Snacky- snacky!!!

It has been a surprising winter for us in L.A.. we had lots of rain!! While others are snow bound, we L.A'ites have none of that winter wonderland, so once in a while when it rains and the temperatures dip, we make the most of it!

If there is one thing I miss here, it is the monsoon season.. the gentle pitter-patter of rain, the rumbling thunder, that brilliant flash of lightening and yes, the occasional flooding which brings life to a stand still!

The happiest days of my child hood were when it rained cats and dogs, the streets would flood and those were the days I was VERY keen on going to school!! Wild horses could not keep me away! To traipse in the water logged streets, tear pages out of the Math notebook and float boats, squeal with laughter when a bicycle went by splashing water and finally find the school gates closed! Going back home to a hot Dettol bath and warm food and then spend the day watching the rain come down with a plate of snacks and a heap of comics ... Utopia!

Of course the favourite snack was pakodas, but when you are not old enough to be trusted with handling match-sticks, you have to be content with a bag of chips and everything else that you can lay your hands on! Even as a child I was very fond of 'kela wafer' or plantain chips and loved to munch on these when curled up with a book.

So when rain lashed the window pane , the flood of memories also brought a craving for plantain chips. It was a matter of minutes , I had one large plantain which I rapidly peeled and sliced thin on the mandolin. While this was happening, heat oil in a kadhai/ wok. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the chips to a crisp. Remove onto a paper towel to absorb excess oil, lightly sprinkle and toss with salt . Grab a plateful , open the book , read and munch!!

After having munched and munched on the chips, we really did not have too much space for a proper dinner, something light and not too much fuss seemed to be the solution. Glancing thru the snacks section of Chandra Padmanabhan's Dakshin, I came across this 'Potato Dosa' , this was an instant dosa and that always is a hit with me! No fermentation!

For the Dosa:

2 Large Potatoes
1 cup Rice Flour
1/2 cup Yogurt
1-2 Green chillies minced
fistful of finely chopped Cilantro
Salt to taste
Oil to make Dosa

Cook the potatoes ( pressure cook or microwave them). Peel and mash them. Add all the remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly using sufficient water to make a regular dosa batter. Heat a tawa/ skillet. Make dosas !!! Serve hot with chutney .

Though this dosa makes a nice snack, the only difficulty I had with it was flipping it.. some broke / tore halfway, not that I am complaining!

To end on a sweet note, I made this dessert on Sunday. Basically anything that requires the oven, is frankly intimidating to me. Where the Daring Bakers turn out these WONDERFUL things, all I can do is gape! I was looking for something minimalistic and manageable. Now when I am bracing myself for an adventure like this, I like to read a few recipes which sound simple but more importantly have portions that are small too, small enough to experiment. Googling for a Caramel Custard recipe I came across Nupur's version and she made it sound like I could do it! It sounded soooooo good!

Can I? Can't I?? You see, there was this one time, my cousin and I in a fit of enthusiasm and ignorance, tried making this dessert, but that was with a ready pack with simple sounding instructions, so simple that we thought it was idiot-proof! To cut a long story short, the caramel custard looked as bad as it tasted and when set on a plate expired there with a 'glooop', needless to say, we had a hushed up funeral for it and later dug noisily into cartons of ice-cream, scraping the bottom with the wodden scoops.
So this time around, when the husband was in the office (on a weekend, mark you, it is so annoying when all problems crop up on a saturday and the boss calls you in for an hour or two), I tackled this recipe. I followed every word and every step...right down to even taking the picture the way Nupur did, I was that nervous! One wrong step and it would go 'glooop' was a warning that buzzed my ears! But... but!!!! check it out folks!!!

Yes, Yes, Yes!!! Ta-Dah!! I did it!! Jai ho!! Nupur ki jai ho!!!! This is one recipe I am going to hang on to!!! Perhaps the caramel could have been a shade darker, but as the recipe warned, there is a thin line between caramel and charcoal, I was very careful!

M loved the caramel custard!! Not too sweet, just how he likes it!! In fact this was all that was left for the photograph! I cannot wait to try it again!!

On a more serious note: Thank U all for your concern over my previous post. Looks like honesty is not the 'in' thing these days.. sadly the thief in concern has not removed my picture, she first claimed that her son was unwell, so she was busy, but since them she has had time to make a few more videos. It is sad that a woman should 'use' her small son to shield her dishonesty. Don't know what the world is coming to, I no longer feel so bad about the stolen picture, but more so for her son and the wrong ideas he will grow up with.

That's it for now!! Take care you all! Keep warm and SMILE!!!

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And so it happened to me!! A copycat stalked on my blog....

I never thought it would happen to me!! I saw it happen with the others, I was sorry and angry about it.. but I guess when it really happens to you, that's when one feels the real pinch!

Let me explain what I am rambling about, I am a member on Orkut which has a large number of 'communities' which discuss various topics of interest. Among these I found one community with a cooking video on making Til Wadi (Sesame Bars) and out of interest clicked on it. To my surprise I saw a picture stolen from my post staring up at me!

I blinked.. I rubbed my eyes.. re-re checked to make sure I was not hallucinating.. NO, it was definitely my picture!

So I set about leaving a polite message for the lady, asking her to remove my picture which she, no doubt must have laboriously hunted and copied, but the poor sap did not realise that not only is it wrong to copy/ steal and take credit for some body's work, but .. that the recipe calls for slightly different ingredients too!

Not that the picture is that good (indeed, I have always maintained that my pictures are probably the most amateurish ones in blogosphere) but be that as it may, it is still is my work and I am not happy about it being casually pinched! I work hard to keep my blog up and running and naturally feel possessive about my posts and the pictures in it.

So far she has not responded nor co-operated.. needless to say by this time I was vexed.. I went ahead and left another message on youtube.com (in the hope that it might awaken / jolt her slumbering conscience) requesting her to take off my picture.

If you all have any suggestions, please do let me know.

Please support me in fighting one more war against plagiarism.

