Coconut cake

While I was a easygoing, fun loving, bubbly child, I had one big flaw, I had (and still have ) an evil temper. I was far likely to fly off the handle at the drop of a hat. I was never the person who took things philosophically and accept them, not without a fight at least.

There was this one rainy evening, I was , as always , out playing with a bunch of kids from  my building. We were playing in  wet, muddy, sludgy, squelchy dirt- a game that consisted of hurling a stick with force to see if it went beyond a certain mark. A nonsensical game that amused us and horrified our parents, all that wallowing in dirt like a bunch of piglets (squealing in delight, I must add).

My mark was off that day, I was hurling like a girl....... wait I am a girl! What I mean is, I was a typical tom-boy, fancied myself a boy, strutted like one as well and prided that I was as tall and as strong as one. 

Anyway,  as I said, my mark was off that day and I lost, every single time I hurled the darn stick, it seemed to have a mind of it's own and a pathetic sense of direction. Oh I was mad as a wet hen that day and had the evil glint in my eye. 

Watching this dirty game was Wadi ( that was his name, or at least what everyone  called him) . Harmless Wadi, who never hurt a fly in his life. He would smile benignly on everyone and had a vacant, happy look on his face all the time. 

He was a child with special needs. We always let him tag along with us. Never treated him differently, never teased him , but also made sure outsiders never ridiculed him, we were a bit protective of him and let him play with us as best as he could. He was a 'kuccha- limbu' in all our games. 

Now on that particular day, he was standing watching our game and chomping on some nuts. I lost and was fuming. Wadi laughed at me. I lost what was the last shred of my temper, hurled the stick at poor Wadi and walked away. Poor Wadi ! He never quite knew what hit him, but someone else did. My father happened to see all that happened and waited for me to come home. 

I never quite knew what hit me, then! 

I learned an important lesson that day. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Accept that. If you do not accept defeat, and throw a tantrum and get caught, a higher authority swiftly doles out punishment. A sore backside and  apologizing  to an idiot  are the two basic elements of a retribution. 

More than a tender backside hurt. 

I sulked at the whole episode. My Father, fair minded as he was, could not bear my sulky face for long. So one day, he came home with a lumpy parcel and gave it to me. Wicked that I was, I was all prepared to  ignore this friendly overture, but a heavenly smell wafted to my nose. It was sweet and the lumpy parcel was soft and my mouth was watering. The combination was too tempting to act sulky. I smiled benignly and ripped open the parcel to find thick slabs of cake, soft, sweet and rich! mmm - mmm- mmm! It was one amazing cake! 

A few weeks ago, I picked up a book at the local library and looked at all the recipes and the pictures. Drooled over all of them. But this cake recipe brought back memories that were locked up in one corner of my mind, collecting dust. 

I am not confident when baking. I envy the Daring Bakers. Every now and then, however, I venture into this realm and experiment. This was one successful experiment!

The last time I made a cake ,was a success and spurred by that I decided to experiment some more. I am glad I did! 

This cake is rich, soft, light, very moist and melt-in-the-mouth! And very easy to make. Anyone can bake it!  It won two thumbs up from all my friends :)

Source:  Here

1 1/2 Cup All purpose flour

2 1/4  tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt

2 sticks butter softened ( I used 1 scant cup oil)

1 generous cup  superfine sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten with

1 tsp Vanilla extract

8 oz/ 1 c grated coconut (fresh/ frozen)  - do not use dry shredded coconut

       

Allow the frozen coconut to come to room temp.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease pan, set aside

Sift the flour with baking powder and salt and set aside

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and light in color

Lightly beat eggs with vanilla extract and then add to the mixture, little at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gently fold in the flour in 3 batches , then fold in the coconut and mix it just enough to  distribute  the coconut through out the cake

Bake in the oven for 35-40 mins. or until the cake is light and  golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack.


Serve with a confident smile! 

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Corn pilaf

When I last blogged, I had no idea I was about to go on a break, a forced one, I must mention. Our old faithful ( laptop) valiantly survived many an attack at little S's little fingers. 

