I know, I know! This is a food blog...but this is MY page, so I can write anything, right??
Today I was looking for a particular song, 'Maa' by Sagarika (Shan's sister). The youtube search led me to various songs that I had absolutely loved during my growing up years, school and college. Me and my sis were absolutely crazy about these songs, knew the lyrics by heart! We used to wait everyday for the MTV SELECT program, hosted then by VJ Shehnaaz & VJ Nikhil and pray that somebody should request these songs, so we could watch the video :) Today's search made me so nostalgic, I thought I'll share some of my fav. songs with you all..Do let me know if any of you guys like these! All these songs are from private albums.
I'll start with the song I started searching for, a beautiful soft melody by Sagarika. Everybody will want to hug their mom after listening to this.
Next one is by Aslam & Shibani. Very cute!
This one is by 'Aryans'. This video features Shahid Kapoor and Hrishita Bhatt. I adore the puppy in this one...
This song is from the album, 'Yeh hai Prem' and features Abbas and Preeti Jhangiani. The whole album is very nice! I like this song the best. The cute teddy bear key chain with an I Love You heart was introduced in this video and caught on like wild fire...
Now, this one, everybody will love this song, as it makes you so nostalgic about your college days. Its Purani Jeans by Ali Haider.
Next song is by Shiamak Davar, I guess his first album.
This is an absolutely wonderful song by Pankas Udhas. Lovely video. The story is the famous 'The Gift of the Magi'. One of the most romantic tales ever by O.Henry. If you haven't read the story, please follow the link and read right away!
That's all for today guys!! Will write again soon, hopefully with a recipe :). All of you take care and have fun!!
Chow Mei Fun is a Chinese dish that's made with thin, string like rice/bean noodles. Most of you must have seen this on a take-out menu, but the most delicious Chow Mei Fun with curry, is never 'written' on a menu!! You will find 'Chow Mein Fun' written under the rice noodles category, but you always have to ask for the curry powder addition separately. This is a dish that we discovered because of a Chinese Gentleman we met at a Chinese takeout. Me and HD were seriously discussing what to order at a take out counter, where an elderly Chinese man interrupted us and told us "Take Chow Mei Fun with Curry, you Indians like it"! I'm always open to taste new flavors and this sounded yummy, I searched the menu over and over again and didn't find that listed. So we just told the guy at the counter and he made that for us, and since then, its a staple for us!! Many many thanks to the man who introduced me to this!! Trust me, those of you who have never tasted this will be thankful to me after you do :)
So as usual, I tried making this at home! It turned out pretty good, I made the curry powder at home. I tried searching for Chinese curry powder recipe, but found very vague ones, so I just made something I thought would suit my taste buds. The recipe follows. This curry powder is not too strong, its just really aromatic! If you do not want to make curry powder at home, use your favorite brand. I used the bean thread noodles(transparent noodles) that need to be just soaked in hot water for a few minutes to be cooked. You need to be really careful while doing this, as even an extra minute in the water could make the noodles too soft and soggy. I recommend trying out a small batch before making the entire quantity. Try a few different times and temperatures of the water and see what you like best. We like it a little bit chewy, which is the noodles immersed in hot (hottest) tap water for 3-4 mins. Also, the bean thread noodles are really really tough to break, so buy package sizes that you can use in a single meal. And make lots, as this is really light on the tummy! You could add what ever veggies you like, carrots, beans, cabbage, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms snow peas, baby corn, bok choy etc. etc. etc. phew! And of course the non vegetarians can add their share of meats.
Ingredients:
Rice/Bean thread noodles - as required (I used about 10 oz/283 gms) Onion - 1 medium Garlic - 2 cloves OR Garlic powder - 1 tsp Vegetables - whatever you have!! (I used carrots, green peppers and shredded cabbage) Curry Powder - 1 tbsp (or more, recipe follows) Soy sauce - 1 Tbsp Vinegar - 1 Tbsp(rice wine vinegar recommended, use whatever you have) Sugar - 1 tsp Salt - to taste Water/Stock - 1/4 cup Oil - 3 tbsp Scallions/Spring onions - a few(to finish the dish, optional) Eggs - as required(optional, scramble the eggs separately and add to the noodles)
Method:
1. Slice all the vegetables thinly. Chop the garlic.
2. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, water and salt in a bowl and keep aside.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large flat bottom pan. Add the veggies(including onion and garlic) and stir fry for 3-4 mins.
4. Cook the rice noodles/bean threads as per package instructions. If using bean threads, cook them at the very last minute(soak them in hot water after you have started step 3). Drain the noodles and toss them with 1 Tbsp of oil.
4. Once the veggies are sauteed (do not overcook the vegetables), add the curry powder and saute for 30 secs. Add the mixture from step 2 and stir for 30 secs. Immediately add the cooked noodles and coat them nicely with the sauce and curry powder, be gentle and careful not to break the noodles too much. Adjust salt to taste. (We add salt now because soy sauce and curry powder have a little salt already, so now you can adjust seasoning without overdoing it). Cook for 3-4 mins until everything comes together.
5. Finish with chopped green portion of the scallions(use the white portion in step no. 3) and scrambles eggs(optional).
You could serve this plain or with a hot sauce of your choice.
Curry Powder recipe:
Ingredients:
Coriander seeds - 1 Tbsp Cumin seeds - 1 Tbsp Dry Red Chillies - 3 no.(medium size) or Cayenne - 1 Tbsp Cinnamon - 1/4 inch piece or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon Green/black cardamom - 1 no. small Clove - 2 no. Fennel seeds - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Salt - 1 tsp
Method:
1. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom separately until aromatic on low flame(about 45 secs to 1 min each).
2. Combine the ingredients from step 1 with turmeric powder and salt and make a fine powder in a spice/coffee grinder. Store in an airtight container.
This post is more like a product review than a recipe. All of you (who reside outside India) must have seen this product. This is an excellent product for novice cooks or people with very little time to cook. Actually, I like it because its easy and very very tasty!!! It brings home the restaurant taste, with absolutely no effort. Click HERE to see their entire range of products. All the products have cooking instructions on the rear side, usually all you have to do is add the mix and yogurt/water and cook/pressure cook! Its really that simple!!! The package that I have shown below is one of the older products, still available in a lot of stores. In their website you can see their new range of 100% natural, trans-fat free products!! I have even used their chicken curry mix to make veggie curries, tastes yum!! This is my entry to 'Semi Homemade - Indian Recipes' event, hosted by Rahin of 'Lazzat'.
Ingredients:
Eggs(hard boiled) - 3 no. Onion - 1 small Green chili/Serrano pepper - 2 no. Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp(optional) Parampara Egg curry mix - 1/2 packet Yogurt/Curd - 1/2 cup Water - 2 cups Salt - to taste Coriander leaves/Cilantro - 1 tbsp
Method:
1. Boil the eggs and peel them. Keep aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add the onions and green chilies and saute for 4-5 mins, until the onions are soft.
