For The Cook In Me

Fried Okra with Besan

2008-07-06T08:34:00.002+08:00

As I had mentioned before, TH and I are not huge fans of Okra (Vendakka/ladies finger. But I feel guilty if I leave out any vegetable completely (except for Pavakka/Karela!) so I bought it the other day just to try and make something different. This is a spontaneous recipe that happened just like that and it came out really well, so much so that TH didn't even realise it was Okra :) And its really simple too, using minimum ingredients.

What I Used:

Serves 2

Okra/Vendakka/Ladies finger - 10 nos
Besan/chickpeas flour - 3 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil

How I Made It:

1. Mix the besan with chilli, turmeric, hing, jeera and salt. Add enough water to make a thick batter.

2. Cut the okra into thin discs and add to the besan batter.

3. Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and add this mixture. Keep stirring occasionally until it starts separating into small bits and the okra is cooked.

The final dish was soft and spicy with a sweet tinge. We loved it!

Uzhunnu Vada/Medhu Vadai/Deep Fried Urad Dal Dumplings

2008-07-03T17:56:00.005+08:00

Uzhunnu Vada is something that has been in my to-make list for a long time mainly because my mom and her sister are experts at this and no matter where I have it, I always crave for the home-made version. Also, this is a favourite of TH's. For that matter, anything that's deep fried is more his thing.

But what really prompted me to try it immediately was Suganya's post and her yummy pictures. Due to these lines in her blog ".. it takes a little practice to shape it properly. The key is to add very little water while grinding. Don’t lose heart if you can’t get it right. Just drop by spoonfuls into the hot oil.." I was not disheartened when my dough became a tad too watery and I have to just make blobs of vada. Like she said, noone complained, cuz after all, it was deep fried :D

I made very slight changes in the ingredients according to personal taste.

Uzhunnu Vada/Medhu Vadai

What I Used:

Makes about 15 dumplings (approx 12 vada)

Skinned urad dal - 1/2 cup
Chopped green chillies - 3
Minced ginger - 1 tsp(I don't like biting into them while easting the vada)
Chopped curry leaves - 15
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Soak urad dal in sufficient water for atleast an hour. Drain water completely and grind to a fine paste. This is where I went slightly wrong. I added a bit of water and couldn't shape the vadas cuz of that.

2. Mix in the other ingredients to make a thick batter.

3. Heat oil in a pan and shape the vadas like doughnuts. You can use your wet palms or a damp plastic bag side to do this without the batter sticking to it. I just dropped spoonfuls of the batter into the oil.

4. Fry till golden brown, adjusting the heat when the oil gets too hot. Make sure the heat is not too much cuz that will burn the outside while the inside is still undercooked.

5. Dump into a kitchen napkin to drain excess oil.

Best enjoyed with coconut chutney and sambhar. We had ours with carrot sambhar.

This is my entry to this month's MBP hosted by Nupur at One Hot Stove. The theme is 'More Is Less'. Going by her rules, this recipe only uses up 4 ingredients and like she wants, its such a wonderful medley of flavours.

Vegetable Curry Noodles - A healthy dish

2008-07-01T16:47:00.010+08:00

Ever since Mansi of Fun and Food announced her Healthy Cooking Event, I have been going nuts thinking of an apt recipe for it. Let's face it, my blog is not that health conscious and I didn't want it to be left out or feel awkward among all the ultra-fit, super conscious blogs out there. So I was determined to give my baby something to be proud of!

This is the most tiring post on my blog, because it took me a full two days to research on this dish and then another half an hour just to make the picture look presentable. The house we are in has just one are where there is natural light and the walls there are blue! Not even a baby blue but bright sea blue!! Which means all my pics will have a solid blue background and I really prefer white. So it took a while to find the cardboard piece to act as the backdrop and to position a small table near the window so there is enough light. TH hates having that table there but of course I won the argument and so it stays!

Image Source

Now, moving on to the dish. When we think healthy, we mostly think of salads or maybe steamed dishes to avoid the oil and the frying. But that's boring. Healthy, but boring. So while I was making a packet of Maggi noodles a couple of weekends back, I was wondering how I can make this dish healthier, without altering the taste (much). Little else has occupied my mind since then when I went shopping after that.

The first step was purchasing a packet of whole wheat flat noodles that was 100% vegetarian. Considering I am in a predominantly noodle-loving country, it wasn't difficult to get exactly what I wanted.

Then it got easier. To balance the carbs, I needed more vitamins, proteins and calcium. Easy answer - vegetables!

