Paneerwali Bharwa Shimla Mirch

Withdrawn from Click: Paneerwali Bharwa Shimla Mirch before frying

Paneerwali Bharwa Shimla Mirch after frying

This post is special, as for the first time I am posting it immediately after cooking is done and even before enjoying it. Yes I haven't tasted it yet!

I have been lazy yesterday and something in life is taking me by surprise. I have been chattering all of last week and friends Mridula and Indrayani say I am funny and naughty too. I am taking long walks in the evening and focusing on my health more than before. Earlier I would give an excuse I need company etc. but now I go alone for the walk. I enjoy it so much, taking in the sights and smells as I wave out to kids playing outside the compound wall. The sweet smell of temple champa blooms is intoxicating. I feel like declaring to the world I am high on life!

Here are some pictures of Bangalore I took during my walk and while on the bus to work.

This post is for Click, the photo event by the duo Bee and Jai.

Do you want the recipe?

Chalo thik hai here it is.

Ingredients

4-5 capsicums
1 cup crushed fresh paneer
1 handful cilantro
2 green chilies chopped fine
1 handful golden raisins
1 onion chopped fine
salt to taste

2 tablespoons Oil to fry

Wash and clean the capsicums. Cut them at the middle to get two cups. Deseed by scooping out the middle with a spoon. Keep aside.

In a bowl mix together with a light hand mix all the items like paneer, onion, cilantro, chilies, raisins an salt. Now fill the cups of capsicum with this mix that is what names it Paneerwali Bharwa Shimla Mirch.


In an frying pan add the oil and spread evenly. Put on medium heat. Line up the stuffed capsicums in the pan. Slow fry till paneer gets a pink tinge on top. The cooking time is anywhere between 20 mins to 30 mins. You could even grill these in an oven.

Serve hot with paratha.

Music: Now listening Soona Soona

Guava Jelly

Guava jelly is really simple to make. Peel the guava and cube it. Measure out half the amount of sugar. Put the cubes and sugar together in a saucepan and put on medium heat. Keep stirring till sugar dissolves and the jelly leaves the sides of the pan. It is done in 15 mins for 2 guavas and 1 cup sugar.

Remove from heat and let it cool before you transfer to a jar. It can be stored in the fridge for a week.

Have it on pancakes, toast etc. or serve in tiny bowls and enjoy the pure flavors.

Banana Pancakes

Use those fruits! Dad ordered quite irate with the fact that his puja room had a very very fruity smell of overripe Bananas and Guavas. They had been lying there for over a week. I had not found time to make proper breakfast as I had lots to do at work and a colleague throwing tantrums was just wrong timing. I have concluded creative people should not be discounted for misbehavior, aren't all of us professionals? So I did what I had to do. Put the smelly bananas in their place, made pancakes and topped them with honey. Outcome you ask? Delicious, fragrant and visually appealing work.

Now, I cannot share here the recipe of what was the magic at work, yes but the recipe for the pancakes is here ;).

Ingredients

2 smelly bananas err overripe I mean
1 cup all purpose flour
0.5 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1.5 cup milk
Ghee to fry

Honey for drizzling.

Mash the bananas. You get it? Add all ingredients into a bowl and beat well to get a fluffy batter. Use more milk if you have to get thinner batter, it should be spreadable.

On a medium hot griddle spread small pancakes and fry using ghee on both the sides. Serve hot with a scoop of a jelly of your choice. Drizzle honey and enjoy!

Riddle

I have a seed, am I a fruit? I am sweet but what is that seed?

Updated: 14th April 08

YAY ! for all the gals. You gals sure are foodies. How come none of you thought that it is a ber/ bore?

Each one of you is a Anna Parabrahma certified Foodie :) !!

Yes it is a Gulabjamun with a pista tucked in. Yesterday was Ram Navami and I had to make Naivedya when I remembered the gulabjamuns from Jhama, Chembur Colony.

When I was living in my Uncle's home for some years in that area we have enjoyed hot gulabjamuns from Jhama. It felt like a treasure hunt to find the pista in the center.Now there is a Jhama next to my home too in Mumbai. When ever I am there we enjoy the tikis and gulabjamuns.