3. Add half the contents of the parampara and add 1/2 cup water. Mix well, until the water evaporates. Now, add the yogurt and cook for about 4-5 mins, until the raw flavor of the yogurt goes away.
3. Now, if required, add some water to adjust the consistency of the gravy, salt and the hard boiled eggs.(Make slits on the whites of the eggs and add them halved or whole). Cook covered for 3-4 mins and serve hot!
Aloo Bonda is a typical south Indian snack. These are fritters made with a simple potato curry, dipped in besan/chickpea flour batter and deep fried. They are usually served with the evening tea. This is a very simple recipe, easy to make and super tasty. Well, everything with potato tastes good, right!
Besan/Chickpea flour - 1 cup Water - 1/2 to 3/4 cup Salt - to taste Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - for deep frying
Method:
1. Boil the potatoes and keep aside.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the channa dal, urad dal and cumin seeds, and saute for 15-20 secs. Add the green chilies and fry for 30 secs.
3. Add the chopped onions and ginger garlic paste, cook until the onions are soft, for about 5 mins. Add the turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder and amchur and saute for a minute.
4. Add the boiled potatoes and mash them lightly with the spatula. Cook for about 5-6 mins, mix in the chopped coriander leaves, and set aside to cool.
5. To make the batter, combine all ingredients mentioned for the batter in a bowl and mix thoroughly(using a whisk is good). The batter should be neither too thick nor too thin.
6. Make small balls of the potato curry. Heat oil in a kadai/saucepan. Dip the curry balls into the batter and drop it in the oil carefully. Cook until they are golden brown uniformly.
This month's A.W.E.D Portugal event gave me a chance to explore the Portugese cuisine. A.W.E.D(A Worldly Epicurean Delight) is an event started by DK of Chef In You, and hosted this month by Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes. Amongst all the recipes I explored, this particular bread caught my eye.Its called Massa Sovada in Portugese and is traditionally made during Easter and Christmas in Portugal. Every family has its own special recipe for this bread, and it is made in a huge quantity. I loved the simplicity of the recipe and wanted to try and make it myself. This bread can be made as a loaf, a roll or to make it look festive, as a braid! That's what I did..this is my first braided bread. I guess it turned out just ok, next time, I'll try and make thinner braids, hehe..This is a little time consuming, in terms of the rise time. It would be a lot easier to do the overnight rise in the refrigerator. Also, next time, I'll make 2 small braids or a loaf. This was too big!!
This is the link to the original recipe: http://www.yankeemagazine.com/recipes/search/onerecipe.php?number=15
Ingredients:
Milk - 1/2 cup(I used whole) Sugar - 1/2 cup Butter - 1/4 cup Salt - 3/4 tsp Yeast - 1 1/2 tsp Water - 1/8 cup Eggs - 2 Mace - 1/4 tsp(I did not use this) Vanilla Extract - 1/4 tsp(optional, not mentioned in the original recipe) Lemon extract - 1/4 tsp(I substituted this with zest of 1 big lemon) All Purpose Flour - 2 1/2 to 3 cups
Method:
1. Scald 1/2 cup milk. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter (not shortening), 3/4 teaspoons salt, vanilla extract and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool.
2. Proof the yeast in 1/8 cup of warm water for about 5 mins (or until foamy). Add to cooled milk mixture. Transfer to large bowl. Beat in 2 eggs. Add 1/2 teaspoon mace and 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (optional); stir in 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour, and mix lightly.
3. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed. The dough will be slightly sticky, because of all the sugar in the dough. Lightly oil the dough ball and put it in a bowl. Cover loosely with saran wrap and let rise for 3-4 hrs in a cool place or overnight in the refrigerator.
4. When the dough is well risen, punch down, re-cover, and let rise again, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
And this is Milo, waiting for me to finish my work in the kitchen. I guess he does not understand why I make so much food and give him none of it!
5. Punch down again, shape 2 loaves, and place in greased pans or on greased sheet. Cover and let rise double, about 1 hour. You could do any shape you like, I did a braid. To make a braid, divide the dough into two equal parts, and each part into three equal parts again. Roll each part into 10"-12" long rope. Braid just like you would braid your hair, and pinch the ends of the rope together. You could do two loaves instead.
6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F and bake until loaves are well browned and sound hollow when tapped, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on rack.
Serve dusted with confectioners sugar, or maybe with some butter and jam!!
Wish you all a very Happy Pongal!! Hope all of you had a great day :)
Festivals always make you nostalgic, don't they? Well, I become totally nostalgic on festivals and bore my husband with all the things I did back home as a child and make him nostalgic too..hehe...and he gets all excited and tells me about all the kites he had. And believe it or not, we have the same discussion every year hehe.. For those of you who are not aware of this festival in India, we celebrate it over three days. Its like our thanksgiving, after a bountiful harvest. 'Pongal' is a sweet/savory dish prepared with the newly harvested rice.
As a child, for me the best thing during pongal was, eating sugarcanes to my hearts content on the endless afternoons after school, sitting in our garden:). January is the sugarcane harvest season in Southern India. The place we lived in, was the city outskirts and thus we had a lot of sugarcane fields pretty close by. So in the harvest season we used to buy tons of sugarcanes, and I loved to eat them just like that, using only my hands and mouth, no cutting-into-small-pieces-using-a-knife :D. We would have all the kids in the neighborhood join us and what a gala time we had!! Sometimes I just want to be a kid all over again, huh!!
Yesterday's menu at my place was all traditional..Chakara/Sarkkarai Pongal, Uzhundu(Urad dal) Vadai and Arachuvitta Sambar!
Today, I'm posting the recipe for Uzhundu Vadai or Urad Dal vadai. These are very traditional south Indian snacks, that are made with soaked black gram. They are crispy on the outside and soft and spongy on the inside. My all time favorite! They look like donuts and are a little difficult to shape, it just takes some patience and practice. I did not have time to take step by step pics, but I shall definitely update the steps in near future.
Uzhundu(Urad Dal) Vadai
Ingredients:
Urad Dal/Black Gram(skinned) - 1 cup Green Chilies/Serrano pepper - 7-8 no. Ginger - 1 inch piece Curry leaves - 6-7(chopped finely) Coriander seeds/Cilantro - 1 tbsp(chopped) Onion - 1 small(optional but highly recommended,chopped finely) Salt - to taste Oil - for deep frying
Optional: You could also add some grated carrots and cabbage. For those of you who cannot eat onions on the festival day, replace onions with cabbage. Trust me, you wouldn't know the difference!! Cabbage tastes exactly like onions in deep fried dishes. Method:
1. Soak the urad dal in water for at least 2 hours.
2. Grind green chilies, ginger and soaked urad dal into a smooth batter, adding as little water as possible. The batter should be thick, creamy and not pourable.
