Gobi Shalgam Gajar Achaar and School Days

I remember my school days with a lot of fondness. I am sure it is exactly like that for most if you out there. The fun times, the innocence, the principals office. Everyone has their most favourite memory of school. The times you got into trouble. The times when you were commended. Appreciated for work well done or punished for a lack of application. And the friends. Chatting away during class times. We always had something to chat about. Always. The assembly. The excitement of getting to read the news or thought for the day. Even writing something on the notice board was something we looked forward to. Hating the times when teachers punished us by making us sit with the boys. 

I studied in a small town so there was not much life beyond school. All friends outside of school hours were only school friends. Everyone knew everyone else. We were neighbours, friends and schoolmates. 

But I think there was a very close bond we girls from the same class shared. Much closer than with the others in the school. And I think this has continued over the years. I find that we can pick up exactly where we left off even though there may have been thirty years in between.

But one of my most favourite memories of school days was sharing of food. different tastes from different homes all brought and shared during the lunch hour. We were exposed to many foods from all parts of the country. But of all those memories the one that stands out is the packing of a little pickle in a piece of torn out notebook sheet. Furtively opening it in class and each one putting their finger in to get a taste. It used to be so exciting. Someone would bring a Punjabi mango pickle, while someone else would bring a sweet pickle. Gleefully tasting each one. I really don't know what draws girls to pickle but at least in our school it was something we all looked forward to.

Anyway to come to the recipe of gobi shalgam achar, it is from the north of India. It is essentially a winter pickle and has very lovely sweet, tangy spicy taste. Goes very well with rotis and parathas but tastes simply wonderful all on its own too. I got this recipe from here. And I am reproducing it exactly like in her blog.

INGREDIENTS;

1 kg each of Turnips, Carrots, and Cauliflower
400 ml White Vinegar
1 kg Jaggery
200 grams Garlic
200 grams Ginger
500 ml Mustard Oil
200 grams Salt
50 grams Red Chilli Powder
10 grams Cardamom
5 grams Cinnamon
5  grams Cloves

METHOD:

Trim cauliflower into florets. 

Cut carrots into thick 2″ long batons. 

Trim and slice turnips into thick quarters. 

Bring 3 litres of water to boil. Blanch the prepared vegetables in boiling water for 2 minutes. 

Drain, spread on absorbent cloth and dry in shade for a day.

Boil vinegar and jaggery together into a syrup.  

Pound ginger and garlic coarsely and fry in oil over medium heat. Take off heat. 

Pound the whole spices coarsely. 

Into the oil mix in all the spices and the vinegar syrup. 

Add salt and the prepared vegetables. 

Mix well and transfer to clean dry stoneware or glass jars.

Leave in the sun for a couple of days for all the flavours to get absorbed.

ENJOY!!!!!!

The vegetables cut and drying:

The vinegar and jaggery boiling:

Adding in the vegetables:

Greek Salad

I love eating out. I think that is the absolute single reason I do not end up losing any of the weight that I have gained over the last many years. And going out of town for me is reason enough to pig out. It is a standing joke amongst my friends that I am food obsessed. If I am visiting a new place, I love to research the restaurants there, food specialities there.. Now for the record, that's not the only thing I research. I also look up sightseeing, transportation but checking out food is of paramount importance. Nothing wrong, is there? No wonder I have a food blog...

On a visit to Bangalore, I was determined to eat at Sunny's. Hadn't eaten there for a couple of years. So like a stuck record, I kept repeating Sunnys, Sunnys. Finally out of sheer frustration, my family said okay. Then realised that the restaurant was on the opposite side of the street where we were staying. How fortuitous was that?

When there, my niece ordered a Greek Salad. Tasted divine. Fresh, crunchy with a sweetish tangy dressing. It was outstanding.

This is an attempt to replicate that. A greek salad is a rough country salad.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Red Capsicum

1 Yellow Capsicum

1 Green Capsicum

1 Cucumber

1 Small Onion

10 Cherry Tomatoes

10-15 Olives

200 grams Feta Cheese

1 Head Iceberg Lettuce

Dressing:

1 Lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Powdered Sugar

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD:

Place all the dressing ingredients in a small screw top bottle and shake well. Keep aside till ready to serve.

Slice the onions finely.

Cut the capsicums into 1" bits.

Wash the lettuce carefully and tear into bite sized pieces.

Slice the cucumber into half moons.

Use the cherry tomoatoes whole or cut them in half. If you cannot source them, use regular tomatoes with each tomato cut into 8 pieces.

Cut the Feta into 1" cubes. (You can use Paneer instead as Feta is an acquired taste).

Assemble in a bowl.

When ready to serve, pour the dressing over and toss well.

ENJOY!!!!!!