Preparation time - 15 mins
Cooking time - 20 mins
Serves - 4

What I Used:

Whole wheat flat noodles - 100 grams

Diced onions - 1/2 cup
Chopped carrots - 1/2 cup
Thinly sliced snap beans - 1/2 cup
Chopped cabbage - 1/2 cup
Diced capsicum - 1/2 cup
Chopped tomato - 1, medium
Spring onions - to garnish (optional)

Eggs - 2 (optional)

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Curry masala - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

How I Made It:

1. Cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet. I added 2 cups water and a little salt, and cooked it covered. Running cold water and draining it is recommended but I simply drained it and kept aside since it was not too soft.

2. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add the onions and saute till translucent. Then add the ginger garlic paste, curry masala and red chilli powder and fry for 2 minutes.

3. Add all the chopped vegetables with half cup water and cook covered for about 5 minutes. Let the vegetables be a bit crunchy and not completely cooked.

4. Add the cooked noodles to the semi-cooked vegetables and mix well, adding a little water if necessary. Cook keeping the vessel open till the masala has blended well. Adjust salt. Remove from fire.

5. Scramble the eggs in a non-stick pan and add on in the end.

6. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot with ketchup.

This is a great one-dish meal that supplements your daily requirement of all necessary nutrients. The vegetables complement the carbs in the noodles and the eggs provide the protein and calcium part of the diet. If you feel egg = cholesterol, then use only egg whites.

This goes to Mansi's Healthy Cooking Event and also to the One Dish Meal Event hosted by Archana.

Related posts:

Chicken Noodle Broth
Stir Fried Chilli Noodles

Wheat Puttu/Steamed Wheat Cakes

2008-06-27T16:36:00.007+08:00

In the midst of all the event fever going on in the blogosphere, here is one with a difference - Open Sesame - organised by Siri and Dhivya. We choose a 'box' from their blog and are sent a riddle on solving which we get an ingredient as the answer. Using this ingredient, we made a dish and participate in a contest where readers vote for their favourite. Sounds a bit long-winded but hey, its unique and the riddles are real fun.

Here is the riddle I got:

I am a grass , or am I a cereal or a grain
I am everywhere and in almost all the foods you eat
My whole being used in many ways without restrain
I offer you something which is so hard to beat

I am as old as you can think of me to be
Thought to be originated from the land of camels
I am breakfast, lunch and dinner for all to see
Or be it desserts from cakes , pies to caramels

I am famous all over the world from east to west
As breads, flatbreads , cookies to muffins
I am v healthy and like a treasure chest
For ppl - weight conscious and its healthy kins

Buckle up and take a pen and a paper
I am yellow when alive, brown when put to 'dust'
Eating me makes you look so dapper
Now think hard and tell me what is that grain that we all genuinely trust

I answered wheat grain and I got it right :) Since its one of the most versatile ingredients in our kitchens, I got thinking as to what I should make. Soon zeroed in on this typical Kerala breakfast dish that's very healthy and very filling - Wheat Puttu/Steamed Wheat Cakes.

Puttu was originally made with rice flour but later, more healthier options like wheat flour, raagi and even mixed grains powder was used to prepare it. Its normally made in a puttu kutti, a vessel specially available for this. Its a cylindrical vessel with two portions, the bottom part to hold the water and the top to hold the flour. The cooking is entirely done on the steam from the lower portion of the kutti. You can alternately also use a chiratta, which means halved coconut shell but I haven't tried this method myself.

Wheat Puttu

Serves 2

What I Used:

Wheat puttu flour - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 3/4 cup, or according to taste
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - enough to wet the flour

How I Made It:

This is truly one of the simplest breakfast dishes you can make but the consistency of the flour is very important to get soft puttu.

1. Mix the flour with the salt till its totally blended. Then add water little at a time till the flour is wet. Make sure there are no lumps.

2. Transfer to the upper part of the puttu kutti, making sure to layer the bottom with coconut that's about an inch high. After transferring half the flour, you can add one more layer, top if off with the rest of the flour and then finish off with another layer of coconut.

Some people mix a bit of coconut into the flour so that can also be done, depending on how much coconut you'd like in the final dish :)

3. Steaming should take approx. 10 minutes. Once done, transfer to a dish and serve hot with ripe bananas, ghee and sugar.

Channa/Kadala Curry is also a very good combination with any kind of puttu. In fact, its often mentioned together like bread and jam - puttum kadalayum :)

This is my entry to Open Sesame 2, hosted by Siri and Dhivya. I am also sending this to Raaga as my 15 Minutes Express Breakfast entry for this month's WBB.

