Meenal's Kitchen

Chocolate and banana wontons

2011-12-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone. Hope you had a fun and relaxing weekend.

Starting the week with a dessert seems is just what I need here in the cold, dark and very gloomy Pacific North West. I am sure my fellow Washingtonians agree. So, what do you get when you take wonton wrappers, chocolate and bananas. Find out below. Having never tried sweet wontons, I thought would be a good idea . Turns out it was a good one, sweet success !

My recipe is inspired from food network, but I did take some detours from their recommended steps.

You need :

2 milk chocolate candy bars(I recommend grating them )

16 wonton skins

2 bananas, sliced

1 pint vanilla ice cream(optional)

1/2 cup cinnamon sugar cinnamon sugar (mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1tbsp cinnamon powder and keep in a dry jar)

4 cups vegetable oil to deep fry the wontons

This is how you make it :

Start with leaving the milk chocolate in a warm place to make it slightly pliable. Then grate the chocolate bars and keep aside. Lay the wonton skins out on a surface and 1 at a time; paint the edges with water. In the center of the wonton skin, place a tsp of chocolate mixture and top with a banana slice. Fold the wonton skin like a wrapper and press together well to seal completely. Cover with plastic wrap and keep aside.

Heat the oil and fry the wontons (one at a time) till they are golden brown.Meanwhile, place the cinnamon sugar in a bowl. Take the fried wonton out of the soil and dredge in cinnamon sugar to coat the wonton. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream( optional). I tired both versions and both were good.

ooey-gooey and scrumptious..enjoy:)

Chocolate -Banana Wontons

Something new something fresh - AGAIN

2011-11-29T23:51:00.000-08:00

A couple years ago , I started a weekly series on my blog called " Cooking with friends "and brought something new something fresh to you every Wednesday, It was very well received and popular series and so I am back with it yet again:))

As I said back then , "Cooking for family, friends and fun is integral to my blog, this is where I publish stories and recipes around the three.Today I begin, a weekly feature on my blog Cooking with friends. Every Wednesday, I will feature a friend of mine and her wonderful recipe:)). I am very excited and hope you all enjoy reading it as well. "

Today's chef is my friend Mehnaz . We have a lot in common - the alphabet M in our names, our passion for cooking and love of food , our zodiac signs , the biggest year of our lives( we became moms within 2 days of each other, last year), and too many other things to discuss here. shes an absolute sweetheart and I feel lucky to have a person that's so pure of heart, as my friend .You get the drift right ? Every year on Id, biryani, sevaiyaan and kebabs are a must haves at her place -she runs out of food within minutes and I am never surprised.

Mehnaz and I at our combined baby shower last year

Today, I will share another one of her recipes which is finger licking good -Roghan Josh.

the story behind the dish -Roghan josh is an an aromatic lamb dish and is Kashmiri by origin.Originally Rogan josh was brought to Kashmir by the Mughals. Characteristically, by Kashmiri interpretation, the name Roghan josh is derived from the word rogan meaning color and josh meaning either passion or low-moderate heat and the dish classically involves slow cooking at moderate heat for prolonged period of time. Powdered chillies are never used but essentially an extract of grinded chillies devoid of seeds. Kashmiri chillies being mild do impart, at least partially the red color and yet still keep the food mildly hot, but the real color of the dish is attributed to the extract from dried flowers.Classically, garlic paste and paste of a local variety of shallots fried before grinding called prawn locally in Kashmir is typically as essential as is saffron, but a wide array of spices go into the making of this dish.( wikipedia.)

You need:

1 whole chicken, skin removed, cut into pieces.

1/4 cup desi ghee or oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons minced ginger

5-6 finely chopped green chili’s

2 cups finely chopped coriander leaves/hara dhania/Cilantro

6-8 crushed Almonds

6-8 crushed Cashew nuts

1 ¼ Cup hung curd

Few saffron (Kesar/zafran) strands

3-4 drops kewra water

1 teaspoon garam masala powder

1 cup crispy fried onions (crushed)

2-3 teaspoon coriander seeds (roasted and crushed)

Salt to taste

This is how you make it:

Marinate the chicken with hung curd, chopped green chilies, coriander, salt, crushed almonds and cashews. Set it aside for an hour. Heat oil or ghee in a skillet or karahi and sauté ginger garlic paste for 1 minute.Add marinated chicken (only pieces) to it, continue to fry until they turn brown.Add the remaining marinade, cover and cook on medium for 30 to 45min until the oil begins to leave the edges of the pan and gravy starts to get thick and creamy.Mix fried onions (crushed), coriander seeds (roasted and crushed), saffron and Kewra in a separate bowl.Then add the mixture to the gravy, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Add water if curry gets too dry.Garnish it with shredded ginger.

You can make Roghan josh with lamb or chicken . And you ask me why it was finger licking good. Look at the picture-enough said ! Serve this delectable Roghan josh with naan or rice.

Roghan Josh

Until next week , stay happy but not hungry. Also, try cooking with your friends - its a lot of fun :)

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2011-11-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

"A pumpkin(Pie, cookie or Ice cream) a day, keeps the doctor away"

The Pumpkin mania begins before Halloween. Pumpkin spice for cookies & soups, pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks , beauteous pumpkins everywhere at doorsteps, stores , offices. After peaking at Halloween this transcends into pumpkin pies and various desserts for Thanksgiving.

Definitely had to make pumpkin something this year - maybe a cheesecake. But before that I needed to know why do we eat pumpkin pies and desserts for Thanksgiving . Here's why, " The pilgrims probably didn't have pumpkin pie per se at the first Thanksgiving because they didn't have an oven to bake the crust in. This squash, which dates back 9,000 years to Mexico, had been cultivated by the Native Americans for centuries, roasted or boiled for survival. The pilgrims might have made stewed pumpkin by filling the shell with a mixture of orange flesh, milk, honey and spices and baking it in ashes, but the first pumpkin pie did not appear until 1670."(courtesy: organic authority.)

Alright then ...with my curiosity satiated, I quickly scrambled for a way to bake my cheesecake. Thanks to Paula Deen, I found just the one . It was scrumptious and made me smile. Oh, the joy of trying wonderful new recipes .

You need :

Crust:

1 and 3/4 cups graham crackers

3 tbsp light brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 stick melted butter

Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

This is how you make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside. (Disclaimer : I was strapped for time so did not make the crust, but used a store bought one.)

For filling: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Make sure to really watch out for the cake otherwise it will get burnt. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream

Pumpkin Cheese Cake

Green bean Salad

2011-11-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

So you have seen -warm wild rice salad and garlic mashed potatoes thus far. Today I present before you - Green Bean Salad

A clear family favorite, this recipe pops up without fail during our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and on countless days during year. WHY...you ask? Being quite health conscious , I really need to know why I am eating something (a logic I conveniently forget on days when I eat myself into oblivion on holidays). Beans are very good source of fiber ,vitamins , minerals and plant derived micro nutrients (most importantly Iron) and most of all - very low in calories , so guilt free eating. Makes for a happy Moi:)

The crunch of the walnuts , onion coupled with tartness of the Dijon mustard elevate it several levels and take it from the slightly boring , bland bean to a multi dimensional casserole/salad.

Go ahead , try this and Iam sure you will love it. Thank you to Ellie Krieger (food network) whose recipe this is:)

You need :
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 teaspoons walnut oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

This is how you make it :
Bring a large pot of water with a steamer basket to a boil, add green beans and steam for about 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Toast the walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant, about 2 minutes, and then transfer them to a small bowl to cool. Add the parsley and onion to the walnuts and stir to combine.

In another small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and mustard. Toss the dressing with the green beans, top with the walnut mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Stay healthy and Enjoy

Green Bean Salad

Coming up- Pumpkin cheesecake, butternut squash soup, Cranberry chutney, turkey .

Garlic mashed potatoes

2011-11-26T00:51:00.000-08:00

Hopefully you will try the previous dish and enjoy it . Now, on to the next. How can any Thanksgiving meal be complete without a potatoes or sweet potatoes?

Here's my version of the quintessential mashed potato dish ..... Garlic mashed potatoes

You need :

2 tbsp garlic paste

Olive oil

2 pounds russet potatoes -boiled

Salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

chopped chives for garnish

This is how you make it :

Boil the russet potatoes and add some salt . Cook until tender and once done , mash them until smooth. Keep them aside. In the meantime , heat butter and cream until butter melts. Add the garlic paste and potatoes and cook well. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped chives. Serve immediately.

These turned out so yummy , enjoy:)

Garlic mashed potatoes

Coming up next - butternut squash soup.

Warm Wild Rice Salad

2011-11-26T00:31:00.000-08:00

After waking up from the a food coma and shopping till I drop at Black Friday sales, I am back here to get started with the all recipes from my thanks giving dinner . Are you ready ? So without further ado, lets get started.

Today it is warm wild rice salad. This recipe is from the Food Network, courtesy the Neely's) I tried this for the first time and I assure this will not be the last time. Yummy and so easy to cook , I am glad I decided to include it in this year's thanksgiving menu .

You need :

3 1/2 cups water

2 cups rice (1 cup long-grain wild rice and 1 cup brown rice

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 red bell pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup slivered almond

3/4 cup frozen peas

1and 1/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves (I used corriander leaves)

This is how you make it:

Bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil in large saucepan. Add rice and reduce heat to medium. Cook until just tender about 35 to 40 minutes. Fluff with a fork when ready. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions, celery, carrots, peppers, salt and pepper. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

In a separate pan over medium-low heat, toast almonds. Stir occasionally until browned. Add peas and red pepper flakes to the vegetables. Add rice to skillet. Mix together and allow to cook for a few minutes. Remove from pan. Add almonds and top with parsley

A very healthy and perfect side dish to the star of the show ...the thanksgiving turkey :))

Warm wild rice salad

Coming up next - Roasted garlic mashed potatoes

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T23:43:00.001-08:00

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

~Author Unknown

A very happy thanksgiving to all of you. May you remember this day every year that you have a lot to be thankful for :))

Here's the thanksgiving meal I cooked today - turkey, butternut squashsoup, green beans with walnuts(in mustard dressing), cranberry salsa, warm wild rice salad, roasted garlic ,mashed potatoes and pumpkin cheesecake (recipes follow soon :)

What was your thanksgiving meal like ?

Kesari

2011-11-01T23:07:00.000-07:00

Diwali harks the beginning of the the Festival season that goes on nonstop till the end of the year . So excited its here ! With celebrations comes guilt free eating and for me that guilty pleasure would be mithai. I will repent later but for now I have to have all that ooey-gooey sweet delicious-ness.

This year, I wanted to try something new so I went looking for some inspiration. Wait....!!! How about that kesari served at the local south Indian restaurant(which shall remain nameless here) . I skipped past the pineapple and the mango version and decided to stick with just plain kesari for now. Lets see how this turns out and then I shallst get more adventurous.

You need:Sooji/Rava/Semolina -1/2 cup

Sugar-1/2 cup

Water-1 cup

Ghee- 2 tbsp

Saffron- a few strands

Milk-3 tbsp

Chopped dry fruits(raisins, pistachios, almonds)

Cherry- 1 (for garnish)

This is how you make it:

Soak saffron in warm milk.Heat ghee in a pan , roast the dry fruits and keep aside. Now, roast the rava in the pan( in the ghee still left in the pan) for about 6 minutes . Add the saffron milk mixture, water and keep stirring to avoid lump formation. Fold in the sugar and cook . Add the roasted nuts , stir a little bit more and take it off the stove. Garnish with glazed cherry and serve.

I offered this as bhog(oblation) for the Diwali pooja and got glowing reviews from my friends and neighbors as well . I loved that the saffron/kesar imparted a vibrant yellow color to the kesari-so festive!

Kesari - Mission Successful

An offering to Goddess Lakshmi for Diwali

Try it and let me know how your kesari turned out. Happy mithai making.

Boooo

2011-11-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a happy happy Halloween :)

Watch this space as I return with more recipes, reviews ,stories and series ..

Happy Diwali

2011-10-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite Diwali wish this year ...

"Troubles as light as air, love as deep as the ocean, friends as solid as a diamond, and success as bright as the lustre of gold... This is what we wish for you this Diwali. May darkness never touch you and may your life always be lit with joy, happiness and prosperity. "

Rangoli to brighten up your place

Some home made Kesari and gulab jamun to sweeten your palate (recipes to follow in the next few posts)

Have a happy and safe Diwali . See you soon.

Of Opportunities lost

2011-10-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

"Most people dont recognize oppurtunity when it comes , because its dressed in overalls and looks like a lot of work -Thomas Alva Edison"

6 years have passed since I gave birth ...to my blog. While there's no denying that I love it dearly, sometimes I wonder if I have treated it like a stepchild and not been able to nurture it the way I could have, so definitely feel some big time guilt. What if I could have had a gazillion more recipes on there, written tons more, connected more with my virtual family and readers and made more of a mark on the blogosphere. WHAT IF?