Eggs With Green Masala

This is going to be a real quick post as I am studying very hard for my sons exams and don't have much time for a long write up. Well I am all stressed out over here, but he for sure is a real cool cucumber about it. The much dreaded Boards are here, but does he seem to worry about it? Oh no... never. Why worry when there are so many exciting other things to plan, friends' birthday parties...jam sessions to practise for... so many friends to talk to on the phone... and then the ultimate distraction, Facebook.... Well I try to do the best I can.. like I say - I can take this horse to the water. Now whether he wants to drink is his problem...

This particular recipe was brought to our house by our cook lady. She learnt it in the previous house she worked in. One day she made it just on a whim on a Sunday afternoon for lunch and since then it has become a staple.

It tastes really good and it is something very different from the usual. The colours are also very attractive and the contrast of the green and the white of the eggs looks good.

Though, ours is a vegetarian household, I am open to eggs being cooked at home as I consider it a good source of proteins for the kids.

Now for the recipe

INGREDIENTS:

6 Eggs hardboiled and sliced in half lengthwise.

2-3 tablespoons Oil

Masala Paste:

1/2 cup coriander leaves

2 green chillies

2 tablespoons roasted Bengal gram (roasted chana dal)

5-6 black peppercorns

2 Cloves of Garlic

salt to taste

METHOD:

Grind the masala paste ingredients till finely ground in the blender. The paste will be a little thickish.

Apply the paste onto the cut side of the egg.

Put a frying pan on a medium flame and add a little oil to it.

Fry the egg, cut side down (masala paste side) till it is slightly brown.

Fry the other side till it gets a bit brown.

Serve hot.

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Tomato Rasam And School Reunions

Reunions are something that everyone has a different opinion on. Some look forward to it and some are anxious. I wonder why? These are people you have grown up with. But I think it is also because you want to impress them the most, no? It is fun to go back in time,see the kids you knew way back then, and find out what happened to whom...

My school friends and I had a mini reunion in Bombay a few years ago. It was so much fun to go back and meet them even though it was a small group. We had a great time chatting and catching up.

This post was supposed to be out more than a year and a half ago from that mini reunion. I promised this friend that I would put up a post on rasam so that he could learn (or make his wife learn?) and its taken me this long. There is no excuse for delaying this much and I apologise sincerely to V. For something that we make on a daily basis at home, to take this long to put it up..!!! Very Bad, Kamini.

Rasam is the ultimate comfort food. Feeling feverish, or have a cold, or heavy head? Rasam rice is a staple in such situations. It has a piquant taste which gets the appetite going when you are down.

Rasam powder can be made in larger quantities and stored for up to 6 months.

Now for the recipe...

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tomatoes diced finely

2 cloves Garlic roughly chopped

10 curry leaves

1 tablespoon Coriander leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon Oil

1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida

2 heaped teaspoons Rasam Powder ( recipe follows)

1 lime sized ball of tamarind

2-3 tablespoons Toor dal

METHOD:

Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water till soft and extract all the juice. Keep aside.

Boil the toor dal in water till it is cooked soft. Keep aside.

Heat oil. When medium hot, fry the mustard seeds till they crackle.

Now add the garlic and fry till golden.

Add the tomatoes and cook till mushy.

Add the Rasam powder and fry for a bit till the raw smell disappears.

Add the tamarind water and the dal and cook on high heat till it comes to a boil.

In the meantime, in the serving dish, put chopped coriander leaves, chopped curry leaves and the asafoetida

Pour the boiling rasam over it and cover with a lid.

Serve hot with rice and ghee. You can also enjoy it as it is in a cup like a soup without any accompaniments.

ENJOY!!!!!

Rasam Powder

Ingredients:

200 grams Coriander seeds

100 grams Red Chillies

3 tablespoons Jeera (cumin)

3 tablespoons Toor Dal

2 tablespoons Peppercorns

2 teaspoons Mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds

Method:

Roast all the ingredients till fragrant.

Powder coarsely.

Store in an airtight jar for up to a year.

ENJOY!!!!!

Korivi Kharam ( Red Chilli Pickle) and Andhra Food Series

This is going to be a real quick post. It has been on the back burner for a long long time. Made the pickle, forgot to take the picture. By which time the fresh red chillies disappeared from the market. And I was determined to take the picture only with the red chillies in it.

The pickle started getting consumed and also changing colour. First I pondered on whether to make a fresh batch whenever I saw the red chillies again. But then better sense prevailed. Thanks to todays daily updates on health and nutrition, I decided that there was no need for any one in the family to eat such spicy food or one that is loaded with salt.

So the next time I saw fresh red chillies in the store, I quickly brought them home and took the pictures. As you can see, the colour of the pickle has changed from a bright red to a a little more brown. When you first make the pickle, it has a beautiful fiery red colour. This pickle has a long shelf life of a year at least. The only thing is that there will be a little colour change.

