Arusuvai!!

Shilpa asked me if I was interested in participating in the Arusuvai Friendship chain which has gained momentum in the USA. I jumped at the chance! Thank You SO MUCH Shilpa!

The Arusuvai Friendship chain was started by Latha Mami and in her own words:

“is about sending along a surprise ingredient as a gift to your friends for them
to prepare something tasty with it, share the recipe, and pass on other surprise
ingredients to more people. Arusuvai means six tastes (aru=six, suvai=taste) in
Tamizh and is used to refer for Tasty preparation with six tastes - inippu/
thithippu (sweet), orappu/ karam (hot), kassappu (bitter) , pulippu (sour),
uppu(salt), tuvarpu (tastes that one gets in raw leaves).”

Lazy, is what I can be labeled when it comes to opening the mail box.. I mean how exciting is it to view a stack of bills and other junk? But when Shilpa was going to mail me the surprise ingredient, I was thrilled and did not think twice about opening the mailbox!In due course the package arrived with its mystery ingredient. In all eagerness, I tore off the cover and pulled out the contents! The moment I opened the ziplock bag I knew I had received a WONDERFUL ingredient! The aroma of the 'mystery powder' was all over the house and was so tempting.. I wanted to try it then and there! But wait!! there was more!! a slab of Lindt chocolate and Tomato Pickle and a very sweet greeting card!! In a haste I took this picture ( and the only one I did' coz M was in a rush to eat the chocolate).. well I am no less than the husband! I opened the Tomato pickle and shamelessly dipped my finger in it and licked! those who went, "eeewwww" reading that.. let me tell you folks.. THAT is the way to enjoy pickles!! Uuummmmm!! So tasty!!!
Back to the powder.. I made M take some hearty sniffs at it and he concluded it was Goda Masala.. I too swayed to that conclusion.. but a little whisper kept on in my right ear.. it must be something Konkani!! And it was!! It was PohaPowder !! I was all for making Kalayile Pohvu , but had no fresh coconut on hand ( and I really am not a fan of frozen coconut, it - for some reason.. or maybe something I do here: forms a yucky oily , slimy layer on thawing) and so that had to wait.
And then I had a brain wave ( yeah! yeah! not being modest..) I decided to make Chivda out of it!
I have this weakness to end all weaknesses, for chivda. I can have it for any meal. Don't cringe here, but I love mixing my chivda with a generous dollop of plain yougurt and eating it! Oh YUMMMM!
To elaborate more on the brainwave part (lest you guys stick out your tongues at me!) was, I thought of me Dad.. who is also a chivda aficionado and though rather particular (or as I call, peculiar- he does not believe in eating anything but two meals : that's why peculiar ! imagine no munching!! ) about his food habits likes to have a bit of chiva with his evening tea.
So it came about that i made a big batch of this chivda and sent off a portion of it to my father, who I am sure enjoyed it!
For the chivda:
2 cups Thin Poha
3-4 tbsp Oil
1 heaped tsp Mustard seeds
1 heaped tsp Cumin seeds
1 heaped tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp Raw Peanuts
2 tbsp Dalia
2 tbsp Dry coconut pieces
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 Dry Red chilies broken into pieces
15 or so Curry leaves
2 tbsp Sugar
Salt to taste (just be careful when adding salt, even a little goes a long way)
2 tbsp Poha Powder

Heat a kadhai and add about 2 fistfuls of poha and on a low flame, dry roast them till they are crunchy. Do this for the entire lot. A faster way to do it is to zap them in a microwave for one minute ( toss after 30 secs for even roasting) or line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper, preheat the oven to a 350 deg. F. and roast the entire batch of poha for about 10 mins ( that is an approx time)
Remove poha and set aside. Heat oil in the kadhai, add raw peanuts, dalia, mustard seeds and cumin. The peanuts and dalia should be well browned and crunchy. Add the sesame, dry red chilli, coconut and curry leaves. Sauté until the curry leaves are crunchy. Use a medium flame and ensure that none of the ingredients gets burnt ( or even a dark brown, which will make them bitter). Add the poha and mix thoroughly.
Add the Poha Powder , sugar and salt. Mix thoroughly and switch off the heat.
When the chivda is cool, transfer to an airtight box.
Enjoy with ur cup of tea or coffee or just about any time you feel like munching.

