Tavyarchi Val Dal

In my home most Sundays the menu was fixed. It was Birda (sprouted field beans) or Tavyarchi Val Dal for lunch and Masale bhat for dinner.

Sunday mornings for my brothers were meant for swimming . We were blessed with a swimming pool that was built for the Asiad and the colony still benefits from it. H, S & S all loved their swim. They were not allowed to eat before swimming so when they came home they were served a yummy lunch. Especially Somu loved Birda so those who were at home would sit around a pot of Val sprouts to peel them after a sumptious Sunday breakfast. When that was not possible my aunts pulled out the Val dal. This is made by skinning and peeling the dried Val.

Since this Dal is made on the tava/ girdle, it needs soaking in water to rehydrate it to make it cook easily. A couple of hours should be good.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Val Dal
2 onions
2 green chilies
1 teaspoon Koli masala OR
1/2 teaspoon garam masala+1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon oil
salt to taste

Heat a tava, add oil. Fry the onions in it till pink. Add the spice powders. Now add the rehydrated Val dal, cover with enough water to let it cook properly. This dal take about 25-30 mins to cook. Add more water if it is drying up. To check if dal is cooked pick a grain and press between thumb and forefinger. Make sure it is done well. The sign of a well cooked dal is if you see it is begining to crumble. Do not stir much while cooking it else the dal will disintegrate completely and the result will be a paste. It should be al dente. The onions should meld into the bhaaji and give the dal a lovely coat.

This dal has a fragrance that should get the fire started in you. This time I served with chapati but at our home when we were kids we prefered the Chavlachi Roti. Here I have garnished with green chilies but you can do it with chopped cilantro too.

Methi Stuffed Paratha

Many times we make a simple stir fry with various types of green leafy vegetables like spinach, chard or wild greens. This particular day I made with methi. I love these stir fries made with onions and the greens. They go very well with rotis made from Jowar, Bajara, rice etc. Traditionally this combo is a farmer's diet.

Using this as the stuffing I made these Methi stuffed parathas. Here is a basic recipe for stir fried greens.

Now to roll out the paratha you need chapati dough. Make a basket with the dough fill it with a ping pong sized ball of the stir fry bhaaji. Pull together the dough to form a ball. Shape it a bit to ensure the filling does not come out. Flatten it between the palms. Dust the counter or chakala with some flour. Roll out the paratha with a light swift hand. Keep it a little thick about 1/4 inch. Roast on a non stick girdle. Keep it fat free if eating hot. If carrying for lunch in a box or storing for longer time coat with oil or ghee and fold it before putting into a container.

Tip: To keep parathas soft line the container with a cloth or napkin. This absorbs the excessive sweating while keeping them soft.

Have these parathas with your favorite pickle and a glass of butter milk!

She is Special

Hope you folks had a great Valentine's.

Last week has been fun filled with all the shopping I did for Sapna. I like to give surprises but since I am buying stuff for her for the first time am anxious to know if she likes the stuff. So I thought I'd show it to her on the blog while my readers get to comment on the choice too.

She is 25, slim, working woman and someone ;) thinks she is the most beautiful lady!

I feel she is special too !!

Patti collar with front slit neckline on the Batik kurta and the bright pink kurta with a deep V.

Both are cotton, 40 length and can be worn with pants as well as salwar.

A straight wrap-around skirt having paisley print and contrast patchwork top

AND

Sarees from Nalli, you have to experience shopping there even non saree wearers like me get motivated. Humm...to buy...She too is not into sarees but then some occassion are meant to be...

Cotton sarees with thread work

A Pochampalli silk saree, Maroon and Yellow, it is the Haldi Kumkum combo with designs on the body.

A Kancheepuram silk saree, tassels on the pallu, bright green border with zari and threadwork. Dhup-chaav (double shades) body of lavender and gold. This one just glitters.

My friend Deepa gave me this pouch. I am going through a motherly phase right now so I requested permission from Deepa to let me keep it for Sapna. She said it was for me but I know she understands because she too keeps away the best for Ahana! :)

This much till Sapna gets to see the actual stuff. Till then I will still be anxious...

Falafel

Falafels are vadas of the middle east. They are eaten in pita pockets filled with some fresh salad topped with a dressing of tahini or hummus.

I neither had the mood to make tahini nor hummus. Anyways I had made the stew and it was an excellent dip and accompaniment to gulp down bites of Falafel.