It is a begging to be eaten food. It just calls out for some hot rice with melted ghee to be poured generously over. But I have to warn you - IT IS SPICY and definitely not for the faint hearted. Actually, at home there is only one brave soul who can take on the might of this spicy pickle. He thoroughly enjoys eating this even if the tears pour down and his face turns red with the heat of the pickle. So this post is for you, Vin.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 kg Ripe red chillies

250 grams Salt

125 grams Tamarind

1 teaspoon Turmeric powder

25 grams Fenugreek seeds (Methi)

200 ml Gingelly Oil (Sesame Oil)

1 teaspoon Asafoetida

METHOD:

Wash and dry the red chillies thoroughly

Grind the red chillies, salt, tamarind, and turmeric powder to a coarse paste.

Store in an airtight and sterile jar for about 2 to 3 days.

Roast and powder the fenugreek seeds.

Heat the oil to medium hot (not smoking) and add the asafoetida.

Cool and add to the ground red chillies mixture.

Finally add the fenugreek powder and mix thoroughly.

ENJOY!!!!!

Majiga Pulusu and Mom's Cooking- Andhra Food Series

My mom was quite a good cook and my dad always had this story ( he was secretly very proud of her for this talent) that she would taste something either in someone else's home or at a restaurant and will be able to very accurately identify the ingredients that went into it. She was very rarely wrong or if so, off by maximum of an ingredient. She could replicate dishes at home quite easily and also innovate on them.
I always had an interest in cooking but it did not come to the fore till I got married. Then slowly, I started learning a few things from her and others. But the problem was that I only learnt those things that I personally loved as a kid. I totally forgot that tastes change over time and maybe what I loved then may not be quite what I love now.
Unfortunately, Mom is not in a position to really cook now and thanks to her accident, along with many other things, now has totally forgotten how to cook. From being a cook who could rustle up a meal for ten without any problem, she now struggles to remember simple recipes.
Now thinking back, I am glad that I learned the few recipes that I did from her. It is more special now to me.
My sincere advice to all you readers out there is that one needs to learn things that are important and unimportant quickly and never put it off for later. One never knows how things happen and it is sad that there are so many things that I would still have loved to learn from her, if only to make sure she gets to eat exactly what she likes.

Anyway enough of the morose talk...

She is very very fond of Majiga Pulusu aka More kozhambu, kadhi etc in defferent parts of the country. Majiga means butter milk and pulusu loosely translates into gravy(?). It is a combination of buttermilk, spices and vegetables thickened with the use of besan or chana dal ( Bengal Gram).
My dad's constant joke went that her pulusus always had more veggies than the gravy and therefore was wrongly referred to as pulusu. Well that is a healthy way of eating and I totally endorse it. More veggies, the better it is..

Now for the recipe...


Ingredients:


1 tablespoon raw rice
1 Tablespoon Bengal gram
2 teaspoons grated coconut
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1 teaspoon Dhania (coriander seeds)
1 green chillie

1/2 litre sour curds

500 grams of potato, carrot and bottle gourd
2 Green chillies
2 sprigs coriander leaves
1/2 teapsoon Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

1 teaspoon Oil
1/2 teaspoon mustrad seeds
1/2 teaspoon jeera
2 red chillies

Method:

Soak the rice, Bengal gram, coconut, green chillie coriander seeds and jeera in a little water for an hour. Then grind to a coarse paste.

Dice the vegetables into large pieces.

Pour enough water over it just so that it covers the vegetables.

Boil the vegetables along with the green chillies, coriander leaves, turmeric powder and salt.

Mix the curds and the ground paste and cook on a slow/medium flame till heated through and it begins to thicken. Do not let it boil.

Add the boiled vegetables.

Take off the flame.

Heat Oil and fry the popu ( mustard, jeera and red chillies).

Pour over the majiga pulusu.

Serve along with rice.

Enjoy !!!!!

Sweet Date Chutney

Sweet date chutney aka Saunth chutney again is an integral part of each and every chaat preparation. It is also used as a topping on Dahi wada. It adds a tangy sweet taste to whichever dish it is added to.

2 cups dates
1/4 cup tamarind soaked in water
1 cup jaggery
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
a pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
a pinch dried ginger powder
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) roasted and coarsely powdered

Wash the dates and tamarind. Drain.
Cook along with the other ingredients and 4 cups of water simmering for about 1/2 an hour.
Cool and strain through a sieve.
Use as required and this freezes well too.

Enjoy!!!

Green Coriander Chutney

This chutney is one of the most versatile chutneys that one can find. It can be used in many ways and is the best accompaniment for paneer tikkas, samosas, kababs and other fried food. It is also great in using to make chutney sandwiches.

2 bunches coriander leaves ( as this usually is a very variable amount, the washed and chopped leaves should amount to 2 cups)
1 large onion
2-3 green chillies
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1 inch piece of ginger
salt to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon of lime juice

Grind all the ingredients together with a little bit of water. Best served fresh but freezes very well.

Enjoy!!!

