Sattu

Sawan Ka Mahina.. Its the month of Sawan, according to Indian calender. Its the most popular month in bollywood movies, symbolizing rainy season. many hindi songs are written specially for this month .

'Raksha Bandhan' festival for brothers & sisters falls on the last day of this month. For the last two years I was lucky to make it to India for this festival but this time doesn't seem so. Anyways this is for you dear brothers.


>Sattu is a sweet specially made in sawan. In rajasthan Sawan & Sattu go together. Its customary for parents to gift sattu to their married daughter or her in -laws during the month of sawan.
The authentic recipe demands a little effort & patience in roasting the dal. I have another easy version as well where in you can prepare it instantly in no time. Though the tastes may slightly differ from each other yet are equally tasty.
The authentic Recipe:
This recipe I learnt from my mother-in-law who is a perfectionist in this recipe. To make sattu she prefers hand mill to grind the dal over a mixie. she says this way its ground to the desired texture evenly. Though I being a little lazy prefer the easy options. But the end results definately vary when you use the mill.

1/2 kg gram dal
1/2 kg powdered sugar
400gm ghee or more
silver varq(foil) to decorate

Roast gram dal in a heavy bottomed pan a little at a time over a slow flame stirring continuously. I say a little at a time because we need to roast evenly. Stirring over a low flame makes the dal cook evenly even from inside. So be patient don't rush to roast & slowly roast to a light brown color. Cool & coarsely grind the dal such that its powdery yet you can feel it grainy just like in a scrub. (I hope, I was able to explain it for you to understand with my choice of words.....). Mix in powder sugar, powdered dal & warm ghee. Make flat disks out of it pressing in between your palms. If difficult to form sattu you can add a little more ghee. Decorate with silver foil.

Easy Version:
In southern India roasted gram dal is available, popularly called as putana in karnataka.
1 cup putana (roasted gram dal)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp cooking gum, optional (it gives a crunchy flavour to sattu)
3/4 cup ghee or more
silver foil to decorate

Roast the putana slightly for few minutes or until warm in a pan over a slow flame, this is just to remove moisture if any. Cool and powder the dal. Mix in sugar. Heat ghee & add cooking gum to it. Switch off gas once the gum starts popping up . Add this to the flour & sugar mixture & make flat disks out of it pressing between your palms. Decorate with Silver foil.

Watch Video : sattu

Fried Baby Corn

10- 12 baby corns canned or fresh
(If using canned then put in a colander for some time to drain all the water)
oil to deep fry

for batter:
1/2 cup corn flour
2 tbsp rice flour
salt to taste

sauce:
1 tsp oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 capsicum, thinly sliced
1/2 tomato chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
salt to taste

1. Heat oil for deep frying.
2. Make a batter (of coating consistency) using enough water.
3. Dip the baby corns in the batter & drop one by one in hot oil.
4. Deep fry until slightly browned & drain onto an absorbant paper.
5. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan & saute onions, green chilli & capsicum until browned.
6. Add tomato & cook for 2 min. Add Ketchup & adjust the seasoning.
7. Toss the fried baby corns into the sauce & serve immediately for crispy taste.
   
   

Paneer Tikka

A vegetarian Barbeque.

for marinade:

3 tbsp curd

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp green chilli paste

1 tsp cornflour

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp kasoori methi

1 tsp lime juice

salt to taste

Paneer & Vegetables of your choice

I have used:

1 capsicum

1 onion

1 tomato

• Cut all the paneer & vegetables into big pieces
• Mix all the ingredients for marinade & put the paneer & vegetables pieces in it. Mix in so that the marinade coats them evenly.
• Marinate for atleast 30 min.
• Remove the pieces & insert them in a skewer or tooth picks.
• Grill until slightly browned in a hot oven.



• Sprinkle chaat masala on top & serve hot.

Mix Vegetable Curry

Wondering what to cook tonight for dinner! Could not decide, so I just collected each vegetable I had in my fridge & ended up making a single curry out of them.

