Khaman Dhokla- Indian Cooking Challenge

This is my first month of Indian cooking Challenge and the second event of ICC started by Srivalli of cooking4allseasons. I am all set to try out our traditional Indian recipes each month. This month’s challenge was Khaman Dhokla.

Khaman Dhokla is a traditional delicacy from the region of Kutch in Gujarat. It is a steamed salty cake made from chick pea flour.

I have earlier made instant Dhokla a lot of times which can be made in a jiffy. This method of making Dhokla which was given to us required an hour of standing. It is flavored with ginger and green chillies adding more flavors to the Dhokla.

The method of cooking is steaming and needs very little oil only for the tempering, making it a healthy and light snack to eat. I made the Dhokla in the evening and saved it for the next day school lunch boxes as both the sons are very fond of the Dhokla. The Dhokla turned out to be soft and moist. One should be careful about the texture of the Dhokla as the dry Dhokla gets stuck in the throat and is difficult to eat.

I followed the entire method and ingredients as mentioned by Srivalli. I made only two simple changes 1. I added asafoetida in the Dhokla as its good for digestion, especially if it’s chickpea flour and plus it gives a good flavour 2. I added about half cup of water to my tempering instead of the 3 spoons mentioned as I have been doing it earlier also and I knew this will keep the Dhokla very moist.

Ingredients
For Batter:
Bengal Gram flour / Besan - 250 gms (1 & 1/2 cup)
Curd - 1/2 cup (not very sour)
Water - 1/2 cup
Cooking Soda - 1/2 tsp and Salt to taste
1/4 tsp asafoetida

For seasoning to be mixed to the batter (to be added just before cooking)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Turmeric a pinch

Green Chili paste - 3 long (as per taste)

Ginger – 1 tbsp grated

Sugar - 1 tsp

Citric acid – 1/4 tsp

Eno - 1 packet/ 1 tsp (green colour fruit lime) + sprinkle or dust few bits on the plate

For tempering

1 –2 tsp Sesame seeds
2 tsp Mustard Seeds
Few Curry leaves
2-3 tbsp Coriander leaves
3-4 green chilies sliced
1/2 cup water
and 3 tbsp oil

Method

• Mix first 1/2 cup curds with 1/2 water. To this add the chickpea flour and mix well to get a lump less batter, the consistency should be of Idli batter i.e more of dropping not pouring consistency. Slowly add more water if needed else, asafoetida and soda. Keep it aside to rise for 1 hour.
• If you are using a pressure cooker, fill the pan with water, place a plate over which you will have use a plate for steaming the dhoklas. Thali plate can be used for steaming. I used the cooker containers.
• To the batter mix in the citric acid, oil, salt, sugar, green chili , ginger paste and turmeric powder. Mix well. This has to be done just before pouring to the plate.

• Put the pressure cooker on stove, and let the water start boiling. When the water reaches the rolling stage, you can mix the eno to the batter (Save a little of Eno for dusting on the plate), mix gently, you will see bubbles coming out.
• Grease the plate/container. Dust or sprinkle the plate with Eno. Then immediately pour the batter to the container. Place the container carefully inside the pressure pan and cover with lid. You need not use the weight/whistle. After covering you will find steam coming out of the outlet, simmer and don't disturb for almost 5 -7 minutes.
• After 5 -7 minutes, remove the lid and proof it using toothpick or knife. If the knife comes out clean and does not have any batter sticking, then its done. Cover back and let it cool down for about 4-5 mins.
• In a pan heat oil add mustard, sesame, sliced green chilies and curry leaves. In another container boil 1/2 cup water and pour this to the oil and cover the pan immediately and switch off the flame.
• Cut the Dhokla into diamond shape in the container.
• Pour this tempering on the cut Dhokla and garnish with chopped coriander. I avoided adding coconut as the temperature here is really high and coconut gets spoilt easily.
• Serve with sauce or green chutney.

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Bread Rolls- II (Stuffed Potato Bread Rolls)

Ever since I made Cheesy Bread Rolls for my son’s birthday S , like a kid has been after me that I did not made his kind of bread rolls and when was I going to make them? S can really be a child when he wants to eat something desperately. But I love to pamper my ‘Sweet Old Child’. I promised him for the weekend, but we got stuck finishing a lot of pending chores and I was unable to make them. I promised him again that I will make them sometime in the week, but my Sweet Old Child wanted me to make a lot of them for the dinner.