3. Add salt, curry leaves, cilantro and onions to the batter and mix thoroughly.
4. Heat oil for deep frying. Now, shaping the vada is a little tricky and takes some practice. Usually the vada is in the shape of a doughnut. There are two method in which this can be done. You can take a small ball of the batter, and place it on a plastic sheet/leaf, greased with some water. Make a hole in the center with your finger and slide this into hot oil very carefully.
Alternately, if the batter is a little runny, I just dip my hands in some water, take some batter in my hand, make a hole with my thumb and slide it into the hot oil. This can be ver very dangerous, so please do not try this if you are a novice.
If both the above methods seem difficult, just drop the batter by spoonfuls into the hot oil and fry till it is golden brown on both sides, and the bubbles surrounding the vada have subsided.
TIP: If the batter is too runny to handle, add a couple of tbsp of Chickpea flour/Besan to adjust the consistency.
You can serve these with any kind of chutney and/or sambar. Or eat them just like that! Actually, these vada's soaked in curd(Dahi Vada) or rasam(Rasa Vadai) are true delicacies. I shall post these recipes soon!
Happy New Year to all of you!! Hope you had a wonderful time during the holidays with your family and friends. Well, I did and we are now sulking to get back to routine :(. Now coming to this post, Mirchi Bajji - its our all time favorite snack. Everybody who has stayed in Andhra Pradesh, India, has to fall in love with these super yummy snack. Back home in India, we actually never make these at home, as almost every street corner has a mirchi bajji 'bandi', and they always taste better when bought!!! If you happen to pass by one of these bandis, it is impossible to resist the temptation to bite into a hot bajji, with the masala powder sprinkled over it!! Me and my husband crave this so much that I finally decided to make these at home.
Special kind of chilies are used to make these fritters, chilies that are not too spicy and a little longer than the usual chilies used for cooking. You can choose any kind of chili you like, just be sure to taste it beforehand, so it does not end up being too spicy. Coming to the stuffing in these fritters, there are many different kinds, but the one with tamarind and sesame is the most common kind (the recipe given below).
Also, as the title says, I have included a surprise top secret bajji masala powder. Hehe, when I say top secret, I mean it. People who frequent the street side 'bandis' know what I'm talking about. I cannot speak for other places, but in Hyderabad the bajji's are sprinkled with an awesome masala powder, that is (or rather was) almost impossible to make at home. So one day when we were absolutely desperate to eat some bajjis with this masala, an idea struck us! We asked my MIL to ask the vendor (bandiwala) from where she regularly buys bajjis. And voila! here I'm sharing this confidential recipe with all of you ;) This one tastes almost as good as the street food and the best part is, there is almost no effort required to make it. All the ingredients are easily available in Indian grocery stores. You can sprinkle this over bajjis (bhajia) or pakoras. Absolutely yum!
I'm sending this over to the 'Cooking With Seeds - Sesame' event, hosted to Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes.
Ingredients:
Mirchi/Chilies - 10-12 no.
For the batter:
Besan/Chickpea flour - 2 cups Rice flour - 1 tbsp Corn flour - 1 tbsp(optional) Salt - to taste Red chili powder - 1 tsp(or less, to taste) Ajwain/Carrom seeds - 1/2 tsp(optional)
For the Stuffing:
Dry coconut powder - 2 tbsp Sesame seeds - 4 tbsp Coriander seeds - 2-3 tbsp Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp Salt - to taste Tamarind paste - 2 tsp(or more, adjust to your taste)
Method:
1. Wash the green chilies, keep the stem on. Make a slit on one side of the chili and carefully remove the seeds (and ribs also if you cannot stand spicy food). Be careful not to open the chili too wide. Also if possible, please wear disposable gloves while cleaning and wash your hands with soap thoroughly afterwards. If you do not have gloves, apply some cooking oil on your fingers and hands before cleaning.
NOTE: If you absolutely do not want any spice from the chili, after cleaning them, wash them under running tap water for 10 secs each. Wipe the chilies dry with a kitchen towel or tissues.
2. Dry roast the coconut powder, sesame seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds until they are aromatic. Grind these into a fine powder. Add salt, tamarind paste and some water (enough to make a thick paste). Keep aside.
3. Stuff the chilies with the above stuffing, about 2 tsp(or more) per chili.
4. Mix the ingredients mentioned for the batter into a thick batter. When you dip your finger into the batter, it should form a coating that's neither too thick nor too thin.
5. Heat oil in a kadai/pan. Dip the stuffed chilies in the batter and coat it uniformly. Drop these into the hot oil carefully. The oil will start spluttering if the stuffing gets out of the chili, but don't worry, its OK. Try to coat the chili in such a way that you seal the slit made for the stuffing.
6. Drain on paper towels and serve hot. I like to serve the bajjis with chopped onions and coriander leaves, sprinkling lemon juice and a special masala on top (recipe follows).
Bajji masala powder:
Ingredients:
Pani puri Masala - 1 tsp Coriander powder(roasted and ground) - 1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango powder - 2 tsp Cumin powder(roasted and ground) - 1 tsp
Method:
Just mix all the above powders. You are ready to go!!!
We love Mexican food. Burritos, tacos, nachos, salsas and chalupas!! Our favorite Mexican fast food chains are Chipotle and Taco Bell. We can never resist eating at Taco Bell when we pass by the store, chalupas are like our weakness, hehe...Here I have just tried to recreate the Chalupa that you get at Taco Bell, if you have never had it before, please do!! Chalupa is a fried bread that is filled with meat/beans, lettuce, sour cream, cheese and salsa. We like to add some Mexicali rice too. So here, I have created my Chalupa Bar, with the recipes for fry bread, pinto beans and Mexicali rice. The fry bread is very similar to the Indian bread 'Bhatura', only difference is chalupa uses milk and bhatura uses yogurt.
This is definitely a time consuming recipe. But the best part is, you can make everything ahead of time and keep. All you have to do is assemble everything when you are ready to eat. So this is ideal food for parties too.
Chalupa Fry Bread Makes about 8 6" chalupas Ingredients:
All Purpose flour - 2 1/2 cups Baking powder - 1 tsp(you could use just a pinch of this or avoid it, as too much causes bloating) Salt - 1/2 tsp Oil/Shortening - 1 tbsp Milk - 1 cup Oil - for deep frying
Method:
1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Cut in shortening; then add milk to form a soft pliable dough. Cover and rest the dough for 10 mins.
3. Shape dough into a long cylinder; cut into 8 equal parts.
4. Flour hands, then work the pieces into 6" tortillas(about 1/8th inch thick). Punch holes throughout to make holes. If you omit this step, the bread will be very soft and tender. If you make the holes, the bread will be crispy and ideal for fillings.
5. Fry in oil until golden brown on both sides(until the bubbles subside).
TIP: As soon as you drop the tortilla into the oil, use gentle pressure your spatula to keep the tortilla submerged throughout. This will help the bread cook evenly.
You can make these ahead of time and warm them for 20 secs in the microwave before serving to make them soft. If you don't warm them before serving, they will be brittle and thus break when you fold them.