Falafel differs from our dal vadas to begin with only the raw material. Rest of the spicing is almost identical to the Indian variety. Falafels are made with soaked Kabuli chana/ chickpeas where as we use chana dal for our dal vadas. The amount of cilantro used is more where as we might use just a handful.

They are great to pop into the mouth. Now in Mumbai these outlets have started in multiple locations. I am yet to try out but the prices look ridiculus. Most Mumbaites may prefer to buy their dal vadas instead from the food counters at the railway station or their favorite hole in the wall shops near home, 2 pieces for Rs.10. I prefer to eat at home whether dal vadas or Falafels. I followed this recipe with some freedom.

Ingredients

1 cup chickpeas/ Kabuli chana soaked overnight
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil for frying

Grind the chickpeas to grainy texture. Mix intermittently to get uniform texture. While grinding add cilantro.

Add the chopped onion, garlic, cumin, pepper and salt. Mix well. Roll into lemon sized balls. If you think they don't hold together well you can use some flour or add bread crumbs as binders. I did not do this as I was able to shape them well and knew they would hold shape while frying.

Fry them in a shallow pan using Olive oil, on high heat. Make them golden. Most times they are deep fried but shallow frying also makes them nice and crunchy while you use less oil. Especially when using Olive oil.

Serve hot with tahini or hummus and go traditional. I'll do that next time. A pita pocket too sounds good but not so soon.

Do note this:

Read here about how Olive oil deteriorates at high temperatures and should not be reused. So to avoid large quantity of leftover oil shallow fry with whatever amount of oil you need.

When I am frying something what I follow is fry first, mostly shallow, rarely deep frying. I never deep fry in Olive oil as I do not want to waste the expensive oil after frying once. Then use up whatever oil you need for cooking the other dishes on your day's menu. I try to finish off whatever little oil I have after the shallow frying, immediately.

Actually this applies for frying in any kind of oil even if they are the high temperature resistant ones like refined vegetable oils. I still don't like to keep leftover oil.

Hasa Al-Khadr Maa Hummus

I was looking for a middle eastern stew recipe. When I chanced upon this site. This stew/ soup is created by combining Chickpea soup with the vegetable soup and creating a new name too!

This stew or soup you decide, is traditionally cooked in a Tajine pot over an olive wood fire. I however made in on a gas and then served it in a glazed clay pot.

It is one hearty stew, I prefer to call it that. A medley of vegetable cooked in the juices of caramelized onion and chickpeas is spiced with cumin and coriander powders is usually eaten like a curry with couscous or the middle eastern flat breads. I made Falafels to go with it instead. I have studied a couple of recipes and then done my own thing. So here it is for you.

Ingredients

1 cup White Chickpeas
1 onion chopped fine
2 garlic pods
2 cups chopped vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes etc.)
1/2 cilantro chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste
1/2 lemon juice

Heat the oil in a small pressure cooker. Fry the onions and garlic till caramelized. Add the chickpeas and top with water. Cook for 3 whistle. Cool till you are able to open the cooker safely. Then add the rest of the ingredients, chopped veggies, all the spice powders and salt. Cook for another 3 whistles. Open the cooker once cooled and mash the chickpeas with the back of the spoon. This will give the gravy a bit of thickness. Squeeze the lemon juice into the entire dish and give it a stir.

Serve it in a pot with a lid with a flat bread or couscous on a platter. I deviated though from this as you see.

I would be making this with different beans and veggies combinations more often. It is simple, healthy and tasty perfect for people on protein diets.

A Middle Eastern Meal

and a dimension of Indian Northwest Frontier

Falafels and Hasa Al-Khadr Maa Hummus

Blogging makes you adventurous. I have loved Khubuz with lots of butter dipped in Hummus. This is however the first time I have made a middle eastern meal, it was my dinner last night. It consisted of the Falafels and Hasa Al-Khadr Maa Hummus. I also made Paneer Tikka.

The Falafel is a dal vada from the middle east.

Hasa Al-Khadr Maa Hummus, I'm guessing I got the name right is a stew or soup you decide.

Paneer Tikka recipe based on what I enjoyed at Barbeque Nation.

Come back for the delicious recipes.

Bye for now and more later...

