Veg Balls and Penne Pasta

I have been down with terrible hyperacidity. Credited to nights up trying to do experiments I do not get to do at work. I was on a diet of curd rice and that meant perfect timming for pampering Dad with single serves that need elaborate preps.

The Veg balls and Penne Pasta is not your quick pull out the packet of pasta and dinner is ready types. It calls for shredding, kneading, frying, sauce making and then cooking with the pasta. All worth the effort, when I ask Dad, "How is it?". He gives a quite nod. Nice and holds out the plate for me to poke the fork.

Ingredients

For the Veg Balls

1/2 cup cabbage
1/2 teaspoon green chili sauce
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Mix together, knead and shape balls. I have not added salt as the green chili sauce is ready made and really salty. Shape tiny balls. Deep fry to golden and drain on a paper napkin till you use them.

For the Pasta

1 cup Penne Pasta
4 cups water

Heat the water in a saucepan. When the boiling is on a roll add the pasta to it. Cook al dente. Drain on a sieve and pour cold water over it to stop the further cooking and also to prevent sticking of the pasta to each other.

For the Sauce

3-4 garlic cloves chopped fine
1 green chili chopped fine
1 bulb and sprig of spring onion chopped fine
1 tablespoon dark soya sauce.
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
2 teaspoon oil
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar 

Heat oil. Fry the chopped garlic, follow in with fine chopped spring onion. Add the soya sauce and sprinkle the salt. The sugar must go in to balance the taste. The tomato sauce brings the slight tang to the dish so put that in. Boil.

Once the sauce starts thickening add the cooked and drained pasta. Mix and check the pasta for salt and adjust it if required. Cover and let it simmer for 5 mins. Spoon it onto a serving plate and hand it out to the person you are pampering.

You will win some smiles I promise.

Thal Brand Chicken/ Mutton/ Mushroom Curry

Updated : 25/12/2022

Yesterday Sulekha and me decided to dine out. So thought I would treat Dad to a lunch that is reminiscent of the special meals in Thal. He does not like anything that tastes like non-veg and I actually was thinking let me atleast once attempt the Chicken/ Mutton Curry like they do it in Thal but with vegetable substitutes. Obviously with Mushrooms like I always do. We don't like soya products so those never figure on my list of sustitutes.

The challenge was creating a curry with the same masala but not tasting non-veggy. Phew! I always fear that my Dad might snub such dishes. Over last five years he has finally learnt to eat mushrooms without complaining, that in itself is a big thing for me as I can enjoy mushrooms with him else mushrooms used to be made only for myself all these years.

I asked him what goes into the masala. He was fairly right with the spices but I was not too confident about his memory as it has been more than 4 decades since he last made any non-veg. In Thal coconut is part of the masala you see as it is on the west coast. Dad said fresh coconut. My memory said dry. So I called up Mothi Aai my elder paternal aunt. She is growing old and hates to talk on phone but the moment Mothe Baba told her that I wanted the masala recipe she came on line and started instructing me. I followed her to the T. She warned the spices have to toasted till they become fragrant along with the coconut and to put off the heat once the dry coconut turn slightly golden. She gave a tip if fennel is used used in curries they spoil faster. Humm  but I don't save curries yet it tells a lot about the culture in Thal, since Chicken/ Mutton curries were made as specials, they were made in large qauntities and enjoyed over 2 days. Carefully boiling the curry 2 or 3 times  to make them last and keep them fresh. Alright I told her I will be careful. 

Almost always when I went to Thal my eldest Mama, maternal uncle invited me for lunch or diner that would be a special one. It began with selecting a chicken from the pen by my cousin bro Parshuram and preparing it for cooking by my other bro Vishnu. While Nirmal my cousin sis would make the rice roti on the terracota tava. My Mami, maternal aunt sat in front of the chool to make Gharis. The younger sisters ran for errands to the baazar to get fresh lime. Lime is a must without that Chicken/ Mutton curry was not complete. My mother was my Mama - Mami's favorite and so was I. Dwarkanath, my Dorkya Mama was an absolute sweetheart. He could spoil children silly. He was so innocent too. To him my Mom was the best sister, I was the best niece. He wore one of my hand painted T-shirts for eons till it was completely out of shape, all this beacuse I gave it to him.

