January 2017

Pasta Recipe:

January 31, 2017

When I was searching about must do’s in Pondicherry, I came across this amazing small place called Tanto’s which is famous for their wood fire pizza’s and handmade pasta’s. We chalked down our itinerary and this was one of our must dos, when we were there a couple of months back.

We had planned a visit to this place while visiting Auroville, because it is situated in almost 30 km away from the main city, on the way to Auroville. On the way back from Auroville, we had visited this place and it was not yet ready to serve lunch. I was not ready to go back empty handed and was feeling really upset. On hearing this, the owner suggested to us to buy their ready to cook handmade pasta packets and I picked up their five varieties of dried pastas. That included whole wheat plain, Basil, carrot, spinach and beetroot one. Tried everything and liked it all other than basil. This recipe which I am sharing now is specially designed for my daughter who hates bland white sauce pastas.

Ingredients:

Pasta – 1 packet

Whole wheat flour – 2 teaspoon

Chopped veggies – 1 cup (I have used zucchini, broccoli)

Butter – 1 table spoon

Garlic salt – as per taste

Chilli flakes – as per taste

Oregano – as per taste

Pizza sauce – 2 to 3 teaspoon

Hot and sweet tomato sauce – 2 teaspoon

Milk – 2 cups

Mozzarella cheese – as required (grated)

Method:

-Take one big vessel with sufficient water,1 tsp of oil and little salt. When it starts boiling, drop in pasta and cook.

-When it is done, drain the cooked pasta and reserve water for further use.

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-Cool the pasta by pouring cold water and set aside.

– Chop the veggies and keep aside.

-Take one kadai, dry roast whole wheat flour and keep aside.

-In the same kadai, add butter, chopped veggies and fry for a while. Add garlic salt, red chilli flakes and oregano.

– When it is done (it should be crunchy) add pizza sauce, hot and sweet tomato sauce and mix nicely, so that veggies will be coated with this masala.

-Now add roasted whole wheat flour and mix evenly.

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-Add little reserved water (drained water from pasta in which is cooked) ,milk and boil until it is thick and creamy.

-Check for seasoning and add grated cheese and mix in pasta.

-If you find sauce is thick or dry, add either reserved water or milk and adjust the consistency.

– Serve and enjoy.

Vegetable Nagercoil Biryani:

January 27, 2017

When I saw this Nagercoil biryani on this website, I couldn’t wait more and tried it with a vegetarian option. Instead of mutton, I tried with double beans, baby potatoes and sweet corn. Kids liked it and I’m happy to share it with you all.

It is little different than our usual biryanis. Usage of small grain rice is a highlight of this biryani.

Ingredient:

Jeera or small grain rice – 3 cups

Vegetables – ½ kg

Oil – 3 table spoon

Ghee – 3 table spoon

Onion – 3 (chopped)

Ginger garlic paste – 1 table spoon

Green chillies – 4

Tomato – 2

Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

Red chilli powder – ½ teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander leaves – handful

Mint leaves –handful

Curd- ½ cup

Cashew – 10

Raisins – 10

Salt

Whole masala: Cinnamon -1 stick, clove -4, Cardamom-2, Bay leaf – ½, star anise -2, stone flower -2, Cumin – 1 tsp, Mace – 2 petals .

Method:

Wash and soak rice for half an hour. After half an hour drain the water and keep aside.
Chop vegetables, here I have taken sweet corn cob, baby potatoes, carrot, beans and double beans.
Heat oil and 2 table spoon of ghee in a cooker. Add whole masalas.

Add Chopped onions and green chillies, fry until it becomes light brown.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a while.
Add chopped tomatoes, chopped veggies, sufficient salt and fry until tomatoes becomes mushy and veggies are coated with masala.
Add turmeric, red chilli powder and coriander powder and fry for a while.
Add chopped coriander, mint and curd.
Add drained rice and mix everything together and add sufficient water (here I took 5 ½ cups of water)

Fry cashews and raisins in a table spoon of ghee and add it to cooker vessel.
Check for salt and close the lid and cook until one whistle, keep it in a simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and switch off the gas.
When pressure relieves, open the lid and mix everything together and serve this tasty biryani with onion raita.

NOTE:

I usually take 1 ½ cups of water for 1 cup of Jeera/small grain rice.
Additional 1 cup of water for veggies to cook.