Veg Sandwich From The Streets of Mumbai

Some places conjure the images of gastronomical experiences, others of healthy food and some others of the aroma of ghee.

Mumbai street food in definitely gastronomical but rarely will it stand for healthy food. Though everyone loves the vegetable sandwich this side of the country, people never list it as their first favorite.

When we were in college on returning home if we refused food we would be taunted "Must have hogged Vada pao." Mom and Aunts felt relieved if we said we had veg sandwich for a filler.

You will say what is so great about Veg Sandwich? Yeah this I realized when I heard some young boys from Mumbai comment in the cafeteria at work on the sandwich they were served. In typical Mumbai lingo, "Salon ko sandwich bhi banana nahi aata." Good here in Bangalore people don't grasp Mumbaiya Hindi. However I do understand their frustration and sympathize with my Mumbaikars outside Mumbai.

You will understand why when you try out this recipe. The Veg sandwich made on the streets of Mumbai bursts with flavors and veggies. It is not just a treat for the taste buds but is as colorful as a rainbow.

Every college has a cafeteria yet you will always find a sandwichwala outside the college gate. Kids build relationships with the Bhaiya (Sandwich vendors are mostly from Uttar Pradesh) and they know the regulars preferences. One does not have to specify the order. He would know who likes the sandwich with onions and who does not also who prefers to skip the beetroot.

We would love to watch him butter the slices, apply the chutney (wondering if the chutney was made in hygienic conditions) and then he would skillfully slice the vegetables thin, holding it in hand. We always feared he might slit his hand but his acumen was worth an applaud. Then he would pull out his tin of chat masala tap it on the portable counter and as if in a practiced dance movement sprinkle it over the fresh slices of veggies. This sandwich is always a club sandwich ie. of 3 bread slices. The final slice would cover the riot of colors. He would then apply a little pressure with his palm to hold all the stuff together and run his long bread knife along the edges to trim them and to cut the pieces, always 6 rectangle ones. The sliced bread used is generally Britannia or Modern. They use the large sized slices as the edges are trimmed. Many kids while they watch the Bhaiya prepare their sandwich like to grab the trimmings and eat it with a little ketchup. Most Bhaiyas don't mind this behaviour of the kids. Then depending whether you wanted to eat it at the stall or pack away, he would slide the sandwich off the board onto a plate layered with butter paper or a piece of the bread wrapper sheet. Finally handing out the serving to you. If you were eating in front of him he would hand over the ketchup squeezee to you else pack the ketchup in a small Ziploc pouch.

I would love to eat my sandwich fresh before it gets soft as this is not a toasted one. Going on to dot it with ketchup. It was always impossible to talk while eating as even the single piece loaded with all those veggies would stuff your mouth. After this came the best part when the entire gang of friends would pretend to act as if they were set on fire by the chutney and demand, "Bhaiya sukha dena" sniffing hard to drive the point. But Bhaiya knew us too well and he would keep a little triangle of buttered slice ready for each of us!

All this for just 5-7 Rs. Now I don't even know how much the Veg sandwich costs. I have not had one in years on the streets of Mumbai.

Would you like to try it out?

Make two.

Ingredients

For Green chutney

1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 green chilies

Grind together to get an aromatic paste.

For the Sandwich

8 slices of bread
butter
1 beetroot, boiled
2 small potatoes, boiled
1 onion
1/2 cucumber
1 big tomato
Chat Masala

First butter all the slices. Keep aside 2 buttered slices for the sukha.

Apply green chutney on the remaining 6 slices. One by one slice the vegetable on bread slices like shown here. Sprinkle a large pinch of chat masala over each layer. Do you see the specs in the picture? They are slightly visible on the beets.

Assemble all the slices veggie side up obviously. Cover with a buttered and chutneyed slice with the plain side up. Press gently with your palm while cupping the sandwich with your fingers. Run the bread knife to trim the edges.

Then cut up into small 6 rectangular pieces like here.

Dot with ketchup and enjoy! I ate straight from the cutting board but if you are serving this to someone slide it off onto a nice plate and handout a tissue, putting a piece of this sandwich in your mouth without messing is a practiced art.


Don't forget the sukha buttered slices. Put together the buttered slices and trim the edges and cut up into four triangles. Tradition says only one small triangle of sukha after one full Veg sandwich. It helps cool off the heat of the green chutney yet lets your Jivha soak up in the wonderful flavors of a true Mumbai Veg sandwich from around the corner on the street.