Lots of time has gone by and more food bloggers than I care to count , have sprouted on the horizon. Lots of opportunities gone..sigh! Looks like the pessimist in me has surfaced today.

(source: www.toonpool.com)

But the optimist is never behind and it nudges me and says , " So what,time may have passed you by but one thing that hasn't changed over all this time is your connection and love for food." True that:)

Also "opportunities always look bigger going than coming" so maybe nothing is lost after all (breathes sigh of relief) I guess time will tell!

Iam alive, Iam kicking and I am BACK

2011-10-21T00:22:00.000-07:00

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."Virgina Woolf

I cannot agree more. The last two years have been really intense, busy, eventful and nail biting in every possible way. I had a baby, got a new job , bought a new house, spent endless sleepless nights being a mom and learnt how to balance all of the above or atleast try.If I didnt have good food to nourish my body and soul , things could ended a very different way.

Happy to report food and cooking are still my passions and that can never change no matter how life changes, so what if I applied the breaks for a little bit.Iam excited to return to it and now harbour dreams of teaching my daughter to cook someday just like my mom did. Can't wait :)

In the meantime, Iam alive, Iam kicking and I am BACK to Meenal's Kitchen:)

Something new something fresh–part 5

2009-05-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

4 posts to my friend's series and going strong still. And I have more coming up:)It just keeps getting better.Check part 4 here.) and part 3 here.)

I am very excited to introduce you to today's chef-Richa. Richa and I have been friends for over 2 yrs and she's a wonderful friend. A fashionista, who loves to sport the latest trends and designers, a go-getter, beauty with brains and sweetness personified is who she is. I can safely say that so far that I have never seen upset or angry even once and that's no mean fate :))Shes great..you get the picture, right?:)

Richa and I

The recipe Iam about to feature here was yummy- Bharwa Mirchi . She made this along with some other with a bunch of other delicacies and I truly loved it.Just the picture, makes me want to have some again.I assure you, you will feel the same way once you look at it.Here goes the recipe:)

You need:
Green Chilies: 13 large sized
Grated Coconut: 4 tbsp
Potato: 1
Fresh Coriander leaves: a few springs
Oil: 5 tbsp
Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp
Aniseed powder:1/2 tsp
Cumin powder (roasted and grinded):1/4 tsp
Coriander powder (roasted and grinded):1/4 tsp
Amchoor: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste

This is how you make it
Wash & wipe green chillies. Slit and deseed. Apply a little salt and keep aside for thirty minutes. Wash well and let drain.Boil, peel and grate the potato. Clean, wash and finely chop coriander leaves. Heat two table spoon of oil and temper with asafetida and mustard seeds .Add coconut and sauté till lightly colored. Add grated potato and sauté for another five minutes. Add red chili powder, aniseed powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and amchoor. Sauté till well mixed.Season and add coriander leaves. Remove from heat and set aside.Stuff mixture into chilies and keep aside. Heat remaining oil in a shallow pan. Place chilies, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and serve hot. Yes, it was D-E-L-I-C-O-U-S :))Enjoy the Bharwa Mirchi.

Bharwa Mirchi

Something new something fresh–part 4

2009-04-23T02:43:00.000-07:00

Yes its Thursday,(But Iam still thinking of it as late late Wednesday night so I can tell myself I made the Wednesday blog post).Iam putting together "Something New Something fresh part-4" at this unearthly hour ,that's how much I love this weekly feature. Incase you are wondering why I didn't feature this on Wednesday, here's my excuse ..Iam still celebrating my bday which mostly turns out to be week long, thats how lucky Iam :))(Read more here.)

And today Iam very happy to introduce you to my friend Ishita. This Leo Lawyer was born on August 15th(fantastic coincidence)and is a wonderful girl.If you read my blog ,you would know that she's the one who's baby shower we celebrated in March.(Read more here.)We have known each other a while and we are close now,close enough for me to think of her like a younger sister:)She's smart,spirited and knows how to speak her mind and I really like that about her.In June, she's going to be mommy to a baby Marisha:) Can't wait to see the little rock star.

Ishita and Me

This Bengali lioness loves Seafood and cooks it really well.So I pestered her to give me this recipe and she was sweet enough to give it to me right away. Thanks Ishi!Its called Bhapa Chingri (steam cooked prawns in Mustard sauce)and its delicious. I don't need to say anything because the picture from Chef Ishita says all:)

You need:
10-15 Prawns(depending on the size)- shelled, washed and deveined
1-1.5 tbsp - Mustard seeds
4-6 - green chillies
2 tbsp of coconut powder
2 tbsp of coconut milk (Ishita uses both as the coconut milk adds flavor and the powder adds to the texture of the sauce)
mustard oil(it is important to use mustard oil as it adds to the pungent taste which is the speciality of the dish)
turmeric powder
salt to taste

This is how you make it
After the prawns have been cleaned and washed, marinate it with salt and turmeric powder and keep aside. In a spice/coffee grinder, take the mustard seeds and grind it dry till it forms a fine paste. For the last few seconds put in 2-3 green chillies in the same grinder and grind it together with the mustard seeds. Take out the mixture and soak it in enough water to form a paste & keep aside.
Now, in a small to medium size stainless steel air tight box, coat the bottom slightly with mustard oil. now add the prawns, coconut powder, coconut milk mustard paste, salt to taste and turmeric to the box. Add a little water but not too much. Before shutting the lid, add a little extra mustard oil to the dish along with the rest of the green chillies slit vertically.
Place the tightly shut box on a bed of water in a large skillet and put it on medium high heat. as the water boils, it will heat up the box and cook the shrimps. Ensure that the skillet does not run out of water. Cook for 10-13 minutes(shrimp takes very little time to cook) and then take the box out of the water. leave the lid on till the box cools down and then open.

Enjoy the shrimp in mustard sauce with plain white/brown rice.

Bhapa Chingri

When it rains it pours

2009-04-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Pun Intended :)) I fell sick for about 10 days and then was recovering and then before I got in any kind of shape to post, my laptop gave up on me .I am working from a loaner right now and don't have access to a lot of my food pictures and thats why you saw hardly any posts from me this past week so I do have a lot of recipes to share...SOB! SOB!

But I have been well, alive and definitely kicking. Today is my birthday and Iam blessed to have a wonderful husband, family and friends who have things planned for me through the week. I look forward to returning with lots of pics from this week, eating at different restaurants and sharing those stories with you all :)

Cheers :))

I also wanted to thank Priya for giving me the "I love your blog" award. Priya thanks so being such a sweetheart and honoring me.I also ,really like your blog.You can follow Priya's blog here.

Will return with a ton of pictures and stories next week. Till then, watch this space for my "cooking with friends" section tomorrow, where I feature another wonderful friend and her recipe

Something new something fresh–part 3

2009-04-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,I am stoked at your comments and words of encouragement on this series. It has galvanized me and I hope to feature more and more of my friends every Wednesday. It was such a bummer that I missed last week’s entry but you all know why that was:) I am just very glad to be back and posting again. Check out part 1 here.and part 2 here from the Something new something fresh series.

So without further ado, let’s just jump right in and I’ll introduce you to today’s Chef. She is..... Aparna.Will you believe me if I tell you, that we have never met...even once.Yet, I feel like we have known each other for many years!!She lives thousands of miles across the world and we are connected only through the world wide web and yet we’ve been friends for 4 yrs now.I look at that as an achievement in itself. Wouldn't you:)?

We met on a social networking site,decided to take a chance on each other and look how that chance paid off ..because today I consider her a really good friend (we have talked about all things under the sun). She recently got married to the love of her life V,who’s a great guy and also a very good cook.Needless to say, Iam very happy for this creative and artistic woman. All the very best on the exciting new chapter in your life, my friend :))

Aparna on her engagement day, Feb 09

Aparna's recipe has a fabulous name.It's called Ali Nazik and is a Turkish dish. (Aparna had this dish at a friend's place and loved the taste so decided to make it herself. She customized it’s a bit to suit her taste buds and it turned out well despite apprehensions). The dish is served in 2 layers on a serving dish. First comes the vegetarian part of it, and the beef part is layered on top of that. This sounds so yummy that I have to try it soon.Let’s get cooking

You need:
For the beef preparation:
260gm ground beef (you could use ground lamb if you don't have beef).
1 medium onion, chopped.
2 medium tomatoes, diced.

For the vegetarian preparation:
3 medium sized egg plants.
5 green capsicums.
6 cloves of garlic, chopped.
200gm yogurt (you could reduce or increase this as per your liking).

Spices and garnish:
(The measurements for garnish and spices vary according to personal liking.)
A bunch of parsley, chopped.
5 to 6 green chillies - sliced.
1 teaspoon of black pepper.
2 teaspoons of chilli powder.
1 teaspoon of coriander powder (a spice that i added on my own).
Salt (as per taste).
Around 4 tablespoons of olive oil.

This is how you make it
The Vegetables
Broil the eggplants and capsicums in the oven. (If you like her, don't have an oven, you could roast them over open flame, something that's done for making baingan-bharta, but without the oil).
After the vegetables have cooled down, peel off the burnt layers. Rinse in water.
Dice the capsicums and the egg plant pulp and mix them up together.

(Note: Usually, the capsicum-eggplant mix is not cooked over flame. Rather, olive oil, chopped garlic, chilli powder is mixed into the mix. She wasn't sure, how well she would have taken to the 'raw' taste of the mixture, hence this variant.)

In a deep pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame.
Add the chopped garlic and saute (don't let the garlic bits burn).
Add in the eggplant capsicum mix into this, stir will. Add in salt as per your taste and chilli powder. Stir and mix everything well.
Take the mixture off the flame. Add in yogurt (as mentioned before, you can reduce or increase the amount of yogurt; depends on your personal liking). Make sure that the yogurt is not watery. The mix that you get by adding the yogurt should be of a nice and thick consistency.
Transfer this mix to the serving dish.

The Beef
Saute the chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat.
Add in the diced tomatoes.
Add salt (as per taste), coriander powder, black pepper powder.
Keep stirring for a while so that the spices mix well with the onion and tomatoes.
Add in the ground beef and keep stirring until cooked.(Note: Its okay to add in some water in between, just make sure that the beef preparation is not 'watery' in the end).
After the beef is done, layer this beef mixture over the eggplant-capsicum mixture that you had put into the serving dish.
Garnish with chopped parsley and sliced green chillies.ENJOY

AliNazik

Back (with a Bang I hope)

2009-04-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

One terrible week and Iam back as promised. This flu was quite persistent ,just didn't want to leave me the heck alone:) After losing my voice and trying to eat food that mostly tasted like cardboard ..I am raring to go to the kitchen and conjure the spiciest thing I can think of, but Iam still recovering and my system is not yet ready for that spicy jolt so I'll take it easy and graduate to some interesting food soon:))

Good to be back and THANKS so so much for your love, support and good wishes .Means the world to me and I REALLY appreciate it. Recipes coming soon:)

Down but not out

2009-03-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

Hope you all have been well and posting regularly :) No post from me since Monday , that's because Iam under the firm grip of the flu and even though I would love to,I cant post recipes and stories right now. Looks like the Wednesday series might elude me as well.

I will be back in a few days, hopefully fit as a fiddle :))

Ciao
-Meenal

You asked for it "Grilled Lemon pepper Salmon"

2009-03-28T17:48:00.001-07:00

Michele,who is a blogger pal for 4 years now had this to say to me recently “you can still take a picture of food and make it irresistible to the viewer. I’ll have to scroll and see if you have a fun and 'doable' recipe for Salmon. My kids are picky and I'm trying to get them to eat fish. So far, it's not working. But I keep trying because fish is so healthy!”

Thanks a ton Michele and not a problem at all :)I grew up eating a lot of fish and it’s an integral part of my diet.So a quick and doable salmon recipe is child's play for me. Some of you who are not into salmon ,must wonder ”what's the big deal??” Well,salmon is packed with Omega 3 fatty acids,amino acids and other minerals which make it perfect in every way.Lets talk some benefits, shall we?
•Muscles, Tissues, Enzymes, Hormones etc
•Cardio-Vascular Health
•Metabolism
•Eye Care
•Brain & Nerves. Read some more here.

Beauty benefits:(ladies do I have your attention now:)?
•helps improve the production of collagen, keratin and melanin.
•prevents dry skin patches
•prevents wrinkles :))Is that reason enough??
•boost's the skin's ability to retain water.
•improves skin texture and adds luster to eyes, skin, hair and nails. More here.

Are we still thinking ??? OK, in that case,lets go to a recipe ,that should surely convert you.Iam going to start with a easy-breezy recipe for salmon .I call it the Grilled Lemon-pepper salmon

You need
4 Alaskan salmon steaks
For marinade
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1.5 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

This is how you make it
Mix all ingredients of the marinate and pour over the salmon steaks. Cover and let the steaks absorb the marinade for about 10-15 minutes. You are now ready to grill the fish. Place the marinated fish on the grill and let it cook(you could pan fry it, bake,broil it,cook it in foil,whichever technique works for you). If the steaks are thin you could do each side for about 2 minutes and if they are thick , let them cook for about 4 minutes each. Be careful not to move or turn the fish too much ,as it could becomes really soft on cooking and disintegrate.

