A quick snack.. Semiya upma

What do you do when you are feeling lazy? What do you do when you want to have a quick snack? I make Semiya Upma.
Until a couple of years ago I probably would have raised an eyebrow and said huh?!? if anyone would have told me about Semiya upma.Then I tasted this in a friend's lunch box,and i quite liked it... she just chuckled it and said, " you like this? its a quick fix ! who has time for more when you have to report here at 8.00 am?!" True, who has time.. hmmm..
At home, my parents are fans of the sooji upma, they did not quite fancy semiya version, so I never had the chance to make it. But now, M & I both like it, so it has become a regular evening snack.M likes it as it is, I prefer it with tomato ketchup.
So this evening I was feeling a bit lazy... maybe the weather... or maybe the book I'm reading, don't feel like putting it down, just want to curl up in the rocking chair and keep reading..but I'm hungry too, and so will M be, once he gets home from work. Lazy as I was feeling, it was definately not a chai- biscuit evening, something better... semiya upma - bingo!

SoI dragged myself to the kitchen, took out

2 cups semiya
1 med. size onion
1/4 potato
A few florets cauliflower
1 tbsp. oil
1/4 spn. cumin seeds
1/4 spn. mustard seeds
Dash asafetida
1/2 spn. cumin-corriander pwd. (optional)
2-3 green chilies
2-3 curry leaves
1/4 spn. turmeric
Salt to taste
2 cups water

Heat oil in a kadhai, lightly roast the semiya till they turn a nice light golden colour or u can just microwave it too for about 2 mins. Keep aside. Chop the green chilies,onion, potato and cauliflower. In the kadhai, add oil, once hot, add mustard and cumin seds,. After they crackle, add asafetida, green chilly, curry leaves, turmeric, onion and chopped vegs. Mix well, cover and let them cook till tender.
Add Semiya, saute. Add water, salt, dhania-jeera powder.Mix and cook till soft. If after a while the upma looks sticky, just add a dollop of butter, mix and cover and cook for a couple of mins.
Garnish with chopped cilantro.Serve hot.

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J is for...(Veg.) JALFRY & J is also for JFI !!!

Childhood is full of so many memories and so many of them connected to food.. I remember , it was always a treat to 'eat out' ! We went to restaurants near our home, within walking distance.. we had no car then. Our favourite places were 'Swagat' & 'Satkar'. I always had a fixed idea of what I was going to eat, Punjabi food and in that ... Chana Masala, Alu Palak (green vegetable), and Paratha or Naan, no variation to that. This meant my parents had to order those and another something for themselves. I remember trying to eat a whole naan(this was when I was in school class 3-4 when the appetite was not comparable to greed!)... stuffing it in and then groaning as I staggered home, to proud to admit I had overdone it!

Later when I started experimenting with other names on the menu card, my parents NEVER ordered the above mentioned veges.!!
After college, when I learnt a 'Punjabi vegetables course', I regretted it. I was the only one in my household who liked Punjabi vegetable preparations. My parents were not too keen ... they preferred the 'usual' for everyday meals.. and unfortunately, when I made anything, the quantities were strictly according to the recipe, which served 6 persons... and above!
One such vegetable I learnt was Jalfry... in fact the name itself was not too appealing to me then.... but I later came to know it is the same or similar as Jalfrazie!

All these years I kept the notes safe and now finally, when I blog, I have the opportunity to try them out.. on a rather unwilling guinea pig... I mean, subject... my dear Hubby! who wants nothing more than his 'Dal-rice' and *no spice*! ~snort~ Now, that was not so polite of me, was it?! But honestly, sometimes in a darker shade of mood, I tell him, " maybe you should have married a girl whose expertise was burning water!"

Anyway, moving on .. although the popular saying goes... dinner like a pauper.... we Indians are probably taking our time digesting that! Dinner is the only time when all of us get together and eat! And after a tiring day, of which a lot of energy, (temper), time is consumed in travelling (here I draw from my own past trials (read, horrors) of travelling in Mumbai), it is bliss to sit down to a hearty dinner.

Though we are spared of the horrors of travelling out here, the hearty dinner is a habit we cannot seem to shrug off!

So for tonight's dinner the vegetable gracing my table is JALFRY, which is also my contribution to Nupur's A-Z of Veges.
Another thing that makes this vegetable great is that, it does not use any spices, to get the taste! No Garam Masala! The Tomato & Tomato Ketchup, give it a nice tangy taste.

I would like to include this as my entry to JFI hosted by RP of My Workshop along with other tomato chutney recipes here and here which I have previously blogged ....(ek teer, do nishaan!!)
For the Jalfry :

100 gms. EACH, Carrots, French Beans and Peas (if u want a shortcut, use a can of mixed veges., like I did)

2 Potatoes

3 Spring Onions

1 tsp. Ginger chilly paste

2 Tomatoes Pureed

1/2 cup Tomato ketchup

1 tsp. Red Chilly Pwd.

1 tsp. Sugar

Salt to taste

3 tbsp. butter

Cilantro

Wash and cube the vegetables.