Sajuk Tup Chapati AaNi Sakhar

and Many ways to eat it.

The 10 days of being home alone makes it such a pain to cook on week days. I have been enjoying my dinner of fresh fruit salad yet the lunch leaves me wanting to eat food that I have made myself. Today is Thursday, one more day and it would have been the weekend but I did not have the patience. Infact there was no power at home but I was determined. I switched on the emergency lamp and started cooking in the dim light.

In the cooker went in a dal major rice minor khichdi along with onions and tomatoes. I had planned to add some ginger garlic paste but forgot to pound it. I kept aside the mortar and pestle with the peeled ginger garlic left in it. Would I dare to do it when Dad is around. I will wash the ginger and garlic before use, if I cook tomorrow else I'll throw it away.

While it whistled on slow, I made the dough for chapatis. Now in Marathi I learnt to call it PoLi much later but as a kid it was chapati so that is what it is.

I was craving for soft chapatis after eating the oil free ones made at the cafeteria at work, healthy but not a Marathi's style. I realize how finicky I have become about food. I cook every single day when Dad is here with me but now when I was eating out nothing tasted like home.

Since I had already made a khichdi I did not want to make a bhaaji. So I thought Sajuk Tup Chapati Aani Sakhar is what will make my soul sing. Just like Aai, my Mom would make it.

The ghee must be home made Sajuk Tup for this. The Dalda is ok for puff pastries and Nankhatai but has no place in my home for any other use. Sajuk Tup is a must with Varan bhat, on Sheera after it is cooked and with just off the tava chapati!

Ingredients

1 cup wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons Sajuk Tup for kneading

*Sajuk Tup for GENEROUS DOUSING

Rub in the molten sajuk tup into the dry wheat flour. Add salt and water and knead to get a smooth dough.

Now pinch of small parts of the dough and roll out to get a small phulka. Apply sajuk tup lightly dust with flour. Fold it into a quarter then fold 2 more times. Each fold lightly greased with the sajuk tup and dusted with flour. Now press it flat and roll out a chapati. Heat a tava on high. Roast the chapati and press lightly with a cloth or flat spoon. Douse the chapati with lots of sajuk tup before you remove from heat. Do this fast before the chapati turns stiff on the tava. Fold it into half and fold it one more time to get a quarter. Store it in a hot pot.

This chapati has lots of layers and sajuk tup flavor dominate. This is the famous Marathi Ghadichi PoLi. Some might find it very rich. So keep a fizzy drink handy.

There are many ways to serve and enjoy this delicate chapati.

1. Tear into rough pieces and sprinkle sugar on it and eat it with your fingers.


2. Open the quarter folds of the chapati, drizzle the sugar. Pack it for tomorrow's lunch.


3. Even if the khichdi needs to be gulped and cleaned. Roll a little sugar in one chapati and take a bite while watching TV.

Now off to bed.... have to go to work... tomorrow is Friday and then the weekend...

Thought for the night:

"Unconditional love gives one the freedom to be your own self."

Good Night...Sweet dreams :)

Sold to the basest emotions

Yesterday I watched Slumdog Millionaire. It is a story that happens in Cuffe parade slums, in the slums of Sundar Nagari, Colaba, in the movie it is unfolding in Dharavi. It is so real.

In the movie Jamal wins the game show and gets media recognition. In Sundar Nagari it could be the part life story of a ruling smuggler, In Cuffe parade it could be a Bhai.

Jamal is lucky to steer clear of evil most times and that is the amazing part. In real life their end is that of a dog at the hands of the police or another bhai.

I loved the movie. In Mumbai the the poshest areas are in close proximity to slums. The lives as disparate.

The story of victory of Jamal in grimy settings touches the basest emotions in man. Though I am happy it has won awards, I would love to see an Indian film win the accolades that would portray India in all its positivity and richness and made by an Indian, without lobbying.

The real deserving award is for A.R. Rahman and his genius.

Watch it if you haven't yet... It is called Slumdog Millionaire.

Lite Gajar Halwa

Kal Sunday Tha...

The menu : Gajar Halwa made with whole milk, a bowl of grapes, Taher & Gucchi Olu !

With Dad in Mumbai yours truly lived on bread butter jam for an entire week for dinner and once even had bread dunked in coffee for lunch. After that need I say the Sunday meal was to die for.