Dondakai Ulli Kharam - Andhra Food Series and Juggling Life

As usual, I am running somewhere else and have to be in another place too while I am desperately trying to update my blog and put in a new post. I always wonder if it such a struggle for everyone. Trying to juggle so many balls and keep them all up in the air at one time. I guess this is something all working women face. Every time I discuss this with my girlfriends, we come to the conclusion that it is because we are middle aged ( much as I hate saying the dreaded words "middle age", the expression just has to be used now). I think this age brings with it many additional responsibilities. Parents are getting older, kids are reaching adolescence and needless to say, are acting up, we ourselves are going through many changes and don't have the energy to cope like earlier. And to add to it, when you are working, the work-life balance gets totally unbalanced.
But anyway, despite feeling really overwhelmed sometimes, I still find time for my blog, for my friends, so life is all good after all. I guess, accepting life as it comes and keeping all those balls juggling high up there and finally everything just works out and falls into place...

Enough of serious talk. (I find my blog is getting pretty serious in the last few posts and that will soon change, I promise.)

Now for the Dondakai Ulli Kharam...

Dondakai is AKA Tindli, Tindora, Kovakai, Ivy Gourd
It is a very commonly used vegetable in Andhra. I find it a vegetable which either excites someone or induces a feeling of absolute disgust in some folk. My husband is one who will not touch it. Not even a teeny weeny bit to taste. On the other hand I simply love it. The taste of eating this along with hot rice, ghee and mudda pappu is simply awesome. It is simple enough to make and is not at all time consuming. The original method of cooking calls for everything to be fried in sufficient quantities of oil, but now for reasons of health, I steam the Dondakai and then fry it for a bit in the oil. This cuts down the oil consumption by more than a thrid and the decrease in taste is fully justified by the health aspect.

Now for the recipe

1/2 kg Dondakai cut lengthwise into quarters
2 onions
4 red chillies
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
5 curry leaves
2 tablespoons Oil

Steam the cut dondakai along with salt.

Grind together the onions and red chillies till it is a coarse paste.

Heat oil and fry the mustard seeds till they crackle and then add the curry leaves. Now add the steamed dondakai and onion paste and keep frying on medium heat till it turns brown.

A little more salt may need to be added.

Serve hot along with hot rice, ghee and mudda pappu ( boiled toor dal- staple of all the Andhra people). Delicious.

Enjoy!!

Helping Hands and Andhra Food Series : Dosakai Pachadi

We have been going through a harrowing time lately as we had a personal problem and as a result of which, we had to spend a large amount of time in Rajamundry ( a small town in Andhra Pradesh). Now, tho Rajamundry is supposed to be officially home to my dad's side of the family, we have never stayed there for any length of time. My only recollection of the place was short day visits to see family. This time round, however, we had to be there for nearly 3 weeks. It was a visit fraught with tension and worry. But you know the saying, an angel is always around when you need one. There was this family who extended such a helping hand, opened up their house and hearts to us. They were so hospitable and they made it appear that nothing was trouble for them. They were there when we needed them the most. To top it all, we had not met them earlier and this was the first time we were meeting all of them. Even so, we never ever felt like they were strangers. They made us immediately feel like one of the family. I just do not have the right words to thank them and don't think I ever will. Words cannot really express the deep sense of gratitude that I have inside me. It was wonderful to see how people can just step up to lend a helping hand and this has made me more determined than ever that I will always extend a hand when I can in for people in their time of need. Most people do not vocalise what they really want for fear of looking like they are trying to bum off you or that they are encroaching on your personal space. When someone extends a hand like this without even a question asked, it makes such a difference. All I can say is a big "Thank You" from the bottom of my heart.

Now that the serious stuff has been said, the icing on the cake was the food in their house. The taste of the food in their home was quite something else. They had their own cows, so the taste of the milk, ghee and the curd.. oh, the curd was something else altogether. Fully loaded with a layer of thick cream on top.. yummy. And the vegetables, the dals, the pachadis that R made tasted really divine. With all the worries I had, one would have thought I would lose weight but oh no, not me. I was happily tucking in at each meal and never did I once worry about mundane things like weight.
In the memory of all those lovely meals that we ate at her home, I am going to be doing a series of posts on typical Andhra food. She has promised to give me a few recipes and I am definitely going to hold her to her promise and will post them here in turn.

One of the most popular food courses in Telugu food has to be Pachadi ( this is comparable to the thovaigals that the Tamilians eat). Every meal has one pachadi at least which is mixed with hot rice and ghee and relished. I have already posted Usirikai Pachadi earlier but this time round I found nice dosakais in the vegetable shop and promptly decided to make Dosakai Pachadi which is an Andhra favourite. It is a little tangy and has a nice bittery/pungent taste from the mustard seed paste.

Now for the ingredients...

I medium size Dosakai diced into small bits

2 Red chillies

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 pinch Hing ( asafoetida)

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1 small lemon sized ball of tamarind soaked in a 2 tablespoons of water

a lemon sized bit of jaggery

1 green chilli

1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves

salt to taste

1 teaspoon oil

Method:

Heat oil. Add mustard seeds and the red chillies.