So you see Chicken/ Mutton curry was not just any meal. It was a very special one. I would sit on the huge wooden chest (Peti) which is used to safe keep food in Thal and talk endlessly while the meal got ready, watching the masala being ground, the Yelnicha Dhaan being made.Curious, I would ask why it was kept on charcoals after draining the water, Mami would tell me "Sutta, sutta hoto" which means it becomes fluffy. This curry is made for Narali poornima, after Gauri visrjan, Bhau bij or anyreason for special meals. 

Oh yes I must mention it is a tradition to make this curry a special treat for all the crew as a send off meal. It is made before the monsoon break in the fishing business families when their crew go home to far off villages for a 4 month vacation as the fishing business does not operate in the monsoons when the sea gets ferocious.

I know you are asking for the recipe already...

Ingredients

For the masala

1 red Byadgi chili rehydrated

1/2 cup shredded dry coconut

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon Koli masala OR red chili powder+garam masala

15-20 pepper corns

8 cloves

2 Black cardamoms/ Badi elaichi

5 green cardamoms

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

2 inch piece of cinnamon

1 handful of cilantro (not in picture)

Lightly toast the spices and shredded coconut till the kitchen smells of the essential oils emanating from them. Then transfer to the chutney grinder and grind to a fine paste along with cilantro. Add little water for easy grinding. Keep aside.

1 teapoon of ginger + garlic + green chili paste

1 tablespoon oil

20-30 whole mushrooms washed/ 500 gms mutton or chicken

2 potatoes made into 4 pieces

In a handi or a saucepan heat oil. Add the ginger + garlic + green chili paste and fry a bit. Now let in the whole mushrooms and large chunky potatoes into the handi. Stir to coat with oil. Now pour about a glass of water. Cover and cook till potatoes look like they are about to crumble. Yes keep the skins on the potatoes you will know why when you taste it.

Once the potatoes are done its time to add the ground masala paste. Mix with the veggies and top up with another glass of water. Cover and cook. The curry turns this blackish green color due to the cilantro in it. The oil starts floating on the top a bit and you see a ring on the edges of the curry in the handi as it simmers. That's when you can remove it from the heat and serve with rice and roti or go all the way and make the Ghari too.

The good news is this curry with mushrooms turns out a fragrant one not quite umami but just a little. I loved it with a generous squeeze of lime. I tell you but with Chicken/ Mutton it is superlative when the juices permeate into the chunky potatoes.

To truly enjoy this experience you have to use the tactile sense. The lime has to be squeezed between the forefinger and the thumb. The potato chunks need to be mashed using the 4 fingers except the little one. The skin to be relished while doing it. Meditate on it. Scoop up with the Ghari and later mix with rice and relish it. Burp we did!

So here is the Thal brand special meal of Ghari, Yelnicha dhaan and Brand Chicken/ Mutton/ no no Mushroom Curry. Try it and don't forget the lime.

Note:
* The Ghari I made today are with wheat flour with sesame seeds not the traditional ones.
* In Thal a non veg meal is never accompanied with sweets! No desserts please let the tastes prevail.
* This is a very spicy and hot curry so tone down the heat if you are not used to it. It has shocked our tummies and I ate curd rice all day today.

Jumpstart with Ragi Shevige Bhat

Ragi Shevige! I exclaimed as I spotted it on the shelves. These are not common and knowing it is from the Anil brand you are promised of the thinnest possible ones. I picked up the 180 gms packet. It costs only 13 Rs. Ragi is a locally grown millet so you are helping the farmers by buying it besides getting your power packed calcium dose. Though I had been introduced to Ragi or Nachani as it is known in Marathi early in life, it is rarely that we had it as part of our food. Here in Karnataka it is more ubiquitous.

Keep a packet handy and give your day a jumpstart with Ragi Shevige Bhat for breakfast. You will need just your pantry staples.

Ingredients

1 packet of Ragi (180 gms of Anil)

1 big onion, chopped fine

1 green chili chopped fine

few curry leaves

1 tablespoon oil

2 teaspoons urad dal

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

salt to taste

1/2 lime

Boil 3 cups of water. Add the ragi shevige to it. Press it down so the boiled water cooks the shevige evenly. Stir once and keep covered. Till you prepare the seasoning.

Heat oil and fry the urad dal to a golden hue, splutter mustard seeds after that. Add the onions and fry till transluscent. The chopped green chilies go in after this and the curry leaves to add a color contrast besides the fragrance and heat. Now add the shevige and mix with a fork to make them fluffy and distribute the seasoning through out the bhaat. Cover and let it rest for 5 mins before serving.

Mix once and then fill mould with the cooked shevige and unmould onto a plate. You may sprinkle some grated coconut over it. I did not. Yummy and healthy Ragi Shevige gives you a jumstart and keeps you full till lunch time.