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Tomato Rice- The Best I have ever Eaten!!

Of late M and I reminisce a lot about our brief stay in Bangalore.. and of course we end up talking of the awesome food we ate there! M always boasted to me about the AWESOME food one could eat only in Bangalore .
After just a few meals I was convinced! There was something so heartening about the meals I ate! The taste ! The aroma!

Growing up, pulav, biryani were regulars at home and also our choice when dining out. It was not until Sanjeev Kapoor made Tomato Rice on his famous show Khana Khazana that this rice dish got any recognition (with us). The hastily scribbled recipe was then shoved in some book and labelled as 'try later' ..

We did experiment with a few recipes, each one was 'good', but there was nothing exceptional about it. Let me go so far as saying, there was nothing really noteworthy about those recipes.. just like one of those Hindi movies, a strictly one-watch.. NO more!

Then last week, prowling thru the cookbook aisle in the library, I spied 'Dakshin' by Chandra Padmanabhan... flipping thru the pages I drooled over the recipes and the pictures. THIS was what I was looking for!

What can I say about the book? For those who have tried recipes from this book need no recommendation and for those ( late comers like me) I have just one thing to say... GO GET IT!!!

The first recipe I tried was the Tomato Rice, one look at the ingredients list had me thoroughly convinced that 'this' was the 'exceptional' recipe I was looking for!!

I followed the recipe to the T. The result was this AMAZING tasting rice, we overate, nothing else was even glanced at!

The best part was a happy and beaming M giving me a thumbs up and declaring this as 'the best' and declaring that my (the adapted recipe, that is) recipe was LOADS better than even Bangalore! Now, for me, that is a HUGE compliment! M is a devotee of Bangalore food, swears by it! So his compliments are my treasure!

The taste left a lingering memory which compelled me to try it again within a week and this time I made sure we had enough for our lunch box too!

A keeper, this one... as most from the book! I cannot wait to try some more from this treasure trove!!

You need:

1 cup Long grain Rice
4 large Tomatoes , Chopped

2 Med. Onions chopped
2 Green chilies finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric


MASALA

2 tsp Oil

6 Red Chilies (less if you prefer it mild)
2 tsp. Coriander Seeds
1/4 tsp. Fenugreek seeds
3 tsp. Channa daal (Bengal gram)
1 tsp. Urad daal (washed black gram)
1/2 tsp Asafetida
2 tblsp Flaked Coconut


TEMPERING
2 tblsp Oil
2 tblsp Ghee
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tblsp Raw peanuts
Few curry leaves

Cook the rice, spread on a platter to cool

Blend the tomatoes in a lender, strain the juice an set aside

For the Masala: Hat 2 t oil, add red chillies, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, chana daal, urad daal, asafetida and coconut. Saute for 2-3 mins. Blend to a fine paste ( I sauteed the masala using just a few drops of oil and ground it in my spice blender and then mixed a bit of water in it to make a paste).

To a heavy saucepan add the tomato juice, salt to taste and turmeric. simmer till the mixture thickens, add the masala paste, mix thoroughly . Set aside

Heat 2 t oil & 2 t ghee, add the mustard seeds, raw peanuts and curry leaves.

When the mustard seeds splutter add the green chillies and onions. Saute till golden in color. Add tomato juice and rice. Mix thoroughly. Serve hot with the usual accompaniment of papad.

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Starting the new year with a good amount of Vegetables!! And Indo- Chinese food!

I first drooled over these and then she tempted me !!! I hadn't heard of these.. though I do love Indo- Chinese-made-in-Mumbai food.. the closest I could relate these to was Momos!! But they looked sooooo good!!! And the ladies praised them so much and honestly, they looked like they were so easy to make (and they are!!!) !!!!

Plus, what a great way to eat vegetables (especially when you are as fussy as me!)..

These pot stickers are a HIT with me and I will definitely keep making them! Maybe the next time I will plain steam them, bet those will taste just as good!

I followed Suganya's recipe and for the next round it will be Nupur's! Any suggestions what I can substitute for mushrooms?

I rounded up the usual suspects for stuffing! Just chopping these vegetables made me feel 'healthy'.. no I an not exaggerating! There are evenings, when I come home from work, tired and cranky, and all I can rustle up is a pot of sambar and rice.. and if I am not cranky, I also make fulkas with a vegetable! But that was until last year.. this year I have resolved to eat as many veges as I can ( and dare to sample some new varieties as well).

I followed the recipe, link here

And just as a reference:

Ingredients
Cabbage – 2 cups,

Shredded Carrot – 1 cup,

Shredded Bell pepper – 1 big,

Shredded Green chilli – 1,

Minced Ginger – 1 inch,

Grated Lemon grass – 1 tbsp,

Soy sauce – 2 tbsp

Salt

Pepper

Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

Wonton wrappers – 1 packet

Method
Reserve some shredded cabbage, carrots and bell pepper for plating. Put a wok on high heat. Add oil and quickly stir fry carrot, bell pepper with green chilli, ginger and lemon grass, for about a minute. Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Switch off the flame and mix the shredded cabbage. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Take 6 wonton wrappers at a time and form an assembly line. Brush the edges with water, place a tbsp of filling in the center, and fold as a square or a triangle. Pinch the edges and transfer the finished wontons onto a baking sheet and keep them covered with a kitchen towel. Proceed to finish the rest.
Take a flat pan with lid and put it under medium heat. Spray the pan with a tsp of oil and place 5 or 6 filled wontons without crowding the pan. Don’t disturb the potstickers for a whole minute. After they have crisped on one side, gently pour ¼ cup of water in the pan and close the lid. The steam from the evaporating water will cook the potstickers. When all the water has dried and the wonton wrappers are transparent, they are done. Gently transfer onto a platter prepared with the reserved vegetables and serve immediately with your favourite dipping sauce.

I would like to try another dipping sauce, I somehow did not take to the soy sauce (dipping sauce), so if you all have any other suggestions, please do let me know!