1 potato, peeled & diced

1 carrot, diced

1 onion, chopped

1 capsicum, diced

few long beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup peas

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 green chilli, chopped

2 tsp corriander powder

1 tsp chilli powder+1/2 chopped tomato or 1 tbsp red pepper paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

chopped corriander leaves to garnish.

• Heat oil & add cumin seeds. Saute onion until golden brown.
• Add green chillies, all other vegetables & spices. Saute for 2 min.
• Iused red pepper paste which tastes hot & slightly sour, so if you are using red chiili powder & half chopped tomato.
• Mix in salt to taste.
• Add 1/2 cup water & pressure cook for one whistle on high.
• Garnish with corrinader leaves & serve hot with steamed rice or chapatis.

You can also add some cream before serving for a more subtle & creamy taste.

Thirst quenchers-Rose syrup, Milk Rose

The temperature in Yerevan is above 32 degrees now. Though the nights are cool afternoons are very sunny & hot. Its summer vacation as well & children are at home always craving for one thing or the other every hour. For a hot weather like this one needs some varieties of instant drinks handy as its not possible for a lazy person like me to squeeze out fresh juices every now & then.
Rose syrup is one of the things which I usually store at home. I can make Rose drink or milk shake or even chusky out of it instantly.

To make the syrup:

1 kg sugar

1 litre water

2 1/2 tsp rose essence

2 1/2 tsp raspberry colour

Mix sugar & water & boil for about 10 -15 minutes until the syrup is sticky to touch but no thread is formed when pressed between thumb & forefinger. Cool & mix in rose essence & raspberry colour. Strain & store in a bottle.

Whenever required use 1/4 glass of syrup & 3/4 cup of chilled water or milk.

Pasta in Cashew-nut Sauce

This is one of my favourite pasta recipe.

200g. pasta(any type)
handful of cashenuts, broken
1/2 onion, cubed
few springs parsely
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 cup milk
boiled vegetables (carrots & green beans), optional
1 tbsp +1 tsp olive oil
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp ajwain(carom seeds) or oregano
salt to taste

To boil Pasta:
Bring about 1 litre of water to boil. Add pasta, 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp olive oil to it.
Boil the pasta as per instructions on the packet. The pasta should not be over cooked, it spoils all the taste. So make sure you cook it upto the right point.
While the pasta boils you can prepare the sauce.

For Sauce
Grind together cashewnuts, onion, a little parsely, garlic with little milk into a thick paste.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil & add this paste to it. Saute it for 2 min. & add milk. Mix well so that no lumps remain & simmer until thick. Add boiled vegeatbles.

When the pasta is ready drain the water & add the pasta to the nutty sauce. Add pepper & ajwain or oregano. Adjust salt & Mix well.

Serve warm with Garlic Bread.

Bajra Roti- Flat bread from millet flour

Bajra is one of the most important crops grown in Rajasthan. It is very high in protein. Bajra roti accompanied with raw onion & green chillies was considered as poor man's bread .

In recent times the popularity has grown to such an extent that you may find it in every Rajasthani high-profile wedding parties. Though its a comman man's bread & a very common dish for everyday lunch in Rajasthani homes, most of the people like us living outside crave for it. I always bring some bajra flour with me, I use it miserly so that from time to time we can have our traditional meal. Bajra Roti tastes best with local vegetable curries like cluster beans (gavar fali), kakaria or Tinda. Jaggery also tastes too good with ghee & bajra roti.

makes:4 rotis

2 cups bajra flour

wheat flour for dusting (optional)

1/4 cup ghee for brushing(optional)

Knead bajra flour with some water into a soft dough. Divide into 4 equal parts. Heat the tava(griddle).

Making Bajra Roti is an art. I am listing three different ways to roll the roti.Bajra roti is usually rolled to 1/4 inch thickness or more.