Garlic and Greens Dal

Garlic and Greens Dal with Roasted Arbi 

This time I got a lot of greens from the hypermarket. One among them was a thick leaved spinach like bunch that got me interested. It stayed good in the fridge while I was away for a couple of days and the last week didn't see much of me in the kitchen. So on this weekend I made this dal rich with the greens and flavored with strong tadka of garlic.Yes Garlic, its rarely that I use it but when I do it stands out as a flavor.

This to you readers can you help me identify these greens? I forgot what the name board said in the hypermarket. It has a thick juicy looking stem and thick leaves. Just like spinach would be your reaction, when you do spot them but they are not!

Ingredients

1 bunch  greens

1/2 cup dal
5-6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
1 glass water
salt as much as you like

Wash dal and along with the chopped greens pressure cook. Heat oil and get the seasoning right with crackling mustard, garlic sauted in the oil. Add the spice powders. Boil vigorously. Then add the tamarind pulp for a tang.

I am using less tamarind to avoid using jaggery for balancing the sourness. The sweetness of the dal is enough to balance the 2 tablespoons of tamarind.

Serve with steamed rice. I had made Roasted Arbi as a starter for this dal and rice meal. It is a very satisfying meal.

Banana Pith Thoran

Banana Pith Thoran, Kakdi Koshimbir, Chapati and Coconut chutney

It was lunch time and Seema mentioned her Mom had packed Banana pith thoran for her box. I was curious. It reminded me of my friends at Mumbai University had commented once that Bengalis and Malyalis never waste anything they grow. They eat all the ghaass phoos. The Bengali went on to tell how potatoes are deskined for currying and the skins turn into a roast. While all things banana have a recipe among the Malayalis said the other. I didn't have the heart to touch the banana pith sabji that my Bengali  or Malyali friends ate in their lunch box atleast one a week. But  then I was a young girl with all my prejudices in place.  Now having got rid of them this time seeing it in Seema's box I wanted to taste it. Well I'll soon cross over an age milestone and am happy I am still adventurous, incase of food its more evident though! I picked up a bit and liked the subtle flavor. It was a simple stir fry but Seema told me that when her Mom has more time she adds ground cocomut masala to it.

To prepare the banana stem for this stir fry or Thoran as it is called in Kerala, remove the outer layer. Chop of thin disc from the ends to get fresh white and clean ends of the log. Chop up into tiny even sized bits. Seema had told me that among Keralites they use a kitchen contraption to remove the extra fibres in the pith. I have never seen any thing like she explained and was unable to even visaulize what it might look like.  It is put in the center and rotated and out come the fibres! This must be like a curd beater used to make buttermilk!  OR is it like a Baby's feeder bottle brush? Seema was not of much help to derive and conclude. So I decided to keep the fibres. The next morning they will prove their worth anyways I thought aloud.

 

So here is the recipe.

Ingredients

A small log of banana stem (2X4 inch) cleaned and chopped to bits

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

a sprig of curry leaves

salt to taste

2 teaspoons oil

For the masala

1 green chili

1/2 cup grated fresh coconut

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Heat oil in a wok. Make the seasoning with mustard, curry leaves then add the banana pith bits. Sprinkle the turmeric over it and give it a stir. Add the salt and mix once. Cover and cook for 10 mins. 

Meanwhile grind the masala to a coarse consistency. Remove the lid and add the coarse ground coconut and stir to mix. Cover and cook for another 5 to 7 mins.

Serve with chapati or with rice. The thoran is quite dry so have a koshimbir or wet chutney at hand like I did.

Cherry Clafoutis

Sunday nite dinner of Dhokla, Guava nectar and Cherry Clafoutis

I came home with a tiny box of Cherries. Some how Cherries always means exotica to me. Here in India we get it only in season and they are expensive plus the red color makes them Cherished ! LOL

So a handful get popped in the mouth after cleansing in water. Couple of them are saved for decoration. The others are part of a plan for a Clafoutis. Joy of Baking comes to my help. A fruit dessert is always a preference than a rich creamy one. It gets me wondering just reading a recipe what is the difference between  a Cobbler and a Clafoutis? Besides one being an English nomenclature and the other French. Anyways whatever it is this one did taste good. Pat my back for being brave and not pitting the cherries! The whole theory of the kernels releasing the essential oils to lend a sublime flavor to the dessert drove me to do it. But then while eating I felt like what I used to experience while eating fish. Its scandalous to even think that way for a now vegetarian moi.