Beans
Ingredients:
Cooked Pinto/Kidney beans - 1 cup Onion - 1 small(chopped) Garlic - 3 large cloves Cumin powder - 2 tsp(roasted and ground) Green Pepper - 1 small(chopped) Red chili powder/Flakes - 1 tsp(optional) Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp(optional) Water - 1/2 cup Salt - to taste Oil - 2 tsp
Method:
1. Heat oil in a skillet and saute the onion and garlic, til the onions turn translucent.
2. Add the green pepper and cook for about 3 mins. Add the beans, salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, garam masala and water. Mash the beans slightly as they cook. Cook until almost all the water has evaporated.
Mexicali Rice
Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup Water - 1 3/4 cup Tomato paste - 1 tbsp Onion - 1 small(chopped) Garlic - 2 large cloves(chopped finely) Cumin powder(roasted and ground) - 2 tsp Jalapeno pepper - 1 no.(chopped finely) Lemon juice - 2 tsp Red Chili powder - 1 tsp(optional) Oil - 2 tsp Cilantro/Coriander leaves - a handful(chopped) Salt - to taste
Method:
1. Heat oil in a skillet and saute the onion and garlic, til the onions turn translucent.
2. Add the jalapeno pepper, chili powder and rice. Saute the rice until it turns translucent, about 4-5 mins.
3. Add the tomato paste, water, cumin powder, lemon juice and salt and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook covered for about 20-25 mins, until the rice is tender. After the rice is done, stir in the cilantro.
Guacamole:
Ingredients:
Avocado - 1 ripe Lemon juice - 1 tbsp(more if you like) Onion - 1/2 of a small onion(chopped finely) Tomato - 1/2 of a small tomato(chopped finely) Salt and pepper - to taste Cilantro leaves - 1 tbsp(optional)
Method:
Chop the avocado and add all the other ingredients. Mash lightly with a fork.
Assembling the Chalupa
Ingredients:
Chalupa Fry breads Mexicali Rice Beans Lettuce/Cabbage(chopped) Tomato(chopped) Onion(chopped) Sour cream/plain yogurt Grated cheese(I use Mexican 4 cheese blend) Guacamole Hot Sauce/Sals(I used store bought mexican hot salsa) Lemon juice
Picture(from the top left) - fry bread, beans, shredded lettuce, chopped onions & tomatoes, yogurt, hot sauce, shredded cheese, Mexicali rice. Method:
Warm the chalupa fry bread in the microwave for 20 secs. Hold the chalupa in a V shape and add all the fillings of your choice(mentioned above). Sprinkle some lemon juice on the top. Enjoy!!!
It had been snowing here all of the weekend. There's almost 2 feet of snow!! It was the first heavy snow of this season and Milo's(our puppy) first snow(he's just 4 months old). So we took him out to see how he reacts to the snow...and he loved it!!! He went crazy running around in the soft snow, chasing all the children that were playing in the snow and eating some snow!! We had a wonderful time playing with him yesterday :) Here's a picture..
So if you are wondering how all this is related to the title of my post, you should have guessed it by now...it was cold and I needed a warm comforting bowl of soup of course!!! I had been eying the Vietnamese Pho recipe for a long time now. I never got to taste it as the vegetarian version is a little difficult to find in a restaurant.
Pho(pronounced fuh) is a traditional Vietnamese soup, a clear broth served with meat, veggies and rice noodles. This much I knew, so I googled for the recipe and came across many many versions, but the base ingredients/spices remained the same. I had a few and didn't have a few..so I came up with my own version, maybe not the most authentic pho, but supremely aromatic and delicious!! The combination of spices used in this soup, perfumes the whole house, trust me on this one :). You can make this spicy if you like it. The veggie version usually comes with tofu, but we are not great fans of tofu, so I skipped it. And best part, this is like zero fat soup, you won't find oil as a part of the ingredients at all!! Also you could make a pot of this broth and store it the fridge. Whenever you feel like soup, just gather the veggies that you have on hand, some noodles and pour this broth on the top. That's all, you will have a meal ready in no time, But making the basic broth takes some time, so make lots of it and store it in the refrigerator.
Ingredients:
For the Broth:
Onion - 1 medium onion Ginger - 1 inch piece Garlic - 8-10 cloves Cinnamon - 1 inch stick Clove - 6-8 no. Bay Leaf - 1 small(dry) Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp Star Anise - 2-3 no.(I didn't have any, so did not use it) Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp(slightly crushed) Red Chili flakes/powder - 2 tsp(optional, we like spicy food!) Vegetable stock - 8 cups(I used 8 cups water plus 2 knorr vegetable bouillon cubes) Sugar(White/Brown) - 1 tbsp Salt - to taste Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar - 1 tbsp(optional)
Vegetables:
Carrots - 2 large(thinly sliced) Cabbage - 1 cup(thinly sliced) Potato - 2 medium(thinly sliced) Green Onions/Scallions - 5-6(chopped, greens and whites separated) Mushrooms - 3-4 dries shitake mushrooms or 2 portabella or about 8-10 button mushrooms or a combination of any kind of mushrooms or none :) Spinach(or any other kind of greens) - as required Cilantro/Coriander leaves- 1 bunch Basil - a handful(optional, I didn't use this)
Rice Noodles - as required(I used Chinese Bean String noodles, you could use any kind you like, I guess the most authentic are the Rice noodles)
Additional toppings and seasonings:
Bean Sprouts Tofu Hoisin sauce Hot sauce(Sriracha) Slices of hot chili peppers
Method:
1. Roughly chop the onions, and cut the ginger into a few round slices. Char these for about 5 mins each, under the broiler, or on a grill if you have one.
2. Now combine the first 13 ingredients mentioned for the broth in a big pot and simmer, covered for about 45 mins.
3. Pour the broth through a sieve and save the filtered broth. Return the clear broth to the pot and add all the vegetables, white portion of the green onions, soy sauce and vinegar and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
4. Prepare the rice noodles as per package instructions. If you are using bean strings like me, do not cook them ahead, wait till the next step :).
5. When you are ready to serve, Place the noodles in the serving bowl (you could add any other toppings or seasonings you like at this point.)and pour the steaming hot broth over it. Top the bowl with the greens(spinach or what ever you are using), cilantro, mint and greens portion of the scallions. Add a slice or two of lemon/lime and whoa, you are ready for the most comforting bowl of soup!!
NOTE: If you are using Chinese bean strings, please note that they cook very fast, and you just need to soak them in hot water for 3 mins. So instead of cooking it ahead in hot water, I like to prepare the soup exactly like in step 5 above, but with steaming hot soup poured over uncooked noodles placed on the bottom of the bowl; then cover the bowl for about 3 mins before serving. This way the noodles are more flavorful!!!
