Cherry Tomato And Cilantro Spaghetti With Cumin Tadka

Cherry Tomato And Cilantro Spaghetti With Cumin Tadka served with clear tomato soup 

and Strawberry and Oreo Cups for dessert. 

While buying Strawberries is a must in Mahabaleshwar, spotting a basket full of cherry tomatoes was the most exciting moment for me. The bunches of them with the wine and leaves on can make any city bred go week in the knees. So I bought 4kgs of them to Mumbai. What followed was cherry tomato salads of every kind and them studding our food of every kind. There were pastas made, pizzas decorated and sometimes a boxful were packed to work for snacking on their own.

One evening when I had to rush for my music class I made this quick dinner which was wonderfully light and satisfying. So let me share here this fluke recipe which got a thumbs up from my family.

Ingredients

Spaghetti bundle enough for 4 about 100 gms

30 or more Cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoon olive oil

1.5 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cup fine chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon red chili powder

First cook the Spaghetti al dente and keep it aside.

Heat the olive oil and turn to high add the cumin seeds when browned add the whole cherry tomatoes. They will burst on high heat to release wonderful juice and cook well. Now add the red chilli powder. Add the chopped cilantro and let it wilt a bit. Follow in with the cooked pasta and toss well to mix and coat the pasta well with the chunky sauce. These cherry tomatoes were quite sweet and gave a wonderful sauciness to the pasta.

Serve hot along with tomato clear soup and dessert to make it a special meal.

Jardaloo Chhole With Vegetable Pulao And Rose Milk

Jardaloo Chhole With Vegetable Pulao, Nuts from Jardaloo, 

Microwaved Potato Mirgund and Rose Milk

Today, 1st May 2013, was one of the days I did nothing and actually enjoyed doing nothing!

The Nothing is giving me something, Peace of mind!

It is the heat and dust that is causing trouble but harsh summers make the anticipation of the monsoon showers worth the wait! That's life too!

In this unbearable summer time I have been making simple meals and lots of coolers for the afternoons. So far the meals went something like this Chilled Kelyacha Shikaran and Poli, Bean cultlets with salad, Greens stir fry and Phulkas, Tomato Omlette etc. 

Today I felt like making a combo meal complete with dessert. It should get ready in under 30 mins being the criteria. Having started cooking only at 12.30 pm I ensured the hungry Dad got his sharp 12 noon fill of a plate of cut papaya. The papaya was tasteless so gave it a honey bath.  

That done I could focus on preparing the meal. I had cooked and frozen chickpeas that turned out to be of great use today, I pulled them out and set them on the counter to defrost. On the side I was soaking Jardaloo for the things I wanted to do inspired by ET, I also promised her that I will experiment with them in a curry.  

Now the cuisines that I know which use Jardaloo or Apricots in their cooking are the Parsi and Middle Eastern. So I froze on the simple veg pulao which is on the lines of Brown rice that goes with Dhansak. To round off the meal on a sweet note I thought Rose milk fit the theme perfectly.

So presenting to you a Parsi inspired combo-meal.

Jardaloo Chhole

Ingredients

5-7 Jardaloo/ Apricots soaked in hot water for atleast 2 hours.

2 cups cooked Chickpeas/ chhole

 (Incase cooked are not available, soak overnight and pressure cook until completely cooked about 4-5 whistles)

2 medium onions chopped lengthwise

3 tomatoes diced

1 teaspoon Koli masala

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon jeera

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons oil

Chopped Cilantro for garnish

Masala paste

2 green chilies

7-8 cloves garlic

1/2 inch piece of ginger

1 teaspoon salt

In a mortar and pestle, grind the green chilies, garlic, ginger and salt to a coarse paste.

In a small pressure cooker heat oil. Fry the masala paste till caramelized slightly. Add the chopped onions and fry till transparent and pale pink. Add the tomatoes and the spices, jeera, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, Koli masala and fry on high heat till the tomatoes form a paste. Add the sugar. Now tip in the cooked chhole.

Add the soaked Jardaloo. Remove the stone from the Jardaloo before adding or if you don't mind them while eating you can just remove it at the table. If you have strong teeth crack the stone and eat the nut inside!

Close the lid and allow 3 whistles. Put off heat, allow to cool completely. Open the lid and mash the chickpeas a bit with the back of the spoon against the cooker wall to get a thick gravy.

To serve ladel out the chhole into a bowl, top up with a cooked jardaloo from the gravy and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Vegetable Pulao

(Parsi Brown rice inspired)

This is a very simple pulao and goes well with this curry. I would not recommend it as a pulao for consumption on its own but may be the western palate may still find it good as a stand alone. 

Ingredients

1  cup Basmati rice

6 Fresh beans, I used black eyed beans from the Green Balcony

1/2 cup florets of cauliflower

1/2 green peas

2 onions chopped lengthwise

1 Tej patta

5-6 cloves

10-12 pepercorns

2 cardamoms

3 tablespoons Oil 

1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Salt to taste

Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 30 mins. Drain the water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok. Fry the onions with half teaspoon of sugar. They will brown evenly and quicker. Add the vegetables to it  and fry. Add the drained rice and mix to coat the rice well with oil. Cook for 10 mins.

Meanwhile boil 3 cups water with salt.

Pour the boiled water into the rice.

Cook another 15 mins covered. Till all water it absorbed. Fluff the grains of rice.

To serve mould it in a cup and turn it out on the plate. Top with a red cherry.

On the side serve some jardaloo nuts. When you deseed the jardaloo before adding to the curry, keep the seeds aside. Smash these seed open to get the nut, it tastes like almond. No part of Jardaloo is wasted.

Rose Milk

Ingredients

3 tablespoon rose syrup (I used Kalverts) 

400 ml chilled milk

few ice cubes

sugar to taste

Mix everything in a shaker and serve in elegant glasses.