So I made the bread rolls for the dinner along with mixed veg soup to make a wholesome meal. I kept the rolls ready in the afternoon and kept in the fridge and fried them just before serving dinner. I was glad he liked them and the best part about the rolls was they did not absorb the oil. S kept asking me what have you done to the bread rolls that they have not absorbed the oil? My only answer to him was just made them with lot of love.The real answer probably was I did not soak the bread in water directly, instead I just patted enough water on it to make it soft enough to fold.

Ingredients

16 fresh bread slices

5-6 medium potatoes

1 medium onion chopped

3-4 green chilies

an inch of ginger

4-5 garlic pods

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tsp cumin pwd

2-3 tsp coriander pwd

salt to taste

2 tbsp chaat masala

1 tsp white pepper pwd

Method

• Boil the potatoes, peel off the skin and grate it.
• Crush together garlic, ginger and chilies.
• In the grated potato add the crushed paste of ginger-garlic . Add chopped cilantro & onion, salt, chaat masala, cumin , coriander & white pepper pwd.
• Mix all so that the spices blend in the potato.
• Divide potato mix into 16 equal portions.
• Trim the edges of the bread and roll it flat with a rolling pin.
• Take the bread on the palm and spread water on the edges and the entire bread, just enough to make it soft.
• Keep the potato mix in the centre and fold the bread over it from all the sides.
• Press and give it a proper oval shape and deep fry in hot oil till nicely golden brown and crisp. Do not fry on low flame as the bread tends to absorb more oil.
• Serve hot with Tomato sauce or green chutney.
• Makes 16. I had saved a few for the lunch boxes as the rolls are very filling and kids eat them with 'no fuss'.

Sending this post as my entry to CFK- Healthy Lunch Boxes a monthly event started by Sharmi @ Neivedyam. This month it is hosted by Neha of easyntastyrecipes and to WYF: Fried Snack hosted by SimpleIndianfood.

Note- Be careful while adding salt as the chaat masala also contains salt.

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Bottle Gourd in Milk & Coconut Gravy

Once again I am posting a bottlegourd curry. My readers might feel why bottlegourd again ?

Hmmm what do I reply...the thing is in North India we are facing acute shortage of water and electricity. The monsoons have got delayed and if the same condition persists for some more time ,the government will have to declare a drought situation ( all because of El Nino ). Because of that there is scarcity of vegetables and the prices are rocketing high even for the very basic onion and potato.



So being the homemaker it's right now my responsibility to make good food out of the vegetables available in the market. And bottlegourd seems to be seen with all the vegetable vendors. But somehow I am able to convince my family to eat it , probably they understand my plight or I might say I am a good cook :-).



When I made this curry S said there's a lot of coconut(he does not like vegetable with coconut) but the flavor (of garlic) is nice. Both the kids liked it ( they love the coconut and garlic). It's a curry with mild flavors of garlic and coconut absorbed in the milk , which gives a creamy texture to the curry. This is my father's favorite and I have learnt this from my mom who makes this quite frequently in her kitchen.




Ingredients


2 small bottle gourds - chopped

1/2 fresh coconut

3-4 garlic pods

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

3-4 guntur red chillies

1& 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 cup milk

oil to cook

salt to taste

asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

mustard seeds-1/2 tsp


Method

• Peel the bottle gourd.Deseed the bottle gourd if the seeds are hard and chop it.
• Grind together coarsely coconut, red chilli, cumin,coriander and garlic.
• Heat oil add mustard seeds, asfoetida and turmeric. Now add the bottlegourd and salt.
• Add milk and mix. Now cover and cook till its almost done.
• Just before removing it from the fire add the coconut mix and cook for another 2 mins.
• Serve it with hot roti or rice.

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Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

First of all a BIG THANKS to Rosie for sharing such a wonderful cake recipe with us. It’s truly a classic cake and now it’s my family favorite too.I am already waiting to bake it again. I just enjoyed making the cake. All the ingredients required are readily available in the kitchen except for the cream cheese and the Pumpkin pie spice.

The Cream cheese I got from the market but I had to google to find out a substitute for the Pumpkin spice as we do not get that here in India, and I was surely grinning when I was able to find a simple substitute (one small hurdle crossed).

The biggest hurdle was to put the frosting on the cake. I took the precaution of chilling the frosting for an hour before spreading it as the temperature here was soaring 39 C and the humidity as high as 85%, but nothing helped. The minute I applied the frosting on the cake it attained back the room temperature in no time and started flowing down. Though I loved the frosting but I will not use it again in this kind of temperature, but a ‘Must’ try for the winter.