Garnish with lemon wedges, a sprig of cilantro and serve with salad, steamed vegetables, with rice or as is. Check out another of my salmon recipes here.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Salmon

Hope you and your kids like this one, Michele :)

Something new something fresh–part 2

2009-03-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to my "Something new something fresh" – Wednesday series. Got a good response from my last week’s posting and Iam back with my second post for the series. Read more about part 1 here.

Today’s Chef is Vandana- one of my closest friends.Here's a little testimonial I had written for her once "Smart, pretty, confident, friendly ,caring and a great cook, V is a friend I would custom order, but didn’t have to because I got lucky enough to find her one fine day. One of the most genuine people I know, she’s a terrific mix of traditional and the modern……."And this was 2 yrs ago. Since then our friendship has only grown and she’s like family.

Vandana and I at Durga Puja ,2007

Vandana and I at Durga Puja,2008

Vandana is a Bombay girl(I prefer Bombay to Mumbai:)and loves her spicy street food. She comes from a close knit family and also loves corn, diamonds and Abhishek Bachchan (in no specific order) and claims that she did not cook at all before she moved to the US of A.Haha..Right!! I love her scrumptious dosas and rajasthani food. Finally, here’s the recipe I would like to share from V’s Pandora’s Box- Corn Bhel (an excellent appetizer, mid day snack and very healthy).She made it last yr at a get together and it was finger licking good.

You need
1.5 cups corn–(she used frozen corn)
1 large onion-chopped
2 large potatoes–(she used Yukon gold potatoes)
2-4 green Thai chilies finely chopped(Use 4 if you like it spicy)
2 chopped tomatoes-(optional -she doesn't use it because of allergies)
2 tablespoon cilantro chutney (recipe given below)
2 tablespoon tamarind/date chutney(she used store bought chutneys)
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Chaat Masala
1 teaspoon Sandwich Masala (she gets it from Bombay)
1/4 teaspoon Amchur Powder - optional
Sev(Indian crispy noodles) for garnishing-(bought at any Indian grocery store)

Cilantro chutney
4 cups of cilantro leaves
2-3 cloves of garlic.
2-3 green thai chillies.
1 teaspoon (cumin) seeds
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste

This is how you make it
For Cilantro chutney:
Grind all the ingredients together and add a little bit of water for consistency. Add salt and lemon juice to taste.
Corn Bhel
Boil the corn with a little salt and turmeric. Drain the water & keep aside.
Boil the potatoes and peel and mash.
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients thoroughly and keep aside. This bhel can be served either hot or cold. When you are ready to serve, garnish with the sev.ENJOY!!

Corn Bhel

Soup for the soul

2009-03-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Weather's been terrible here in Seattle lately but then its almost always bad (seriously,we Seattlites never know if it will rain,snow or be overcast the next hour.The Sun is always playing peek-a-boo,titillating us with occasional appearances through a cloud ridden sky and and then mysteriously disappearing on us for days on end.We are always prepared for the worst).

But even we, were not prepared for the snow storm in Dec'08 when it snowed continuously for week and we were forced to be under house arrest.Our state government was not equipped to handle all the chaos that ensued and all freeways and roads turned into free for all ski resorts.Though all that pristine snow is a sight to behold, its not fun after a week when one runs out of movies to watch,food to cook and people to call.A week then feels like a year.Arrgh, I never want to be in house arrest again with the weather holding me prisoner in my own home. For more pictures of how unforgiving snow in Seattle can be go here:)

Its almost April and we are still getting snow.As if that's not enough....the economic climate makes you want to throw up your hands in despair.With more 650,000 jobs lost in Feb'09 alone and the unemployment steadily climbing up(8.1%),we are learning to reach out for that comfort food,self soothe and just hang in there and hope it will get better.Or will It?

Its for times like this ,that I make my vegetable and turkey soup.A bowl of that, and I am instantly filled with a sense of well being and hope that all will right with the world again, for a few hours at least :) Try it, its good and did I say HEALTHY?

You need
1 tablespoon Canola Oil
1 cup chopped medium onion
2 cups ground turkey
4 cups water (you can use chicken or vegetable stock too)
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped Carrots
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms(any kind are fine)
1/2 cup Corn(fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
2 medium chopped Tomatoes
1 18oz can of black beans
1 cup Cooked baby shrimp ( I added them just for fun)
1 teaspoon cumin
2 Bay leaves
2 tablespoons Parsley
1 teaspoon cumin powder
Salt and Pepper -- to taste

This is how you make it
In a large pot,heat oil and add cumin and bay leaves.When they splutter add onions, mushrooms,carrots,bell peppers,zucchini,corn,black beans and ground turkey.Saute till the vegetables are soft and turkey looks cooked.Add diced tomatoes and saute till they are soft and done.Add salt ,pepper,cumin powder and water.When the soup begins to boil,add the cooked baby shrimp. Cook for a few minutes and stir in parsley.Simmer until done.Take off the soup and serve hot,as is or with bread. You can add a dash of lime juice to the soup.Feel better already? Mission accomplished :))

Vegetable and turkey soup

The Reappearance

2009-03-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

Of what, you ask?I shall tell you in a moment or...two!! Well let me tell you a bit about myself first. Iam a marketing professional, also pursuing a course at UW(University of Washington).As part of the course, Iam working on marketing project for which me and my team mates meet every weekend and plan ahead for our project. OKKK, enough of the boring stuff already.The point is,the girls in the team are a lot of fun and we get along very well.Double that fun with food,drinks and conversation, Cheers to more of that:))

We met this morning-bright and early. Alix,our gracious host arranged for coffee bagels,strawberries and whipped cream.Elise got fruit and I got...that's right,this is where it reappeared,THE PINEAPPLE UPSIDE CAKE(TPUC).

One of my favorite cakes, TPUC is an absolute essential on my recipe arsenal.I learnt to bake it when I was 10 and associate it with a lot of special childhood memories.Needless to say, I have baked it again and again.I had blogged about it in Feb2006 when I hosted a party for the Superbowl.Read more about it(here).Back then I was a regular blogger.I suppose,the reappearance of this cake is a sign that I too,have resurfaced and this time no breaks for me.Pull out all the stops,Iam raring to go:)You can find the recipe(here)

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

How did the cake taste??I think I will let this picture do all the talking.All Iam going to say is,Iam so glad everyone liked it and posed happily with the cake.Thanks ladies!!

(From left to right:Elise,Catherine,Me,Holly and Alix)

This recipe is dedicated to team CoreConcepts

Something new something fresh

2009-03-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

Cooking for family, friends and fun is integral to my blog, this is where I publish stories and recipes around the three:).Today I begin, a weekly feature on my blog called "Cooking with friends" Every Wednesday, I will feature a friend of mine and her wonderful recipe:)).Iam very excited and hope you all enjoy reading it as well.

Today's chef is my friend Joyeeta, a sweet and wonderful person she's also a wonderful cook(though she doesn't want to admit to being one.)We met after she came across my blog and we started talking to each other:Joyeeta is inspired by her mom's cooking,and literally cooks up a storm everytime she hosts a party.I have been to many of her parties and you can only imagine,how much good food I have tucked in because of her.Recently,I went to another of her awesome parties and she had yet again outdone herself.Joyeeta has been a sweetheart to share all those recipes from the party and one by one I will feature them all .

Joyeeta and I at the Husky Stadium

Here's one of her many recipes,"chicken Satay with Peanut sauce". Try it, its really yummy:)

You need
For Chicken Satay
Chicken Breast cut lengthwise into strips
Wooden Skewers soaked in cold water for 1/2 hr or more
Marinade
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste (eyeball the measurement)
Siracha chilli sauce (1 tsp)
salt
Cumin powder (1 tsp)
Corriander power (1tsp)
Garlic
Minced Shallots (2 tbsp)
Dark Soy Sauce (2 tbsp)
Brown Sugar (1 tbsp or more depending on taste)
1 tbsp oil

For peanut sauce(Courtesy of the Joy of Cooking)
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbsps firmly packed light brown sugar ( i just used dark)
1 tbsp fish sauce (i used a little)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp canned Thai Massaman Curry Paste (i used Thai red curry paste)
1/2 tsp curry powder

This is how you make it
Chicken satay :Mix all the ingredients of the marinade and taste it to adjust any of the ingredients before adding the chicken.
You can also puree the marinade.Put the washed chicken strips into the marinade and let it sit for 2hrs to 4 hrs.Thread the skewer with each chicken strip.Hi Broil for 10 mins on one side,5 mins on the other.Time varies with each oven so keep checking to see if it's cooked, it should have a nice golden brown color. Garnish with basil leaves.

Peanut sauce :Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan.Whisk in a 1/2 cup hot water thoroughly.Simmer, stirring occasionally, over low heat until the flavors are well blended, 15 to 20mins. Stir in:Fresh lime juice.Serve it warm with the chicken satay!

A Hawaiian Baby shower and some chowmein

2009-03-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

What a title :))Was at a good friends "Hawaiian " babyshower yesterday which was tremendous fun.It was so funny because there was rain all around and the weather was anything but Hawaiian.Turned out to be one of the most colorful babyshowers I have been to, with everyone in their Hawaiian best.The venue -N&N's place(gracious hosts),the cake- really cute,the food-outstanding (we did potluck..noodles baked in white sauce,fruit salad, pasta salad,chowmein,hummus&pita bread),charming decor ,fun games and great company all around.Even with the weather being a party pooper,what a fine Saturday indeed!

The beautiful cake :)

Me and mine felt Hawaiian and so colorful

The lovely parents to be

Our friends have chosen a beautiful name for their soon to arrive to bundle of joy(cant disclose it till she's here)and we wish them the very best.

I&P,here's a little poem for your baby girl

"Tiny fingers, tiny toes,
Little itty bitty clothes.
Dresses, ribbons & hair to curl,
We're tickled pink I&P are having a girl!"

A dress and cute little shoes for baby M

So what did Aunty Meenal make for the babyshower?She volunteered to make Chowmein for the potluck style party,which was well appreciated .Some of my friends asked for the recipe and here it is

You need
2 pounds precooked Yakisoba noodles(I get them at Costco)
2 medium sized onions-finely sliced
2 bell peppers-julienned(I chose orange and yellow for color)
3 cups baby spinach (any other will also do)
8 oz sliced mushrooms (crimini or button)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons canola or olive oil
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

This is how you make it
Heat the oil in a deep vessel and add diced onions, bellpeppers and mushrooms. Stir till the veggies start looking transparent and slightly wilted. Add the baby spinach and cover for a minute. All that spinach will have wilted down, you can now add salt and cover again.Once the veggies look like they are done , add in the yakisoba noodles, soy sauce and fold in everything so the veggies are nicely blended with the noodles. Top with black pepper and take off the heat. Serve hot :)

Vegetable Chow Mein
Cheers to the lovely parents to be :))

The Freindship award

2009-03-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

And there it was ..the "Freindship award " from one of my newest Blogosphere buddies Anu. Thanks so much Anu, Iam smiling right now.

Here's what her blog read "It’s time for celebration. For what? Blogging pal Priya Sriram has awarded me “FRIENDS” award.I am elated to receive this award buddy. So sweet of you to remember me.For more read(here)

The award comes with the following tag:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers." Here are 8 of my blogging buddies.

(Asha from Foodies Hope)
(Indira from Mahanandi)
(Lubna from Kitchen Flavors)
(Kay from Towards a better tomorrow)
(Food Fanatic)
(Sandeepa from Bong Mom's Cookbook)
(Trupti from the Spice who loved me)
(Usha from Veg Inspirations)

Congrats you guys and pay it forward to 8 of your friends .

Holi Hai

2009-03-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Holi everyone :)) For my non Indian readers who want to know what Holi is , here is some info(Holi).Every time around Holi and Diwali,I miss home so much its almost painful. My mind is flooded with good times and memories-friends and family hanging out,mom's superlative cooking,dad's organizing a community dinner and us kids helping organize and being mom's side kicks in the kitchen.

Holi was always such a blast.We started the day in our old clothes because we knew that they would be unrecognizable at the end of the day ,so why bother.White was the color of choice since it showcased all the other colors we would play with,so well.Some of us were more adventurous and wore new white and paid the price for it:))

Mom would start preparing all the goodies on Holi eve -gujhia, mathi, chaat, kachoris, gulabjamuns ,other sweets and a lunch menu(gosh, the woman never tired).Come Holi morning and we had a stream of visitors-applying dry colors on each others face and exchange holi goodies-funnn!!The ritual continued with us visiting more friends.After we had played dry holi for a few hours,the kids would graduate to the wet holi(mixing dry colors with water,the more adventurous tried to mix colors that would not come off for many days).We would splash that colored water one each other, over and over again on each other till we could not tell who the other person was .It was hilarious to return to school next day with pink ears or purple hands.Ofcourse none of us gave any thought to how all that color would come off. Let me just tell you, it took hours of cleaning just to look normal again, but always worth it.