Enjoy this Parsi inspired combo-meal. Put together the plate with a small portion of the vegetable pulao, a bowl of Jardaloo chhole. The curry as well as the pulao has sweet notes from the Jardaloo and the sugar. It makes it a balanced taste. Add the microwaved potato mirgunds for some crunch. Sip on the perfect summer cooler of Rose milk and end your meal on a sweet note.

Life is about living the best way you know inspite of the harsh summers and the heat and dust!

Sicilian Caponata With Rice Croquettes

Sicilian Caponata with Rice Croquettes and Tzatziki

Hi Friends! Its been a long time since I posted. Couple of friends dropped comments here to check on me. Appreciated. Well there is some news at my end but that is for later first things first for the love of food that I will have to stay away from henceforth. The same food that I was so obsessed about now is rarely going to be cooked in the same way in my home. I the foodie and food blogger have a voice ringing in my head, " Run...cholestrol ~ ~ ~" when I see the beautiful glasses of strawberry and cream or fried food on blogs and TV shows. I still watch food shows not easy to give that up yet but what's playing in my mind is how can I make the recipes heart healthy

Now before I begin to post heart healthy recipes let me get done with the 15 in my draft. Those who are younger and who exercise enough can still enjoy them. So here is a recipe I made from the memories of an experience at the cafeteria in the visitors center at Auroville. In Auroville live people from 40 countries and visitors from all over the world so the menu is always continental. The recipes are contributed by these visitors who work at the cafeteria during their stay and the food is mostly homestyle.

Sicilian Caponata Sauce, if  I had to tell family, is a Vangya chi bhaaji with Italian herbs it could be fresh or dried parsley or rosemary like I used. In addition to the dominant aubergines and tomato you can add a whole lot of veggies or for the non veg version any meat of your choice.

Traditionally the aubergines are used with the skins on but here I wanted to make a special lunch so I scooped out the flesh and made boats just to add glamor, it was a weekend meal after all. Plus I wanted my Dad to enjoy it because we had left him behind at home while my bro and me went off on Pondicherry-Auroville-Mahabalipuram trip, where we had enjoyed this memorable meal.

I made Rice Croquettes on this day because that is what we had at Auroville but you could serve is with an crusty bread or even use it as a pizza topping.

Ingredients

Sicilian Caponata Sauce

1 large aubergine (7X4 inches)
4 tomatoes
2 large onions
1 teaspoon dried Rosemary
2 teaspoon olive oil
salt and sugar to taste


Rice Croquettes 
 
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 cup finely diced Capsicum
1 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste
wheat flour for dredging

Oil for deep frying the croquettes

Lets begin with the sauce. Wash and pat dry the aubergine. Cut vertically into two halves. Now with a spoon scoop out the flesh, dice it and keep aside. Chop up the onions and tomatoes into large chunks and keep ready.

In a frying pan add the oil, saute the onions till transparent. Follow in with the aubergines and mix to coat well will oil. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Then add the tomatoes and put the lid back for another 5 mins. Remove the lid and season with dried rosemary, salt and sugar. Cover and cook for 5 more mins till everything melds well.

Rice Croquettes 

For the rice balls just mix together all  the ingredients and don't forget the salt. Roll them and dredge in whole wheat flour. Heat oil and deep fry in hot oil. When they are golden brown pull them out and let them drain on a absorbent paper.

Putting together and serving

In a greased baking tray arrange the aubergine boats. Brush them lightly with oil. Bake for 4 mins. Then scoop in the Sicilian Caponata Sauce into it. Bake for another 5 mins.

Remove each boat into a serving plate and place one rice croquettes on it. Serve with some fresh crunchy vegetables or like I did with Tzatziki

With that it's a bye bye to fried food. You will see it on this blog only if it is prepared for others or if there is a recipe in the draft yet to be posted. I have been Stented and can never go back to eating carelessly like I used to. I am still contemplating whether my writing a separate post on it is going to help other people. When I have made up my mind I will detail my experience of Myocardial Infraction and the treatment I received and what I am doing for rehab.

Besan Paratha

Anita's Besan Paratha 

Manisha recreated Anita's Parathas in her kitchen and looks like it has spinned off some following. Posting the pictures to give Anitha a thumbs up for accepting the gift of a recipe handed down by her MIL and  sharing it with friends very generously. Manisha for her awesome pictures that tempted blogger buddies to give a try.

I served mine with my Aaji's Tomatochi Bhaaji and curd. This now on goes into my Combo meal section as that's what I go to for quick lunches.

___________________________________________________________________________

and a Thank you note!

These pretty wall mounting pegs are a gift from Kiran, our families have started enjoying each others company and of course there is always food shared. I was inspired by conversations with Kiran and Suresh to do a Andhra Pradesh tour that you will see coming up soon on Swachchanda.

Thank you Kiran for this sweet gift and its stashed away for a special place.

Paneer Masala Sub Sandwich

 

Protein Packed Lunch

Last few weeks there was a conference to attend and some roaming around to be done between offices. Which meant I was eating out a lot. I did not have the slightest inclination to make lunch and carry along with me. On one such day I thought this Paneer Masala sub sandwich will be a quick thing to make and delicious treat for lunch. Packing it like a pro in a cling film added some glamor to this simply tasty sandwich, not that it needed it.

What I did was

Ingredients

2 sub breads
50 gms of paneer sliced into chunky strips
2 onions chopped rough
2 tomatoes quartered
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kitchen king masala
1 teaspoon coriander powder
salt to taste

Heat oil and crackle the mustard and cumin to fragrant stage. Fry the onion till pink. Turn on high heat and add the tomatoes. Fry till they meld in. Add the spice powder and salt, give a stir. Last add the paneer strips. Cook for 2-3 mins and put off  the heat. Cover and let all the flavors unify.