Kodi Iguru/Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Onions

2008-06-25T16:41:00.004+08:00

This is going to be the last non-veg recipe till probably I go home on vacation. TH is a vegetarian so I will only be cooking veggie stuff in our kitchen here. This is actually a dish I made around two weeks before the wedding, meaning to dedicate the post to my ex-roomie Prathibha. She loves this chicken dish and I tried to duplicate it. It got lost in my drafts until recently when I came across this event featuring chicken as the star of the dish.

So here it goes, Kodi Iguru, for my friend Prathibha :)

What I Used:

serves 4

Chicken - 1 kg, cleaned and cut into small pieces
Onions - 4, sliced
Tomatoes - 2, cubed
Ginger - 2 tbsp, chopped finely
Garlic - 5-6 cloves, minced

For the masala (powder coarsely together)

Cinnamon – a 2” stick
Cardamom – 3
Cloves – 2
Star anise – 3
Dried red chillies – 6
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Powdered coriander seeds – 2 tsp

For tempering and garnishing

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Chopped coriander leaves (optional)
Oil – 4 tbsp

How I Made It:

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and temper the mustard seeds. Then add the onions and curry leaves and fry till the onions turn a dark golden brown. I stop short of burning them, since I like the flavor better then.

2. Next add the ginger and garlic and fry for 10 seconds before adding the ground masala. This mixture needs to be fried for about 2 minutes. Add some oil at this stage if the masala looks too dry.

3. Add the tomatoes and chicken pieces next and stir well. Do NOT add any water. Keep the fire on sim and cook covered for about 15 minutes till the chicken is tender.

4. When you remove the cover, there will be some more water left in the pan. So cook with the cover open till its dry, the masala sticks to the chicken pieces and the oil separates. Keep stirring at this stage, without breaking the chicken pieces.

5. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice.

This is my entry to the ‘Chicken – My Favourite’ Event hosted by Vandana of Cooking Up Something Nice.

Coriander Chutney With a Twist

2008-06-23T13:56:00.015+08:00

Well honestly, I don't know if this chutney has a twist or not, but to a person who has only tried the raw coriander chutney, I found this quite different when amma made it during my vacation at home.

The preparation method is considerably more time-consuming but this one goes well with rice, dosa, idly and even bread - plain and toasted. Adjust the tangy-ness by increasing or decreasing the amount of tamarind paste. We like it moderately sour.

What I Used:

Fresh coriander leaves/kothamalli/malliyila/kotamiri - a bunch, chopped
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 2
Green chillies - 2
Tamarind paste - 2 tsp (readymade paste may not taste great)
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

How I Made It:

1. Heat very little oil in a non stick kadai and fry the dal for 2 minutes. Add the red chillies, green chillies and chopped coriander leaves and fry well for about 2-3 minutes.

2. Next, add the coconut and mix well on sim. Remove from fire and cool well.

3. Grind the above with the tamarind paste and necessary salt, adding as little water as possible.

This chutney is making its way to Suganya's AFAM-Coconut as my second entry. I can't wait for the round up of that event, what with being a mallu and all that :D

Raw Mango and Coconut Gravy/Pacha Manga Curry

2008-06-19T15:26:00.003+08:00

When it comes to making a kozhambu/chaaru curry/gravy for rice, I am normally stumped for choices, not because they aren't many, but because my answer is always sambhar or rasam or both. Yesterday, I tried this Kerala dish - a coconut based gravy with raw mangoes to give it the tangy flavour.

The wet market is overflowing with all kinds of mangoes now, mostly raw. Ripe ones are ridiculously expensive so we just eat them as is without bothering to waste even a morsel making any drinks or dessert out of it :D

Here is what I made with some nice and tangy raw mangoes.

Pacha Manga Curry

What I Used:

Serves 2

Raw mangoes - 1 cup, cubed
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt - to taste

Grind well together:

Coconut - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - one pinch

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Dry red chillies - 3
Oil - 1 tbsp

How I Made It:

1. Close the lid and cook the mangoes in some water by adding turmeric and chilly powder, till they are tender.

2. Add the ground coconut and jeera mixture to this with some more water and bring to boil keeping the kadai open. Cook till the raw smell leaves the curry.

3. Temper the mustard, fenugreek, curry leaves and chillies and add to the above curry before removing from fire.

Note: if the mangoes are not sour enough, use some tamarind paste to increase the flavour. I used fresh raw mangoes that were sour enough so didn't need to do that.

This tangy gravy goes to Meeta for her Monthly Mingle that's all about mangoes this month.

