame. Check taste and adjust spices. Enjoy with a cup of tea.

Note: i have used roasted peanuts and cashews. Also i have used dried curry leaves. So i have fried these only for a minute or so. But if using ordinary peanuts, cashews and fresh curry leaves I suggest frying all these over a low flame till crisp.

Pineapple Murabba

2008-10-17T16:05:00.007-04:00

Murabba is a sweet preserve made using a fruit and sugar. Mango and pineapple are the most common fruits used in murabba. Amla murabba is equally popular. I love pineapple murabbas a lot. My maternal aunt(maami) makes the best murabba.

Ingredients
Pineapple - 1
Sugar
Cardamom (Elaichi) powder

Remove the skin and the eyes of the pineapple. Cut it in small cubes. In a pan mix pineapple and sugar. Put the pan on low heat and keep stirring intermittently. Continue heating till a drop of syrup when put on a plate doesn't spread. At this point remove from heat and add 2 pinches of cardamom powder. Cool and store it in a jar in a refrigerator.
It is a good accompaniment with dosas and chapatis.

Note: I used pineapple and sugar in the ratio 2:1. So for 4 cups of pineapple pieces i used 2 cup of sugar. Pineapple murabba on Vanilla icecream makes an excellent combination.

Tofu bhurji

2008-10-09T15:12:00.005-04:00

TOFU or Bean Curd is a food of Chinese orgin and is made from soy milk. It is low in calories and high in protiens. It looks very similar to paneer. I dont like the taste of tofu as compared to paneer. But considering its health benefits i make this bhurji to incorporate it in our diet. The bhurji tastes similar to egg and paneer bhurji.

Ingredients

Tofu
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Tomato - 1 small, chopped
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Paprika - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnish
Salt
Oil - 2 tsp

Crumble the tofu and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions. Fry till it turns golden then add ginger garlic paste and fry for a min. Add tomatoes and fry till it becomes soft. In the meanwhile add all the masalas and fry. Then add the tofu and salt and mix properly. Check the taste and adjust the spices. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with chapatis/phulkas.

Note : I used medium variety of tofu for this. I think firm can also be used. It was approximately 150 g.
Egg and paneer bhurji can be made on similar lines.

Methi Paratha

2008-10-09T14:53:00.004-04:00

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 1/2 cups
Methi leaves - 1 bunch
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder/flakes - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Ajwain - 1/4 tsp
Oil
Salt

Remove the methi leaves and discard the stem. Chop the leaves. In a large bowl, mix together wheat flour, methi, all spices and salt and add water as needed to form a soft dough. Apply a tsp of oil to the dough. Cover and rest it for 30 min to an hr.
Makes small balls from the dough. Apply wheat flour and roll it into a round shape.
Heat a tava, and place a paratha on it. Keep the flame medium. Fry it on both sides using few drops of oil till it gets golden spots. Remove from tava and serve it with a suitable side dish.

I served my methi parathas with Papaya bhaji. Makes around 10 small parathas.

Masala Dosa

2008-10-07T15:52:00.011-04:00

One of the most common item that people order in a restaurant is Masala Dosa. A potato mixture is stuffed into a crispy dosa and it is served with chutney and sambar.

Ingredients

For the Dosa
Urad Dal - 1 katori
Rice - 3 katoris
Tur/Chana Dal - 1 fistful
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt

For the potato bhaji
Boiled Potatoes - 3 nos chopped into small pieces
Onion - 1 big, chopped lengthwise
Green Chillies- 2 slit lengthwise
Red Chilli - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt
Pinch of sugar

Soak the dals, rice and methi seeds in plenty of water for atleast 3-4 hrs. Grind it into a smooth batter adding water as needed. Let the batter ferment overnight.
Next morning add salt and mix.
For removing dosas, heat a tava. When it is very hot add oil and sprinkle few drops of water. When it sizzling stops and the water evaporates pour a ladleful of the batter and spread it into a big circle. When it gets a golden brown colour on the bottom, remove it.
Follow the same procedure for the rest of the dosas.

For preparing the bhaji, heat a tsp of oil in a pan. add mustard seeds. when its starts to sputter add jeera and urad dal. Then add curry leaves and the chillies. Fry all for a min. Then add onions and fry. Sprinkle some water. Cover and cook. When it is almost cooked add turmeric powder, boiled potatoes, salt and sugar and mix all. Cook for few more min.