Now if you are eating right away slice through the middle and toast the sub breads. Fill them up will the Paneer masala. Take a bite or if its for lunch then pack it like I did in a cling film, twist the ends like a sweet so there is no leaking of the masala. Pack it in a carry bag with some tissue paper. You will need to wipe your mouth after the lipsmacking, won't you?

Moist Mushroom Biryani

 

Many a times on weekends after cooking elaborate meals or when am back tired from grocery shopping a quick pressure cooker biryani is really something I look forward to. Warm moist and satiating and if there are mushrooms in it then yum.

What is nice is the tomatoes give it a nice tang and juiciness. If using basmati presoak for 0.5 hr and drain  it before cooking. This makes the rice nice n fluffy.

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati rice

8-10 Mushrooms

2 tomatoes chopped

2 onions sliced

1 teaspoon Everest Birayani Masala

2 green chilies slit

1 tablespoon oil

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Fry the onions till pink. Add the green chilies, Mushrooms, chopped tomatoes and Everest Biryani Masala. Add the pre soaked and drained Basmati rice. Mix well to give it a coat of oil. Pour water, about 2 glasses. Close the lid. Allow 2 whistles. Let it cool completely and only after all the steam has subsided open the lid and mix.

Fluff up the rice with a fork and serve. We had some corn and paneer gravy to go along with this biryani however even a raita is good.

.

Usal Puri

Usal with a squeeze of lemon OR splash of sweet Tamarind Chutney

When we lived in Fort going to Thal meant either taking the ferry to Revas from Bhaucha dhakka or taking the State Transport Bus from Parel ST Depot. Those days it took 4 hrs to reach to Thal. Either ways we had to change mode of transport or vehicle. At such times waiting at the Revas Bus stand or Alibag Bus depot was not the easiest thing to do, it was completely idlylic. The small little eatery at Revas or the Alibag ST canteen made life interesting.

Both the places served tasty Usal Puri or Alibag's Poori Bhaaji. Like in the North India Chole Puri is a rustic breakfast, it takes the avatar of Poori Saagu in the South. In Maharashtra it is the Vatana Usal. Soemtimes served with Poori or Pao. In and around Alibag I have seen it is served as in my platter. The Usal in a bowl with potato bhaji scoop in the middle with a simple salad of onions, cilantro and green chilies and a quarter of a lemon. At my home Dad loves to give this dish his touch with a splash of sweet tamarind chutney, an influence from his Bhaiya (UPites) neighbors in our Colaba home.

For a long time I have been be contemplating about making this Combo meal for breakfast. It is a meal associated with my Dad's childhood and youngster days. It was to them what Pizza and Chinese is to my generation. They rarely had the pocket money to eat at the only eatery in the village. Yet when he started going to junior college in Alibag, he saved money to eat Poori bhaji or Usal Pao. This later was replaced by Rumble Tumble on Toast and Caramel custard at the Irani hotels in Colaba when he started working in Mumbai.

Now making this for breakfast meant full preparation to be made the day before. Potatoes were bolied along with Dal and rice in the pressure cooker and frozen for use the next morning. The dried green peas were soaked in water in the afternoon and over the night to make it easy for cooking and we would require a mushy Usal. Also while making the last nights chapatis made some extra tight dough for the Puris. Even with this kind of preparation I would still need an hour to put together the breakfast at the final stage.

So today the day began with pressure cooking the green vatana, making the yellow potato bhaaji. Then cleaned the home had bath and then went back to cutting the vegetables to give the final touches. While I was gone for bath. Dad got excited with the smells and went to check out in the kitchen what I was making for breakfast. Seeing the preps he did some thing and I did not have a clue.

I came back and got everything ready, took pictures and finally was settling down to eat with Dad. He sprung a surprise! He had made his favorite sweet tamarind chutney. Between mouthfuls he was saying, "You have made this the first time after we came to Bangalore." Gosh yes we were having this breakfast after almost 5 years. I was teasing Dad that he seemed to be excited about breakfast of Usal Puri today, he actually preferred Usal Pao he said, "I love to soak up the Pao in it, every morsel." But Baba you have to have our Mumbai Pao for it not these buns we get in Blr. We both agreed and enjoyed heartily the Usal Puri.

If it interests you try it out, you will not regret the sweating required for it.

Ingredients

For the Vatana usal

1/2 cup dried green peas/ Hirve Vatane

Wash and soak in lot of water. Start in the afternoon of the day before of this breakfast.

Next morning

2 onions chopped fine
1 green chili chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
2 teaspoons sambhar powder/ Goda masala
8- 10 curry leaves
handful chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

Pressure cook the soaked Vatane to mushiness. I covered the Vatane with enough water and allowed 6-8 whistles.

Heat the oil. Fry onions till pink. Add the tomatoes. Add the green chili and sambhar powder. Cook down to a paste. Pour the cooked Vatane into it. The consistency of this curry is pourable to watery depending on how you like it. Today the Usal was planned to be served with Puri so I made it such as to be slurped with the Puri not to watery. However with Pao watery one is prefered. The salt needs to go in to make the effort enjoyable, do it your style. Let it boil.

The Potato Bhaaji is so common that I feel it does not need a recipe but without it this post cannot be complete.

For the Potato Bhaaji

1 tablespoon of oil
4 potatoes diced
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
salt to taste

Heat the oil. Splutter the mustard seeds, sprinkle the asafoetida and the turmeric. Mix in the diced potatoes. Cover and cook for 5 mins.

For Sweet Tamarind Chutney

1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
2 lemon sized balls of jaggery
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl heat water. Add to it the tamarind, jaggery and salt and bring to a boil. Put off the heat and after cooling, squeeze out the extract. Strain to remove fibers and shell of tamarind.