I also made Fried Rice and Sweet and Sour Vegetable.

I used the same vegetables ( carrots, cabbage, spring onion, green bell pepper)

You need:

3 cups Mixed Vegetables ( I chopped veges in to cubes and carrots in rounds)

1/2 Onion, chopped (cook separately)

1 1/2 cup Vegetable stock*

3 tblspn Tomato sauce

2 tblsp Vinegar

2tblsp Sugar

1 1/4 tblsp Cornflour

Salt to taste

1 tblsp Butter

Combine all ingredients from Tomato sauce up to salt. Boil the vegetables in water until just cooked. Reserve the water (vegetable stock). Heat butter in a pan, add the onion and cook till translucent, add the sauce and boil . Add the boiled vegetables, mix well. Boil and let the sauce thicken. Serve with Fried rice!! This meal is light and tasty but at the same time,not at all spicy!
Have a great weekend!!!!

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Tum chalo to Hindustan chale..!!

Happy New Year to all readers!! God Bless!!!

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An aimless meal with an awakening!

There was no direction.. no aim.. I just chopped the cauliflower.. not even in nice shaped florets. After all I just had half a head of cauliflower...

All because I torn between making a vegetable preparation or a stuff paratha. Finally the mind latched on to a proper roti-subzi combination, then came the struggle of making either a curry based subzi or a dry one. With a frustrated 'tsk', I flung the knife down and drifted towards making a dough for rotis.

Not satisfied with the idea of rolling out soft fulkas, I absently added a bit of chopped spinach , salt, some turmeric, cumin-coriander powder to make a stiffish dough. Covered it and then decided to once again apply my mind to the (at that time) insurmountable problem of dealing with the roughly chopped cauliflower.

Hmm... roll the sleeves...

Chop 1/2 an Onion ( a big size one)

Open a can of diced Tomato (fresh would have been a far better option, but I did not have any on hand)

Placed a kadhai on the gas

Now what?

Add 2 tbsp oil

Stare with a blank expression , then on an impulse, grab the 'panch phoron' bottle and add approximately 1/2 tsp to the now hot oil.

Add a dash of Turmeric (approx. a little less than 1/2 tsp)

pitch in the onion , saute for a while, add the cauliflower, mix well. Cover and cook. Add the tomato .. cook.

I kept checking at regular intervals for the 'doneness', I don't like my cauliflower all mushed up in a unrecognizable mess.. I like it when it has a slight crunch to it!

Just the way i like it!! Added a bit of cumin - coriander powder and very little garam masala ( no measures, sorry, used 'andaz') salt , red chilli powder, water to make a gravy. Covered and cooked for another 2-3 mins. Finished!!!

Quickly re- knead the dough, make small portions... by this time I had decided puris would make a nice combination with this subzi.

Placed another kadhai on the gas.. with guilt nagging me, poured as little oil as possible.. Rapidly rolled out small discs of the dough and deep fried them with a few of them turning out cluris , oh well, I can always eat those!

Let out the usual yowl, " Dinner Ready!!"

Surprisingly, this combination turned out really well! The Husband grinned and happily started tucking in, all the time his eyes seemed however, to search something.. I wondered, as I put the first morsel in my mouth, if I had missed out salt.. no... that was just fine. Cocking an inquisitive eyebrow at him, I asked, " 'sup?"

"Where is the camera?"

"Huh? what for?"

"Don't you want to blog about this? it's very tasty!!"

"Oh!!"

So hastily swallowing my morsel, I washed my hands and grabbed my camera, clicked pictures and then dashed back to my dinner plate!

The keen observer, made a comment which made me realise something... he said, " happy now that you have another recipe to blog about? Your face shows it!!" And then it hit me (like a sock full of wet sand, I might add) my aimlessness in the kitchen was because I did not think of blogging ! I have been away too long!!! Shame on me!! Getting caught up in the daily routine I compromised and neglected doing something I love!!!

All these days I made just the regular stuff and sometimes recipes from other blogs ( that is another post to thank all of them!).

I hope I won't be as laid back now, especially since it is almost the year end and a new one is just around the corner!!!

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JFI Toor Daal - Rasam

Brrrrrrrrrr.. it's cold (people living in the East Coast, skip this line!)

It definitely is the season for warm soups and for those, like me, who also want some 'spice' in their soup make ... Rasam!

Cold nights, steaming hot bowl of rasam.. it's tantalising aroma wafting.. you dip your spoon in and raise it to your cold lips and sip.......... the warmth travels down your throat and warms you and then you dip you spoon into the steaming bowl again.. ahhhhh!

I dug up an old recipe which has been on the back of my mind for a long time now, I call it 'Bangalore Rasam'. My first taste of this awesome rasam was when I was visiting my cousin. Her Mother-in-law had made this rasam. I still remember ignoring the rest of the food to only consume this. The lady of the house was amused and pleased at my deep admiration for her culinary skills and actually blushed when I praise her rasam! But I did not stop at that, I insisted that she tell me the recipe, which I noted on a handy notepad at the dining table! Being the superlative cook that she is, she of course used 'andaz' (approximates) for the Rasam powder/ masala.. and being a novice, I wanted accurate measures, it finally ended up that she actually measured the amount for me while I was noting it.

As soon as I went back to Mumbai I made this powder, which to my delight produced the same results as the Rasam I had tasted in B'lore!! (Oh I was all puffed up at that point of time, patted myself on the back at my accomplishment, as in those days I did not cook much).

Cut to the time I was a newly wed, and I made this rasam for the first time at my new home, my hands were actually trembling and a short prayer escaped my lips and I added the ingredients, hoping to re-create the magic! My brow was fevered as I set the pot of bubbling rasam on the dining table and ladled it out for everyone.. But I should have trusted my guardian angel and my novice skills, it turned out great and my MIL was all praise and coming from her, a superlative cook herself, I treasured those words and her gentle encouraging smile!!