Vendakka Aviyal/Okra Cooked in Tangy Coconut

2008-06-17T10:30:00.005+08:00

TH and I are both Okra (vendakka in tamil and malayalam) haters. Well, maybe hate is too strong a word, but definitely its a strong dislike. But being my mother's daughter, ignoring any vegetable is not my thing, so I still continue to buy it and make things that take out the slimy feel from it, cuz that's what we both hate. My mom frequently makes the traditional aviyal, with all possible vegetables and a generous amount of coconut. So I wasn't too familiar with this particular version of aviyal until I asked her for recipes with Okra (that takes out the sliminess!).

The only considerable difference in Vendakka Aviyal is the addition of tamarind. It gives it a nice tangy flavour and disguises the undesirable parts of the vegetable beautifully.

Serves 2

What I Used:

Okra/Vendakka/Ladies finger : 10 nos.
Grated coconut : 1/2 cup
Shallots : 5-6
Tamarind paste : 2 tbsp
Powdered Jeera/Cumin : 1 tsp
Chilli powder : 1 tsp
Curry leaves, mustard : for tempering
Coconut oil : 2 tbsp
Salt : to taste

How I Made It:

1. Chop the okra in 1" pieces and cook in some salted water till soft.

2. Coarsely grind the coconut, shallots, jeera and chilli with very little water.

3. Heat coconut oil in a kadai and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the ground paste and fry for 10 seconds. Then add the okra pieces and the tamarind paste. Keep covered and cook for 2 mins till the curry has mixed well.

4. Adjust salt and remove from fire.

Serve hot with rice.

This special aviyal dish using tamarind, goes to JFI - Tamarind hosted by Sig this month.

Click June 2008 : Yellow for Bri

2008-06-14T13:49:00.004+08:00

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow at Figs With Bri.

Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. More about it here.

She is going through intensive chemo and other treatments and needs to focus single-mindedly on healing and finding what treatment works best for her. Her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.

The team organising the June edition of Click has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for one year.

Click is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: ellow for Bri.

Yellow is the colour of hope. Through the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer.

The entries can be viewed here. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2008. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.

The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise.

There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation here or at the Chip-In button on any participating site.

Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account.

This month’s photo contest also has some prizes. Details here.

You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign.

I chose to do my bit by participating in Click. Here is my entry for this month - Yellow for Bri. Let's together do what we can to make things right for Bri.

Yellow leads to hope..

Back with a Simple Snack - Aval Nanachathu

2008-06-11T09:45:00.004+08:00

I have been away for such a long time that its been a struggle to get up, stretch my body and get back in here. But that's exactly what I did. I am starting with baby steps though :)

This is probably the simplest and one of the healthiest snacks you can make and most kids would love it. I know I did, though I always insisted that it be sweeter.

Flattened rice is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when it absorbs water,milk or any other liquids whether hot or cold. The thicknesses of these flakes vary between almost translucently thin to nearly four times thicker than a normal rice grain - Wikipedia.

The ones that I have used here are of the more translucent kind. Its actually flattened basmati rice and predictably, more expensive than the brown or normal white variety. It was a bit chewy and did not get soggy at all.

Flattened Rice (aval/poha) With Coconut and Jaggery

What I Used:

Serves 4

Flattened rice - 5 cups
Coconut - 1 cup
Grated jaggery - 2 cups (or to taste - I like it sweeter)
Milk (I used it at room temperature) - 2 cups
Cardamom (optional) - 2, powdered

How I Made It:

1. Mix the flattened rice with the jaggery until it has blended well. Now mix in the coconut.

2. Add the milk a few spoonfuls at a time and mix well. Using your hands yields best results :)

3. Finally, mix in the cardamom.

If you like it a bit soggy and soft, use warm milk and leave aside for 10-15 mins before serving. This is an easily digestible, healthy snack and can be made in no time. Of course, the addition of coconut makes it extra special for hardcore Kerala food lovers like me :)

I am sending this easy snack to this month's AFAM - Coconut hosted by the talented and lovely Suganya of Tasty Palettes. I continue to be in awe of her photography skills - she makes food look so pretty.

I Clicked A While Back..

2008-05-20T14:45:00.003+08:00

.. these broad french beans and quite a few of you commented on the original post saying that you liked the picture. With the limited time I get online these days, I was quite upset that I can't blog for a while, atleast not recipes cuz it takes time (as you all are very well aware!) to take a zillion pics, choose the best, edit it, type the post, add the image, blah blah blah.

gsWhen I saw the theme for this month's Click, this pic shot into my mind and so, here it is. Hopefully, it won't be an unlucky entry like last time :)

Alo Alo - Look who's back :)

2008-05-16T15:36:00.002+08:00

First off, I want to thank all those who sent me lovely wishes and congrats over orkut, facebook, email and of course through comments here.