I was introduced to 'Falafel' by my husband. When he was in NY city, these was a food stall near Columbia University that served(still serves) the best falafels. It was his regular lunch before I came here and I used to wonder how he could eat the same thing again and again every other day?? I got my answer the very first time I tasted them!!! For those of you who are new to falafel, it is a popular street food from the Middle East countries. These are small crispy fritters, made mostly from chickpeas and fava beans. Each country in that region has their own recipe. They are usually spiced with cumin, coriander and parsley.
Falafels are usually served on pita bread, and in the NY stall that I mention earlier, he has his unique way of serving them, with rice. The rice used to be the parboiled basmati, spiced very mildly with turmeric and some spices(I still regret not getting the original recipe from him). So let me describe how he serves the falafel. He would pick about 4-5 falafels and crush them on the hot griddle, sprinkling them with chili powder and onions, saute this for about 3-4 mins and add this over abed of the divine yellow rice. Top it with some kind of white sauce(which I guess is mayo or Caesar dressing) and hot sauce, with a side of lettuce and tomatoes. Have I made you guys hungry already??? We absolutely loved it and ate it every chance we got!! So here I have just tried to recreate the magic, but its not the same. Still, as we cannot visit the stall anymore(we are in Delaware now), it works okay. So do try this recipe and lemme know what you think of it. I shall give the basic yellow rice recipe that I make at the end. You could also serve these in a pita bread with some onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and tahini based sauces. Which ever way you wish to serve these, they are absolutely delicious. Falafels would make great party food, as everything can be made/cut ahead of time and all your guests need to do is assemble them! So enough of my ideas, lets get the recipe, shall we?
Today I started out to make chickpea falafels and at the last minute thought of adding some oats(I try to sneak in oats where ever possible, as my HD would not eat plain oats). The outcome was very nice, wonderful texture, my hubby could not even make out that I had added oats!
NOTE: Most recipes on the internet call for canned chickpeas/garbanzo beans. But that is a bad idea, the falafels do not turn out good and separate into bits as soon as you add the balls into hot oil. Traditionally the falafels are made with uncooked pre-soaked beans, that's how I tried making them today, and they were perfect!
Dry Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans - 1/2 cup(this will yield in about a cup of beans after soaking overnight) Quick cooking Oats(Ground into a fine flour) - 1 cup Coriander seeds - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Red Chili powder/flakes - 1 tsp(optional, but they give a nice kick) Salt and pepper- to taste Green chilies/Serrano peppers - 2 no.(optional) Parsley/Coriander/Cilantro leaves - a handful(use whatever is available) Garlic - 2 large cloves Fine bread crumbs - 2-3 tbsp Lemon juice - 1 tsp(optional) olive oil - 1 tsp(optional) Water - 1 tbsp(only if required) Oil for deep frying
Method:
1. Soak the dry chickpeas overnight in sufficient water overnight. Drain them before using the next day.
2. Dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds and grind them into a fine/coarse powder.
3. Blend all the ingredients except the Oats flour and breadcrumbs, in a blender/food processor into a coarse paste. I think it will be easy to pulse them in a food processor, but if you are using a blender(as I do), it is important to stop after each pulse and mix the ingredients with a spatula, pushing them down, so you will get an even coarse paste.
4. Remove the ground paste to a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, and then the Oats flour gradually. Adjust seasoning. The consistency of the final dough should be neither too wet nor too dry. You should be able to roll the dough into small balls and the balls should hold their shape once you set them on a plate. Make small 1 inch balls of the dough.
NOTE: You will use up almost 3/4 cup of the oats flour, after that be a little careful.
5. Heat oil in a skillet and test the temperature by dropping just a pinch of dough into the hot oil, if it comes up immediately, you are ready. Fry the balls on medium flame until they are deep golden brown ans the bubbles around the balls start to subside. Do not fry them on HIGH heat, as they will become brown very quickly, but will be raw inside.
6. Enjoy!! Falafels taste just as good at room temperature too.
New York City style Falafels with Rice:
Ingredients: For the Yellow Rice:
Basmati rice(regular or parboiled) - 1 cup Water - 1 3/4 cup Bay Leaf(Dry) - 1 medium Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Ghee/Butter - 1 tbsp Turmeric - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp(chopped)
Method :
Wash and soak the rice for at least 30 mins. Mix all the above ingredients and water in an electric rice cooker bowl and cook until done. Sprinkle the cilantro and mix after the rice is done.
TIP: Always fluff the rice(with a fork or spatula) as soon as it is cooked, to avoid the grains sticking to each other.
To Serve the falafel with rice:
Ingredients:
Falafels - 4-5 no. Yellow Rice - as required Onions - 1/2 medium(use raw or sauted/grilled) Lettuce - as required Tomatoes - a few slices Hot sauce - a few dashes Caesar salad/Thousand islands/Mayo dressing - as required
To Assemble:
Make a bed of rice on a plate. Crush the falafels on the chopping board so they break open. Put these on the bed of rice. Top with all the other toppings. For an extra kick, sprinkle some chili powder on the top!!
(I did not have all the ingredients I mentioned above on hand, so this is today's version, topped with some jalapeno pickles!!)
MLLA 18 stands for the event, My Legume Love Affair, 18th helping, started by Susan of 'The Well-Seasoned Cook', and hosted this month by Srivalli of 'Cooking 4 all Seasons'. This is a wonderful event that celebrates all kinds of legumes. If you have not already seen any of the roundups, I highly recommend you do it now and you will find a mind boggling variety of recipes to increase the protein content in your diet!
I would like to send my Kidney Bean biscuit recipe for this event. Please follow the link to the recipe:
Also, my dear friend Rohini has passed onto me this wonderful award, which has been pending for a long time now. Thanks a ton Rohini!!! Sorry for the delay in posting, but trust me, it means a lot to me :)
I'd like to share this award with all my blogger friends!!
Happy Holidays everybody!!! This is such a festive season! I see so many colorful Christmas trees wherever I go, there's just this positive energy in the air, that keeps you happy...And when I'm happy, I crave sweet treats of course!! What can be better than warm, soft, chewy cookies?? I had been waiting to make these cookies since I bought a bag of Nestle Toll House Premier White Morsels. This recipe is also given on the bag, this and White Chip Island cookie. But as I'm not a fan of coconut, I was waiting to try this chocolate cookie. Both me and my hubby love white chocolate. The combination of the chocolate cookie with white chocolate chips sounded brilliant to me. So I tried out a batch and here is the recipe for all of you. The cookies turned out awesome. It is a very simple recipe. The only thing you need to be careful about is, not to over bake the cookie. Though it may seem like it is undone after 9 mins, leave it on the counter to cool for about 2 mins and you will see that they are done. If you over bake them, the cookies turn crispier and you lose out on the soft and chewy center. So do not bake for more than 11 mins at any cost.
Makes about 5 dozen small(2") cookies
Ingredients:
All Purpose flour - 2 1/4 cup Cocoa powder - 2/3 cup Baking Soda - 1 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Butter or Margarine(softened) - 1 cup(2 sticks) Sugar - 3/4 cup Brown Sugar - 2/3 cup(packed) Pure Vanilla extract - 1 tsp Eggs - 2 large White chocolate chips - 2 cups
Method:
1. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
2. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the white chocolate chips with a spatula.