Well when its warm the buttery and cherry flavour are sublime. People suggest it to be enjoyed with whipped cream. I suggest go the extra mile but pit your cherries and then jog the extra mile.

The Cherry Clafoutis is a handsome dish. I don't know if the gender is right but that's the way I want to think about it. Enjoy it

Green Dosa and Making Seed Balls

Stir fried Amarath and peas wrapped in a golden dosa and glass of Guava nectar

I have Greenfection. Do you?

5th June is celebrated world over by people with a green consciousness as World Environmental Day.

My enthusiasm for Indian festivals has waned away as it does not hold much relevance in today's world for me. I end up making some sweets and if I feel like it I do a pooja. So I don't mean to start another tradition that I cannot keep up but will try to do some things on a daily basis for the Environment. So you ask me how I celebrated my Environmental consciousness?

At work the Enviromental group had organized a drive for making Seed Balls. I joined in. There were many women rolling the balls post lunch and a lot of laughter and story sharing and exchange of green ideas on green habits. Then came a large group of men. I don't know why it reminded me of community activities in my village all of a sudden. We rarely see community activities in cities. Enjoyed it.

Here are my Environmental choices for shrinking my carbon footprint.

1. I segregate my waste. Only my biowaste is dumped in the garbage van.
2. My plastic bags of all thickness are reused. When they spoil I sell them to the Kabadiwala or Barter it with a Garlic seller (this is if I spot him)
3. The bottles, jars, tubs and tins of processed food are always reused and then sold to the Kabadiwal.
4. When hosting parties, I make a choice of dried banana bark plates whenever possible. Styrofoam plates and cups are a no.
5. For all poojas the mass feeding is done on fresh green banana leaves in Bangalore or Patravali  in Thal and Mumbai.
6. In the Toilet. I use the flush only after full download. After soo soo I pour water with a large tumbler. Many do not know that when you flush you use 10 to 15 litres of water at a time. After defecating it is a must to flush but be consciousness when using water after urination. If too smelly you must flush to spare the trouble for person who uses the toilet after you.
7. I control the flow of water with a extra nozzle fitted on the kitchen tap to avoid using more water.
8. I plan all my car trips and never waste fuel for small errands.
9. I lived for 4 years without electrical appliances like fridge, washing machine etc. All I had was a mixer grinder and a TV (I don't watch much). There were many reasons why I avoided buying them. In Bangalore I actually did not need the fridge as badly as I did in Mumbai. This was my way experienceing a life I had not known. I survived. Then I succumbed. Yet for 4 years I DID IT!
10. I am moving away from using leather slowly. Hope I am successful.
11. I am a vegetarian since 1988. Making food choices that are less taxing on the food chain is also about Environmental consciousness. Well actually it started off as a change on the spiritual path. I realized how Hinduism incorporates Environmental consciousness in its way of life.
12. I use electricity only when and where required. Lights are put off after use promptly.
13. I use the dishwasher half load setting when its not fully loaded.
14. At work our Environmental group provides us with scribble pads made from single side printed papers. This has become a habit at home too.
15. This year I plan to grow my own herbs on the terrace of my building.
16. I plan to get back to using more millets for rotis. I have stopped using since couple of years as getting them ground means starting the hunt for a mill. We used to make a lot of different Bhakris before. I mean to use more local grains.
17. I have reduced buying imported foods.
18. Plan to move towards including more raw foods in the diet with the aim of consuming lesser fuel for cooking and increased focus on health.
19. I use washable kitchen napkins and a lot less paper napkins in the kitchen, dining and no you will not find paper in my toilets. 
20. I plan to bring change from using liquid soap for hand wash to fragrant ayurvedic powder kept in a sprinkler in the kitchen and near the wash basin.

I wish to continue doing this much and will try to make small choices that will make a difference in the long run for a better Environment.

I wore a green dress to show support for the Environmental initiatives at work and the community I live in on the 4th.

On the 5th June green crept into the food too!

We had stir fried greens wrapped in golden dosas for dinner with a glass of Guava Nectar. Here is a basic recipe for stir fried greens but this time I used Amaranth and added two handfuls of green peas too.

Hope this is viral and you catch it too :) !!

Beet and Onion Rasam

Beet and Onion Rasam with fried South Indian Sandage

On days when you are bored with dal and typical tomato rasam, this colorful sour, sweet, spicy rasam is wonderful. It looks a lot like my Mom's Kokum saar but only in color. The taste is different and the sourness is from the tamarind.

