Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Corn Muffins- World Cup Semi Special!

India was playing Pak in the semis, and it was like a World Cup Final. I didn't mind them losing the real finals, this match was to be won! Manoj was coming down, and Niket too was back from office early. Niket said their office premises had projector screen, and the whole junta was there with face painted n all! The roads were jammed with traaffic at 2pm, as if it was 6 pm already. Everything was going to stop till the match was on..

We finally won the match, though Misbah made it really exciting!

I made corn muffins, aloo gobhi sabzi and bread-butter pudding for dinner. (Weird combo you would say, but I wanted to spend minimum time in the kitchen) I knew India was winning and this was in celebration of our victory.

Savory Corn muffins

Ingredients

2/3 cup corn flour or makki ka aata
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp Baking powder
a pinch of Salt
1 Egg
2 tbsp refined / veg oil
2/3 cup curd
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Fresh corn
2 tbsps coriander / dhania
1 chopped onion
2 tsps garlic chopped

Directions-
Grease your dish and keep aside. I used my glass dish (I am yet to get a muffin tray, i haven't found it anywhere around)

In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients (flours, salt, baking powder). In another bowl. whisk together egg, oil, sour cream and curd. Add this to the flour mix. Combine. Add the corn,onion, garlic and the coriander. Mix gently, do not overmix.

Pour into your baking dish, bake at 180 deg for 30-35 mins, brush with butter. Serve warm.

If you use wheat flour, your muffins will turn out dense and firm. You can subb it with all purpose flour, if you want a softer but not so healthy version.

This is going to Show me your Muffin by Divya of Dil Se

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Nepalese Aloo achaar for Kancha :)

Whenever Rajani, Sunil and Niket would invite their Nepalese friends for dinner, Rajani and the girls would definitely make the Nepalese Aloo Achaar. It looked so easy to make and it tasted so good, it was over in no time!

Yes my husband is Nepalese. This was a question put to me even in my visa interview, and then the lady asked me, what is your jati (Hindi term meaning caste) I told her what it was and that Niket's also was the same.

So today's "Fascinating fact for the day" is Bh@#!%s are found in Nepal too!


Coming back to our pickle recipe, though I had always seen Rajani make it, I had never made it until 2 days back. I mentioned it to my MIL when she was here and she told me the exact recipe. I have thought of making it only after I saw the Pickle mela event.

One of the blogs I follow, Delhi Belle, has also posted a similar recipe. My MIL's version is slightly different. 




Our recipe for Nepalese Aloo Achaar

Ingredients-
1 large potato, boiled and cut into small cubes
1 tbsp sesame seeds (black sesame tastes better than white, I use a mix of both, white also can be used singly)
Turmeric ¼ tsp
1/2 a lemon
1/2 tbsp mustard oil
2 green chillies chopped finely
Salt to taste
1 tsp flax seed roasted (optional)
1 tsp fenugreek / methi seeds

Directions-
Soak the cubed potatoes in a bit of salted water to let the salt penetrate them.
Roast the flax seeds and the sesame together and grind them.  Drain the water from the potatoes, add the ground powder and mix.
 
Heat the mustard oil, add fenugreek seeds, green chillies and a pinch of heeng / asafoetida. Add the turmeric powder soon after turning the gas and pour over the potatoes mix. Cover and toss. (Rajani always said the flavors get mixed better if mixing with hand) Let stand for 10 mins, juice the lemon over it, mix well and serve.

Sending this to Pickle mela

Monday, March 28, 2011

Spinach and oats soup

I have been wondering what to make for the ingredients listed in Design a Menu. I had most of the stuff listed, except apples. Also, I have been thinking of feeding Yashi some spinach, since she mostly eats fluids / mashed stuff, I had thought of making soup. And I finally designed a menu!

My menu-
Spinach and oats soup
Bhindi Stir fry
Toor daal with bottle gourd
Banana halwa or apple/banana kheer - (I have never tried any, but I have a banana halwa recipe from a Mallu friend)

Presenting here is my appetizer- Spinach and oats soup

Ingredients-
1 tbsp refined oil
1 onion chopped
1/4 cup oats (I used Quaker instant oats)
3 cups spinach boiled with 3/4 cup water and blended / pureed
whipped cream for garnish - optional
salt and pepper to taste



Directions-
Heat the oil, stir in the onion and saute for 2 minutes until they turn pink. Stir in the oatmeal and chopped spinach and cook, uncovered, for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

My menu tonight-
Spinach and oats soup
Whole wheat garlic breadsticks
Daliya khichdi
The recipes coming soon!)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Eggless Pineapple and coconut cake

This recipe is almost a copy of Dr Sameena's cake. Mine is eggless, and with a few changes.