Jhama is a Sindhi Mithaiwala with the first outlet in Chembur Colony or Camp as it is know since the days of Partition. The food is always fresh and even single servings are sumptuous. One day I asked the guy frying the Jalebis how this innovation happened. To my surprise it was not to enhance the taste of the gulabjamun. This trick was adopted to avoid an uncooked center. Cool Tip! Won't you agree?

Incase you guys are in the area also check out the Sindhi Falooda stall opposite Jhama at Chembur Colony. Its authentic and rich~~ After Kailash, Colaba it has to be this place for Sindhi Falooda! Badshah go scamper fast....

Thank you for your responses and I enjoyed reading your responses though short but it made me smile each time and I know you gals too had fun:).

Nupur: You will be a good Mom when you do have kids and you are still a kid at heart I see it :).


Manisha: ex-winner is barred.


Divya Vikram : A whole Cardamom would be too much in it but I've seen Rosgulla with a single seed of cardamom in it.

Anonymous : Raisin does not fall into seed category but you were right partly.


Cinnamon : Say Pistachio with your mouth rounded in an "O"


Anita :Now you are the coolest gal! A floral fruit - gulab jamun! it is and seed is a nutty one ;)

SMN : Badam in the center will give a jerk, the pista however softens and complements the taste well.


Voyager : That was wild ;). Did you meant it?

Nandita: With raisin will try next time doctor :)

Arundathi: ditto minus doctor

Seema: V M?

ANJALI J. :Roasted cashew, another idea :)

P: Visarlas?

Food City

16th March: From my travel dairy

Before you read ahead guess which city you would see this?

While were were driving from airport to the Kolkata city we had spotted the "Haldiram Food City". After the visits to Belur Math and Dakhineshwar and all the queuing up for darshan that we did we were tired and hungry, we decided to check it out.


It is a two storeyed building and has a factory in the premises, the manufacturing and packaging too takes place here. You can see trucks being loaded. As we entered we were awestruck at the display of the varieties of farsan, sweets, chocolates, colorful packaging and beautiful gift wraps that won our hearts. We decided to first have our lunch at the restaraunt and then take a look around.

The restaurant had a buffet style service. We checked the day's menu that was extensive. There were two type of Thalis, a special one and a mini. The mini option did not include rice so we decided on the special one. Dad was craving for some authentic chat, remember since last three years we are in SI so when he gets a chance would he loose it? He went for a Rajasthani Dahiwada and mixed chat too. We bought the coupons and requested permission to take pictures for the blog.

The special thali consisted of three veggies of choice or 2 veggies of choice and dal makhani. I chose three veggies viz Paneer Makhani, Gobi Matar and Palak Paneer. The clerk at the counter helped in choosing the rotis, he suggested we choose masala kulcha, stuffed with potato bhaaji. The coldrink choice available was lassi, Badam milk, tea, coffee, slush or milkshake. While we were moving around Thandai was offered to us for a tasting. So we made a special request for Thandai to go with lunch. The last bit of surprise was the packaged water bottle they offered. Wow! I was a fan of Haldiram but loyal one now.

The Thali you see here has....

2 masala kulcha- soft like a stuffed pizza, the size of a phulka
1 bowl of Peas Pulao- Rangoon Basmati rice, lightly flavored and tender peas cooked to perfection.
1 bowl of Palak Paneer- Generous amount of paneer in the palak gravy.
1 bowl of Gobi Matar- Cauliflower and green peas gravy. I think the cauliflower was grilled before adding to the gravy, it had a smoky flavor.
1 bowl of Paneer Makhani- Paneer in cashew nut paste.
Salad of onions, carrots- Fresh and crunchy
Packaged Pickle- mixed veggies
1 small pack of bhujia- absolutely yummy, pack mentions moth flour used.
1 glass drink- Thandai was my choice not served usually. It was holi time so the tasting was available.

This meal is priced at Rs.100, a full paisa vasool.

The Rajashthani Dahi Vada and Mixed chat too was yummy. We had just too much food.

A good Indain meal needs an equally good closure so Dad bought the premade cone of paan for 10 bucks.

The restaraunt is much like a fast food joint not much by way of an ambience but you will defintely take back memories of delicious food cooked in the traditional way.


After lunch we took a walk through all the other sections. The rest of the store has high sealings and pillars that I loved.