You can very clearly see in this click how my frosting was flowing down into a river. Nevertheless, I chilled the cake and then cut the slices. The minute I saw my first cut slice, all my anguish with the frosting vanished. The cake looked heavenly and with the first bite in my mouth I realised it tastes superb. The flavor of carrot and the Pumpkin spice complement each other, and together they give a rich flavor to the cake. The frosting’s perfect, adding it’s mild flavor, and the oil in the cake just makes it perfectly soft. The total flavor, one will surely not forget for a few days. I already have a demand to bake it again from the family.

Ingredients

I had reduced it to half of the original recipe

Substitute for Pumpkin Spice

1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground Cloves

1/2 tsp ground Ginger

- Mix all the spices and use 1/4 tsp for half portion of original recipe.

How I Made The Cake

• Sift all the dry ingredients together except the sugar.
• Beat the egg and add oil to eat and beat again till light and frothy.
• Add the brown sugar and beat till it gets mixed properly.
• Add the grated carrot, chopped walnuts and raisins and mix well.
• Keep adding the dry ingredients to the wet and mix it properly till both are well incorporated in each other.
• Put in in a greased loaf tin and bake it in a preheated oven for 60-75 mins at 150 C.
• Check with a skewer whether the cake is done.
• Let it cool in the oven for 10 mins and then remove it from the loaf pan and let it cool on a wire rack for an hour.

For The Cream Cheese Frosting

Mix together 40 gms of Cream Cheese and an equal portion of softened white unsalted butter. To this add 1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence and 80 gms of Icing Sugar and mix. Chill the frosting for an hour (Not required in winter).

• Apply the chilled frosting using a palatte knife on the cake. Spread it evenly and spread some sprinkles over it.
• Chill the cake for another hour before cutting slices.

This is my entry to Sweet and Simple Bakes Monthly Baking Event co-founded by Rosie and Maria .

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Garbanzo and Paneer Curry – A Protein Packed Meal For My 25th Post

We all love to eat Garbanzo beans (kabuli Chana) but I rarely indulge cooking it for some unknown reason. Probably because it’s heavy to digest. This time when I started cooking the beans, instead of cooking the normal Chana masala I thought of giving it a little twist. In some of the Indian restaurants I had read Chana Paneer Masala in their menu, so how is that possible, that the cook in me will not get inspired and try making her own version!

I decided to make garbanzo with paneer. Both Garbanzo and Paneer are loaded with proteins, the nutrition conscious mom was happy for that and a little scared about the digestion. I did not want to make my dish overly spicy. I decided making a normal onion-tomato masala but keeping the spices minimum. The reason being I was expecting guests and I was not sure how much spicy they could eat. The kids, guests(they said they liked it) and S liked the end product, I personally wanted it more thinner which I had not done for the convenience of serving. But the next day I added a little more water ,salt and chili powder to it and relished my curry.

Before I tell you how I cooked the curry let me give you some additional information about the beans which i read at goodwithchildren.com.

Garbanzo beans are also referred to as chickpeas, Bengal grams, and Egyptian peas. They have a delicious nut-like taste and a texture that is buttery yet starchy and pasty. A very versatile legume, they are a common ingredient in many Middle Eastern and Italian dishes, such as hummus, falafel, and curries. Though most people think of garbanzo beans as being beige in color, some varieties are black, green, red, and brown.

Garbanzo beans are an excellent source of molybdenum. They are also a very good source of fiber, folic acid, and manganese. In addition, they are a good source of protein,which I have mentioned above also, as well as minerals such as iron, magnesium, copper, and zinc.

HEALTH BENEFITS A good fiber source, garbanzo beans can help lower cholesterol and improve blood sugar levels, making them a great food for diabetics and insulin-resistant individuals. Served with high-quality grains, garbanzo beans are an extremely low-fat, complete protein food.

Garbanzos also offer a good supply of magnesium and folic acid. Also found in garbanzo beans is molybdenum, a trace mineral needed for the body's mechanism to detoxify sulfites. Sulfite-sensitive individuals who are deficient in this trace mineral may experience headaches, racing heartbeat, or confusion.

Ingredients Required For the Curry

500 gms Garbanzo Beans.

4 medium onions roughly chopped

1 pack tomato puree

6-7 garlic pods

1 1/2 inch piece of ginger

200 gms fresh Paneer (cottage cheese)

Oil for cooking

Spices

4-5 tbsp coriander pwd
1 tbsp cumin pwd
1 tbsp amchoor pwd
1 1/2 tbsp anardana pwd
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
3-4 tsp red chili pwd
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 tbsp kitchen king masala
2 bay leaves
2 green cardamom
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg pwd
salt to taste
How I cooked the Curry

Wash and soak the Garbanzo in water overnight. Boil it in a pressure cooker for 6 whistles and then on low flame for another 10 minutes.