The Poha Powder adds a punch to the chivda and leaves you wanting more!! I have some of the powder remaining and am now looking at using it in some other way, may be in a curry!

I am extending the Arusuvai Frienship Chain and am delighted to have Trupti and Mythreyee join the growing group! Your Mystery Ingredient is on its way!! Thank You for accepting my hand of friendship!

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Bisi Bele Hulli Anna for Meeta's Monthly Mingle.

I am a one dish dinners person, there is no denying that.. there are times that I go the whole roti-subzi, daal- rice deal, but one dish meals are perfect for weekdays. Tired and beat, just put together a few things and that's it.. not just lessens cooking time, more importantly cleaning up time!

When Meeta announced MM- One dish Meals, I knew just what I wanted to make. This dish makes its appearance very often on our dinner table.. but with variations every time! Nevertheless, I felt that the Monthly Mingle deserves special attention and decided to go all the way with a long and involved recipe. Relying on Chandra Padmanabhan's Dakshin, I tried out a 'new' type of Bisi Bele Hulli Anna.

South Indian cuisine is distinguished by its liberal use of Rice and not to forget coconut! But coconut is not a very popular item with M, he dislikes it and just about tolerates it in a typical dish!

This meal has everything, rice, daal, vegetables.. as I said, everything for a power packed meal. the best part is, it tastes better the next day (and with the mentioned quantities, it will feed a good 6 people!) So if you try this method, be prepared for leftovers or halve the quantity.

You need:

1 cup Toor Daal
1 cup Basmati Rice
4 1/2 cups Water

1 lime size piece of Tamarind pulp
2 cups Hot Water
½ cup chopped shallots
1 Bell pepper finely chopped
1 small eggplant finely chopped
2 tbsp Green peas (optional)
1 Potato diced
½ tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
6 Tbsp Ghee
Cilantro to garnish

For the Paste:
4 tsp Oil
3 tbsp Coriander seeds
1 inch Cinnamon stick
3 tsp Chana Daal
1 ½ tsp Poppy seeds
4 cloves
½ tsp Methi / Fenugreek seeds
½ Coconut grated (or ½ cup flaked coconut)
1 tsp Asafetida powder
Little water

Dry Masala:
3 tbsp Fried Gram daal / Dalia
1 ½ tsp Poppy seeds
3 tsp uncooked Rice
2 -3 tbsp fresh / flaked coconut

For Tempering:
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp each Chana Daal & Urid Daal
1 Red Chilli
Few curry leaves

Rinse rice and toor daal and cover with 4 ½ cups water and set it to cook (stove top method). ( I used a shortcut, I pressure cooked the rice and daal) do not drain any excess water if using stove top method.
For the paste: Heat oil in a heavy frying pan, add red chillies, coriander seeds, cinnamon, chana daal, poppy seeds, cloves, fenugreek seeds, coconut and asafetida. Sauté for 2-3 mins. Place in blender , add little water and make a fine paste (or place all the dry ingredients in a spice grinder and grind to a powder)
For the Masala: In a heavy saucepan, dry roast the dalia, poppy seeds, rice, coconut for about 5 mins or till fragrant. Cool and make a powder.
Soak the tamarind in the hot water for 15 mins, squeeze out all the pulp and discard solids. Set aside
Tempering: In a heavy sauce pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin, chana and urid daal, red chilli and curry leaves.
When the mustard seeds sputter, add the chopped shallots, sauté for 2-3 mins. Add the bell pepper, eggplant potatoes and peas (if using). Sauté until the vegetables are partially cooked. Add tamarind juice, turmeric and salt to taste. Cook till vegetables are tender. Add the paste and cook for a few mins. Gradually add the rice and daal mixture, ensure that there are no lumps formed. Simmer on low heat. Add the ghee, cook till thoroughly blended.
Lastly add the dry masala. Remove from the stove top.
Garnish with cilantro, serve hot with fried papad as an accompaniment.

This procedure is long drawn out, and therefore aptly a one-dish meal!!! However the end result is very satisfying.