Steam the cubed vegetables(except the spring onion).

Chop the spring onions, do not discard the greens, keep them aside.

Heat butter, add the chopped spring onion and fry well.

Add the tomato puree

Add gin-chilly paste, chopped cilantro and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the ketchup, steamed vegetables, onion greens, salt , red chilly powder and half a cup of water.

Boil for 10 minutes.

Serve with Rotis / Parathas/ Naan

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Of lists and Tacos in a jiffy!

Of all the things to be picked up at the store, the Husband picks up a box of Taco Shells.. and in the process forgetting a few other items I 'really' needed...
Oh well..... Tacos it is then! The only hitch was, surprisingly, I have not eaten tacos here, so I was kinda foggy of what to fill them with... apart from that, I had the shell, what about the rest of the stuff? M 's solution was simply to say, "just add whatever you have"...
I liked this part.. for me it involved very little effort! What a wonderfully lazy way of fixing a meal!!

For me, eating Mexican food was, as I thought, the only 'eating out' option I had apart from Pizza hut and Subway, since I am a vegetarian.. and here, people look askance at me when I said No Meat and No Eggs please!But the fact is that this cuisine has spice, options for a limited selection eater like me and I love it!!

The little effort I had to put in was towards making Salsa.. which is practically effortless.The lettuce mix was in the fridge (practically untouched, I may add!)

First came making the salsa..I took,

2 big Tomatoes
1/2 Red Onion (as it was big)
1 Green Chilly
1 Tbsp. Cilantro
1/2 Lemon
Salt to taste
Pepper powder
1 tsp. Olive oil
(the quantity is for making about 6 -7 tacos, so please reduce the quantities accordingly)

Slice the tomatoes. De seed them. Cut into small cubes.
Chop the onion.
De seed and chop the green chilly
Chop the Cilantro
Mix the onion, tomatoes, chilly and cilantro.
Add lemon juice.
Add Olive oil, salt and pepper ( I sprayed the salsa with olive oil...)
Your Salsa is now ready


TO Fill the Tacos:

Canned Red Kidney beans / Pinto beans
Shredded Lettuce
Grated carrot, red cabbage
Guacamole (optional)
Cheese shredded
Ranch dressing


Firstly, I used Pinto beans as I did not have Kidney beans.
Also these were canned, so no prior soaking and cooking was involved.
Secondly, I like my lettuce with dressing, plain is boring... like a cow chewing cud! So I Always add a dash of Ranch dressing or (Wishbone) Italian seasoning to give it a much needed zing!

ASSEMBLY
Heat the tacos as per instructions.
In the shell, first put some beans. Top with salsa. Add guacamole / sour cream/ taco sauce. seasoning... as per your wish....
Add the lettuce. Top with cheese (I opted out... diet :( )
Eat!!

If you are open to mixing and matching the filling, this is a great meal... yes, we made a meal out of this! 2 tacos like this will keep you going for a long time!!
You can also add Taco seasoning, taco sauce, sour cream. I did not have these , but the end result was not at all disappointing.
The next time however, I am going all the way!!

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HAPPY GUDI PADWA!!!

Hope I don't get into trouble for using this pic!!

And a Potluck Lunch with Friends!!
All thanks to A, we got together to spend time together and enjoy a wonderful lunch!! A , is a mother of 2, and the baby is nearly 4 months and yet manages to organize a Pot luck! Hats off to her!!
Here is a peek at the spread...
A made Rice, Puri and Shrikhand (home made!!) which was very tasty and full of rich creamy goodness with lashings of saffron and cardamom! Bliss!!
M, made potato subzi which is a wonderful accompaniment to the puri
S, made Panchratna Daal ( talk about a ton of protein!! and delectable taste!!)
Now, all because of my absent mindedness.... my apologies .... I could not click snaps of the FULL spread...
K, made Boondi Raita, a classic to go with the jeera rice
M, made yummy green tomato chutney and 'vatleli daal'- a Maharashtrian speciality.
My own contribution was 'gulpagdi and kaayrass' or 'Appey' and bell pepper gravy to go with the appey and Tortilla / Jahtpat Samosa , Trupti, you angel!!! I love these samosas!! (again, no snaps as they were finished and ~grrr~ I forgot to carry my camera.....

Here is a look at the gulpangdi and Kaayrass:


To make Gulpangdi:
Use Idli Batter ( I use the no-fuss-no-grind method)
1 cup Urad flour
1 1/2 cup Idli rava
Mix and allow to ferment. Before making, add 3/4 tsp.cumin seeds , 1-2 Finely chopped Green Chilies, 1tbsp. chopped Cilantro, Salt to taste

This requires a special 'Tawa', which looks like this


Put a drop of oil in each slot and add batter. Cover and cook on a Medium flame/ heat. turn (it comes with a pointed wooden spatula) and cook on the other side. Serve with chutney, kaayras

For the Kayrass:

1 1/2 Bell Pepper (deseeded & fine chopped into small cubes)
Oil to temper
1/2 tsp. Cumin seeds
Pinch Asafetida
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1 -2 green chillies (slit lengthwise)
Few curry leaves
4 tbsp Roasted Peanut Powder
1 tbsp. Roasted Sesame/ Til powder
2 tsp. Dessicated Coconut Powder
1/2 tsp Tamarind pulp ( I use concentrate, which is a bit strong)
Jaggery( double as that of tamarind)
Salt to taste
Little Water to make a gravy

Heat Oil. Add cumin seeds.
Add the Chillies and curry leaves
Add asafetida and turmeric.
Add bell pepper and cook till the pepper is well cooked.
Add water, tamarind pulp, jaggery and bring to a boil.
Add roasted peanut and sesame powder and dessicated coconut.
Add salt.
Let it boil for a good 3-4 minutes. The idea is to let it thicken so that it reaches a chutney like consistency (however, do not mash the bell pepper chunks)

Serve with gulpangdi.

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MBP March-Rolling!! Gobi Parathas..

pic: Google search

Hey, that's not me!! This is the Theme for this month's MBP!!! And my prowling around took me here ! First off, I must admit, I am a huge fan of One Hot Stove! Apart from the wonderful dishes she makes, her ideas are also awesome and *must try this* variety!

Coming to rolling.... I love parathas.. in fact I like all Indian breads and like to include rotis in my everyday meals. M however, is not too fond of rotis (etc.) and proudly says that before we got married, he had successfully avoided eating any for many years! Not anymore... and twists his face into a comic-tragic look ... how cute!! But seriously, making parathas is not that easy... I mean, one can make parathas out of any stuffing, but the skill lies in the 'rolling' part! I still have trouble at times... rolling the dough (with the filling) into a round shape and uniform all over without the stuffing poking out!Whew!!

My addiction (yes, I will call it that) for Parathas started when I started visiting my best friend L in Delhi. Her Mom made the bestest (?!?!) parathas! Aaaah, I can still taste those awesome breakfasts!!! Served with a dollop of butter, yogurt and pickle.. it's a complete meal!
Soon enough, I too started making parathas, after seeing Auntie make them and also with the aid of a cookery class I attended. My parents also liked this variation from the daily roti- subzi, which is a staple in most Maharashtrian-Kanadiga homes.

I tweaked the recipe a bit... the original recipe is:

1. Make the dough: Mix 2 cups atta (see recipe introduction), 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Add enough water to make a soft dough and knead it for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp towel and set aside in a covered bowl for 30 minutes.
2. Make the filling: This is easily done while the dough is resting. You need 2 cups of finely minced or grated cauliflower, one minced fresh green chili and 1 tsp minced fresh ginger. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, chili and ginger and stir until fragrant (few seconds). Add the grated cauliflower, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp ajwain seeds (carom seeds, optional), salt and pepper to taste and stir well. Cook on low heat, uncovered, until the cauliflower is tender. You want the mixture to be very dry.
3. To make the parathas, knead the dough again for two minutes and then divide it into five portions.
In the skillet, divide the filling roughly into five portions too.
Take a portion of the dough and roll it out into a fat circle (try and make the edges of the circle thinner than the center). Place one portion of the stuffing in the middle and pull up the edges to cover the filling. Press down flat and roll it out gently into a flat evenly-thick circle. Fry the paratha in a hot griddle, using a few drops of olive oil to fry each side until it is golden and well-cooked.

My variation :To the dough I added 1/2 spoon of Ajwain.
Instead of Olive oil, I used Canola, which I had,for the dough and making the stuffing.
In the filling, I added a bit of dhania & jeera (coriander and cumin) powder.
And finally, I shallow fried these in butter not olive oil

End Result: The Parathas were awesome!! I had a bit of a problem with the stuffing, which was dry, but still managed to poke out of the dough cover! I served these with thick creamy yogurt and 'Shan' Mixed Hyderabadi Pickle.. I mention this particular brand and variety because it is tooooo good! The pickle contains Fennel (Saunf) and Ajwain which go very well with the paratha (and with everything else too!!)
Rooma, many thanks for hosting this event!

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H is for....... Hara Bhara Kabab!!

The Husband called up to inform me that he was going to be late.....

Me: " how late is late?"

He: "umm, a bit..."

Me:" but it is already 8 pm, later than usual..."

He: " yes, just a bit more..."

Me: "ok, lekin jaldi ana.."

He: " hunh?.. acha, ok...."

After an hour I called up to check the status...

He: " 'Lo (sounding cross)"

Me :" Main hun (it's me).. (now he won't sound cross!!)"

He : "hmm.... what?"

Me:"Ghar kab aoge? (when will you come home?)"

He: clicked his tongue in an exasperated manner... " I will come home, sooner or later"

Me : " how sooner ... or later?"