It withstood the plucking of it's keys, sticky fingers smudging it's face, sometimes even bearing  the weight of a toddler and most often, I  guiltily add, bearing the weight of the pictures I would keep adding. 

M kept reminding me, often, to take a back up, I'd nod  and go my way picking up this, cleaning that, chasing S, yelling at M to stop lecturing and get on with 'actually doing' something. 

I'd remember the back up late, late night and postpone it, I couldn't drag myself out of bed, I was too tired.

And then it happened, the old faithful gave up with a moan. I looked on helplessly  and quietly bundled it off into another room away from prying tiny fingers. It lay there, forgotten ... almost. Every few days I'd sadly glance at it, tsk, tsk,  hear a murmured " I told you.." from M and get on with life. I mourned the loss of my precious pictures, I had SO many waiting  to be blogged, blamed myself, to think I could 'atleast' have put the pictures on a post and saved it in the drafts! 

Then a couple of days ago, for no apparent reason, I picked up TOF (the old faithful) and trembling slightly plugged it in and powered it on, groan by groan the wretched thing started and thankfully I rescued a few pictures before it collapsed yet again.

Glad I had at least something, I spat on my hands ( well, not really... c'mon!) and got down to blogging! 

I had this recipe scribbled on a sheet of paper with no more than just that. Looks like it is an old  recipe that I had scribbled and forgotten  all about. 

Simple and delicious  describes this rice dish well and is an excellent idea for a lunch box or a potluck.

1 Cup Basmati Rice
1 Tbs Ghee
1/4 tsp. Black pepper
1 inch Cinnamon stick
1/2 cup Spring Onions chopped
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper chopped
1 cup corn kernels ( I used frozen)
2 Cups Water
Salt to taste

Wash the rice thoroughly in 3-4 changes of water and soak in fresh water for 30 mins. Drain

Heat Ghee, add black pepper and cinnamon stick

Add  chopped spring onion (i used the greens as well) pepper and corn for half a minute

 At this stage I transfer the vegetable mix to my rice cooker and add rest of the ingredients and let it cook away.

For stove top method :

Add soaked rice, water and salt to taste, bring to a boil

Cover and cook  till water evaporates  and rice is cooked

Serve hot with pickle and papad. Enjoy.

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Gajar Matar Pulav ( Carrot- Peas Pilaf)

When I first visited Peoria, a small city in Illinois, I had no idea and no wish to call it home. I was happy and content living in Los Angeles, who wouldn't be? Sunshine, palm trees swaying to the breeze, everything close to home, a ton of friends. Life was great, like a jigsaw puzzle, all the pieces in their  place. 

The only thing that made me unhappy was that M had to travel  to work and  S and I missed him, a lot. Weekends were full of chores and that was not what I wanted. I wanted us to enjoy the beautiful weather and be together.

Well, I got my wish, almost........... we moved out of sunny LA and plonk, in the middle of cold city which looked and felt strange and with no friends, no smiling faces. Then I met a friendly girl and we  liked one another, but there was a snag, she was  going to India for a 2 month holiday. sigh!

Much as I had wanted this, this wasn't the exact thing I wanted. Make sense?  I felt just as jumbled as the sentence. 

We faced our very first 'snowy' winter, that in itself was not as bad ( huh?!!), the snow was a novelty, but as the snow stopped and we waited for spring, time hung heavily on our hands. S and I would long for fair weather when we could go out for walks. On one such walk I made a new friend. She was playing with her son, who looked my son's age or a tad older. I walked over and we smiled at one another and then things fell into place. Like a jigsaw. 

That day, it felt like spring. Things 'clicked' and  soon, just like my LA days, we formed a group and started meeting everyday. Potlucks, mixed lunches ( bring what you have and let's enjoy types)  became  necessary. Tea and tea time snacks, baking bread and  talking about anything and everything became  order of the day.

Time no longer hung heavily on our hands, the boys play together or at least in the same room without any upheavals and we are happy once again! 