1. Traditionally its made by rotating in between wet palms. For this method you don't need wheat flour for dusting. But if you are new to it , you may find it dificult to make an even roti this way, it also tends to break easily.
2. Another easier way of rolling bajra roti is to place the dough ball in between two polythene sheets & roll gently with a rolling pin.
3. Though I can make any how I find the this method much easier for even round rotis : Make a soft ball out of one portion of the dough & flatten it a little. sprinkle a little wheat flour on a rolling board, place the dough on it & enlarge it by tapping & rotating it with your palm.

Put the rolled roti on hot tava & cook. When the lower part is cooked flip with the help of spatula(sometimes it may stick to the griddle) & cook the other side. Again loosen with the spatula & cook both the side on an open flame, holding the roti with the tongs. Hold it slightly above the flame so that you don't immediately burn it . Apply ghee generously by piercing the roti here & there with the spoon so that it absorbs the ghee properly.

gharkirasoi tip:

1. Bajra flour when kept for long especially in summer turns sour. It should be either ground freshly or stored in refridgirator.
2. The dough should be kneaded just before making roti. if making in large quantities then better to knead in small portions again & again. Dough turns sour very soon after kneading & the roti appears cracked.
3. Griddle should be sufficiently hot & roti should be cooked on high, low heat also causes it to break.

my entry for

Kashmiri Dum Alu

I used to make alu dum but I learnt this recipe all over again with a typical kashmiri flavour from a friend from Ladakh. She made it for us. Living abroad for several years & usually cooking with a subcouncious instinct for less oil, less chilli I actually forgot the real spicy flavours of India. She made it perfect, all flavours well blended yet each spice making one feel its individual existence. so here I share the recipe for this really really spicy dish with all of you.

8 baby potatoes

1/3 cup yogurt

3 cloves

3 green cardamoms

1 inch stick cinamon

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp oil

1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp fennel powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder

salt to taste

extra oil to deep fry

1. Boil the potatoes in salt water until half cooked.
2. cool & peel the potatoes. Prick here & there with a skewer or fork.
3. Heat oil for frying & fry the pricked potatoes until golden in color. Drain on an absorbant paper.
4. Take out the extra oil in another container leaving about 2 tbsp of oil in the pan.
5. Mix in red chilli powder & fennel powder in yogurt.
6. Add cumin seeds to moderately heated 2 tbsp of oil.
7. When they crackle Add whole spices like bay leaf, cloves, cardamom & cinamon.
8. when they change color & start releasing flavour add spiced yogurt & stir continuously until it starts boiling.
9. Add salt, Potatoes & garam masala & cook until the fat starts separaring. Switch of the gas. Garnish with cumin powder.
10. Serve hot with chapati or rice.

Inspired by: Nilza's cooking

Capsicum Toast

This recipe is probabaly one among my first experiments during my good old school days. I learnt about it from a friend of mine and wanted to try it. Though the recipe is very very simple, myself being a complete stranger in kitchen ended up with lumpy dough like uncooked white sauce. Well good old memories.

makes: 4 sandwiches
1 capsicum, any color (or a mix of green, yellow, bell pepper), diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tomato sliced into rounds
2 tsp plain flour
1 cup milk
3 tbsp butter or olive oil (I prefer butter)
salt & pepper to taste
For Indian spicy taste you can also add 1 chopped green chilli

8 White or brown bread(for health counscious people) slices

1. Heat half of the butter, add diced capsicums & onion & saute them for 2 to three minutes so that they are slightly cooked but still crispy.Remove.
2. Heat remaining butter & saute the plain flour . You can see it foaming when done. It will again take 2 to 3 min.
3. Add milk little by little stirring continuously prefarably with a whisk, so that no lumps are formed. Cook until thick (spreadable on bread). Add seasoning & sauted vegetables. Mix well.
4. spread some of the white sauce mixture on a bread slice, place tomato slice on top & cover with other bread. If you want you can brush the outer parts of the bread with butter for a buttery toast. Repeat foe remaining breads.
5. Grill in a sandwich maker until brown. Serve warm with ketchup or any sauce of your choice.

