Hot Sprout Chaat.

We all know how healthy sprouts are, but I always forget to soak them. So now whenever I make any of the lentils, I always soak extra. That takes care of the forgetting part.

Personally both my husband and I do not enjoy raw sprouts. We love it slightly sauted and spiced up. So I usually make it as a "garam chaat" or hot bowl of sprout salad. Its quick and great for packed lunches too. Rich in proteins and vitamin C sprouts are an excellent food choice and the possibilities to cook with them is endless.

Add it to curd to make raita

Add it to wraps or sandwiches.

Add it to a salad.

Boil it and stuff it in paranthas.

well I guess I have opened the pandoras box, we have to just keep looking.

So here is the quick recipe I made

You will need:

• 1 cup Black chana sprouts.*
• 1 cup Green Moong sprouts.*
• 1/2 red sweet onions diced
• 1 tomato diced
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp chopped green chillies.
• 1/2 tbsp of butter

You have to :

1. Heat the butter in a saute pan.
2. Add the chopped green chillies. Add the onion and saute.
3. Once the onions turn transparent, add the diced tomatoes. Saute.
4. Add the sprouts along with the spices. mix everything up, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Remove the cover and saute on high for another 2 minutes or till any excess water dries up.
6. add the lemon juice.

* To make sprouts: Soak lentils like green moong, black chana, black eyed pea in water overnight. Drain the excess water and tie it up in a cloth or a paper towel. keep the cloth or towel wet and keep sprinkling water on them till you see the small shoots coming out. Store in the fridge.

Enjoy.

Gujrati kadi

This is all time staple, at any gujrati household and my personal favourite too. Whats more, is that its super simple to make. The meal is complete with a simple potato curry, chapati, rice, and curd.

Personally I prefer this kadi to the punjabi kadi that everyone relishes at my mom's place. I feel there is to much work involved in that one. Maybe when I am up for it I will make it once and l post the recipe here. But right now its simple kadi recipe. Quick and real simple.

You will need

• Curd- 1/2 cup
• Gram flour (beasn)- 1 tbsp
• Water- 1-2 cups
• Gur- 1/2 inch pieces
• Sugar- 1 tbsp (approx)
• Salt- to taste
• Turmeric powder- a pinch

For the tempering

• ghee- 1 tbsp
• curry leaves- 3-4
• ginger- chopped
• green chillies- 2-3 slit from the center.
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• cloves- 2-3
• cinnamon stick- 1/2
• whole red chilly-1
• bay leaves- 1-2
• asefotida or hing- 1/2 tsp
• Red chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
• Cumin and cilantro (jeera dhania) powder- 1/2 tsp

For the garnish

• chopped cilantro
• lemon juice

You have to

1. In a saucepan mix together the curd and the gram flour to a paste.
2. Add water and mix it well. Put it to simmer.
3. Add salt, turmeric, gur and a few of the curry leaves. Let it simmer till the mixture begins to boil.
4. Heat ghee in a separate pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon and hing.
5. Once they begin to splutter, add the curry leaves along with the green chillies and the chopped ginger.
6. Once you begin to get the aroma of all the spices add the red chilly powder and the jeera dhania powder.
7. Add all this to the simmering curd and besan mixture. Add the sugar. Taste the kadi. If its not sweet, you might want to add some more sweet.
8. Let it simmer for 5-10 mins more.
9. Add some lemon juice and garnish with cilantro.
10. Serve hot with rice.

Yummy.

There are a lot in ingredients, but trust me its really simple to make.

Enjoy!

Quick Vegetable Soup

I think I am posting a recipe on my blog after ages. But after 6 weeks of stay in India, I actually felt a little lost when I was suppose to get dinner on the table. Probably coz I was hardly cooking in India. Enjoying my mom's cooking. And not bothered about the regular thought of " what should I make for dinner tonite"

So a couple of nights back, I did not feel like cooking any thing major. There was frozen pasta in the fridge which took care of my hubby's dinner. I thought of making some soup for myself. Checked the fridge for whatever was available. Got hold of a few veggies.

Sauteed and pureed the veggies, added some spices and there I had it, Quick vegetable soup. Nothing fancy, just a hearty bowl of soup. Here goes the recipes

You Will need

• Green onions- 1, chopped
• Onions-1/2 chopped
• Green bell peppers- 1/2, chopped
• Cauliflower- 1/2 cut in florets
• Carrot- 1 , chopped
• Frozen corn- 1
• Tomatoes- 1 tin (I used the diced tomato ), You could use regular diced tomatoes
• Tomato Sauce- 2 tbsp
• Tabasco sauce- 1 tsp
• Sea salt- to taste
• Pepper- 1/2 tsp
• Meditarrian seasoning from McCormick- 1 tsp.
• Vegetable stock/chicken stock- 2-3 cups
• Olive oil- 1tbsp
  

You have to

1. Heat oil in a saucepan.
2. Add the onions,saute. Add the tomatoes. Saute
3. Add all the vegetables along with the salt. Cover and cook.
4. Add the stock and let it simmer till veggies get cook. Cool.
5. Puree all the vegetables in a blender.
6. Return the puree to the saucepan. Add some more stock.
7. Add the pepper along with the tomato sauce and the Tabasco.
8. Bring to a boil. Taste for seasoning.
9. Garnish with some sour cream/ butter and some green onions.
10. Enjoy it.