Ingredients

1 beetroot cubed

5-6 baby onions peeled

pulp of tamarind 1/4 cup

2 tablespoons jaggery powder

1 green chili

few curry leaves

1 table spoon rasam powder

2 teaspoons oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida

Heat oil in a vessel. Splutter the mustard seeds, add asafoetida, chopped green chili and curry leaves follow in with cubed beetroot and peeled baby onions. Fry a bit to coat everything with oil. Add salt and cook covered till vegetables are soft. Add the tamarind pulp, rasam powder and jaggery and let it simmer for 10-15 mins. Top up with 2 glasses of water.

When the rasam powder's rawness changes to integrated flavors with the broth it is ready to  remove off  the heat. Cover for a while and serve with hot steamed rice.

Enjoy a simple lunch or dinner and feel satisfied.

SRFT: Say Right First Time

Dad! Gosh!!

My Dad has a syndrome. Anything you discuss with him and ask for an opinion, you will only get a negative answer. 

Once I hear something negative I never want to do it. I don't know why I feel jinxed if Dad does not agree the first time itself. I genuinely feel he needs to learn to say yes the first time and be a little positive and thoughtful the first time itself. Not after I have justified.

Look at this now, the whole of last week I was facing some technical issues with some framework on the job. I had many sleepless nights trying to find a solution. My focus was clearly on the new challenges at work brought in by my new portfolio.

I have not been able to cook properly. I feel guilty when I have to cook just rice in the morning. That happens due to my burning the night lamp to resolve the technical issues that even the support teams refuse to resolve. I love to experiment and at such times I am sleepless till I find a solution.

Now one solution I found for not being able to cook proper meals on week days is to hire a COOK.  This coming from a foodie and a blogger! It must have been really a necessity. My Dad immediately replied Sheee....I don't want a chapati made by a cook! His reaction made my heart sink as it was stung by guilt. This is bad. Dad has always made me stop by such restrictions.

Believe me I was getting a cook who we know has clean habits. She has been cooking for my friend's family for 2-3 yrs now. I have eaten the food cooked by her on some occasions but my Dad refused. He is ready to cook on his own. He is ready to help me. But I don't want that. He is growing older and I don't want him to do it on a daily basis. He does not realize that he will find it a chore to do it day in and day out. 

I sulked, grumbled and then Dad said OK. If you feel that you will get more time for other things and can focus on work then I am OK with it, he said. But now I don't want it. 

Will he ever learn to Say Right First Time: SRFT

This applies only to my Dad.

Corn and Paneer in a Gravy

This is a gravy that keeps really well in the fridge. At our home we eat only freshly cooked food. While in the joint family there was never a day when everything got used up. We always had leftovers but no one liked to have them for the next meal. Unless they were converted into unrecognizable stuff. Then here there is a trend in the south, many women tend to make a sambhar or a curry that can last them 3 days! I hate such lazy women. They justify that the curries get better as the flavors meld. No one thinks about the microflora that breeds in it. Especially when it is cooler in Blr, women tend to do this.

Last month Dad had gone to Mumbai. I had invited my friend Sulekha for a day with me. I made lots of things to treat her. She is a meagre eater. I had this large sized batch of this curry which was not much used. I packed a bowl for her. Still I had lots, for the next 3 days I would cook only rice and ate it fr dinner. It liked it a lot but still felt bored to eat it 3 times. It was creamy and tasty with hot steamed rice, I loved licking my fingers after mixing it with the hand.

So here is the recipe for a curry that you can stock up in the fridge, if you are the type.

Ingredients

1/2 cup corn kernels

1/2 cup paneer cubes

2 onions 

1/2 cup cilantro

1 green chili

1 teaspoon Shahi Paneer masala

2-3 pods garlic sliced

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon Oil

Heat oil in the kadhai. Fry the onions till pink. Put off the heat. Let it cool and then make a paste in the chutney jar along with the cilantro and green chili.

Now heat 1 teaspoon oil.Splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry the garlic. Add the Paneer and corn. Coat with oil. Pour the onion paste in. Mix well. Add water and simmer for 20 mins or till paneer and corn is cooked. Add the masala and simmer cover for extra 5 mins. Let it cool and the flavors seep into the paneer.

Mixing this gravy with rice is as enjoyable as scooping it up with a piece of roti.

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.

.