I bought a bottle of Thandai syrup for Holi is around the corner though we will be on the train on the day. The Thandai reminded me of Hardesh Aunty who introduced me to it as a kid.

I also bought the dry fruit katli, Aam papad, they had labeled it Mango Katli, pack of cornflakes chivada and Shakarpara just because the pack looked lovely.

After a good two hours at Food city we drove to Science city.

One question was unanswered is the Haldiram, Nagpur and Kolkata the same? May be Stephanie can answer or anyone from Haldiram?

Updated: 3rd May 08

When I sent this post to RCI Bengal I had a doubt if it would make it there. This post is about Haldiram's Food city in Kolkata but not the traditional taste of Kolkata or of Bengal. However we all know how well the Marwadi culture has blended in there. The Food city is just an example of that. Yet Sandeepa included it in the round up, so a BIG THANK YOU!

Corn Crush with Spring Onions

Corn Crush with spring onions, varan bath, puri and cucumber cuts

When we have plenty of corn at home we make bhel, pops, use in soups and then we want a special dish that is very satisfying can't place my finger on what it is that makes this corn crush so special. It resembles the zunka but is more moist and flavorful. It can be had on its own or with any type of roti or puri like we did.

Ingredients

2 cups of corn
4 -5 sprigs of spring onions
2-3 green chilies
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 teaspoons oil
salt to taste

2 teaspoon lemon juice

Coarse crush the corn in a dry grinder or chutney attachment. Chop roughly the spring onions and green chilies.

Heat the oil. You will notice that I have used double the quantity of oil than I normally use. My normal measure is 2 teaspoons per person per meal but this recipe actually needs more oil. So use the 4 teaspoons. Splutter cumin seeds in hot oil. Add the spring onions, green chilies and fry a bit. Then add in the crushed corn and mix well.

Before serving mix in the lemon juice.

Enjoy!

Apple N Grape Cobbler

new friendships and cemented ones too

UMM...Can I have ice cream too ?

Before it went into the oven

Evolving Tastes Peach Cobbler and Cherry Cobbler completely mesmerized me. How could one not succumb to the combined charm.

I was off to an outbound learning center for a couple of days and as usual wanted to keep food stocked for Dad especially for his sweet tooth. Some of it I packed for friends to taste.

The verdict: Yum!

I followed the Peach cobbler recipe. The changes I made

Ghee instead of butter
2 apples and 1 cup green grapes

I have come back with new friendships and old ones that have cemented. More about the Outbound experience later.

ET thank you for sharing.

Mishra Dal Dosa N Eureka Chutney

You read it right it is Mishra Dal Dosa as in mixed dals and not Mishraji from UP. I see a frown on my Southie friends with a question mark smeared on the face, What has Mishraji got to do with dosas?

Nothing dear. I make this dosa when I need the batter ready in an hour and the meal demands are protien only. It keeps you full for a long time unlike the paper thin varieties. A couple of dosas and you are a engine ready to chug through the day. These however taste best only off the hot gridle. It is similar to a Pesarattu or Adai yet different.

The chutney was a combination of a few things to get a new taste so I called it Eureka chutney ideal for lazy bones.

This post is off to participate in the Dosa Mela @ Srivalli's

Ingredients

1/2 cup of 5 dals (all split lentils-Green, yellow, black, Red, gram)

water to soak and grind

salt to taste
2 green chilies
1/2 inch ginger
oil for roasting

Wash and soak the dal for a minimum of an hour completely covered with water. The more they are soaked the more fluffy the dosa turns out. Grind to a smooth paste with green chilies, ginger and salt. Keep the batter spreadable but not to thin.

Heat a non stick gridle and spread evenly. Once starts turning red add a bit of oil on the sides. This will loosen the dosa from the gridle. Turn it over and roast the otherside till red speckles appear. Remove into a serving plate.

Serve with chutney.

For the Eureka Chutney

1 tomato
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
2 tablespoon MTR chutney podi

Grind together. Put a dollop on the dosa in the center.

The green and red colors are extremely kid friendly as is the taste.

Happy Gudi Padva /
Ugadi to everyone!

Pyaz Ki Kachori

This Kachori is a toast to Manisha of Mad Tea Party and Anita of Indian Food Rocks for making the blog duniya April fool!

