The Fragrant Kitchen

Mexican Fiesta @ Hard Rock Cafe - A taste review

2011-09-12T23:05:00.001+05:30

I love Mexican food. Always have. When Hard Rock Cafe invited some of us bloggers for a taste review of their Mexican Fiesta Menu, was I thrilled!! I've also always liked Hard Rock Cafe's, particularly their music and ambience. So, Alieana, Madhuri, Suma and I met there one afternoon.

About the menu - had all the usual mexican fare of tacos, burritos, tostadas and the event being in Hard Rock, there was also a Burger with a Mexican twist. Add some very interesting cocktails to this and you have a winner of a menu.

It was an afternoon to remember - good food & drinks, great company and nice music. We met there about 1pm, HRC keeps its music mellow till abt 4pm, and then pumps up the volume. When we left the volume was pumped! You get the picture!!

We met with the Chef, who gave us a brief run down of the menu, understood that 3 out of the 4 bloggers were vegetarians and suggested appropriate menu options for us. And then the food came! And so did the drinks!

We started lunch with the Spicy American Corn & Danish Mozzarella Samosette. This was served with some salsa and a basil pesto dip. The dip alone is worth another visit! The samosette was very good. Little morsels of corn / mozzarella wrapped in phyllo and fried.

Next, we tried the Tacos. They serve them with grilled chicken, beef chili or cottage cheese. We sampled the cottage cheese tacos. Crisp corn tortilla shells brushed with a tangy / zesty BBQ sauce and filled with your choice of filling (meat or paneer) and lettuce, tomatoes, olives, pinto beans & spring onions. I loved the lively flavor of the BBQ sauce. This was served with house-made guacamole, pico de gallo & sour cream.

We then moved on to the Burritos. They have a chicken & a cottage cheese version of this as well. Basically a flour tortilla brushed with chili-garlic sauce and filled with lettuce, tomato rice, seasoned cottage cheese, spicy bean ragout, mixed cheese and some veggies. The chili-garlic sauce added a very nice flavor to this dish. The burritos come with a side of fries, guacamole & sour cream.

After this the tostadas made their way to our table. They have a BBQ Chicken or a Beef Chili. Chef made the chicken for us vegetarians with paneer instead of chicken. It was good. So what is a tostada, you wonder. It is a Mexican Pizza. This was a thin crust base brushed with a chili sauce and topped with seasoned cottage cheese, red peppers, caramelized onions, mixed cheeses & jalapenos.

By now we were all rather stuffed, but we still had to try the burger and the dessert. The burger was very good, I could just manage a bite! I'd an idea of what the dessert was, so I decided to save my appetite for it!

While all this food was happening, we also sampled some of the special Tequila based cocktails created for this event - Chapala, Diablo, Ginger Fiasco & Payback. Of the lot I can still taste Diablo & Payback. The other two drinks were good, but they took the back seat!

The Diablo - black currant infused, with hints of ginger & lime. The Chapala - watermelon based, was nice, but was completely dominated by the Diablo & Payback.

The other two drinks we tried - Ginger Fiasco & Payback. Off these two again, Payback dominated with the sneaky jalapeno aftertaste and that nice burn. Loved it! The Ginger Fiasco was also good.

The Payback - kiwi flavored with hints of jalapeno, a definite winner.

Now came the dessert, chocolate pyramids in white & dark chocolate served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream & a dash of chipotle sauce. The habanero peppers used in the sauce was a good compliment to the sweetness of the chocolate & vanilla ice-cream.

Wrapping up, I'd say it was an enjoyable lunch and certainly worth a visit. I did feel that the veggies got an overdose of paneer, but that was because we tried all the dishes on the menu. If ordering just a main course, just a burrito would do! This is HRC, their portions are large and the drinks are mixed generously!

They have valet parking. Check out their website for the promos for this event. The Mexican Fiesta ends on Sept 18th. So, what are you waiting for? Grab a bite @ Hard Rock Cafe, St. Marks Rd. Bangalore.

Au Bon Pain

2011-09-07T04:32:00.002+05:30

I first went to Au Bon Pain when I visited my sister in Pittsburgh. I got off the flight & was hungry, so she took me to the Au Bon Pain in the airport. I went wondering what I'd get there to eat. And hoping it would be healthy and not the usual American fare! I had my taste of broccoli & cheese that day. Now, here I must mention that I am not a fan of broccoli (read I never ever ever ate it before & thought of it as spoilt cauliflower!!!). However sis insisted it was great & since I was tired, I gave in, thinking the cheese would camouflage the broccoli. Was I surprised - the soup was delicious!! So, much that I insisted on taking some back for dinner! :) Since then I've always loved Au Bon Pain.

When I learnt that they were opening in Bangalore I was thrilled. I've been to their outlets in Mantri Mall, Eva Mall, Richards Park & Cunningham Rd. Au Bon Pain has recently opened a cafe in Koramangala at the Sony signal.

Parking there is going to be difficult, but for folks with offices around there, you just got a place to go to for healthy meals! Can you believe in this day & age, they actually do not serve any fried food in their restaurant. Yeah, you read right, no fried food at all!! Interesting isn't it?

We were invited for a preview lunch to the Koramangala cafe. We started off with the soups from the soup counter. They have a different soups every day - 2 veg & 2 non-veg. They provide small glasses, so you can try all the soups available & choose the one you like best. Here's a picture of the soup counter -

Au Bon Pain offers a variety of breads for sandwiches - farmers, focaccia, baguette, whole wheat among others. Veg & non-veg meals are prepared on different counters. Here's a view of the kitchen -

We tried the chicken pesto sandwich on the farmer's bread & a hummus & olives sandwich on a jalapeno bagel- both were good. P being a biryani fan tried the chicken biryani and wasn't very impressed. Considering this is a bakery cafe, biryani might not be the best item to choose from the menu. Au Bon Pain has a variety of salads, baked goods & assorted desserts. I loved the cinnamon roll from the bakery and the espresso mousse (- simply divine) from the dessert section.

Oh, how can I forget the coffee! Really good stuff! And at Rs.20/- very good VFM too! They also had a cold coffee and some iced teas. And all of them reasonably priced too. Well, all items are reasonably priced and made fresh. This is one place I'll be going back to often.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead, eat well & eat healthy!

Chili Biscuits and a Food Blogger's Day at HyperCITY

2011-05-23T19:30:00.024+05:30

Fellow food-bloggers Madhuri (Cook-curry Nook), Suma (Cakes & More), Bridget White Kumar (Anglo-Indian Recipes) were asked to come to HyperCITY for a Food Blogger's Day. They had also asked that we come prepared to make / bake something at the store, so I carried with me a batch of chili biscuit dough. Once, there I realized I could have gathered ingredients from the store & put together my recipe!

Now, about HyperCITY. I've been to both their stores in B'lore - Whitefield & Bannerghatta Road. First impression - wow! so much space & so like walking into an US super market. I loved it. They have a wide variety / range / selection of groceries, provisions, utensils, appliances, home-wares and electronics. Here, I must honestly confess I was all agog about the wide variety of vegetables, diary & groceries that I just just quickly peeked at the other sections only. There prices compare very favorably to other stores for speciality products like mascarpone cheese (this is one item I remember, because I am always looking for it!).

So, we walked through the vegetable & groceries sections and picked up what we wanted to make our stuff, and returned to the demo area. After a few hitches this was all set up. Bridget made some no-cook trifles, Madhuri made an eggless 5-min microwave chocolate cake, Suma made a 2-min microwave brownie & I made the khara (chili) biscuits. We interacted with the customers and amongst ourselves and had a fun time! Thank you HyperCITY for having us over. I'll surely be a regular shopper here!!

Oh... you want the recipe for the biscuits? Do try it, this is a simple recipe even for novice bakers. Chili or Khara biscuits as they are known in the local bakeries is a hot favorite at home. P loves eating them straight out of the oven. This is my mom's recipe with a few additions thrown in by yours truly! Well, I did say I never follow a recipe, didn't I?