Dal makhani

1 cup whole black urad dal

1/4 cup Rajma(kidney beans)

1 tbsp ginger, grated

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 green chilli,finely chopped

2 medium onion, finely chopped

3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp garam masala

100g. butter

salt to taste

1/4 cup Sour cream or fresh cream(optional)

1. Soak whole urad dal & kidney beans over night. Drain & Pressure cook for 3 whistles or until done with 5 cups of water, salt, ginger & 1 tsp garam masala.
2. Heat butter & add cumin seeds & bay leaf. When they crackle add chopped onions, minced garlic & chopped green chilli. Saute until the onions are slightly brown.
3. Add tomatoes, Red chilli powder & cook until the tomatoes are soft & mushy.
4. Beat the cooked dal & beans lightly & add to the gravy.
5. Adjust salt & desired consistency by adding some water if too thick & simmer for 10 min.
6. Add remaining garam masala, cream & simmer for another 2 minutes.
7. Serve hot.

Serves: 6

It tastes best with naan.

kheer- Rice porridge

1 litre milk

1/3 cup rice

1/3 cup sugar or more

few strands saffron

few cardamoms peeled & crushed

few almonds & pistachios, sliced

Bring the milk to a boil.

Add washed rice to it & gently stir.

Simmer until the rice is cooked & soft, stirring now & then in between to avoid sticking to the bottom. For a thicker & richer kheer its a good idea to overcook the rice.

Rub the saffron with 1 tsp of milk & add it to the kheer. Add sugar. Adjust sweetness to your taste and Simmer for another few minutes.

Garnished with sliced nuts & cardomom powder.

Serve warm or chilled as per your taste.

I personally like it chilled.

Kheer can be served just like that or popular accompaniments include poori or jalebi.

Left overs- Dried-Fried Rice

Its just another way of using the leftover rice other than making some sort of vegetable pulav the next morning.. My family enjoys it as an accompaniment to rice & dal in place of papad & its also great for appetizer bowls for any party.

To make this I just spread them evenly in a plate & place it under sun until dry (one or two days depending on weather conditions). You can store the dried rice in air-tight container for any period of time . When required fry them little by little in very hot oil. The fried rice will rise up in the oil when done. Drain immediately to prevent burning. Sprinkle with salt & red chilli powder immediately. Cool & store.

Puffed Rice Laddu

I never tried these laddus until recently my daughter saw a picture on net & started asking for it. First I tried Tarla Dalal's recipe which asked for the jaggery to be melted without water. It came out very tasty but I could not shape into laddus as it hardened very soon. The murmura (puffed rice) remained crisp & the whole thing tasted like a sweet mixture. May be I should have just spread the mixture into greased tray & cut into squares. But anyway I tried it with a few changes again & this time it came out perfectly. Though some how I liked the taste of the first one better as it was crispier & sweeter than the second one.

1 cup jaggery, grated or crushed

1 1/2 cup puffed rice or murmura

1/4 cup white til(sesame seeds)

1 cup water

few cardomoms peeled & crushed

ghee or oil for greasing

1. Roast Murmura & til separately in a hot pan for one or two min to remove any moisture.
2. Keep a greased Plate ready to place the laddus.
3. Melt jaggery with 1 cup water in a heavy bottomed pan over a medium flame. Keep stirring until it becomes very frothy. You can check if the jaggery has caramalised by dropping a drop into a glass of cold water. If it hardens that means its done. Its almost like 2 thread consistency. Even then if you are unsure check on a small portion of murmura, if you can form it into a ball then its done.
4. Add murmura, til & cardomom powder to the caramalised jaggery & stir in quickly. Grease your hands & take small portions & shape into laddus. You have shape the laddus while the mixture is still warm.