Someone loves it I remember. Anita will certify fried balloons are good.

I swear these will set you on fire and off to heaven (pun intended). It is a gem of a recipe by Tarla Dalal once published in a Marathi magazine.

The picture was taken in the evening time and in a hurry when I had visitors and really doesn't do justice. I wish technology zoomed fast and you could smell and taste the food I present here. Mridula wishes it was possible :)!

Ingredients

For the cover:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup ghee/ butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the stuffing

2 cups fine sliced onion
1 teaspoon kalonji/ nigella seeds
2 teaspoon fennel
2 bay leaves
1.5 teaspoon finely sliced green chilies
2 tablespoon chickpea flour
2 teaspoon coriander seed powder
2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoon oil
salt to taste
Oil for frying

First on a counter measure out the all purpose flour. Add ghee, salt and water and knead it to a soft dough. Let it stand still for 5 to 7 mins. Divide it into 12 parts and cover the dough with a damp napkin.

Meanwhile get the stuffing ready. Heat the oil. Add nigella seeds, fennel, bay leaves, green chilies and onions. Fry till onions turn brown. At this point add the chickpea flour, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala and salt. Mix for 2 mins, add in the chopped cilantro at this point.
Put off the heat. Remove the bay leaf. Let the stuffing cool. Dived it into 12 parts.

Now roll out 2 inch discs of the dough, put one part of the stuffing and gather together the edges to get a ball. Press the ball and roll out into a 2.5 inch disc. Make sure the stuffing does not peek out. Press the kachori in the center with the thumb. Fry until golden in hot oil on medium heat. Since the kachori is thick it takes some time to achieve the golden color. Make sure its fried well to allow cooking of the insides.

Serve with tamarind chutney and/or curd and top it with some shev.

This kachori sets one on fire so a glass of lassi is a great accompaniment. If you don't like much heat reduce the red chili powder and green chilies to your capacity.

It is a crowd pleaser and capable of crowning you a super chef.

Who can name the old hindi movie in which Deepti Naval wins the heart of FIL, Uttpal Dutt with bought out kachoris smuggled into the kitchen by a ever naughty Saeed Jaffery, saying that the bahu rani has made them? Bolo Bolo.

Coconut-Almond-Orange Delish

As you know from the last post that necessity is the mother of invention. Then the need to dispose or disperse must be the father.

Just before leaving on a vacation what do you do with 2 oranges, some milk, a piece of coconut? Thada ~~ it is a new cake. This cake is styled based on a Koli cake called Khandavi but has completely different ingredients. It tastes similar due to the jaggery. Have you heard of that? Jaggery in a cake, you might think I'm crazy. Just try this recipe and tell me what you think about it.

When I served this cake to my Dad in the coconut shell he guffawed as he remembered the saying "Karvanti hatat gheeon phirne" which means to go around begging with a coconut shell as a bowl. Then he muttered aloud "God knows what this blog will make me do next". Picking up the piece between the thumb and the first finger and nibbling at it delicately. "Reminds me of Ayah (his grandma's) taste". "Aha did Ayah have oranges and almonds in her kitchen" I retorted. Alright as long as it tastes good and he enjoys it I'm happy.

So here presenting a recipe with an earthy charm yet can be called a cake.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almonds powdered coarsely + 1 handful for sprinkles
1/8 th piece of a dry coconut powdered coarsely
1/8 cup crushed jaggery
3 tablespoons ghee
juice of 1 orange
segments of 1 orange (opened up wedges and separated with a delicate hand)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk

In a large bowl add the orange juice, ghee and jaggery, beat to dissolve it. It take a good 10 mins. Mix in a separate bowl all the dry ingredients, wheat flour, powdered almonds, powdered dry coconut, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients spoon by spoon and fold into the liquid with a spatula till used. Once this is done adjust the consistency with milk. I needed 1 cup of milk this quantity may vary depending on the amount of orange juice you use. The batter should be thick and should fall in folds when dropped. This is the right consistency for cakes to rise well.


Meawhile preheat oven to 180 deg celcius. Pour the batter in a greased 6 inch tin and bake for 25 mins till knife inserted in it comes out clean.