Lemon pudding cake with Fresh Strawberry Sauce:

January 24, 2017

Soft, melt in a mouth citrusy warm pudding is paired with fresh strawberry sauce. It is a real treat in winter evenings. The basic recipe is from here and I adapted it according to our taste and availability of the ingredients.

Ingredient:

All-purpose flour or Almond flour – ¼ cup

Salt – one pinch

Lemon zest – from one lemon

Eggs -2 (separated)

Butter- 1 tablespoon

Sugar- 2/3 cup

Buttermilk – 2/3 cup

Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons

For Sauce:

Strawberries- 20

Sugar – 2 tablespoon

Method:

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. i.e. All-purpose flour, salt, lemon zest and mix this nicely by using a dry wire whisk.
Preheat oven at 160° C . Keep cookie tray inside by putting water. So that the water bath will be ready to bake while preheating.
Take 4 pudding moulds and apply some butter or oil and keep aside.
In another bowl, beat egg yolks, buttermilk, lemon juice, sugar. Beat until well mixed.
Add dry ingredient content to this and keep aside.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until you get stiff peaks. It takes almost 2 to 3 minutes of beating.
Combine this with a pudding mixture by folding gently by using a wooden or plastic spatula.
Divide evenly by filling this into 4 pudding moulds.

Bake these filled cups in a hot water bath for 40 minutes or until the top becomes light brown.
After placing the cups, check for the water level in the cookie tray (water bath). If it is less, please fill it with little hot water and close the oven door.
When it is done, remove from the water bath and cool those cups.

Now you can make strawberry sauce or Compote :
Chop all the strawberries, Mix in sugar and keep aside for 5 minutes. Churn half of the content in a mixer jar and keep another half as it is. So that you will have some chunks in your sauce and it looks good as well OR to make the compote, cook all these until syrup become bubbly and cool before serving it.
For serving, invert the pudding on a serving plate and pour some strawberry sauce and enjoy.

Note: To invert the pudding, you can use a small knife at the edge and it will release itself from the sides.

Home-made Turmeric powder :

January 17, 2017

Turmeric is one of the most important spices we use in everyday cooking. It has so many health benefits and is commonly used to heal Cold and cough in infants. When my kids were small and when I started to give them turmeric milk to heal their sour throat, I was really thinking about making homemade turmeric powder as I was very uncomfortable using readymade powder, after hearing about it being adulterated.

So I started growing turmeric at home. Every year, usually at the time of June, fresh turmeric will start sprouting and we should plant them at that time .It will take six months to grow and when it is ready, the plant will start wilting and leaves will become yellowish brown and become dry. This happens during end of December and is then ready to harvest.

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This method is what my maternal grandmother used to follow-

Method:

-Take fresh turmeric rhizomes, remove mud, extra roots etc. Wash it several times until it is clean.

-Now slice those rhizomes.

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-Take one cooker vessel and put all these sliced pieces and steam cook (without cooker weight) in a cooker or idly steamer for 10 to 15 minutes.

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-Remove this and dry under the sun for 2 to 3 days or until it is crisp. Usually it takes 2 to 3 days.

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-When it is crisp, take small mixer jar and powder it.

– Sieve this and collect fine powder and repeat this process until all the dried slices are powdered.

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-Store this in a dry airtight container.

Aloo Mungre Ki subzi / Potato and radish pods dry curry:

January 15, 2017

Radish pods are available only in winter and after coming to Bangalore, I tasted this almost ten years back and initially I felt it was very pungent and not for me kind of a flavour. But the foodie in me couldn’t keep quiet and I kept on trying it every season and now it is our favourite too.

I don’t promise that you will like it on your first bite. But when you start getting accustomed to it, you’ll start to like it. Radish pods are known as Mungre in Punjabi language and it is the staple food of Punjab. They usually pair it with potato and make a dry curry and which goes very well with whole wheat roti.

I love Radish pods for their distinct taste. If you pair it with potato, that is it. Pure bliss with hot phulka!!!!

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Ingredients:

Potato – 4 to 5

Radish pods – ¼ kg

Mustard oil- 2 table spoon

Refined oil – 1 table spoon

Cumin – 1 teaspoon

Hing – ¼ teaspoon

Salt

Sugar – ½ tsp

Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

Red chilli powder – 1 to 2 teaspoon

Amchur powder – ½ teaspoon

Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon

Method:

Wash potatoes and dice it. Don’t peel the outer skin.