On one such potluck I made this gajar matar pilaf ( Carrot- Peas Pilaf). It is pure simplicity and tastes good. A minimum list of ingredients and comes together quickly and looks colorful. 

I serve this pilaf with kadhi and pickles (or papad) 

You need:

1 Cup long grained Rice- Basmati

2 Tbsp. Ghee

2 Cloves

1 tsp Cumin seeds

2 Carrots, peeled and cubed

1/2 Cup Green Peas ( fresh or frozen)

Salt to taste

Wash the rice in 3-4 changes of water, top with fresh water and keep aside for at least 20 minutes. Drain completely before using.

In a thick bottomed vessel, heat ghee on a medium high heat, add the cloves and cumin seed

Saute till the seasoning sizzles

Add the vegetables and then the rice and stir briefly to ensure the seasoning coats the vegetables and rice.** 

Add 2 cups water, salt to taste and cover and cook till rice is cooked through and is fluffy ( each grain is cooked and separate)

OR, I usually after ** this stage, transfer all the contents to the rice cooker and let it cook while I start on something else. Totally hassle free! 

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A simple Vanilla cake using Oil

How often have you seen a child straining at his/ her Mother's hand and demanding something .. anything? 

How often have you done that as a  child? I know I have. Almost every time I stepped  out of the house with my parents, something fancy (IMHO) and utterly useless ( in my parents opinion) would engage me, so much so , that I'd refuse to budge without claiming it as my own. I was around 3 or 4 years old then.

Shortly after our  home started bearing a very strong resemblance to a toy store, my parents took to warning me at the first sight of a demand rearing it's greedy head, " Asa vaglis tar police kaka dumm bhartil, oradtil  tula... chalel ka?" ( meaning: If you behave like this, that policeman will take you to task, do you want that?)

For some time, I was down ( but not out, oh no, no.... definitely not out! ). I would meekly walk on, after putting  my soul into my eyes and looking with undisguised longing at a toy and then very meaningfully at my Mother or Father. They remained unmoved and the 'police kaka' remained in his 'chowki' and peace in my parents hearts and minds and purses.


Until one day, I could no longer bear it, I saw one particular toy I wanted needed, it felt like my existence depended on it ( yeah, right!) Necessity like this makes heroes out of the meekest, and so when I began asking for the toy, my Mother simply pointed to the policeman sitting in his booth ( this booth was in  the apartment community we lived and  most of the time, the cops would sit idle), the policeman had nothing to do and so  looked at me  and wiggled his bushy eyebrows and  and said," aaann?" That was it, the last straw on the proverbial camel's back, I looked at my Mom and  then defiantly at the cop , and mustering all the courage a 3 or 4 year old could, told him , "aaaap"  and brought a trembling finger to my pursed lips, indicating that he put a lid on it.
The cop was shocked into silence and my Mother, thoroughly embarrassed and wanting a quick exit, bought me the toy and I beamed at the world with the trophy in my hand.


Now, why am I relating all this here? Because I occasionally adopt the age old technique of 'police kaka' with my son. He is yet to assert himself with one, but something  happened the other day. 
It was a beautiful day, cool crisp breeze , not really sunny, but not cloudy either, you know what I mean... in short a perfect day for a walk after the bad weather.Little S and I went out  for a small walk. The pattern is, I walk, he skips or jumps ahead of me, looking back every few steps just to make sure I am there and also sometimes seeking non-verbal reassurance that he is allowed to skip or run as long as he sticks to the side walk. 
On this particular afternoon, we were sauntering at our own pace and suddenly he stopped in his tracks and waited for me to catch up, there was a police car parked in front of one building. In a hushed tone he told me , "poos"(his word for police). His eyes wide, he glanced up at me, I smiled and affirmed that this was a 'poos car'. I looked at the car and at that precise moment I felt his tiny warm hand slip into mine. I clasped it lovingly and firmly and fell in step with him.  Reassured that  no one, not even a 'poos' can harm him when he is with Mommy, my little boy skipped , holding  onto my hand and a triumphant smile on his lips. 