Cool for 5 mins and invert it on to a serving dish. Sprinkle on the top crushed almonds. Cut into wedges and serve in empty coconut shells. For those who are not exactly fans of jaggery can use equal amounts of sugar or as per taste. I tend to make sweets less sweeter than is common here.

Incase you plan to make this Coconut-Almond-Orange Delish for a kids party start collecting coconut shells over a month in advance. They will be thrilled with it while elders might smirk like my Dad.

Bourbon Shankarpali

I had tasted sandwich shankarpali in Mumbai many years ago but have never tried it at home yet. Somewhere in my mind the taste and the innovative idea stayed. I was off to the North East of India on a holiday and till the last minute I had many things to wind up at work. I did not have enough time to get more munchies made and neither had I done shopping for the ingredients.

The idea of sandwich shankarpali was playing in my head as the verdict was cake and shankarpali for the Khaoo chi bag - marathi for bag of eatables. In the pantry there was wheat flour but no maida/all purpose flour, a tin of cocoa powder beckoning to be opened but no chocolate cake yet as I had made it just sometime ago. Finally the sandwich shankarpali and bourbon biscuits merged in my kitchen and this new creation was born.

Ingredients

1/8 cup crushed jaggery
3/4 cup water
1 heaped cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ghee to fry

for the chocolate filling

1/2 cup Cadbury's cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Hershey's chocolate syrup
2 tablespoon granular sugar
1 teaspoon milk (or more)

In a saucepan add the crushed jaggery and water a bring to boil. It will give a slightly sticky syrup. Put off the heat and add whole wheat flour to it. Mix well and turn out the boiled dough onto a counter. Knead the dough well. Divide dough into 4 balls. Roll out four chapatis of 6 inch daimeter. Keep aside.

Next in a bowl mix together the cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, granular sugar and milk to get a paste. Spread this paste on two of the chapatis. Cover with the other two chapatis. Now you will have 2 chocolate filled chapatis. Roll out further each one to increase the daimeter to get 8 to 9 inch.

Now cut into shape of choice using a pizza cutter. I cut it into rectangles. They looked really pretty. Fry in Ghee on medium heat. They brown easily so reduce to sim if the ghee becomes too hot. Do not stir too much in fact turn over only once and remove else the layers separate.

Drain on a slotted spoon and remove on a paper napkin lined mesh. Allow to cool complete and then store in an airtight container. Resist the temptation to eat hot, jaggery can scald the tongue.

This is one more recipe with my comparatively newfound love for jaggery. The smell does not bother me any more.

A WOW Quarter!

The Eco-bag is a canvas tote with a green floral design and the simple choices for better life and environmental conservation. Also you see brand Darjeeling, a picture of the toy train that I rode during the holidays.

I wanted to write about this for a long time but since it was very personal and emotional I took time to put it up here.

Beginning of this quarter I completed 5 yrs in my Organization. I reflect that I have been lucky when it comes to the roles I played and that I was able to build my circle of influence. There have been people who believed in me, people who saw in me more than I told them. People who stood behind me. If you guys are reading this. A Big Thank You! from the bottom of my heart.

It all began a month before the 5Th anniversary, the first mail saying my data is being cleaned up:). As if I would not guess! Then asking for a new photograph for a new work id. My Group Manager started his goofy calls asking me for the names of people still in the organization and who have worked with me. I knew why he wanted it ;). I have moved between companies in my org so I gave him a big list of the relationships and names. The excitement just built on.

On the day of my anniversary I got my new id card with a new picture that I had submitted and a bright new red tag that denoted 5 yrs of association. As a traveller the thrilling part was a mail allowing me to choose a holiday destination of my choice anywhere in India for 2 nights paid by the Company. I took time and chose Darjeeling. (I added few more destinations on my own and extended the holidays to a 10 day enchanting journey that I am just back from). I said WOW!

Shrinidhi took great efforts to collect sound bytes from my colleagues and friends and read it out during the celebrations, while he handed out the tokens for long service from the org. My throat ached and I could barely thank him. I want to thank through this post all of you who sent in the sweet words. Madhulika, Keith you guys made me cry and brought back Mumbai memories of passion for work and fun too. My senoirs had some things to say and I promise to live up to it. I made a tiny acceptance speech to close the celebrations.