The dry colors

And now to the Yummy part.We had our traditional Holi lunch of rajma(kidney beans), dahi bada/dahi vada/dahi bhalley( fried,salted lentil donuts in spicy yogurt),pulao(basmati rice with seasoning),poori(fried Indian flat bread),other side dishes that varied and kheer(stove top pudding made with rice, milk and sugar).Mom made sure, she passed on her recipes to her 3 kids and we proudly carry on the tradition to this day.The day ended with more friends visiting and before we knew it the day was over and we were already waiting for Next year.I still do:)

Holi in the US of A can be a lot of fun with the right people and Iam lucky to have the right people in my life. Though mom and dad can't be here all the way from India , I always feel their presence and blessings in all festivities and my celebrations with freinds.Here's one of my previous holi posts.(Holi 2007)and one of my holi recipes here(Tomato Paneer)

Holi 2008

Here are pictures from one of my host fun holi ever ..Holi 2005,we organized a get together and had about 20 friends over

just to give you an idea of the physical transformation

and how colorful too

What's holi without some singing?

So what's cooking in my kitchen for Holi 2009 How about some dahi vada(or dahi bhalley)?Dahi vada is popular street food and also is a great side dish to many an Indian dinner/lunch parties.Its essentially vadas(fried,salted lentil donuts) in thick,spicy yogurt sauce.
You need:
1 cup urad dal( washed, soaked overnight and ground to a fine paste.Dont add too much water or the vadas will not hold their shape)
2 inch piece of ginger grated
2-3 green chillies finely chopped
salt to taste
oil for deep frying(I use canola oil, you can use what you want)
2 cups yogurt
4 cups water
Red chili powder to taste
Tamarind chutney(you can pickup ready made chutney at the Indian store)
some lukewarm water to soak the vadas for a few minutes

For garnish
2 teaspoon cumin powder
2 teaspoon dahi vada masala(available at Indian grocery stores)
1 teaspoon red chili powder
chopped coriander leaves

This is how you make it
Fold in the grated ginger, green chillies and salt to the urad dal paste and salt.
Pre-heat oil for fryingand roll up your sleeves:)wet your palm with some water and place some urad dal batter on it.Shape it like a donut,then dip your finger in water and poke a penny sized hole into the donut.Gently drop it into the hot oil.(often times, the donut looks done from the outside but actually isn't cooked on the inside.The key is to have the oil at the right temperature and fry it till it turns a golden brown.Dont leave it in the oil too long, it turns dark and hard very fast).Now place these vadas into the lukewarm water you had kept aside. Let them soak for a few minutes and watch them .Dont let them turn all soggy. Take them out,remove the excess water by pressing between both your palms and keep aside.Now, prepare the yogurt with water,and salt(to taste). Blend into a smooth consistency. Divide into two parts. Add the vadas to the first part.Once that's done,pour the second part of the yogurt on top of the vadas.You can perform this step in a nice serving dish or you could do it seperately and then transfer it to a serving dish. Once in the serving dish,add the tamarind chutney in pretty patterns, then repeat the pattern with red chillies, dahi vada masala and cumin powder. In the end add some chopped coriander for that pop of color.(My picture doesn't have the coriander , I know ..I forgot)
There you go. Enjoy this colorful , sweet and savory dish.I look forward to posting more pictures from Holi 2009 celebrations on the weekend

This recipe is dedicated my family and friends

The Worlds Best Food Blogger .. In Ballard , Washington???

2009-03-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

Yes,that's right. Molly Wizenberg is based in Ballard, WA and writes(Orangette).According to Rebekah Denn, Seattle P.i's food writer "Food blogs abound -- as do books from blogs -- but Wizenberg always has stood out as a storyteller as well as a cook, each written entry a jewel box of an essay and an impeccable recipe."Iam a big fan and totally agree. Molly, good luck with your new book "A homemade Life". Read more(here)

Bundt Cake anyone ?

2009-03-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

A Bundt cake is a dessert cake cooked in a Bundt pan forming it into a distinctive ring shape. Bundt cake is pronounced "bunt", the "d" being silent and comes from the german word bund for a gathering.courtesy Wikipedia).A bundt pan is a round baking pan with a tube in the middle with fluted, decorated sides.more at The Find).I got mine at Costco and the results were very pleasing.Here Iam sharing the recipe with you
You need
2 cups granulated sugar
2.5 teaspoons vanilla/vanilla essence
4 eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts(walnuts and raisins)
3 cups flour
Powdered sugar for garnish or topping

This is how you make it
Beat 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs. Sift the dry ingredients, then blend into the mixture.Finally add the nuts and fold in.Pour the batter into the greased Bundt pan.Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Remove from pan while hot.Cool cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar.I garnished the cake with sliced cherries and scooped melon balls(this is totally optional by the way.I just wanted to add some color)

Enjoy:)

Bharwa Karela

2009-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Iam so happy to be back and writing on my blog again. After the not so positive returning post,let get's to my first recipe of the year.

Iam very fond of karela.For those of you not familiar with the Karela, its also called bitter gourd(yes,its bitter but there are ways to do away with that.)From what I know, the bitter gourd has excellent medicinal virtues and one of its multiple medicinal uses if for diabetic patients to lower their sugar.Iam sure its got a ton of other uses(let's save that for another day.)I can tell you that as a child, I did not deal well with this weird looking, oh-my-god-bitter vegetable(but then kids are famous for not eating their veggies.My mom was very persistent though and with time I have come to love this humble looking green colored vegetable.

Before you even ask me, I want to tell you how to remove the bitterness. Once its peeled,karela is rubbed with salt and then left alone for a while.The juice that oozes from this process this process is drained and voila,you are now ready to make "stuffed bitter gourd" a.k.a bharwa karela or any other preparation that you may want.Let's start,shall we?:))

You need:

8 long Bitter Gourds
5 grated Onions(I use the box grater)
2 teaspoons Ginger paste
2 teaspoons garlic paste
2 teaspoons Amchur(Dried Mango Powder)
1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
2 tablespoons canola oil to pan fry(you can use any other oil)
1.5 teaspoon to cook the stuffing
salt to taste

This is how you make it:

Wash and peel the bittergourds. Slit them in the Center keeping the end intact. Sprinkle salt on the peeled bittergourds(eye ball it)and let them sit for half and hour.Fry the grated onions till they turn brown,then add ginger and garlic and stir.Add dried mango powder,red chilly powder,coriander powder and cook.Take it off after its cooked and let the mixture cool. Now pan fry the bittergourds carefully till they turn brown in color.keep them aside and let them cool.Your stuffing and bittergourds are now ready for the next step.Stuff the bittergourds with the mixture carefully, leave a spoon or two for later.Now arrange them in a pan, add the mixture, remaining oil and a little bit of water, the remaining mixture and cover the pan.Now cook on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Serve hot with rotis/paratha.

I dedicate this recipe to my friend "V" who loves it:) Enjoy!!

Long time no see ..its the recession, I tell you:)

2009-03-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hope you are all doing well and posting prolifically on your blogs.If not then,Iam sure that all you readers have been very busy checking out the myriad blogs out there,increasing their web traffic.

It's recession time!! So,what does the recession mean for Restaurants "With job losses mounting and diners staying at home, some share values have fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire.IHOP shares have dropped nearly 90 percent. Applebys and Ruby Tuesday have also seen nearly 90 percent share price declines."Everyone is pulling back," KeyBanc Capital Markets restaurant analyst Lynne Collier told USA Today. "The economy is playing into it." (read more: Here)

Does recession mean more cooking at home ..yes , it does .According to NPR food commentator Bonny Wolf " The recession has brought back home-cooked meals in a big way.It will mean an increase in cooking classes, because people will have to learn how to cook since we haven't been cooking at home for many years," she says.
(read more: Here)

Somber though for troubled times.

(courtesy: Here)

And on that "very positive note",Iam back. Will be posting a lot of recipes from here on out- some recession proof, some not, definitely a wider range of topics facilitating more discussion. Let me know through your comments if you want to see something else on my blog.

Ciao for Now :)

Diwali 2008

2008-12-10T22:37:00.000-08:00

I cooked a lot this yr ... and posting some pictures from Diwali ...will also post other pictures of food I cooked through the year and recipes will follow :)

Stuffed Gobhi

Dum Aloo

Falafel

2008-04-26T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I know I haven't posted in ages but I have cooked like crazy all this while..There just hasn't been time.I took pictures,thinking all the time of posting them here but...if wishes were horses ,I would be flying by now ..

Things have changed and happened and those I will talk of another time but today I wanted to post my falafel recipe here :)

Falafel also known in Egypt and Sudan as ta'meya,is a fried ball or patty made from spiced fava beans and/or chickpeas. It is a popular form of fast food in the Middle East, where it is also served as a mezze (snack or tapas).

The word "falafel" is the plural of the Arabic word(filfil),meaning pepper.Variant spellings in English include falafel and filafil.

Falafel is generally served in pita bread, either inside the pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flat pita. In many countries, falafel is a popular street food or fast food. The falafel balls, whole or crushed, may be topped with salads, pickled vegetables and hot sauce, and drizzled with tehina (tahini). Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a mezze. During Ramadan, they are sometimes eaten as part of an iftar, the meal which breaks the daily fast after sunset. find more info here..So , ready for some felafel??

You need
1 cup dried chickpeas or 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons flour
Salt to taste
Pepper
Oil for frying

This is how you make it:
Soak dried chickpeas in a bowl,overnight.After soaking overnight , boil them. If using canned beans, no need for this step.Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander,cumin,salt and pepper(to taste) in medium bowl. Add flour.Mash chickpeas, mixing all the ingredients thoroughly.Feel free to mix everything in a food processor to get a thick paste.

Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball and flatten slightly.Deep fry in oil until golden brown.

Serve hot with hummus or tahini .

Bread Rolls

2007-04-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Another quick appetiser recipe with THE ubiquitous potato.One of my favorites and always makes me think of mom who I used to watch fascinated as she rolled out this little elongated delights..This is for you mom:)

You need :
2 cup Mashed potatoes
1/2 cup Chopped onion (optional)
2 Chopped green chillies
12 Big Bread slices
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder.
1/2 tsp ajwain
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder .
1/2 tsp Amchur(dried mango powder).
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil to deep fry

This is how you make it:
Mix mashed potatoes, chopped onion, green chilli,red chilli powder,ajwain,garam masala,amchurand salt.Knead to make a smooth mixture.Divide the mixture into 12 equal parts. Soak a bread slice in water and then squeeze out the water by pressing the bread slice (flat) between the palms.Take one part of the potato mixture and put it in the centre of the bread slice and seal all its edges. Gently roll it between your palms to give it an elongated shape.Please make sure that the potato mixture doesnt leak out of the slice.Get all the 12 rolls ready to fry.Heat oil in a deep frying pan on high.Deep fry the bread rolls until golden brown.

Serve hot with mint/corrainder/chutney or chilli sauce or just plain tomato sauce.

Murgh Choley

2007-04-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

Murgh is an Indian(mughal influence perhaps!!) name for chicken and sounds way more exotic. Combine that with chickpeas in a curry dish and you have on your hands a yummy,hot deviation from your standard chicken curry.

Murg Choley is basically boneless chicken pieces cooked with chick peas and spices.I always prefer to cook with it drumsticks(you are more than welcome to try it with boneless chicken).The heat of the spices used in this dish is contrasted by the coolness of the yogurt which also provides a certain tartness..

Try it, you shall not be disppointed ..Lets get cooking :)

You need :

6 large Chicken drumsticks(or use 1 lb cubed boneless chicken)
2 onionS Sliced
2 Cups boiled or canned Chick Peas or choley
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
3tbsps oil
Salt to taste
1/2 cup curd
1 tsp chilly Powder
1tsp dhania powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 green Chillies Chopped
2 cloves
2 Choti Elaichi(green cardamoms)
5 black Pepper corns
1 Stick cinnamon
diced corriander to garnish
small piece of julienned(sliced thinly) ginger to garnish

This is how you make it :

Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry onions to a light golden hue.Then remove ,grind into a paste and mix with curd. Now,add dry spices to 2 tbsp oil and add the curd-onion mixture.Follow this by adding the chicken drumsticks,dhania powder ,garam masala,salt and chilli powder .Stir it so that mixtures seeps in nicely into the chicken and then cover.Let it cook till the chicken turns tender.Now add the chickpeas(choley) and some water and let it all cook for 10 minutes .Garnish with chopped coriander, green chillies, ginger sliced and enjoy with rice/naan/rotis..