Place a little of this bhaji in each dosa and serve with chutney and Sambar.

Plantain Chips

2008-10-06T15:56:00.007-04:00

Also known as Kerala chips. These are mostly fried in coconut oil but can also be fried in other oils. It is a very good snack item with tea. Amma used to make these while we were kids. I prefer the homemade ones to the store brought ones.
I wanted to make these chips from a very long time as we get plantains easily here but i didn't have the chips maker for making the chips. I brought one while returning from our vacation.

Ingredients:
Raw Green Plantains
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Peel the plantains. Dissolve about a teaspoon of salt in little water and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan. Holding the chips maker above the pan carefully drop the chips directly into the oil. Fry it on a medium flame. Once it is half done reduce the flame and drop half a spoon of the salt water into the oil. Fry the chips till golden brown and drain excess oil on a paper towel. Serve with tea.

Note: When adding salt water always reduce the flame. You may also make a mixture of chilli powder, salt, hing, haldi and add to the chips after removing from oil. This method is the safer one but adding salt water to the oil helps in uniform distribution of salt. The chips in the pic are from 2 plantains though i have eaten a few before taking the snap.

Pav Bhaji

2008-07-21T15:12:00.009-04:00

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3, peeled and chopped
Onion - 2 big, chopped finely
Beet - 1 small, grated
Carrot - 1 or baby carrots - 5 to 6, grated
Cauliflower - small piece, chopped
Bell Peppers/Capsicum - 1 small, chopped
Peas - 1/2 cup (optional)
Tomato - 1 big, chopped
Garlic - 2-3 flakes, grated
Ginger - 1 inch piece, grated
Cilantro/ Coriander leaves for garnish
Pav Bhaji Masala - 1-2 tsp
Haldi - pinch
Red chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp
Oil
Salt
Pav/ Burger Buns- 1 pack
Lemon.

Pressure cook carrots, beet, capsicum, cauliflower, peas, bell pepper and potatoes together in little water till they are soft (around 3-4 whistles).
In the mean while heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and fry 1 chopped onion till it is golden brown. Add grated ginger and garlic and fry for some time. Then add the tomatoes and fry till they are soft. Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, kasuri methi and 2 tsp of Pav Bhaji masala and fry for few mins Add a little water so that the spices are not burned. Add the boiled veggies. Add little more water if needed and salt. Let it boil for some time. Now use a pavbhaji masher or with the back of a steel glass mash the mixture in the pan itself to a smooth paste. Cook for a little more time. Check and adjust seasonings. Garnish with chopped coriander.

For serving, heat a non stick tava. Put few drops of oil/butter. Cut the buns into 2 halves and place the halves on the tava and fry till slightly golden brown on both sides. Serve hot buns with bhaji (topped with butter) , chopped onions and a piece of lemon.

Note: I normally use frozen peas so I dont pressure cook them and add them after mashing the veggies.

Egg Fried Rice

2008-06-17T17:52:00.002-04:00

Ingredients:

Rice - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1 cut into strips
Cabbage - small piece cut into strips
Onion - 1 small cut lengthwise
Beans - 5 to 6 nos. cut into strips
Capsicum/ Bell pepper - 1 small cut in strips
Spring Onions - 1-2 nos cut into small pieces.
Soya Sauce - 2 tsp
Tomato Ketchup - 2 tsp
Salt
Pepper powder
Egg - 2 nos
Oil - 3-4 tsp

Cook rice in sufficient water. The rice shouldn't be fully cooked. It should be little uncooked for any fried rice recipe. Drain the water. Hold the rice under cold water and drain all water. Put a tsp of oil and keep aside.
In a pan add a tsp of oil and stir fry all the veggies starting with onions, carrots, cabbage, beans, and finally capsicum. Put some salt and pepper powder and set aside.
Now take another tsp of oil and break the eggs into the oil. Stir continously till it forms into a scrambled egg mixture. Put some salt and pepper powder on this too. Now add the stir fried veggies and the rice and mix all. Add the soya sauce and tomato ketchup. Mix thoroughly. Check the taste and adjust salt and seasonings. Add the spring onions and fry for a minute. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Note : I haven't added spring onions as i did not have it. This fried rice can also be made without using egg. Rest of the procedure remains the same. Be careful while adding salt as both the sauces also contain salt in them.