Grind the onion to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a non stick pan and add Bay leaves and cardamom. Add the onion paste and saute it till its brown in color.

Add freshly crushed ginger and garlic. Saute till the raw smell disappears.

Add the tomato puree and cook till the oil leaves the edges.


Add the spices and salt. Roast the masala for a few more minutes.

Cube and add the paneer and mix it properly and gently in the masala.


Add the boiled Garbanzo and mix properly. Add water to adjust consistency. Bring the curry to a boil and simmer for 10-15 mins.
Serve it with Jeera rice or Paratha/Phulka/Naan
This lentil stew is off to MLLA-13 (My Legume Love Affair event) being guest hosted this month by lovely Sunshinemom (@ Tum Yum treats). MLLA is the brainchild of Susan @ Well Seasoned Cook. If You Enjoyed This Post Please Take 5 Seconds To Share It.

Crunchy Mixed Vegetable Salad in Peanut Dressing

The word salad makes my mouth water instantly. Ever since my childhood I have always been fond of eating raw vegetables. My mom used to make various kinds of koshimbirs and raitas so that we eat more greens and veggies.


I was not exposed to the concept of dressings for a salad during my childhood, this concept I understood only after I went into my higher classes and I was exposed to a few cookery books available in the University Library. When I read about the various dressings which were very famous in the US and Europe, I realised my mom had also made all these dressings in some or the other variation but without adding the smart term ‘Dressing’ to her salads. After that for fun sake whenever my mom made a salad I used to give them nice English names.


When Pavani of Cooks Hideout announced JFI:Peanuts, I knew what I had to post. JFI – Jihva for Ingredients is the brain child of Indira of Mahanandi.


Peanuts are also called ‘Garibon ka Mewa’ meaning a rich food for the poor. There’s a scientific reason behind saying like that… Peanuts not only resemble the cashewnuts in their taste but are very rich in proteins (legumes), monosaturated fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, niacin, folate etc. So, they provide a complete nutrition at low cost.


Coming to my recipe as I have mentioned above, I knew what I had to make using the peanuts. This salad is a very favorite of mine. I remember eating the maximum share whenever my mom made this. It is just not simple & tasty but it’s healthily tasty. The addition of the crunch of roasted peanuts to the crunchiness of the raw veggies takes the salad to a different level. Make it to believe what I have said.

It needs very basic ingredients like

1 large tomato finely chopped

6-7 tbsp finely chopped cabbage

1 small cucumber finely chopped

6-7 tbsp nicely roasted and coarsely crushed peanut powder

2 green chilies very finely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander)

2 tsp lime juice

3/4 tsp sugar

salt to taste

2 tsp oil

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

Method to make the Salad

• Mix Cabbage, Tomato, Cilantro, Cucumber, lime juice and green chilies.
• To the crushed peanut powder add salt, sugar.
• Heat oil and add cumin seeds. Put the tempering on the peanut mix. The peanut dressing is ready.
• Add the peanut dressing to the mixed veggies but do not mix. Chill for an hour then mix and serve immediately. (This will prevent the water to come out of the veggies)
• This can be served along with the main course or can be a meal in itself if some one wants to indulge only in salads.

This is my entry to JFI- Peanuts August'09 If You Enjoyed This Post Please Take 5 Seconds To Share It.

The Sour and Spicy Bendekayi Gojju ( a hot and sour Okra)

I am posting yet another recipe from Karnataka and obviously taught by my MIL . Now 'S' being a Kannadiga loves it and will over eat the minute he realises it's something spicy and tangy. So when I told him I am making Gojju for the lunch, he was all set to come for it which he normally avoids in this heat.

Coming to the preparation, the header of the recipe itself explains that the dish is spicy and sour.To my understanding the Gojjus can be prepared in two ways, the first being the sour and spicy and the other version is slightly sweet and sour. Basically the Gojju could be sweet /spicy but it has to be very sour. The word Gojju means a sauce...a spicy tamarind sauce, this explains why the Gojju has to be sour.

This particular preparation demands for the 'Palya pudi' (masala for vegetables) which is readily available in a kannadiga's kitchen. If the Palya pudi is already made and vegetable chopped, it takes no time to make this Gojju. This particular Gojju can also be made using baingan (egg plant). It tastes best when served with hot rice and ghee.