I realised after tasting it, that it missed a bite. So croutons could taste really good, even boiled pasta would taste really yummy. This can even be used as a base to make some variations of other soups. Some cream too would make it richer.

Enjoy.

PASTA SALAD WITH APRICOT VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

So finally here I am , updating my blog after a long time. obviously its not that I don't cook, but its just that I take a picture, upload it to my computer and tell myself "I have to post this recipe to my blog". So now I have a good number of recipes that I need to update my blog with.

This salad that I made, was a quick fix Sunday lunch. Surprisingly I had just the right ingredients in my fridge and my pantry. Got them all together and dressed it up with a yummy apricot vinaigrette dressing. It was perfect for a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Here goes the recipe

You will need

• Pasta- 1 cup (You can use any. I used the spiral pasta)
• Spring salad mix- 1 packet
• black beans- 1/2 cup (boiled or tinned)
• beet strings- 1/4th cup (I used tinned beets strings)
• cucumber-1/2 (sliced)
• carrot-1 (thinly sliced)
• walnut- 4-5
• sliced almonds- 2 tbsp
• dried cranberries- 2 tbsp
• For the dressing
• Balsamic vinegar- 1/4 th cup
• olive oil- 2-3 tbsp
• apricot jam- 1 tbsp
• salt and pepper to taste.

You have to

1. Boil the pasta as per the package instructions.
2. In a bowl, empty out the spring salad mix. Add the beet strings, the carrot and the cucumbers. Add the boiled red kidney beans.
3. In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk it all together. Refrigerate it for twenty minutes or so. This helps the flavours to settle in.
4. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss in the walnuts, almonds and cranberries.
5. Serve.

This is more like a meal on its own. With the pasta, the beans the greens and the nuts.Its like having all the nutrition tossed together in one bowl. Enjoy.

Keep a look out for more recipes. Its spring cleaning and I am cleaning my backlogged folders. Yuhooooooo!!!!

VEG QUESADILLAS

Somehow for a change I had all the ingredients needed for the perfect veg quesadillas . So I decided to make some nice cheesy, spicy quesadillas.I called a friend over and we had them for dinner.
I tried making the first batch on my new panini grill, but all the cheese oozed out. So I made them in the oven.
The guacamole was home made, but all I did was mix two avocados into a guacamole mix we had got from the grocery store. It was a no brainier.

Here is the recipe

You have to

• tortillas- 4
• chopped bell peppers (red, green, yellow and orange)-1 cup
• chopped onions-1 cup
• Mexican cheese or any shredded cheese-1 cup
• chili beans or baked beans-1 can
• cilantro (chopped)- 1/2 cup
• hot sauce- 1 tsp
• salt and pepper - to taste
• olive oil- to brush the tortillas
  

You have to

1. Heat a little oil in a pan. add the chopped onions. saute.
2. add the chopped bell peppers. Add salt and pepper. cover and cook till bell peppers cook.around 10 mins.
3. In a bowl add the beans. add the grated cheese along with the cilantro and the hot sauce.
4. mix everything well.
5. heat oven to 350 degrees.
6. take a tortilla, spread the bell pepper mixture. spread the bean and cheese mixture.
7. top it with the other tortillas. brush the tortilla with olive oil.
8. bake in the oven for 5-10minutes till the cheese begins to melt and the tortilla becomes golden brown.
9. cool for a few minutes and cut into triangles.
10. serve with sour cream, guacamole and some salsa.

enjoy.

VEG PANINIS

Its been ten days since my last post. The reason: A new venture that has come my way. Off course the venture is related to food. My friend and I have come up with putting up a small tea stall outside a wellness center. Right now, its just an idea. We are talking to a lot of people and getting a feedback. And slowly realizing that its not going to be an easy cup of tea!!!!. With so many licensing and arranging funds, its a lot of planning and a lot of work. Hence no posts.

Will update all about the venture every now and then in my posts. As of now its recipe time.