What also encouraged me to make this rasam again and also post about it is M's rating!! Oh Yes, he actually rates every dish I make! and this rasam had 'THE PUNCH' and recieved an A+ and therefore makes its debut on my blog!!!

This is my contribution to JFI- TOOR DAL hosted by Linda.

Toor dal is 'the' dal used in my home as long as I remember..and so making this rasam was my first choice.

You need:

1/4 cup Toor Dal washed and cooked to a mush

1 Tomato, cubed

2 Tsp Rasam Powder (recipe at the end of the post)

1 tsp Tamarind paste

1 lump Jaggery

Salt to taste

1-2 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Asafetida

2 Dry Red Chillies broken

Toor dal Water ( add extra water while cooking the dal and take off the water before mashing the dal)

Finely chopped cilantro to garnish

Heat oil , add the mustard seed. After they pop, add the asafetida, curry leaves, red chillies and tomato. Cook till the tomato is soft and mushy. Add toor dal water (add plain water as well depending on the consistency you want) and let it all come to a rolling boil.

Add the tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt.

Add the rasam powder and the cooked toor dal..

Boil the rasam for a good 5-7 mins. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

This rasam is my soup on a winter evening, I sometimes make it a little thick so it can be mixed with rice as well.

RASAM POWDER:

1 cup Corriander / Dhaniya seeds

100 gms (approx. 7 tbsp) Cumin / Jeera seeds

25 gms (approx 2 tbsp) Fenugreek / Methi seeds

50 gms (I used only 3 tbsp.) Black pepper

approx 2 tbsp Asafetia

andful Curry leaves

3 tbsp red Chilli powder

Little oil

Turmeric and Salt (2 pinches each)

Heat oil in a kadhai/ wok and roast all ingredients up to curry leaves.

Cool the mixture, add red chilly powder, turmeric salt and grind to a powder and store in an airtight box.

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RCI - Bihar .... Dal-Puri

Sangeeta, our hostess for RCI this month has us travelling to Bihar! Luckily for me, I had a super shortcut!!! My friend S (I affectionately call her - Heroine!!) is from Bihar and is my sure-shot source for the regional recipes!

My very first attempt to secure a recipe was to contact her, I did not even bother browsing thru any sites!! And pat came her reply... though she did mention (with a sigh) that 'sattu ka atta' was the ingrdient she would have recommended, but since it is impossible to procure it here, she was sending me another simple and tasty recipe.. DAL -PURI.

After some back and forthing about the recipe details, where she mentioned that Dal-puri is eaten with pickle/ chutney/ yogurt , but the real thing is making 'Ali ki rasdar subzi' with it, so ofcourse I had to haunt her for that!!! Now heroine is smart! so in her reply, detailing the Alu ki subzi, she also sent me the recipe for a sweet, as a bonus!!
I also asked her if there was a special ocassion that this was made or a specific season? It seems that Dal-puri is usually prepared during Holi, but there are of course no set rules!

Now, I am a puri fan... but I don't usually indulge.. afterall, one has to 'weigh' the pros and cons before biting into these deep-fried goodies! But this is the festive season! time to shamelessly indulge ( after all those chaklis, karanji, laddu, shankarpalis, puris can squeeze in!!!)
After all a foodie can but say... eat and be merry, for tomorrow me may diet!!!

For the Dal -Puri:

Do the prep:

My measurement are sufficient just for 2 people ( and that too after a warning about ' keeping the oily stuff within limits')

For the Puri Stuffing:

1/2 cup Chana daal

One pinch Asafetida

1/8 tsp. Turmeric powder

1 Green chilli minced (+/- as per required heat)

1 tsp. Ginger-Garlic paste (I used the store brought, but fresh paste is a much better option)

1 Bay leaf/ Tej patta

1 whole Red Chilli

1/2 tsp Jeera / Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Garam Masala ( I added 1/4 tsp, M does not like the 'too strong' taste of GM)

Salt to taste

1 tbsp. Cilantro minced

1 tbsp Oil for tempering ( preferably mustard oil, but refined works just as well)

Making the stuffing:

In a wide pan boil the channa in adequate water with salt and turmeric powder. Ensure that the daal is cooked, but firm, we do NOT want a mush. Drain all the water. The daal should look dryish.

Grind the daal (do not use a blender) I used my handy chopper, to a fine crumble.

Heat oil in a kadhai/ wok, add cumin, asafetida, bay leaf and the whole red chilli. Next add the minced green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and the crumbled daal. Add salt as per taste, garam masala and cilantro. Mix well. The stuffing is now ready. Keep it aside to cool completely.

For the Puri Dough

Whole wheat flour ( roti atta)

1 tbsp Farina/ sooji/ rawa

A few pinches Salt

2 tbsp Hot Oil

Water to knead dough

Oil for deep frying

Mix all the ingredients and make a semi-stiff dough. the dough should not as stiff as puri dough and not as pliable as roti dough. . Cover and keep for 15 - 20 mins.

* It is not mandatory to add the farina, I added it for some crispiness. My friend also suggested that regular roti dough can be used just as well.

To make the puris:

From the stuffing, discard the red chilli and the bay leaf.

Take a portion of the dough and roll out a disc (this puri has to be slightly bigger than the regular puri), spoon the mixture and close. Roll out a regular puri, just like you would roll a stuffed paratha! Deep fry in oil.

* care: Ensure that the stuffing is fine crumbled, otherwise roiling the puri will be difficult and will split in places and cause the stuffing to come out. Look at the picture below, there is a small split in the puri (rt. hand corner, bottom), the puri will puff up, but when you turn it , the stuffing may out. ( BBoy ! is it difficult to fry and take pictures at the same time!!)

This puri is a superb variation from the regular puri and is a delightful change. It pairs well with the Alu ki rasdar subzi and will pair well with pickles/ chutney or can be eaten as it is!! Great for lunch boxes and picnics too!