Tomato Paneer

2007-04-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

I made this dish more than a month ago for Holi.The plan was to make matar paneer for the holi party but I couldnt get to the grocery store in time and decided to make do with what I had so Tomato paneer came up instead.It turned out super and was very well appreciated :)

You need:

3 large Tomatoes (ground into puree)
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2 tsp Coriander Powder
3/4 tsp Tumeric
Salt to taste
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Cumin seeds for seasoning
2 tbsp Oil
1/2 lb Paneer (cut into cubes)
Coriander leaves to garnish

This is how you make it :
In a Pan heat the oil & season with cumin seeds.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute, then add the tomato puree .Follow this up with all the dry spices & stir to combine.Saute till the paste is cooked and leaves the edges of the pan .Now add the cubed paneer, covering it nicely with the tomato and spice puree. Add water approximately so that gravy has medium consistency.Cover with a lid and let it cook for a few minutes.The paneer is now cooked.Keep it covered for a bit so that the paneer imbibes all the flavors thoroughly.

Garnish with chopped corriander leaves and serve hot over Rice/pulao or Roti's.

Mango Bellini

2007-04-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yeah yeah I know ...I shoud write more often but between globe trotting(read ,my recent trip to Europe) and playing Holi I dont get the time ..I now wish I had gotten more pics of all the delectable stuff we ate in London, Hannover, Amsterdam but thats another post:)

Talking of food ,I have so many recipes and dishes that I have cooked recently but just havent gotten around to posting them .Lets start with some of the recipes some of you have asked for fom my previous posts.

Mango Bellini:

this is delcious and takes less than 2 minutes to make .I made this as a substitute for plain ol Champagne:) . Was definitely well worth it .

You need
Champagne (any name,price range is ok)
Mango nectar(mango juice is also ok but mango nectar is thicker so I thought it did better)

This is how you make it
pour 2 parts champagne in the flute and follow it up with one part mango nectar .

Voila ..your Mango bubbly is ready:)

Holi Hai !!!

2007-03-05T00:26:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful holi .I had not one but two holi parties, both super fun.

Party Number 1..we played paint ball(messy but fun game) and followed it up with punjabi food( makke ki roti, sarson ka sag, paranthas, chole bature etc), played impromptu holi outside the restaurant and had some more fun later

Party No 1..in the restaurant, everyone's clean!!!

everyone after playing holi

party Number 2 ..very fun as well, this was a pot luck party for which I cooked tomato paneer, Paneer and raisin pulao and gulabjamun.We played with colors and danced and played card games..

clean one moment

Unrecognisable the next

The group Mug shot(do we have any colors left?)

Fantastic way to end the week, I say bring more such celebrations...

Here are pictures of what I cooked. Recipes coming soon:)

What I cooked for the Holi potluck

Tomato Paneer

Paneer and Raisin pulao

The wonderful, the evergreen Gulabjamun:)

ENJOY & HOLI MUBARAK !!!

Breakfast In Bed

2007-03-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

The rainy and snowy weather in Seattle can really get to me sometimes(check out the pics and you shall know Iam telling the truth).The winter wonderland is fun only for so many days and then it starts to become more of a nightmare :)

Snow outside my apartment

Even more snow !!!

So many days I just want to sleep in and not leave my warm blanket .Who wants to cook breakfast then?? Certainly not me but this simple breakfast charges me and gets me ready to face the day.

Pancakes with maple syrup(these are my very very unprofessional looking version), blueberries, orange juice and coffee(not in the picture:).We all live in a world of instant gratification so sometimes I just go for pancakes from a box(I still need to mix the batter and pour them on the girdle, which is labor enough for me on those cold unforgiving days).

So cook the pancakes and enjoy with all the other trappings, IN BED :)

P.S ..some of you asked for the recipes from Valentine's day .There are coming, just watch this space:)

Treat for two...Happy Valentines day 2007

2007-02-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE !!!

I was away because I was a little under the weather and the food that I was cooking and eating wasnt very inspiring or worthy of posting here:) But that couldnt put a dampener on my spirit because Iam back with a bang for Valentines Day 2007 ...

This is the second yr Iam posting pictures from food I cooked,hence the same title as last yr.Valentine's day are always special for my husband and I because we have our anniversary the next day ..and today we celebrate our 5th yr together..big milestone for us both.

So how was your Valentine's day?I cooked a 3 course meal for my hubby of 5 yrs and had a blast.Here are some pictures I want to share :)

Mango Bellini

Spinach salad with shrimp and slivered almonds

Herb Roasted Salmon with Coucous

cheesecake with cherry glaze

Here's hoping your Day was as delectable as mine.

Christmas Recipe 3 - Cornish Hen with Fresh Herbs and roasted potatoes

2007-01-11T02:28:00.000-08:00

And now onto the third and final recipe for the Christmas spread I prepared -Cornish Hen with fresh herbs and roasted potatoes.You will find a little backdrop on cornish hen Here.

Before I decided on a menu for Xmas I thought about Cornish Hen with great trepidation because I was scared of cooking it.Why,you ask ..because I have never cooked a stuffed or roasted whole bird..chicken or turkey.Picking up a rotisserie chicken at Safeways or Fred Meyers is as far as I have gone(giggling just thinking about it).Besides,Iam from the land of curry :-) A roasted bird with just a little bit of seasoning could be a little bland for my taste if not marinated with the right spices(kidding)

However,my sister cooked a delicious turkey this past thanksgiving (pics of which I shall post sometime)and that gave me hope.She said I could do it too ..Yeah ,I thought let me not do a 15 pound turkey or 5 pound chicken but a 1 pound cornish hen I can do.

So,I bought a twin pack of Tyson premium rock cornish game hen and after much cleaning ,seasoning and roasting I was able to turn out a fairly tasty and nice looking bird :).Try it , its fun I guarantee you.

A frozen tyson cornish hen

You need :
1 cornish Hen (without giblets)
6 small red potatoes
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 fresh sage leaves, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage, plus extra sprigs for stuffing cavity and garnishing plates
3 lemon slices
3 slices Onion(red/white/yellow)
Kitchen string (optional)

This is how you make it:
Since this bird was in the freezer for a while,I set it outside to thaw a day in advance.(yes it takes a lot of time to thaw)

Preheat oven to 450°F.Cut potatoes into small,bite-size pieces;toss with salt and pepper,garlic, and sage and place in a large, shallow roasting pan.Set in the oven.

Rinse the hen inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.Fold back wings.Rub with butter and sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper.Sprinkle with finely chopped herbs,and place a few more herb sprigs into each hen’s cavity.Also stuff the onion rings and the lemon slices into the bird.You can tie the hen's legs together with kitchen string to hold shape,if you want.(I did not do so.)

Remove potatoes from oven and place the hen on top.Return to pan and roast for 50-55 minutes, or until the hen's juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a fork and a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 180°F.

Remove the cooked hen from the pan and cover with aluminium foil for 10 minutes before serving.(why ?? if you slice right away ,the juices will drip and the bird will be bland.But if you let it sit then the juices are reabsorbed,bird will be taste better).

Garnish with fresh herb sprigs .To serve, place some potatoes and a piece of the hen you desire alongside mushroom-shrimp pulao and bean salad.

Christmas Recipe 2 - Green Bean Salad

2007-01-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

Lets go to recipe number 2.This is a recipe my sister picked up from Food Network which I enjoy watching by the way.She and I made for the Thanksgiving getogether.I loved it so much that I had to make it again.Its so so simple and delicious (that's if you are a bean lover).I will admit that I do not know how to make too many things with beans apart from various kind of bhajis .This western take on them was super appealing to me.

Go ahead , try this and Iam sure you will love it.Thankyou to Ellie Krieger whose recipe this is:)

You need :
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 teaspoons walnut oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

This is how you make it :
Bring a large pot of water with a steamer basket to a boil, add green beans and steam for about 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Toast the walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant, about 2 minutes, and then transfer them to a small bowl to cool. Add the parsley and onion to the walnuts and stir to combine.

In another small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and mustard. Toss the dressing with the green beans, top with the walnut mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Christmas Recipe 1- Mushroom and shrimp pulao

2007-01-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed writing about my afternoontea experience in British Columbia and based on the comments from some of you ,you all seemed to have enjoyed reading it too(apparently it took us all back to my Enid Blyton days).Thanks for reading and getting back to me.Hearing back makes me feel that Iam talking to someone and makes it all worthwhile :)

Some of my loyal blog friends read my xmas post and asked for the recipes for the Cornish Hen, Mushroom &shrimp pulao and bean salad .Here Iam posting them one at a time .

While I was writing the recipe for this dish,I also realised that while I have posted pictures of some of my food ,I havent posted recipes for those .I guess thats how I started out,unknowingly titillating some of the readers with the pictures.yeah ..just pictures.(Gosh ,I was almost sadistic)

Well,high time I share the recipes .You ask which ones ???Well,I have piyaaz maach(fish cooked in spicy onion and garlic paste), aloor dom(bengali style),keema with vegetables,Doi maach(fish cooked in yogurt),khichudi, Labda (a lovely sweet-savory vegatble mix, bengali style),bandakopi torkari(cabbage with peas),baigun bhaja(panfried aubergine slices ),tomato chutney,khejur guder payish(rice pudding in date palm jaggery),rumali roti)...amongst others..Phew!!I need to stop,the list is getting too long)

Anyhow, so shall return to posting those unposted recipes intermittently .For now ,let me just get back to the pulao I made for Xmas :-)

You need:
2 cups -Basmati(or any other long grained rice)
1 cup sliced button Mushrooms
1 cup (thawed)- Shrimp (frozen precooked baby shrimp)
1 large sliced onion
1 Tsp- Cumin
2 Tbsp- Ghee or Oil
Salt to taste
Chopped corriander to garnish

This is how you make it:
Heat oil /ghee in a skillet and add the cumin.Once the cumin starts popping add the the sliced onions.Saute them till they are golden .Then add sliced mushrooms and shrimp and cook till they they are soft .

Now Add the 2 cups of rice and pour 4 cups of the water into the skillet .Add salt to taste and cover .Cook on medium heat Keep checking for doneness and cook about 20 minutes.Once the rice looks cooked , turn off the heat and let it sit.This leaves the rice fluff up.

Enjoy with Cornish hen, bean salad and yogurt:)

Care for some Tea ..eh??

2007-01-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

What is it about little girls and tea parties??When I was a little girl , I would have imaginary tea parties with my dolls(they were not sophisticated and did not include all the fancy-schmancy things kids have today).But they were so much fun. They made me feel grown up and in charge.I have seen my 6 yr old niece have the same tea parties with her freinds.Those tea sets and all that pretend food (scones, cookies, sandwiches )is so pretty ,I sometimes forget Iam an adult and all grown up.I admit I have indulged ina tea party or two with my little niece.

A little girl's tea set
(courtesy: Here)

Talking of various kinds of tea parties and events ,I knew there was something called high tea (The Enid Blyton books during my childhood helped here) but afternoon tea ..now, that I did not know .Apparently they are both different .

Afternoon tea ceremonies began back in the mid 1800s, when the Duchess of Bedford started having a tray of tea with bread and butter served to her in the mid-afternoon. In those days, lunch was served at noon but dinner was not eaten until 8 or even 9 o'clock at night. The Duchess found herself hungry during those long afternoon hours. It became a regular occurance and as she began to invite other high-society ladies to join her, having Afternoon Tea became the 'in-thing' for the upper-class women. Along with tea, there would be small pastries with clotted cream or preserves, delicate sandwiches, and scones. Oh, how Lovely and very Lady like,Dont you agree!!

High Tea on the other hand is a term used by many people to describe the event mentioned above, probably because it sounds more elite. But High Tea is a much different thing. It was served later (around six in the evening) and consisted of a full, dinner meal for the common people. Tea was still served, but there would also be meats, fish or eggs, cheese, bread and butter, and cake. It was more of a man's meal, than a ladies social diversion.
Courtesy:(Here)

Now, that I feel more educated , I have to tell you all about the afternoon tea I had at the Fairmont Empress, BC last week which was not just tea but an experience in itself .The Empress which is an epitome of the British style and grace in the new world has been hosting England's most beloved ritual in its majestic lobby for almost a century.

Afternoon tea , I heard is served at various locations including the harborside room or under the hand painted ceiling of the Library lounge but we chose the very opulent Tea Lobby .I was utterly charmed by the Victorian elegance and grace that permeated the space around me.The dress code is "smart casual" (torn jeans, short shorts, tank tops, sport shoes, etc snottishly looked down at)so we all took care not to dress in typical tourist fare.But, wait ...we made a gaffe, we hadnt made reservations( somehow we were naive enough to think that we would be able to get in at noon .But guess what, that did'nt happen.)So we made reservations for 3:45pm and decided to go have something to eat at Smithy's , go the British Coumbian Museum in the meantime.

The opulent tea lobby at the Empress

We returned again at 3:40pm to be greeted by Pritam who seated us in the tea lobby. We had comfortable,high backed , chairs upholstered in green .The Christmas melodies on the piano provided the perfect backdrop. Our decadent journey then began with a bowl of seasonal fruit topped with a dollop of chantilly cream. Next came the coppery-gold ,signature Empress Blend tea which was poured into our Royal Doulton tea cups. I had my tea with cream and two "lumps" of sugar .Finally, came the porcelain tier ladden with magnificient goodies.Puurfect !!