My husband and I have moved to Singapore and we just managed to find a house and finalise the deal yesterday. Everyone says we got lucky cuz we managed to bag a decent house with all the facilities we wanted (no oven though!) for a reasonable rent.

His job is pretty fine and I have started my job hunt in a small way. Really hoping and keeping my fingers crossed to hear from a company I have already done my interviews with. If that goes through, then I will be posting a sweet recipe :)

I have quite a few recipes in my archive and I had originally intended to post a recipe today but I am still accessing the internet from outside, and somehow, it doesn't feel as cosy and nice to blog from here as it did before - from home or from office.

So I will be on a 'break' for a bit longer. Until we get a comp at home or I get one from work :), which, hopefully, shouldn't be too long off.

I will be bloghopping very soon and I miss you all. Until the next post, Nags signing off!

Fiery Hot Chili Flakes - Clicked!

2008-04-25T10:56:00.004+08:00

What makes a yummy pizza taste even better?

Ketchup? Hmmm.. yeah.

Oregano? So-so

Chili Flakes? Yes!! Bring it on!!

If you are true blue Indian (or someone who loves hot and spicy food) this is the seasoning for you. I normally use it to serve pizza but there are other uses too.

Chili flakes are the dried seeds of chili pods. The seeds and membranes are the hottest parts of a chili. The amount of heat in chili flakes depends on the variety of chili pepper and where it was grown.

To preserve full flavor, always store in the refrigerator.

For a spicy oil, combine 1-2 tablespoons of chili flakes with a cup of your favorite vegetable oil. Lightly simmer for about 10 minutes, allow to cool completely, then strain. Stored in the refrigerator, this oil will keep for about 6 months and can be used in salad dressings, marinades and to spice up your favorite saute.

Fiery Hot

Here are my chili flakes, fiery hot and ready to burn your tongue. And this picture goes over to Click - Au Naturel.

Before you guys throw me out of here, I just want to see I will now be blogging only late next week :D I couldn't go and get married in peace without sending an entry to click, now, could I?

Edited to add: this pic was not accepted to Click cuz it didn't match the theme. So I will be here with my entry for next month :)

Its time for a confession and sweet times :)

2008-04-22T20:00:00.004+08:00

This is my 100th post! I can't believe I stuck on for so long but today, this space right here is as much a part of my life as anything else. I come here when am bored, when am dull, when am charged and when I need something to do!

Anyway without much yada yada, I leave you with two things.

First, a confession. Most of you might already know this but am getting married this Sunday :) Why is this a confession? Cuz I haven't announced it in here. And honesly, I didn't know how to break the news, though I am sure most of you would have read about it here. Please keep me in your thoughts on the D-Day :)

Second, I have an amazing swiss roll cake which tasted heavenly. The original recipe is from one of my regular reads, Mansi's Fun and Food. Do hop over there for the recipe.

Oh oh, I actually have one more thing!! How could I forget? Lovely lovely Deeba from Passionate About Baking has honored me with an excellence award. Even when this award and many others were doing the rounds in the food blogosphere, I never happened to get one. I comforted myself thinking its probably cuz I don't have a memorable name or blog name (or maybe cuz my recipes are plain kiddish :D). This one is truly a surprise with perfect timing. Thanks again, Deeba.

Mystery Masalas Series : All-Purpose Curry Masala

2008-04-19T12:54:00.006+08:00

I am normally mystified my spices and get confused a lot when I think of which spice goes well with what. What sort of spices are best suited for non-vegetarian cooking and how do we distinguish them? What spices are traditional and will potentially be forgotten if I don't document them? (atleast the ones my grandmom and amma use).

I had plans to make this an event but currently, I don't think its the best time to host events :) So I am just going to start a series in this blog that talks occasionally about masala powders, and their best purpose.

The best way to start, of course, will be to start with the all-purpose curry masala that goes with all sorts of gravies and stir-fried dishes. Source is my mom, this time :)

All Purpose Curry Masala

What I Used:

Cloves - 10
Cardamom - 5
Cinnamon - a 3" piece
Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
Peppercorn - 1/4 tsp

Grind together all the ingredients until its pretty much smooth. This masala is very aromatic and can be used in any kind of curry, though its best suited for vegetarian dishes.

Since cloves is the star ingredient in this masala powder, I am sending this as an entry to Think Spice Think Cloves to Gretchen at Canela and Comino.

Recipes on this blog that use this masala:

Gobi Ka Kheema
Potato Masala

Gobi Ka Kheema/Minced Cauliflower and Peas Curry

2008-04-17T11:41:00.004+08:00

I remember seeing this dish a long while back on Suganya's Tasty Palettes. I followed her link to the original recipe on Ashwini's Food for Thought and immediately fell in love. The fact that both of them take amazing pictures could have also played a small part :D

Anyway, now am at home and my sister's kids are also here. They are vegetarians and one day there was just rasam and potato masala for lunch for them. I quickly looked up this recipe and it turned so so yummy that I am sure to make this again and again.