I was slightly worried about using coconut, because Niket hates it. But I think he didn't even know abt the secret ingredient! The cake was over amongst the two of us in 2 days! It was good warm as well as after a day.

I didn't have any eggs at home so I subbed egg with soy flour, baking soda and sour cream.

For flour, I used 1 Whole wheat flour, 1/2 oats and 1/2 all purpose / maida.

I didn't have pineapple juice, but about 3/4 cup of chopped pineapple.

Ingredients-
1/2 cup Butter
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup grated fresh Coconut
Pineapple - chopped - 3/4 cup
2 large tbsps soy flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 large tbsps sour cream / curd
1/2 cup milk / buttermilk
1 tsps baking powder

Directions-
Cream butter and sugar. Add sour cream/ curd and combine. Add the coconut and pineapple pieces and stir to combine.

Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, soy flour and add this to the butter-cream mixture in parts, along with milk.


Combine well. Pour into greased baking dish and bake at 180 deg for 25-30 mins. Let cool for 12-15 mins before you savor!

The pineapple chunks add moistness to the cake.. So good :)

Sending this to Priya's Crazy for Cakes

This recipe is also for my friend and blogger Soni who wanted eggless cake recipes, check out her recipes at veggiefoodie!

Whole Wheat Garlic Breadsticks

This is our favorite from Papa John's pizza. Tried to recreate them, with whole wheat flour. We cut back on a bit of cheese, else they were as good as if not better than the ones we order (and not to mention healthier, with whole wheat flour!)

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (can use roasted garlic or garlic powder)
1/3 cup oil or butter
1 tsp yeast
1 tbsp honey




2/3 cup water

Directions-
Sift the flour, salt, garlic powder (or mix in the garlic) together and keep separate. Combine honey/ sugar, yeast and lukewarm water and let the yeast bubble up.Stir in flour mix into the yeasty mix and knead into a dough. Keep it in a well greased bowl, covered with a damp cloth and let it rise for an hour or so in a damp place.
Knead again and roll out into breadsticks. I separated them into 7-8 portions and shaped them such. Let rise for another half an hour.
Bake in oven at 180 deg for 20 minutes or so, they will be brown and crispy when they are done. Brush with butter. (Or spread grated cheese and let bake for 5 mins or so till the cheese browns.)

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Raw mango rice- microwave cooking

I have learnt to make raw mango rice after I came to Bangalore. I think this is a Karnataka special dish. Thanks to Lakshmi, my friend and colleague, for this recipe. I have posted this recipe earlier, but I am reposting this with a pic and microwave cooking directions.
Earlier recipe is here-
Ambrosia: Raw mango rice

My recipe-
Ingredients-
A handful of roasted peanuts
You can roast peanuts in the microwave.
Oil or ghee for cooking
Mustard seeds for tempering
curry leaves - a few
1 Onion-chopped
1 tomato - chopped - optional
One small raw mango (can be peeled), grated
Salt to taste
1 tsp Turmeric
1 cup white rice- cooked

Soak the rice for about 20 mins to half an hour in 2 cups water, cook in the microwave for 12-15 mins on 75% power, let stand for 10 mins.

Method-
Keep the cooked white rice ready.
In a microsafe dish, add the tempering,curry leaves and onions. Micro for a couple of mins.
Add tomato, micro for another couple of mins, mash with the back of your spatula.
Add roasted peanuts, turmeric, salt and cook for another minute. Now add the raw mango, mix and cook for another minute.
Don't overcook the raw mango or the flavor will disappear.
Mix plain rice very well, and cook in the micro for another couple of mins.
Let stand for about 5-10 mins for the flavors to mix and serve hot.

This is going to MEC Rice hosted by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan. She has a lovely blog! Also check Srivalli's original announcement page here. This event will soon complete a decade ;)

Friday, March 25, 2011

Carrots and Moong salad

Ingredients-
carrot-moong salad and baby corn veggie

1/4 cup yellow split moong dal, washed, soaked for 2 hours and drained
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 apple ( can be used optional, I didn't have this)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (I skipped this, I didn't have any!)
Salt
1 tsp oil, mustard seeds for tempering
1 tsp lemon juice
Directions-
In a bowl, add the dal, carrots, apple.salt and ginger. Toss to combine.
Prepare tempering by heating the tadka pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add to the salad, add cilantro,lemon juice, toss to combine. Serve!