I tried making Lite Gajar Halwa, lite because we always make the richer version with khava. In my family since ours was a large family we always made it that way, may be to reduce the cooking time. It has grainy texture. We love it.

Until one day my GM, Ved mentioned while we were lunching out that he loved the Gajar Halwa the way it is made in Allahabad-Varanasi, his native. He said it was always an all day family affair, taking turns to stir the Gajar Halwa as it simmered on the stove. He said it was made by frying shredded carrots in ghee and then simmering in whole milk with sugar till is formed a thick mass and left the sides of the pot. It was always made in large quantities and was a winter speciality. His narration was so vivid that it was etched in memory. On top of that he turned down half of the Gajar Halwa made with khava that he was eating at the restaraunt. I resolved to try the UP version. This was a year and a half ago.

Now I was alone at home and had 4-5 large Delhi carrots lying in my veggie stack. I was thinking of a salad but zoomed in on a treat.

Ingredients

4-5 large Delhi carrots
2 tablespoons ghee
1 glass milk
1/4 cup sugar
3-4 cardamom pods
1/4 cup mixed nuts and raisins

Shred the carrots to fine. It should give you about 3-4 cups.

In a large frying pan melt the ghee on heat. Fry the carrot shreds in the ghee to lend it a nice toasted aroma. Add the milk and sugar. Simmer on slow with intermittent stirring till it begins to thicken.

Once it starts thickening keep stirring till it leaves the sides of the frying pan. Put off the heat. Peel the pods and pound the cardamom seeds. Add this powder to the halwa along with the nuts and raisins. Mix into the halwa.

Scoop out the halwa in a serving bowl and serve. I decorated with the opened pod of cardamom and seeds.

Verdict:

This version is lite, creamy and the carrots are cooked to a softness that makes the halwa delectable. Yet again it decodes the mystery of why in all Bollywood films the hero's Maa feeds him with Gajar Halwa!

Delhi carrots are the best for Gajar Halwa. Though I use the other cultivars too. I love the juicy Delhi Carrots and did you know they are rare!

Russian Sandwich

This is a desert sandwich called Russian sandwich. As a kid when my Uncle took me out for a treat this was one of my favorite deserts. I was always mesmerized by libraries and Petit library was one of them. My Uncle was a member there and so I went along with him on Saturdays. It is next to the Khadi gram udyog building in Fort and only 5 mins away from my home in Fort. After lunch my Uncle would walk me down to the library. I would get introduced to the peons there and then would get access to the three floors of books.

I liked to sit in the balcony where there were old teak wood recliners, almost like beach chairs. Many a times you would see a Parsi Bawa dozing there while reading.

This library has some beautiful stained glass windows and all three floors full of books and endless books. They have a huge collection of Marathi books too besides the predominantly English collection.

Then on the way back home I would get my treat at Lalit Lunch Home that I keep mentioning about.

Ingredients

Makes 2 sandwiches

6 slices of bread
1 banana
¼ cup chopped pineapple
2 tablespoons mixed fruit jam
2 teaspoons butter

Trim the edges of the bread. I normally don’t fuss about the edges of the slices but for this sandwich I prefer trimmed slices to make it more delicate. Don’t throw them away feed it to your pet or a street dog.

Butter the slices. Layer them with jam. Now arrange the sandwich. Keep one slice jam side up ofcourse. Then slice the banana in rounds over it. Place the next slice on top, layer the pineapple. Cover with the third slice with the jam side in. Press the sandwich together lightly. Cut with a serrated knife into small pieces. You could use a variety of spreads instead of jam and a whole different medley of fruits.

Enjoy it after dinner as a dessert or as evening snack with a tangy juicy or ice tea.

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.

Traditional Masale Bhat

When something is on your mind it has to reflect in the cooking. My Aai was an emotional cook too. Dad always said that the day she was in a bad mood, "Vat lagli samazaicha!"

I gravitated towards the Traditional Masale Bhat, it is a must in Maharashtrian wedding though not on a Koli wedding menu.

There is a kind a thrill when one makes some dishes associated with some festival and events and when one is not even celebrating it! It invariably gets the "Arey Wah" from family.

This is also to ask what will be on menu? I am excited!!!