Here's the sample menu :

Tea sandwiches filled with cucumber, smoked BC salmon & cream cheese, carrot & ginger with cream cheese, pesto egg salad on foccacia crustini and curry mango chicken salad
Traditional English raisin scones served with clotted cream and strawberry preserves
Delicate bite-size pastries, including valhrona caramel chocolate truffles in a chocolate cup, lemon curd tarts with glazed berries, choux pastries filled with green tea white chocolate cream, sour cherry almond pound cakes, and traditional shortbread cookies

Oh Heaven!!!

Afternoon Tea at the Empress

We also ordered some sparkling wine , a mimosa and a glass of sparkling wine with cranberry liquer(not sure ).

After several cups of tea and these bite sized delights we had to cancel dinner because this can be seemingly light but actually hearty meal .We were full and extremely pleased.When it was time to leave our server promptly delivered the check to our table along with a small box of Empress Blend tea for each of us to take home. What a wonderful surprise.

Happy to have afternoon tea for a day

I left the place with a big smile on my face and tonnes of appreciation for my husband who me and my sister dragged to this event.As for my niece and I , looks like we had ourselves a real tea party at last :-)

Kolhapuri Kombdi

2007-01-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

I have always loved chicken and toned down the spices and the heat after marraige because hubby dear does not do well with very hot dishes .

Lately however my taste buds were craving something HOT,something spicy that makes me reach out for that glass of water and so I had to look around for a recipe which uses something other than the usual onion, tomato, ginger and garlic ..that gives it a kick ..

I landed this recipe for Kolhapuri chicken also called Kolhapuri kombdi (chicken's called Kombdi in the western Indian state of Maharashtra) cooked with lots of hot dry red chillies to sharpen the tastebuds.Needless to say this dish delivered and was well loved ..even by diserning audience such as my hubby who shies away from such concoctions.While the roasted poppy,sesame and coconut added the "x" factor , the chilli powder gave it that KICK ...

This is a chicken dish I definitely recommend ..

You need :
8 medium sized pieces of chicken (I use chicken drumsticks)
1 cup( browned onions
2 tablespoon(s) each of sesame and poppy seeds dry roasted
2 tablespoon(s) grated coconut roasted till dry
½ teaspoon(s) turmeric powder
1 tablespoon(s) each of ginger, garlic pastes
4 medium onions finely chopped
1 tablespoon(s) red chilli powder (please tone that down if u wish)
2 large tomatoes chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoon(s) coriander leaves finely chopped
2 tablespoon(s) oil
salt to taste
finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

This is how you make it :

Make slits on the chicken pieces.In a bowl make a marinade out of half of the ginger-garlic paste,turmeric powder and salt to taste.Rub this marinade into the chicken pieces very well and allow to marinate for about an hour. Meanwhile ,grind together the browned onions, roasted coconut, sesame and poppy seeds to a paste.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan till hot. Add the chopped onions and fry for a few seconds. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry till the onions are browned. Add the red chilli powder and fry.Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry on medium heat till the fat separates from the sides of the pan.Add the chicken pieces and fry on high heat for for about 2 minute.

Now,add the ground paste, water and sprinkle salt to taste and mix well. Bring to a boil. Stir in the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves.Cover and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes or till the chicken is fully tenderised.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.Enjoy with nan , roti or rice .

Happy New Year

2007-01-02T01:01:00.000-08:00

Heres wishing you all a wonderful and eventful 2007 .

Do you know that almost all countries have special and lucky foods which if eaten in the first few days of the new yr bring wealth, luck or success in the new yr.Here are some of those foods and the stories behind them.

Japan

Food:New year foods that are believed to be particularly auspicious are soba noodles which are especially long noodles that should be sucked up and eaten without breaking them to ensure long life, and mochi rice, which is a rice that is more sticky than ordinary rice and is pressed into cakes called omochi -- then it's either broiled or eaten in soup called Ozoni

story :large omochi cakes are first offered to the gods, then cut into pieces and eaten by the family to bring the opportunity for luck and good health to every New Year's meal.

Greece

Food: Vasilopita (a cake baked with a coin inside)

Story: the Greek tradition of eating Vasilopita originated from the famously high taxes that the Ottoman Empire imposed on the Greek people during the long Ottoman reign.It is believed that a Bishop of Greece, through some miracle, managed to recover a large portion of the Greek people's riches from the Ottoman's grasp. When he attempted to return the riches to their respective owners fighting among the Greek people broke out -- no one could agree on who had owned what!

The second miracle of the story unveils itself here: Saint Basil asked the women to bake a large cake with the valuables inside. When he sliced the cake, the valuables miraculously found their way back to their rightful owners! Today, a cake is baked in honor of this miracle and one coin is baked inside of it. The person who bites into his piece of cake and finds the coin will be blessed with good luck in the coming New Year.

Italy

Food: cotechino con lenticchie-pork sausage served over lentils

Story:: This New Year food is eaten because of the presence of fatty rich pork sausage and lentils in it.Cotechino sausage is a symbol of abundance because they are rich in fat;while lentils symbolize money (being both green and coin shaped).This New Year food promises a double-packs of luck!

Spain

A magnificently large harvest only happens every so often, and when it does, the year that the harvest blossomed is celebrated. At the turn of the century, Spain experienced a gigantic grape harvest. The harvest was so grandiose that the year is marked as a time of great luck. Every year since, Spanish people have brought in the New Year by eating 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight. At each strike of the Plaza del Sol clock (which is broadcast to the entire country much like the United States broadcasts the Time's Square clock), another grape is eaten in celebration of lucky years past, and in hope of a lucky year to come.
(http://www.123newyear.com)

Do you have any New yr stories and lucky foods you know of ?Let us know how we can bring on the luck and prosperity this yr:-)

A very Merry Xmas

2006-12-27T01:22:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great Christmas .I know I did...good food and great times with family..what else does one need? Here's a picture story of all the food and festivities .

Here comes Santa Claus

The stage is set and Dinner is served

Cornish Hen with Fresh Herbs and roasted potatoes

Mushroom and shrimp pulao

Green Bean Salad

Shahi Tukda

Soyabean Matar Pulao with Basmati Rice

2006-12-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

Alright, alright -I admit to to being spoilt .After eating long grained , fragrant and beautiful basmati rice which literally melts in your mouth, all my life ..I find it difficult to adjust to coarser, thicker rice .Eating freshly cooked basmati rice is like eating fluffy ,little white peices of heaven .I will also admit that with passage of time I have come to understand the virtues of different varieties of rice..

Did you know that the word ‘basmati’ means fragrant, and refers to the nutlike flavor and aroma of this small, but long grained rice. It has been used in India and Pakistan for thousands of years and is excellent with curries. Several varieties are now grown in the U.S., such as Texmati and Kasmati, and all are growing in popularity. (One U.S. company has made an effort to patent Basmati rice and trademark the name). Their flavor is very good, but not quite up to real imported Basmati. (www.foodreference.com)

The other main ingredients of my pulao which are soyabean and peas are rife with proteins .I make matar pulao often but soyabeans make this dish much more protein packed and give it a twist .I love it and think you all should try it .

So let's get cracking

You need :
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 black cardamom seeds
6 whole black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup cooked soyabeans (boiled in salted water)
2 cups uncooked basmati rice, rinsed and drained
4 cups water
salt to taste

This is how you make it :
Heat the oil in a deep heavy skillet over low heat. Add thecumin, cardamom seeds and peppercorns .Cook for a few minutes to bring out the aroma of the spices. Add the green peas to the pan, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 4 cups of water and rice to the pan. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, then cover, and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the cooked soyabean and cook until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed.

Cover the skillet and let the rice sit for a while .S erve when its fluffy with cool cucumber raita and pickle .

Tilapia with wild rice

2006-12-18T17:31:00.000-08:00

Fish and rice are wonderful ...I love fish and always look to making fish in different ways -baked, broiled, poached, fried , cooked in foil ...different herbs, marinades etc .Ofcourse there's always so many different kinds of fish availabe to choose from-salmon, tilapia, sea bass, catfish, mahi mahi, snapper, cod ..the list goes on and on .

This time I chose Tilapia..which is a fresh water fish and takes on new flavors easily .Tilapia species are native to Africa and the Levant (for example the sea of Galilee, where according to legend Jesus used it to feed the 5000, resulting in the nickname St. Peter's fish).

Wild rice also called Indian Rice, Water Rice, or Water Oats is considered a delicacy, has long been an important food of North American Indians and wild rice is not related to, related to rice (Oryza sativa). I once ate cornish hen with wild rice and was inspired to cook it more often or atleast try it a couple of times . So without further ado , lets start cooking .

You need
2 tilapia fillets !
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil for marinade
Olive oil to pan fry
black pepper
salt to taste
chopped corriander

1 cup wild rice
3 cups water or chicken broth
salt to taste
seasoning to taste (Maggi Chicken Flavored Bouillon )

This is how you make it
Marinate the tilapia fillets in olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt ,black pepper , chopped corriander and set aside for 15-20 minutes.

Cooking the rice
Wash 1 cup uncooked wild rice thoroughly. Add to 3 cups boiling water or chicken stock(I use chicken stock for extra flavor) , salted and seasoned to taste(add maggi chicken seasoning according to taste), in a saucepan. Return water to boil and stir. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 50-60 minutes or just until kernals puff open. Uncover and fluff with table fork. This will give you 3-4 cups of cooked wild rice.

Now , heat some olive oil or any other oil in the pan and pan fry the fish so that the it turns brown on both sides and flaky .Take care not to move the fish in the pan or it will break .

Your tilapia is now ready. Serve it on top of a bed of fragrant wild rice. Add salsa for that extra zing and enjoy .

Pasta with catfish

2006-12-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

I have found Pasta to be so versatile, there seems to be no end to the ways one can cook with pasta .And the types of pasta is a post or many by itself . On a busy work day with my fridge almost bare of anything , I found a couple of catfish fillets and some pasta and sundried tomotoes .After a minute or two of reflection this is what I came up with ...

You need
2 catfish fillets chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp lemon juice
olive oil to fry
salt to taste
red pepper to taste
3 tbsp julienned sun dried tomatoes
1/4 pound pasta (any shape will do)
1/2 a cup chicken stock
1/2 onion thinly sliced( we get big onions here)
1 tsp chopped garlic
Basil to garnish

This is how you make it
Marinate the catfish cubes in olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt and red pepper and set aside for 15-20 minutes. After that, fry the marinated pieces of fish in olive oil till they are brown and firm .take care not to burn them .Set aside
In the meantime cook pasta . On a seperate pan , fry the sliced onion with garlic , once the onion is soft add the chicken stock and let it boil and then turn the heat down .Now add the julienned tomatoes and toss the cooked pasta into the pan.Add salt and pepper to taste and now add the cooked peices of fish.

Mix everything thoroughly and garnish with basil leaves . Serve with white wine and salad and enjoy :-)

Iam BACK ...

2006-12-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

hi folks ...

gots tonnes of messages while I was away and I agree I was away for a really long time ..almost 9 months ...was busy ..finishing up Masters, changing jobs, moving to a new city , visiting home and parents visiting ..and ofcourse my digital camera was'nt exactly cooperating ..couldnt take pictures for a while.

Thankyou all for keeping in touch and encouraging me to get back ..and though I was was away , I did not stop cooking ..had a lovely thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey , have cooked other dinners when freinds were over, birthdays , get togethers and hopefully some great stuff for Christmas ...

Keep watching this space

Kesar Pulao

2006-03-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

I had posted a picture of this back in December 2005 but did not share the recipe back at that time. I am doing that today .

I have always wondered what is the difference between pulao and biryani and here's what I found .

Before biryanis became Mughlai food, they were part of Persian culture in the royal courts of Delhi during the medieval period. The word biryani comes from the Persian "birian", which means "fried" or "roasted". The Persians had a major rice dish in their pulao.

There is a subtle difference between the biryani and the pulao.

In a biryani, the parboiled rice is layered twice or more between the spices and the meat, and they are all cooked together. In a pulao, the stock of meat forms the base and the rice is cooked with the spices so that it absorbs the flavor of the spices. A pulao is like an assembly of cooked rice and meat.

Some of the other differences would be:
Pulao is made by the absorption method of cooking rice. Biryani is made by the draining method of cooking rice.In pulao the base ingredient is mixed with the rice, while in biryani the main ingredient is at the base of the vessel. In biryani lot of aromatic masala is used. Pulaos are relatively less spiced (www.uppercrustindia.com)

Talking of Kesar Pulao , it is a special rice dish that is usually made in North Indian or Muslim weddings or for other important functions. It is a very aromatic dish and has a wonderful blend of spices and Kesar (saffron).