5. Preheat oven to 350 F.
6. Drop by a well-rounded teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet, leaving at least 2 inches gap between the cookies. I just used my hands to form small balls and placed them on the cookie sheets. Make bigger balls for large cookies.
7. Bake for 9-11 mins or until the centers are set. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 mins, then remove to cool completely on wire racks.
This month's Indian Cooking Challenge, hosted by Srivalli of 'Spice your Life', is one of my all time favorite snacks - Chakodi. Chakodi is a very famous snack in Andhra Pradesh and I have never eaten it anywhere else. It is very crunchy and crispy and the perfect snack to go with a cuppa! I had never had home made chakodi before. Me and my mom tried making this, but ended up making just murukku in a ring shape hehe..So when I saw the recipe on Valli's blog, I was ecstatic! Srivalli gave us two recipes, I tried the second one, as I was out of moong dal. The first time I tried this recipe, I made the mistake of adding the flour to the water. The result was a gooey batter, to which I added some rice flour(almost 3/4 cup) to get the correct consistency. So all of you who decide to make this, keep the hot water ready and add it gradually. I had to use only 3/4 cup of water for 1 cup of flour. Again, I guess it depends on the quality of rice flour that you use. The verdict?? Almost like the store bought!!! So now I can have chakodis right here in my home!!
Chegodilu - Recipe 2
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 3/4 cup All purpose flour/ Maida - 1/4 cup Ghee - 2 tbsp Ajwain - 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric really a pinch Salt as per taste Oil to deep fry
Method:
1. Boil 1 cup water in a bowl, add salt to it.
2. When the water starts boiling, remove from stove, add ajwain, red chilli powder, turmeric and flours. Stir with a ladle to make sure it is mixed well. Pour ghee on it and cover.
3. Once it cools, knead it to form smooth dough.
4. Grease your hand. Pinch out small balls of dough and roll them like threads between your palm, bring the ends together to form into small rings.
5. Fry them in hot oil til they turn golden in color. You can follow the same procedure as the first recipe.
NOTE: Check if the oil is in the correct temperature, by dropping a tiny bit into the oil. Then gently slide the rings or the chakodis in batches of 4 -5. The flame has to be on high until the chakodis come up to the surface, then lower the flame to medium and cook till you get a golden colour on the chakodis.
When the chakodis are golden all over, using a slotted ladle, remove to a kitchen towel and cool. Store in an air tight container for longer shelf life.
Remember to turn the heat to medium to high and high to medium for getting the chakodis to golden colour and also to be cooked evenly. Only this way you get crispy chakodis. These should not be cooked on low flame as they will absorb more oil and can turn soggy also at times.
Variation: Instead of Cumin and Sesame seeds, 1 tsp of Ajwain or Omam can be used along with chili powder.
And here is my favorite way of eating chakodis!!!!!
What do you do when it is cold and snowing outside...Well, I can certainly tell you what I like to do; open the curtains so you can see the magical snow fall and cuddle up on the sofa with a steaming hot bowl of soup, with some nice crusty bread or maybe a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, depending on what time of the day it is :) !!! I'm sure most of you agree with me. So when Harini, the Sunshinemom of 'Tongue Ticklers' announced this month's Monthly Mingle - Soups, I was delighted. It seems like such an appropriate theme for this weather. Monthly Mingle is an event started by Meeta of 'What's for lunch Honey?'. I have to say here that I'm an admirer and ardent fan of Meeta's blog. If you haven't been there already, you have missed out on a fabulous feast for your eyes!
This is a very simple and hearty Italian soup. Its a variation of the minestrone soup, is very easy to make and is almost fat free (just 1-2 tsp of olive oil). You could do this with whatever vegetables you have on hand, throw in some pasta instead of rice and use any seasoning of your choice. I chose to make it with eggplants as I have never used eggplants in a soup before. The rice and eggplant are a great combo in the recipe. I wanted to serve this in a bread bowl as my hubby is a big fan of soups in bread bowls, and I had never tried making them at home. So this was a pretty successful experiment. The bread bowl and soup were quite filling and it was a meal by itself. You don't even need a salad to go with this.
This recipe has two parts, the soup and the bread bowl. Lets start with the bread. The bread bowls do need some planning ahead, but they get done in about 3-4 hours.
Bread bowls with Oats and herbs:
Ingredients:
Bread Flour - 3 cups Ground Oats - 1/2 cup Active Dry Yeast - 1 package(2 1/4 tsp, 0.25 oz) Sugar/Honey - 1 tbsp Salt - 1 tsp Warm Water - 1 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Optional flavoring ingredients:(I used all of these) Italian seasoning - 1 tsp Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp Red chili powder/Cayenne/Red chili flakes - 1 tsp
Method:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red chili powder, oat flour and 1 tbsp oil to 3 cups of flour. Mix well and add the remaining water.
3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth/saran wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hr to 1 1/2 hr. In cold weather, place your bowl near the room heater or just heat your oven on 200 F for 3 mins and switch off. Place the bowl with the dough in the oven.
4. Punch dough down, and divide into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35-40 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush this on the loaves. Bake for 25-30 mins, until dark brown on top.
7. To make bowls: Cut a 3 inch circle on top of each loaf and run your knife along/in the circumference to cut out a cone. Scoop out centers, leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.
Eggplant soup with Rice:
Ingredients:
Eggplant - 1 medium Onion - 1 medium Carrot - 1 medium Green Pepper - 1 small Garlic - 3 large cloves Tomato puree/sauce(I use Hunt's) - 3/4 cup Rice(I use Basmati) - 1/2 cup Bay Leaf - 1 no. Thyme - 1 sprig or 1 tsp dried Vegetable bouillon - 1 or Vegetable stock - 2 cups Water - 3 cups (you could substitute with vegetable stock) Cilantro/Parsley - a handful Salt and Pepper - to taste Red chili powder/flakes - 1/2 tsp(optional) Lemon juice - to taste Grated cheese(pepper jack/cheddar) - as required
Method:
1. Chop all the vegetables.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and saute the onions until they turn translucent. Add the garlic, carrots, green peppers, eggplants and a little salt and pepper. Cook for about 4-5 mins.
3. Add the washed rice, tomato puree, thyme and bay leaf.
4. Cover and cook for about 20-25 mins, until the rice is tender. Adjust seasoning and consistency. Cook for another 5 mins and add the cilantro/parsley and lemon juice if required.