Ingredients

Maida - 1 cup + 4a tbsps (see notes) + flour for dusting

Butter - 3/4 cup

Castor sugar - 2 tsp

Salt - 1tsp

Ginger pwdr - 3/4tsp

B.pwdr - 1 tsp

Yoghurt - 2 tbsp
Green chili - 4-6

Mint - 10-12 leaves

Curry Leaves - 10 leaves

Onion - 1 med

Preparation

Sieve 1 cup maida, b.pwdr, salt, sugar, g.pwdr
Chop onion finely
Mince green chili, mint & curry leaves

Cream butter till smooth

Tip in yoghurt beat till blended

Sprinkle 2 tbsps maida over the onions, mix well
Toss dusted onion, curry leaves, mint, chilies & mix on low speed

Add flour a little at a time & combine till all flour is added

Transfer to a lightly floured surface & knead gently to bring together

Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness

Cut into biscuits
Bring the remaining dough together & repeat till all the dough is used up

Place on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake @ 200 deg cel for abt 10-12 mins or the sides turn golden brown

Notes -
Please note that depending on the oven, the bake time will vary. So, keep an eye on the cookies and pop them out of the oven when the sides turn golden brown. For every cup of onion you'll need 4 tbsps maida for dusting. 1 medium onion should be around 1/2 a cup.

Mads, the pics are on the phone I shall post them in a couple of days! :)

Bisi Bele Bath Masala Powder

2011-05-04T20:07:00.008+05:30

I promised myself that I'd blog at least once a week in 2011, actually that was a New Year resolution. Hmm like all resolutions, that too went out the window right at the start of the year!!! Oh, I have reasons a-plenty - in Jan I wasn't in the pink of health, in Feb / Mar I was traveling lots & in April - I wanted to blog, but there were some problems with my account and I wasn't able to. Nice enough reasons, aren't they? That brings me to something else - for a while now I've been trying to scale up this page & haven't been very successful. So, after much goading from one of my favorite blogger friends, I've decided to shift to the another domain. Yes, I'll certianly give you all the details once I make the transition.

Now, what was this post about? Oh, yes, Bisibele Bath! A nice one pot meal which is sumptuous by itself. Of course there's always someone like me for whom no meal is complete without thayir-chadham (curd-rice or yoghurt with plain rice) and pickle!!! This post however doesn't detail how to make Bisibele bath, but rather how to prepare the masala powder for it.

My recipe is from various sources - friends, neighbors & family and with a few tweaks from me. My husband, who's never been a fan of this dish, now absolutely loves it - provided I make it with this masala powder & not something store-bought. I usually make the powder in this proportion & store it in an airtight container. I've been meaning to post this recipe here for a while now, and I just never got around to it. Why, you ask? Pls look above!!! I misplaced this little bit of paper on which I'd scribbled this recipe & though I searched high & low I couldn't find it! So, I made a small batch of powder one day, and made the dish & hubby says "Have you used some store-bought masala, this doesn't taste like it usually does!!". That day I decided that when I find that elusive paper, I'd post it immediately!!! So, here it is!!! I've been rambling on rather a bit, haven't I? Okie.. on to the recipe then!

When I say "cup" in this recipe I don't mean that you should use a measuring cup & measure out exactly. Use any cup, katori, tumbler, measure, just keep in mind the proportions and remember to use the same container to measure all the ingredients.

Ingredients

Bengal gram (channa dal) - 1/2 cup

Urad dal - 1/4 cup

Coriander seeds - 1/3 cup

Cumin - 1/3 cup

Cloves - 1 tbsp

Cardamom (bada elaichi) - 3 pieces

Cinnamon - 1-2 inch piece

Star anise - 2
Mace - 2
Marati-moggu - 2 tbsp
Red chili (Badige) - 3/4 cup
Red chili (Salem) - 1/2 cup
Asafoetida - 1 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Preparation

Roast channa dal to golden-brown in a non-stick kadai, transfer to a wide plate

Roast urad dal till is turns brown, transfer to plate holding channa dal

Roast badige chilies, and then the salem chilies separately
Transfer to individual plates
Roast hing (asafoetida) till it puffs up
Roast jaggery to remove any moisture
Place coriander seeds in a microwave-safe bowl
Cook for a min, 30 secs at a time
Remove from microwave & transfer to a new plate
Repeat the previous 3 steps for the cumin seeds
Place all the other spices except red chilies and asafoetida in the same bowl
Cook for a min in the microwave, 30 secs at a time
Remove & transfer to a different plate
Allow all the ingredients to cool
Grind in a mixer to a fine powder

You might wonder why I've used two types of chilies in the recipe. The badige chili gives a very nice color & fragrance but is not very spicy, so to increase the spice level of the powder, I've added the salem chilies. Now, if you'd like your powder more or less spicy, then tweak the salem chilies to suit your requirement. Usually there is a good quantity of dry coconut added to this recipe. I've never liked bisi-bele bath with coconut. Ours is a less-to-no-coconut kind of household. So, that might be it. If you'd like to have your powder with dry coconut, add 1/2 cup to the ingredients, roast this individually & grind along with other ingredients.

Plum Cake - Selling!!!

2010-12-07T11:40:00.007+05:30

As they say a picture speaks a 1000 words.... :)

Available right now in 300gm packs for Rs. 120. To get one now, leave a comment here or mail me at geethasworld@gmail.com.

Get them while they last!

Lalit 2nd Anniversary Celebrations & Food tasting @ the OKO

2010-12-06T17:27:00.001+05:30

My first exposure to Japanese food was 4 years back, when we lived in Japan for about 18 months. P and his friends told me me that "Vegetarian" in Japan means "vegetables also" and not "vegetables only". You can now imagine how that would make a vegetarian like me, feel. So, we got there & settled into our new home very easily. I'll never forget my first few weeks in the country - not knowing the language, it was a rather tense few weeks. On hindsight, I find it comical now.

I was greatly urged (read compelled) to try the cuisine by P and friends. I remember my first tentative dips in this unknown (scary) pool. First japanese food I tried was Inari Sushi - it was yummy. Loved it. From those first tentative steps, trying out Zaru Soba, Yassae Tempura (vegetable tempura), Ume (plum) Sushi, Onigiri, etc., now I have come to love vegetarian Japanese food. It still amazes me, how delicious something as simple as a sour plum placed in a ball of plain rice, and wrapped with seaweed (Ume sushi and Ume Onigiri) tastes! Japanese cuisine has an emphasis on subtle flavors that enhance the natural taste of the ingredients. None of the rich, spicy or heavy flavored stuff that is found in other cuisines.

When Madhuri of Cook-Curry-Nook called me, and gave me details of the event and venue, I went online to find out more about Oko. When I found out it was a Pan-Asian restaurant, the first thought that came to my mind was - wow - I hope they have good Japanese food. The next thought was, Pan-Asian. To me, Pan-Asian means two things - Thai food and Japanese food - and I love both cuisines. But the two cuisines cannot be more different from each other - while Japanese food has the subtle flavors, Thai food can cause your eyes to water, with how spicy it is! And the flavors in Thai food are also a lot more complex - with Kafir Lime, Lemon Grass, Ginger, Chilli, Sugar, all contributing strong flavors.

Somehow I don't consider Chinese cuisine to be part of Pan-Asian - possibly because of how familiar Chinese food is to me - but in Tokyo, I realized how different Indian Chinese was, to Chinese Chinese! I think we should send an Akshay Kumar "From Chandni Chowk to China" - to teach the Chinese how to make good Chinese food - Gobi Manchurian and Hakka Noodles ;-) Maybe that will fatten them up a bit, so we can win a few more medals at the next Asian Games!

So, then I met Suma, Shubadha, Ramya & Madhuri (whom I knew from before). We met, we talked & we were in the thick of conversation. Didn't feel for a minute there that we'd just met! Here's a picture of us -

From left to right - Suma of Cakes & More, Shubhada of Shubhada's123, Madhuri of Cook-curry Nook, Ramya of Mane Adige& me!

At Oko, I was impressed by the ambience - the covered terrace gives the feel of an open air restaurant, but still shields you from the elements. The view of "Namma Bengaluru" was impressive - lights glimmering in the distance, and long lines of tail lights of vehicles reminding us of how better off we were where we were, rather than stuck in a Satuday evening traffic jam - a contrast that was highlighted even more by the giant peaceful Buddha at the entrance.

Even though I had never met any of the other bloggers before, it was just a matter of minutes before we were all chatting away like friends catching up after a long time. It was amusing to note that all of us were vegetarians - trying out cuisines that are renowned for their non-veg options! Thankfully the Chef at Oko's was up to the task of preparing vegetarian options for us.