    Wednesday, March 23, 2011

    Daliya Khichdi / broken wheat porridge

    Ingredients-

    1 cup broken Wheat /Daliya
    1/2 cup Mung Daal
    2 tbsps soaked and pressure cooked barley (can use brown rice or plain white rice too if you like)

    oil or ghee for cooking
    1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste - optional
    1 onion, 1 tomato chopped
    1 tsp cumin for tempering
    1 cup Peas, Carrots, baby corn or your choice of veggies chopped
    Salt – to taste
    1 tsp Turmeric Powder
    Water – 2 cups

    Directions-
    Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin, onions and fry. Add tomatoes and cook till done. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry a bit. Add broken wheat / daliya and fry for a couple of mins. Now add the daal,barley/ rice, veggies, salt, turmeric powder and water. Mix and pressure cook for 1 whistle, simmering for 2 mins. Turn off stove and allow to cool.

    Serving suggestion-Add a teaspoon of ghee and mix before serving. Or serve with curd/ yogurt.

    Tuesday, March 22, 2011

    Learning-to-cook: Akila's Round up: Dish Name Starts With F

    Learning-to-cook: Round up: Dish Name Starts With F

    Check out the roundup here. My entry was Fulori
    and this is my award!


    The roundup has lots of amazing dishes, check it out! This is my 100th post, if this can be counted ;)

    Tamatar ka bharta in 10 mins flat!

    This makes a good side dish and can be served with rice or rotis.

    Ingredients-
    4 medium tomatoes chopped roughly
    1 boiled potato cubed
    1 tsp ginger garlic paste
    1 tsp chopped garlic
    1 onion chopped
    Salt to taste
    2 tsps mustard oil


    Directions-

    Mix everything together in a micro safe dish, leave out the mustard oil. Micro for 7-8 mins. Turn out in a steel bowl and mash everthing with a potato masher or spatula. Add mustard oil, mix well. Serve!
    Next time, i am making this with litti!
    Sending this to Sanyukta's Cooking with Whole foods(Whole Fruits/Whole Vegetables)-TOMATO. Also check Kiran's announcement page

    Edit 27 March
    I tried this the other day with broccoli along with the other ingredients after my friend, Shahla suggested this. Very good :)

    posted from Bloggeroid

    Monday, March 21, 2011

    Beetroot idlis- pink on the lips of my lover!

    Beetroot has a whole lot of benefits, it is rich in folic acid, fiber, vitamins and betacyanin, the pigment which gives beets its color, is an antioxidant. But who likes beet?!

    I had a few beets lying around. I didn't want to add them to the sambar, because it would take away the color of the greens I was using there. I added them to my idlis and got a lovely color.


    I am sending this recipe to Think Pink hosted by Maison Also check Meeta's Monthly Mingle page.

    My recipe for beetroot idlis-
    For idli batter-
    1 cup rice flour
    1 cup rava
    1 cup curd
    1 cup water

    Mix all the above ingredients and keep aside for an hour.

    You will need later-
    2 tsps baking soda / fruit salt (Eno)
    salt to taste

    Meanwhile, prepare beetroots-
    1 medium sized beet- Grate and pressure-cook for one whistle.

    Grease your idli plates, to the batter, add the cooked beetroots, salt and baking soda. Pour spoonfuls into the idli plate and steam idlis.

    Serve hot with Sambar or chutney.

    I think the color would be better if the beets are ground.

    Thandai recipe (minus the bhaang)

    Holi  in Bihar is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm or it used to be like that maybe when we were kids. The Holika dahan or the bonfire is lit on phalgun poornima. I still remember the holika dahan in Lalbagh Colony, Bhagalpur. Mummy used to prepare delicacies from as early as a week before- rava and coconut laddoos, shakarparas and nimkis. And then there were mouthwatering dishes made on the day of Holi- dahi bade, puas, kathal / jackfruit veggie, pooris. As kids we would wear our new clothes in the evening, after spending 3-4 hours cleaning the colors! We would go to all our friends' houses and smear abeer on each other, and at the elders' feet. And at one such friend's place, we were given bhang wali thandai :) Bhaiya said don't have it, but Chandan and I did, almost about a glass full :)

    Holi in Bihar is incomplete without bhang wali thandai. But do you have a choice when you are in Bangalore, and when you are breastfeeding?