Black Forest Cake

2008-06-17T16:52:00.007-04:00

I wanted to trying my hand at a Black Forest Cake from a long time. But I wasn't able to find the cherries for this. Everywhere I could find fresh cherries. But for this cake I needed canned cherries which have a beautiful red color. Finally while checking out a new store I found a jar of cherries. I have used readymade cake mix for this. I had only 1/4th cake mix so I could make only a small cake.

Ingredients:

Betty Croker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge mix - 1/4 of the total quantity.
Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting (Vanilla flavor) - 1/2 of the jar
Maraschino Cherries - 10 oz jar
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Hershey's milk chocolate - 1 small bar

Method.

Heat 1/2 cup water and add 1/2 cup sugar and stir till it is dissolved. The sugar should be just dissolved in water. Don't heat for too long. Keep aside to cool.
Bake the cake as per the instructions on the box. Let it cool. The cake should be fully cooled before applying frosting. Once its cooled cut the cake horizontally into 3 equal discs.
Take the first disc. Drizzle few drops of sugar syrup on it. Apply the frosting. Spread frosting with the help of a knife. Put some chopped cherries. Then place the second layer on this. Follow the same procedure for the second one starting with sugar syrup, frosting, and cherries. Then place the final layer of the cake. Drizzle sugar syrup and spread frosting carefully on top as well as the sides of the cake covering the entire cake. Grate the chocolate on the top and on the sides. Place whole cherries on top. Refrigerate and enjoy.

This is the first frosted cake that I made. I thoroughly enjoyed making and eating it. But I was not fully satisfied with the frosting. It became a little hard on refrigerating. Next time i am planning to use whipped cream for frosting.

Update (20/Feb/2009)
Made a 2-layer black Forest cake for our Wedding Anniversary. This time I used Cool Whip for the frosting and Cherries from the Cherry Pie Filling .
I liked this icing more than the previous one but for the cherries I think Maraschino is a better choice as the Cherry Pie filling is slightly sour. This time I did not use the chocolate shavings and instead used some chocolate sprinkles.

Made another one for my birthday with the chocolate shavings.

Chappati Upma

2008-06-09T17:17:00.007-04:00

I dont know what to name this dish. This is my mother-in-law's recipe. Leftover chapatis can be converted into this yummy dish. Adding grated cheese and tomato ketchup is my addition to this recipe.

Ingredients:

Leftover chapatis - 2
Jeera -1/2 tsp
Haldi - pinch
Red chili powder- 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder -1/2 tsp
Salt
Grated cheese - for garnish
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Oil- 1 tsp

Method

Cut the chapatis into small pieces. In a pan take a tsp of oil and temper jeera. then add methi and fry for a minute. Put it on a very low flame and add all the spices and salt. Then add chapatis and mix till all the spices have coated the chapati pieces. Switch off the gas and garnish with grated cheese. Dot with some tomato ketchup and chilli sauce. Serve .

Macaroni with Cheese

2008-05-27T15:16:00.006-04:00

The original recipe is from Bawarchi.com. I wanted to make a macaroni dish and i found this recipe quite interesting. I made it with the vegetables i had in my refrigerator. The outcome was great.

Ingredients

Macaroni - 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium, cut lengthwise
Beans- 1/4 cup, cut into thin strips
carrots - 1/2 cup, cut into strips
Peas- 1/2 cup
Corn - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Grated cheese - 2 tbsp and more for garnishing
Maida - 1 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup - 2 tbsp
Red chilli sauce - 1 tsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt and white Pepper as per taste

Boil Macaroni till tender. Drain the water. Run cold water through it. Drain and add few drops of oil and keep aside.
Wash the vegetables.
Heat oil in a pan. Starting with onions saute all the vegetables. Add salt and pepper and keep aside.
Now in another pan add one tbsp of butter and put it on a low flame.
Add maida to it and fry for a while. Then add chilled milk and stir till mixture becomes little thick.
Remove it from stove and add macaroni and cheese and little salt and pepper.
Now take an appropriate baking dish and grease it with oil or butter. Then spread a layer of the stir fried veggies. Then spread half of the macaroni mixture. Cover it with little tomato ketchup and chilli sauce. Put the remaining veggies and top them with the rest of the macaroni mixture. Garnish with some grated cheese. Dot it with some butter and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 min or till cheese melts.