Last week I went to Macy's and got this panini grill (we always wanted one). I think I got a fair deal for sixty bucks. So off course, I had to use this new addition to my kitchen. So panini it was.
first I made one for dinner with whole wheat bread (were not that good) and then made them again with panini rolls. This time it was crispier, cheesier and yummier. Here goes my recipe

You will need

• panini rolls- 2
• mayonnaise-2 tbsp
• lettuce- 1 cup (chopped)
• tomato sauce-2 tbsp
• red and yellow roasted bell peppers - 2-3 *
• cherry tomatoes-3-4
• mozzarella cheese-2 slices
• salt and pepper
• butter

You have to

1. In a bowl mix the mayo with the lettuce. add the tomato sauce and the salt and pepper.
2. roughly chop the bell peppers.
3. half the cherry tomatoes
4. cut the panini rolls, spread the mayo and lettuce mixture.
5. place the chopped bell peppers,the halved tomatoes and the slices of cheese.
6. place the other slice of the roll. butter the top
7. place on the hot grill / or griddle.
8. grill till cheese melts.
9. serve hot with soup/ salad or all by itself.

comforting!!!!!!!
*I used the roasted bell peppers from Trader Joe's. You can use raw bell peppers. Just saute it before putting it in the sandwich.

will be trying out lots of different sandwiches now.
enjoy and happy eating.

GUJARATI UNDHIU

When I got married, there were a few Gujarati specialities that were high on the agenda to learn. Undhiu, being just one of them. If we deconstruct the recipe, its just mixed vegetables. But the kind of vegetables, all the spices that go into it and the fried meethi muthias (fenugreek dumplings) makes the dish a delicacy straight from the heart of Gujarat.
This is a festive dish usually made during special occasions and is served with a variety of other items like Khaman Dholka, puri, kadi,pulao etc. I must say the Gujarati thali (or platter),is one attractive and colourful thali.

I had made this dish a couple of times, following a few recipe books. But I actually saw all the real stuff when my mother in law had come visiting me. I learnt some good traditional foods from her.

making undhiu is a task, specially because one has to literally gather a lot of different veggies for the dish. That is particularly not exciting, coz you don't get them fresh and buying a frozen packet for each vegetables.........is just too much.
So what I do now is buy ready UNDHIO vegetable packets from the Indian grocery store, and then add some more extra veggies (that are more easily available).Well if you are in India, then there are no worries cause you can get all the required veggies.

here is the recipe for this extravagant Gujarati speciality.

You will need

the vegetables

• yam-1/2 (cubed)
• raw banana- 1 (cubed)
• potatoes-2-3 (cubed)
• small eggplants-3-4 (slit length wise)
• green peas- 1/2 cup
• french beans-2-3 (cut)
• tomato-1 (cut)

For the muthias or dumplings

• methi (fenugreek)- 2 cups (fresh or frozen)
• besan (gram flour)- 1 cup
• red chilly powder-1/2 tsp
• salt- to taste
• water- to make a paste.
• oil- to fry

For the stuffing

• grated coconut- 2 cups
• ginger and chilly paste- 2 tbsp
• salt- 1/4th tsp
• red chilly powder-1/4th tsp
• jeera dhania powder (cumin and coriander powder)- 2 tsp
• coriander leaves- 1 tbsp
• lemon juice-2 tsp
• sugar-1 tsp

other condiments

• tej patta(bay leaves)-2
• whole red chilly- 2
• whole jeera (cumin seeds)-1/2 tsp
• garam masala or undhiyo masala- 1 tsp

You will have to
For the muthias

1. mix the meethi, besan and the spices in a bowl. add water little by little to make a paste. the consistency should be like pakodas consistency. It should not be runny, nor should it be too thick.
2. Heat the oil. Once the oil has heated through, drop the dumplings into the hot oil and fry till golden brown.
3. take them out and keep on a paper towel.

the stuffing

1. mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

the vegetables.

1. place all the cut vegetables in a nice big bowl.
2. add the stuffing spice mixture, and mix everything up. Make sure the veggies are well coated with the masala. keel aside.

To make the actual dish

1. heat a tablespoon of the oil in which the muthias were fried.
2. add the tej pata and the whole red chilly.
3. add the jeera and the hing.
4. once the jeera begins to splutter, add the entire bowl of the veggies (coated with the masala), to the oil.
5. add some water to the veggie bowl, and swirl it around so that all the extra masala dissolves in the water. add this water to the veggies.
6. cover and cook on slow heat. this will take at least 10-15 minutes. keep checking.
7. uncover add the tomatoes, and the undhiyo masala or the garam masala.
8. Mix everything well. cook uncovered for a few minutes. You might have to add a little water here.
9. Check if the veggies are cooked, adjust the seasoning.
10. add little lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
11. serve hot with puri, kadhi and pulao.

A few things: I use the frozen Undhio mix available at any indian grocery store here in the US.
I make fresh dumplings, and add extra peas, potatoes and baby eggplants.
The undhio masala is again available in the indian grocery stores.

I know I should have given a step by step pictorial demo, but alas it did not happen. may be next time.
enjoy
happy eating

VEGETABLE MANCHURIAN

The past few days have been a little crazy. first my husband left for India. He had a lay over in mumbai the day the most horrific of incidents in the history of the country occurred. He reached his destination just fine. Then my brother was here for thanksgiving, so was busy with that.