He: "If you don't disturb me, sooner... otherwise later"

There you are! Whatever happened to the... "damn the office, I wish I could be with you".. ~sighhhhh~

Now that I had plenty of time on my hands, what better to do than potter around in the kitchen?
Apart from that, for a few days now, I was wondering what dish to make starting with H..... for Nupur's A-Z of Vegetables.
The first thing that came to mind was Harbhare and Hirve Watane, the former which I could not find in the market and the latter which I assiduously avoid and when not possible,try to make their presence as inconspicuous as possible!!
And then I remembered Hara Bhara Kebab! This appetizer scores high on the list in any menu card at any restaurant. Made up of the versatile Potato also has a good amount tof vegetables in it. What an appetizing way to sneak in those greens! The kebab gets it name from the colour it has when spinach and green peas are added to mashed potatoes.
The recipe is simple and easy and not very time consuming to say nothing of lip-smacking! A sure hit when you have a dinner party!

For Hara bhara Kabab you need :

3 Large Boiled potatoes
Half cup Boiled green peas ( this is the least i added, you may want to add more if you love peas!!)
100 gms Boiled spinach
2 tbsps Chopped cilantro
1 tbsp Chopped green chili
1 tbsp Chopped / grated ginger
1 tsp Chaat masala
2 tbsps Cornflour
Oil for deep frying
Salt As per taste

Peel and grate boiled potatoes.
Mash boiled green peas.
Squeeze out excess water (very important) of spinach and chop finely or run thru' blender.
Mix grated potatoes, peas and spinach. Add chopped green chilies, chopped green coriander, chopped ginger, chaat masala and salt. Add cornflour for binding.
Divide the mixture into equal portions. Shape them into a ball and then press it in between your palms to flatten it. These are now called tikkis.
Heat oil in a Kadhai. Deep-fry the tikkis in hot oil for 3-4 minutes.
Serve hot with sauce / mint chutney.

Tip: You may also shallow-fry the Hara Bhara Kabab on a griddle plate or a Tavaa as I did , but nothing beats deep frying these!!



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What do U say?

I was thinking of changing the look of the blog these few weeks....finally today I decided, Nothing Venture - Nothing Gain! So I went right ahead and got this new template..... so whaddya think? Pin It

KOKI

Early mornings sometimes begin with a groan on my side! Getting up.. well.. no option there!! but getting the Hubby to wake up (on time) for work is ... well.. what can I say??... how he loves to cling on (and on... and on..) to those 'last 5 minutes' of sleep! Making tea, cooking and packing his lunchbox and the 'tata' are the busiest moments of my day..the rest of it seems like a week end!!
After the 'busy hour' when tranquility has made its temporary nest in my home,I start my 'cleaning up' the 'unbelievable mess 2 people can make in just a short span of a few hours'. This done and having taken up loads of time (also leaving me wondering how fast it is to mess it up!!)I saunter into the kitchen, to clean up there. On some days that I feel I need to rearrange things a bit, I usually eat lunch at the time when people have their cup of tea, at such times I prefer something quick. I usually fall back on making a paratha. M is not really a roti person. Give him his daal-rice and he is content, but I like rotis , parathas, so today after cleaning up, arranging, re- arranging stuff I made Koki for my lunch and as an evening snack for M, when he comes home, famished, after work.

Koki, is a paratha made by Sindhis (a community in India), this is a great addition to lunch boxes. It can be eaten just as it is, or with yogurt or sauce or pickles. Apart from that it is easy to make!

All you need is:

2 cups Wheat flour (atta)
3 tbsp. Oil
1 Onion grated
2 Green chillies finely chopped (+/- to taste)
2 tbsp. Grated Raw mango OR 1 tbsp. Anardana powder (pomegranate seeds powdered)
1 tbsp. Sesame
1 tbsp.chopped Cilantro
1 pinch turmeric
Salt to taste
1 tsp Red chilly powder (+/- to taste)
Ghee/ Butter

Mix all the ingredients from Wheat Flour to red chilly pwd. and bind into a smooth dough.
Roll out parathas and shallow fry in ghee / butter.
There now, that's all that there is to it!!

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JFI - BATATA, ALOO, POTATO, Pomme De Terre’.....

List of Potato items I consume regularly :
Potato bhaji,Sukha bhaji (with variations) ,Rassa bhaji,Pav bhaji,Chips,Fries and Burgers, Wedges, Alu paratha, Alu raita,Veges cooked with Potato, Samosa,Chaat items, Batata Wada
Potato sandwich,Tikkis...............

Have I forgotten anything else, must've... there are another 100 things that have skipped my mind!
I remember in my childhood, we used to have a 'summer holiday Bhatukli' (a session where I and my pint size friends would cook a meal). This was the REAL thing... each one of us would bring 1 potato each, half a cup of rice, daal and atta (wheat flour) , oil each, some sugar, enthusiastic mother's would sometimes give a bottle of pickle or jam. The menu was standard, rice and plain daal, potato subzi and pickle and puri (rotis were impossible, nobody wanted to study geography in the holidays!!) The vegetable was fixed too, had to be, age 6- 10 cannot do more!!
It was fun to have these cooking sessions, but unfortunately a HUGE problem for our Mum's!!! We usually held this activity in my home or any of my friend's whose Mother's were working for the obvious reason, no interference!
The world was shocked by the destruction caused by 'Katrina', the expression on their face was one I saw on my Mother's face all thru my childhood.... unfortunately the only help she got in cleaning up was from Dad, and that took so much time, that we always went out for dinner!
This childhood activity(not the going out for dinner!! :D) was probably what sparked my interest in cooking! Then came a time when I and my friends made patties (we could not make ragda) but the patties were easy to make. I liked them so much that the very same evening I made some more for my family... well, a lot more, come to think of it! I had no idea of 'andaaz' (sense of proportion) so I mixed everything, and finally the potato mixture was of a quantity that could probably have fed an army!!! My family, neighbors and my parents office friends got the benefit of my culinary (mis)adventures!
Years later I joined a cookery day-class and learnt a lot more. I still have those recipes and they are amazing! It was there, that I made my first successful Stuff Paratha!! That is my first contribution to JFI.