Later, as he slept, I stole a kiss and decided to bake  him a cake, for his unconditional love and trust in me, for holding my hand and touching my heart .

Source: Kaboose

Makes Two 9-inch (23-cm) round layers or one 9- x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) rectangular cake.

• 2 cups (500 mL) sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (250 mL) milk
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) vegetable oil
• 2-1/4 teaspoons (11 mL) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans or one 9x13-inch (23 x 33 cm) rectangular baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan well.
2. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla and beat for another minute, just until the batter is smooth and creamy. Don't over beat. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan(s).
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick poked into the center of the layer comes out clean. (A single rectangular pan will take longer to bake than two round ones.) Loosen the sides of the cake from the pan with a thin knife, then turn out onto a rack and peel off the paper. Let cool completely before covering with frosting, if desired.

Verdict:   
YUMMY CAKE! in Little S's words. 
This was the first time I had baked a cake with no butter, instead using oil. I was nervous, I am no baker, but this cake is really very simple and easy to make and very light and tasty. It is sweet, but not overly so, just the right amount of sugar. 
The only thing that did not stick to the recipe was the baking time indicated. My cake required about an hour, but this could be  my oven, so if you do try this, check the cake at the 30-40 minute mark.

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Kandi Podi aka Gun Powder!

Four cousins sat in a line with 'kelichi pana'  (Banana leaf used as plates) and chanted, "toop, mith, bhaat....... toop, mith, bhaat..." This was  standard behavior for us (cousins) when we met  at a family get together, we were a 'gang' of 4 and each spaced a year behind the other. It was natural that we stuck to one another, thru thick and thin and mischief. Our behavior patterns were also similar, we almost always got into trouble  at the same time and for similar reasons, resulting in punishments and timeouts. 

Our liking for food also seemed similar, for example, we went thru this 'tup (clarified butter), mith (salt), bhaat (rice)' stage for  a whole year, at every single family get together, we would sit in a line and chant the same thing, we totally ignored all other delicacies prepared and plowed our way thru mounds of soft, warm rice, drizzled generously with ghee (  toop/ clarified butter) and sprinkled with salt. 

Then came the metkut-bhaat stage, which to this day is my comfort food. When I was little , I would sit at the table near my father and wait till he mixed  rice with the spice powder, ghee (in his plate and then transfer it to mine, 'Baba mixing it in his plate' was the key, IMHO)  and savor every bite, ask for seconds and call it a meal.

For several years I was a confirmed metkut addict and knew only this one spice powder, that was until a certain guy came into my life and we tied the knot and he whisked me away to Bangalore.

He would praise (understatement) the food he ate and I would wonder how he liked eating out SO much ( I still do) , I mean, eating out once in a while is fun, but home food is home food, isn't it? Not quite! 

On my arrival in B'lore, M was very excited to take me around, the restaurants, that is. Now get this, the new bride that I was, I wanted to cook at home and show him my amateur culinary skills and he wanted  me to go to all his favorite haunts! Talk about clashing ideas at the beginning! 

But I gave in and we started our tour of Bhimas, Nandhini Palace, RR's, Madhuri, Gongura, a few among the hundreds of Andhra restaurants.

I had visited B'lore earlier and had a taste of my very first Andhra meal ( at Nagarjuna), but that was several years ago, while I remembered that the food was awesome, I did not particularly recollect eating Kandi podi, aka Gun Powder. And so, this time around, when we sat in one restaurant, and the server put a generous mound of rice and ladled ghee, yes, yes, ladled as far as I was concerned, M directed me to add the spice powder, 'gun powder' and dived into it with such an expression of happiness that I had no doubt, this *must* be dynamite! And it was. 

For me it was love at first bite, and the second and the third.. you get the general idea. We waddled out of the restaurant, replete and content. That was 5 years ago.

After I began blogging a world of recipes was opened up to me, I tried several things, liked so many things but somehow, M and I kept going back to our comfort food, metkut-bhaat and sometimes kandi podi- bhaat.  I have tried many versions and in my opinion, it is a flexible recipe, the star ingredient being Toor daal, don't mess with that. 