Onion cilantro salad

Chop onions fine. Do the same with fresh cilantro. Fine chop a green chili. Mix all this together with a little salt. This has to served on the side.

Serving Directions

In a plate place a shallow bowl ladle out the Usal. Scoop up some potato bhaaji and drop it in the center of the bowl. Now serve on left handside hot ballooned Puris. On the right handside serve the onion salad and a wedge of fresh lemon. Place the tamarind chutney in a bowl on the side. Those who like it might want to splash it on the Usal.

Eating directions

With your fingers top the Usal and Potato bowl with the onion salad. Squeeze the lemon over it. Mix with your fingers mashing the potatoes into the usal. The blending of the sour and starchy goodness makes it so yum and therapeutic, you stop to experience it just for a while. If adding sweet chutney do it after this mixing to enjoy the different taste between morsels. Now tear a small piece of the Puri and scoop up the Usal and put it straight into the salivating mouth. I cannot imagine not using my fingers for this. I might switch to a spoon only after the mixing. Some food are such the tactile indulgence is a must.

A closing note...

When one is happy then one feels like making lengthy meals. Once in a while, we all need assurance that people in our life value us. Communication is so important. It has made me so calm and gives more strength to face life. All of a sudden all the problems seem to have vanished. Those of you who find it difficult to communicate please reassure your feelings to your loved ones. Don't imagine that people understand what's on your mind. Speak it out, that is why we have a language, say it in words.

As for me I am awaiting some special time... "a different platform" ;) !

Mushroom Dhansak On Brown Rice

A Parsi meal: Mushroom Dhansak on Brown rice and Caramel custard

There are many Dhansak recipe out there on the internet but this time I cooked from my most dependable source, "Annapoorna" by Mangala Barve.

The age tells it all, this is the only cook book in my possession and that too was gifted to me on my 14th Birthday.

Today's post is Not a recipe. Just wanted to share pictures of the year end meal of 2009 and my source of inspiration to cook in all these years.

I don't buy cook books. At one time I had a load of Femina issues which I found needed to be disposed for lack of space, their food photos were stylish. There are still a lot of e-cookbook which I don't even look at but keep hoarding. My go to place for recipes almost everyday is the blogs generously shared by ordinary people like me and you. That is the kind of food I like, mostly home-style sometimes flamboyant restaraunt style.

I hope to bring to you some really interesting posts this year about my Koli community. Wish me luck and keep visiting.

A Rustic Spread

This is the food that my Dad adores.

Katak Jolad Roti,Vangya.cha Rassa DaNya.cha Koot Lavun, Varan, Taak, Fried Sandage, Raw Onions & Thecha

One by one I will post the recipes but before that an introduction to this Rustic Spread is a must. Just like a fish curry and rice is the staple of the Konkan area that I come from. This spread is made mostly beyond the Sahyadri Ghats in Maharashtra and North Karnataka. Hence it is called gavaran food meaning food from the village, unsophisticated but wholesome.

I have been cooking fancy food that is different and Dad enjoys it just a bit. However I see him smacking his lips just at the sight of a spread like this one.

The Katak Jolad Roti, ultra crisp jowar roti is from a neighborhood shop, 10 rotis for a mere Rs.25. This goes best with the Vangya.cha Rassa DaNya.cha Koot Lavun or Brinjals in peanut sauce. Bajarichi Bhakari is yet another Bhakri that is a staple in the countryside. Varan is to tone down the spice in the rassa. The accompaniments like raw onion and Thecha is a must else the spread is incomplete. We will decode the Thecha in the upcoming post.


The Puffed rice sandage is unique to North Karnataka. The glass of Taak with jeera powder is to wash down the hearty meal.

Burp~~ satiation

Tomato Chutney, Rasavalu Batata Nu Shaak

& my Kasuri Methi Bhature

I had a lovely three day weekend. I thank the Lord for it. Ask me what I did. I was just relieved of thoughts that trouble me. It means I must thank W for giving a patient ear to my outpour and spending that much time with me.

Obviously the food this weekend reflected the relaxed mood in its colors, variety and that I actually searched the blogs for somethings nice to cook. Then I thought why not join MBP March 2009 too. It is hosted this time by Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine while the initiation of the event happened at The Spice Cafe.

Tomato chutney from Konkan World

This is a really nice and easy chutney. I did not have methi seeds so I used Udid dal for the seasoning. Next time I will try with garlic like my old neighbor made. Brings back memories of Pergannu and tomato chutney mixed in it...Yum!

On the top right Rasavalu Batata Nu Shaak from The Spice Who Loved Me
&
my Kasuri Methi Bhature (I also made Kelyacha Shikaran shh~)

We Indians have an obsession for the Potato curry with fried bread, don't we? You see regional combos all over India in different colors, consistencies and it is still the most favorite meal at any time be it breakfast, lunch, brunch, high tea or dinner. I love my Marathi Batatyachi suki bhaaji and Puri as much as I love this Gujarathi Rasavalu Batata Nu Shaak but this time I combined with my Kasuri Methi Bhature, a Punjabi dimension. This eclectic platter turned out to be an example of unity in diversity and a reflection of our changing eating habits. The Rasavalu Batata Nu Shaak was just like Preeti's Mummy used to make in Fort.

Thank you Maya and Trupti for the recipes!

And here is the recipe of my Kasuri Methi Bhature

Ingredients

1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup Kasuri Methi /dried fenugreek leaves
1 cup curd
salt
Oil to knead and fry

Put all ingredients in a big bowl and knead to smooth dough. Add a table spoon of oil and knead again for 5 mins. Let it rest for another 5 mins before you start rolling out 3-4 inch diameter discs. Heat oil on high. Reduce to medium. Then fry the discs of dough till nicely puffed. Splash a little oil to make them swell like a balloon and to get the perfect hot bhature.