P.S: there have been times I have skipped all these steps and also totally changed what BBB means.. I have added rice to normal sambar and cooked it for a quick ,no-fuss version of BBB!! MTR band has a mix that also is very yum. and not to mention quick!

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Bangla Daal with a Hit of Lime

Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting! Excuse me!! .. 'scuse me, please... ! Bit of a rush here!!! Now you know why I am late? Missed it again! Old age and all that!! Then the decision.. what to make? I mean SO MANY things have lime juice in it! The mind boggles!
After a lot of thinking, just thinking, and missing the deadline (as usual) I stumbled upon a book Mangoes and Curry Leaves and picked it up ( and literally stumbled home with it! Gosh!! It's SO heavy!!)

So far I have just thumbed thru it and my eye caught this daal! Just what I needed for JFI (Yaaay!!! Coffee will accept the late entry) and also a chance to explore Bangla cuisine , in a safe manner! the author states

The name of this Bangladeshi classic is tok dal and
it's become one of our favorite versions of simple dal. Tok means sour in Bengali.

To go straight to the recipe: ( with slight modifications on my part and halving the original measures)
1/2 cup Masoor Daal, washed and drained
2 cups water
1/2 tsp Tamarind pulp
2 tbsp Oil ( recommended oil: Vegetable and Mustard in equal proportions)
1/4 tsp Ground Coriander
1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/4 tsp Ground/ finely minced Garlic
1/2 Onion, thinly sliced
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 Lime
Chopped Cilantro to garnish

The original recipe states that the Masoor dal should be boiled in an open pan till it is soft and mushy and also to skim off the hot water from top to soak the tamarind in and extract pulp. I skipped all the long procedure here and took a shortcut.

Pressure cook the masoor daal. Once done, mash and set aside. Soak (marble size) tamarind and extract pulp and discard solids or use Tamarind pulp (as I did, except that, in this case, the daal gets a dark hue).
Heat oil, add the coriander, cumin cayenne and stir fry ( be careful that you don't burn it)till fragrant. Add turmeric, garlic and onions and stir fry till onions are soft. add the tamarind pulp, daal and water to the desired consistency. Add salt. Let the daal boil. After switching off the heat, add the lime juice. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with rice.

Verdict: Simple and superb! The hubby had to be convinced that the daal was Masoor and not the usual Toor! Wonderful change from the usual and a keeper!

This daal is on it's way to Coffee at The Spice Cafe who is our hostess for JFI . Thank U Coffee, for accepting my late entry!

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Dhokla

When I am talking of Kadhi and Khichadi... can Dhokla be far behind?(and after revealing to all of my M.O for getting a tid bit )...
Borrowing fom Nupur's term, Pillowy Goodness- dhokla spring to my mind ( oh yes, other yummy food also form a medley, but let me apply this term here.. and later you will see why I SO wanted to borrow this term!)
Going back to my alluring (!) ways of raking in samples of dhokla or being rewarded for my patience or just a matter of Mom buying the mandatory 'khau' for me on her way home from work on a Saturday ( a half working day for her), dhokla found its way in our home very often.
As also for small get together at tea-time or just a snacking option for me and my cousins when we collected at my Grandma's for summer ( a better option than chips and cookies and chocolates). However, there was this one time I found myself choking on a dhokla...

One summer.. 4 over optimistic , enthusiastic and highly over confident kids decided to rent a horror movie and watch it all by themselves. Getting the atmosphere right... Draw all curtains, bring out a pitcher of Rasna (orange) :), set out dhokla and some other snacky stuff we found. Rewind the tape. Hushed silence and fast breathing and nervous grins.. yes, all set!

Now who could think that a stupid doll would terrorise human lives? yeah, right! that same 'Chucky' or whatever he was called, made our hair stand and several large spiders do a tap dance routine down our spine! Wait... theres' more........"ssshhh, it's getting closer."