Grind to a coarse paste along with the turmeric, hing, salt, jaggery, tamarind, green chilli and coriander leaves.

Add the dosakai and just pulse once or twice.

Serve with hot rice and ghee...

Poondu Kozhambu

When I first moved to Chennai, there were a lot of new cuisines we tried out. My husband and I love eating out and we would do a lot of it then ( particularly as he was a carnivore then). We once went out on a busy Saturday night with friends without a reservation. Not a table to be had anywhere. After trying about 4 or 5 places, someone suggested that we try a Chettinad restaurant. Not having ever tried that particular cuisine, and having heard that it is predominantly non-vegetarian I was a little nervous going in. But no choice by then, so we bravely marched in for my first taste of Chettinad food.



Well, I have to be honest here and own up that I was very boring and ordered just appams. Someone else ordered a bunch of things one of which was Poondu Kozhumbu. When it came to the table and was served to me, I cannot even begin to describe the aromas wafting out of it. It just looked so delicious and with browned garlic peeking out of this spicy tangy gravy. Then with the first mouthful, this bunch of incredible tastes just burst on my tongue and tickled my tastebuds. It was " HOT ". "Spicy HOT". But still left me craving for more. Amazing is the only word I can use to describe the memory of eating that. I am very partial to garlic but that was only icing on the cake.


Everytime I wanted to eat this, I would send someone out for it to buy it at the restaurant. Then I saw this months Think Spice hosted by Sunita was focusing on garlic. Immediately said " why not try out Poondu Kozhumbu?" I like the dish and want to eat it often, so why not learn it. Right?


Googled the title and got bunch of recipes. But I knew what I wanted out of it. So chopped and changed and combined and deleted and came up with this recipe. It turned out great ( even if I have to say so myself).

Now for the recipe...


1 cup Garlic cloves peeled
2 medium sized onions diced finely
2 tomatos diced finely
10 curry leaves
Lemon sized ball of tamarind soaked in 1 cup hot water


1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
1/4 teaspoon hing powder ( asafoetida)
1/2 teaspoon jaggery
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal
3-4 tablespoons Oil to fry



Paste ingredients:


2 tablespoons Coriander seeds ( dhania)
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds ( jeera)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds ( Khuskhus)
1/2 teaspoon peppercorn
4 red chillies
2 inch piece ginger
1 teaspoon oil.

Heat 1 teapoon of oil. Lightly fry the garlic till light brown. Keep aside

Extract the tamarind juice from the soaked tamarind discarding the seeds and the skin of the tamarind.

Heat another teaspoon of oil in the same kadai and lightly fry the paste ingredients. Then grind to a smooth paste using about 2 tablespoons of water.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and urad dal. Fry till they crackle.
Then add the chopped onions and fry well till translucent.
Add tomatos and cook the whole thing till very mushy.
Ad chilli powder, haldi, hing and mix well for a few minutes.
Add the paste and cook really well.
Now add the tamarind juice along with half cup of water and cook till the oil separates.

Add the fried garlic and serve hot as an accompaniment to a meal.






This is my entry for Think Spice Think Garlic hosted by Sunita of Sunitas World

Matar Paneer

Being holiday season and kids being on a break, I find that the children's friends drop in at home on the spur of the moment. I like them to stay over for lunch, but usually there is never anything exciting that they would like to eat, as the regular home fare is simple and consists mainly of healthy green vegetables. So I decided to immediately stock up the freezer with kid friendly foods that can be heated at a moments notice and served with chapatis or puris. Things that the kids will relish. So I toodled off to do some grocery shopping and picked up paneer, peas (which are now flooding the market) and got ready to make some Matar Paneer.

I have been looking for a nice matar paneer recipe for the longest time. I have tried many many different recipes out but somehow something was always wrong with it. The taste would just not be right. Something was lacking in each of them even in the Nita Mehta recipe.

The other day I happened to chance on this recipe from Cookery Corner. It looked good and easy to make too. So tried it out immediately.

Thanks, Laavanya for helping me find my perfect Paneer Matar recipe. This is a keeper for me, for sure. Easy and perfect tasting.

Now for the recipe with no changes at all except the quantities as I was making it for a larger number of people.....

Ingredients:

600 gm Paneer

2 cups Peas, parboiled
2 teaspoons Chilli Powder

2 teaspoons Coriander powder

1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1 tablespoon Kasuri Methi - about 1/2 tsp, crushed between your fingers
Salt, to taste
4 tablespoon Yoghurt
4 tablespoons Oil
2 teaspoon Jeera (Cumin seeds)

Grind to a paste after cooking:

4 large Onions, chopped
6 Tomatoes, chopped
8 cloves Garlic

2 inch piece Ginger
50 grams Coriander leaves

Method:

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and saute the onion, garlic and ginger till the onions brown a bit. Then add the tomatoes and cilantro and cook with a pinch of salt till it softens. Grind this to a paste in the mixie once it has cooled down a bit.