It was only after my parents tasted this spice powder and liked it as much as we do, that I thought of putting it on the blog

I googled several recipes and the final outcome, therefore was a mix, here are some of the sites I referred to.

The final ingredients I used are: 

10-15 Dry Red chilies ( use the mentioned quantity IF the chilies you have are mild- adjust as per your level of heat tolerance) 1 cup Toor dal ( regular, not the oily kind) 1 cup Dalia (Roasted Gram Dal) Approx. 1 tbsp. Cumin / Jeera 3-4 garlic cloves About 2 sprigs Curry leaves 1 tsp of Asafetida/ Hing

Heat a griddle on med- high,( the ingredients should be dry roasted) add Toor Daal, toss in the cumin seeds and reduce the heat to medium, roast until the toor daal is a couple of shades darker add the curry leaves and dry red chilies. Add in the garlic and asafetida and roasted gram daal/ Dalia.

DRY roast all these ingredients well. By now the spices should be very aromatic.

Take the griddle off the heat and transfer contents onto a plate to cool ( keeping the mix in the hot skillet will over roast the daal and spices and may burn them, if not over roasting may lead to a bitter taste)

Once the spice is cool, grind to a fine powder. 

Store in an airtight container.

To enjoy kandi podi, serve along with hot, steaming rice, drizzle with ghee, add salt as required , mix and eat. 

My Andhra friends tell me that they  serve thinly slices raw onion  along with this rice-ghee and gunpowder mix, I have personally never tried it, but if you do, let me know how you like it.

*Notes:

-You can substitute regular Chana daal instead of Roasted Gram Daal

- You can add red chili powder instead of whole dry red chilies, only add the powder when grinding the roasted mix

- You can add moong daal (yellow) as well, halve the roasted gram daal and include 1/2 cup moong daal.

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Kairi (Raw Mango) and Jaggery Chutney

My Mother makes this AMAZING chutney. Have I said that before?? Well, then this is another AMAZING chutney she makes.  This is a must in every summer, when raw mangoes hit the Indian streets and  it is the season to make pickles  and panha. 
I bet almost every household has a version of Kairi Chutney and this is my Mom's version, with it's roots in Bijapur and my  paternal Grandmother who may have passed it on to her.
The definition of chutney (A pungent relish made of fruits, spices, and herbs) was probably drawn from this type of recipe. 
Taste, texture you name it, this has it. Raw mango is mouth puckeringly tart and the jaggery balances the sour to seduce your taste buds and make you crave more.

You dip idlis, dosa and wada morsels in it, not content mix it with rice ( plain or with yogurt rice) and you still long for more and slather it on a slice of bread and gobble it up. 
This is one chutney that  may not find it's way in the fridge or if it does not for more than 24 hours ( summer heat makes the coconut smell rancid, so it is safer to keep any leftover chutney in the fridge  after a meal)

My Mom made this very frequently when I visited India last year. I am planning on using frozen raw mango slices to re-create the magic. 

Has anyone used frozen raw mango? Is it as good ( well, as good as frozen can get) or should I say, as tart as fresh raw mango? Do share any tips you may have.

1 Raw Mango / Kairi  (Peeled and cut into small pieces)

1/2 tsp Fenugreek /  Methi seeds

1/2  Coconut scraped / shredded fresh coconut

2 Tbsp. Urid  Dal

1 ½ cup Byadgi Red dry chilies (these are not so hot and  lend color, if using any other variety of dry red chilies, use about 4 and add a teaspoon of 'kashmiri' red chili powder)

Few Curry leaves

1/2 tsp. Asafetida/ Hing

Jaggery ( the amount of jaggery depends on how tart the raw mango is, the quantity must make the chutney sweet-n-sour)

Salt

Put 1 teaspoon oil in a pan
Add fenugreek seeds / methi and when the seeds are golden brown, remove and keep them aside to cool down. 
Add  some more oil and roast Urid dal , when it becomes golden brown, remove and keep it aside to cool down. 
Roast Curry leaves in the same oil. 
Roast lightly Red dry chillies in same oil (add 1/2 tsp if needed). Keep it aside to cool down.