Gobi Ka Kheema
(recipe adapted from here)

What I Used:
(serves 4)

Cauliflower - 1 medium, cleaned and chopped fine
Bay leaves - 1-2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onions - 2 medium, chopped fine
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Tomatoes - 3 big, pureed
Peas - 1/4 cup, boiled
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tsp + 2 tsp

How I Made It:

1. Heat 3 tsp oil in a pan and fry the chopped cauliflower till its semi-fried and golden brown.

2. Simultaneously, boil the peas till its cooked. Keep both aside.

3. Heat the 2 tsp oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the red chilli powder and the garam masala and fry for a minute.

4. Now add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another 30 seconds.

5. Add the pureed tomatoes and the peas. Mix well.

6. Now add the fried cauliflower and mix again till the moisture from the tomatoes leaves the curry.

7. Add salt and remove from fire when the curry is thick enough and the ingredients have blended perfectly.

8. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.

We had it with rice but next time I intend to make it as a side to chappathis. It was really yummy!

Omelette Curry

2008-04-11T17:30:00.007+08:00

My fiance is an eggetarian, so any recipe that is innovative and uses eggs in it is something I always give a shot. My grandmom used to make a variation with lentils added to the omelette and in a coconut based gravy. This is a much simpler version, but once I figure that one out, I will be blogging it too :)

What I Used:

For the omelettes:

Eggs - 4
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch (optional)
Shallots - 5, finely chopped
Salt - 1 tsp, or to taste

For the gravy:

Tomatoes - 2 big, cubed
Onions - 2 big, chopped
Potato - 1, cubed
Green chillies - 3
Jeera powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - a few

How I Made It:

1. Beat the eggs lightly with all the ingredients for the omelette.

2. Depending on the pan size, make one thick omelette or as two separate omelettes. The omelettes should be thicker than usual, so that it doesn't dissolve or break off in the gravy when we mix it in.

3. Cut the omelette into smaller pieces and keep aside.

4. Heat the oil in a pan and temper mustard seeds. Throw in the curry leaves and the chopped onions and saute till transparent.

5. Add the jeera, coriander, chopped green chillies and fry for a minute. Add the potatoes and tomatoes with a bit of water and cook closed, till the potatoes are tender and done.

6. Now add the cut omelette pieces, mix gently and remove from fire.

Let the omelettes soak for an hour or two before serving with hot rice.

Other Egg Recipes:

Pizza Omelette
Egg Dosa
Kerala Style Egg Roast

Palak Pakoras/Shredded Spinach & Besan Dumplings

2008-04-08T16:46:00.008+08:00

What's better than a hot plate of pakoras and some masala chai on a rainy day? Nothing, I would say. I hardly ever make deep fried snacks or meal but this one particular rainy day, I craved for them so much that I actually went out in the rain, got some fresh spinach (palak), gram flour (besan) and coconut oil to make this lovely and crunchy snack.

What I Used:

Spinach/Palak - 1 cup, chopped

Gram flour/Besan - 1/2 cup and a bit more

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Asafoetida/Hing - one pinch

Jeera powder - 1 tsp

Oil (I used coconut oil) - enough to deep fry the pakoras

How I Made It:

1. Mix the besan with the chilli powder, hing, jeera powder and sufficient salt.

2. Add the chopped spinach and just enough water to make a thick paste. The consistency should be such that you should be able to make rough round balls with the dough.

3. Heat oil in a pan till hot. Make small dumplings of the batter and drop into the hoil. Adjust the heat so that the oil doesn't boil over too much.

4. Turn the pakoras over when one side is done.

5. Fry till nice and brown and tranfer onto a plate lined with tissues.

6. Serve hot with tomato ketchup/mango pickle and hot masala chai.

Notes:

- Keep adjusting the heat of the oil so that the pakoras don't burn.

- Keep the size of the pakoras small, otherwise the inside won't cook properly.

Quick 'n' Easy Ghee Rice

2008-04-03T16:56:00.006+08:00

Flavoured rice is always a favourite for me, and most often than not, I end up eating just that with chips/papad and pickle. Last weekend, I was just clearing out my kitchen and realised there is a bit of basmati rice left over from the time I made the curd rice. RCI came to my mind suddenly and I checked online for Bengali Rice Dishes.