Pan fry the paneer cubes on either side till light brown. I sprinkle some salt after spraying the pan with oil before adding the paneer.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add jeera seeds, then add the ground paste along with all the masala powders and let this cook well with frequent stirring.
After about 5 minutes, add a cup of water to this paste and let it come to a boil.

Add the paneer pieces and peas and allow to simmer covered for about 15-20 minutes.
Now add the crushed Kasuri methi and stir in the yoghurt.

Heat for a few minutes and serve with chapatis, puris or naans.

Dal Palak

I used to hate spinach as a child and those days Popeye wasn't such a popular character. So I received absolutely zilch inspiration on that front. I simply hated the sight of spinach in any form. I don't think I even tried it once. I guess just the look of it (so green and bursting with goodness and health) that was so unappealing. It used to make an appearance in many avatars and find its way on to the dining table ever so often but no, I would not touch it.

One day when my mom was out of town, I came back from college and I was simply starving. You know the of feeling rats gnawing in the tummy and all that. I went into the kitchen looking for something yummy to eat. To my horror, all I saw in the fridge was rice and palak dal. OMG!!! That was the scariest thing to happen to me ever. But by now I was starving. I had no choice in the matter. Took the rice, added some dal very gingerly, put in lots and lots of ghee and heated the whole thing up in hopes that it will morph into something that I loved. But no, the gods were not on my side. It still remained the same vile looking palak dal and rice..

Put the whole thing into a bowl and sat at the table with a book for company (mom wasn't there, remember?). Put one spoon of it into my mouth. I cannot even start to describe the shock I got.

It was heavenly. Tasted so good. Till today I cannot say if I loved the taste because I was hungry or because it just tasted yummy. But ever since then, it has remained one of my favorite dals. And has triggered my tastebuds into loving all the different varieties of greens.

So now I dont ever refuse anything until I taste it once and the same rule applies to the kids too. One taste and if you still don't like it, then its ok, you don't have to eat it. But one taste is mandatory.

So here goes my mom's version of the Palak Dal

Ingredients

1 Bunch Palak ( maybe about 100 gms)

6 cloves of garlic peeled (if the smaller garlic is used, feel free to put in more)

1 teaspoon jeera

1 teaspoon oil

1 cup toor dal washed and boiled till done

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

salt to taste

Method

Wash and chop the spinach finely.

Heat oil in the kadai and when medium hot, add the jeera and fry till it sizzles.

Add garlic at this point.

When the garlic is browned nicely, pour the dal into the kadai. Add salt and chilli powder.

When it starts to boil add the finely chopped spinach leaves. Heat through for about 5 minutes till the leaves start to wilt.

Switch off the heat.

Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Note: The garlic adds a lot of taste to the dal. So feel free to use a little more than the quantity I have mentioned.

Paneer Bhurji

Very often, we get into a rut and don't know what to make for dinner. I am sure a lot of you out there know what I am talking about. At home that is quite a frequent occurence. Then we go back to our good old favorite, paneer. Paneer in any form is a welcome meal at home. But the thing is all of us look for healthy low oil recipes.

This recipe gives us all those and is a wholesome meal with phulkas. It is light and more importantly, it is quick and very easy to make.

Ingredients:

250 grams Paneer grated

2 onions chopped finely

2 tomatoes diced finely

2 capsicums diced finely

1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

1 teaspoon oil

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

salt to taste

1 tablespoon coriander leaves

Method:

Heat oil. When hot add jeera till golden and sizzling.

Add onions and capsicum. Fry till translucent and still crunchy.

Add tomatoes and cook till they start losing their shape before they get mushy.

Add salt and chilli powder.

Finally add grated paneer and garnish with coriander leaves.

Kosambari and Random Acts of Kindness

Once long ago I watched a talk show which spoke about random acts of kindness. It really touched a chord within me. We go through life sometimes in such a hurry that we miss a lot of things along the way. We miss a lot of opportunities to help others. Little realising that we need people as much as they need us. One act of kindness performed will come back manyfold even if it is in the form of just smiles. No one need know that we are doing it. It can be our little secret. It is one thing that benefits both the giver and the receiver.

Helping someone disabled cross the street... feeding someone who just needs the next meal... just a smile at people in the lift..volunteer at the school...have a conversation with the elderly at an old age home..just say something nice to everyone you meet today...call a long lost friend.. tell your parents how much they mean to you...there are ways and means. Everything we do need not be linked to money. Each of us has within ourselves the time, patience or talents to give others.

I guess teaching this one value to the kids will help them a lot in the long run. It makes the world a better place to live.

I read on one of these blogs about the blogger helping out in a community kitchen and making things from whatever is available. I am sorry I forgot which one. What a commendable job.. That is exactly what I am talking about. Volunteering your time and effort. Thats all it takes.