My Dad who is my biggest critic enjoyed the meal and then taunted "I follow a strict diet but only because you force me, I have to eat this!"

Well...well am I not allowed to indulge even on weekends. I don't smoke, drink or party hard. I just freak out on food that too the food that I make. Gosh if W is reads this I'm dead.

Also showing our Gudi Padva/ Ugadi Thali

Clockwise: Dal Holege & Kai Holege (Tur Dal Poli & Coconut Poli), Masur Dal fry with rice, Papad, Mixed veg koshimbir and Curd rice.

Haryali Aur Malai Kofta

I find weekends really boring in Bangalore nowadays, I long to be with family. Then it is the kitchen that beckons to experiment. Yesterday I decided to make Naan and a kofta curry but I was tired of all the red curries that I see every where in restaraunts, weddings, cafeterias etc. We are so obsessed with the color red in our curries. So I went ahead to experiment on some thing.

I decided my Koftas should be coated in green textured curry not a creamy one. I looked around my pantry and collected all I needed and set out on getting the chemistry right.

I got the kofta material ready. While working on the curry I got the dough ready for the Naan. Lately I have become a fan of Tava roasted Naan. It turns out luscious better than the oven roasted ones. I got the yeast foaming and mixed in the flour and left it to rise.

The koftas were turning golden. The Naans were resting and rising.

It is so much fun when you have all the stuff and you can actually think of a lunch that will pamper your senses. Then you think of an afternoon siesta after the sapid. Aha! It is a typical weekend thing to do and that recharges your batteries for the whole of next work week.

Ingredients

For Malai Kofta

The cover
5-6 big potatoes boiled
3 slices of bread
salt to taste

The core
1/4 cup crumbled paneer
handful raisins
handful cashew nuts
handful green peas
salt to taste

For Haryali (Green Gravy)

1/8 cup cashew nuts
1/4 cup green peas
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 green chilies
1 big onion
1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 cup pineapple pieces

Ghee to fry koftas and for seasoning

1. First mash and knead together the bolied potatoes and bread with a bit of salt to get a smooth, lump free dough.

2. Now mix in a bowl paneer, peas, raisins, cashews, salt. This is used to stuff the kofta.

3. Now pinch of the dough from step1 and form a basket. Fill a bit of the stuffing. Seal together the edges of the basket to get a ball. Shape it evenly into a nice roundball. Like this make all the balls. I got about 10 ping pong sized balls. Keep aside.

4. In a shallow frying pan heat about 3 tablespoons of ghee. Put in the koftas and fry till golden and crisp. Keep rolling the pan so they are done to golden from all sides.

5. Remove the koftas in a serving dish. Keep aside.

6. While the koftas were frying I got the Haryali masala ready. I put all the ingredients together in a chutney grinder and ran it for a while to get a grainy blend. I did not want another pasty curry. If you are in a mood for the silken thing grind it further.

7. In the same frying pan in which I fried the koftas, I added about 2 teaspoons of ghee. Transferred the ground masala. Fried it on slow.

As I meditated on it thinking about W and Gulabi, wondering if things were Ok with them. Every person has to deal with their past and we feel helpless when we are kept at a deliberate distance.

To distract the thoughts I switched on the music on my cell phone. Cuz S has loaded a 1GB card with some beautiful old songs. It was playing "Iftada-e-ishq me hum sari raat jaghe, allah jaane kya hoga aage, oh mollah jaane kya hoga aage.." from the old Hindi movie Haryali Aur Rasta.

Hey I almost said aloud in a eurekaish exclamation that can be the name of my dish "Haryali Aur Malai Kofta" !! ;)

It is after all a green gravy.

8. After about 5-7 mins of frying added about 1.5 cups of water and stirred well. Left the gravy to simmer for another 5 mins.

9. Once the curry bubbles, add the pineapple pieces and cover and simmer for just 2 mins more and cover to let the volatiles from the spices flavor the gravy.

To serve spoon the green gravy over the golden fried koftas. I cut up one to show you the stuffing. Decorate with more pineapple wedges.

The Malai kofta gets its name from the paneer that turns creamy in the core on frying and the Haryali (Hindi) gets its name from ofcourse the green gravy of coriander and peas that lend their color.

This kofta curry is an original from my kitchen lab. Hope you will like it.

I wish to make this again for someone who has a thing against North Indian food. Will teach to appreciate the succulent Naan dipped in a rich kofta curry and know what bliss is. The pursuit of happiness should end here! Just wishful thinking.

Tomato Saar & Salichi Moog Dal Khichdi

The picture tells you when this meal was cooked, oh the karanji is such an obvious clue. This is a fantastic combo meal for cold weather.

These are my Mom's recipes. A saar is watery curry on the lines of clear soup. You understand how we crave for something really simple and comforting when you want to give the tummy a break and when there is a chill in the air. I make Tomato saar and Khichdi/ Khimti. I'm making it again today as am down with fever and have lost my appetite. Eating out twice a week has its payout.

The Salichi Moog Dal Khichdi is not as complex as the name sounds. It is a creamy rice like a risotto but what makes it special is the split moog dal which has its green skin on. On this day I had made it plain just with salt but sometimes I just added an onion, tomato, potato or any leftover vegetable some chili powder to get a Tikhat khichdi or spicy one.

One thing I remember about my childhood. After the paddy harvest, my grandparents sent us broken rice along with the whole grain. We call it Kani. That was most times used for all rice recipes where you required to keep a creamy consistency. It yeilds a completely different taste and texture. I used to love it in the Shraddha chi kheer (made on the 13th day ceremony after death) and the khichdi. I also remember eating Yelnicha Dhaan with the broken rice at my Mama's (maternal uncle) home. It turns out so fluffy. Kani for this khichdi would have been ideal.