We started off with Char grilled Okra with Teriyaki sauce. I havent had such a dish before, have never even heard of something like this, so I was a bit apprehensive - but there was no reason to worry - the dish was awesome, right from taste, texture, presentation, and it turned out to be a winning start. The Vietnamese skewered Tofu was also done right, with the Tofu having a silky texture.

While the veg Sushi rolls were nice, I really missed Inari sushi and Umesushi. These two dishes could be good additions to the menu, and improve the choices for vegetarians.

The Yasai Teppanyaki was a bit of a letdown - simply because Teppanyaki cuisine is as much about the art of preparation as it is about the ingredients and presentation. In Teppanyaki cuisine, the chef prepares the food right at your table - in fact the table is usually set around the chef's cooking surface. At Oko however, the Teppanyaki dishes were just bought to our table like all other food.

For desserts, while the selection looked good, unfortunately only Azuki Bean Jelly was available. This was probably a touch overcooked.

Service was prompt and polite. However, I think the staff needs a little bit more exposure to the cuisine, so they can answer questions about the menu, and help with ordering decisions.

On the whole we had a very pleasant evening, with great food and even better company. The only thing that would have made the evening better would have been to have P around. He would have totally totally totally loved the food, and would have done justice to it, he being a real foodie and a non-vegetarian too.

Oh - before I forget... the highlight of the evening was the signature Lalit cocktail - A peach iced tea with a hint of vodka and hiding some other mysteries. This is something I'd go back for!

No-Bake Cookies - Bachelor's Buttons

2010-11-25T23:24:00.006+05:30

Well, like I said, I am back again today with the no-bake cookies. I stumbled upon this recipe while looking for something else!! I saw the link in google and thought, how do u make a cookie without baking it? Now, this I must read!! After reading the very simple recipe, I bookmarked it for another day. And that day was today.

Here's the link to the original post and below my version. I didn't use any butter or milk in the recipe.

Ingredients

Marie Biscuits - 30

Sweetened Condensed Milk - 2/3 cup

Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp (adjust based on your cocoa pwdr)

For the topping

Icing sugar - 2-3 tbsps

Sugar flowers or Cadbury's Gems

Preparation

Quarter biscuits, powder and sift

Add cocoa to the sifted biscuit powder

Sift into a large mixing bowl

Pour in condensed milk

Bring together to form a ball, if it doesn't come together add a tsp of milk

Divide into equal sized balls

Roll in icing sugar

Place sugar flower or cadbury's gems on top

And it is ready to serve!! I got around 22-25 cookies from the above measures. I am sending this off to Madhuri @ Cook-curry nook for her Blog's 1st anniversary event - Choco Fest! Happy First Anniversary Madhuri!!! :)

Just another ramble

2010-11-25T15:47:00.002+05:30

So then we had another food fest in my community. And this time around I made some sugar-free butterscotch blondies, vegan banana walnut bread and 2-3 varieties of muffins & cupcakes.

Needless to say I have no pictures, but this time I do have the recipes. Will post them over the next few days. Those of you looking to make Plum Cake this Christmas, watch this space!

Madhuri of - Cook-curry Nook gave me the details for a Bloggers event @ The Lalit Ashok. It was a wonderful evening - great food & wonderful company. I'll be writing abt that separately. I was really happy to catch up with the other food-bloggers in B'lore. Next time perhaps there will be a lot more of us.

I've been debating for a while now about starting a home baking business. A couple of my friends were already doing that. I decided to hop on board with them. Check us out at www.sonrisadesserts.com. Our site is still under construction, so if you don't see something that you want, leave me a comment here or shoot us a mail. We are now taking orders for Plum cake.

Alright, let me go now & dress up the No-Bake cookies. Oh, didn't I say I was making those today... well I am. Will post the recipe later tonite.

Till then!

No Recipe in this one

2010-02-03T21:23:00.002+05:30

hey... I just wanted to say that I made and sold 3-4 batches of muffins & about 30 vegetable puffs!! I made the pastry sheets too!! And am mighty pleased with myself!!!

Where? How?, you ask.. well there was a food festival organized in the community where we live. So, I asked my husband - "What do you think I should make?" and he says "Vegetable Puffs, of course!!" Then we went hunting for puff pastry sheets in Bangalore, and didn't find them.

I've been thinking of making the pastry sheets for a while, but the process is lengthy., and I couldn't make the time. And now I did!! (rather had to, since I'd already committed to making the puffs!!!)

Made a batch with wheat flour & butter substitute - this didn't get all flaky on baking. Stuck that in the freezer & made another batch with all-purpose flour & unsalted butter - these were melt-in-the-mouth good!!! Yay!!!

I made 4 kinds of muffins - chocolate chip, banana nut, oatmeal raisin & rum & raisin - yes, with real rum!!

Recipe? Hmm now that is what I am so irritated about - I haven't had the time to post the recipes yet!!!

Beetroot Halwa

2010-01-05T21:12:00.000+05:30

Had been to Mysore over the weekend. Had a scrumptious lunch at the Metropole. One of the items on the dessert table was beetroot halwa. It was the star of the show. All of us loved it. So, soon after we were back home, I made it. Here's the recipe -

Ingredients

Beetroot - grated 2 cups (got 2 cups from 1/2 kg)

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 1/3 cup

Milk - 4 tbsps

Ghee - 4 tbsps

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Preparation

Wash, dry, peel skin & finely grate beetroot

Measure sugar & water into a pan

Heat till the sugar completely dissolves, add a few tsps of water if required

In a separate non-stick pan (kadai) heat 3 tbsps ghee

Add beetroot & saute for about a minute

Pour in the sugar / water mix

Sprinkle the cardamom powder

Stir occasionally, adding ghee as needed

You know the halwa is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan forming a ball. Don't wait till it gets very solid. This halwa sets well & solidifies as it cools.

Microwave Therettipal & an Award!!!

2009-11-07T11:53:00.000+05:30

Am back after a long hiatus. Well, for those of you wondering where I disappeared to - I was in the midst of moving back to Bangalore. It is good to be back. Took some time to settle into our new house and all the other nitty-gritties involved with moving countries. Will be posting about that soon on my other blog.

So, this morning the milk got spoilt (curdled) while boiling, so I decided to make a version of therettipal with it. Don't know if it can even be called therettipal - but that's what I call it!! And, so I make it, and then I log in to my blog to post & what do I see - an award!! Yay!!! Got the first award!! Its time to celebrate...

Anisheetu of My Kitchen gave me this award long long long back - jan 2009 if u must know! Thank you Anisheetu!

With no further blah blah, here's the recipe.

Ingredients

Curdled milk - 1 ltr

Curd - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 2/3 cup (I used Splenda)

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Cardamom powder - a dash

Preparation

Add curd to the (hot) curdled milk. Stir & let it stand for 5-10 minutes

Drain whey from the milk. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. You should get about 1 cup of solid milk from this.

In a microwave-safe bowl place drained milk, sugar (or splenda) & ghee

Stir well and make sure there are no lumps

Set microwave power to high & cook for 3 minutes

Stir to break lumps & cook for 3 more minutes. You know the dish is ready when it is crumbly.

Cook for another 2 minutes, to get a nice burnt brown color.

Sprinkle some elaichi powder & serve

Microwave ovens vary, so what took me about 8-10 minutes might take a little more or a lot lesser in your microwave. Take care not to over-cook the dish. It might appear runny / not fully done. However, if you let it stand for a few minutes, it quickly hardens. I didn't realize that and ended up getting crunchy therettipal!!

Rajma

2008-09-25T10:08:00.001+05:30

This is among many items in the drafts folder for the last 1-2 weeks. Picked this one to post today. I usually keep boiled rajma, channa or peas in the fridge regularly, for quick-fix meal days. So, one wednesday I made rajma & we ate it up alsmost immediately. As we were very hungry, I didn't take a picture. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients
Rajma - 1 cup
Tomato - 2 medium
Onion - 1 large
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Punjabi channa masala - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste
Oil

Preparation
Soak rajma overnight in about 3-4 cups of water
Drain and wash rajma
Pressure cook with a little salt for 3 whistles & keep aside
Chop onion & tomato
Heat oil in a skillet, saute ginger & garlic pastes for a minute
Add onion, saute till it starts browning
Sprinkle on all the spice powders, saute for 1-2 minutes
Add tomato, saute till it is cooked
Add cooked rajma
Adjust salt
Sprinkle a handful of water if required
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves
Serve with chhapathi or rice

We had the rajma with plain brown rice and also with yoghurt & rice (curd rice). It was delicious. If the rajma is already cooked, this dish can be cooked up in 10-15 minutes.