Ingredients

For Palya Pudi

1/2 cup guntur chilli

1 1/2 cup bedagi chilli

1/2 cup coriander seeds

1/2 cup bengal gram (chana dal)

1/2 cup split bengal gram (urad dal)

2 cloves

4 big sticks of cinnamon (dalchini)

1 cup grated dry coconut

2 tsp oil

Method of making Palya Pudi

• Heat 2 tsp oil and add cloves and cinnamon followed by both the dals. Roast them to a nice pink colour/ till they release an aroma.
• Add the coriander seeds and roast till they are nicely crisp, now add chillies and coconut and roast for a few more minutes. Switch off the flame and keep turning the ingredients with a spoon for another minute.
• While roasting be careful that no ingredient gets burnt in this process.

Ingredients For Bendekayi Gojju

1/2 kg of Okra ( washed and wiped dry)

5-6 tbsp tamarind pulp

4-5 tbsp Palya pudi

1 tsp turmeric pwd

1 1/2 - 2 tsp rice powder

few curry leaves ( optional)

2 dry red chillies

a pinch of asafoetida(hing) - optional

oil for cooking

1 tsp mustsrd seeds

salt to taste

Method of cooking Bendekayi Gojju

• Heat oil add mustard seeds, followed by turmeric and bendekayi (Okra). Mix and add salt and tamerind pulp and cook till half done.
• Add Palya pudi, rice powder and mix properly. Add about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Rice pwd helps bring a consistency of a gravy.
• Cook till done, if required add more water if the gravy becomes too thick.
• In a small pan heat a spoon of oil and add curry leaves, a pinch of asafoetida and 2 red chillies and pour this tempering over the gravy.Serve the Gojju with hot rice.

This is my entry to RCI Udupi & Mangalore , hosted by Sia of Monsoon Spice. This event has been originally started by Lakshmi of Veggiecuisine .

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Hyderabadi Baghare Baingan, Stuffed Eggplant Version -I

Ever since I have started blogging my experiments in the kitchen are increasing day by day. I have started experimenting with the various Indian cuisines. Our country India has a vast treasure of various cuisines and I have just started my culinary journey to explore that. I have started it by experimenting with the tried, tested and the famous dishes.

One thing that I am doing regularly these days is dig into my diaries, in which I have been noting down countless recipes over the years, and I am using them in a real sense today. One such recipe which made me stop and experiment with is Hyderabadi Baghare Baingan.


I have always had Telgu neighbours since my childhood. Infact one of my such neighbours was Kumari aunty. She was an affectionate lady and both her children used to love me a lot. I used to be invariably at her place, so my lunch & dinner a lot of times used to be with them. Once it so happened, aunty was sending her kids off to school and I was feeling very hungry. She was not able to pay attention towards me, so the frustrated me went into her kitchen and opened one of her chutney jars and put my hand into it and started eating (I was just 3 yrs old). This was the famous ginger chutney into which I had laid my hand. I was crying and eating as I found it too spicy(poor mischievous me), fortunately aunty realised that I was in the kitchen and when she saw me, she rushed to call my mom. The gist of this entire story is that I realised at the age of 3 that hyderabadi food is SPICY.

The hyderabadi cuisine is slightly sour, spicy and richly endowed with the nuts and assorted spices cooked in ghee - has to be enjoyed to be believed. Sometimes slow cooking and Dum help produce rich flavors.

So here is how I made the Baghare Baingan.








What I Used


2 tbsp ghee
oil for frying
500 gms small Brinjals/Baingan/Eggplant
2 onions finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
1 small piece ginger
3-4 garlic pods
1 tbsp cashewnuts
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp roasted peanuts
1 1/2 tbsp roasted sesame
1 tbsp roasted dry coconut
2 tbsp fresh coconut
2-3 tsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp chili pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tsp tamarind paste
salt to taste

For tempering

3-4 cloves
2 green cardamoms
1/2 inch piece of cinnamon
few curry leaves
1 tbsp ghee

How I made it

• Make criss-cross slits in the baingan keeping the stem intact.
• Deep fry the baingan.
• Grind together poppy, sesame, coriander seeds, both the coconut, peanuts and cashewnuts to a paste using minimum water.
• Heat ghee and add the chopped onions and saute them till light brown in colour.
• Add the tomatoes, salt, red chili and turmeric powder.
• Crush the ginger-garlic and add to the onion-tomatoes.
• Saute till the raw smell of garlic disappears.
• Now add the paste then the brinjals. Mix properly, add tamarind paste and a little water to get a good consistency. Bring it to a boil, cover and cook on low flame for 5-6 mins.
• Heat a small pan and add a tbsp of ghee. Add all the tempering ingredients and pour it over the Baghare Baingan. Mix properly. Cook more for 2-3 mins.
• Serve it with hot rice or roti/paratha.

This is my entry to FIL- Brinjal hosted by Sanghi.