Take  the shredded coconut, add  Salt, Asafetida/hing,  Jaggrey, raw mango  and  all  the above  roasted items and blend to a  paste in the blender using water as and if needed ( use a Tbsp.  and add as required)
Serve as an accompaniment to idlis, dosa, wada. 

And now we move on to Sambar. This has to be the BEST sambar ever. I have experimented with loads of sambar recipes and different masalas- the bunch, but trust me this, is the REAL deal! 

A few weeks ago I was on a searching spree for a sambar that reminded me of the Udipi restaurants in Mumbai. 

I had sworn off sambar for months now and the urge to down a bowl full of spicy-tangy goodness was overwhelming. My search was rewarded ( and how) when I landed in Padma's kitchen. 

I was lucky that I had all the required ingredients in the fridge and set to work immediately. 
Here is her recipe with my modifications.

Source: Adapted from Pachakam

Cuisine: South Indian, Karnataka

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Makes: 5-6 people ( in my case 2 )

Ingredients:

1 cup Red gram dal/toovar dal/

2 cups mixed vegetables of your choice (Drumsticks/Eggplant/Yellow pumpkin, etc diced or cubed)- (I always have frozen drumsticks on hand, very convenient)

6-8 whole shallots/madras sambhar onions, peeled

1 plum tomato, cut into large chunks ( I used Roma and other times 2 canned whole peeled tomatoes - I puree the tomato)

3-4 green chillies, cut lengthwise-slit

2 tsps tamarind pulp (I used the readymade one here)

1 sprig of curry leaves (optional)

2 tsps of cilantro/coriander chopped¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi

1 tbsp jaggery, grated

salt as per taste

for tempering /tadaka:

½ tsp mustard seeds

2-3 dry red chillies

¼ tsp asafetida

2 tsps cooking oil

Dry roast and grind to fine paste:

2 tsps of black gram dal/urad dal

2 tsps of cumin seeds/jeera

3 tsps of coriander seeds

½ tsp of fenugreek seeds/methi

4 dry red chillies

¾ cup fresh or frozen (thawed) grated coconut (I used frozen shredded coconut and reduced the quantity to 1/2 cup- personal preference) 

water as required to make smooth paste

Method:

Cook the dal with a pinch of turmeric and a tsp of oil in a cooker upto 3-4 whistles, mash it and while its still hot/warm and keep as side.

Meanwhile heat oil in a deep heavy bottom pan to make the sambhar

Add asafetida followed by shallots/madras sambhar onions, green chillies and half of the curry leaves off the sprig, and sauté until the onions become transparent and start to leave the juices.

Add the vegetables of your choice, tomato pieces and turmeric powder, if not adding any vegetables then add more shallots/madras sambhar onions.

Cook covered until the vegetables are cooked with enough water to cover the veggies, take care to retain their shape/texture.

Once thoroughly cooked add the tamarind pulp and cook covered until the raw smell of the tamarind goes off, approx 5 mins.

Add the ground paste, jaggery and salt to taste. Sambhar should not be too thick nor too watery, so add more water if necessary. You will notice that your kitchen is filled with nice aroma of this sambhar.

Once the mixture comes to a boil add the cooked dal, mix well and check for salt.

When the sambhar just begins to boil, switch off the stove. Make sure you don’t boil the sambhar after adding the dal coz the dal will lose its soft texture.

For tempering/ tadka:

Heat a tsp of oil in a small kadai, add the mustard seeds, when it starts to splutter add the dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafetida. fry for a min and pour over the sambhar.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with idlis, dosas, or plain rice.

The first time I made this sambar, I followed the recipe as it is and ended up with 2.5 liters of sambar. I was honestly taken aback! 2.5 liters, how many days would that last us? What if I have bungled up the recipe? what  am I to do if it does not taste as good as it should?