Aloo Gobi / Potato Cauliflower

2008-09-24T12:02:00.000+05:30

This is among P's favourite dishes. Actually he likes most things made with saunf (fennel). While grocery shopping the other night, I saw fresh cauliflowers and decided to make this for him.

Ingredients
Potato - 2-3 medium
Onion - 1 medium
Cauliflower - 1 large
Green chili - 1
Turmeric - 1 pinch
Hing - 1 big pinch
Fennel - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Coriander - a little
Punjabi Channa Masala - 1 tsp (can use garam masala instead)
Salt to taste
Oil

Preparation
Wash and cut potatoes into cubes. Put in a microwave-safe bowl, add enough water & salt. Cook for 3 mins & then another 2 mins. If potatoes are not soft to the touch yet, cook another 2-3 mins or as needed.
Wash and cut cauliflower into medium sized florets. Throw away the thick stems. Boil water in a saucepan, add the florets, salt and turmeric. Cook till the florets are done. 3-5 mins.
Chop onion, curry leaves & coriander, slit the green chili lengthwise
Heat oil in a skillet, splutter mustard and fennel, add curry leaves and green chili, saute for a minute
Add onion, saute till it starts browning, add punjabi channa masala (or garam masala) and saute till the raw-powder-smell is gone
Drain water from potato & cauliflower
Add cooked potato & cauliflower to the skillet.
Toss well, add salt if required.
Garnish with chopped coriander.
Serve with chhapathi or rice.

I usually add the required salt to the cauliflower and potato while cooking. This makes sure that the dish is evenly salty. This is a very easy to make dish and can be cooked in about 20 minutes.

Oats Upma

2008-09-17T12:32:00.000+05:30

My sister told me that she had made upma with oats & it was really tasty. I have been thinking of making it myself, since I saw the recipe here. So the next day I went shopping and bought a box of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats. I followed Suganya's recipe for the basics & the rest I did what I usually do, tossed in ingredients that I thought would go with the dish.

Ingredients
Old-fashioned Oats - 1 cup
Water - 1.5 cups
Onion - 1 medium
Tomato - 1 large
Carrot - 1/2 cup
Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Green chili - 1 large
Mustard - 1 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Hing - 1 big pinch
Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil or Ghee

Preparation
Dice onion, tomato & carrot, slit chili lengthwise
Heat oil in a skillet, splutter mustard & jeera, add channa & urad dals, saute till dals turn brown
Add hing & green chili, saute for a minute
Add onion, saute till it turns transparent, then add other vegetables & peanuts
Saute for a few minutes
Add garam masala and saute till the raw-powder-smell is gone
Pour water and bring to a boil
Add salt
Add oats and stir well.
Cook on low-flame for 10-15 minutes, or till the oats are cooked
Serve with yoghurt

I made this upma with ghee instead of oil, however that is because upma is not my most favourite food! Ghee does give it a nice flavor, but I am sure this upma tastes just as great made with oil.

The oats were nice & chewy and the peanuts & dals gave a nice crunch to the dish. Me, a person not known for her like of upma, loved this dish. Oats Upma will now be a regular in my kitchen!

Sprouted Fenugreek (Methi) Rice

2008-09-16T15:16:00.001+05:30

The spice for this month's Think Spice event is Fenugreek / Methi. I use this all the time in my cooking, but I couldn't think of a dish where this was the key ingredient. Now what, I wonder? Along comes P and says, "Hey, I wonder if those methi seeds will sprout!" Ah ha... inspiration! I soaked the methi for a day, and then kept them covered in the pantry for another day and there I had it - sprouted methi!!!

We both loved the taste of the sprouted methi - it wasn't bitter, was crunchy and slightly bitter-sweet. Lovely!! I wanted to make something that will only have the taste of these sprouts. Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients
Brown basmati rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Sprouted methi - 1/4 cup
Raw mango, chopped - 2 tbsps
Black eye beans - 2 tbsps (optional)
Green chili, slit lengthwise - 1
Coriander - 2 tbsps
Jeera / Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Hing - 1 pinch
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Preparation
Cook brown rice in a pressure cooker with the water
Soak blackeye beans for an hour, wash & drain water, microwave for 5 mins, keep aside
Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard & jeera - let them splutter
Add hing and green chili, saute till white spots appear on the chili
Add blackeye beans & raw mango, saute for 2-3 mins
Toss in the sprouted methi / fenugreek
Add salt, toss well
Add rice & coriander, mix well

I used a little more water than I shud have with the brown rice. It tasted quite alright though. Vary water to suit your rice. Blackeye beans just happened to be in the fridge, so I tossed them in for the texture, it is not necessary at all for the dish.

Sending this off to Kittie at Kittens in the Kitchen for the Think Spice Think Fenugreek event.
This will also be my third entry to the JFI: Whole Grains event, hosted by Suganya of Tasty Palettes.

Raagi Adai / Finger Millet Patty

2008-09-15T13:34:00.000+05:30

I was looking for something to make with raagi when my mother gave me a recipe. She'd seen it on a tv cooking show. I took the main ingredients of this recipe & added a lot of other stuff to it to make it mine. With no further ado, here's the recipe. I was in a hurry when I made this dish, so I used store-bought ginger, garlic & tamarind (not tamaring concentrate) pastes.

Ingredients
Raagi flour - 1.5 cups
Blackeye Beans (Vella Kaaramani) - 1 large handful
Green chili, finely chopped - 1
Ginger - 1/4 tsp
Garlic - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind - 1 tsp
Jaggery - 2 tbsps
Hot water to make dough
Salt to taste

Preparation
Soak blackeye beans for about 30 mins. Wash & drain water. Microwave (loosely covered) with a few spoons of water for 3-5 minutes. Drain water & keep aside. The beans should be partially cooked, not too soft or too hard.
Mix raagi flour, tamarind, ginger & garlic pastes, green chili, jaggery and salt in a mixing bowl.
Heat some water - not very hot, just bearable hot.
Add water as required to the raagi mixture and knead into a smooth dough.
Add cooked blackeye beans. Knead well.
Pat into discs and steam for 8 -10 minutes.

I used my idli plates to make these patties. The blackeye beans were a little hard and that gave a nice texture. Microwaves vary, so cook the beans for as long or as less as needed - they shouldn't be fully cooked, as they cook further while steaming.

There are at least 2 whole grains events going on right now in foodie blogosphere. Sending this dish off to both.

Suganya of Tasty Palettes is hosting JFI - Whole Grains. Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen is hosting WBB - Grains in my Breakfast, an event originally started by Nandita of Saffron Trail.

Dum Biryani

2008-09-14T14:29:00.001+05:30

After 2 days of I-don't-feel-like-cooking, today I was eager to cook. I haven't made this dish after moving here - 6-8 months now. I got this recipe from a friend and augmented with further internet research. So, what I serve up here is a combination of my friends recipes and suggestions picked from the internet. As I don't remember the details of the sites, am sorry can't provide the links.

P loves dum biryani, and he's asked me many a time to make it. But I always hesitated. Seemed too big a project for just 2 people. First time I made it was for a diwali pot-luck in Tokyo. I decided to do a trial run the weekend before, just to be sure - making for the first time and all that. Friends of ours - husband & wife - were the official tasters. Needless to say I was nervous. Had also made a salan that time.

So, our friends came home and the first thing that he said - "Wow, smells good! But this is too much food! This is enough for 7-8 people." He he he ... By the time the night was over, the biryani & salan were both wiped clean!!! And so was the mango kulfi that she had made. That was one of the most memorable meals :) Total nawabi dinner it was!!!

Alright, now for the recipe. Dum biryani is traditionally made in layers - rice, vegetable & garnish. So, it is as simple as that!! First off, it is not that difficult to make, you just need to be a little patient. Yes, the ingredients list seems endless, the recipe seems to go on forever, but hey, you'll realize it is worth the effort when you get your first taste. Maybe even before, when you get that first whiff of it cooking.