You need:

5 Potatoes
1 inch Ginger
2-3 green chilies
1 Tsp Cilantro
1/4 tsp Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Corriander powder
1/4 tsp Chaat powder
1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (maida)
1 cup Wheat flour
1/4 tsp Ajwain (optional)
Ghee/oil to shallow fry


Boil, peel and mash potatoes.
Grind the ginger, chilly to a fine paste.
Add to mashed potatoes, add cilantro.
Add salt, cumin-corriander and chaat powder.
Mix the flours, add oil, salt,ajwain, water and knead into a dough.
Take a small portion of the dough.
Roll into a puri, add the stuffing (do not over fill /stuff)
Seal by bringing up the corners and make a ball.
Roll into a thickish paratha, shallow fry in ghee/oil.




I also made Aloo Tikkis. These are my absolute favs for an evening snack when we decide to have a few friends over . This is my 2nd. 'peshkash'

You need:

1/2 kg Potatoes ( roughly 6 med. size )
1 inch Ginger
6 flakes Garlic
2 Green chillies
1/4 cup Bread crumbs
Salt to taste
Fine Farina/ rawa/ sooji

For the CHUTNEY
8-10 Dates
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/2 green chilly
1 tsp Cilantro
Salt
Tamarind


Pressure cook the potatoes and dates (separately!).
Take the cooked dates (remove the seed) mix all ingredients listed under Chutney and grind to a paste. If you are using tamarind concentrate use about 1/4 tsp as it is strong)
Peel and mash the potatoes.
Grind to a paste ginger, garlic and green chillies.
Add the paste, bread crumbs , salt to the mashed potatoes.
Knead it to a firm dough.
Take a portion of this dough and make a ball of it. Flatten it on the palm and make a well of the potato mix.
Fill with the date chutney. Bring together the edges an seal.
Shape like a patty.
Pat the patty (!!) in the farina and shallow fry.
Serve hot with ketchup

Vaishali , is our hostess for this month's JFI... who by the way is going to have a tough time with the round up!! All the best to you,Vaishali!!! And many thanx for the wonderful choice of ingredient. Pin It

Red Tomato Chutney

I had recently made Green tomato chutney, and now, the everyday Red tomato found itself in this form! A few months ago, we had a pot luck, where my friend B, made this version of chutney. When I first tasted this chutney, I was amazed at the all new taste... I had never eaten something like this.... it was a blend of tomatoes, with something sweet (dates, which I first thoughtwas tamarind- jaggery! ), then the spicy red chilly reared its head in between, then again I found myself biting into fennel.... two - three helpings later I was still longing for more, but delicacy forbade me to pig out! Also telling myself that, looks, she's just a phone call away... get the recipe and make your own chutney!

Now B hails from Orissa and told me that this is a very common everyday preparation back home.... just like I would make 'Lasun chutney' back in Maharashtra! So a few weeks ago B and I spoke and I took down the recipe. But making it and blogging about it took a while. In fact, I made a mistake, I replaced the dates (as I had no stock of these at home) in the recipe with tamarind - jaggery... big mistake!! the taste was NO WHERE close to the original version and I was disappointed... and as always when a fiasco like this happens, I sit tight for a while, musing over it, till the urge to give it one more shot nags me.
Apart from that, I have this bad habit of scribbling on 'pages' which find themselves in my easy grasp when on the phone, but annoyingly disappear when I actively hunt for them and reappear when I least expect and the places where 'I swear' I did not keep it in.
So anyway, this 'page' with the tomato chutney scribbled on it with various other things among a few telephone numbers and doodles and my name in various fonts, found itself cadging for my attention once again.

Firstly, the Origin of this recipe is Orissa / Bengal. They use 'Panch Phoron' which is a mix of equal parts whole cumin (jeera), fennel(saunf), fenugreek(methi seeds), nigella(kalonji), and mustard seeds (rai). Looks like this

pic source :Google search

These 5 different tastes blend to give the chutney a twist in the taste!
For the Chutney, you need:

4 Tomatoes ( Medium size)
4 no. Dates
1 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Panch Phoron
1 Dry Red chilly
Few curry leaves
1/4 tsp. Turmeric Sugar (to taste, I used 1 tsp.)
Salt to taste

For Garnish:
1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds
2-3 Dry red chilies (+/- to taste)


Do the preparation. Assemble all the ingredients
Chop the tomatoes.
Heat oil.
Add the Panch Phoron.
After it sizzles , pops, sputters, add the red chilly and curry leaves and saute for half a minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well.
Add the turmeric and salt. Cook till soft.
Add the dates and sugar. Mix and cook fo a couple of mins (till the dates soften)

For the Garnishing:
DRY roast the cumin and red chilly.
Cool and grind it or pound, using a mortar and pestle to a rough powder.
Add this to the chutney after it is fully cooked.