Well, I had no reason to worry, none at all! At the end of the meal, and I kid you not, I was washing the empty sauce pan. Yes, we had finished ALL of the 2.5 liters, every last drop! 

M voted this as the BEST sambar ever and it is an absolute favorite. I burped this update on Facebook and many of my friends wanted the recipe and have had the same results as I did after I forwarded the link on Padma's blog to them. Thank You Padma, for this wonderful recipe.

I served this  Sambar with 'Button Idlis'. these are the regular Idlis, just using a small  tiny molds. The idlis are the size of a quarter and strictly one bite. Perfect for a 2.5 year old, who is currently fascinated by all things small ( like this tiny jeep which zoomed into the picture taking area with a giggly "uh-oh")

And finally, Tahemeem has very generously shared a lovely award with me.Thank you so much! There are however, a few rules and  I apologize that I cannot fulfill the remaining 2 rules  in this post. I will   carry them forward to my next post and  complete  what I am leaving unfinished here. Please bear with me. 

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Finding comfort in a bowl of Rajma Curry

Over a decade ago, one very homesick Delhiite frowned and curled her lip in disdain and declared that Mumbai did not have good food. Pshaw!
And one very surprised Mumbai girl shook here head, vigorously, as if to stop the words from ringing in her ears. Forgive her Lord, she knows not.....
Thus began a quest for 'good food' in Mumbai.


To a Mumbaiite, it seems impossible that someone can make such a bold statement, but I guess one has to make allowances for homesickness and especially, when that person is your best friend.
We began on a quest, we had to find 'good food ' for this home-sick Delhi Girl. We went to various restaurants and experimented with different Choley Bhature, Chana Masala and the like, nothing seemed to get a thumbs up from her. There wasn't even a whiff of a Rajma Chawal or Kala Chana-Chawal on the menu, then, and the poor Girl longed for the comfort food she grew up on. I was at a loss, I had never eaten Rajma- Chawal, my comfort food varied so much from hers. And then, one day, we found this small cafe, tucked away in Vashi ( New Bombay or Navi Mumbai as it is now called) Chaat Cafe. It was bright colorful and inviting. The menu to our delight, had ALL the items a home-sick Delhiite wanted needed. That day, was the first time I tasted Rajma- Chawal. Okay, so I will admit it here, I was not too excited about it, I had ordered me a good ol' chaat platter , the chaat addict that I was (and still am). But we girls loved to share and  a forkful of the  Rajma- Chawal was good enough to convince me why the room suddenly lit up as if,with a 1000 watt bulb! It was my friend's happy face. She had found her comfort food, at last. Needless to say, that was the joint we haunted in sickness and in health.
I haven't been to Chaat Cafe in years, even when I was in India. The magic was when 2 BFF's  went there and made memories.


Today we are far away from each other, separated by time and distance, by a domestic routine so demanding that even a conversation is difficult. And today, I find comfort in Rajma-chawal, just like a very home-sick Delhi Girl once did.


Serves 4-6


1 Cup Rajma / dark red Kidney Beans ( soaked overnight or 8 hours)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp. Turmeric powder
3Tbsp. Oil
2 Bay Leaves
2 Black Cardamoms
3 medium Onions grated
2 tsp. Ginger paste
1/2 Green chili paste
1/4 tsp. Garlic paste
3/4 tsp Red chili powder
4 large Tomatoes (pureed)
1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
2 Tbsp. Cilantro chopped

Pressure cook the kidney beans with 4 1/2 cups water, salt and 1/4 tsp. turmeric to one whistle. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 mins. Turn off the heat.


Heat 3 tbsp. Oil in a pan for 30 seconds, add bay leaves, black cardamom, onions, ginger, green chili and garlic paste.


Fry until light golden brown. Add 3/4 tsp turmeric and red chili powder and mix well.


Add the pureed tomato and fry until oil separates


Add the cooked kidney beans along with the water and salt to taste, bring it to a boil.


Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes


Add the chopped cilantro leaves and Garam masala. Turn off the heat.


Serve hot over a mound of fluffy Basmati rice ( pickle and papad optional) for a complete meal.