Boil one cup of water with little salt and Par boil these potato pieces .Potato should cook but pieces should be firm.

Drain water and keep aside.

Wash radish pods and chop this according to your taste. I prefer around 1 inch pieces.

Ribbet collage

Take one tawa; put both the oils, when it is hot add cumin and hing.

Drop chopped radish pods; add all the powders like turmeric, red chilli powder, Garam masala, Amchur powder, salt and sugar.

Mix nicely, add in par boiled and drained potatoes and mix and keep it covered and cook for a while.

Sprinkle 2 teaspoon of water and mix it and keep it covered until all the masalas are absorbed and coated in really well.

Switch off the gas and enjoy with phulka or any roti’s.

Til Chikki /Indian Sesame Brittle:

January 13, 2017

Makara Sankranti and Sesame/Til seed are very much associated with each other. Every year my kids look forward to having their favourite Chikki on this auspicious day. This time I wanted to make a different type by enhancing its nutritional value by adding other ingredients too. Finally came up with this recipe.

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Here I have taken one big water tumbler as a measuring cup.

Ingredients:

Peanut: 1 cup

Sesame seed – ½ cup (white and black mix)

Sunflower seed -1/2 cup (de-skinned one)

Roasted gram – ½ cup

Almond – ½ cup (slice or chunks)

Cashew bits – ½ cup

Desiccated coconut – ½ cup

Sugar – 2 ¼ to 2 ½ cups ( if light sweet, add 2 1/4 cup otherwise, add more)

Ghee/clarified butter – 2 tablespoons

Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp

Method:

-Dry roast peanuts, remove the outer skin and make halves.

-Now dry roast sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Roasted gram, almond chunks, and Cashew bits one by one and keep aside. For roasting, you can use a stovetop method or microwave.

-When it’s a little cool, add desiccated coconut, cardamom powder and mix nicely. Keep it aside.

-Take one rolling pin and apply little ghee and keep aside.

-Now we have to make the caramel by adding sugar and ghee in a thick bottomed vessel/tawa. Keep this on a stovetop, heat it until it attains liquid form and becomes light brown in colour. This is caramel. (Please refer to the below picture for stages to attain light brown colour)

-Without wasting any time, mix in the nuts and spread this on a wooden plank or on a clean kitchen platform. Use ghee applied chapati rolling pin (belan) and spread this mixture nicely till it is uniformly flat.

-Leave this for 5 minutes. Take one knife and mark, cut it into the desired shape. After it cools down completely you can store this in an airtight container.

Chikki Preparation by Using Jaggery: (Ratio should be 1 part of dry fruits: ½ part of jaggery)

–Follow all the steps precisely like Sugar added chikki. You can omit or add any ingredients according to your wish.

Instead of Sugar, take grated jaggery, loosely fill the cup and measure, by using the cup in which you are taking the ingredients.

-First, take the jaggery, put water, ghee. Heat the solution and strain. If any sediment or tiny particles, it would go away, and the final result would be perfect.

-Then start boiling, until it reaches the frothy, thick. At this stage, pour one drop of the liquid in a small cup of water and check. It should come together, like a crystal and you should be able to break it easily.

-If it is not yet ready, it will come(extend) like a chewy thread. You will not be able to break it.

-If it is ready, pour all the roasted dry fruit, mixed and kept into the solution. Switch off the gas. Give a stir, spread, and follow all the steps like a sugared one, which I have dealt earlier.

-Enjoy all the goodness without a pang of guilt.

NOTE: -I would suggest the usage of Sugar for the first-timers. It is foolproof and easy.

-After a couple of trials with Sugar, you would be knowing about the stages and gradually shift to jaggery.

-Here, I have taken round, organic ball jaggery, made into chunks by using the stone pestle.

Makki di Roti/Maize flour flatbread:

January 11, 2017

Makki Ki roti/Makki di roti is the staple food of Punjab and tastes really good when we pair this with Sarson Ka Saag. Usually Makki Ka roti is made by using maize flour and patted by hand. It is slightly thick and firm in texture. We like our roti to be soft and puffy like regular phulka.

That is the reason I do this by adding whole wheat flour and roll like a regular roti. So, my version is light and soft but has Makki Ka flavour.

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Ingredient:

Maize flour – 2 cups

Water – 2 cup

Whole wheat flour – to bind

Salt

Ghee – 1 tsp

Method:

-Boil water, put salt, ghee and maize flour and mix by using one spoon.