The Last Hapoos Icecream

When Sumeet visited me last month, he brought 4 dozen hapoos mangoes for me. Sweet bro he is. Oh he bought many other things too like dry fruits from APMC and some farsan, some Anjeer burfi from Jhama's. My sis Charu got 5 kgs Basmati rice. I have been enjoying all the goodies all this time.

The mangoes especially have satisfied my mango fantasies in all forms, pulp, lassi, milkshake, sheera. There was one craving I did not get to satisfy of mango icecream until I realized there was a lone mango left in the freezer.

Yes the freezer. I learnt a new thing about freezing and defrosting mangoes. Mangoes freeze extremely well with the skin on upto a week. As it always happens the mangoes ripened all together though my bro had made sure to select mangoes at different ages. This was to make sure I get to enjoy the mangoes for a longer period. Still they ripened in 2 batches. I decide to freeze the first batch.

They stayed good for a good week. Then the second batch ripened and I froze them too.

Then came the problem of defrosting 0.5 hr before eating. I want my mangoes on a whim but then when you have to wait till it defrosts you curse under the breath. However there is a surprise. The defrosting makes the mangoes a mush and separating the pulp is a breeze. You don't need to cube the flesh or scrape it to make pulp in a blender. I hate the pulp made in the blender. I enjoy the lumpiness of the mango pulp more as that is more natural. So that was a discovery for me. If you are thanking me for the tip? You are welcome.

Well I use my own trick, pulp The Last Hapoos add it to the blender. Open a can of Amul Mithai Mate pour it in. Snip of the small tetra pack of Amul fresh cream, pour over the other two ingredients. Fit the blender on the motor and give it a whir for exactly 5 mins. Pour out the mix into a clean dry plastic box. Close the lid and make sure it is airtight. Deep freeze for atleast 4-5 hrs or till it sets. I froze for a day.

Remove it from the freezer. Scoop out the sunny yellow milky treat that mellows the heart. The Last Hapoos Icecream!

I was not able to be a copycat for Blog Bites #2 even though I had found my inspiration on Jugalbandi so posting now with the one change, I use real cream.

Don't dessert me please...

Oops!! What's wrong with me. I think of the sweet course in a meal even when I'm not writing about food. That's the true and serious foodie in me. This plea is actually meant for my readers. Read it again with one less "s" in the dessert. Hey but I know you won't not so soon...

Forgive me. I've been enjoying life full throttle and have been away from this blog a while. But hope you are following me on Swachchanda.

Many things have happened. I just move ahead and carry on my business with a happy heart and want to share that with you.

The Boss brings on a surprise!

I've been wanting a change in my portfolio. Have been asking for something that I love to do both at work and in personal life. Just wanted to extend my passion for social media at work too. But Boss thinks differently. He comes up with a super plan, "I think you should take up all the CXO offices as a single portfolio and be a consultant to them, I need a mature person to handle that portfolio." I don't actually think it to be a super idea at that moment. Dumb me!! Until everyone jumps on me and says "Take it" It is just the thing for you!!! Those echoes of friends and well wishers are still echoing in my ears. Yours truly gives in. Now the the steam engine is ready to whistle....COOOOOK....Chugh...chugh...pheww....

Fashion statement out of place.

On a sunny day I had some personal work and post lunch with a dear one was supposed to be going in to work just to host a team meeting. That too out of turn, I was filling in for a colleague. His new born was unwell. I stepped out of the car and walked straight into the office building, fumbling at my neckline to switch my eye gear from Glares to Specs. When I realized I had left my specs in the car. The car was sent off to drop a dear one to her home and it would return in an hours time. I walked straight into the conference room , the room was almost full. Me wearing my glares with great panache. Most people wondering if I had an eye infection or worse! Except my boss who thought I was making a style statement!! But he still asked if they had power! Pun intended it weren't!! Well I sat there and conducted half the meeting over 2 hrs before I got back my specs AND I survived to write this here!

Drowning in work

Something I love to do. New things challenge me. New people excite me. Will be working for a completely different profile of people and that too from diverse teams in the type of work they do. Will I be able to help them share what they learn at work? I'll come back and tell you about it a year down the line.

I need your positive vibes, send me luck!

What a pose Chimi!

 

Bread Rolls

A mean person said it looks like Chimi's excreta!

But an immediate bite into one and the entire plateful disappeared in a jiffy. That's how much fried snacks are loved. Most times I've seen these bread rolls get made when dinner is of just soup or a sole khichdi. At times these use to be served to the odd guest who dropped by. There are no proportions as what you use to make them are all adorable ingredients and pantry staples. It turns out well anyways.

Do it my way if you want to follow a recipe.