    I have a whole lot of almonds. My parents send me dry fruits for every occasion. This seemed like a good way to celebrate holi and consume almonds- I think this must be the only way I like them!

    Our recipe for thandai-
    Ingredients:
    15 almonds
    2 tsp saunf
    3 tsp poppy seeds / khuskhus
    2 cardamom pods (can add more, I don't like their taste much)
    2 tsp peppercorns

    Method:
    Soak all the above ingredients overnight. If you like, remove the peels from the almonds. I kept them (Almond peels are a good source of fiber, and also contain antoxidants) Grind everything together to a smooth paste.

    To make thandai- (for 2 glasses)
    You need-
    3 tablespoons sugar
    1.5 glasses of water
    1/2 a glass of cold milk
    Crushed ice if you prefer

    Soak the sugar and the water before hand (I don't have the patience to stir to dissolve it) Mix 2 large tablespoons of the almond paste, milk and ice. Combine well.

    almond paste
    sherbet / thandai
    The above paste is good for making 6-8 glasses.



    This is my entry to Gayathri's Walking through the memory lane.

    And I will wait for another year to celebrate holi with puas I make for Yashi.. Man, I so miss my childhood..

    Sunday, March 20, 2011

    Seduce Your Tastebuds....: Refreshing Minty Treats

    Seduce Your Tastebuds....: Refreshing Minty Treats

    This is the roundup for herbs in your platter. Check this out for a lot of ideas on how to use refreshing mint in your food. My submission was pudina brown rice

    Saturday, March 19, 2011

    Green chilli pepper veggie

    I made this veggie quite sometime back and loved the color! and the taste.
    This is a simple recipe, it definitely can be spiced up. Add some ground coconut / tamarind water! (I can't add either cos Niket is allergic to tamarind and doesn't like coconut much)

    Ingredients-
    1 cup green chilli peppers - deseeded and chopped
    1 cup boiled potatoes - cubed
    1 onion - chopped
    1 large tomato - chopped
    1 tsp each of turmeric, coriander and all spice / garam masala
    oil for cooking
    salt to taste
    cumin for tempering

    Directions-
    Heat oil in a kadahi. Add cumin and let splutter. Add onions and fry till pink. Add chopped veggies and fry, along with tomato. Add the dry spices and cook covered. The green chilli and tomato will leave water, add about half a cup more and cook covered till done, stirring in between. Serve with rice / rotis. The tanginess of the tomato and the chilli is so good!

    Sending this to DNSW G at Akila's blog

    Friday, March 18, 2011

    Sandwich dhokla

    Dhokla is slowly and steadily making its way into the most popular dishes on menu tonight, just because it is easy, takes very little time and is a good way to use up curd. I have a bad throat since a few days, but i set curd almost every night!
    I tried sandwich dhokla and it was a different taste altogether. I served it with big green chilli veggie. The stuffing in the dhokla can be varied. I used potato and peas stuffing and sattu stuffing. Both tasted very good :)

    My recipe-

    My recipe for dhoklas is from here, with some alterations-
    1 cup sour curd
    1 cup water
    5 tbsp rice flour
    3 tbsp gram flour / besan
    1 tsp eno/ fruit salt / baking soda
    salt to taste
    2 tsps chopped coriander / dhania

    Mix these together and keep aside for 10 mins.

    For the potato and peas stuffing-
    1 boiled potato - mashed
    1 cup peas- boiled and roughly mashed
    oil for cooking
    cumin / mustard seeds for tempering
    1 tsp each of turmeric and coriander powder
    1/4 cup water

    Heat oil in a wok. Add the tempering, add the boiled veggies and fry for a bit. Add the dry spices and cook till done. Add water and cook to get a paste like consistency. Remove from fire.

    For the sattu stuffing-
    Use my recipe from here

    For sandwich dhokla-
    Pour half the batter in a greased dish, spread the stuffing over it by spoonfuls and then pour the remaining batter over it. Microwave for 8 mins on full power (check with a knife, if it comes out clean, it is done) Let cool. Cut into squares.

    You can add tempering if you have patience or eat otherwise (which is what we did)

    I added the tempering to the sattu filling wala dhokla.
    Tempering-
    1tbsp mustard oil
    2 tsp mustard seeds
    split green chillies (I didn't have any)

    Heat the mustard oil in a kadahi / wok. Add mustad seeds and let them splutter, add green chillies and the dhokla pieces, mix well.

    Serve hot with chutney / ketchup.