Then on 7th March came International Women's Day and my organization said WOW! to all the women employees. We got Eco-bags as take aways. The org. sees us as ambassadors of change and they WOWed us one more time!

Announcing Swachchanda

Swachchanda in Sanskrit means a free spirit. Actions controlled by the soul. This defines me therefore my travel dairy gets the name. Check it out here.

To begin with I will be publishing my travel notes from the recent trip to the North East of India every weekend. I wrote everyday after returning to the hotel and during travel, on the train and in the waiting rooms at railway stations documenting my experiences.

Madivala Lake

As the bus passed Madivala Lake everyday this bright morning sun and the wilderness made this wanderer's heart dream of places yet to visit. Being a person that follows the heart I'm off to the mountains. Bags packed, munchies tucked in. So see you after 10 days.

Fresh Corn Chowder

Sumptuous Bowl

The Saturday Spread -

Fresh Corn Chowder, Methi Bread Sticks, Griddle roasted potatoes and Cut fruits

I think I like her, the sensuous lady and she is not the skinny type ooohhhing and ahhhing with mouthfuls of baby food in the name of good food. That is Nigella.

Well this recipe is adapted from the Nigella Express. Adapted is when you don't have all ingredients at hand but you venture all out and end up doing something of your own.

Ingredients

1 cup corn kernels
1/4 Red onion (She used 2 scallions/spring onion)
2 tablespoon semolina
1 cup cubed mixed vegetable (carrot, beans, capsicum etc)
2 teaspoons oil.
salt to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
water as you like

Grind the corn, semolina and piece of onion together with little bit of water. Heat a saucepan, add oil. Stir fry the mixed vegetables. Remove and divide into 2 serving bowls. Now add the ground paste and stir fry for 5 mins. Then top up with water as you like. Chowders are thick soups so 2 cups is good. Add the salt, sugar and vinegar and bring to boil and it is nice and creamy. Put off heat and divide into the bowls with the veggies.

This Chowder has a texture so it has a repeat value with us and that's an exception we make to thick soups.

Don't you think eating light on a Saturday afternoon is fun?

Apple Sheera

Apple Sheera decorated with apple flowers and accompanied with Gol Kachori for a savory bite.

My family is a special Sheera lover family, you have heard that before on this blog haven't you? We don't like the ordinary Sheera but we are nuts about Sheera with fruits, dry fruits different spicings and presentations.

Its always a challenge to make Sheera appealing all the time. Last Saturday I made Apple Sheera and decorated it to please.

The Ketchup kid behaved indiscreetly on Friday evening while we were at a friend's and that called for a scolding. It was going to be followed by a sulking for a few days I knew. Hence I went all out on a cooking frenzy over the weekend as that is what cheers him. It also helped that we had visitors all day on Sunday to change the mood that I expected to follow the Friday nights events.

So here is a recipe to mend hearts.


Ingredients
1 cup semolina
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup apple cubes with skin
2 cup hot milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2.5 + 0.5 tablespoon ghee
1/4 cup chopped mix nuts and raisins

Before you cube the apple refer the steps to decorate given below.

In a wok heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee and roast the semolina till grains looks well coated with the ghee and separated. Now in goes the sugar, mix well and pour in the hot milk. Keep stirring. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 mins. Stir in the apple cubes and let the semolina absorb the juices and flavors. Cover again and cook till the semolina looks fluffy. Add the nuts, raisins, cinnamon powder and mix well. When done let in the 1/2 tablespoon ghee and allow it to melt in by spreading evenly on the top. Mix well.

To decorate:

Spread the sheera evenly in a plate. Cut out with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Place the heart shaped Sheera in a serving plate.

Now take a whole apple press into it a flower shaped cookie cutter all the way till the center. Cut up the apple daigonally to get a flower shaped cylinder. Hold the flower shaped cylinder between your thumb and first finger and cut horizontally to get about 1/2 inch thick flowers. The flower with the apple skin is put on the Sheera heart while white flowers are to used on the sides.

I served the Apple Sheera with Gol Kachori as an accompaniment.

The Gol Kachori is from Haldiram. The pack is attractive, with a plastic tray that holds about 10 pieces with a foil seal that keeps the freshness. Yet again Haldiram has succeeded to deliver the familiar and authentic tastes to people in unfamiliar lands through packaging and distribution. Cheers to them!