This is a simple and quick recipe for ghee rice that doesn't need much ingredients. Its totally flexible and you can customize it with whatever spices you want or what's available in your pantry.

What I Used:

Serves 2

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Chopped onion - 1 small
Cardamom - 3
Cloves - 3
Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander/cilantro leaves - a bunch

How I Made It:

1. Wash and rinse the rice and keep it soaked in some water for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker and lightly fry the onions, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns. I also added ginger garlic paste for some flavour.

3. Add the soaked rice and fry for a minute. Add 2 cups water, close the cooker and cook for one whistle.

4. Once the pressure has left the cooker, transfer to a bowl, serve with chopped cilantro and serve hot with raita, pickle and papad.

This bowl of hot and fresh ghee rice goes to Sundeepa who is hosting RCI -Bengal this month.

Other Rice Dishes On This Blog:

Curd rice with pomegranates
Cinnamon flavoured tomato rice
Simple Vegetable Rice/Pulao
Jeera Rice

The Food Porn Contest ...

2008-04-01T16:29:00.002+08:00

..was being hosted by The Petite Pig and I had submitted a few pics of mine. Let me just confess that I am breathless when I say my pic won a prize of $200! I really really want to thank everyone who voted for me. The winning picture, none other than..

Curd rice with pomegranates served with chow chow sambhar

Masala Dosa with Garlic Aloo

2008-03-31T18:08:00.004+08:00

I experimented a different kind of aloo paratha last weekend. To the potato filling, I added a generous amount of garlic to make it garlic flavoured. Unfortunately, that was made for dinner and were gobbled up too quickly for me to take pics and blog about it. But, with the leftover filling, I made masala dosa the next day and it tasted better than the parathas.

I made the masala dosa Mysore style, with some sprinkled idli podi and it was really out of this world!

How to make yummy Aloo Masala Dosa

To make the dosa batter take rice : urad dhal in 3 : 1 ratio, soak overnight (or atleast 5-6 hours) in water separately, grind separately and then mix together, adding salt. This batter should be kept covered for another 5 hours or so before you can start making the dosa.

For the Aloo Garlic Filling:

Potatoes - 2 big, boiled and mashed fine.
Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 1, chopped
Crushed garlic - 5-6 pods
Red chilli powder - 1 pinch
Coriander/Cilantro leaves - a bunch, chopped
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

1. Mash the potatoes till your fingers cry out in pain (the more sophisticated people can use a potato masher!)

2. Add all the other ingredients to the potato and mix well.

3. Pour one spoon dosa batter on a griddle and spread out into thin dosas. Spread the potato filling and sprinkle some idli podi along with it. Lightly sprinkle gingelly oil over this, cook well, fold, turn around and cook for a while more.

Serve hot with sambhar and chutney.

This hot dosa goes over to Mathy's JFI - Garlic and Srivalli's Dosa Mela.

Apple-Pear Salad with Honey Dressing

2008-03-29T14:33:00.003+08:00

Summer is here and with it, end of March which brings in additional 'heat' of pending deadlines for events. I made this salad last week but was not very happy with the pictures. One would think I am quite used to posting bad pics on this blog but somehow, I feel bars have been raised now :D I didn't have time to make this again, so the post will have to do with bad pics.

Pears are known for its mild flavour and firmness. This is why I like them best in salads and maybe poached. Wiki also says that in some varieties, its difficult to tell apart apples and pears. This was quite surprising to me since we get only one kind of pear in Hyderabad and maybe a couple of varities of apples. And reall, its not difficult to tell them apart easily.

Anyway, I used up a couple of pears and one apple in this salad. I also experimented with some spices and flavours for the dressing and was quite pleased with the results.

What I Used:

Ripe pears - 2, cubed
Apple - 1, cubed
Honey - 4 tbsp
Lime juice - 2 tsp
Salt - 2 pinches
Cinnamon - a few small pieces
Chaat masala - one pinch

How I Made It:

1. Mix the cubed fruits well with salt, before they turn brown.

2. Sprinkle chaat masala over this.

3. Mix the honey, lime and cinnamon well and pour over the fruits just before serving.

The burst of different flavours was quite unique. I added more lime juice than necessary, so the measurement given here has been adjusted. Please check to make sure the measures are to your taste.

This fresh fruity salad goes over to Raaga's AFAM - Pears and Abby's Monthly Mingle - Fruit Sensations.

Masala Chai - Spiced Indian Tea

2008-03-26T16:21:00.004+08:00

This was my original entry idea for MBP this month, focussing on Mixed Drinks. I slightly digressed and posted the spiced buttermilk instead. Blame it on the weather. After the summer showers, Hyderabad is cooler now and a hot cup of malasa chai is just what we crave. The recipe is from none other than Asha from her awesome blog, Foodie's Hope.