Note: The original recipe has capsicum and cabbage. I have replaced it with some frozen veggies. I have reduced milk from 2 cups to 1 cup. The original recipe has macaroni as the bottom layer. I have used veggies for the bottom layer as i found macaroni sticks to the base.

BANANA WALNUT LOAF

2008-05-23T14:36:00.010-04:00

As the name suggests this cake has banana, walnuts and is made in a loaf pan. This is the first cake i tried. Before this i made a chocolate cake using a cake mix. I am quite new to these ovens. Back in India i had never used any kind of ovens. When i saw the photo on Sapna's blog i knew i had to make this. We liked it so much that i have made it thrice till now. This is even a good food item to carry while traveling.
I have followed the recipe as it is. The only change i made is i added little more sugar.

Ingredients:
Wet Ingredients:

Ripe bananas - 2
Melted butter - 6tbsp
Vanilla essence - 1tsp
Eggs - 2 (large)

Dry Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 1 and 1/3rd cup
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 cup (original recipe calls for 2/3 rd cup)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Walnuts - 1/2 cup chopped

Combine all dry ingredients except walnuts.
Mash bananas. Add butter and vanilla extract to bananas and mix well.
Beat eggs lightly.
Mix banana mixture and eggs till smooth. I did this with the help of my blender.
Then slowly fold small portions of the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix well.
Add the chopped walnuts. Reserve a few for addding on top of the cake.
Apply butter to all sides of the loaf pan and sprinkle some flour.
Pour batter into the pan. [Note: There should b ample space in the pan for the batter to rise]
Sprinkle walnuts on top.
Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 55 min at 350 F
A wooden toothpick or a knife when inserted in the center should come out clean.
Cool the cake for 10 min. Remove loaf from pan.
Can b stored at room temp for 4-5 days.

I am sending this to Mansi's Vegetarian Thanksgiving event.

Goli Baje

2008-05-22T16:03:00.003-04:00

Goli Baje is another famous Mangalorian snack. Goli means round and baje means bhajias.

Ingredients:

Maida/All purpose flour - 1 cup
Besan/Chickpea flour - 5-6 tsp
Salt
Sugar- 1 teaspoon
Green chillies- 1
Ginger- 1/2 tsp
Baking soda- 2 pinches
Buttermilk (dilute) - as needed

Grind green chilly, ginger, salt, sugar in mixer. To this add maida, besan, soda and make a thick batter adding buttermilk as needed. Keep aside for an hour. Heat oil for deep frying. And release small quantities of mixture into the hot oil using a spoon or carefully by hand. Once it golden brown remove on a paper towel and serve with chutney.

Watermelon Surnalli

2008-05-22T15:38:00.007-04:00

Surnalli is a thick dosa. It can b made using watermelon/ Cucumber/ash gourd. Watermelon surnalli will have an orange colour while the other ones will be white. A pinch of turmeric powder can also be added to the batter for a yellow surnalli. Surnallis sold in Mangalorian restaurants are yellow in colour. This is my mom's recipe for soft spongy surnallis.

Ingredients:

Rice- 1 cup
Coconut powder - 1/3 cup
Bread - 2 slices
Beaten rice(Poha) - 1 fistful
salt
Jaggery- 2-3 tbsp grated
Watermelon red and white part near the skin - 2 or 3 big pieces

Soak rice in plenty of water for 3-4 hrs. After it is soaked grind it with all the above ingredients. Add water only if necessary. Watermelon already has enough water. Make a smooth thick batter. Ferment overnight.
Heat a tava. Pour a spoonful of oil. Drop in a ladle full of batter. Dont spread it. Cover it and cook till the lower side is golden.
Serve with chutney.
Tastes best when served with a small dollop of butter.

Note: The dosa should have small holes in it. If u dont observe holes add a pinch of baking soda to the batter and remove dosas. Surnalli is usually cooked only on one side.