Ingredients

4 boiled potatoes
4 slices of sandwich bread
1/4 cup green peas
1 onion chopped fine
1 teaspoon chat masala
1 green chili chopped fine
1 handful chopped cilantro
salt to taste

In a big bowl put all the ingredients and salt. Mash potatoes and bread to unite them. Knead into a ball. Pinch of  small balls and make oblong shapes. Shape all of them. Makes abot 8 rolls. Deep fry in medium hot oil till crisp and golden. Serve with green chutney or tomato sauce.

This is yet another favorite of the potato lovers.

Kakdichi Koshimbir

In the days of yore when a full meal was a daily affair. The balanced Marathi Taat always had a spoonful of salad, ofcourse I'm talking abut the Koshimbir. This version in made with cucumber which we call Kakdi in Marathi.

As far as I remember to make a delicate Koshimbir one always peeled the skins. We would use the white / light green skinned cucumber for our daily dose of Koshimbir. If we did get the dark green skinned one which we called gavathi or country cucumber, we kept the skin on.

There is a science for preparing the cucumber for use in cooking. Before even peeling we'd wash it cut the two ends and chip of the ends and taste. If it was not bitter then it was meant for consumption. Then we took the cut off ends and rubbed the cucumber ends to get rid of any excess latex. We did not want it forming little lumps in the dish or to find coating our tongue. Our family had a way of finding out if we didn't do this little task. At the first morsel itself, they'd asked "Who cut/ grated the cucumber?"

Most times the assignment of cutting or grating cucumber was given to a kid or a husband who was plonked in front of the TV. Koshimbir got made just before serving the meal so it was a lady's way of telling the husband she had enough with the cooking and now he better help instead of just watching TV. This was especially true in the evenings.

The other ingredient is the danya cha koot which is stocked in a jar. It is the groundnut powder made after roasting and deskinning. This danya cha koot is use to make the Koshimbir khamang or as a thickner for curries.

So here is one more variety of Koshimbir from the pantry staples.

Ingredients

1 cucumber

1 cup curd 

1 tablespoon groundnut powder

salt to taste

sugar to taste

Wash peel or keep the peel of cucumber as you wish. Grate or chop fine as per your style. Put it in a large bowl.  Mix in curd, groundnut powder, salt and sugar.

Serve as accompaniment with any type of paratha or enjoy a bowlful as it is. To go all traditional make it with all your full meals on weekends and festivals.

Posting this for all the bachelor boys who love koshimbir but never ever tried making it. Make it your self and eat as much as you want. Moms no more say "Koshimbir thodi khavi, tondi lavana aahe te". See the change the humble Marathi salad has evolved from being an item for changing the taste to an item of importance in a meal and can be eaten a lot.

Koki, A Sindhi Roti

When Dad returns home from any kind of travel I make sure he gets a welcome so warm, foodwise  especially. Then for the next 2 days he keeps telling me to go slow on on food. My Dad loves good food, though a light eater he certainly is a gourmet of Indian food. So simple Koki with Koshimbir.

Koki is a roti made interesting with the addition of onions, coriander and green chilies. Having gone to  a Sindhi college for a couple of years in the lanes of Churchgate and also lived is Colaba which have a noticeable Sindhi populations. Then in Chembur Koki was offered to us by Sindhi friends from the Camp. That is the most stretched imagination of finding a connection to make this dish. I think Mumbai's medley populace makes one so rich in heritage of a mixed kind if not that then atleast a remote influence for the better.

Koki with Koshimbir. Is Sindhi meets Marathi combo, as it is a simpleton cousin of our thalipith. Traditionally Koki is eaten with papad however I turned it to a beat the heat lunch on saturday. We had beautiful weather for just one day in Blr and then the last two days were sweltering hot. You cannot enjoy food unless its cool and lite so Koki with Koshimbir was my choice.

Read here about the place of Koki in Sindhi culture in the educative post.

Ingredients

2 cups wheat flour
1 cup fine chopped onions
2 green chilies
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
cumin seeds
2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon ghee
salt to taste

Knead all the ingredients together into a tight ball with water. Tight because you want crisp rotis and less water as onions will release water when kneading. Rest it for 10 mins.

Roll out chapatis about 1/4 inch thick and shallow fry with ghee. Make them crisp or make them semi crisp. We like it either ways. I served with Kakdi Koshimbir, alot of it.

We loved crumbling the Koki in the generous amounts of Koshimbir for this lite lunch.

Kicking off the Mango season with Sindhura!!