Poori

Poori is a fried Indian bread which is consumed all over India . It is popularily paired with chola(chick pea curry) & Alu ki sabji(potato cury) but it tastes good with any curry or pickle. Whenever I throw a party I prefer pooris or naan over chapati. Its because I can serve speedily hot-hot pooris for a big group. I am quite slow when it comes to rolling thin chapatis, it takes hours for me to make in large quantities. Poori though its fried its the perfect Indian bread for any gathering. Don't worry if you end up making more as it stays good for 3 to 4 days unrefridgirated. My husband doesn't know to cook & since we are pure vegetarians food is always a problem while travelling. And whenever he has to travel I pack around 50 pooris for him with mango or chilli pickles . Once I even tried refridgirating them for more than 20 days for my hubby when he was alone & we went for holidays to India. Beleive me they were good until I came back. Just make sure you cool them before storing. Tear the poori apart to find out whether its good or bad. If you see sticky threads while tearing it means its time to throw.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

oil to deep fry

Mix all the ingredients & knead into a tight dough using water. Here we have added sugar, as the carbon di oxide released while frying the pooris will make them puff up.

Allow the dough to rest for 10 min. Roll out small rounds using a little oil, make sure its not be rolled very thin.

Fry one by one in hot oil, lightly pressing with perforated spoon to make it puff.

For the pooris to puff up properly the dough should be tight, there should be enough oil for the poori to dip & the temperature should be sufficiently hot.

Colourful Healthy Idlis

Its very difficult to make children eat vegetables especially when the vegetables are beetroot or spinach.
My daughter eats normal when at home & the food is freshly cooked & warm. But she usually brings back her lunch box without finishing her lunch.
She spends most of the time from morning 8 to 5 in the evening at school Because of this I am always worried about her nutrition. In an attempt to make sure that however little she eats & whatever she eats it should be full of nutritious elements I came up with this idea.
Idli being one of the healthiest food (I read somewhere that eating idli in the morning keeps one energized through out the day) & my daughter's favourite too I tried to make idli more attractive & nutritious at the same time. The results were very good. Now Its one of my favourite party appetizer too. It looks so attractive that I am sure it will disappear in no time.
I am sure almost all Indian ladies know how to make idlis especially my south Indian friends. So I will not go in the details of making the Idli. Use the normal idli batter, only make sure that you use little less water while grinding it.

For Idli batter:
2 cups rice
1 cup urad dal
handful poha, rice flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt

Soak Rice & dal separately for 3 hrs in warm water. Drain & grind separately. Make sure that the dal is ground to a smooth batter & rice should be a little grainy like semolina. Mix together both the batters. wash & grind poha & mix it to the batter. Leave the batter to ferment for 24 hrs in cold regions or for atleast 12 hrs in warm countries. Add salt & mix lightly.

How to proceed:
1 cup beetroot puree (from 1 beetroot)
1 cup spinach puree (1/2 bundle spinach)

for tempering:
2 onions finely chopped
few curry leaves
2 to 3 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp oil

Puree the spinach & beetroot separately using very little water.
Divide the idli batter into 3 portions. To one portion add beetroot puree, spinach to another & leave the other white.

Make a tempering :
Heat oil & add mustard seeds, allow to crackle. Add curry leaves, green chilli & onions. Saute until the onions are lightly browned.

Add this tempering to all the three portions , add a little extra to the beetroot portion to remove the bland taste of beetroot. Pour the batters into greased moulds of individual idli plates & steam in an Idli cooker for 8 min (for mini idlis) or 10 min for medium sized idlis. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Chilli cheese toast

This is another instant & tasty snack, ideal for break-fast, great as soup accompaniment. I adapted this recipe from my favourite chef Tarla Dalal's recipe for "cheese topping on toast".

4 white bread slices

a good knob of butter

1/2 cup grated cheese(I reduced from the original recipe)

1/2 medium sized onion very finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp green chilli sauce

salt to taste

Cut the bread into any shapes you like. Place the slices on a greased bake dish. Mix in all other ingredients & spread evenly on the bread slices. Bake in a hot oven until crisp.

Cumin Flavoured Raita

2 Cups curd
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch turmeric powder
a pinch chilli powder
salt to taste



Beat the curd & mix salt to it.. Heat the ghee & add cumin seeds. Make sure the ghee is very hot & cumins turn brown instantly. Add turmeric powder & chilli powder to the ghee & immediately pour it over the beaten curds. Serve as a side dish.