Also see the box of Kaju Katli that Anand and Asawari had brought from Nagpur when they last visited.

Other Sheera varieties:

Mango Sheera

Pineapple sheera

Banana Sheera

Carrot Paratha

In my lunch box, Carrot Paratha and Vangyacha bharit

Carrot Paratha makes you a kid again with all that color and yum factors. One night we made too much carrot Koshimbir, the regular grated carrots with a squeeze of lemon, fine chopped chilies and cilantro. I never have the heart to throw food, its a weakness that added to my weight problem. Many times there would be just a small protion left and no takers. They'd declare throw it away. We don't freeze leftovers and no one likes it the next day even if properly warmed. So I would finish of the food to avoid wastage. I have now however overcome that habbit and eat only as much as I need. If I have leftovers I now transform them completely and the no taker category then turn 'dil mange more'. This Carrot Paratha is one such creation. We make it only with leftover Koshimbir and now it is being demanded as a specially made one.

Ingredients

1 cup Carrot Koshimbir as explained above or a similar one
2 table spoon curd
1 cup wheat flour
salt to taste
1 table spoon oil

Remove all the ingredients on the counter and knead well. You mostly would not need water as the koshimbir will release enough water and the curd used is enough to get a smooth dough. It should be slightly tighter than chapati dough as it will soften further when we leave it still for 10 mins.

Pinch off small portions of dough and shape a ball. Roll out into a desired shape for the paratha. I made small round ones thicker than normal chapatis so that the carrot shreds stay embedded well in the dough else you get a sieve of a paratha.

Roast it on a hot gridle and polish of with curd when still hot OR if packing of a meal apply some ghee and put it into a box. Roll it in foil to keep really soft untill meal time.

Batata Vada Odyssey

Batata Vada is the ball of potato dipped in chickpea batter and fried in hot peanut oil. What's not to like in it?

Batata Vada has a special place in the heart of a Mumbaikar. It is not only the signature dish of The Great M, sandwiched in a soft fresh bun, the ubiquitous pao but also is the consumed most at railway stations. The mention of batata vada conjours up memories of journeys and also of commutes to work day in and day out for many Mumbaikar. Join me on an odyssey of the best batata vadas paired with the paos.

Starting with VT or CST as it is now known. Begin with Capital theatre building, the corner outlet next to the restaraunt sells a nice batata vada but the bhaaji inside is not the maharashtrian yellow but a fainter color as is the south indian yellow. Go little further a few furlongs in the same line as Cannon. The Dandekar's of Cannon were famed for their pav bhaaji don't remember if they made batata vada. Next to it the Kalakatta stall that was a must after the savory treats, wonder if their menu has changed now. Drool.

Jump on to the local train get off at Dadar, eat at Mama Kane's. Take a Thane local. Go straight to Kunja Vihar opp the dilapidated ST Bus stop. Their's is the best Batata Vada and soft buttery pav with the thikhi-meethi chutneys. You have to stand in que to get service. Every Vada pav is warmed in the microwave before serving. Take a harbour to Chembur, walk towards Joy Hospital, a woman has a push cart that even doctors swarm. It was many times our snack when a family member was hospitalized in Joy Hospital.

On the western railway side Khaoo galli (Food Street) is loved by many people to me it brings back memories of food poisoning after chomping on a vada pav after the school annual functions at the nearby Patkar hall. Another train route to Dadar and closer to Mama Kane's on this side of the city. At Parle East it has to be Champion, Goregaon West has some busy stalls and the Malad's famous M M Mithaiwala's.

Infact every station has its batata vada stall famed for crawling roaches as well as others that Mumbaikars swear by. In most conversation between family members over the phone you will hear a hungry one telling that they had Vada pav to survive till they reach home. Yes Vada pav is indispensible in Mumbai.

What is a good vada all about? Mashed potatoes spiced right and dipped in chickpea flour that coats the ball of potates in a thin coat. If you are eating one with a thick cover, I bet it is hotel style, they use soda bicarb in the batter. That makes you thirsty after eating. A home style one is without the soda bicarb.

If I had to acknowledge copyrights for Batata vada, I have to do it this way.