The Traditonal Marathi masale bhat is always made with Tondli or Ivy gourd

The Masala for Maharashtrian Masale bhat is here

Follow the steps exactly like Toor Masale Bhat but for this traditional one replace the Toor with Tondli, only then it is the wedding menu Masale bhat!

Change the vegetable and you get endless variations in Masale bhat!

Read here Ashwini's reminisces about Marriages and Masale Bhaat. I guess it is always like that certain foods evoke the same kind of emotions and memories.

Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary!

source:Jac Jemc

Wish you a Happy Wedding Anniversary Dearest Deepa & Vijay!!

This year has been an important year with the completion of the four corners of the happy square family. May the lord give you lots of love to share with each other. For someone who is so giving the Lord will fill you with happiness always! May you grow old together and I'd love to hear all the fun stories of you two.

Lots of Love

P.S: This is a food blog but this couple has a recipe for a happy married life. Are they ready to share their secret with us?

Lasagna With An Indian Twist

I was a kid in the time of black and white TV when on one sunday afternoon I saw this punjabi lady make this dish on TV. After that many a times it used to be an after school snack for us kids. Most evenings I would make small treats for my sisters and brothers, grilled sandwiches, soupy snacks etc. but I would get taunted from my Aunts, "Chapati khayla nako". As is in all homes, who likes to eat chapati at that age. So when I started using up chapatis for the evening snack my Aunts were happy. Then they started complaining about me using too much cheese.

In those days we never bought cheese locally, either it was too expensive or not as good as Kraft. So the supplies of cheese were provided by Uncle M and it always was in my custody. Most of the elders still had not acquired a palate for it. They would say, "God knows what these kids love about cheese. It has just a salty taste." Well not that we could decode the hidden flavors in the cheese at the age but I guess we loved it because it was something exotic for us in those days plus above all Uncle M got it from all his travels.

Those days the only cheese I knew was processed cheese and cheddar cheese. Uncle had once bought a red wax coated cheese that looked like an apple. I still don't know what type it was. Though now I have learnt to appreciate cheese a little more.

So what can be better than a truely cheese loving dish than a Lasagna. It was through that cookery show that I learnt early that Lasagna is a Italian layered pasta dish. This twist too is really an original creative one by that lady on TV. I don't recollect whether it was Neeta Mehta or someone else. Well what matters is I still remember it and I have been making it ever since. That is brilliance.

I know you can't wait to try out. Well then get noting.

Ingredients

3 chapatis
1 cup cooked vegetables/ left over bhaaji
4 tablespoons sauce of choice
and
any soft cheese of choice (cheddar+mozarella) or crumbled paneer

This dish is extremely versatile. You can have endless variations without having to repeat a creation. I love it that way instead of creating the same taste.

It can be baked in a tin in the oven or made on stove top in a deep dish frying pan. I love both versions and there is a difference in taste too.

To layer begin with the first chapati then the bhaaji, spread evenly. Then cover with second chapati. Now spread the sauce with a spatula. Then the third chapati takes its place. Grate the cheese over it. I don't give any proportion for cheese as it depends on how much you like. I am quite generous and don't want my readers eyes popping out while reading, so you do your own thing.

This is the basic layering. You can repeat this pattern for another 3 layers on the top. Always ending with a nice cheese layer. Bake it for 15 mins in a preheated oven @ 190 deg celsius. This baked lasagna is soft.

If done on stove top, the bottom layer gets crisp and that is how I enjoy most.

It has all the ingredients that are already processed or cooked so this dish is ready in a jiffy. Once the cheese melts remove from heat. Cut out portions with a pizza wheel cutter and serve warm. It is quite juicy with all the cheese and sauce so does not require any dressing but a glass of juice to go with it or a masala chai is great.

Enjoy recycling your food!

Ellu bella thindu, Olle Maathu Aadu

Today's first Makar Sankranti exchange, banana, sugar figurines, bettle leaf and nut, berries and a mix of roasted til, jaggery, pieces of dry coconut, peanuts and roasted gram.

"Ellu bella thindu, Olle Maathu Aadu" is the Kannada version of "Til gul ghya god god bola".

I haven't made tigul today but instead our brunch consisted of this

I made various shapes of stuffed pastries with Aloo-mutter-gobi bhaaji. The cover is made of aata studded with kalonji. In the bowl you see a pudding made with cracked wheat and dates and drizzled with ghee.