One look at me would have been enough to convince a blind and retarded person that a scream was working its way out of my body and when it surfaces, there won't be a single window un-shattered in the housing complex.
My cousin sensing this, cupped his dhokla sodden hand over my mouth to hoarsely whisper.." it's ok.." Ok? Ok?!!!!! Ok??? with that sound getting louder and adding to that the low guttural breathing a crunch and shuffle....!!! ok!!!!????!!!!
So now, we are all huddled up clutching one another with our eyes the size of dinner plates and a hand clamping my mouth and a bit of cilantro tickling my left nostril... shaking it away, I did what any person frightened out of her wits would naturally do... SCREAM. A scream that went right through flesh and bone with the others now rounding off the sound with shrill harmonics.. only to emerge out of the house seconds later, pelting out into the bright sunlight as if our und... errr.. intimate articles of clothing were on fire. I swore off dhoklas for a while.

Coming back to the present, my cooking experiments in the kitchen were many a times the hit and miss affairs, either an adventure would come off splendidly or meet a hushed up funeral and a few tears shed at the short life span. One thing that never failed to reduce me to wringing my hands in despair was Dhokla. For a seemingly simple snack, it was an insurmountable mystery to me how in the world did the others get that spongy look.. how on earth did my attempt always look like ( I had better not describe what!) a mess?

I finally gave up after about 4 failed attempts and resorted to buying a ready pack with idiot proof instructions to satisfy the craving. But that did not erase the memory of the mess..

Then one day my friend P emerges out of the mists and hands me on a platter PERFECT dhokla. I stare, gulp, poke it with an inquisitive finger to have it bounce back at me! This is it!!! I hound her for the recipe and she breezily doles it out to me. I want it writing, I cannot remember all of this.. with that promise I come to a start and realise that I have been talking so long, I haven't tasted it!! so I start stuffing away like a squirrel before winter. It tastes as good as it looks!!

So P mails me her recipe just before she leaves for a vacation in India.

Here is her secret to making spongy dhoklas!

3/4 Cup Gram flour / Besan

4 tsp Sugar

1/2tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Citric acid

1/2 tsp Soda / Eno regular fruit salt

For Tempering:

2 Tbsp Oil

10 Curry leaves

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Sesame

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

Cilantro to garnish

1/4 tsp Salt

5- 6 Green chillies (+/ - to taste)

1/4 cup water

Phase I : Combine the besan, salt sugar and citric acid in a mixing bowl and mix with water. Mix it like you would make bhajji (fritters) cover (should not be runny) . Keep aside.

Phase II: is to make the tempering: Heat oil, add the mustard seeds, Cumin, sesame, curry leaves, green chillies and salt. To this add 1/4 cup water and bring it all to a vigorous boil. Set aside to cool and to be used later.

Phase III: We start off making the dhokla. Do the prep. Get the pressure cooker ready, remove the weight/ whistle ( to steam the dhokla in). Pour water in it and set it on the stove to boil.

Get the utensil, you want to steam the dhokla in, ready. I used my idli stand ( P's idea). Grease the molds with oil. Now set half a cup of water to boil (separately, as this water will be used to add to the batter). Once the water is boiling, add the soda to the batter, pour 1 ladle (no more) of the boiling water to the batter and whisk it briskly (fermentation). Now quickly pour the frothing batter to the molds and set the stand in the pressure cooker. Steam for 12 minutes. Switch off the heat in 12 mins. But let the dhokla sit in there for another 12 mins. Remove and set the stand (or plate , as you are using) at a slant, the logic here is that if kept flat, the dhokla 'sits' and loses it sponginess (err.. I could not come up with a better description). When cool remove from the molds , set in a plate, pour the tempering evenly all over. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro. Serve!

== Notes & Tips: The first time I made dhoklas I halved the quantities, reason: my idli stand is a mini idli stand and can make only 15 idlis/ dhoklas at a time. I did not want to waste the rest of the batter.
I used 3/4 tsp Salt for the batter instead of the prescribed 1/2 tsp.
The green chilies added to the tempering were whole, not slit or chopped, this imparts a mild flavor which is perfect for the dhoklas. Those who can bear it, can enjoy eating them as an accompaniment.
Fresh grated coconut is also used for garnish.
Serve with green cilantro chutney as an accompaniment.
Thank you very much P, for this wonderful recipe!! Now that I have had success with this recipe, I must hound her for more!!!!

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Kadhi- Khichadi : Comfort Food!