And then yesterday I came down with fever.  There was so much happening, that I got left behind in the recipe marathon too. was short by just a week. I guess better luck next time. 

Apart from just a few dishes I made when my brother was there, I have not been cooking much. 

since I was feeling a little better today, I thought of atleast updating my blog with a few recipes I made last week.

vegetable Manchurian, is one of them, that I made just a day before my husband was leaving.

We both love Chinese and with no options for Indian Chinese,I end up making it at home.

I wonder what's the history behind the name"vegetable Manchurian".

anyways here is the recipe

You will need

for the manchurain balls

• carrot-2-3
  
• cabbage-1/2 
  
• garlic-1-2
  
• cornflour
  
• salt and pepper
  
• oil- to fry

for the gravy

• onion-1
  
• garlic-1-2
  
• soy sauce-2 tbsp
  
• chilly sauce-1 tbsp
  
• vinegar-1 tbsp
  
• green onion-2-3
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• sugar-1/2 tsp
  
• water-1 cup
  
• cornflour-1 tbsp
  

You have to 

for the manchurian balls

1. grate the cabbage and carrot.
   
2. chop the garlic and add to the grated carrot and cabbage
   
3. add the salt and pepper
   
4. add cornflour and mix everything up.
   
5. heat oil in a pan.
   
6. take a little bit of the mixture, squeeze it. (there will be water) and shape into ball. fry till golden brown.
   
7. note: initially fry one ball and see. if it doesn't break fine. But if it breaks add some more cornflour. You will have to squeeze out the excess water before making the balls and frying.

fried manchurain balls

for the gravy

1. finally chop the onion and the garlic
   
2. in a pan take around 1 tbsp of the same oil (that you used for frying the Manchurian balls).
   
3. add the chopped onion and the garlic. saute till transparent
   
4. in a bowl mix the soy sauce, chilly sauce and the vinegar. add the salt, pepper and sugar.
   
5. mix in the water. add the mixture to the fried onions and garlic.
   
6. in a smaller bowl dissolve the cornflour in water and add it to the gravy, mixing constantly.
   
7. check for seasoning. add the manchurain balls right before serving.
   
8. garnish with green onions.
   
9. serve hot with rice and /or noodles.
   

enjoy

PALAK PANEER

This is a very famous north indian dish. extremely popular in restaurants. Lots of people generally don't like spinach by itself but the addition of paneer makes it really tasty.
Add some cream to the gravy and you got yourself a rich north indian delicacy.
let me not waste much time talking about the goodness of the dish, lets get down to its recipe

RECIPE MARATHON DAY 17

You will need

• spinach (palak)- 1 packet (frozen), or 2-3 bunches fresh
• paneer- (cut into cubes) - 1 cup
• onion- 1
• ginger-1/2
• garlic-2-3 pods
• green chillies-2-3
• butter/ghee- 2 tbsp
• cream-1/2 cup
• red chilly powder-1/2 tsp
• cumin and coriander powder-1/2 tsp
• garam masala powder- 1 tsp
• salt- to taste

You have to

1. thaw the frozen spinach. If using fresh, wash and boil it. do not throw away the water. puree the spinach in a blender. keep aside.
2. puree the onions, grind ginger garlic and green chillies together.
3. heat the butter or ghee in a pan. add the onions. saute the onion puree till nice and brown. remember to do this well or else the gravy will taste a little bitter.
4. add the ginger garlic paste. saute. add the pureed spinach along with any water that is there.
5. add all the spices except garam masala. mix. let it simmer for sometime on low heat.
6. now add the creme and some water and the paneer cubes. mix everything well. cover and let it simmer for another 15- 20 mins.
7. You will see the palak changing its colour and the cream thickening the gravy. taste to check the seasoning.
8. turn off heat. sprinkle some garam masala. mix

serve with naan or roti.
you can make the spinach gravy as thick or thin you want.
lots of people like to add curd to the gravy too. that is optional.
enjoy.

Check out whats simmering in all the other pots
1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Kamala 14)Roopa 15)Divya Kudua 16)Rekha 17)Divya M 18)Lakshmi 19)Raaga 20)Lakshmi Venkatesh 21)Sripriya 22)Viji 23)Pavani 24)Kamalika25)Roochi

GUJARATI MOTH DAL

A gujarati thali is never complete without a lentil, that is often cooked dry. It is called "khathor" or dry lentils. Green moong, red gram dal, black chana are some of the common pulses that are cooked and served up with other dishes like tuhar dal, kadi, raita, etc.

I simply love the look of the entire thali (plate) lined with small katoris or bowls, filled with such delicacies and then the thin chapatis.....it tastes so good.

My husband is a Gujarati, so after marriage there was a lot to learn from my mother in law. the traditional recipes, the staples and all that my husband liked. It is actually fun learning all that special stuff and adding your own little twist.