    Sending to Fast food not fat food, cos it is fast, esp with the sattu stuffing! and it is not fat, and is doubly delish!

    posted from Bloggeroid

    Cooking with fruits roundup

    The Cooking with fruits round up has been posted. Check Smita's post here. My submission was the Pineapple upside down cake! :) Now I have some pineapple at home and I am tempted to bake this again today..

    Thursday, March 17, 2011

    My participation award for B for breakfast event

    My award for the breakfast event. My submission was Dhokla

    And the round up is here, there are so many entries and each one looks worth trying!
    Roundup B for breakfast

    Wednesday, March 16, 2011

    Oat-ey lemon bars

    This is the first time I made lemon bars. And why did I think of it? Cos it had been so long I had baked, and I had some lemon at home. We get lemon cos Niket prefers lemon tea (I hate it). We got some Navadarshanam lemon-grass, and I found out that if I use lemon in lemon-grass tea, it becomes really tangy. What better use for the lemon than to make some lemon bars (I have to try tarts next)
    This recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking

    For the crust-
    1/2 cup butter
    1/4 cup powdered sugar
    1 cup flour  (I used mix of oats, flax seed flour and whole wheat flour)
    pinch of salt
    Beat the butter and sugar, sift the flour and salt and add, beat together and combine to form dough. Press this onto the bottom of your greased baking dish and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes at 180 deg. Let cool. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

    Lemon Filling:
    1 cup sugar
    2 eggs
    1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (I used 3 lemons)

    1 tbsp lemon zest (My lemons had dried up and I had some orange zest so I used that instead)
    2 tablespoons flour (I used oats)
    1/4 cup milk

    For the Filling: Beat the sugar and eggs along with the zest. Add the lemon juice and combine. Fold in the flour. Pour the filling over the crust and bake for about 20 minutes at 180 deg. Remove from oven and cool.
     
    Serving suggestion- dust with powdered sugar, cut into squares and serve.

    This is going to Dr Sameena's event for Oats recipes. She has some very easy and tasty recipes. Check out her blog.
    posted from Bloggeroid

    Tuesday, March 15, 2011

    Methi / fenugreek greens in mixed dal with heeng ka tadka!

    You can also use palak / spinach. I have tried with both using a mix of dals- toor/ arhar, green and yellow mung, and masoor.

    Ingredients-
    Daal(toor/masoor/mung or a mixture of all of them) 1 cup
    1 Onion chopped
    Fenugreek(methi) leaves or Spinach (palak) 1 cup
    1 tsp ginger garlic paste
    1/2 tsp turmeric
    Salt to taste
    Mustard oil / ghee- 1 tsp
    Cumin / mustard seeds and hing for tempering

    You can skip onion and ginger-garlic if you so wish, and can even add one chopped tomato.

    Directions-
    Add daal and greens with the chopped onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste, salt and turmeric to the pressure cooker. Cook for one whistle and simmer for 2 mins.
    Heat ghee/ oil in a tempering ladle, add the tempering, turn off gas and add heeng / asafoetida (be careful and do not add more than a pinch!or you will spoil the taste)
    Serve hot with rice / as side dish with rotis.
    posted from Bloggeroid

    Monday, March 14, 2011

    Baked samosas

    Samosas are Niket's favorite snack. I had tried them quite a long time back but never got around to retrying or posting them. This time I made them again, with a different recipe and even clicked good pics (Atleast I did better than quite a few other pics, see!)



    My recipe-

    Ingredients-
    Whole wheat flour
    Oil - 2 tbsp
    Water
    Pinch of baking soda

    Make a tight dough and keep aside.

    Stuffing-
    2 medium Potatoes boiled and mashed
    1 cup grated Carrots
    1 cup peas
    Capsicum 1 medium sized chopped
    1 onion chopped / spring onions - 1 cup
    1 tsp each of coriander, all spice and turmeric powder
    Cumin / ajwain - 1 tsp for tempering
    Oil for cooking



    Tips-
    1 tsp of whole coriander will make the stuffing tastier, I didn't have any. Also some ajwain / carom to the dough will make it all the more delicious

    Directions-
    Heat oil in a kadahi. Temper the cumin and add onions. Fry till they turn pink. Add peas, capsicum and carrots, cook covered. Now add the dry spices and fry a bit. Cook till the veggies are done. Add the potatoes and mix well. fry for a couple of mins and remove from stove, let cool.


    From your dough, cut into 10-12 portions. Roll out into chapatis, cut them into semicircles. Form a cone and fill in the stuffing with spoonfuls, sealing the side with a little water. Repeat with all portions of dough.