Hope you like the saar and khichdi.

Ingredients

For Tomato Saar

4 tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2-3 cloves
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
2 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt to taste
a small piece of jaggery

Blanch the tomatoes. Deskin and puree them.

Heat a saucepan. Add oil and season with cumin seeds. Add the asafoetida, cloves, red chili powder, turmeric powder and sprinkle a bit of water on the seasoning to stop from charring. Now mix in the tomato puree, salt and jaggery and let it boil for 5-8 mins.


For Salichi Moog Dal Khichdi

1/4 cup split moog dal with skin
1 cup short grain rice (sona masuri)
1 teaspoon oil/ ghee

Meanwhile wash the the dal and rice and put it in the cooker. Add 5 cups water and allow 5 long whistles. Let the cooker cool completely before removing the lid. Open and mash with the back of a spoon to get a creamy consistency.

Serve hot with pickle and papad.

You can also try Kokum Saar with Khimti.

Taher & Gucchi Olu

After drooling at Anita's post and it being a weekend was I going to stop at just that!

Taher & Gucchi Olu for me and Tava Gobhi for Dad.
I did not touch the Gobi but he did taste from my bowl.

Anita I went all out and did exactly the sausage thing.
I am hooked lady.

Take a closer look. The baby potatoes and mushrooms is an enticing combo with the Kashmiri spicing.
Yum! sounds childish is there an adult word for that expression?

I used Milky Mushrooms for the Gucchi Olu

I was smitten by the pictures in that post. Yesterday I started cooking at 12.00 noon and was done at 12.30 with this absolutely fragrant, spicy and out of the world experience of true Kashmiri Cuisine.

I had bought the Milky mushrooms for a french style stir fry as per plan on Friday. Good I used them in this way.

The things that I did differently purely because of the unavailability of the ingredients and as this is a veg version:

1. Milky mushrooms to substitute. These are not Kashmiri Gucchi or Morel mushrooms but I guess Gucchi is a generic term for mushrooms.

2. I used baby potatoes as that is what I had. I was out of stock of the regular ones. I am on an use up-clean up before I go home to Mumbai. The baby potatoes and mushrooms were so tender that I think it made the dish very Non vegetarian yet vegetarian! Must make it for P Bhauji a diehard NV!

3. I used fresh ginger garlic paste as I did not have sonth/ ginger powder. I had made the ginger garlic paste for Dad's Tava Gobhi.

The things that I did exactly as adviced

1. I was no chicken I did use smoking mustard oil for the tempering. It gives the necessary dimension of flavor and fragrance to the otherwise simple yellow rice. The heating of the mustard oil to smoking point makes it a little milder is smell.

2. I mixed the Gucchi Olu well with rice and made sausages to pop in. The mixing itself sends those wonderful signals of anticipatory bliss to the brain.

Go over to Anita's and check out the amazing post if you haven't yet with the Kashmiri traditions elaborately digitized.

Taher and Gucchi Olu is a classy combo. Looks simple, easy to make yet will engrave the tastes of Kashmir on your mind forever. I am simply overwhelmed by this meal and am not hiding it!

God Bless Anita for sharing her traditions and recipes with the world :) !

Updated: 6th Sep 2013

I have made this recipe many times when I craved for it and each time I go back to Anita's for the recipe. So today after enjoying a completely religious experience I am finally noting down the adaptation of the recipe for me and for my other vegetarian friends.

Ingredients

For Gucchi Olu

1 pack of Gucchi/ mushrooms Morel or button, chopped
6 baby potatoes/ Olu, deskinned
2 cloves
1 tejpatta/ Indian bay leaf
4 cloves of garlic pounded
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger powder
2 teaspoon fennel powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoon mustard oil
salt to taste

In a kadhai, heat the mustard oil to smoking point. Add the tej patta and cloves to it. Once its fragrant add the pounded garlic and fry till golden. Now let in the baby potatoes. Mix well to coat with oil. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Then add the chopped mushrooms.

Now in a cup put all the powders together, chili, turmeric, ginger, fennel, garam masala and salt. Make a paste with water. Pour it over the Gucchi and Olu. Cover and cook till potato is completely done.

This is a dry dish with just a coat of masala on the Gucchi Olu.

For Taher

1 cup rice
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt
1 tablespoon mustard oil

Pressure cook rice with 1.5 cup of water, turmeric powder and salt.

Cool and fluff up the rice.

Heat Mustard oil till smoking point and drizzle over the yellow rice.

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And this time round I got the perfect Pindi Chole! Check out the picture I've added at the end of the post.

Aloo Paratha

A platter of Aloo Paratha with curd, tamarind chutney and coconut chutney

Paratha for up north may be a breakfast to start the day with but for me and my cousins was a treat when we were kids. Uncle M was the north frequenter in his younger days as a trekker so he got the taste of it first. I loved to listen to his stories about trekking in the Himalayas and the Aloo Parathas straight from the hot girdle and on the plate. He then took us to fancy restaraunt's like Kandeel and Copper Chimney to get a taste of Aloo Paratha. I was very young that time but loved the gastronomic delites I was introduced to.

The my mother started making them for the entire family. She made it only for dinner I remember. May be because my Dad would be at home too. Also if she had to make them for breakfast or lunch she would not be able to get help in making them. It was always a daunting task for her to make Aloo Parathas for the entire family. We were 10 people then as part of my family, 8 of them were in Thal. So it would start with boiling the potatoes in our big 10 liter cooker. Then everyone sitting around the cooling potatoes to peel them. Yes if we wanted treats we better help was my Mom's rule. She did not have domestic help many times and she did every single chore herself. Waking up at 5.00 am to make packed lunch for my uncles, breakfast for all, sometimes she would drop me off to school too. Buying vegetables was always her duty. My elder bro V helped at times with the groceries. I refused to do any work as I pretended to study. Yes but if I wanted Aloo Parathas I better help. So I would join the gang.