Ingredients
Rice Layer
Brown basmati rice - 2 cups
Water - 5 cups
Salt to taste (only for rice)
Star Anise - 5-6
Black Cardamom - 4-5
Mace - 4-5
Nutmeg - 1 whole crushed
Cinnamon - 1.5 - 2 sticks
Cloves - 3/4 tbsp
Black Pepper - 1 tbsp
Fennel - 1 tbsp
Shahi Jeera - 1/2 tbsp
Nigella - 1/4 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsps

Aroma Milk
Milk - 1/2 cup
Green Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp
Saffron - 1 big pinch
Rose essence - 1/2 tsp
Kewra essence - 1/2 tsp

Vegetable Layer
Potato - 1 large, diced
Carrot - 1 large, diced
Cauliflower - 1 cup
Peas - 1 cup
Onion - 1 large
Cottage Cheese - 12 -15 1/2 inch pieces fried to a golden brown (optional)
Ginger - 1-1.5 tbsp, minced
Garlic - 1-1.5 tbsp, minced
Green chili - 1 tbsp, minced
Yoghurt - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Chili powder - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri Methi Powder - 2 tsps
Salt to taste (only for veggies)
Ghee - 2 tbsps

Garnish
Onion - 1 large, sliced to 1inch pieces
Cashew - 2 tbsps
Raisins - 2 tbsps
Almond Slivers - 2 tbsps
Coriander - 3 tbsps, finely chopped
Mint - 3 tbsps, finely chopped
Ghee - 2 tbsps

Preparation
Wash and soak rice for 15-20 mins.
Chop all required veggies and keep them separately
Drain water completely from the rice and spread out to dry on some paper towels

Rice Layer
Heat the water in a pan, add all the spices (for rice layer), cover & simmer. Let it steep for 20-25 minutes, then switch off stove, add salt & keep covered.
Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed skillet.
Add rice and saute for a few minutes, till the rice changes colour. Take care not to fry the rice too much. We need soft, yet separate grains of rice for the biryani, if over fried, the rice gets too crisp, we don't want that.
Strain 4 cups of water into the rice (keep 1 cup water aside for later), cover & simmer.
Cook covered till almost all the water is absorbed. The rice should be a little crunchy now.

Vegetable Layer
Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed skillet, add the onions and saute till it becomes transparent
Keep heat medium to avoid burning the veggies / spices. This layer needs to cook slowly.
Add ginger, garlic, chilies, jeera, dhanya & turmeric powders, saute 2-3 taking care not to burn the spices
Toss in potatoes, saute till they turn brown.
Throw in carrots, keep sauteing
Add peas, cauliflower, & cottage cheese
Pour in yoghurt & water
Sprinkle on chili powder & salt
Cover and cook for 2-3 mins
Toss well and remove from heat.
Keep aside. The veggie layer should be moist, but have no gravy.

Garnish Layer
Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed skillet
Fry onions, cashews, raisins & slivered almonds separately.
Keep aside separately

Assembling
Now all the layers are ready and the biryani can be put together. The first and last layers are always rice.

Take an oven-safe dish.
Put a layer of rice at the bottom
Add a ladleful of spice water in a circle
Add a ladleful of aroma milk in a circle
Spoon in a layer of veggies
Sprinkle some chopped coriander and mint leaves over the veggies
Throw some fried onions over the leaves
Top off with a layer of cashews, raisins & slivered almonds
Finish with a layer of rice
Repeat steps as needed.
Add spice water & aroma milk only for the top & bottom layers of rice.
Keep aside some nuts, onions and coriander & mint leaves to garnish top of biryani

Baking
Pre-heat oven to 410 degrees F
Seal the assembled biryani with foil, cover & place in oven
Bake for 15 -20 minutes
Reduce oven temp to 280 degrees F
Bake for 15-20 minutes

Do the baking an hour or so before serving the dish. Kept in the oven too long, the rice gets too crisp - not nice! They say the true test for biryani is, when put on a plate, each grain of rice should be separate without any lumps.

Cooking time for rice varies and so does the required water. Vary both to suit your rice, remember to make 1 cup extra spice water than required to cook the rice. Spices can also be varied, though I don't recommend it. This is the first time I made biryani with brown basmati, usually make it with white basmati. I recommend the brown, it has a lot more texture & flavor.

I am sending this veg biryani to Zaiqa who is hosting RCI:Authentic Hyderabadi Cuisine.

Also to Suganya of Tasty Palettes who is hosting this month's JFI:Whole Grains.

Kosambari

2008-09-13T17:49:00.000+05:30

A long long time ago, I used to eat a different kind of salad everyday. Not so long ago, just about 2 years back. Time is very relative, isn't it? This one is for my sister. She was asking me if I knew how to make this, so G this one is for you.

I've had kosambari at various occasions. And every time I had the dish, I'd want to make it, but I never did. After all, this does seem like the indian version of the salad. This dish requires no cooking, and apart from the soaking, takes only about 5-10 minutes to make.

Kosambari can be made with any lentil. Sometimes it is garnished with mustard & curry leaves too. I prefer this fresh version. Makes a colourful picture, doesn't it?

Ingredients
Yellow Moong dal - 1 cup
Cucumber - 1 medium
Tomato - 1 large
Carrot - 1 medium
Onion - 3-4 tbsps
Coriander - 4-5 sprigs
Lemon juice - 1/2 large
Chili powder - 1 tsp or to taste
Salt - to taste

Preparation
Soak moong dal for about an hour
Chop cucumber, onion, tomato & carrot into small pieces
Finely chop the coriander
Squeeze juice from lemon into a small dish, stir in the salt & chili powder
Wash moong & drain water completely, and microwave for 1-2 minutes
Add chopped veggies, coriander & lemon juice
Toss well & serve

Finely chopped fresh green chilies can be used. As I don't like biting into a chili in my salad, used chili powder. After an hour of soaking, the moong was still rather hard, so I put it in the microwave for a minute or so to soften it a little. It was still crunchy. Don't do this unless required.

Bread Upma

2008-09-12T16:09:00.000+05:30

The trend continues - I still don't feel like cooking. And right now, I don't feel very talkative either, so will cut right to the chase, so to speak. The first time I had this dish, was when gran mom was visiting, and she made it. I remember our dogs sitting around the table & begging for pieces, while I cut up the bread - cute dogs they are too! Hmmm, those were the carefree days of youth - no responsibilities, no family to care for, someone else to take care of the basic necessities - like cooking. Nostalgia - okie this is going nowhere, didn't I say I wasn't feeling very talkative? Gosh! I wish I am back home.... Alright, that's enough, get on with it now! Well, it was all that reminiscing that made me prompted me to make bread upma - so just sharing my thoughts with you all.

Ingredients
Sour dough bread (store bought) - 12 -15 slices
Onion - 1 large
Curry leaves - 2 large stalks
Mustard - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Red chili - 1-3
Channa dal - 1-2 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup - 1 tbsp
Water - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Preparation
Chop onion & curry leaves
Cut bread slices into bite sized pieces
Heat oil in a wide / large skillet, splutter mustard, add jeera, red chillies, chana dal & curry leaves, saute for a minute
Add onion and saute till it starts browning
Mix tomato ketchup, water & salt, add to onions, saute another 20-30 secs
Put in the bread, stir well to spread the garnish across the bread
Keep stirring till the bread pieces become a nice golden brown.
Serve it up!

I started making this in a large deep skillet & then it was difficult to toss the bread, so transferred to a wok. Take care not to use too much water, else the bread gets soggy / soft. The sourdough gives a very nice flavour to this bread.

Banana Coffee Smoothie / Shake

2008-09-12T05:21:00.000+05:30

Today was one of those days - I just didn't feel like cooking!! Yes, yes... that's right - I, like every other person who enjoys cooking, occasionally bump into these days, when the kitchen seems abhorrent!!! Today was one of those days!! Having just returned from San Fran, there weren't any left-overs in the fridge either... Hmm... so had to make something quick & filling. Saw the bananas and plain soy milk - ah ha.... a shake / smoothie!!! I added a little something to spike the taste!!!

Ingredients
Banana - 2
Plain Soy Milk - 1.5 cups
Jaggery 2-3 tbsps
Kahlua - 2 tbsps

Preparation
Break the banana into big chunks in a blender, add the soy milk & jaggery
Blend till the banana grinds completely.
Add the kahlua, pulse 1-2 times to create some froth.
Pour & enjoy!

Don't have kahlua - use 1-2 tsps of instant coffee powder - depending on how strong it is. I didn't add any ice to the drink as the soy milk was cold. Add a few cubes if your blender can crush ice.