    Brush each samosa with oil. Put them into the oven at 180 deg, making them stand on their base. This way you wouldn't have to turn them midway. Bake till they turn brown, it takes about 25-30 mins.


    Serve hot with ketchup.

    Sending this to AWED Indian Cuisine hosted by Umm Check DK's page as well.
    Indian cuisine would be incomplete without samosas!


    This is also going to Fast food not fat food, even though it is not really fast, it is one of the hot selling ones! I am also going to send another one here soon!


    My first award!!

    I would like to thank Charitha of Women's era for nominating me for the awards. Thank you so much!
    Check my award! Also visit this page for methi dal!



    I am nominating my friends for these awards-
    1. Nivedita of http://niveditaskitchen.blogspot.com/
    2. PJ of http://seduceyourtastebuds.blogspot.com/
    3. Suma of http://veggieplatter.blogspot.com/
    4. Priya of mharorajasthanrecipes
    5. Divya of Divyas cookbook
    6. Nags of http://www.cookingandme.com/
    7. Aipi of http://usmasala.blogspot.com/
    8. Rak's kitchen
    9. Srivalli of http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/
    10. Zelda of http://zeldaszecrets.blogspot.com/
    11. Umm of http://tasteofpearlcity.blogspot.com/
    12. Indira at Mahanandi
    13. Purple Cinnamon at http://purplecinnamonandsalt.blogspot.com/
    14. Delhi Belle at http://delhibelle.blogspot.com/
    15. Oriya food





    Sunday, March 13, 2011

    For the love of potato!

    My friend, Shu passed on this recipe to me. It is a Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe, check here. I am scared of anything deep-fried, I can't stand at the stove and do all that. But when I looked at the recipe it was much like bread rolls, except the change in stuffing and the dough. And I was thinking, potatoes will bake very well if rubbed with oil in the oven and they will turn as crisp as the deep fried rolls. They did not turn as crisp but they definitely tasted good :) I altered the stuffing quite a lot.

    My recipe for potato rolls-
    4 bread slices
    3 medium sized potatoes
    salt

    Mix these and keep aside (it will form a dough, I mixed some water too)

    Stuffing-
    1 chopped onion
    1 chopped tomato
    1 shredded carrot
    1/2 cup peas
    1 chopped capsicum
    1 tsp each of turmeric, coriander powder and all spice / garam masala
    Oil to cook
    Roasted peanuts

    Heat oil in a wok, add onion. Fry till they turn pink. Add tomato and cook till done. Add rest of the veggies, salt and dry spices.Cook covered. Remove from heat after peas are cooked well. Mash a bit with the spatula. Let cool. Add roasted peanuts.

    To stuff rolls-
    Oil for rubbing on the rolls

    Grease palms with some oil, take a portion of the dough (I made them into 10 portions) Roll the dough in your palm and make a hollow for the stuffing. Put in a spoonful of the filling, roll into an oblong shape. (I found this a bit more difficult than doing the bread roll)
    Do this with all the dough. If some filling is left, use bread to make some bread rolls.

    Arrange them on a greased baking dish. Rub some oil on top. Bake in the oven at 180 deg for 30 mins, turning in between. Serve hot with ketchup!

    I am sending this recipe to Holi Aayi re, it looks like a perfect recipe for a festival!

    Saturday, March 12, 2011

    Papaya and papad veggie

    My stock of veggies was over. I only had half of a ripe papaya. We eat papaya for dinner, it is said to be good, since it acts as a digestive and laxative! So I was wondering what to make !
    Niket always mentions raw papaya and papad sabzi that was made at his school (RK Mission). We have tried that several times, and I thought of experimenting this time with ripe papaya.
    It was delish!

    My recipe-
    Ingredients-
    2 papads- roasted in the microwave
    1 chopped onion (I used spring onions)
    1 boiled potato cubed
    half of a medium sized papaya cubed
    salt to taste
    1 tsp each of turmeric, coriander, allspice/ garam masala
    Oil to cook
    tempering (I used panch phoran with sesame seeds)

    Directions-
    Heat oil in a wok. Add tempering, then onions and fry till pink. Add potato, papaya(I added potato, papaya and spring onions right after the tempering spluttered) Fry a bit. Add the dry spices and mix well. Fry for a couple of minutes.  Add 1 cup water and cover, let simmer for another couple of minutes. Now add the roasted papad broken into bits.