You need :
3 cups basmati rice
6 cups water
7 in number cardamom (elaichi)
7 cloves
1 cup mixed dry nuts (cashews, almonds, raisins)
1 tbsp saffron water (put 1/2 tsp of saffron in 1 tbsp of hot water and dissolve)
3 tbsps ghee (clarified butter)1 tbsp.
salt to taste
green boiled peas , 1 tomato and chopped coriander to garnish

This is how you make it
Wash and soak the basmati rice for about 1 hour.(always preferable as this makes the rice cook faster and look better)
Add 2 tbsp ghee to the pan and put in the cloves, cardamom and half the nuts (you can use oil too, just that ghee has better aroma)
Fry the nuts for till they start to turn golden and the raisins start to swell up .
Add the rice and water , salt to taste and the add in the saffron water.(If you want to just add strands of saffron, that should be fine .The more saffron you put , the deeper the color.)
Cover the pot or pan you are cooking in ,When the rice is done .Fry the remaining dry fruits in the remaining butter and sprinkle on the top of the cooked rice .
Garnish with boiled peas, chopped coriander and a tomato floret.

Serve hot with other delectable curries (veg or non veg) and enjoy

Pineapple Upside down cake

2006-02-28T22:38:00.000-08:00

Some of you had asked for this recipe from my Super bowl sunday spread. I will share the recipe for the cake but before that, time for some trivia on the cake

The term 'upside down cake' wasn't used very much before the middle of the 19th century, but the style of baking probably dates back much further, probably to the Middle Ages.

The early recipes for fruit upside down cakes were made in cast iron skillets on top of the stove.
The classic American 'Pineapple Upside Down Cake' dates to sometime after 1903, when Jim Dole invented canned pineapple. The Hawaiin Pineapple Co. (now Dole Pineapple) held a pineapple recipe contest in 1925, with judges from Fannie Farmer's School, Good Housekeeping and McCall's magazine on the judging panel.

The 100 winning recipes would be published in a cookbook the following year. Over 60,000 recipes were sent in, and 2,500 of them were for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. So it is obvious that between 1903 when canned pineapple was first available, and 1925 when the contest was held, Pineapple Upside Down Cake had become a very popular item.

The Hawaiin Pineapple Company ran an ad campaign in 1926 based on the fact that so many recipes for the cake had been submitted, naturally making the Pineapple Upside Down Cake even more popular.( www.foodreference.com)

You need
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/3 tsp. salt
2 eggs, separated and beaten separately
2/3 cup water or milk3 tbsp
baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can sliced pineapples
maraschino cherries

This is how you make it
Cream butter, add sugar, beaten egg yolks and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients alternately with water or milk.
Lastly, add stiffly beaten egg whites.
In the pan you will bake the cake in (a large round cast iron skillet works well) melt 1/2 cup butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar.
When the butter and sugar becomes melted and syrupy, add slices of pineapple with maraschino cherries in the middle. Pour on batter.
Bake at 325°F for about 35 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched lightly near center.
Remove from oven, loosen cake gently from sides of pan and turn upside down onto a serving plate.
Serve with a sauce of your choice or whipped cream.

Fruit Tray and Devilled Eggs

2006-02-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

Thankyou for the appreciation and leaving some wonderful comments on my last 2 entries .I was humbled and hugely flattered. Its now time to share the recipes .Let's start with recipes from the superbowl sunday entry .

How about we begin with the Fruit Tray with peanut butter-honey dip and Devilled Eggs ?

Fruit Tray with peanut butter -honey dip

You need :
1/2 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter (I chose chunky)
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
2 cups melonballs
1 banana peeled and thickly sliced
1 apple sliced
4 strawberries sliced
1 small bunch- green seedless grapes

This is how you make it
1. Place peanut butter in small bowl , gradually stir in milk and honey until blended .Stir in water and cinnamon until mixture is smooth
2. Served the dip with fruits which has been arranged on a serving dish .
You can use green salad leaves to cover the serving dish before you arrange the fruits on it .

Fruit tray with peanut butter-honey dip

Peanut butter -Honey Dip

Devilled (or Deviled) Eggs

I always wanted to how this dish got its name. Here's a bit of trivia for those are curious about the name .

"The devil in this particular dish is definitely in the details. In this context, "deviled" refers to the process of highly seasoning a food. Linda's culinary dictionary explains further:

deviled - (1) A term describing food that is dark, rich, chocolate, spicily piquant or stimulating it is "deviled." Means a highly seasoned, chopped, ground, or whole mixture that is served hot or cold. Many foods, including eggs and crab, are served "deviled."

Deviled can also refer to spiced, potted meats such as William Underwood's famous deviled hams and sardines.

Some say the name of the dish originated in Great Britain in 1786, while the oldest known recipe for stuffed eggs appeared in a 15th-century Italian cookbook. Another source claims that the dish originated in ancient Rome.

As for the name, one food historian believes the names for foods such as deviled eggs or Devil's food cake stem from the belief that "healthy foods such as eggs, ham, and cake have been modified to thus become unhealthy." Hence they came under the influence of the evil one and are "deviled." Deviled foods are usually hot with spices, and anything hot is associated with the devil. (Source http://ask.yahoo.com)

You need :
12 Eggs, hard boiled and shelled
8 tbsp Mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
Chopped fresh Parsley

This is how you make it
Slice the eggs in half lengthwise.
Remove the yolks and mash them with the mayonnaise, mustard, until smooth and velvety.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place equal amounts into hollows of each egg half.
Garnish with chopped parsley.

Devilled Eggs

There you go , Two easy and delicious recipes ready in almost no time at all. Both recipes are great as appetizers or to bring to a pot-luck, and perfect for Atkins and low carb diets.

Enjoy .

Treat for two ...continued

2006-02-21T21:46:00.000-08:00

So both Valentine's day and my anniversary came and went in a second. That may be so but I now have a new story to pass on to my grandkids...... That Grandpa (thats my husband) loved Grandma(that's me) so much that he beat her to buying her own car.Instead he went ahead and bought it for her as an anniversary present .One of the sweetest and grandest gesture of love.Do people, do that anymore? Well obviously, because Grandpa did :-)

Yes, freinds.I got a new car for my 4th wedding anniversary and that right now,is my new love.

What did I do for him...Lots of presents and ofcourse made a mushy , romantic ,(some would even call it corny but who cares) valentines day meal for him replete with candles,chocolates and roses.That, because I am a die hard romantic .

Witness for yourself as I firmly uphold the old adage "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach "

Sphagetti with Meatballs, Garlic Bread, Shrimp Scampi and Tira Misu cake ,anyone ? I promise to come back with the recipes from this and the superbowl entry.Meanwhile enjoy the pictures .

The set up (sounds almost sinister) :-)

Sphagetti with meatballs

Tiramisu cake

Cards, chocolates and wine seal the deal

Hmm , he likes it , he likes it not? Worry not girl , he loved it :)

Treat for two ..Happy valentines day

2006-02-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

Happy valentines day everyone ...More pictures coming up as I go through the day.This is the breakfast .Tomorrow is our Anniversary so its a two day long celebration

What did you folks do today?

Breakfast on a lovey-dovey day

And an especially Happy Valentines day to the Man in my life

My Super Bowl Sunday Spread

2006-02-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone , Now that Iam back in the game .I want to tell about last sunday, called the super bowl sunday .Super bowl is considered really important in America. It was especially important for the state I live in ..Washington state ..Our team , the SEAHAWKS made it to the super bowl for the first time and everyone was realy excited .We were pitted against the the STEELERS from Pittsburgh . Unfortunately SEAHAWKS lost .What a shame ??

But my theory is ..Its better to make it to superbowl and have lost then to have never made it . GO..SEAHAWKS :)

We had a small gathering of freinds to watch the game and I prepared a spread . There was a bunch of food - fruit and veggie trays, devilled eggs, seekh kebabs, aloo tikkis, pita bread with Mushroom ratatouille, oatmeal cookies and my favorite ...pineapple upside down cake .

Everybody enjoyed the grub and here are the pictures .I will discuss recipes post by post except for some which I have already talked about before..

Here you go , Feast your eyes:)

The Spread

The fruit tray with my peanut butter -honey dip

the Veggie tray with the Ranch Dip

Seekh Kebabs

Aloo Tikki ..a hit with the crowd

Devilled Eggs

Mushroom Ratatouille

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Not a recipe ..thats me and my niece :)

Let me know how you found the pics .

Upma

2006-02-02T23:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry folks ..No post for almost 2 weeks . I was busy and then I was sick .Now Iam feeling much better and raring to go . For those of you , who cared to ask , thanks a ton :)

The recipe I post today was something I was hoping to enter into Meenakshi's " From my rasoi - breakfast series" but could not because I was sick last week and couldnt make the deadline on time . Meenakshi of "Hooked on Heat" fame has been doing a great job and I hope to enter her feb series .

Today's recipe is Upma .Like all dishes upma, has a history behind it .It originated in the South of India and is mighty popular there .Called "Upma" in tamil ,"Uppindi" in Telugu and "Uppittu" in Kannada , its basically a wholesome indian dish made of Wheat Rava or sooji(also called semolina) .There are so many different ways to prepare Upma.

Indeed, every south Indian woman will impart a small difference in flavour when making her Upma. This variation is obtained by varying or emphasising some particular spice, thereby making for variation. Apart from rava,upma is widely made with vermicelli and cous-cous also. These dishes are sometimes not regarded as being Upma, and are known in many regions by other names.

Upma used to be one of the many sunday breakfast items my ma used to make when I was back in India .Sunday breakfasts were always special and elaborate.recently I made upma and my mind jsut went back to those good ole times when I used to watch my ma fiddling with her pots and pans , spices ...........a bit of this , a bit of that ..some stirr and whoosh ....recipe upon delicious recipe appeared in front of me.She made it effortless , as simple as brushing your teeth and unknowingly instilled a love of cooking in me . Let me start with the recipe before I go mushy on you guys and start uttering gibberish :-)

You need
Sooji - upma Rava 1 Cup
Ginger 1 " inch piece chopped
finelyChilies red or Green 2 Nos
Onion medium size 1 chopped
Boiled peas- 1/2 cup
Chopped carrots -1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Oil 4 tbsp.
Water 2 Cups

For Seasoning
Mustard Seeds 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Channa dal 1 tsp
Hing 1 pinch
dry red chillies 2
Curry leaves few.

This is how you cook it
Dry roast sooji in 2 tablespoon oil for few minutes & keep aside.Take care not to brown it .
Heat oil in the same pan & add the seasoning.
Add chilies, ginger & Onion ,fry till translucent.Then add chopped carrots and boiled peas .Cover the pan with a lid for atleast 5-10 minutes while the carrots soften and cook
Add salt,water & let it come to boil at whichpoint add the sooji gradually.
Keep stirring& take care as not to form lumps.
Simmer the stove,cover & let it cook for 5 minutes.
Switch off the stove. Your upma is ready .& Serve hot with a steaming cup of tea or coffee.

What a delicious beginning to a day .Try it .

Aloo Tikki

2006-01-20T01:14:00.000-08:00

The ubitquitous potato.There's nothing one can not make with it .Everything from appetisers to desserts can be made with this humble looking, brown, oblong ,smooth and sometimes rough skinned vegetable.

So from the vast array of possible appetisers ,sides, main course dishes and desserts ,I decided to make aloo tikki the other day .Aloo tikki is one of the items from amongst a collection of hot and spicy snacks that is called chaat.(Others being golgappa, bhalle, papdi etc) .Each of these items are particularly spicy and induce a "kick" into a boring day:)

I used to visit the local ‘chaat walla (street hawker) to eat aloo tikki and chaat when I visited the local market with ma and dad .His shop would be abuzz with customers at any given time and his tikkis and chaat always sold like hot cakes . He fried fresh aloo tikkies on a hot griddle or tava .The wonderfully aroma was often enough to set my stomach churning with hunger .
Standing in the line always paid off in the end because the taste made up for everything .

The best part is , one can always make them at home , they are very easy ,delicious and serve as a wonderful appetiser. Let's get started .

You need:
7-8 potatoes boiled, peeled, mashed
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
3 green chillies grouned1/2 tsp.
garam masala
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt to taste
chilli flakes/powder to taste
oil for shallow frying

This is how you cook it
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly
Press gently into rounded flattish patties.
Shallow fry on a griddle, drizzling oil to crispen crust.
Serve hot with tamarind chutney and green chutney. or with tomato ketchup

(you can do an optional filling with boiled chana dal or paneer& peas .This mixture is made with mixing either chana or paneer& peas with ginger, corriander seeds , cumin seed powder, salt and chilli .Take a tbspful of potato mixture, spread on palm and place a tspful of dal mixture in centre.Roll so as to keep dal mixture inside and potato out. Press gently into rounded flattish patties)

Tagged

2006-01-19T23:13:00.000-08:00

Apparently everyone's being tagged .Its strangely called the Me-Me tag and I have seen various versions -the 4 Me-Me , the 5 Me-Me and the & Me -Me .

I was tagged by Tina for the 7Me-Me and Lera for the 5 Me-Me. I am posting this entry on my second blog Ramblings of the mind where I post about life in general .