Serve as an accompaniment to daal-rice, roti - subzi.
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MBP @ Coffee's with Finger Food!

I bet you all, there are going to be a lot of entries for MBP a culinary event started by our very own Rooma! The theme for this month was Finger Food, which instantly made me think of ALL the street food in India.... The chaat stalls where one stands by the roadside and eats Pani Puri , bhel, a bhutta (corn on the cob, Mumbai ishtyle!!!), Wada Pav.... God, I need a break here.... I'm drooling all over this keyboard! 'scuse me.....

I'm back... one thing that we Indians really enjoy is eating our food with our fingers, not that we do not use spoons and forks, oh yes! we do, when we go to fancy restaurants! but there is something so very satisfying about eating the way we do, with our fingers! In fact eating with your fingers is a cultural experience (for those visiting India). And those who frown upon this practice for hygine.. well, this is one chance you get to wash your hands thoroughlybefore you eat! so there!
Now, moving on to my entry for MBP... yes, I wanted to make the 'Alu Samosa' that we eat so often... But I had to kinda delay that a bit, this weekend we are entertaining a small group of friends and I want to make samosas then, and having these deep fried goodies twice in the same week would have been a bit too much!
So hunting across blogs got me to here...and my search ended! I was waiting to try out puff pastry for a while and here was this chance of doing just that!


The only variation I made was I skipped the Peas.... I am not a fan of peas... un-hunh! I served these with Maggi Hot and Sweet sauce! Yummy and perfect for an evening snack!!

Thank you Rooma for hosting this wonderful event & Priya, for the recipe!!

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D is for -Dadpe pohe

This is yet another snack from Maharashtra! A simple and spicy tea time snack, just when you want something that is spicy and tangy! Ummm!!
My Mother used to make this snack for us... in fact sometimes it was almost a substitute for 'sukha bhel' !
This snack needs little time to prepare and consists of items which are normally available at home.
I would like to make this as my entry for Nupur's Invitation for the A-Z of Indian Veges.
at One Hot Stove.... Hey Nupur, this will qualify, won't it?

You need :

2 cups Thin Poha
2-3 tbsp. Roasted Peanuts (or raw peanuts that can be fried in oil)
1 big Onion
1- 2 Tomato
1 Lemon (Juice)
Sugar to taste
1 Green chilly ( + / - to taste)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. Oil
1/2 tsp. each Mustard + Cumin seeds
Pinch asafetida
1/4 spn. Turmeric
Few Curry leaves
Dry Red Chilly
Cilantro to garnish


For the Tadka:
Heat oil. Fry the raw peanuts to a golden crispy brown. Add the mustard seeds, after they sputter add cumin seeds, add asafetida.
Add the dry red chili and curry and turmeric powder.
Let this tadka cool a little.
Finely chop the Onions, Tomato and Cilantro.
Mix together the Poha, onion, tomato and green chili.
Add the salt and sugar.
Add the Tadka to the poha. Add lemon juice. Mix thoroughly.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.
This snack does not need any water as the onion and tomato help in making the poha soft. However, keeping it for long only makes it soggy.

You can also add green peas, carrots to give it additional nutrition. Alternately, adding grated raw mango can be substituted for lemon juice.

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A Simple Fare

Having lived all my life in Mumbai, Maharashtra, this wonderful culture is deeply imbibed in my mind. The language, sometimes rough and ready and yet at times very musical ! The cuisine of course is so much a part of my daily diet, despite the fact that I am a Kannadiga! So also the music of Maharashtra. I love Marathi songs, for their simplicity and depth !
I used to watch Marathi movies on TV, as a child and always classified them into categories, old devotional movies "Sant Dyaneshwar", "Gora Kumbhar", Tamasha- Lavani (WIKI : Tamasha is a traditional folk play form. Lavani is a form of music popular in Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh, India. The word Lavani comes from the word Lavanya which means beauty. The Nirguni Lavani (philosophical) and the Shringari Lavani (erotic) are the two types.This was widely performed in Maharashtra,India) types! Both have their own charm, and I find myself humming the songs on and off!

Moving on to the food part.... and the topic of this post... Maharashtrian cuisine covers a wide range from being extremely mild to very spicy dishes. I got this information from Wikipedia : The staple dishes of Maharashtrian cuisine are based on bread and rice:

• Poli or chapati - unleavened bread made of wheat flour, more common in urban areas.
• Bhakri - bread made of all kinds of flours, mainly jowar and bajra, form part of daily food in rural areas.
• Rice - is eaten throughout Maharashtra and is a large part of the daily meal, although Maharashtrians are not totally dependent on rice alone. Normally meals contain some form of bread, some bhaji (vegetables) and some rice with dal.
  