For the Alu ki rasdar subzi:

2 Potatoes (boiled/ cooked in a microwave)

1 Onion chopped

1-2 Green chillies chopped1 Bayleaf

1 Whole Red Chilli

1/2 tsp Cumin / jeera seeds

1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

2 med. size tomatoes

Cumin & corriander powder (1/2 tsp each)

Red chilli powder (optional)

1/8 tspTurmeric powder

1/2 tsp. Garam Masala

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil

Cilantro leaves for garnishing

First : boil the potatoes…let them cool, then break them unevenly into small sizes,u need not mash them.Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadhai.
Add cumin seeds…when it splutters add tej patta and the red chilli. Add green chilly…and onion…when the onion turns brown add the ginger garlic paste…cumin- corriander pwd, turmeric , red chilly pwd…sauté for a little while then add the chopped tomatoes…when they become soft and leave oil add in the potatoes and salt…sauté till the potatoes blend in with the masala….then add water…cover and cook for sometime…..when the gravy becomes thick…add garam masala!remove it from fire and garnish it with coriander leaves!
Voila its done!

Thank you Sangeeta for hosting RCI this month, which gave us another opprotunity to explore a different cuisine! And thank you , S, my Heroine for the recipes and for clarifying all my doubts and being patient with me!!!

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A Box Full of Love!!!

It was late, I was tired and dragging my feet in the passage and doing something that comes naturally (to me) when tired... thinking morbidly about climbing the stairs (even though it is just one flight up) and cleaning up the house.. which I always leave in a mess when going off to work in the mornings.. and of the weather and the laundry.. and ironing (and how I can make M do it again this week). Does that happen to you guys and gals too?

Somehow in all these thoughts, another slid into my mind, that of my Mother and how she managed to do everything when I was a kid. If I leave my house in a (kind of) mess in the mornings, it is NOTHING compared to the hurricane that used to hit our home every single day when I was a kid! But I rarely heard my Mom grumble (not until I was *old enough* to start tidying up behind me), somehow that memory gives me comfort and the strength! So on this (grumbly) evening as M and I climbed the stairs, I decided to go and tidy up, afterall, it is not so bad!

As we came in view of the door M spotted a package left at the doorstep... perplexed we both ran forward to see what it could be.. we had not ordered anything, we were not expecting anything! Picking up the box and looking at the senders address was even more confusing.. the label said ' Godbole, Mumbai'. We don't know any Godbole, Mumbai!!
What do you suppose this is?? and what is it doing on my doorstep? Oh it was for me... no mistake about that! Had my Name, my address... yet???? Do mistakes as big as this box happen??

I'll be honest, it did not click! Mom had made a reference to "don't make any Diwali sweets/ namkeens this year, don't strain yourself " a few days ago, but I did not associate that conversation to the box or to Godbole, Mumbai!

On opening the box I was stunned!!

And then I read this e-mail...(excerpt)

When I came to know that this facility is available in Vashi, I was thrilled. I always wanted to send Faral to you for Diwali. My wish is fulfilled now. Hope you will enjoy it. You need not wait till Diwali to taste it. You can enjoy it after you get it. I know the quantity is too small but can not help!

Love and ashirwad,

Aai

So this is my Box FULL of LOVE!!

- Get Your Own

And NO, the contents are NOT limited in quantity!!! They are perfect and of course the unlimited love that comes with it satiates us!!!

My throat welled up and I could not say a word! All that was left unsaid coursed down my cheeks in a warm wave of love! My vision was blurred for a few minutes (just like it is now, as I type this post) but once again my own words came back to me...... I used to quote this to my trainees ( when I was a Trainer in India with one of India's largest mobile phone networks) in reply to their queries about 'free calls' .." Nothing in this world is free, except parents love". Am I right, or am I right????

This time last year my parents were with us, celebrating my very first Diwali after my marriage and it was a very very special time for me and I was feeling a bit flat this year and missing them a lot, but now, now they are with me in spirit and this display of their undying affection has bridged the huge gap between two countries!

What more can a Daughter ask for? I am truly blessed!

Happy Diwali!!

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Golyanchi Aamti

Last week my friend A visited me and was also generous in letting me borrow her cook book " Hamkhass PakaSiddhi" by Mrs. Jayashree Deshpande. As the name suggests, it is a cookbook which details Marathi Cuisine Recipes and also includes a very wide variety of others.

My knowledge of Marathi 'Jevan' is very basic, a lot was added on after RCI- Maharashtra! In fact I feel that I have been unjust by not attempting to make these dishes, or even the fact that having grown up eating 'rozcha jevan' (everyday meals) it may not be a novelty to anyone! I couldn't have made a bigger mistake! What we cook in our day to day meals is but the tip of the iceberg! There is SUCH a variety of dishes that it may take me years & years to cover even a percentage of it!!

Another reason why I did not post about these recipes was due to the fact that these were handed down to me by my Mother. Years of watching her cook without a cook book or a sheet of paper with the details ( decorated with a splattering of oil, mustard and other spices!) could only mean that there are no measurements, everything is 'andaz' (eyeball the ingredients).

If there is one word that is total chaos in the world of cooking, this 'andaz' is it! Take for example the time when I asked my Mom to send me this particular recipe (which we had tasted at her Aunt's house, who by the way is one Terrific cook) , now my Mom promptly replies with the recipe which only states the ingredients and the procedure, but measurements?? So one frantic call and I get the the answer, "Aga, andazane kar ki! soppa ahe!" (just use your judgement, it is easy). Since that is exactly what I did not want to do ( how can I post it on the blog if I do so?.. see what bloggging does?? You cook, so you can post!!)I kept postponing it!! I was delighted to find this recipe and wasted no time in preparing it!!

You need:

1 cup Channa Daal soaked for 4-5 hours

1 med. Onion chopped fine

1 inch Ginger

5 cloves Garlic & 4 green Chilies +/- to taste (grind to make a paste)

4 tbsp. Besan

1tbsp Tamarind pulp / 1 small lemon size ball of Tamarind pulp

1 lump jaggery

Salt to taste

Oil (for tempering 2 tbsp)

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

Dash Asafetida

Oil for deep frying

1/4 tsp Turmeric

Few curry leaves

4 cups Water

Drain the soaked channa daal and grind it with the ginger. Add the fine chopped onion. Add salt and turmeric and 1 tbsp Besan.Mix it well and make small marble sized balls. Heat oil and deep fry the balls to a crisp golden brown.