Go back to my previous Sankranti posts:

Til Gul for Haldi Kunku: 2007

2008: Square Shaped Chutney Paratha

Sabudana Vada

Thode kele tar chaan hotat ... dheegbhar kele tar chivat hotat

If made in small batches they turn out well...but in large quantities they turn out rubbery.

That is what you need to be careful about.

While I promise the new joinees will be trained to make perfect ones. Here is what I feel about marriage and celebrations related to it. Hope anyone planning a wedding finds it useful. Especially a Koli wedding. This is for all those young grooms and brides who are waiting to get married after Paush is over. Some how I know too many of them are my younger first, second, third cousin brothers and sisters. We are a small community!

We Kolis are modernists when it comes to weddings. Our marriages are most times dowry free. The expenditure on clothes are minimum. The only expenditure is on food. Don't compromise on that. Feed as many people as possible if hosting the reception in the village.

When the couple decides to take the vows. It is their own 100 % risk. You will be your own reason for happiness or sorrow. Family is there for support but the decision should be 100 % your own.

How to plan a wedding:

A wedding is a highly private affair. Keep it that way. The main ceremony should be in the presence of the family from both sides. Public, audience is not required.

If one plans to have a vedic ceremony then all sanskar to be done at family level. Let the elders enjoy the Halad (Beauty treatment- Haldi ceremony) and giving blessing. Let the sisters enjoy preparing for all the small poojas, chuda (dressing up with bangles ceremony), mehndi (though not a koli tradition). Distribute the appropriate duties to all as per their capacities right from elders to children. Each one will enjoy their bit. It is their maan too. Maan is respect.

Do not overspend. If you are able to incorporate all sanskars and is done in presence of the family. Then it is a successful ceremony. Do not buy too many expensive sarees, traditional outfits. They are a waste. Instead buy enough clothes that you can wear to work, parties of the styles you are comfortable in.

If you have stashed a large sum for the wedding but incase you save after you have a small but sanskar rich wedding. Then you have 2 options. Donate whatever you saved for the wedding of a needy. Else use it for your needs to set up home.

Do not make your private, intimate affair that a family wedding is supposed to be into a garish tamasha. Patala tar ghya ...nahi tar sodun dya... accept it if convinced or leave it...

What I would like to see? Crazy couples just right for each other still together even after ages.

Making Sabudana Vadas taught me this lesson. Small batches make better vadas.

So new joinees here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup sabudana/ sago
1 cup butter milk

Prepare sabudana by soaking in butter milk and storing it overnight.

3/4 cup boiled mashed potato
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
3-4 green chilies, fine chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
salt to taste

Oil for frying

Mix everything together with overnight soaked sabudana to get a dough. Divide into ping pong sized balls. Flatten them for frying. This helps to use lesser oil and they can be shallow fried. Fry until golden and crisp.

Serve with Upavasa chi Chutney and curd if you are fasting. These can be shaped and frozen but after frying need to be served immediately. Once cold they turn rubbery and cannot be enjoyed.

He he... we don't fast anymore in the family. It's a tradition long lost. Hey but let me check with Mothi Aai if she does, Aruna Kaki does not I know for sure.

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.

Barbeque Nation

and the New Year's Celebration

Basting & Barbeque

Thai baby potatoes and vegetables on the skewers

Skewer Samurai and the team

Live music

Polarized ends, Veg idhar, Non-Veg Udhar, Baaki sab bahar ;)

The glass walled kitchen, the BBQ flaring there and the buffet

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Pacific Blue and Strawberry Mocktails

Exactly on the 6th day of the year my team decided to celebrate the New year!

The other 'A' sent out the invites, it said lunch at Barbeque Nation followed by games. We were not quite sure what to expect. I had heard a lot about the place so wanted to go for the experience. There were others who were away, either travelling or busy with meetings and some others who simply like to stay in their shells. Well but let me tell you those who joined us enjoyed both the food and the fun.

I was wishing new year to P, who is on a break from work to be with her baby and she was happy that the lunch was in her neighborhood. Come over she said. So that's what we did. Baby Anirudh is now a rolly polly bundle unlike the tiny thing we saw when he was a new born. Then she came over to BN to say hello to everyone.

We were in the neighborhood so dropped in at her home

By the time I joined the rest of the team they were settled down in their chairs. There was live music by a Keyboard artist. The place we got was on the 2nd floor, the lighting was just right not too bright and not too dim.