Tomato Soup

2008-09-10T14:02:00.001+05:30

I make this soup often. Both P & I love it. It is also very easy to make and quite healthy too. So, a super-duper dish, in my opinion.

Ingredients

Tomatoes - 4-6 large

Onion - 1/2 large

Carrot - 1 large

Beetroot - 1/2

Celery - 2-3 stalks

Garlic - 2-3 cloves

Ginger - 1 inch

Pepper - 15-20

Cinnamon - 1 inch

Cloves - 8-10

Curry leaves - leaves from 1 big stalk

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Preparation

Chop vegetables, celery, ginger & garlic into medium pieces

Toss in the spices & curry leaves

Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles

Grind, sieve, add salt, boil & serve

That's really it. I usually put the spices in a small colander and then pressure cook. This makes it easy to remove the spices. Once spices are removed, this soup doesn't need to be sieved.

This soup is off to Simple Indian Food hosting the WYF - Soup / Starter / Salad event.

Methi Dal

2008-09-10T08:29:00.001+05:30

Having claimed that this blog is about fragrances across the world, you must be wondering why there are only indian dishes here - and that too the day-to-day easy peasy everyone knows the recipe dishes. Well, the thing is till just about before I created this blog, I was cooking a variety of international cuisines. Now I am out of that phase & totally into indian cooking. Oh... yes, I'll go back and make / bake something outside of indian sometime - I just don't know when that shall be!

In keeping with what I've been doing, made this methi dal today. Thought I could submit it for the Think Spice - Think Fenugreek event over at Kitties's, however, I can't use fresh methi leaves for the event! But I do like the flavor of the fresh leaves & particularly this dal.

Ingredients
Fresh Methi leaves - 2 bunches
Moong Dal - 1.5 cups
Amchur - 1 big piece (optional)
Kokum - 2 pieces (optional)
Turmeric - 1 big pinch
Garlic - 3 - 4 cloves
Ginger - 2 inches
Green chili - 1 large
Ghee / oil - 1-2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 large stalk
Hing - 1 big pinch
Mustard - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp (optional)

Preparation
Wash moong dal & pressure cook for 3-4 whistles along with amchur, kokum & turmeric
Pluck out only the leaves from the methi stalks, wash & keep aside
Mince ginger & garlic, slit green chili lengthwise
Heat ghee / oil in a skillet
Splutter mustard and jeera
Throw in the curry leaves, saute 20 -30 secs
Add ginger, garlic, green chili & hing, saute till garlic turns brown
Toss in the methi leaves, saute another minute
Mash together moong dal, kokum & amchur, add 1 cup water
Pour mashed dal into the skillet
Add salt to taste
Simmer and bring to a boil & it is done!

If you are not using the kokum & amchur, add the lemon juice to the dal just before you serve and mix well. Make sure the dal is not very hot before you add the lemon juice - else it leaves a bitter flavor. While mashing the kokum, remove seeds if any. Once you combine the dal with the methi, if it is too thick, add water to get your preferred consistency.

This dish is off to the Herb Mania - Fenugreek event hosted by Red Chillies.

Steamed Plantain

2008-09-05T17:16:00.000+05:30

Nendhrampazham or plantains as they are called here, is a kerala speciality. This fruit is used to make chips, bajjis and also eaten steamed. I am sure that there are many many dishes made out of this fruit, these are the few I can recall just now. The nendrampazham is very tasty to eat as is too. Steamed nendhrampazham is something I've enjoyed from when I was very young.

I have bought this fruit at times from indian grocery stores, and was delighted to find it in the local grocery. Though it is from Mexico, it tastes quite similar to the kerala fruits.

Ingredients

Plantains - 2-3

Jaggery - 3-4 tbsps

Preparation

Cut each plantain into 3-4 pieces

Place in a wide heavy bottomed skillet

Sprinkle jaggery over the plantains

Add just enough water to cover the fruits

Cover and steam for about 15-20 minutes or till done.

Serve hot with papadums

Add a dash of cardamom to the fruits while steaming for additional flavor. The jaggery can be varied to suit individual tastes.

C-O-T Subzi

2008-09-05T10:59:00.000+05:30

Wondering what that name is? Just capsicum (bell peppers), onion & tomato subzi. My mother makes this and I love having it with chhapathi or with curd (yoghurt) rice. Every once in a while, I make this for myself. It is very easy to make and cooks real quick too. So, all you office-goers can make this in a jiffy!!!

Ingredients
Green Capsicum (Bell Pepper) - 1 large
Onion - 1/2 large
Tomato - 2 large
Ginger - 1/4 inch or 1/2 tsp paste
Garlic - 2 cloves or 1/2 tsp paste
Green chilies - 1-2
Jeera (Cumin) powder - 1/2 tsp
Dhanya (Coriander) powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Preparation
Chop capsicum, onion & tomato. Mince ginger & garlic, if using fresh. Slit green chilies lengthwise
Heat oil in a skillet and saute ginger, garlic and green chillies till garlic starts browning
Add onions and saute till they become transparent
Toss in capsicum, saute till it is half cooked
Add tomatoes, saute and cook till they become soft
Sprinkle jeera & dhanya powders and salt, saute another minute.
Remove from stove.

This dish is very easy to make. It is a mixture of flavors - a little sweet & a little spicy & a little crunchy too. Serve with chhapathi, plain rice or curd (yoghurt) rice.

Dal Tadka

2008-09-04T08:41:00.001+05:30

Dal tadka is something very easy to make, and very delicious too. This is something that P enjoys and I make often. Posting this recipe for some 'bachelor' friends.

Ingredients
Toor Dal - 1.5 cup
Tomato - 3
Onion - 1
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Green Chilies - 1-2
Curry Leaves - 1 big stalk
Coriander - 2 sprigs
Kashmiri red chillies - 1-2 (optional)
Saunf - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 6-8
Cloves - 3-4
Kokam - 1 piece (optional) / lemon juice - 1 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Preparation
Wash toor dal (with just enough water to cover the dal) & pressure cook (3-4 whistles) with kokam (if using).
Mince ginger & garlic. Slit green chillies length-wise. Chop onion & tomato.
Heat ghee in a skillet, add mustard, saunf - let it splutter.
Add pepper, cloves & kashmiri red chilies. Saute for a minute.
Throw in the curry leaves & saute for another minute.
Add ginger, garlic & green chilies. Saute another minute.
Toss in onions, sauteing till it starts turning brown.
Add tomatoes. Saute till almost cooked.
Pour in cooked dal and salt to taste. If too thick add a little water.
Simmer and let stand for 1-2 minutes.
Break corainder sprigs into pieces and add to the dhal.
Add lemon juice to the dal jsut before serving. (only if not using kokam).

This dal tastes best with fresh ginger / garlic / green chilies. Moong dal can be used instead of toor. If you don't have saunf, use jeera instead. Don't feel like mincing ginger / garlic? - use the ready-made paste.

Kozhakattai / Modak / Rice Dumplings

2008-09-02T12:31:00.000+05:30

Ganesh Chathurthi & kozhakattais are synonymous for me... I just love both the sweet & savory versions. There's a lot of information out there about this festival, so I am just going to post the recipes for making these delicious dumplings. Shall post the pictures after the festival.

Last year, for this festival, I was in Tokyo, Japan and we had a wonderful time with our friends at home. We organized a Ganesh Chathurthi / Farewell (to us) pot-luck (appetizers only!! - more about that in another post) party. I didn't have a wet grinder, nor did I have fresh coconut. The party was the next day and I was struggling to make the vella kozhakattais!!! Imagine my horror, when the first batch went into the cooker as modaks and came out as idlis!!! Made emergency calls to my mother and realized I was going about it all wrong (read how at the end of the post)!!! Once, that was taken care of making the rest (about 50) was a breeze!!! Needless to say, the modaks were the talk of the party - because they were delicious & of course, because of all my mis-adventures!!!

Ingredients
Rice - 3 cups
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch

Sweet Filling
Grated coconut - 1.5 cups
Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Cardamon - a big pinch

Savory Filling
Urad Dal - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 inch
Green chili - 2
Curry leaves - 2 stalks
Salt to taste
Garnish - hing & mustard

Preparation
Sweet Filling
Heat water in a pan, add the jaggery. When all the jaggery is dissolved, remove from stove, strain into another clean vessel.
Add cardamon and heat jaggery syrup for a minute.
Add grated coconut and keep stirring. Remove while it is moist.
Make equal-sized balls and keep covered.