Of late I have been trying my luck and hand at making Bhakris!! now this was one item I was wary of... I felt it requires a good deal of skill than I am capable of. So I kept well away from it. Also to mention, that bhakris have not been my top favourite among Indian Breads... though I do like them on and off. But I have these packets of Juvar and Bajri Four in the fridge for ages and use them only when I make my all time favourite Thalipeeth! Well, time to pull up my socks eh!!??!! So a few weeks ago I started on my journey of making a bhakri. As expected, my first attempt was not what I wanted it to be!! though the bhakri was completely edible, I was not too happy with the end result.. reason? well, the edges of my bhakri were frayed.. not nice, smooth and round-round... and more importantly, my bhakri did not puff up like my fulkas do! M did not seem to mind, but then he is not that attentive!!but to me it was not a happy moment. needless to say, I shoved back my dreams of making wonderful,soft bhakris in the deepest recess of my mind and ploughed along making other items, thankfully with success!!
But the stubborn streak in me was not willing to let up! so I tried again... the second time was a bit better... but as they say... the third time is the charm!! I picked up a trick, mix a bit of wheat flour in the juvar/bajri (reason, the flour we get here may not be fresh, it is kept in the fridge for months).
Then I tried my bhakris (I made Bajri ones, knowing that bajri is good for winter and also owing to the fact that bajri flour was more in quantity and also that it spoils faster than other flour). This time I was rewarded for my perseverance!They turned out nice and round and also puffed up to my delight! My favourite way of eating a bhakri is with a dollop of unsalted (loni/ makkhan) on it. Unfortunately, by the time I clicked the snap, the butter had melted :(
As an accompaniment to the bhakri I made Methi Zunka (Ashwini). Palin Rice and Daal.

To make bhakri (I used approximates, no fixed measures for this.. maybe next time and with pics !):

Approx. 1 cup Bajri Flour (or Juvar)
~3 -4 tbsp Atta (wheat flour)
Boiling water
1/8th. spn. Salt (optional)

Boil the water.
Mix the flours, add salt .
Make a well in the flour and slowly add the boiling water and bind into a dough. Be careful at this stage as the water scalds.
Bind into a smooth and pliable dough.
In a plate sprinkle (not the right word.. lets say, spread..) a bit of flour, take a small portion of the dough and using your palm and fingers, very lightly flatten it .
Heat a tawa/ skillet.
Drop the bhakri on the skillet, and apply water on the top part of the bhakri (cook on medium flame). the idea is to cook it like a fulka, underdone on the side it was placed on the skillet.
When the water dries, carefully flip and cook thoroughly on the other side.
Now the underdone side needs to be cooked, that can be done on a direct flame and if you have a coil then flip on the skillet and press applying gentle pressure using a towel.



Only recently I came across this wonderful Devotional song and could not resist sharing it with allof you. This is for those who are fans of marathi bhavgeet and bhakti sangeet.

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY HONEY (CAKE) !!

Valentine's Day evokes a lot of sentiments in people... some are for it and some completely against it... for the comercialization that this day has brought in!! For me, I do celebrate this day.. why? Because it gives me just one more reason to show my love for M for all the loving things the does for me. For all the little (and big) things he does.... This is one of the days when he comes home early, despite the tremendous work pressure!

Many will say why does he need one day to show you so much affection? Why not everyday? Why do you need cards or gifts or chocolates to feel loved? Well, I'll be honest.... everyday, we are just busy with routine work, cook (this is fun!), clean dishes, laundry, grocery.... but once in a while breaking away from all that and just feeling special gives my spirits a definite lift! We both do not believe in extravagant gifts, elaborate cards... so we are not a good bait for gift / card companies!!
So.... I do celebrate Valentine's Day! I baked a cake from scratch.. decorated our tiny apartment.. and called him loads of times in the day, just to say those 3 precious words! Ate chocolates he gave me, without a pang of guilt (WOWIE!!)

I made a Honey cake for my Honey!!
This is the original Recipe :
I got this from the internet, but i hunted around a lot, so I don't recollect the name :(

Ingredients:
1 cup honey
1/2 cup strong-brewed coffee
1 tablespoon brandy (optional, I opted out)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar ( i did not have 1/2 cup b. sugar, so I mixed in normal sugar)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

Combine honey, coffee and brandy, if desired, in small bowl; mix well. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add oil and brown sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in medium bowl; mix well. Add flour mixture and honey mixture alternately to egg mixture.
Pour batter into greased 9-inch square pan/ muffin pan.

Bake at 300 degrees F oven for 55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. !I made heart shaped these jumbo muffins, these took just about 20 -22 mins to bake!

Today is also my Mom's Birthday!! And that's another reason why this day is so special to me!!
And though I am far away... I do celebrate her birthday.. with a promise to make up for the absence when I am back in India!!