Then was the garlic peeling that I hated and the unwritten rule was that V bhau was supposed to do it anyways. Once the garlic was skinned. Mom would bring the mortar and pestle and bang it in front of me saying, "Will you do this now?" I would sit and mash the garlic, ginger and green chilies as my Mom scolded again, "Put a gonpat/gunny bag under it! The downstairs neighbor will come running up to see what is going on!" Even as a child I was a solution provider. I told Mom to use the chutney grinder but she would refuse. It would not taste the same she'd say.

Then V Bhau would expertly knead the dough. See my Mom trained him well M Vahini. He was an expert at making spotless chapatis too but Paratha needs a woman's hand my Mom would say.

Once that was done she would make few baskets of dough stuff them and deftly roll and spin the parathas on the polipaat/ chapati rolling board. V bhau would then do the roasting by my mother's side. I want to roast too. "Shoo go away, you will tear the parathas". Uncle M would smile, "Vahini it smells divine" appreciating her efforts. She would have to make a whole pile for the 10 people. I think she used 2 kgs of dough at a time. We had 6 men in the family at the time and only one lady in Mumbai to take care of them. Yours truly was then still a girl naa.

"Aai Naivedhya kaadh naa, bhuk lagli" would be the next thing :)! I would insist after the first paratha was made to offer it to God so that I could feast on it. I'd sit at the window with my plate in my lap and sauce bottle handy. Who had the patience to wait for the raita to be made!

Ingredients

The Dough

1.5 cups Whole wheat flour
2 tablespoon curd
salt
water

Knead together all the item into a smooth dough. Let it stand till you prepare the stuffing. The curd makes the dough slightly tangy and flaky after roasting the paratha.

The stuffing

6 medium boiled potatoes
3 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger
2 green chilies
1/2 teapsoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon dry mango/ amchur powder
handful chopped cilantro
salt taste
ghee for roasting

Peel the potatoes. Mash the garlic, ginger and chilies in a mortar and pestle.

Now in a big bowl. Mash the potatoes, the masala, garam masala, amchur powder, cilantro and salt. Knead together. Shape balls of 2 inch size.

The Rolling out

Now pinch of another 2 inch sized dough. Roll out into a small disc. Place the Potato stuffing on it and gather together the ends. Shape it round and pat it a bit. Roll out into a big round like you do for chapati but smaller. Parathas should be little thicker than chapati. They taste better when slightly plump. Roast them by applying ghee on both sides.

Serve hot with curd and an assortment of chutneys.

Vada Bhaat and Kadhi

In my Thali: Clockwise -
Roasted udid papad, Godima Halwa (Sent by Vidya Shenoy Aunty) , Chakli sent by Chorghade Kaku, Dal Vada, Vada Bhaat and Kadhi

I was in the 8th standard when I got my first recipe book as a gift . It had the recipe of Nagpuri Vada bhaat. Now in Mumbai some of these things are not available even on Marathi restaraunt menus. So all these years I had just heard all my Marathi friends from Vidarbha region rave about it until last year.

We were invited for the Udyapan or the closing ceremony of Mahalaxmi vrat by my friends Shaliesh & Manisha. Shaila Kaku was also here in Blr so the Udyapan was a full fledged perfectly done celebration complete with homa, havan and naivedhya of 5 sweets!

The menu was elaborate and I don't remember all of it now but I remember my encounter with Vada Bhaat and Kadhi. So finally after so many years of not knowing what exactly it was I got to taste it from the hands of a sugran. More than the taste I like the attention given to the person served. It is an example of the Indian Hospitality and Agraha at its best.

While I am going to give the recipe below I must elaborate on the true Agraha that makes Vada bhaat and Kadhi stand out as a recipe that Vidarbha people talk about so much. This combo is always part of an elaborate meal. Yet this is not something that you can prepare before hand and serve. It requires the involvement of the host all the time.

When serving first you serve a pile of rice. Then the vada on the side. Mostly the vada is Dal vada or sometimes pakodas. Then you tell your guest to crush the vada on the rice. Meanwhile you go fetch the Kadhi that is boiling on sim on the gas to accompany the Vada bhaat. Next you make a second trip to the kitchen to pick up the final touch the hot oil and asafoetida water. The hot oil is a dressing that is addded in spoonfuls on the rice. This oil is the leftover oil after frying the vadas. So as you balance the hot oil held in a steel vati/ bowl with tongs you are holding the asafoetida water in another vati with a tiny spoon in it. You go and stand in front up the guest and warn the person to keep out the hand while you serve and dress up the rice and crushed vadas with the oil and drizzle a bit of asafoetida water over it. Then you lovingly watch over the person as the mixing goes on almost in a meditative fashion. You then tell them to add little bit of kadhi to the mixed rice and put the morsel in the mouth!

Humm after making the guest do so much of salivating and you doing the pampering it ought to taste good!

Well there are easier ways of doing it as I have done couple of times after that when I made it at home. I just crushed the vada and mixed oil and asafoetida into the rice before hand and served with piping hot kadhi. Simple. It still tasted the same but we like to fuss over our guests don't we!

That's why I said the core of Vada bhaat and Kadhi is the tradition of serving with agraha. Agraha is marathi for coaxing.