Savory Filling
Soak urad dal for 1 hour.
Drain water completely and grind along with ginger, green chili & curry leaves to a thick and chunky consistency.
Garnish with hing and mustard
Make balls / discs and steam (in idli plates) for 5 mins.
Knead all the steamed balls / discs together.
Press into ovals about 1-2 inches long and 1-2 cm thick, keep covered.

Rice Dough
Soak rice overnight.
Grind to a smooth batter (thinner than dosa batter). Add about 1.5 - 2 cups water.
Add salt.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet, pour the batter in and start stirring. Keep stirring till the batter changes color & forms a ball.
Separate into 2 halves and keep covered.

Making Vella Kozhakattai
Take a dish with some water and add a tsp of oil to it.
Apply oil on your palms, take one half of the rice dough and knead well.
Make equal-sized balls - about the size of a small lemon.
Take a ball of dough and place in one palm, with the other (hand's) thumb make a hole in the center. Use your fingers to make a shape like a muffin cup.
Put one sweet filling ball into this cup, and seal. Close the rice dough cup towards the center, remove any excess dough. Form a small tail - kudumi.
Put in a greased (or non-stick) idly plate.
Steam for 5-8 mins.

Making Savory Kozhakattai
Take a dish with some water and add a tsp of oil to it.
Apply oil on your palms, take one half of the rice dough and knead well.
Make equal-sized balls - about the size of a small lemon.
Place a ball of dough in one palm, and with the fingers of the other hand make an oval shape.
Put a savory filling oval into this, and seal - sidewards, to form a half-circle.
Remove any exces dough.
Put in greased (or non-stick) idly plate.
Steam for 5-8 mins.

Kozhakattais are done if they look shiny. The dish with oil / water combination is essential to making these delicious dumplings. Wet your palms / fingers occasionally to make sure that the dough doesn't get sticky. Make sure that the rice dough and sweet & savory fillings are always kept covered, else they'll dry up.

There will be some rice dough extra. Don't worry, no need to waste it!!! Here's what you can do with it. Garnish the left-over rice dough with mustard, crushed red chillies and finely chopped curry leaves. Make small balls and steam for 5-6 mins. You have an instant snack!!!

For those looking to make modaks, but cannot soak & grind rice or do not get fresh grated coconut. Here's another way to make this -

Takes 2 cups rice powder & a pinch of salt, make thin dosa consistency batter, put on stove, add a little oil. Keep stirring till the batter changes color, thickens & forms a ball. After this follow recipe above to make the modak. (I poured boiling hot water into the rice powder and mixed it well to form a ball. Do this and you'll get idlis instead of modaks!!!)

If you are using coconut powder, frozen or dehydrated coconut, then soak coconut in hot water for 2-3 minutes, drain well and then follow recipe above to make the sweet filling. This removes the oil from the coconut, hence you get a fresher taste.

The modaks are participating in Krishna Jayanthi -Ganesh Chathurthi event hosted by Purva.

Beetroot Stem Subzi / Keerai Upperi

2008-09-02T07:27:00.000+05:30

I got this beautiful bunch of beetroots, with the leafy stems. I know, I know, it is generally sold here (USA) that way. I saw it after a long time and was so very excited!!! Beetroot is one of my favourite vegetables. I have always enjoyed cooking and eating greens. So, I used my mother's recipe for Raddish Stem Upperi to make this. This upperi adds a lot of color to the plate!!

Ingredients
Beetroot Stems - a big bunch ( I used the stems from about 6 beetroots)
Onion - 1 large
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste 1 tsp
Channa dal (Kadala paruppu) - 2 tbsps
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a big pinch
Red chilies - 1 -2
Oil for garnish
Salt to taste

Preparation
Chop onions and beetroot stems. Wash the stems well in cold water & put in a colander.
Heat a little oil in a skillet. Splutter the mustard & jeera. Add the hing & red chilies.
Add channa & urad dals. Saute till urad dal starts turning brown.
Put in the ginger & garlic pastes. Saute till the fresh garlic smell is gone.
Toss in the onions. Saute till onion is transparent.
Add salt to taste.
Add beetroot stems, cook covered for 1 minute.
Toss for 1-2 minutes, till water dries up.
Serve with rice or chhapathi.

Remember not to add any water while cooking. There'll be some water on the leaves after washing, the stems will cook in this. Today, I served this dish with sambar, pavakkai (bitter gourd) upperi, rice & papads. This upperi can be prepared with any greens.

Vengaya Adai

2008-09-01T05:50:00.000+05:30

Adai - one of our favourite dishes. We made it for dinner last nite. As it does not need much soaking, this is a quick dish to make. It is also protein rich - as it contains a lot of dals.

I don't know if ginger, chilies & curry leaves are used in the traditional recipe. This is how I make it.
Ingredients
Rice - 1.5 cups
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Urad Dal - 3/4 cup
Moong Dal - 3/4 cup
Masoor Dal - 3/4 cup
Pepper - 10-15
Red Chilies -2-3
Jeera - 1 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Ginger 2 inches
Curry Leaves - 2-3 big stalks
Onion - 1 big
Salt to taste
Oil to cook

Preparation
Soak rice in warm water for 1 hr.
Mix all the dals & soak in warm water for 1 hr.
Soak pepper, jeera & red chili together in a little warm water (just enough to cover) for 1 hr.
Mince ginger & curry leaves.
Chop onion - not too fine.
Put ginger, curry leaves, soaked pepper, jeera, red chili (along with the water) into a mixer, add some rice & dal and grind till it is coarse.
Grind the rest of the dal & rice to a coarse batter. Add salt as needed.
Add the chopped onion & hing to the batter. Mix well.
Heat a griddle (tava), put a ladleful of the batter in the middle & spread in a circle. Put a few drops of oil on the sides. Cook for 1 minute.
Turn and cook other side for 1 minute.
Serve with jaggery, sugar & ghee or molagai podi.

The adai is quite thick, so takes a while to cook, make sure that the griddle / tava doesn't get too hot. It is important to put the pepper / red chili / ginger / curry leaves mix at the bottom of the mixer. This will make sure that they grind well. If not, there'll be whole peppers in the adai & that takes away the taste.

Sending this along to Latha at Masala Magic for WBB-Combi-Breakfast event.

Spiced Buttermilk (Yoghurt) / Sambaram

2008-08-31T10:42:00.000+05:30

Sambaram, chaach, majjige or spiced buttermilk - what is in a name? The drink is truly refreshing. Today was an especially hot day, and when we got back home after the weekly grocery shopping, both of us were tired!!! P loves this drink and loves to have it after a heavy meal. So, I made sambaram. It is very easy to make & it is so refreshing!!!

Time - 5 mins

Serves - 2

Ingredients

Yoghurt - 1/2 cup

Water - 1 1/2 cups

Ginger - 1 inch

Chili - 1

Curry Leaves - 15 -20

Salt to taste

Preparation

Mince ginger, chili & curry leaves and add to yoghurt - churn well for 1 minute.

Add water & salt -churn another minute.

Pour into glasses!

It is that easy to make. If you have the traditional wooden / steel churner (mathu), then churn a little longer. I use a hand blender & blend on low speed for a minute.

Savoury Soya Pancakes / Soya Dosai

2008-08-25T10:41:00.000+05:30

I was thinking about what to make for the JFI-Soya event hosted by Sia, went to the local indian grocery store and found soya flour & nuggets. I was thrilled!!! Having found the flour, I didn't know what to make. The only way I've used soya flour, is to add to the wheat flour & make chhapathis. Now, what do I make? Inspiration struck and I thought of soya dosai.

Ingredients
Soya Flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Soya yoghurt - 12 oz or 340 gms ( I used 2 packs of plain soya yoghurt)
Water - as needed
Chili - 3
Ginger - 2 inch
Coriander - as you like
Salt to taste
Oil to cook

Preparation
Mix soya and rice flours
Chop chilies, ginger & coriander finely and add to flours
Pour in the soya yoghurt and mix. Add water as needed to make a smooth paste. Batter should be a little thinner than regular dosai consistency.
Heat a griddle with raised edges, pour 1-2 ladles of batter in the middle in a circle. Sprinkle a few drops of oil on the sides. Cover and cook for 30-40 secs. Remove cover and turn dosai to cook other side for 30-40 secs or till dark brown spots appear.