This preparation is dedicated to my elder son . He relishes any preparation of stuffed Baingan I make.

Note-

This particular dish when I cooked , I did not make it too spicy as we eat medium spicy food. When S had it, his comment was 'Excellent taste but I think your story in the post is spicier than the preparation'. So those who love to eat very spicy food, add 10 more red chilies to your preparation.

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Paneer Kaju Pasanda & Garlic Naan (An exotic meal for the kids)

The last weekend both the kids wanted to eat something special and their very commonly used statement is 'Mummy, make something nice'. And if you ask them what 'nice' do they want there will be no explanation to it. They want to eat something which they can call 'yummy food'. So this clueless mom started thinking what could make the kids happy. Hubby dear had demanded that he be served hot roti or paratha for the meal. I asked him how does the idea of Naan appeal him? And he just gave a broad grin.

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Gingered Carrot Soup for Taste and Create

Hi all!  This is my first participation in Taste and Create. Taste&Create event started by Nicole of ForTheLoveOfFood and is hosted by Min of BadGirlsKitchen. For this month I have been paired up with Min of BadGirlskitchen. Those who love eating non vegetarian food, you will love exploring her blog. She has some very  interesting  vegetarian recipes,of which, very conveniently I picked up a comfortable soup…the carrot and ginger. The combo sounded very interesting These day’s I am more into providing nutritious food to my younger one,  this selection helped me there.

The soup comes across as a  quickie  with a delectable taste. The ginger provides the zing to the mild carrot and the all spice provides the additional flavors along with the ever welcome cashew nuts. I adjusted some amount of spices to suit our palate.The original recipe one can read here.

Ingredients

1lb carrots/450gms cubed/grated

3/4 cup chopped onions
2 garlic pods
1 tbsp grated ginger
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup toasted cashew nuts
2-3 tsp olive oil/butter
Spices
1/4 tsp all spice ( I did not have, so made my own substitution) check here
1/2 tsp white pepper (not used in original recipe)
1/4 tsp roasted cumin pwd
1/4 tsp roasted fennel pwd
1/4 tsp mint pwd
1/4 tsp cinnamon pwd
salt to taste
Method
Peel and wash the carrots and grate them. Boil them in 4 cups of water.
Heat olive oil and saute the onions, followed by ginger and crushed garlic. Add all the spices, salt and let it cool.
Toast the cashew nut. and mix it with the onions and blend. Pour in the carrots and blend further.
Bring the soup to a boil . Remove from flame and add lemon juice, mix properly and serve. If You Enjoyed This Post Please Take 5 Seconds To Share It.

Bissi Bele Bhaath and Karnataka Style Sambhar Masala

The first time I had visited S's family when we were getting engaged my MIL had asked my father what would he like her to cook. My dad very gladly had said Bissi bele bhaath. During his short stint in Bangalore he had started liking Bissibele Bhaath , Pesarattu, Vaangi Bhaath and many more... So for him it was like a wish come true . And the bhaath was superb. So when I got married I grabbed the first opportunity that I got to learn the recipe.

When my MIL taught me how to cook the Bhaath in the Karnataka style, I could not believe how simple it was and yet so tasty and healthy. As explained by her Bissi means 'hot' bele means 'daal' and anna means 'Rice" so it actually means " hot rice and daal cooked together".

As the name indicates it requires very basic ingredients readily available in the kitchen and if all the chopping is done it takes no time to cook. It can be an ideal meal if you are expecting guests for lunch/dinner....keep all the veggies chopped and refrigerate. Just cook the Bhath an hour before the guests are to arrive.

The only difficulty I feel with the Bhaath is that you should have a bed ready for slumbers as the Bhaath sits tight in your stomach and makes you feel very drowsy, so as a caution I do not make it on week days.

The best way to serve the Bhaath is with a dollop of ghee on top along with plain Potato wafers (crispies) and raita.

Before I tell you how I made the Bhaath and Raita it's important to know how the Sambhar Masala is made in my kitchen ( Kannara version) as the masala gives the main flavor to the Bhaath. This Sambhar Masala again is my MIL's recipe .












Ingredients for the Sambhar Masala



2 cups red chilies ( I used bedagi and guntur)

1 cup Coriander seeds

1/4 cup Bengal Gram ( Chana Daal)

1 tsp Fenugreek seeds ( Methidana)

2 sticks cinnamon ( dalchini)

3/4 cup grated coconut(dry)

2 tsp oil







Method for Sambhar Masala

• Heat oil and add Fenugreek and Cinnamon followed by the daal.
• Roast on a medium flame for a few minutes till the daal turns pink then add the coriander seeds and roast.
• Add the chilies and roast for a few minutes till they become lightly crisp.
• Now add the coconut and roast for a minute and switch off the flame. Let the contents be there in the pan and keep stirring till the pan cools a bit.(This avoids burning)
• Cool the ingredients and then grind it to fine powder in a coffee grinder.