    I used garlic flavored papad. I think the pepper ones will taste better with the ripe papaya! Turn off the gas, cover and let stand for a few minutes before serving. Serve with rotis or rice.

    I saw this event being run by Vaishali of Zesty Flavors  and since my dish looks colorful with the papaya and the spring onions, I am sending this to It's Spring!

    Bread and butter pudding-easiest dessert recipe

    This is the easiest dessert and it's tastier than anything- warm or cold! It is also a good way to use up your stale bread.

    Recipe-


    Ingredients:
    1/3 cups sugar
    2 cups milk
    1 egg
    raisins or nuts optional
    2 larges tbsps butter (I used homemade white butter)
    8 bread slices, stale
    1 tbsp cream

    Directions:
    Grease your baking dish well. Butter slices on one side (or both if you like!) You can cut the crusts if you like, I don't want to waste them so I just let them be. Arrange them on your dish with the buttered slices up.
    Sandwich raisins / nuts in between layers of bread till you finish.

    Warm the milk upto scalding (not boiling) point. Break the egg, mix sugar till it dissolves. Add cream and mix well. Pour this on the bread slices. Place it in the oven. Set temp to 180 deg and bake for 30 mins or till top browns.

    Serve warm or cold.

    We had this for breakfast the next day and it tasted as good as it tasted warm.
    I tried this with bananas sandwiched in between and even with peanut butter on one side and butter on the other. Tasted good with all combo. Try this to believe it!

    My dish with Radish!

    I am a regular follower of Events and roundups. It is always updated and has a list of all the events in the blogosphere. It has an event "A fruit/veggie a month" with Radish. I am breastfeeding my 6 mo baby and have been refraining from all such veggies (beans, cauliflower, cabbage, radish etc) This event series has originally been started by Priya, whom I am following now. Check the page here

    We eat sattu (roasted gram flour- staple in UP and Bihar) a lot - for breakfast with curd and jaggery, for dinner as stuffed chapatis. The stuffing does not taste good if it does not have radish (the white one- daikon, is what is mostly available in Bangalore) Also the radish makes the stuffing a bit wetter, easier for stuffing.

    I recently made sattu rotis/ makunis. My recipe is the same as this one here.
    I just made a change of adding radish.

    New recipe-
    To make 10 rotis
    2 cups sattu
    1 grated onion
    Juice of one large lemon
    Achaar ka masala from any pickle
    1 tbsp Chopped dhaniya (I used more of this)
    1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
    1/2 tsp ajwain, mangrela (carom and nigella)
    1 cup grated radish (I used 1/4 cup only, I didn't want Yashi to turn into a gas cylinder)
    Salt to taste

    Mix all these very well with hand. Check for salt and it should taste lemony. This is your filling.

    2.5 cups aata

    Make dough. Fill in, like you would stuff aloo. Roll out and cook as chapatis. It can also be greased with oil or ghee and made as parathas.


    I made these into dry chapatis and served with ghee and ridge gourd veggie.

    Friday, March 11, 2011

    Rajma / Kidney Beans- truly Punjabi

    Whenever I make Rajma, I fondly remember the days spent in Lajpat Nagar, college with Shahla and our good times at ODS!

    My recipe for Rajma-
    1 cup Rajma soaked overnight , pressure cooked with enough water for one whistle and simmered for another 12-15 mins - add salt to let the salt get into the beans
    2 chopped onions
    2 tomatoes chopped or pureed
    1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
    Salt to taste
    1 tsp amchur (dry mango powder)
    1 tsp each of coriander, turmeric and Garam masala/ all spice powder
    2 tsps of MDH / Everest rajma masala!
    1 boiled potato- cubed

    Saute onions in a little oil, fry till they turn pink. Add the pureed/ chopped tomatoes with the ginger garlic paste. Fry till done. Add cubed potato, the powdered spices. Fry a bit and then add the rajma along with the water. Add salt and dry mango powder and the rajma masala and simmer for 10 mins ot so. Serve hot with either rice, roti or paratha.


    I served this with Genhu khichdi - it was a good combo!

    This is going to 2 events-
    AWED Indian Cuisine hosted by Umm Check DK's page as well.

    My Legume Love Affair 33. Also take a look at The Well Seasoned Cook for further events.

    Wednesday, March 9, 2011

    Genhu Khichdi / wheat grains khichdi

    Genhu Khichdi / wheat grains khichdi

    This is also going to cooking with seeds event on Suma's blog.  (Check this link) Also check Priya's blog here


    Ingredients:

    1/2 cup wheat grains soaked overnight and pressure cooked for one whistle
    1/2 cup rice
    1/2 cup dal

    clean the rice and dal, wash and keep along with cooked wheat grains.