5. Add some grated cheese on top of the soup before serving.
We love pizza and can eat it anytime of the day. Our favorite pizza is from Papa Johns. Both of us like the original crust, thick and bready, and always buy some extra orders of Peperoncini chilies and garlic dip. Yum!! So when I wanted to try baking a pizza at home, I wasn't really sure if we'll like it to the extent of making it again and again. Well, once the pizza was made, we really liked it, maybe not as much as papa jonhs, but we really liked it!! The crust was perfect and all toppings of our choice. Homemade pizza has two advantages. One, you can control the amount of cheese and two, you can put all the toppings of your choice, including chat masala!!! Yeah, my hubby loves a little bit of chat masala over his toppings. Here in this pizza, I have used Mexican four cheese blend, you could use anything you like.
This particular recipe calls for fermenting the dough overnight in the refrigerator. You could also let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles/triples in size. But I guess the overnight fermentation in the fridge gives it a nice flavor. Here is the original recipe. I have modified the recipe just a little bit.
Ingredients:
Ice cold Water - 1 1/4 cup Milk - 3/4 cup Sugar/Honey - 1 tbsp Bread Flour/All Purpose Flour - 5 cups Active dry yeast - 2 tsp Olive oil - 2 tablespoons Salt - 1 tsp
For the Toppings: Green Peppers Onions Mushrooms Jalapeno peppers Cheese(Mexican four cheese blend) Italian seasoning Olive oil Garlic powder And anything you want!!!!
Method:
1. Proof the yeast in a bowl with half cup of warm water and sugar, for about 10 mins, until foamy.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, milk(cold is fine) and water(little by little) until the dough comes together. Wait for 5 mins and start kneading the dough on the flour counter. Knead for about 8-10 mins until the dough is elastic. My dough was not wet, and I did not need a lot of extra flour for kneading.
3. Place dough in an oiled clean bowl, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours, preferably overnight, until the dough has risen to double/triple its size. (The dough can stay refrigerated for up to 3 days.) If you are in a hurry, you could just leave the dough on the counter and let it rise until its double/triple its size. 4. On the day of baking the pizza, remove the required amount of dough and leave it covered at room temperature at least for an hour. Simultaneously, preheat the oven to 500 F.
5. Sprinkle the pizza stone or baking tray with some semolina/cornmeal. Stretch the dough using your hand. If its a little difficult to stretch, rest it for 2 mins and stretch again. We like a thick pizza crust, its really your wish, stretch it as thin as you like or leave it as thick as you like. I stretch the dough on the counter, and then transfer it onto the stone/tray. Then stretch it into final shape in the tray. Let it rise in a warm place for about 30 mins.
6. Meanwhile, prepare your toppings. I used green peppers, mushrooms, onion and jalapeno peppers. We like to chop them instead of slicing, as you get more topping in each bite!!
7. I do not mind using store bought pizza sauce. Spread some sauce on the pizza and add the desired toppings. I like to add some Italian herbs and garlic powder on top. Also a drizzle of olive oil!! My husband on the other hand loves a sprinkle of chat masala!! Well, that's the advantage of making pizza at home. Sprinkle some cheese on the top. Bake for about 12-15 mins. 12 mins for a soft crust and 15 mins for a crispy crust.
I was just craving for a cake today. So I decided to make a simple vanilla cake, with some fresh lemon frosting. I was waiting to try out this frosting from a cookbook that I'm reading right now, The Complete Baking Cookbook by George Geary. It has a wonderful collection of cake and frosting recipes. The frosting was sweet and tangy, and went very well with the simple cake. The cake was very moist, as I used buttermilk. I somehow do not like too many eggs in a cake. So this recipe was perfect for me. You could also make this as a two layered cake, just double the recipe and make more frosting(use the original recipe below). Please check the similar chocolate cake recipe here.
Ingredients:
All Purpose flour - 1 cup plus 1 tbsp(1/2 cup plus 2/3 cup) Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Sugar - 3/4 cup Large Egg - 1 Oil/butter - 1/4 cup Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp Buttermilk - 3/4 cup
Fresh Lemon Frosting (The Complete Baking Cookbook - George Geary)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottoms of a 9 inch round pan with parchment paper circles,or with foil(lightly greased with oil/non stick spray). Sift together flour, baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.
2. Cream the oil and egg together until you get a pale yellow color, about 4-5 mins with a hand beater.
3. Mix in the oil, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 3-4 mins.
4. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time, into the wet ingredients. Repeat this for the rest of the flour. Do not over mix, each time mix only until the dry and wet ingredients are incorporated.
5. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35-40 mins until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. After 15-30 mins, remove the cake from the pan and cool completely.
7. Cover the cake with the frosting, I just used the back of a spoon to create simple spikes. Decorate as you wish.
Frosting:
Mix together all the ingredients for the frosting and cream with a whisk or hand beater for about 5 mins, until the mixture is creamy. If required, add some milk to get the consistency you want. For me this works just fine.
I know all of you know how to make fried rice...then why another recipe??? Well, the answer is - one of my experiments resulted in this absolutely delicious fried rice, I had to share it with you all!! The secret is a very simple 1 inch cube. OK now, before I spoil the mystery element, the secret ingredient is Knorr Vegetable Bouillon cubes. Yes, I had got a packet of this for making soups. I was set out to make fried rice when this wonderful idea struck me! So I just added a bouillon along with soy sauce, and you won't believe me, but the whole house smelled like a Chinese restaurant(Indo-Chinese).
This is by far the best fried rice I've ever made at home, certified by DH. We loved it!!! Seriously, you have to try this to taste the flavors I'm talking about. And I did not even add garlic! I now truly agree with Knorr that "Great tastes come in small packages". I have already made this twice in a day :). I'm a vegetarian, so I used the vegetable bouillons. You can also try the chicken or beef. This is a great way to use leftover rice too, children will love this, and you could sneak in a ton of veggies. I like to scramble my eggs separately, you can do it however you like.
(Use any vegetable on hand, these are just what I used) French Beans - 1/2 cup(chopped) Carrot - 1/2 cup(chopped) Broccoli florets - 1 cup Spring Onion - 2 no.(chopped, greens and whites separated) Knorr Vegetable Bouillon cubes - 2 no. Soy Sauce - 2 tsp Tomato Ketchup/Duck sauce - 2 tsp Chili powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp(optional) Green Pepper - 1/2 cup(chopped) Eggs - 4 no. Cooked Rice - 2 cups Oil - 2-3 tbsp Salt - to taste
Method:
1. Scramble the eggs with a little salt separately and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and add the carrot, beans and white portion of green onions. Add a tsp of salt and cook for 4 mins on high.
3. Mix in the green pepper. Add the vegetable bouillon cubes, 2 tbsp water, soy sauce, ketchup/duck sauce and chili powder. Mash the bouillon cubes to mix them thoroughly. Cook this mixture for 2-3 mins. Add some crushed black pepper if you like.
4. Add the cooked rice and mix thoroughly, adjust salt. Now move away, stir after 5 mins. Turn the rice, and again stir only after 5 mins. Do this for about 15-20 mins, so the rice can absorb the flavors completely. Mix in the scrambled eggs and greens of the green onions.