In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil, add the mustard seeds, after they pop, add cumin seeds, asafetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Add the water to the tempering. Bring this to a rolling boil. In the mean time add some water to the remaining 3 tbsp besan and make a smooth paste. Add this paste to the boiling water, this will make it thick.

Add the tamarind pulp, salt, jaggery and the chilli-garlic paste. Boil for a few mins.

Add the deep fried balls and boil for 2 mins. In about 30 mins. the balls will have soaked well and the daal will be thick.

This was a good variation to the everyday daal/ sambar and was a great accompaniment to piping hot rice!!

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Simple fare- Dudhi bhoplyachi bhaji

These days M keeps ranting about me being a 'Spicitarian' and not a 'Vegetarian'.. that I need 'garam masala' in everything... Wrong!!! I don't need garam masala in everything.. and that was what I was about to prove!

I always associated doodhi with doodhi halwa, since I am partial to sweets and otherwise a 'not so tasty' vegetable. But the simple way in which my mother prepared it with no spices tasted very nice. To my surprise, all my friends in school also liked this version (I was one of those kids who did NOT like 'roti-subzi' in my lunch box, but sometimes condescended!). My fondest memories of eating roti-subzi are at home, sitting cross legged at the dining table and my Mom serving hot fulkas with home made ghee smeared on it with a generous helping of vegetables! YUM!! How I long for those days!! The luxury of being served food, not to worry about doing the dishes after a hearty meal!!!

M was pleasantly surprised when I served him this simple yet tasty vegetable with fulkas and loved it! ( he has a psychological allergy to fulkas/ rotis) .. I was thrilled to hear him rave about the soft and tasty fulkas (some credit goes to the fact that I now make fulkas on a proper gas and not a coil stove! Oh how they puff up!! ) and the tasty vegetable and even asked me what 'masala 'I used in it!! and ending up with....' you see, I never 'really' liked doodhi, but the way 'you' make it.... loved it!!

You need:

1 med. size Lauki/ Doodhi/ Bottle Gourd

2-3 tbsp Channa Daal (soaked in water for atleast 2 hours)

2-3 green chillies
3-4 Curry leaves

2 tbsp Oil

1/8 tsp. Asafetida

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

3/4 tsp Turmeric

Salt (to taste)

Sugar (to taste) ( I quite like the slightly sweet taste )

Cilantro to garnish

Peel the gourd and cut it into small cubes. The peel can be used to make a chutney, but I did not do so.

Heat oil , add mustard seeds, when they crackle add the cumin seeds, asafetida, chillies+curry leaves and Turmeric.

Add the pre soaked channa daal and about half a cup of water and let the daal cook (almost done)

Add the doodhi cubes, mix well. Add a little water if needed , cover and cook till the doodhi is fully cooked. Add salt and sugar, mix well and cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve garnished with chopped cilantro and soft hot fulkas/ roti.

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MBP- BREAD: Cheese Parathas.

I'm LATE... so what's new, huh? But I couldn't miss MBP!!! The darned right thumb delayed me! Anyway, now that we are firmly ensconced in our new apartment, which to my delight has a regular gas (like India) and NO Coil stove, I couldn't be happier! Food tastes better and cooks faster than the dreadful coil (M claims it is all my fancy... Men! I tell ya, they are weird!)

For MBP- BREAD I found so many varieties of Breads in our blogosphere, but I finally decided in favour of Cheese Parathas

Like Musical, parathas have always been my favourite type of bread too! Parathas hold a special place in my heart! They are a constant reminder to me of my BEST Friend who is from Delhi and the YUM! parathas I have eaten at home!

In fact, I still vividly recall my first instruction in making a paratha.. (it was not the stuffed variety) and inexperienced as I was in making Parathas, I rolled one all nice and round and .... thin! like a Fulka!! Oh boy!! did I feel like an ostrich? I sure did!!! Just wanted to bury my head in some soil and hang in there till eternity!

Around that time, I also learned that parathas need not be round (or as thin as fulkas!!) and when I found Musical's Recipe, after chuckling awhile, decided 'this' is it!

I followed her recipe, copy pasted in here for convenience, with a couple of variations...

Thanx Musical! Loved the parathas!!

MUSICAL'S RECIPE :

We need:

Whole wheat flour, water, a pinch of salt, ajwain and grated cheese of your favorite variety (i used five cheese Italian blend).Sift the flour, add salt, ajwain, knead into a smooth dough with water. The essence of any good Indian bread is a good dough, so knead, knead, knead :). The dough should be flexible. Set aside for a few minutes. Heat the tava/griddle and roll a nice chapati as shown in the picture. Heap some grated cheese and fold into a square (or a triangle if you like). Dust with some flour and roll this square. Fry it with lil' oil/ghee on the tava-the cheese melts and makes this ordinary bread into something extraordinary :).

Variations I made :

Used Mozzarella Cheese

Added 1/2 very finely chopped onion

Used Olive oil spray

..... My favourite smells in the kitchen....

- Daal (Varan) and Basmati Rice and the lingering smell of an incense stick ( something one encounters in a typical Maharashtrian Brahmin kitchen!!)!!

- Tadkas (tempering) (with or without ginger-garlic paste)!!

-Cake baking in the oven!! ( I am going to try my hand at baking proper bread soon, so I'm sure that will be another to this list!

Thank You , Coffee, for this wonderful theme and Okaying my late entry!!

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Ganesh Chaturthi and RCI-Karnataka!