    Some veggies, i used-
    1/2 cup carrots
    1/2 cup capsicum
    1 onion
    1 tsp each of turmeric and coriander powder
    salt to taste
    1 tsp ghee- optional
    1 cup water
    oil for cooking
    cumin for tempering

    Heat oil for the veggies. add onions, cook and then add the veggies. Fry a bit. Add turmeric and coriander powder and fry some more. Now add the grains all together.

    Add water, salt and pressure cook for one whistle, simmer for 2 mins. let the pressure cool. Add the ghee for a good aroma, savor hot.

    I made shortcut rajma with this, was not sure of the combo, but we thoroughly enjoyed it! I think anything masaledaar would definitely go with this nutritious khichdi!

    Banana Cake

    I made this quite a few days back. Rahul Kakkar is in Bangalore and I wanted to bake something for him. I haven't met him after he has come back from Bbay but I met Kumar some days back when I was taking Yashi for a walk.

    I am a frequent visitor of Nags' blog and have bookmarked quite a few recipes from there. I wanted to try the banana cake since I had a few over ripe bananas that become too soft and mushy for eating.

    I followed the same recipe, except a few changes-




    Ingredients-
    1 cup/ 160 gms whole wheat flour
    2 tsp baking powder
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp baking soda
    1 cup mashed banana (I used 3 medium sized ones)
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 egg
    1/4 cup oil
    50ml sour cream (or buttermilk, I used sour cream because the recipe says using sour cream makes the cake moist and softer)
    1 tsp vanilla extract (I omitted this cos mine was over!)


    Directions-

    Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and soda, keep aside. Now use a food processor or mix by hand-
     Banana, Sugar, egg and butter. Add the sour cream/ buttermilk and the essence, mix again and then add the flour mixture. Fold and combine well.  Do not overmix!
    Bake at 180 deg for 35 mins or till the cake is done- check for doneness with a toothpick.
    I did not do the frosting part, you can check it up here. Also check the pics and the step-by-step recipe process with pics. The cake looks awesome! Mine isn't as good to look at but it was delectable nevertheless. 

    I sent some over to office for Rahul and friends, and they loved it!

    Tuesday, March 8, 2011

    wheat grains pudding / genhu kheer

    I have two whole wheat grain recipes which I am posting here and sending to an event on Suma's blog.  (Check this link) Also check Priya's blog here
    Genhu Kheer / Wheat grains dessert
    Ingredients:
    1 cup wheat grains soaked overnight and pressure cooked for one whistle
    1 litre milk
    handful of nuts and raisins
    1 tsp ghee
    4 tsps jaggery

    Directions:
    Heat the milk and bring it to a boil. add the cooked wheat grains and simmer till mixture thickens. Mash some wheat grains with the back of your ladle to check if they are cooked, it also helps in giving the pudding a thicker consistency. Remove from stove.
    Heat the ghee, add the nuts and raisins, and add to the pudding along with jaggery or sugar.  I think it tasted best with jaggery, you also need to adjust the taste because the wheat grains have a slight sweetness of their own. Savor warm or cold.

    Monday, March 7, 2011

    Apple and breadcrumbs layer cake


    I had some stale bread in the fridge, and some apples which both of us love best baked :)
    My recipe for a tasty apple-y breakfast-
    4 medium sized apples - chopped
    2 tsp lemon juice
    1 tsp nutmeg / cinnamon
    6 tbsps sugar / honey
    6 tbsps butter
    1 tsp orange zest (use lemon zest if you have, i didn't)
    Combine well and keep aside.

    Stale bread- 10 slices crumb-ed
    4 tbsps sugar
    4 tbsps butter

    Combine well in a bowl and keep aside.

    Take your greased baking dish, I used a square one. First layer with the apple mix adding the juice also. Now add the bread crumbs layer softly pressing on top of the apple mix. Repeat this, with the crumbs layer on top the last. (I made 2 apple layers and 2 crumb layers)

    Bake at 180 deg for 35-40 mins till top has browned. Let cool.

    It tasted really nice out of the oven, the crispiness of the bread and the gooey apples :)

    Serve for breakfast with a glass of hot milk or serve as dessert with icecream :)

    While browsing through blogs, I noticed this event, with its last date today. Sending it here. "Lets Celebrate Sweets- Warm Desserts"