I missed it again!! Darn! I am getting so absent minded!! I wanted to send in my entry for RCI - Gujarat and had this sitting in the draft for ever so long! all I had to do was review it once and publish!

What with my last day at work .. yep, I resigned.. want to take a break, some 'me' time is what I want! and then savouring every minute of my 'return to the housewife' days, I got terribly lazy and did my daily round of peeping into all blogs, but neglecting my own!

So when I saw RCI Gujarat.. I was all of Kem cho? Maja ma? Jamva mate shu che ( ok, overlook all the mistakes here..) I am a fan of Gujarati food and Mumbai offered a fantastic spread of Gujju food! I would literally starve myself for a day and then go in to Rajdhani or Surti or Kamath' s and then feast! Fortunately, everyone in my family loves Gujarati food, specially my Father and so there was no argument when going to a Gujarati restaurant was concerned!

When we did not eat out, my Mother or Father would make a trip to Dadar (W) to a famous shop, 'Surti Farsan' where they sold the yummiest 'Undhiyu'. Mom or Dad, would get up early on a Sunday morning ( yes that is the kind of love we have for this cuisine!) get ready, pick up a large size steel 'dabba' .. they are not fans of plastic take alongs and indeed those were not available in India then. Catch a bus to the market and then jostle among the hundreds (not kidding !) who were already in line to buy the undhiyu which would be sold out by 10:00 am!! I would on some occasions tag along and would be amply rewarded for my patience with a packet of dholka or kachori.. plus not to mention, the 'taste' of a khandvi or a jalebi the shop-keeper would give me in return for my sweet smile! Oh yes! I used to do that when the parent was not looking! Nothing like getting a little tidbit from the mouthwatering mounds of yummy stuff sitting right in front of your nose and the aroma wafting to your nose and making you drool!

Though M likes to call me a 'spicitarian', I really enjoy the slightly sweet taste of Gujarati food and enjoy all the varieties that it offers.

Among all the delicious dishes that this cuisine has, one extremely simple and comforting dish stands way out, Kadhi Khichadi combination! The simplest of ingredients and no spices make this combo a hit with me. This is so nourishing and perfect for bleak evenings and a perfect remedy for a sniffly nose (in my case)!!

For many months now, M would not touch Kadhi and khichadi.. he would turn up his nose at it , called it food for invalids! .. that just made things difficult for me as I can enjoy kadhi for any meal! On one rare occasion, however Mr. Picky obliged and sipped a spoonful of kadhi.. hhmmm... not bad.. not bad at all! That disdainful look vanished from his eyes and they showed a good deal of interest in what lay before! I was thrilled! He still likes kadhi, I had my doubts that the initial liking was a flash in the pan, and has even progressed to enjoying sipping kadhi like soup!!

The recipe is as simple as ABC..! All you need is :
2 cups Sour Yogurt
2 tbsp Besan
2 tbsp ghee /oil
1 inch ginger (grated)
2 green chillies
Few curry leaves
1 Red chilli halved
1/2 tsp mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/8 tsp Asafetida
1/8 tsp Turmeric
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsp Sugar
2 cups water
Cilantro to garnish

Add the besan to yogurt, add water and blend , make sure there are no lumps. Add sugar and salt and keep aside.

Heat ghee / oil, add the mustard seds. after they pop, add cumin seeds, chopped green chillies and halved red chilli, curry leaves and asafetida, turmeric and ginger. Pour the yogurt mixture. Stir well. Add more water to attain the consistency you want ( the besan makes the kadhi thicker) and let it come to a rolling boil. Switch off the heat. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with hot Khichadi .

To make khichadi
1/2 cup Mung daal
1/2 cup rice
1 green chilli
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Ghee
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp
2 1/2 cups water
Wash the mung daal and rice, drain all water and set aside. Heat ghee, add mustard seeds, after they pop, add cumin seeds, asafetida, chilies and curry leaves, turmeric. add the washed rice and daal, saute till all the grains are coated.

Add water, salt and pressure cook (as you would cook rice) . I usually add extra water to get a soft and slighty mushy khichadi. Serve with a dollop of pure ghee kadhi , pickle and papad for a thoroughly satisfying meal!!

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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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