Now for the food part... Kosumbri is a salad made typically in Karnataka. It is a salad made up predominantly of lentils along with some raw vegetables and a tadka of mustard seeds.. Garnished with coconut and coriander leaves, it makes a wonderful accompaniment to a meal.

Ingredients

one carrot peeled and grated

one cucumber peeled, seeds removed and grated

3 tablespoons split moong dal soaked for 2 hours

1 green chili chopped finely

1/2 a lime juiced

2 tablespoon grated coconut

1 teaspoon coriander leaves chopped finely

salt to taste

Method

Mix the grated carrot, cucumber, soaked moong dal, grated coconut and green chili.

Add the lime juice and salt when ready to serve ( otherwise the salt will make the cucumber water pour out and will dilute the taste)

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with a meal.

Moghlai Egg Curry

India is a vast country and its cuisine is as diverse as it can get. The same dal is cooked in a hundred different ways as are the rice and rotis. Each degree change in the latitude and longitude results in a slight tweaking of the same recipe until it assumes a completely new avatar in its new home. I guess that's the way the foods habits change from place to place.
I have tried to introduce my children to as many cuisines as possible. As the world gets to be a smaller place in our own time, foods habits also tend to change. In my opinion, they should be able to manage where ever they are. Also, more importantly, enjoy what they eat.
Though a South Indian, I am not overly fond of its cuisine. I guess sambar and pulusus were always on the menu at home and naans and paneer was more rare. Also, I just simply enjoy the taste of all foods north of the Vindhyas. Something about the flavors and the 'ruchi' of its foods and cuisine. Give me gujarati/ punjabi food anyday. I am sure I can eat it 24/7.



Though we are predominantly vegetarian, the only 'non veg' dish in our house is eggs. Though as one of my fellow bloggers said, it does not grow on plants and there fore is clearly non vegetarian, I just feel it adds an extra dose of proteins to our diet.


This recipe was initially sourced off the internet, but then adapted and changed till it got its present form. It goes very well with both rotis and dosas which is a staple at home. It is not steeped in oil as its title may suggest (moghlai being synonymous with oily).

Ingredients

Masala 1:

2 onion

4 cloves garlic

1" piece ginger

3 green chillis


Masala 2
1 tablespoon khus khus (poppy) seeds
1 tablespoon cashewnuts
1 tablespoon water



1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

2 onions sliced
4 tomatoes


1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon haldi or turmeric powder
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
1 teaspoon dhania powder
salt to taste


6 eggs hard boiled
1 tablespoon coriander leaves


Method:

Grind masala 1 with a little water to a fine paste.

Separately, grind Masala 2 till very fine. ( It is better to dry grind the poppy seeds till fine and then add the cashewnuts and the water)



Heat oil till medium hot.
Add jeera and fry till it sizzles golden brown. Add sliced onions and fry for a few minutes till translucent. Add masala paste 1 and fry till oil separates and it turns golden brown.
Add dry powders that is jeera, salt, chilli and dhania and turmeric powders. Fry for about a minute and add chopped tomatoes.
Fry again till the oil separates and it turns mushy.
Add masala paste 2 at this point stir for a bit and then put in 2 cups of hot water.
Keep stirring till gravy forms and it thickens.
Make cuts on the eggs without cutting through.
Put the eggs into the hot gravy when ready to serve and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with naans, chapatis or crisp dosas.

Aloo Jeera- South Indian Style

Sometimes, the simplest of ingredients come together as a wonderful wholesome dish. As a child, I remember my mother's day to day cooking was very simple and very healthy. Most of the vegetables were steamed /boiled and then just a simple popu/tadka of mustard seeds, curry leaves and urad dal. This resulted in the taste of the vegetable coming through rather than having them smothered in sauces and gravies and the flavours totally hidden. Sometimes, for a change each veggie will have one added ingredient to enhance its taste like sesame seeds with lauki ( bottle gourd, sorrakai, anapakai), or jeera powder with beerkaya ( ridge gourd, toori).

I think most home foods are made that way. Simple, not too many ingredients and easily made.

One of the simpler dishes that I like to make is aloo jeera. I love its taste with chapatis and a dal. Though the potato is a much maligned vegetable, it's popularity cannot be doubted.

Now for the recipe

4 medium potatoes boiled

1 tablespoon jeera roasted and powdered coarsely

salt to taste

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon whole jeera ( cumin seeds)

4 curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon rice flour

Dice the boiled potato into 1 inch pieces.

Heat oil. When medium hot, add mustard seeds and fry till they splutter.

Now add the jeera till it turns golden brown.

Add curry leaves and when they are fried, add potatoes.

Keep frying on low heat till it starts turning brown.

Add the rice flour. The rice flour helps in turing the potatoes really crisp.

When nicely browned, add the salt, jeera powder and chilli powder.

Serve hot along with chapatis and dal.