Healthy Lettuce Soup

What do you do with a few days old lettuce leaves?
I kept wondering for some time, what to do with the bunch lying unnoticed in the cornor of my vegetable basket in the fridge. Soggy not good enough to be used in salads.
It is rainy day here in Yerevan, the temperature again dropped below ten degrees leaving me craving for some warm soup. I was reminded of a cookbook, my first gift from my DH when I started my experiments in cooking i.e. 'The delights of vegetarian cooking' by Tarla dalal. I quickly turned its pages to find lettuce soup recipe which somehow crept out my mind recently. A perfect warm creamy soup for a rainy day accompanied with grilled vegetables. Yummy. far better & healthier option than the usual pakoras which we are used to make in the rainy season in India.


2 bundles Lettuce , shredded
1 onion finely chopped
1 cup milk +1 cup water
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp plain flour
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat butter & saute onions until translucent.
2. Add the lettuce & saute for another 2 min.
3. Mix the milk, water & plain flour & add to the lettuce. Bring to a boil stirring.
4. Simmer for another 10 min.
5. Grind the soup with a hand blender or in a mixer & strain.
6. Add salt & pepper & serve hot.

Adapted from : TarlaDalal's recipe for cream of Lettuce soup.

My entry for
'Comfort Food For Illness' Event hosted by Recipe Center

Vegetable stuffed Puff Pastry

Finally, I got the perfect recipe!

I tried several recipes to make puff pastry dough but nothing worked for a perfect pastry. While surfing the internet I came across a recipe for puff pastry. I found that its actually the method which you use plays an important role in making perfect puffs .This method seemed quite easy compared to other recipes where you have to brush the dough with fat several times. Here you only need to roll & fold, no brushing again & again. One very important thing I learnt is that while making pastry the temperature of the dough should be always maintained cold & the butter or margarine which ever you use should not be allowed to melt in the process. So here's my tried & tested recipe for puff pastry. Its actually very easy to make the pastry dough only thing scary about it is that its time consuming. So make the dough ahead when you have enough time & store it in Freezer for instant snacks.

makes: 20 medium puffs

for the pastry dough

2 cups plain flour

250 gms margarine (you can also use butter)

1/2 tsp vinegar

1 tsp salt

extra flour for dusting

for vegetable stuffing:

2 potatoes, boiled & mashed

1 1/2 cup boiled mix veg(chopped carrots, beans or peas)

3 green chillies finely chopped

2 onions chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder(optional)

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp lime juice

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

for vegetable stuffing:

Heat oil & saute onions until light brown.

Add the spices, mix veg, potatoes & salt. Mix well & cook for 3 min.

Remove from fire & add lemon juice.

For the pastry dough:

1. Cut a small strip from the margarine about 40gms & mix it to the flour along with salt & vinegar. Knead the flour into a soft dough using some water.
2. Cut another thin strip from the margarine about 20 gms & keep aside. This we can use for brushing purpose.
3. Now crush the margarine lightly & assemble again like a dough & roughly form into a square shape. Remember, the margarine should not melt while you are handling it.
4. Flatten the dough & place the assembled margarine block on it & wrap the dough around it.



5. Sprinkle some flour & roll the dough into an oblong shape. Don't press at once else the margarine will pop out of the dough. So gently roll it.
6. Now fold it into three parts as shown in the picture.
7. Keep it in the Freezer for about 10 min. (If the quantity of the dough is more you will have to increase the Freezing time also.)
8. Take ou the dough & roll again into an oblong shape & agin fold it into 3 parts.
9. Put it back in the Freezer. Repeat this process for 5 to 6 times.
10. Finally take out the dough from Freezer & roll it into oblong shape to a thickness of 1/4 inch & cut into small squares depending on the size required by you for your pastry.
11. Fill the stuffing in the squares & fold it either into a triangle or rectangle shape by pressing the edges together.
12. Arrange the puffs on a greased baking tray . Brush the top with the melted margarine we kept aside in the begining.
13. Bake in a preheated oven at 220 degrees for first 15 min.
14. Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees & bake for another 10 min.