What happens when you apparently fall asleep? What happens when you wake up, but just gaze dreamily at the ceiling, thinking of nothing particular? What happens is..... a good friend comes along and nudges you out of the semi- comatose state!!
I was a bit lazy ... okay... okay, going in reverse gear, where blogging was concerned.. but so much was happening.. we are moving to a new apartment this weekend, so in a fit of high enthusiasm M and I packed stuff last weekend and in that very fit, I dunno what I did, but messed up my right thumb, which to date, is throbbing!

But, keeping in mind the RCI-Karnataka event, hosted this month by our very own superwoman, ASHA .I decided to make 'Kadabu'. My memories of Karnataka cuisine are linked to the small village of Badami in Karnataka. We would go to the Banshankari Temple (Kuldevi) and would stay there for a couple of days. My Mother's friend is of the Pujari family and so we always had a very pleasant time there (along with the privilege of sometimes helping in the kitchen! but the rules were SUPER orthodox and I always lived in the fear of royally messing up the whole thing and thereby incurring the wrath of the Goddess and the pujari family!)Thursday was the day of the Goddess and as usual there was a GRAND feast prepared and the rows and rows of devotees would await their turn to enter the great hall and feast!

Kadabu ( or simply put, puran - karanji) was a regular along with Chitranna, Holgi (puran poli) , Palya ( vegetable) , kousambri, and buttermilk. Thus satiated everyone would feel very happy and content and friendly with the world!! The evenings (after the sumptuous food) was my favourite time of the day, way back when I visited the temple, there was no electricity inside the Temple (they had everything in their homes) but the temple would glow in the soft light of the oil lamps. The wonderful smell of camphor, flowers would linger in the air and a flock of the womenfolk would gather in the space and sit making tiny packets of 'haldi-kumkum' and singing songs glorifying the Goddess and other dieties. These would be sung in Kannada (which I only partially understand) and full of devotion which would stir the heart and make even the most restless person feel at peace and one with the Almighty!

So this time for Ganesh Chaturthi, I decided to make Kadabu along with 'Ukadiche Modak' , Sheera and Pal payasam.

Kadabu Recipe

For the filling:

1 cup chana daal

1 cup Jaggery (or 1/2 cup jaggery & 1/2 cup sugar)

1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

For the cover:

1 cup Wheat flour (atta)

1 tbsp oil

Water to bind the dough

OIL to deep fry the kadabu

Bind the dough for the cover, like roti dough, just a little stiff.
Wash the daal in 2-3 changes of water and put it to boil with about 3 cups water.
Cook the daal until it is soft. Drain and reserve the water, this can be used to make Katachi aamti
In a heavy bottom pan combine the daal and the jaggery and cook till it becomes a homogenous mixture. leave it to cool ,then add the cardamom powder. If you want to make the stuffing amooth, run it through the blender, I left it chunky as I do not have what is called as the 'puran yantra.Take a small lemon size ball of the dough and roll it out like a puri. Spoon 1-2 tbsp. (depending upon the size of the puri) of the filling and fold it over, pressing the edges together to seal it. Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry the kadabu till golden brown.When serving, add a dollop of pure ghee and serve.

Ukadiche Modak :

For the filing

1 cup fresh grated coconut

1 cup jaggery

1 cardamom powdered

1 tbsp Poppy seeds (khus-khus) (optional)

For the Cover:

1 cup rice flour

1 cup +3-4 tbsp Water

2 pinches salt

2 tbsp Oil

In a kadhai, add the coconut and jaggery and cook till it is a homogenous mixture. Take care not to overcook.

Boil water in a saucepan, add the salt and oil to it. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the rice flour and mix well so that there are no major lumps. Cover and cook for a minute. Remove cover and mix again, cover and switch off the heat/ flame.

After a while (2-3 mins) take out the mixture and knead it into a soft pliable dough. Divide into lemon size balls and carefully using palms and fingers flatten the dough into a puri like shape, spoon the coconut-jaggery mixture into the rice dough . Carefully squeeze the sides to form petals and bring them together at the top. Do this for all of the rice dough. Cover the ready modak by a damp cloth to prevent drying. The modak now need to be steamed. I used the regular pressure cooker (without the weight/whistle)

Arrange the modak carefully and steam them for approx 15 mins.

When serving serve with a dolop of pure ghee! YUM!!

Pal Payasam (I made limited quantity)

4 tbsp Basmati Rice

2 cups Milk

5 tbsp Brown Sugar ( add extra sugar if u like it sweet)

A few threads saffron

1 cardamom powdered

1 tsp ghee

Few Raisins, Almonds and Cahews

Wash the rice and drain all water, set it aside

Heat ghee in a saucepan, lightly fry the almond and cashews, add the rice and then the raisins and saffron ( I usually add raisins at this stage for the simple reason that on a few occasions they were burnt beyond recognition and I had to chuck the whole thing) Once all the rice grains are well coated with ghee and the raisins are plump, add the milk.

Here you have 2 options, the quick way to make Pal Payasam is to put it in the pressure cooker and cook for 3-4 whistles of let it slow cook in the stove till rice is completely cooked. I used the pressure cooker. After removing the vessel from the pressure cooker, add sugar and bring to a boil, let it thicken a little, lastly add the cardamom powder.

I made Sheera like I always do , but one thing is for sure, Sheera made for prasad tastes a whole lot tastier than the regular sheera!! Don't ask me how!! It just does!!

My prasad thali

Chitranna

1 cup rice

1 tsp Urad Daal

1tsp chana daal

1 green Chilli

1 Dry red chilli

Few curry leaves

1-2 tbsp Oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

2-3 tbsp. Roasated peanuts

1/4 tsp Asafetida

1/2 tsp Turmeric

Salt to taste

Juice of one med. size Lemon

1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

5-6 cashews (optional)

Cilantro (minced) to Garnish
Wash rice in 3-4 changes of water and keep aside for 20 mins. Cook rice. Once rice is cooked, spread it ona plate and allow it to cool.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Add chana and urad daal and let them turn a light brown, add mustard seeds, once they pop, add the asafetida, green and red chilli ,curry leaves, turmeric and peanuts. Saute a while.