-Mixture will be sticky so adjust this by adding the required amount of whole wheat flour to make firm dough.

-Keep it covered and keeps aside for 5 to 10 minutes.

roti-collage

– Roll out roti’s like a regular Chapati.

-Keep Dosa tawa on fire, when it is hot, cook both the sides of this roti, and hold the roti over the gas flame.

-when it fluffs, remove and keep it on the plate.

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-Apply some ghee or butter and serve. Enjoy this roti with Sarson Ka Saag or any other side dish of your choice.

Sarson Ka Saag/ Mustard greens curry:

January 8, 2017

Come January, my veggie vendor will bring mustard greens and Bathua greens. In Kannada, we call Bathua as chakotha and mustard as sasive soppu .Last week I got a bunch from him and I prepared this curry. I love to include seasonal veggies in my cooking and it is a yearly ritual to make Saag at least once in winter.

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How I make –

Sarson / Mustard greens – 2 bunches

Bathua / chakotha leaves – 2 bunches

Palak/spinach – 2 bunches

Onion – 1

Green chillies – 4

Garlic – 10

Ginger- 1 inch

Maize flour – 1 table spoon

Cumin – ½ teaspoon

Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

Hing- ¼ teaspoon

Butter – 1 table spoon

Salt

Method:

Clean all the greens remove stalks and discard.

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Wash and chop the leaves into fine strips and cook this in a vessel by putting half cup of water, little salt, sugar for 10 to 15 minutes.
Take one mixer jar and put sliced onion, crushed ginger; chopped chillies and garlic, dry grind all this into rough paste.
When greens are cool, grind this as well. Don’t make smooth paste. Whip only once or twice, you will get required consistency.

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I usually use earthen vessel to cook traditional items. If you have one, you can use it otherwise use normal kadai.
Take vessel, put butter, when it is hot add cumin and hing. Then onion and chilli paste. Fry for a while. Add turmeric and salt. Salt will help to ooze out water from the onion and will retain moisture while frying.

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When it is light brown, add maize flour and fry for 2 minutes.
Add one cup of water and mix onion and maize flour mixture. This will look like a paste now.

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Add Ground greens and boil, If you feel water is needed you can add water and cook until you get the right consistency, and when it is done , mixture becomes like a mass and surface becomes little glossy.

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Serve this with Makki Ki Roti or Phulka with little butter.

Buddha’s delight:

January 5, 2017

It is a vegetarian dish well known in Chinese and Buddhist Cuisine.We love Buddha’s delight at our favourite restaurant Chung wah. Their version has lemon grass flavour in the gravy, and we especially like this flavour. I wanted to try their version of veggie Buddha’s delight at home from so long. Finally I did try it this week for our dinner.

So I thought of making lemongrass infused water for preparing it and proceeded. I used the available veggies in my pantry. You can use them according to your choice. You can add couple of tofu pieces as well.

How I prepared:

Vegetables – 1 bowl (took Zucchini, lettuce, onion, carrot, mushroom, capsicum,snap peas)

Chilli vinegar – 1 tsp

Red chilli flakes – ½ tsp

Garlic – 5 cloves

Ginger – ½ “

Green chilli -1

Salt

Spring onion – 2 tbl sp

Corn flour – 1 to 2 tbl sp

Lemon grass – 4 sticks

Water – 2 cups

Method:

-Boil water with lemon grass bits until water becomes little yellowish and lemongrass is cooked.

-Sieve this water and discard lemon grass. This is our lemon grass water which is used for gravy. Keep it aside.

– Chop spring onion, ginger and garlic. Slit green chilli.

– Chop mushroom, carrot.

-Chop capsicum, onion, zucchini into I inch chunks.

– Tear lettuce by using hand and keep aside.

-Take one tawa, put either butter /olive oil .When it is hot, add ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry for a while.

– Add onion, fry for 2 minutes. Next you can add capsicum, carrot zucchini and mushroom. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes and sprinkle little salt and red chilli flakes.

– Next you can add corn flour and fry in this mixture for 1 minute and add lemon grass water.

-when it starts boiling add vinegar. When it becomes little thick and shiny add torn lettuce and garnish with chopped spring onion.

-Enjoy this either with fried rice, noodles or simple steamed rice. It is very filling, nutritionally very rich and taste wise – Pure bliss!!!!