This recipe is something we both love. Its healthy, good source of protein, and if there is extra there is so much one can do with it. Here you go, RECIPE MARATHON DAY 16

You will need

• red gram dal (moth dal)- 1 cup
• cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
• whole red chilly-1-2
• bay leaves (tej patta)-1
• ginger-1/2 tsp green chillies-
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder-
• 1/2 tsp jeera dhania powder-
• 1/2 tsp asefotida (hing)-a pinch
• dried parsley (ajwain)-1/4th tsp
• lemon juice-1 tsp
• coriander

You have to

1. soak the red gram over night. wash and microwave for 15 minutes.if you dont have a microwave pressure cook it just for one whistle. (the lentils should be soft and retain their shape)
2. heat oil in a kadai. add the cumin seeds, red chilli (whole), bay leave and hing.
3. once the cumin seeds get roasted add the boiled lentil.
4. add the salt, jeera dhania powder (cumin and corainder powder), red chilly powder and the ajwain. mix it all up.
5. add little water and cover and cook for 5 mins.
6. Add lemon juice. garnish with corainder.

enjoy it with kadi, and rice.

LEFTOVER IDEAS: these taste very good while making behl, or making pani puri. add the moth to the puri. tastes great like a salad with added cucumbers, onions, red tomatoes. etc.

On that healthy not, check out the fellow runners
1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Kamala 14)Roopa 15)Divya Kudua 16)Rekha 17)Divya M 18)Lakshmi 19)Raaga 20)Lakshmi Venkatesh 21)Sripriya 22)Viji 23)Pavani 24)Kamalika25)Roochi

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH PEAS (MUTTER BAIGAN BHARTA)

I simply love baigan bharta. Specially if its roasted well. We have a an electric stove top, so I have to do the roasting in the oven. But there is no roasting like that done on an open flame. The charred taste that is added to the eggplant is simply mouthwatering.
I added some peas to this as that adds a little bit of sweetness to the dish. With lots of onion and tomatoes, this tastes really good with plain paranthas.
So here is my recipe for RECIPE MARATHON DAY 14TH

You will need

• eggplants-2
• peas- 1 cup
• tomato (sliced)-3-4
• onion (sliced)-1 big
• ginger and garlic paste- 1 tsp
• green chillies- 2-3
• oil- 2 tbsp
• red chilly powder- 1 tsp
• cumin powder-1/2 tsp
• coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
• amchoor (dry mango) powder- 1/2 tsp
• salt - to taste

You have to

1. roast the eggplant on top of the stove (if you have a gas stove), or half it, sprinkle some oil and salt, place it in a baking dish, and roast till nice and brown from top.
2. You will see a little of the juices in the baking dish, do not throw that away.
3. now take a spoon and scoop out the roasted eggplant, discarding the skin and the stem.
4. heat oil in a pan. add the ginger garlic paste along with the green chillies
5. saute. add the sliced onions.
6. saute well. once the onions begin to brown add the sliced tomatoes
7. saute till tomatoes become soft. add the green peas.
8. add all the spices. cover and cook till peas soften.
9. now add the roasted eggplant with all the liquid in the dish.
10. mix everything (You will need to mash the eggplant).
11. cook uncovered till the oil begins to separate and the masala is nicely cooked.
12. garnish with chopped coriander and serve with parantha.
13. enjoy

I can smell something cooking in these kitchens

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Kamala 14)Roopa 15)Divya Kudua 16)Rekha 17)Divya M 18)Lakshmi 19)Raaga 20)Lakshmi Venkatesh 21)Sripriya 22)Viji 23)Pavani 25)Kamalika 26)Roochi

ALOO DUM MASALA

I find potatoes as the most versatile of all the veggies. Cook it any way and it tastes good. And there are unlimited recipe combinations that one can get using potatoes. This time I made a dry version of aloo dum.

Here is the recipe for RECIPE MARATHON DAY 13

You will need

• small baby potatoes- 6-7
• cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• red chilly powder-1/2 tsp
• chat masala-1/4th tsp
• garam masala- 1 tsp
• kasoori meethi (fenugreek leaves)-1/2cup
• curd-1/2 cup
• tandoori masala-1/2-1 tsp
• salt to taste
• oil- 2 tbsp

You have to

1. semi bowl the potatoes. You can microwave it for 5-7 minutes. they should not be over boiled, as they will cook over the gas too.
2. In a bowl take curd, add one tbsp of the oil and all the spices except the cumin seeds, garam masala and kasoori meethi.
3. add the boiled potatoes to the curd and spices mix.
4. let it marinade for around half an hour.
5. heat the rest of the oil in a pan.
6. add the cumin seeds. once they splutter add the entire mix of curd, spices and the potatoes.
7. add the kasoori meethi, cover and cook on low.
8. let it simmer till the masala begins to dry, you might have to add little water to get the masala to coat the potatoes.
9. check if the potatoes are properly cooked. sprinkle the garam masala powder.
10. let it cook uncovered till the gravy dries up.
11. serve hot with toothpicks as a snack or as a side dish with a curry along with chapati, naan or any other flat breads.