Variations: You can make any stuffing of your choice for these puffs like cheesy puffs, sweet puffs etc.

Garden Salad

1 cucumber or Zucchini

1 carrot

1/2 cup finely shredded cabbage

a few lettuce leaves, shredded roughly

3 red raddishes

for dressing:

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp white pepper

a few springs parsely, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

To get the best results always choose the fresh & firm vegetables.

wash, wipe & cut the vegetables as you like. Mix all the ingrdients for dressing & pour over the salad just before serving. Toss lightly. Serve chilled.

ghar ki Rasoi Tip: For crispy Lettuce leaves put them in ice cold water for some time.

Dahi chana masala

In Rajasthan eating grams or sprouts in breakfast is in practice since a long time. when you visit to a Rajasthani kitchen even to this day you will find parathas, any one whole gram or sprouts curry like moth(matki), mogar(skinned matki dal) or chana along with papad. Bread & butter comes secondary.

This particular recipe has been my favourite ever since I was a small child. For breakfast the chana masala is kept dry ,fully coated with spices consumed with paratha & papad. I usually cook a lot, after finishing breakfast I just add a little water & make it like a curry & eat with rice accompanied with yougurt & chopped onions. To me it tastes best with rice. Delicious!

1 cup black chana, soaked overnight
1/2 cup yoghurt
2 tbsp oil
a big pinch hing(asfoetida)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp corriander powder
1/2 tsp amchhor(dry mango powder)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste

1. Boil chana in a Pressure cooker until soft with little salt. Remove & drain the water.

2. Heat oil & add cumin seeds. & hing.

3. Mix turmeric powder, red chilli powder & corriander powder in beaten yoghurt. Add this to the oil & cook until the oil starts separating.

4. Add boiled chana, salt & cook until the gravy thickens & coats chana. Mash a few chana(a spoonful) to thicken the gravy.

5. Add garam masala & amchoor & simmer for another 5 min.

Serve hot.

Tomato Launji-sweet & sour tangy tomato curry

This is another popular curry from Rajasthani cuisine.

Choose firm & fresh tomatoes for this recipe for best results.

2 medium sized tomatoes, cut into big cubes

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chilli powder

2 1/2 tbsp sugar

a big pinch kalonji (optional)

salt to taste

Heat oil to smoking point & add cumin seeds. Cumin seeds when added to hot oil turn to a dark brown color immediately. This releases its flavour instantly. Add all the spices, tomatoes, salt & sugar. Mix & cook on high flame until the tomatoes are slightly tender(approximately 3 to 4 min.) .Do not over cook else the curry may turn into a sauce. Serve hot with chapati.

Spinach-Besan Paratha

Whole wheat parathas stuffed with spicy spinach & gram flour stuffing.

When talking about north Indian breakfast & especially in Rajasthan no breakfast is complete without parathas. Paratha is a must in any type of breakfast whether a simple daily breakfast made at home or a special table laid for the guests.

There may be hundreds of varieties in parathas.
Different people make spinach paratha in different ways. Some of them knead spinach & spices together with the dough, which is another easy way avoiding all the stuffing mess. When it comes to masala paratha for real spice lovers I prefer this method.

makes: 10 parathas

for the dough

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

for stuffing

1 big bundle spinach

1/2 cup besan, gram flour

4 green chillies, finely chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

10tsp oil to fry parathas

for dough:

Mix together all the ingredients of the dough & knead using water. Don't knead the dough too soft as will not hold the stuffing properly.

for stuffing:1. Remove stems & wash spinach leaves. Drain thoroughly or towel dry the leaves as spinach leaves out its own juices while cooking.

2.Heat a pan & Roast the gram flour while stirrring until it leaves a nice aroma.