I was looking around to enjoy the theme of a Barbeque place. The colors used are warm porcelain and wood tones. The tables were arranged for big groups with grills fitted in the middle of the table, each to be shared by 4 people. I liked the square chairs with leather cushion and the thought put in to keep them open from one side for easy movement. In formal places when you have a chair that holds you like a baby on a high chair I get put off. Also the tables are slightly lower as they hold the grill but it is also considerate towards us Indians as we are a smaller sized race. So BN gets full marks for the detailing the decor. I loved the glass walled kitchen which gave a view of what was cooking and seeing the large grill flare up my hunger pangs grew stronger.

Our grills were fired with charcoal as we awaited the loaded skewers to take their place. Oh yes as we normally do the team was polarized into a veggie and no-veggies group.

The veg starters were barbequed Thai baby potatoes, cut vegetable viz peppers, broccoli, cauliflower etc. and chutney marinated Paneer tikka. The Paneer tikka was served straight on the plate. We enjoyed basting the sauces and BBQ on the small grills on our tables.

I loved K's smile, she looked so happy

The loaded skewers are first cooked a bit in the glass kitchen and then brought onto the table. They just keeping getting more till you turn the flag on your table down to signal them to stop. What a great idea! Did I mention the color coding for the plates? Green for the veg and brown for the NVs. The vegetarians had a limited choice but the non-vegetarians enjoyed their stuff as they had more to choose from.

The mocktails were terrible. We tried the Pacific blue and the Strawberry ones. I tell you to skip them. Else go for fresh lime or package soft drinks.

After enjoying the BBQ you move on the buffet not expecting much but believe me the food is good. There were 3-4 non-veg curries and 4 veg curries. The rice consisted of a simple biryani and steamed rice with dal. The vegetarian curries consisted of Lasuni palak, paneer jalferezi, a kofta gravy with marble sized luscious paneer balls, Aloo mutter gobhi which was superb!

There was a veg soup and a non-veg soup too. I skipped the soup, one ought to else you cannot do justice to the rest of the line up.

Oh and remember we are in Blr so there has to be curd rice, pickle and well there was some raita, penne pasta that was sweet, 2 salads that are not worth a mention.

To conclude the experience the deserts were in bite sizes hot gulabjamuns with vanilla ice cream, a standard for a buffet, you get it with all of them but these were juicy. The walnut date pie had a nice filling. Then the pineapple pastry is another restaurant owner's association's favorite I guess ;). Some cut fruits, I picked only pineapples as I love~~ them. The winner however was the orange souffle which was absolutely delectable.

The service was prompt and polite yet I found them a little too attentive when it came to clearing the plates.

If you are looking for the pricing here then this falls in the expensive category and it only goes up right! So no mention of it here. Visit with family and friends you will enjoy the experience.

The team enjoyed the lunch, it was after a long time we were out together and there was lot of laughter and animated conversations. We are grateful that the economic meltdown has just brushed past us and things are OK. We hope to be OK in the future too.

This place has a bar too but our team mostly is not for it ;). We had to get back to work you see.

The desserts: Orange souffle was the winner

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Yeah and we did get back to our office for some games. The first game was to bounce the balloon without letting it fall. The fun is in the fact that we interchange names. You try to remember your real name and the interchanged name and you have people grabbing the balloon when the name is called out.

The second one was my favorite. We were told to design an outfit for a model in our group and then the model had to walk down the ramp. The hitch is you had to make an outfit from newspaper and use cellotape to hold it together. My team decide on "The Knowledge Warrior" and S walked with pomp and conviction. That made us winners.

Dress designing with newspaper!

You have
Recession Ranga, The Knowledge Warrior and The Fairy with no story ;)

The other 2 were Recession Ranga, depicting the tattered look of an affected. While the third team designed an outfit for a fairy but they did not have any story to tell! Just that R looked cutesy.

The last one was a lung test. That is what I would call it, blowing balloons and then tying them in triples. We blew the biggest and finished in time but we let S's group win they finished before us but the balloons were not inflated properly ;).

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Lung test

Believe me and we were not done yet. There was a plum cake cut for those who missed the lunch.

It was fun time and we missed all the other location guys, the videoman and the artist in Pune and the stylebhais in Delhi and ofcourse the 3 new Moms.