*NOTES:  
I cut the quantity in half, used a can of Kidney Beans and 2 whole peeled tomatoes (Roma) that I blended with some  water.

I used less water than asked for, the resultant curry was  thicker and chunkier, more to my taste.

Ideally this curry is enjoyed when ladeled over hot rice, but we ( M and I) enjoy it with  breads as well ( roti / fulkas and in my case even with  a slice of crusty French Bread)

This memory got me thinking, what is 'good food'? What do you look for in good food? 

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

There was a phase in my life when biscuits ( as we call then in India) or cookies  were a large part of my diet. In fact there were many phases like that. My parents were working and so I had the house key round my neck and  after school I could do as I chose for a couple of hours. 

My schedule did not change, I'd come from school , enter the house, fling off my shoes, throw my school bag, head right into the kitchen, gulp a huge glass of water, hunt for something to eat (though my Mother used to keep healthy and filling snacks on the dining table, I never bothered about them) open  all containers, find the biscuits - eat a few , head to the bedroom, change into fresh set of clothes ( leave the school uniform on the floor), slip on flip-flops and go straight to play with friends. 

Sometimes my friends would come home and  I was a pretty good hostess, I'd serve them water first and then  after a while I'd bring out a platter of snacks ( mainly cookies ) and most unusually, a bottle of pickles... yes, pickles. If that sounds unusual, let me give you the logic behind it. It's like this, if you eat sweet 'X' and  then sweet 'Y', it (Y) wouldn't taste as good, so in order to enjoy every variety, a bite of something spicy or salty was necessary in between  and hence, the pickles. 

Then came my MMS days, my friend ( from Delhi) had rented an apartment close to the college and I parked  myself there during exam time. There was a 'convenience' store opened in the first floor apartment , they would sell biscuits, chocolates, tea, coffee, notebooks, pen, pencil and similar stuff. We would pop down, grab packets of biscuits ( there was a Kellogg- Chocos biscuit brand we favored) and have those  for breakfast and lunch.  After exams we would grab a couple of Vada paav and rush home to prepare for the next days test paper. 

Coming to the USA opened up a world of cookies for me, there was a sea of cookies in so many flavors and I fell in love all over again. Chocolate chip cookies were my favorite and I'd pick every opportunity and reason to eat 'just one'. 

I wanted to make  them at home, I was reminded of Martha Wilson , I was addicted to comic books (still am) and loved Dennis the Menace and thought it very nice of Mrs. Wilson to bake cookies . I had never used a oven mitten and held a tray of cookies  and to me it was almost out of a fairy tale, cookies at home, unlimited supply! And now that I enjoy baking I decided to go ahead and bake cookies. It was natural that I go for chocolate chip cookies. I love them ( who doesn't!?) and my Son loves them. I can get him to do anything for a 'kiikoo', as he first called them.  M says it's hereditary, like mother- like son. Huumph! 

Source: Nestle Toll House Chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (the original recipe calls for 2 ) cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1/2 (the original recipe calls for 1) cup chopped nuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.


Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. 

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until  


creamy. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Gradually beat in flour mixture. 

Stir in morsels and nuts. 

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.


BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. 

Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

* Notes:

I made a few changes , I used regular granulated sugar, I did not have brown sugar on hand. 

Reduced the quantity of sugar to 1 cup + 2 tbsp.

I used 1 cup chocolate chips , M likes just a 'sprinkling' of chocolate, not an overload  :(

I used just 1/2 cup of chopped nuts for fear that little S may not chew them and then have a 

choking fit ( I was wrong, I might as well add, he can chew cookies and chips  and the like very 

well, odd how he has trouble with rice and vegetables and roti.... "heredity" M whispers)

The cookies that were in the oven for 11 mins were crisp, very enjoyable, however 

the 9 minute ones were perfect, crisp on the border, chewy on the inside . This was for my 


oven, I am not sure if oven temps. vary, but I'd suggest you check at the 9 minute mark and 


if required go to the 10 or 11 minutes

Have a Great Weekend!!! 

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