Ingredients

The 5 steps

1. Recipe for Dal Vadas
2. Recipe for Kadhi
3. Cook the rice
4. The asafoetida water
5. Serving the Vada Bhaat: described above

1. You can make the dal vadas before hand and keep it saves a lot of time and this dish asks for cold vadas rather than hot ones that can be crumbled. This time I used moog dal as it soaks faster though it does not give the crumble like Chana dal vadas but it did not matter much.

2. Kadhi

1 cup curds
1 tablespoon chickpea flour/ besan
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
7-8 curry leaves
1 inch piece of cinnamon
4 cloves
salt to taste

Heat oil is a pot. Crackle the mustard seeds, fry the cinnamon and cloves. Add the curry leaves. The cloves and cinnamon make it spicy so I avoid green chilies but incase you are able to handle more heat use slit green chilies while seasoning. Add a bit of water and cover to retain the volatiles.

In a bowl blend the curd and chickpea flour to a smooth paste. Add it to the above pot. Boil on sim for 10 mins to cook. Increase water to desired consistency and boil for another 5 mins.

Taste a bit to ensure the raw taste of chickpea flour is removed. Put off the heat.

3. Now cook rice with a little less water so that the rice is fluffly like we make for pulaos and biryanis. Keep aside

4. The asafoetida water is made by dissolving 1 teaspoon of asafoetida in 1 tablespoon of water. Save

Follow as described above to serve Vada bhaat with Kadhi.

Phurki~ marun kha ! Slurp it up !

Gajar Sanja and Kalayile Phovu

Gajar Sanja (R) & Kalayile Phovu(L)

Mridula has got me hooked to Kalayile Phovu. Her Dad packs this for her many times for the evening snack. Whenever we return together from office and that is not always she keeps the last of the three boxes for sharing.

At her engagement too they served Upma and Kalayile Phovu. I asked her if it was because she liked it that much or was it traditional. That's when I found out that this is a combination commonly served in Mangalore and surrounding areas. It is also a konkani preference.

It is Gandhi Jayanti (10/2) and a holiday so breakfast was made. I however changed the combo a bit. It is rather a traditional and non traditional alliance here of Gajar Sanja and Kalayile Phovu.

I had grated carrots (gajar) last night for salad and had leftovers that I needed to use up as we are going to a friend's house warming ceremony later this morning.

Now Sanja is different from upma in texture and the seasonings. Just as a kesari bhat is different from a sheera. Sanja is Marathi. It is fluffy unlike the soft scoop easy upma. The seasoning for Sanja is mustard seeds, turmeric powder, red chili powder and peanuts. You will never find udid dal in the seasonings of a Sanja and where as it is a must in Upma.

In addition the technique of making Sanja is different from Upma in the way that semolina is not added to hot water but instead cold water is sprinkled on it from time to time to give it that fluff. Thus Sanja turns out drier than upma. In most Marathhi homes especially in Mumbai Upma and Sanja are names used interchangeably due to the influence of the Udupi restaraunts.

I personally prefer Upma more especially when I want to brood while eating breakfast and the teaspoon scooped morsel sits on the tongue for a while as I think about how the world function! ;) The Sanja is more demanding the spicing and the fluff make sure you either have a glass of water or tea by the side to wash it down.

Once in a while when I want to remind myself that I am a Marathi living in the south and must maitain the identity of my culinary culture I make Sanja. Actually I made it first time today after moving to Blr! :P

I'm sharing here the recipe of Sanja and if you are making Kalayile Phovu too follow Shilpa's recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup semolina
2 tablespoon peanuts
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
big pinch of asafoetida
1-2 green chilies
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
a few curry leaves
1 cup grated carrot (optional)
1 tablespoon oil
salt and sugar too taste
3/4 glass water approx.

Heat oil in a wok. Splutter mustard seeds. Follow in with curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the peanuts and fry till pink. At this point add semolina and roast till it becomes whitish and grainy. While you are roasting the semolina the peanuts will go from pink to red color.

Add the grated carrots. I used them only because I had leftovers they can be skipped. Traditionally veggies are not part of Sanja but many have started using them to make the morning breakfast powerpacked.

Keep roasting for a while then add salt and sugar as per taste. Add the chopped chilies, turmeric and red chili powder then mix. Intermittently sprinkle water over the semolina and give it a mix. Cover and cook. Check if the water is absorbed into the semolina grains and has made it plump and separated. If the semolina shows whitish color sprinkle more water and cover and cook for another 5 mins.

Put off heat and let the flavors meld for a while under the cover before serving.

Some may find the combo dryish so have your tea or coffee along with it.

Mirch ka Salan with Qabuli

Mirch ka Salan and Qabuli
with Tomato onion raita, papad and masala buttermilk

This was our lunch on sunday. It was a proper Hyderabadi vegetarian meal can you believe it! Mirch ka Salan with a veg biryani. Yes home cooking allows you that freedom even if it is not traditional.

I followed Vee's recipe after studying couple of recipes. I used these chilies and thinking I don't want to be set on fire I removed the innards of the chilies. The salan turned out too tame. I expected a heat from it that I did not achieve. Next time I'll leave the innards of half the chilies in place and if I survive and keep all of them in place! Mirch ka salan jala nahi to kuch nahi :D (If there is no fire then you don't know what you missed). Atleast for its name there has to be enough fire. Be brave all yaa foodies. Look who is talking!

Gosh that fry the paste till it leaves oil is a pain and I used raw peanuts to top it. It is a big mistake roasted peanuts is what Vee had told to use. I should have followed that.

The salan turned out a little thicker I should have left it a little more thinner. Yet I loved the taste.

The Qabuli was from Bee& Jai's recipe. Here I followed most of it except I used 1 tablespoon kasuri methi inplace of fresh greens and did not decorate it with those tempting cashews you see in the picture in their version.

The pairing was excellent!

Thank you Vee and Bee and Jai for your recipes.

P.S: was missing Khubani ka meetha