enjoy

check the other marathon runners

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Kamala 14)Roopa 15)Divya Kudua 16)Rekha 17)Divya M 18)Lakshmi 19)Raaga 20)Lakshmi Venkatesh 21)Sripriya 22)Viji 23)Pavani 24)Roochi 25)Kamalika

RAJHMA MASALA

I am so glad I am finally at par with the rest of my RM members. And off course a nice big thank you with a smile for welcoming me. It sure felt like a marathon to me, specially coz I was literally racing to update my blog. (I actually needed that........)

So here is my recipe for RM DAY 12

You will need

• red kidney beans (soaked overnight)- 1 cup
• onion-1
• tomato -2
• ginger-1/2
• garlic-2
• green chillies-2-3
• tomato puree-1/2 cup
• red chilly powder-1/2 tsp
• cumin powder-1/4th tsp
• coriander powder- 1/4th tsp
• garam masala powder-1 tsp
• oil -2 tbsp
• salt to taste

You have to

1. pressure cook the red kidney beans till soft.You can even use the tinned red kidney beans available in grocery stores here in the US.
2. puree the onion keep aside.
3. puree the tomato along with ginger, garlic, and green chillies.
4. heat oil in a pan. add the pureed onions.
5. saute till nice and brown. now add the tomato ginger paste.
6. add all the spices except the garam masala. add the tomato puree.saute till the oil begins to separate.
7. Now take around half a cup or so, of the boiled kidney beans and add to the masala. mash it well along with the masala (This is a great way to get a nice thick gravy.)
8. add all this to the rest of the kidney beans in the pressure cooker, along with the garam masala and pressure cook for two -three whistles more.
9. serve hot with garnished onion rings with naan, parantha or chapati.

   

note: if using tinned kidney beans, obviously there would be no pressure cooking. You can add the tin of the beans along with its liquid to the masala and cover and cook till the gravy begins to thick .

sometimes I add a little cream to this too. it adds to the texture.

enjoy.

here are all the other fellow runners

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Kamala 14)Roopa 15)Divya Kudua 16)Rekha 17)Divya M 18)Lakshmi 19)Raaga 20)Lakshmi Venkatesh 21)Sripriya 22)Viji 23)Pavani 24)Roochi 25) Kamalika

NAVRATAN KORMA

My RM day two of week two. Navratan means NINE JEWELS and korma means curried . so simply put a curry made with nine jewels or nine different vegetable ingredients. A popular north indian restaurant dish,its taste has a little sweetness along with the saltiness.

here is the recipe

You will need

• paneer (indian cheese),cubed- 1 cup
• carrot (cubed)-1/2 cup
• corn-1/4th cup
• peas- 1/4th cup
• beans (cut)- 2-3
• tinned pineapple pieces- 4-5 pieces
• bell peppers (green, red, yellow) - 1/2 cup mixed
• cream-1/4th cup
• tomato sauce-1 tbsp
• red chilly powder-1/2 tsp
• turmeric powder-1/4th tsp
• tandoori masala-1 tsp
• garam masala- 1 tsp
• salt- to taste
• oil- 1-2 tbsp

to be ground into a paste

• cashews-1/2 cup (soaked)
• onion-1
• ginger 1/2 piece
• garlic-1-2
• green chillies-2-3

You have to

1. grind all the above ingredients in a blender or processor
2. heat oil in a pan. add the ground paste.
3. fry the paste till it begins to brown.
4. add all the vegetables, add salt and turmeric powder along with little water.
5. cover and cook.
6. once the vegetables are tender add the pineapple pieces and the paneer pieces.
7. cook everything for a few minutes. Now add rest of the spices.
8. add the tomato sauce and the cream.mix
9. add little water and let it all simmer till the gravy begins to thicken.
10. taste for seasoning.
11. serve hot with naan.

This actually tastes better a day later as all the spices settles in actually helps in developing the taste. So next time there are people over for dinner, you can make this in advance and enjoy with your guests......
yummyyyyy

the RM'S are on a roll

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Kamala 14)Roopa 15)Divya Kudua 16)Rekha 17)Divya M 18)Lakshmi 19)Raaga 20)Lakshmi Venkatesh 21)Sripriya 22)Viji 23)Pavani

VEGETABLE SWEET CORN SOUP

Our dinner tonite was just steamed dumplings and sweet corn soup. The dumplings were from trader joes. they have this nice variety of vegetarian dumplings. All you need to do is steam or pan fry them. I steamed them. The weather was just perfect for some hot steaming soup. So I decided to make vegetable sweet corn soup. A very famous soup in all the Chinese restaurants on India. Yet another Indian Chinese speciality.
I must admit I did take a little bit of a short cut here, but it paid off and tasted good too. actually as I was making the soup, I realised I had run out of cornstarch. But then I found a packet of Knorr sweet corn soup. So here is what I did.