The final product(Sambhar Masala) looks like this


Ingredients For Bissi Bele Bhaath

1 1/2 cups rice

1 cup tuvar daal (yellow lentils)

4 medium size potatoes (cubed)

3 medium sized onions (sliced)
1 large carrot ( cubed )

3/4 cup peas

15- 20 spinach leaves roughly chopped(can be omitted)

10-15 french beans cut into 1inch pieces

tamarind pulp as per your taste

salt as per your taste

about 1 - 11/2 tsp cinnamon pwd

1/2 tsp clove powder (I add this my MIL does not)

1 tsp turmeric pwd

4 tbsp sambhar masala

a few sprigs curry and coriander leaves

2-3 dry red chilies

oil for cooking

mustard seeds 2 tsp



Method of making Bhaath

• Heat oil and add mustard seeds , curry leaves and red chilies.
• Add sliced onions followed by all vegetables and saute.
• Add tamarind pulp, turmeric, sambhar masala, cinnamon and clove pwd, and mix properly.
• Now add the washed rice and daal and mix it properly.

• To the mix add about 12 cups of water and chopped coriander (I added 13 cups as I like eating the Bhaath in a semi liquid state).
• Pressure cook till 4 whistles.
• Serve the bhaath hot with a spoon of ghee along with some raita and crispies.
• The addition of cinnamon and clove pwd provide an exquisite flavor to the Bhaath.

Ingredients For The Vegetable Raita

1 small onion finely chopped

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 cucumber finely chopped

2 green chilies finely chopped

2-3 tsp coriander finely chopped

1 cup thick curds

1/2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

3/4 tsp roasted cumin pwd



For the Tempering

A spoon of oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

a spoon of chana and urad dal mixed


Method of Making Raita

• Mix all the ingredients of Raita and adjust the consistency by adding water.
• Heat oil and mustard seeds and the urad-chana daal mix. Let the daals turn
  golden brown and pour it on the Raita. Mix and chill for an hour before serving.

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Dum Arvi (Colocasia)

Now that both the kids are back to school I get a lot more time in the morning. One of these days I was in a mood to cook something exquisite . I had been planning to cook a curry using 'Dum' method of cooking since some time, so I thought let me grab the opportunity . My house was silent and I was able to concentrate properly with no one around. And the patience of cooking the curry on 'Dum' resulted in a finger licking curry.

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Upvasacha Kairi Takku and Mango Muramba

Mangoes are indigenous to Indian subcontinent.A large variety of mangoes are abundantly available during summer some of them being Dashahari, Badam, Begampalli, Chousa ,Kesar and ofcourse Hapus (Alphonso) which largely gets exported and is quite expensive.It has an exquisite flavor which makes it very popular.

Like the Chocolate I believe there would be very few who would not enjoy eating mangoes. It is the most extensively exploited fruit for food, juice, colour, flavor, fragrance etc. making it a common ingredient for functional foods & hence often called superfruit.

I have got into my final purchase phase of Mangos as the season is going to end in a few days. I wanted to make a batch of Maavinkayi Chutney which I could use later. Fortunately/unfortunately when I grated the raw mango and tasted it I found it sweet. The chutney needs very sour mango and I was left with 1 Kg of grated sweet and lightly sour mango. I was stuck and was just not able to think, what I should do with them. But gladly my brain did help me in telling that I should call my mom. Mommy dear had an instant solution and told me to make Takku and Muramba. I was sitting pretty now that I knew what I had to with the mangoes and was hating myself for not having thought of it first!!

Both the recipes I have been eating throughout my childhood as my mom made them every summer . Me and my father used to hog on the Takku and Muramba was used to eat with Roti or Paratha or with fruit custard. Muramba is quite like Jam, the only difference being that in Jam the fruit is cooked and mashed but in Muramba small cooked pieces are used. The Takku is normally eaten in a similar fashion as we eat pickle or chutney and can be eaten during fasts(Upvasa) . The Takku lasts for a month and should be refrigerated . Muramba lasts for a year or more if a good preservative is added.

Both the recipes are my entries to Mango Mela at cooking4allseasons hosted by Srivalli.

Ingredients for Upvasacha Kairi Takku

2 cups grated raw mango

4tbsp red chilli pwd
salt to taste

Method for Takku

• Mix all the ingredients and fill it in a jar and keep it in sun for 5-6 days. Let the mango imbibe the spices and release it's own juices.
• Mix it once or twice a day. After 5-6 days the Takku is ready.
  