This one's for you, Mommy!!

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Green Tomato Chutney and No-Fuss-No-Grind Idlis

On a sudden impulse I picked up these Green Tomatoes from the market..... not sure what I would make with them. Generally having this vague idea of a chutney in mind. As a child I used to dislike this variation to a chutney, whereas my father likes it a lot.

But ever since I have started blogging, my ideas, likes and dislikes have undergone a change and I like to give a shot to all those dishes I used to dislike as a child (except that I am still stuck FAST on my dislike of eggplant.... eewww....) and find it immensely satisfying that the dishes turn out well, touch wood!! (also act as a constant reminder that I still have a LONG way to go!) .... in fact my idea of chutneys was also pretty limited.. the all-time favourite being 'hirvi chutney' (some other post!), Lassun chutney and chutneys used for chaat items! But trust the Indian ingenuity! we make chutneys from anything and everything! right from the above mentioned items straight up to vegetable peels and very tasty they are too!!!!

For this green tomato chutney you need

6-7 Green Tomatoes
1-2 Green chillies
2Tbsp. Sesame seeds
Salt
Sugar
1 tsp. Oil

Peel the outer cover on the tomatoes. Wash them thoroughly (sticky li'll suckers!) and chop them into cubes.
Chop the green chillies.
Heat the oil in a wok, add the chopped tomatoes and chillies and cook thoroughly till it is mushy.
Let it cool. In the mean time, roast the sesame seeds to a nice brown colour and roughly powder / pound it.

Combine the tomato-chilly mixture with the sesame powder, salt sugar in the blender and grind to a paste. Done! The end result in this chutney is rather a disappointment in terms of the colour, but don't let that fool you! the taste more than makes up for the looks. The tangy-nutty taste is a treat and also unlike any chutney you have tasted!

This chutney goes well with idlis and also as an accompaniment to everyday meals.
I served this chutney with no fuss - no grind idlis

To make no fuss - no grind idlis

1 cup urad daal Flour
1 1/2 cup Idli Rava
Water

Mix the urad flour and idli rava with water. cover and leave, preferably overnight, to ferment. I usually leave the batter in the oven and also switch on the oven to 'Warm' for 5-6 mins.
After the batter is ready, add a couple of spoons of oil , salt to taste, mix well. Make idlis as usual!

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SPICY ...Panchamrit.. ??????

Many a times I have long for some accompaniment to my lunch or dinner... mostly, when I have a dry vegetable to go with rotis, like batata bhaji... at such times I feel a pickle, though always welcome, is not 'the thing'. Nor are the chutneys... my taste buds long for something a bit more on the spicy side... a little extra 'khatta-meetha', but different.. these words sound like those told by every movie director... ' this is different'.....
My Mother used to make 'panchamrit' for every festive lunch, I remember eating this with puris.... this Panchamrit however,is not to be confused with the sweet that is prepared during pooja... this is a blend of spicy, sweet and tangy chutney like consistency side item.
Not very clear, am I? Maybe the recipe will help

You need:
6-8 Green chilies chopped (vary as per taste)
1/2 spoon Tamarind concentrate / extract
Jaggery ( double the quantity as that of tamarind )
Salt to taste
1/4 cup peanut powder
3-4 tbsp roasted and ground sesame
A few curry leaves
4 tsp. dessicated coconut /shredded dry coconut
Oil to temper
1/2 spoon Mustard + Cumin seeds
Pinch asafetida
2 pinches Turmeric
Water

Heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds.
One the seeds pop, add asafetida.
Add turmeric
Add the chili and curry leaves. Mix well.
Add water to make a gravy.
Add the tamarind and jaggery , add salt.
Bring to boil. After the chilies are tender, add the peanut and sesame powder.
Boil for 2 mins. take off heat.

The peanut and sesame powder give this accompaniment a wonderful nutty taste and texture.

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Bulgur Sheera

My craving and my eternal love affair with sweets is one thing that M frowns upon! He just cannot understand the longing I feel for a sweet after every meal... or at least after dinner, or for that matter even as an evening snack...
For most evenings I pop a small, and I do mean a small bit of chocolate in my mouth and chew surreptitiously so that it can go unnoticed. Feels kinda school girlish.... but hey! I get away with it!

Using Bulgur(coarse cracked wheat) to make sheera, was something I was totally unaware of until about 5 years ago. But now I have incorporated it in my diet for its obvious nutritional value and also for the fact that it fills the tummy easily!

To make this sheera (I guess one can call it stove-top pudding):

1 cup Bulgur
2 tsp . Ghee
2 1/2 cups Water
1 cup Jaggery
Mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, raisins, pistachios)
Cardamom Powder


Heat ghee in a wok, fry the nuts , remove and keep aside. Now,add the Bulgur and roast it.
Add water, mix well.
Cover and cook till the Bulgur is soft.
Mix in the jaggery, again cover and cook.
For the not-so-calorie-conscious, add a small dollop of ghee round the sides , cover and cook.
Once fully cooked, add cardamom powder and nuts .
Serve hot.

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