Green Moong Dal - Wholesome goodness simplified

You know how it is with all these experts. They keep changing all the things that we think are sacrosanct. One day you think that coffee is good for you then the very next day you are informed that it is the worst thing for you. If on one page of the newspaper you see an article that says a glass of wine does wonders for the health of your heart, then just turn the page over and you will promptly see another article which says wine increases risks of heart attack. If it the Atkins Diet or South Sea one day, it is the Cabbage Soup Diet or General Motors Diet the next... CARBS!!! (gasp)are a big no-no these days.

How do lay people like us know what is right?

In my opinion, I think moderation is the key. Its ok to eat or drink anything as long as it is in moderation. Wouldn't you agree? Excessively eating only veggeis and fruit without any carbs, I think is as bad for the body as overdoing the rice and chapatis without adequate amounts of greens and fresh food.

If you look at what we call 'home food' in any part of India, you will find that it is a mix of complex carbs, proteins, vegetables, spices, curd, all of which come together in one wholesome meal. It covers most of the food groups and in the right quantities. I am not an expert in this field but I am sure you will agree with me here. There are the carbs in the form of rice or chapatis, proteins in the dals and sambars, vitamins and minerals in the raw and cooked vegetables and finally that powerhouse of nutrition yoghurt/curd without which no Indian meal is complete.

With all the talk these days of eating complex carbohydrates, here is a recipe that is simple, nutritious and tasty. It is whole green moong dal cooked simply with onions and tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 cup green moong dal

1 teaspoon jeera
2 onions chopped finely

2 tomatoes chopped finely

1/2 ' piece ginger

3 cloves garlic chopped finely

3 green chillies chopped lengthwise

1 tablespoon kasuti methi

salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

Wash and soak the green moong dal in water for about 4 hours. Boil in a pressure cooker or on the stovetop till cooked through.

Heat oil in the kadai/wok.

When hot add jeera till it sizzles and is golden brown. Add onions at this point along with ginger and garlic. When they turn translucent and start getting a little brown round the edges, add the tomatoes and the green chillies. Cook till pulpy. Add salt and kasooti methi.

Add the cooked green moong dal along with its water and boil till it thickens a little.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Stuffed Bhindi

Ladies Finger ( Okra, Bhindi, Bendakaya, Vendakaya) is one of the best loved vegetables at our home. That is one veggie that the kids eat without making even a little bit of a fuss. Usually we just chop it up and fry it and it tastes very nice with typical home food of dal and rice.
But on special days, we try to do something different. Or just for a change of tastes and flavours to eat with rotis.

In my early days of cooking, I came across this recipe which sounded very easy. Few ingredients, favourite vegetable, lightly fried.....
I am not sure of the source of this recipe as it has been written in my dog-eared recipe book many many moons ago.

It is very easy to assemble. Most of us will have all the ingredients required in our pantries. But let me warn you... There is one cumbersome process. Stuffing.. It can take a while and as the quantity reduces a lot in the cooking process, we need to make a larger quantity. The advantage is that the stuffing can be done much earlier while watching TV or doing something else. But I can promise you, the end result is worth every moment of effort you put into it.

Also, for all those bachelors out there looking for easy recipes, this is for you.

Here goes...

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Ladies Finger
1/4 kg Shallots (optional)

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon haldi or turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon jeera or cumin powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoon amchur powder( dried mango powder)

Oil for shallow frying.

Method:

Wash and thoroughly dry the okra.
Top and tail the okra. ie cut the top bit and bottom bit of each okra.
Make two cuts along the length of the bhindi on opposite sides without cutting through.

If using shallots, make the cuts in the form of a cross on the bottom (not on the stem side). I did not have any shallots so they are not in the picture :).
Shallots are little more painful to stuff, as they are so much tinier. But on the other hand, they enhance the taste of the dish a lot.

On a plate mix all the dry ingredients till well blended together.

Stuff this dry mixture into the cuts in the bhindi. Let there be enough stuffing to ensure a lot of taste after it is ready.




Heat a shallow pan till medium hot. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil gets hot, add as many bhindis as the pan can hold without crowding. Shallow fry till the colour changes to a darker shade and the bhindi is completely cooked.

Serve hot along with rotis, dal and raw onions sliced.

Carrot Salad

Each family has members who are very picky about what they eat and have very definite dislikes. My husband is one such who will not eat chana/chole, banana, tindora(aka dondakai/kovakai) etc etc. He has such hatred for cooked carrot that never will he eat carrot curry in any form. But on the other hand he loves raw carrot. I guess all things crunchy are welcomed by him.




Now we all love one raw vegetable dish with lunch. So as a compromise we made up this yummy South Indian tasting carrot salad which is simple but extremely healthy and full of goodness.


4 medium Carrots
2 green chillies
1/2 a lime
Oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds.
Salt to taste

Grate the carrots. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add green chillies and switch off the flame.

Pour over the grated carrot. Add lime juice and salt to taste.

And thats it. Its that simple.