Tip

For those who can not keep the Takku in sun, pressure cook the raw mango for 10 mins without putting the weight. And then mix salt and chilli pwd.

Ingredients for Mango Muramba

2 cups grated mango

3 1/4 cups sugar

6-7 cardamom

1/4 tsp saffron

1/2 tsp citric acic

1/2 tsp sodium benzoate

Method

• Pressure cook the raw mango with a little water till you get 2 whistles.
• Cool it for 3-4 hrs and then strain the water. Use this water to make sugar syrup.
• In a pan take the sugar and add the water enough to immerse the suagr.
• Boil the sugar solution till you get a three string consistency ( Goli band / Pakki chashani). Check it by putting a drop of it in a bowl of water, if the drop solidifies immediately the syrup's ready.
• Now add the steamed raw mango, citric acid and cook it in the sugar syrup till you get a honey like consistency. Cool and add crushed cardamom, saffron and 1/2 tsp of sodium benzoate (preservative).
  

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Okra in Poppy and Sesame

Lady's finger or Okra is a favorite for a lot of people.The Okra plant is thought to be of African origin and was brought to the US by the African slaves about 3 centuries ago. It hails to the same family of Hibiscus and Cotton (mallow family).

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Tangy Palak in Dal

,

Introducing greens in the food is a big hurdle for a lot of moms, I am glad I am not one of them. Both my kids eat greens without making any fuss, the only condition is to keep making different versions and whatever you make, it should not be bland.

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Healthy Multigrain Masala Poori

Kids school is all set to begin in the next week and they are still up with their demands. My younger one wanted to have a fried snack. Fried's at my place are surely a delicacy as I rarely indulge myself into deep frying.This time I obliged him as he is still set to enjoy his last few days of freedom and I am also happy watching the light showers which has made the neighbourhood appear green again. Rains and fries do gel well.

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Healthy Wheat Chocolate

The word chocolate brings water to every ones mouth. I believe there are very few people who do not like eating chocolate.My kids too are very fond of chocolate. My elder one was unable to to eat this divine thing for the last one year because of his braces. Recently he has come out of it and I thought of treating him with loads of home made chocolate.

Adding wheat to the chocolate not only adds to the nutritive value but it gives a different texture to the chocolate.Wheat flour is a rich source of carbohydrates, dietery fibre, Vit.B , folic acid and Calcium.

Growing kids need Calcium for their bones and teeth. Calcium is important in attaining peak bone mass,which is achieved in adolescence. Low peak bone mass increases the chances of Osteoporosis later in life. Children aged 4-11 years need 800-900 mg of Calcium every day and adolescents need 800-1200mg of Calcium. I found this a good way of introducing Calcium in their diet in a very tasty way. Even bottle gourd is a rich source of Calcium but try giving that to kids .....what say?

I would like to mention that unlike the normal molten chocolate this chocolate is not that easy flowing as it's cooked , so putting it in small moulds is a bit tedious and does not yield perfect shape. Spreading it in a flat dish and then cutting it like a burfi is much simpler ( which I did in the last when I got bored pouring in the moulds ).

Ingredients

2 small cups whole wheat flour

3 small cups sugar

1 small cup unsalted butter

1 small cup cocoa

1 small cup milk powder

2 small cups mixed dry fruits(chopped into small pieces)

Method

• Dry roast the wheat flour on low flame /microwave till it's light brown in colour and produces the roasted fragrance.
• Let the flour cool then sift it 3 times along with the milk powder and cocoa pwd so that it gets mixed thoroughly.
• In a non stick pan take sugar and pour water enough to immerse it.
• Put in on fire and when the sugar dissolves add the butter.Now add the wheat flour mix gradually to the sugar syrup and mix continuosly so that no lumps are formed.
• When the entire flour has been added and mixed and it starts thickening and leaving the edges mix the dry fruits (I used raisin,walnut and cashewnut), remove it from the flame and immediately pour it in a greased plate or moulds.Do it fast as the mix hardens quickly.(Removing the chocolate from the mould is a little tedious).
• Chill it in the refrigerator for an hour or till it sets.
• Makes amout 35-40 chocolates.

Tips

• Be careful about the moisture content in the atmosphere as milk powder absorbs that quickly.
• Take the room temperature also into consideration while making the chocolate as it deforms easily in hot climate.
• In case of using moulds use large ones.

I wish to share the sweetness of the chocolate with all the Americans who celebrate their Independance Day today.

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