Add the Rice, mix thoroughtly, cover and cook for 2 mins. on medium flame. Uncover add salt and sugar, mix and cove and cook for another 3-4 mins. Afte r the heat is turned off, add the lemon juice. Garnish with Cilantro before serving.

We now come to one amazing Fruitzi the Pineapple Kairas! The unusual combination of pineapple chunks with spices creating an explosion of taste in every mouthful is difficult for me to describe!! Every year during the month of Shravan, the Kannada Community in Navi Mumbai (or New Bombay as I call it) have the Raghavendra Swami Ashtotarra and SatyaNarayan pooja. They have this caterer ( who was also caters to most of our family functions) who makes the MOST AMAZING Food and his pineapple kairas is to die for, so are the Jalebis, and the sambar and the rasam and ... (stop calling me a greedy p**, what I am stating is the absolute Truth!!)

So since I have missed the food for 2 years in a row, I mean the pooja .. pooja... ahem.. yes.... I got my Mom to somehow procure the recipe... which she did from her friend, Mrs. B !

Pineapple Kairas

1 cup Pineapple chunks ( I used a can of chunks)

1 lump Jaggery

Marble size Tamarind Pulp

Salt to taste

Masala

1 tsp White sesame seeds/ til

1/4 tsp Fenugreek/ Methi seeds

1/2 tsp Urid dal

1 spoon Corriander seeds/ Dhane

2-3 Bedagi chilli

1/2 cup fresh coconut grated

Few Curryleaves

1 tbsp oil for frying masala

Heat a kadhai , add the sesame to it and dry roast till they turn a light brown.Remove and keep it aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil, add the urad daal and methi seeds and saute for about 20 seconds. Add the corriander seeds, saute. Add the Byedgi chilly and curry leaves, by now the urid daal has turned light brown, add the grated coconut and mix and cook for acouple of mins.

Grind to a paste in the blender/ chutney attachment 9 do not add too much water0

In the same kadhai, add the Pineapple pieces , tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt. Mix these 4 items together and cook for a minute Mix the masala paste in the cooked pineapple mixture and boil for 2 minutes or till the pineapple softens (time may vary if you use fresh pineapple).Your pineapple kairas is ready to serve.

If ALL that ain't enough, finish off your meal with soothing Yogurt Rice!

You need: (no measures for this!! I just did this mechanically! So used to it since my childhood!)

Cooked rice

Fresh yogurt

Milk

Salt to taste

For tempering

2 tsp oil

1 spn mustard seeds

1/4 tsp pinches asafetida

Some grated ginger (1/2 tsp, if you like ginger)

1/2 spoon chana daal + urad daal

5 curry leaves

1 dry red chilli broken into 2-3 pieces / 1 green chilly chopped

Fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

Mix the yogurt and milk in the rice, add salt .. mix well Heat oil, add chana and urad daal, mustard seeds, once the daal is nice and brown (by this time the mustard will crackle) add asafetida, ginger, chilly and curry leaves. Add the tempering to the yogurt rice, garnish with cilantro if u wish….and complete your meal!

Thank you Asha for being our hostess for RCI this month!!

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Kheer (Semiya) for Janmashtami

Pic courtesy: Google search

Childhood stories tell us that Lord Krishna was partial towards milk, so befitting this occasion, I made kheer. But are there any guidelines for making ‘prasad’? Oh! Everyone knows what NOT to use, but who actually decided that He likes x,y,z dish? God embraces everything and every act of devotion be it ever so humble. So kheer it is!

Take a moment to consider this, does one need a reason to make Kheer? Any occasion, festival day, birthday.. or or the matter guests for dinner ! Kheer can me made from vermicelli, farina, sago, rice, carrots... if there are any more variations, I am not aware of them.

Janmashtami, in childhood meant NO school and Dahi Handi !!! We (my gang of friends) would run thru our colony where we stayed to check which building had the ‘handi’ at the highest level/ floor and who would break it. We would also sing ‘ mach gaya shor saari nagari re, aya Biraj ka banka, sambhal teri gagri re’ Gazing in wonder at the human pyramid trying to reach the ‘handi’ on the fourth floor level, we would go ‘ooooh… aaaahhhhhh’ and laughing uproariously when they fell and yell, ‘areyyyyy Govinda padla rey!!!! ’
I have also had my share of breaking a ‘handi’ when I was in a day care and the lady in charge had a small ‘handi’ set up for us and waaaaaaaaaaaaay back then, I was wiry and somewhat of a monkey so I had the chance to sprint up everyone’s backs and try to break the handi!!! ~sigh~ small and wiry!!! That’s the way I wanted to be all my life!!! But we are digress from the topic.. this ~ahem~ can be taken up at a later date…

Growing up, I never tasted kheer.. reason... a marked dislike for the 'malai' in the kheer! It is only recently that I have started making and eating it, of course, without the 'malai' dangling in every spoonful!

Here's how I make it:

~6 tbsp Semiya /vermicelli (I have used the Bambino variety , which is a bit thick)

3 Cups Milk

1/2 tsp Ghee

6 tbsp Sugar ( +/- on how sweet you like it, the sugar I have is not as sweet so I have used 6 tbsp, otherwise 5 tbsp is good enough)

1 cardamom powdered

Pinch saffron

6-7 Cashews

4-5 Almonds sliced thin/ slivered

7-8 Raisins

Heat the ghee in a wok. On medium heat , frythe semiya, nuts and raisins till they turn a nice light golden brown. Add in the milk and saffron. Bring this to a boil (this is where I keep a watch like a hawk for the malai and remove it!). Cook till the semiya is soft and the milk thickens a little. Once cooled, the semiya will further thicken it, so over cooking/ boiling will result in a thick mass that needs extra milk to make it look like kheer (and then tasting to check if sugar is ok... )

Once almost cooled, add sugar and cardamom powder.Serve!

Now isn't that the easiest thing!!!??!!

Sending this off to The Yum Blog as my entry for the Janmashtami event.

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