For My family's sake my tuppence worth recipe:

Ingredients

1/4 kg raw potatoes
1 handful cilantro
1/4 teaspoon mustard
a pinch of asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 inch ginger.
2-3 green chilies
salt to taste
2 teaspoon oil

Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker.

In a mortar and pestle pound the green chilies, garlic and ginger together with salt. Save.

In a wok heat oil add the mustard, let it crackle. Then add the asafoetida and the pounded masala of ginger etc. Put off the heat add the boiled potatoes, cilantro, turmeric and salt mix well.

Now shape either as balls or flat vadas.

Prepare batter for dip.

1 cup chickpea flour
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Oil for frying. Dip the balls in the chickpea flour batter and fry till you get a reddish ting to make sure they are fried well and crisp.

You will see a no entry board on heaven's door if you haven't tasted Batata Vada, such is the cult following.

Merlion Relish Forks

Merlion Relish Forks, my entry for Click March 08

As I read this month's announcement for the Click - the photo event my choice immediately was the Merlion relish forks. It was ideal choice for this blog event and for another personal event, read below about it.

My brother, Hrushi is leaving for the Land of the Merlion to pursue a Master's in Business, tonight. His specialization, Enterprise Resource Planning so this post is to first wish him luck for an exciting future.

Bal, Wish you success and a prosperous future!

Well, back to Merlion relish forks, my Dad had brought these back from Singapore. When I decided to participate in Click I decide to do a bit of research. I have been calling them salad forks all the time as thats what we call forks used to eat fruit salads. However, our guru the internet threw up so much information on searching for types of forks that now I know these are called Relish forks. If not anything else it sounds snobbish. Read here why they are called by the name.

The relish forks are slimmer and may be 2 or three pronged. They are used to not eat but just to pick up food from a container without contaminating the rest of the food. Ain't it interesting.

Mine have a lovely Merlion at one end that functions as a knob to give a grip. The forks are held inside the hollow Merlion shaped case, that plays the Singapore song and flashes lights too.

I had never bothered to find out what metal it was made from. It wasn't steel or silver I knew but knowing Bee and Jai and their line.....

Metal surfaces, cutlery, crockery, utensils, cookware, appliances, foil, bakeware, cast iron, steel, tin, aluminum, gold, silver, copper, brass, pewter …. we’d like to see them all.

How could I not try to find out what metal they are made of. I fortunately had a booklet that came with it and Lo I found out it was pewter!

Once I had a guest who stayed with us for 2 months, while she was with us she explored every niche of my poorly furnished home in Blr. One evening she asked me to show her the Merlion. I pushed the clip to play the music and gosh it went all the way in. The Merlion went on singing and I had no way of stopping it. I tried dismantling the piece but in vain. It played on and on and it gave me a headache, the battery was so good it refused to drain. Finally I got frustrated and shut it up in my Dad's wardrobe. Dad was not around and he was going to return home late. A couple of hours had passed off and both of us, the guest and me forgot about it as we got busy with the cooking and gossiping. When Dad came home and opened his wardrobe he jumped out of his skin when he heard a moaning, almost yelling out loud as if there was something evil in there. I managed to calm him down and sheepishly owned up of dumping the Merlion there. All three of us burst out laughing after that. This is one of the funniest moments in my life.

Uliche Thalipeeth

Thalipeeth made with guess what?

This time roasted on a frying pan Follow the recipe exactly as given here Thalipeeth Just Zakas !

Hold on why am I posting it again?

This time its the spring onions that replaced the red onions in this traditional recipe. It imparts a heightened fresh taste. I used 2 tender spring onion or shallots as they are called. In Marathi is it called patticha kanda and in Koli it is called Ul.

Since I made the Thalipeeth in a wok last time some had asked if it could be made on a gridle or frying pan. So this time I made it in a frying pan and since it was flat allowed to be roasted on both sides unlike the wok version which gets roasted only on one side.

Yes and yet another combination to serve thalipeeth with curd.

Update:

Bee tells us that spring onions are called scallion and the small red, Madras onions are called shallots. Wiki too elaborates on this confusion. Colloquially though the term scallions and shallots are used interchangeably. Infact not just Madras onion any red onion is called shallot. After this enlightenment I guess I won't mind one of my fave cooks, Kylie Kwong call red onions, shallots.