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. Add green chillies, chilli powder, turmeric & spinach. Cook on high until almost all the water has evaporated .Add salt & the gram flour which we already roasted to avoid raw flavour & mix well. Take care to add salt, the mixture should be slightly more salty as the dough will obsorb the extra salt when stuffed.

process:

 

1. Divide the dough & stuffing into 10 equal balls . Make a depression in the dough ball & stuff each with spinach stuffing & roll in a round shape.

2. Put the rolled paratha on a hot griddle & cook on both sides using 1 tsp oil (Add oil only after cooking lightly on both sides, Then cook both sides again by putting little pressure with the spatula or paratha press.)

3. Repeat for remaining dough.

serve hot with raita, pickles or just plain curds.

Baby onions Curry

A spicy curry made with whole baby onions in yogurt gravy.

Serves:4

8 baby onions

1/2 cup yogurt (slightly sour for best results)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp corriander poder

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Peel & make a criss-cross on the onions.

Heat oil & add cumin seeds. When they crackle place the onions in the pan & saute until soft flipping in between to cook on both sides.

Mix all the spices in the yougurt & pour it over the onions.

Cook until the oil separates (3 to 4 min).

Serve hot.

My entry for http://spicesetc.blogspot.com/2009/04/15-minute-cooking-spieces-etc.html

Vegetable Poha-Power-packed nutritious breakfast

Poha or Chiwda or Beaten Rice or rice flakes is very rich in Iron content. It is said that 100gms of poha provides the iron required by an adult/day.
I like to eat poha even just with yougurt & sugar. It also makes an instant & healthy break-fast for me except for the addition of sugar .
Vegetable poha is also one of my favourites. It a complete meal in itself with cereal & vegetables.. During lazy hours usually this one is on my top-list even for lunch or dinner.

 Serves: 4

2 cups poha or rice flakes

1 potato, chopped finely

1 onion, chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped finely
2 to 3 green chillies, finely chopped
1 broken red chilli
1 inch piece ginger, grated
1 tomato, chopped (optional)
juice of half lemon
few corriander leaves, chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

Bhujiya sev for topping(optional)

1. Wash rice flakes 2 to 3 times under running water. squeeze excess water & keep aside.

2. heat oil, add mustard seeds & allow to crackle. Add curry leaves & red chilli.

3. Add all the vegetables except tomato & corriander leaves. Cover & cook on low heat for 10 min. or until the vegetables are tender (but still crunchy). (here you can also use chinese syle of stir frying on high flame).

4. When the vegetables are cooked add turmeric powder, salt, tomato & poha. Mix well. cook for 2 to 3 min.

5. Switch of gas & add lime juice & corriander leaves. Mix well.

6. Serve warm garnished with bhujiya sev. Health councius can omit bhujiya topping.

Easy to make Buns

A big thanks to my friend Nilu who introduced me to the basics of baking. Until then baking was a strict "no- no" for me.

One very important thing for perfect baking is that the measurements should be accurate. If you follow every step properly you can never go wrong with baking. Its the easiest thing once you learn it.

What you need:

1 cups tepid water

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups flour

little milk for brushing

seasame seeds for topping(optional)

1. Mix water, sugar & yeast in a bowl until frothy. Mix salt & half the quantity of oil.
2. Add the flour slowly & knead into a soft dough.grease a working surface & place the dough on it. Using the remaing oil knead using your palms for atleast 10-15 min or until the dough becomes lighter. This step is very important to incorpulate air in the dough.
3. Divide the dought into 14 equal parts & shape each into a ball (make smooth with no cracks). Place them on a greased baking tray leaving enough space in between for them to expand.
4. Cover the tray with a plastic wrap & place it in a warm place for about an hour or until the buns are doubled in size.
5. Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees C. Remove the plastic wrap & brush the top of the buns with milk. You can also put seasame seeds on top.
6. Bake at 180 degrees C for the first 15 min. at 220 degrees C for another 15 min. Remove the buns with the help of spatula.

My entry for