This dosai takes a long time to cook as it is thick. Make sure to keep a medium heat setting, else the dosai will turn brown too quickly & won't be fully cooked. So, check the centre before removing from griddle. Tasty by itself or with dosa molaga podi. My husband liked it with kothamalli thogayil too!

Masala Chai

2008-08-25T09:22:00.000+05:30

I love that evening cup of tea with biscuits - preferably marie. Back at home, tea is at 5 pm. I remember many an evening when my mom, sisters and I would get together for our evening cuppa. Though now I am not at home, I still brew myself a cup'a tea every evening.

This evening, while I brewed my tea, a friend asked for some too. This recipe is for him. Each person has their preferred masala chai. I like mine a little sweet & a little peppery. Here's my recipe for you.

Time - 10 mins
Serves - 2-3

Ingredients
Water - 1.5 cups
Milk - 1/2 cup
Tea - 2 tsps
Black Pepper - crushed - 4-5
Saunf - 1 tsp
Sugar - to taste

Preparation
Heat the water, saunf & black pepper in a saucepan to a boil. Cover and simmer for 2 mins.
Add tea leaves and simmer for 2-3 mins longer.
Add milk and sugar. Stir and simmer for another minute.
Strain into a mug and enjoy!!

This is my regular cup'a tea. Fresh ginger and green cardamom can be used instead of the black pepper and saunf. To make it more interesting - add 1-2 cloves and a small piece of cinnamon to the pepper & saunf.

Zesty Tofu Toss

2008-08-22T11:43:00.000+05:30

I am a new blogger. For a long time now, I have been thinking about blogging my recipes, but never did it. Earlier this month, inspired by a friend, I created my first blog!! Originally I planned to post all my recipes also there. But then I discovered that in food blogging, there were many events every month. That was so exciting!!! So, I took the plunge!

JFI-Soya is the first event I am participating in. Sia, here's a vegetarian dish cooked specially for this event!!! Till I tried this dish, I wasn't a huge fan of soya, but I am making this for lunch tomorrow for my husband!!!

I made another tofu dish this afternoon, Tofu Bites, but they lacked a "bite". I made this from the left over tofu and other veggies in the fridge - sort of took a few items and tossed them together and was pleasantly surprised by this zesty dish!!!

Time - 40 mins
Serves 1-2

Ingredients
Thai green chili - minced - 1
Ginger - minced - 1 inch
Garlic - minced - 2 pods
Cabbage - chopped - 1/3 cup
Baby Carrots - chopped - 8-10
Cashew - broken - 1 tbsps
Spring Onions - minced - 1 tbsp ( I used a packet of dried spring onion from a japanese store)
Chili Flakes - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 6 tsps
Low Sodium Soy Sauce - 3 tbsps
Firm Tofu - 1 slab (from a 24ox package)
Rice Vermicelli - broken - 1/2 cup or lesser (I used a very little from a 450 gm or 16 oz pkt)
Olive Oil - 2 tbsps
Salt to taste

Preparation
Put a paper towel on a cutting board & place the tofu slab on it. Put another paper towel on top of the tofu. Place a heavy skillet upon this. This helps drain the water from the tofu. Keep aside.
Chop the cabbage & carrots. Mince the ginger, garlic & chili. Keep separately.
Remove tofu from the paper towels. First cut the tofu slab in half and then into bite sized bits. Make them thin. I had about 20-25 bits.
Heat 1/2 the oil in a non-stick skillet. Add ginger, garlic & chili and saute till the garlic starts turning brown.
Add cabbage & carrot. Keep tossing till the cabbage turns brown.
Add cashews & chili flakes, toss another minute. Empty into a bowl.
In a sauce pan take enough water to cook the noodles. Add a little salt (just a pinch) & bring to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer till the noodles are done. 2-3 mins for al dente. Strain and wash noodles in cold water.
Heat the rest of the oil in the same non-stick skillet. Add the tofu. Give the pan a good shake to spread the oil across all tofu pieces. Cook till both sides are a nice golden brown. Takes about 3-5 mins.
Sprinkle the sugar over all the tofu pieces. Let the sugar caramelize. Toss a little to coat the tofu pieces with the sugar.
Add soya sauce & spring onion. Cook another minute. Add cooked vegetables & noodles. Simmer and cook for 2-3 mins.
Empty into a bowl & enjoy your meal!!

If you'd like chunkier pieces of tofu, don't cut the whole slab in half. Sprinkling some ground peanuts on top will be a nice addition.

This dish is also going to Lore of Culinarty who is hosting Original Recipes Event.

Here's the round up of the JFI-Soya event. An amazing 86 recipes!!!

Sauteed Spinach & Garlic Rice

2008-08-22T05:57:00.002+05:30

So, I got back from the gym, and had to cook up lunch before he left for work, and decided to make the sauteed spinach dish as it can be cooked in a jiffy! I made this dish earlier this month on the spur of the moment. Just put together something and it was tasty. Before I posted this recipe, I wanted to check the time, measure and then make it. But, alas, I didn't! I was in a hurry & I just made it. So, measurements are approximate. I added a little more rice, than I liked, so have reduced rice in the recipe.

Ingredients
Spinach - 1 10 oz bag
Rice - 1 cup
Garlic - 2 tsps
Ginger - 2 tsps
Green Chili - 2
Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Olive Oil - 1 tsp

Preparation
Mince garlic & ginger. Slit chili lengthwise. Roughly chop the spinach. Grind peanuts to a chunky powder. Cook rice.
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet
Saute garlic, ginger & chili till garlic turns brown. You should also get a nice masala aroma.
Add chopped spinach. Sprinkle the soy sauce. Cover and cook for 30-45 secs.
Add cooked rice and salt (if required) and toss well.
Sprinkle the ground peanuts and serve.

I didn't add any salt as the soy sauce was salty enough for us. This dish is quite spicy - of course it depends on what chilies are used. I used the thai green chilies. The ginger, garlic, chilies, soy sauce & peanuts can all be varied to taste.

Neer Dosai

2008-08-22T05:11:00.000+05:30

Neer dosai is a mangalorean recipe. I have had it in Commercial St, B'lore at Shiv Sagar and have always enjoyed it. A friend gave me the recipe. I also did some research on this dish and found a konkani version Paan Pole. Thank you Ashwini for the recipe & beautiful picture. The neer dosai looks exactly like the dosai in Ashwini's picture & since I am sure I can't beat that one, not going to take another!!!

The neer dosai, paan pole and kerala appam have common ingredients. Close cousins perhaps? So, here's my friends recipe (with a few tweaks!).

Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup
Urad Dal - 2 tbsp
Cooked Rice - 1 tbsp
Coconut - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Preparation
Soak rice for upto 4 hrs
Soak urad dal for upto 45 mins
Drain water from rice & dal and wash a few times
Grind rice along with urad dal adding water as required
Add the cooked rice & salt to the mixer. Keep grinding till the batter is smooth & thin. Batter should be watery, but not too thin.
Spread on a hot tava, add a few drops of oil to the sides and cook covered for abt 30 secs. This dosa does not need turning. Remove lid, fold the dosa in half and then to a quarter.
Serve with chutney, jaggery or molagai podi.

As the batter for this dosa is very thin, it is not as easy as spreading the regular dosai. Use a round tava / griddle with raised edges. Drop the batter in the middle of the griddle, hold the handle and rotate the griddle in one direction till the batter is spread thin.

Sending this dish to SWC-Karnataka, hosted by Anisheetu.

About this blog

2008-08-22T03:38:00.000+05:30

I remember cooking from when I was in my early teens. I have always found it to be a soothing & uplifting experience. I learnt all that I know while watching my mother and sometimes my gran-mom cook. Many of the traditional indian recipes in this blog are theirs.

Having traveled a lot, I had opportunities to try a variety of cuisines. Well, a little limited as I am a veggie :). I always experiment in the kitchen. Do I follow a recipe - yes, to an extent, but believe in giving it a tweak or two.

I have thought about blogging my recipes for a long long time now. However, never got around to it. Mostly because I am a spur-of-the-moment sort of cook & rarely follow recipes. :)

For this blog, I have taken measurements & cooked for the most part & where I didn't I've mentioned it.

You must all have experienced that moment, when a guest comes home and says - "What are you cooking? It smells heavenly!" - now, that is what this blog is about.