Whenever I make tea, I add either ginger or cardamom, but never both, leave alone other spices. It just never occurred to me, though I have all the common spices in my kitchen at all times. This was such an obvious yet brilliant idea and I really relished the drink.

Here is how I made it: (adapted from Asha's recipe here)

Boil 1 tbsp tea leaves in half cup water. Add 2 cloves, 1 cardamom, a few cinnamon pieces and some grated ginger. Add 1 cup milk and bring to boil again. Do not boil for too long, simmer add required amount of sugar and remove from fire. Serve hot.

This too goes over to Sig's MBP - Mixed Drinks. I am so glad she extended the date.

On another note, I had submitted some of my pictures for Food Porn Fight over at The Petite Pig. There are some really cool pics out there and there is even a prize for the winner. So do go out there and vote. The collage below shows my pics in the contest. Do use one of your votes for me too, if you think my pics deserve it :) Click here to vote.

Other Drinks Recipes On This Blog

Ginger Tea
Grape Tea
Spiced Buttermilk
Lichee Lemon Cooler

I Clicked Some Metal

2008-03-24T23:51:00.003+08:00

I had decided from last month on that I am no longer going to be intimidated to send in entries for Click - Jugalbandi's photography event every month. When they announced the theme as Metal for this month, I knew I would be clicking a fork. I just knew it. Even when I saw some lovely entries of exotic kitchen utensils and accessories, my mind was stuck on our humble fork. Only catch was, I still hadn't figured out how to click one. My mind was very blurry on how to place it, if it should be stand-alone or with some food, it kept running in my head for almost three weeks.

The heat in Hyderabad had turned on since mid March and I was actually beginning to turn to thirst-quenching drinks, when summer showers hit very unexpectedly. One moment it was so hot and dehydrating, but the next moment, there were strong gusts of wind and heavy drops falling on my almost-dry laundry. The mood had suddenly changed from too-hot-to-do-anything-much to let-me-make-some-hot-pakodas-and-chai (which I did, recipe later :D).

When the first round of downpoar subsided, it was almost 6 in the evening. The weather was cool and there was still a mild wind blowing. I was feeling extremely lazy. Saw my camera on the kitchen shelf (where it almost always rests) and picked it up. Saw the washed vessels pile and lazily picked up a fork. Walked to the balcony, looked at the sky, looked on dreamily for another 2 minutes, held up the fork in my left hand, the camera in my right and clicked! This is the result.

A slice of sky

There has been no editing done, except that I added a matt border. I haven't even added the watermark of my blog name. That's how lazy this shot was. I tried a couple more, but none turned out as good as this first one. I love the way the sky looks in the background, the natural blur of it, the 10 bucks fork that is actually bent where we hold it, but the perfection of its shape against the dark evening. Its perfect to me.

So off it goes to Click - Metal.

Sambharam / Majjige / Mor / Spiced Buttermilk

2008-03-21T15:49:00.004+08:00

When Sig announces an event, there is no way I am going to miss it. She has been ever supportive in all my events and even otherwise, when I email her with really silly questions and doubts about blogging. March has been an incredibly eventful month for me so I was almost expecting to miss out on MBP this time. The other day I was randomly browsing through Sailu's blog and chanced upon this wonderfully refreshing drink that fit in perfectly with the weather.

The merciless Hyderabad summer has started and temperatures can sore to upto 38 degrees centrigrade. There is no escaping it and weekends are even more horrid cuz you just don't feel like stepping out of the house. Moreover, it differs from the Kerala summers to which I am used to. In Hyderabad, its hot, but not humid. The sun will scorch your skin and leave you completely dehydrated.

Buttermilk is known for its hydrating and refreshing properties. In Kerala, traditional Nair families used to give mildly spiced buttermilk or Sambharam to their guests. Even Christian families are known to have pacha moru (spiced salted buttermilk) or kachiya moru (buttermilk tempered with chillies and curry leaves) with their lunch. Buttermilk is known as Majjige in Telugu, Majjige Huli in Kannada, simply Mor in Tamil and Sambharam in Malayalam.

I enjoyed this refreshing drink on a hot summer afternoon, around 2pm in the afternoon. It was so refreshing that I felt like just relaxing and taking a nap after it.

Here is how I made it (adapted from Sailu's recipe)

2 glasses of buttermilk (made from 4 parts water and 1 part curds)
1 green chilli finely chopped
½” ginger piece grated
few curry leaves
salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients and chill. Serve cold.

This goes over to MBP - Mixed Drinks this month over at Sig's.