5. Serve hot. You can eat this just like this or my recipe for Chinese vegetables in garlic sauce will soon follow!!!
I stumbled upon this recipe when I was doing some research on Moroccan/North African cuisine. This curry is a creamy combination of spinach, peanut butter and coconut! All three of my favorite ingredients. I had been wanting to make this for sooo long, finally I made it today. And the verdict - Absolutely divine. I have altered the original recipe a little(as usual, hehe). The original one calls for coconut milk, I din't have any, so I soaked freshly grated coconut in warm water for 10 mins, and blended it in the microwave. Also, I like my food a little spicy, so added some chili powder and garlic.
This would be a great way to sneak in some spinach into your kids diet. They will love it so much that, there will be none left for you! The taste of peanut butter beautifully complements the other ingredients in this recipe. Actually, you could just dilute this a little more and drink it like a soup. With a piece of bread, this would be perfect for a cold day!!!
Ingredients:
Spinach(chopped) - 1 cup Peanut Butter - 2-3 tbsp(use more if you like,I like crunchy PB) Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup OR Freshly grated/Frozen coconut - 2-3 tbsp Onion - 1 medium(chopped) Tomato - 1 medium(chopped) Red Chili powder - 1/2 tsp(optional) Curry Powder - 1 tsp(I used Kitchen King masala) Garlic - 1 clove(chopped) Water - 1 cup Salt - to tase Oil - 1 tsp
Method:
1. If you do not have coconut milk, soak the grated coconut in warm water for 10 mins, and grind into a paste in a blender.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 2 mins. Mix in the tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are mushy. Add water if required to keep this from burning.
3. Add the curry powder, chili powder, spinach and salt. Fry until spinach is almost cooked.Now add the coconut milk and peanut butter. Mix well to ensure PB is dissolved in the gravy. Cook for 5-7 minutes. The gravy will thicken because of PB, so adjust the consistency to your liking.
4. This creamy side dish will go very well with rice, rotis and bread.
Well, to begin with this recipe, I would like to highlight the many health benefits of sesame seeds and why you should include these tiny seeds in your diet regularly.
Source: Wikipedia and whole foods website
1. These seeds are exceptionally rich in iron, magnesium, manganese, copper, and calcium (90 mg per tablespoon for unhulled seeds, 10 mg for hulled), and contain vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin E.
2. Sesame seeds contain two unique substances: sesamin and sesamolin. Both of these substances belong to a group of special beneficial fibers called lignans, and have been shown to have a cholesterol-lowering effect in humans, and to prevent high blood pressure.
3. Sesame seeds are a very good source of copper, just a quarter-cup of sesame seeds supplies 74.0% of the daily value for copper. To know the benefits of copper and other minerals in sesame seeds, visit THIS page.
4. The most interesting fact: Women of ancient Babylon would eat halva, a mixture of honey and sesame seeds to prolong youth and beauty, while Roman soldiers ate the mixture for strength and energy.(What say ladies!!??)
5. Well, they taste nutty and yummy :).
So, when I saw this recipe on a cookery show(Maa Voori Vanta) on MAA TV, I had to try it. I knew I would love the taste, I just added a few ingredients to suit my palate. The host of the show said this was a specialty of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, and that, this is especially good for ladies who are pregnant or have just delivered a child. I used a combination of white and black sesame seeds, as I was out of white ones. I guess the black seeds bring a slight bitterness to the dish. To counter that, I added juice of half a lemon at the end. The next time I make this, I shall make it completely with white sesame and maybe a little more spicy. So everybody, give this a try. People who love food from Andhra Pradesh, would love this. I did :)
White Sesame seeds - 1/3 cup Black Sesame seeds - 1/3 cup(substitute with white sesame seeds) Garlic - 5-6 (or more if you like) Green/Serrano chili - 4-5 no. Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Onion - 1 medium Tomato - 1 small(or more if you want) Water - 1 cup Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp Curry Leaves - 3-4 no. Red chili powder - 1 tsp Dy Red chili - 2 no. Urad dal - 1 tsp Hing - 1/4 tsp Lemon juice - 2 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp(preferably sesame oil)
Method:
1. Grind the sesame seeds, 3 flakes of garlic, onion, Jeera and green chili coarsely in a blender, without adding any water and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and add dry red chilies, urad dal, curry leaves, hing and fry till the dal is golden brown. Add the garlic and fry for a minute.
3. Add the above paste, chopped tomatoes, turmeric, red chili powder, salt and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and cover. Cook on medium-high for about 20 mins or until the sesame seeds have absorbed all water and have become completely dry.
4. Serve with hot steamed rice and ghee, with a papad on the side.
Have you tasted Sanjeev Kapoor's (Khana Khazana) range of chutneys?? I had a taste of beetroot ginger chutney at my SIL's place and it was awesome!! So this chutney of mine is inspired from that. I have mixed together the ingredients I like and thought will make a tangy, sweet and spicy chutney. My version is slightly on the dry side, but if you like you could add some more water or apple juice and get the desired consistency. It is a little sweet because of the apples, but the spice of the ginger and chili balance it out well. The tang from tamarind paste is definitely there. So here is my experiment for all of you to try!!!
Apples - 4 medium(any tart apple) Ginger root - 2 inch piece Carrot - 2 no. Onion - 1 small Green chili/Serrano pepper - 2 no.(adjust) Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Red chili powder - 1/2 to 1 tbsp(adjust) Tamarind paste - 1 tsp(3 tsp if you use a light colored tamarind paste) Salt - to taste
For Tempering:
Oil - 3-4 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Crushed coriander seeds - 2 tsp(just crush in a mortar and pestle) Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
Method:
1. Chop all ingredients finely. Leave apples a little bigger if you like them so.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and let the mustard seeds splutter. Add the cumin seeds and crushed coriander seeds.
3. Add the ginger and green chili and saute for 3-4 mins on medium high.
4. Add the onions and carrots and cook for 5 mins.
5. Mix in the apples, tamarind paste, turmeric, chili powder and salt. I do not add any water as the salt releases juice from the apples. If you like your chutney to be not as dry as you see in my pictures, please add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water/apple juice.
6. Cook until the desired consistency is reached. I cook it for 20-25 mins.
7. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve with toast, rice, roti or dosa.
I was a software engineer by profession, now a home maker and I'm thoroughly enjoying this phase of my life. I'm passionate about food. I love cooking, grocery shopping :), watching cookery shows, reading food blogs and of course eating!!!! This blog is just an attempt to maintain a database of recipes I have learnt from everywhere! I'm looking forward to share and learn much more!
Learn Krithis (eg. Maha Ganapathim, Brovabharama, Brochevarevare to name a few) with MP3 files and NOTATIONS to download. Basic lessons for beginners also available (eg. Sarali Swaras, Janta Swaras etc. Audio preview available for all songs.
Mirchi/Chilies - 10-12 no.
6. 
Picture(from the top left) - fry bread, beans, shredded lettuce, chopped onions & tomatoes, yogurt, hot sauce, shredded cheese, Mexicali rice.