You will need

• knorr corn soup- 2 tbsp or regular corn starch.
• milk- 1 cup
• vegetable of chicken broth- 1 cup
• carrots (diced)- 1
• green onions (diced)- 1-2
• tinned sweet corn- 1 cup with the liquid.
• butter- 1 tbsp
• sugar- 1/4th tsp
• salt and pepper- to taste.

You have to

1. heat a sauce pan. melt the butter
2. add the carrots and saute till soft. add the green onions and the entire corn with the liquid.
3. add salt and pepper to taste and the sugar.
4. add the milk.
5. dissolve the corn starch or the soup mix (knorr) in the broth.
6. pour it in the saucepan.
7. cook till it comes to a boil and begins to thicken a bit.
8. serve it hot. You can add some chilly sauce if you like it spicy.

enjoy
This is for the RECIPE MARATHON DAY 9. Check out all the other members and what they are dishing out.

1) DK
2) Siri
3) Srivalli
4) Ranji
5)PJ
6)Curry Leaf
7)Medha
8)Priya
9)Bhawna
10)Raaji
11)Ruchii
12)Anu
13)Kamala
14)Roopa
15)Divya Kudua
16)Rekha
17)Divya M
18)Lakshmi
19)Raaga
20)Lakshmi Venkatesh
21)Sripriya
22)Viji
23)Pavani

EGG PANEER KATHI ROLLS

"ROLL", a food that I grew up eating and relishing back in kolkatta (India). and recently tasted it first time here in the US, in New York city.......god did it bring back memories. memories of the streets of kolkatta where the whiff of eggs being cooked on a "tawa" would fill the air. Where the aroma of the paranthas would make the mouth water and each time the "roll" guy would add the final touches of the hot and spicy sauces you would just wait in anticipation, of biting into the oh so juicy "double chicken anda roll" (chicken egg rolls).
How I miss it so much.........I have never had kolkatta style kathi rolls anywhere even in India. I just don't know what it is. Maybe I grew up eating them and that makes me bi oust. But seriously for those in India, if ever you"ll happen to be in kolkatta, trying out the rolls are a must. its like going to New York and not visiting the Statue of liberty.

Coming back here, on our recent trip to the east coast I got a taste of these rolls at a small khati roll place on MC dougal street. It was really good. I would not say exactly like the ones you get in kolkatta (I am bioust.......) but pretty good. because I love rolls so much I often try making them at home. These ones I had made sometime back and I don't know why I did not post them up. Maybe I was destined to post them after eating in New York.....does that make sense??? whatever. Here is the recipe.

You will need

• paneer masala (recipe below)- 2 cups
• uncooked tortillas- 2
• eggs-2
• oil- 2-3 tbsp
• green chutney- 2 tbsp
• tomato sauce- 1 tbsp
• onion (sliced)- 1 cup
• lemon juice- 1 tbsp

for the paneer masala

• paneer (sliced)- 1 cup
• green bell peppers (sliced)- 1 cup
• salt - to taste
• tandoori masala- 1 tsp
• garam masala- 1/2 tsp
• chat masala- 1/2 tsp
• oil

You have to

1. heat oil in a pan. add the sliced bell peppers. saute till soft.
2. add the paneer pieces. add all the masala. cover and cook for five mins.
3. mix everything up. and cook uncovered for another few minutes.
4. once the paneer and bell peppers are coated with the masala (spices) and the oil begins to separate, turn off the heat.
5. keep aside.

For the roll

1. heat a tawa (griddle).
2. cook the uncooked tortillas on both the side,using little oil. if using cooked tortillas heat it up nicely. keep aside.
3. add little oil to the tawa. beat the eggs with salt.
4. pour around half cup of the beaten egg onto the griddle.
5. place the tortilla on top of the egg.

6. let the egg cook. now flip the egg over. the tortilla will be at the bottom. cook for a few minutes.

7. place this tortilla on a plate.

8. spoon some green chutney, some tomato sauce on top.

9. add a few sliced onions, and add the paneer masala mixture on top.

10. pour 1/4Th tsp of the lemon juice.
11. roll it up and enjoy.......

repeat with the rest of the tortillas.

note: this can be made with leftover chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, or paneer tikka, paneer bhurji.
We even sometimes add chopped green chillies and cilantro while beating the eggs.
You can make the parantha at home, but I find this a little easier.