 

At our home the Mango season has started with the Sindhura. The deep red and green skin with  succulent pulpy insides. For a person from Hapoos region red and green means raw but that must not be applied to all the mangoes. Sindhura grows majorly in South India. They hit the market quite early.

This mango is so inviting and fresh that it has in our culture influenced brides to wear the red and green bangles to indicate that they are on the threshold of a new life and kicking with energy.

Soiled and stained clothes though picture perfect are not welcome. We plan to invest in cloth napkins that will be tucked at the neck and washed for reuse as  this is just the beginning of the bright sensational season. Bring on the king of fruits~~

Gifts From Home

Dad is back from Mumbai and and here are the little gifts from home. 

Three types of Store bought poLis (L to R): Tel poLi, Gul poLi and Puran poLi. 

Bakarwadi made by my SIL, Sapna. They were tasty but soft. Next time I want to taste the deep fried ones. Shallow fry does not work well for bakarwadis.

Artificial flowers for me.You don't see the Tobleron here coz its devoured 

and

I got a new set of earware too :), I can't show that here!

Chimi got a high visibility jacket and a lead with a collar from Hrushi. You see her here busy chewing the bone on the lead. She was tryin to pull off the jacket. It will take getting used to. Thank you Mama say's Chimi for being thoughtful!

It will be family vacation time soon. Plans set for exploring Mandya! 

Keep watching for the vacation updates on Swachchanda...

Fresh Vegetable Sagu

The first time I had Sagu was when I came to Blr to attend Sapient College way back in 2000. It was everywhere at the local darshinis served with set dosa and at the ABB cafeteria where I was training. What I did not like however were the dried green peas used in the sagu. It has taken me 5 yrs after coming to Blr to try making it at home. So it had to be with fresh peas and veggies.

The difference also is that in the restaurants sagu can get really spicy if not hot. The overload of garam masala is something I don't have tolerance for. My recipe is much milder yet flavorful. I arrived at it after mentally noting recipes from various aunties that I enquired with for their family recipe of a good sagu at wedding sand poojas I attended and the saggu never failed us.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh peas.

1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 teaspoons oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
salt to taste

Masala:
1 tablespoon roasted and split chickpeas, dahale/ phutani
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
2 tablespoons grated coconut
1 green chili
1 handful of cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 cloves
1 small piece of cinnamon

First grind the masala to a fine paste with just a little water. Keep aside

Now heat a vessel, add oil to it. Splutter mustard seeds add the asafoetida. Now put all the fresh veggies stir fry for 5 mins. Add water and cook till soft. Once the veggies are cooked add the ground masala. Top up with water and bring to a boil. The consistency should be creamy. Don't forget the salt, I almost forget to type it here.

Here is Blr sagu is an evening time accompaniment with dosas and rava idli. I have observed that  in the morning time dosas are eaten with sambar but in the evenings mostly with different types of sagu. The set dosa is always served with sagu irrespective of the time of the day.

Though I have tried it at home now. I confess I still love all my Thindis/ snacks with sambar and coconut chutney.

The Colors of Holi

Maushi Yesavchi distey! The Padar/ pallu is big so I think this aunty is from Vesave, each koliwada has its own style of wrapping the padar. We call it OTi in Koli.

Finger in mouth and am whistling~~~ Awesome! I love my koli women!!!

I miss all these spontaneous performances of the bold Koli women you get to see at Holi in the various Koliwadas in Mumbai. I want to to post it here for all to see how spunky Koli women can be. She can sells fish in the bazar, run her family's fishing business, cook the festive meals and then enjoy herself at the Holi venue. What are filmstars in front of them. I miss this a lot. It brought back memories of my father's cousin, his wife and his son who loved entertaining people. Atmaram Kaka and Kaki RIP and Suresh Dada I miss your fun. I miss all the fun at Colaba koliwada, the holi, the Khandoba chi Palkhi. All of it!!

If ever my Dad reads this he will hide himself. He disowned his people for all this fun!!! Can you believe it. He used to let me go to Colaba for Holi warning me not to be part of the TAMASHA. I was not allowed to dance on the streets with my people but he never objected me going to a pub!!! Its a different thing I never danced there too coz I never picked the skills from where I had to.

I love this. I miss it to the point I feel homesick when I see the celebrations on TV. Then such videos bring back the laughter in life.

Dedicated to all my blogger friends with roots in Mumbai, Bee, Manisha, Nandita, Nupur, Sonia. Saee, is lucky to be in Mumbai.