RECIPE MARATHON DAY 5, the race has just begun.
1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Kamala 14)Roopa 15)Divya Kudua 16)Rekha 17)Divya M 18)Lakshmi 19)Raaga 20)Lakshmi Venkatesh 21)Sripriya 22)Viji 23)Pavani

BEANS AND COCONUT MASALA

I find this recipe super simple to make. Its quick, easy and tasty too. I usually make this for my tiffins on mondays. My husband is not too crazy about beans but he enjoys it this way. tastes very good with rice.
I won't waste time giving intros about this dish. here goes the recipe

You will need

• french beans- 2 cups (I use the frozen cut variety. Fresh can be used too)
• grated coconut- 1/2 cup
• mustard seeds- 1/4th tsp
• whole red chilly- 1-2
• curry leaves- 2-3
• tomato chopped-1
• salt -to taste
• turmeric- 1/4th tsp
• red chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
• lemon juice- 1/2 tsp
• oil- 1 tbsp

you have to

1. heat oil in a pan.
2. add the curry leaves along with the mustard seeds.
3. let them splutter. add the red chilly (whole). add the turmeric powder and the red chilly powder.
4. cook for a min. add the french beans and the salt. saute everything well.
5. cover and cook till beans cook.
6. add the chopped tomato and the grated coconut.
7. let cook for another five minutes. turn of the heat and add lemon juice.
8. enjoy with rice.

hope you''ll like it.

my recipe marathon day 3 recipe.

check out the runners below
1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Curry Leaf 7)Medha 8)Priya 9)Bhawna 10)Raaji 11)Ruchii 12)Anu 13)Kamala 14)Roopa 15)Divya Kudua 16)Rekha 17)Divya M 18)Lakshmi 19)Raaga 20)Lakshmi Venkatesh 21)Sripriya 22)Viji 23)Pavani

FOR THE SAKE OF SOY

I need to really thank sia of moonsoon spice to host the JFI-SOY event.
It actually fits perfectly as an ingredient for life. A wonder food, that is an excellent source of healthy nutrition to the body.
Back in India, when I worked as nutritionist, soy was something I prescribed to all my patients.
textured vegetable protein is the most famous form of soy that is available in India, under the brand name of nutrella.
when I came here to the United states, I was in awe to see the different forms of soy foods available. from soft to firm tofu, from soy flour to garden burgers, from flavoured soy milk to soy ice creams, it was tasty to go all soy.

my husband is a vegetarian, so for me to give him his daily protein I thought I had a lot of choices. but alas....husbands are like fussy kids. You have to keep trying out different forms of the same thing. he loves tofu and the soy patties that we get for burgers. that's about it.
the textured soy, he is not a great fan of.
a few days back we went to whole foods and picked up lemon herbed soy kebabs. they are available under the brand of "yves". My husband was open to the idea of trying it out. but once again, all in vain. he did not like the taste. so I had to come up with something that satisfied his palate. I thought let me make like a tawa fry with bell peppers and onions. something like tandoori shimla mirchi chicken but with soy.
It actually tasted lot better, and the addition of veggies gave it a good crunch with lots of flavour.


here is the recipe. and off it goes for the JFI-soy event.

You will need

• soy chunks (you can use nutrella, or the store bought soy kebabs)
• tomato-1
• onion-1
• green bell peppers-1 big
• ginger and chilly paste- 1 tsp
• red chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
• garam masala-1 /2 tsp
• tandoori masala- 1 tsp
• chaat masala- 1/2 tsp
• salt to taste
• oil- 1 tbsp

You will have to

1. heat oil in a pan. saute the chopped onions, along with the ginger chilly paste.
2. add the tomatoes and saute. add the chopped bell peppers. add salt. cover and cook for a few minutes.
3. now add the soy chunks. along with all the spices. mix up everything . let it cook on high flame for a few minutes. scrape all the masala from the sides of the pan.
4. empty out in a plate. serve hot. you can add a few drops of lemon juice too.

NOTE:you can make this with soy chunks too. just soak them in hot water half an hour before. the same can be made with tofu too.

have a great weekend

PEARS,APPLE AND SPINACH SALAD WITH BALSAMIC VINEGRETTE DRESSING

Last night was again a salad night. My husband got a huge bag of baby spinach from Costco. I really don't know when the entire packet is going to get over, but for starters I made this salad. Used up some pears and an apple.
Still mastering the art of getting the right mix of vinegar, olive oil and seasonings.

With the addition of almonds, raisins and sliced apricots it actually turned out to be a nice bowl of a healthy, refreshing, wholesome salad. So I thought this recipe would fit right in for the Healthy Cooking hosted by Mansi of Fun and food.

Here goes the recipe

You would need

• A bowl of baby spinach
• 1-pears
• 1-granny smith apple
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/4th cup raisins
• 3-4 dry apricots
• 1/2 cup blue cheese

for the dressing

• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

You have to

1. mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. and refrigerate
2. wash and dry the spinach
3. dice the pears and the apple, slice the apricots
4. toss everything with the dressing. top with crumbles blue cheese and serve.

enjoy