Why there? Because,this is not a recipe and belongs on rambling's more than it does here .Coming up on this space , aloo tikki :)

Sabut Masoor Dal

2006-01-12T02:36:00.000-08:00

I am of the humble opinion that good food belongs to two different categories...simple , wholesome , easy to make, yet delicious .This is food one can make daily and make sure the body and soul are both satisfied. The second category is food that requires a whole bunch of ingredients, time , finesse .The end product is delicious too but also exotic and mostly a visual stunner.Fulfilling for the eyes too.

I like to dwell in both the categories. Depends on my mood, time and the occassion . On a daily basis I really like to keep it short and simple .Coming to which "DAL", is simple .

Dal is known by many names...lentils, legumes and pulses.And then there are tonnes of different kind of daals . Pulses have been around and used as food for thousands of years. The lentil was probably one of the first plants ever to be domesticated by humans. Most pulses prefer warm climates but there are varieties which grow in temperate regions.The awesome thing is that they are rich in proteins and vegetarians dont need to worry too much if they just eat their dals.

The various dals I know of are moong dal(dhuli and sabut), arhar(toor or tuvar dal), chane ki daal, ma ki dal, masoor dal (sabut and dhuli) and urad dal . When a dal is "dhuli"it simply means that the skin has been taken away and the seed is split and exposed and when its "sabut " it means that the whole seed in intact in its covering .

I recently made sabut masoor dal .Masoor dal is also called "Egyptian lentils" and is dark brown in color.Its difficult to look at those dark ,non-descript seeds and beleive that they could turn into such a delicious lentil soup.(if you decide to cook sabut daal ,please remember these seeds take longer to cook because they are whole. )

Alright, lets get started without much ado.

You need :
250 g. sabut masoor dal

For Tempering/baghar/tadka
(this is basically just seasoning the dal by with spices and other ingredients )
1 tsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. garlic paste/crushed garlic
2 tbs. (vegatble/sunflower/canola)
1 large onion finely chopped
1 large tomato finely chopped
1 level tsp. chili powder/flakes
1\2 level tsp. ground coriander-
salt to taste
1 level tsp. garam masala
2-3 tbs. finely chopped fresh coriander leaves for garnish

This is how you cook it
Pressure cook the dal , using approximately a half a litre of water .(You can add the salt right now or later after the dal is cooked.Usually it takes about 15-20 minutes in a pressure cooker. You may have to add more water if the lentil is not tender yet and cook for further 8 to 10 minutes). Let the pressure whistle blow about 3-4 times on medium to high heat

Take the dal of the stove and take a pan .Heat the oil and add the ginger paste, garlic, onions and fry them till they become transparent .Then add the tomatoes and fry them till they start losing their moisture and become soft.Now add the dal (if the dal is not dilute enough , you can add more water to get a consistency you want).Add salt, dhania powder and chilli flakes /powder.Stir and cook for few more minutes.

Take off the stove .The dal is now ready .As a finishing touch add the garam masala and garnish with the chopped corriander .

its Yummy :)

Paneer bhurji

2006-01-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

I love paneer in all shapes, forms and dishes ..For those of you who read my blog and don't know what paneer/cottage cheese is (Its a dairy product.Paneer can be prepared at home or bought at the market .I buy mine at the local Indian store .The easiest way to make Paneer is to squeeze a lemon in hot milk and let it separate .Take the white residue and tie it up in a muslin cloth and let all the water drip .What remains is, paneer.You can crumble this or cut it up in cubes....)

Paneer is pretty versatile .There a tonnes of recipes out there and the ones that come to my mind are pudina paneer, handi paneer, paneer in coriander garlic sauce, matar paneer, saag paneer, achari paneer, paneer palak bhujia/bhurji, kesari paneer, goan paneer pea curry , mughlai paneer, kaju paneer masala, paneer kebabs, and paneer pasanda..I plan to try them all soon and Iam sure they are just minor variations in all the recipes .

Paneer bhurji is simple easy to make and takes almost no time .And It tastes delicious. I usually have it either some kind of dal , chappati and raita .I will put up the daal that I cooked with the Paneer bhurji in my next blog entry ...

Till then enjoy this one :-)

You need :
200 gms paneer - crumbled
1 large onion chopped finely
2 green chillies chopped finely
oil - 1 tablespoon
salt to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric
chilli powder/flakes to taste
corriander to garnish

This is how you cook it :
Heat the oil and fry the onions till they become transparent .Add diced green chillies and saute them for a while .Then addthe paneer, followed by turmeric, salt and chilli flakes.Mix thoroughly and add just a little water to the mixture .Be sure not to add too much water .Wait for water to evaporate and then take off the stove.Paneer Bhurji is ready to serve. Garnish with chopped corriander.

If you feel like adding finely chopped tomatoes along with the onions at the onset , feel free to do so.That's just another variation to the recipe and tastes great as well.

To 2006 and new recipes....spicy meatball curry

2006-01-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

A very happy New year to all of you who read foodies unite

Hope the New year brings you joy , happiness and gastronomic delights , taking you on new food journeys and introduce you to fascinating and wonderful cuisine from different regions of the world.

And on that note let me begin with ......Spicy meatball curry

Yeah ,I have always loved meatballs with spaghetti or meatball curry with rice .Theres something about chunky meatballs , cooked in tomato sauce thats whets and satiates the appetite at the same time.

Apparently there are many different ways to make meatballs ..Meat balls are made with lamb, turkey , veal , pork or beef . While Finnish meatballs are made with (ground beef, prok , breadcrumbs, thyme , garlic , onion , eggs) , Frikadeller or Danish meat balls are made with veal and pork and served with potatoes and stewed cabbage.Swedish meatballs on the other hand could use beef, veal or pork and are typically served with brown sauce, potatoes and lingonberry jam(reminds me of what they serve at the Local Ikea-the retail assmebly furniture giant ).

Let me present you with an Indian take on these:)

You need

2 tablespoons vegatable oil

30-36 meatballs

1 cup of boiled peas

Half a can of crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt to taste

Chilli flakes to taste

2 teaspoons of corriander powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

Here's how I made it:

Heated the vegetable oil and popped the cumin seeds in it.Added half a can of crushed tomotaoes to which I added turmeric, chilli flakes, salt , corriander powder and salt .Stirred it on slow heat till the oil seperated .(this is a sign that the sauce is now cooked) .Added meatballs and some boiled peas and sauted them in the sauce till they were covered in it .Then added two cups of water and kept it on medium to high heat. Cooked the meatballs in sauce till sauce reduced and meatballs floated to the top after having absorbed juices and spices from the sauce .

VOILA ..there you go

And a very happy New year to you Again :)

Chilli meat with curry leaves

2005-12-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

Its amazing ... there are a gazillion chicken recipes out there ..or for that matter a gazillion recipes for everything.What do I say of world cuisine when I have not even scratched the surface of the Indian recipe-Pandora's box .The treasure hunt is on though .

Every region in India has a different take on spices,herbs , oils, veg, non -veg dishes .When I think I have made quite a few,more and yet more keep turning up. Slowly, yet steadily I plan to try them all..After all ,its a long life and I have plenty of time;). Hopefully ,I'll be an expert of them and some of them might not augur well with me but heck , its worth a try.What do you say?:)

I have tried plenty of non vegetarian(read chicken,mutton, lamb) recipes from North India , plenty more from East of India (umpteen varities of fish,chicken,mutton,lamb,prawns) and the other day I decided to strike on some south indian recipes -specifically ,from Andhra Pradesh .

The Andhra cuisine has a great Mughal impact. Their food is known for its spiciness and hotness
Curry leaves and chillies are two of the hallmark ingredients used here or for that matter in other southern states of India. The recipe I chose was chilli meat with curry leaves ,where the hottest chillies known as Gunter(named after the region they are grown in) are abundantly available.

You need :(tb=tablespoon, ts=teaspoon)
2 tb vegetable oil
1 large finely sliced onion
2 in piece fresh root ginger
grated 4 garlic cloves
crushed 12 curry leaves
3 tb extra hot curry paste or 4 tbsp hot curry powder(madras style)
1 tb chilli powder
1 ts five-spice powder 5 ml
1 ts ground turmeric
2lb chicken cubes(you can substitute them with pork,lamb or beef)
3/4 cup thick coconut milk
Salt to taste
Red onion, finely sliced, to garnish

Heres how to make madras style curry powder
Grind 2 and 1/2 tb corriander seeds, (sieve if any large husks remain). Additionally grind 2ts Garlic Powder, 1 tb Ground Cumin,2 ts Ground Tumeric, 1 ts Ground Ginger,1 ts Chili flakes/powder, 1/2 ts Ground Allspice, 1 tb Salt,1 tb Ground Black Pepper,1/2 tb Dry Mustard,1/4 ts Saffron.Blend all of the ingredient together and store in an airtight jar. This recipe makes 3 ounces of curry powder.

How to cook it
1) Heat the oil in a wok, karahi or large pan and fry the onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves until onion becomes soft.
2) Add the curry paste or powder, chilli and five-spice powder, turmeric and salt.
3) Add the meat and stir well over a medium heat to seal and evenly brown the meat pieces. Keep stirring until the oil separates.
4) Cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer, cover until the meat is cooked.
5)Towards the end of the cooking, uncover the pan to reduce the excess liquid.

Serve with yogurt and rice/indian bread.Garnish with a sprig of corrainder leaves and a slice of lemon .

If you decide to cook this , let me know how it went :-)

Butter Chicken - recipe on special demand

2005-12-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

I usually put stuff on my blog that I tried, like to cook , or made for a party/get together..Over time some of the folks who have read my blog have asked for my recipes

Heres the butter chicken recipe that I tried for a the xmas party at work .Meena , this is what you asked for

You need:
2 lbs chicken(I took chicken breast tenders, easy to dice and cook really fast)
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup tomotoes (chopped finely)
1 large onion (chopped finely)
1/2 cup cashews (grounded smoothly)
chilli flakes/powder -according to taste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 cinnamon stick
turmeric powder
salt-according to taste

This is how you cook it :
1 Heat half a stick of butter in medium heat and fry onions and cinnamon sticks till onion turns transparent.
2 Add turmeric, chilly, ginger and garlic paste, salt and a little water. Heat few more seconds with continuous stirring.
3 Add tomatoes and heat few more seconds with continuous stirring
4 Add grounded cashew paste and some more water to make it into a thick gravy. (Add more or less water while cooking to get according to your preference for consistency of gravy.)
5 When the mixture starts to boil, add the chicken and cook until it is fully cooked
6 Before you take chicken off the heat, add rest of the butter over it.

and Voila !!! Serve with rice /roti /naan and garnish as you please :-)

Seekh Kebab

2005-12-27T17:54:00.000-08:00

I haven't tried making seekh kabab at home before , and yesterday I wondered why ..

There was no satisfactory answer other than the fact that I don't have a nice big grill .."So what, don't you have an oven , you silly girl?" My inner voice chided me ...and I started laughing .It was time to make some kebabs .

The compliments at my friend's place were all I needed ,to tell me that my experiment turned out very well .And ofcourse hubby dear has always been an ardent admirer of my cooking (Now that's love for you)

Here's how I made it
Took some lean turkey meat to which I added some vegetable oil and spices(salt, red chilly flakes, worchestor sauce , garam masala , dhania powder)

Made long sausage shaped rolls and inserted a skewer stick in each kebab. and put them on a baking tray which had been lightly sprayed with oil . (dip the skewer sticks for about 20 minutes in cold water to prevent burning in the oven)

The I put the tray in the oven which had been preheated at 350 degree F .Turned them skewers over periodically till the meat turned deep brown (While baking ,test the level of cooking by stickg a fork inside the meat and see if the prongs have any wet, sticky residue on them .If not then the meat is cooked and ready to serve )

Served it with a cooling yogurt sauce to which I added mint chutney .

Christmas with an indian flavor

2005-12-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

Yay!!!

Iam back again to my food blog after a month and it feels good :-) to be writing about food once again .No long breaks this time.

Last friday , we had a christmas party at work (actually at someone's home after work) and we were all asked to get what we thought we would like to share from our culture .Me, I chose kesar pulao, butter chicken , vegetable cutlets (for appetisers) and saag paneer .

Butter chicken is a north indian chicken dish made with chicken cubes cooked in a spicy onion-tomato sauce to which almond-cashewnut paste is added for consistency and thickness .Usually food color is added but I did not add any and jsut stuck with turmeric .

Kesar pulao is an aromatic basmati rice cooked with clarified butter and salt to which raisins, cashewnuts and kesar (saffron) is added .YUM-O

Saag Paneer is a very popular North Indian dish as well .To prepare this I usually fry paneer( cottage cheese , this is not the cottage cheese in America .At the party I was telling what paneer is and how to make it .Here goes, squeeze a lemon in hot milk and let it seperate .Take the white residue and tie it up in a muslin cloth and let all the water drip .What remains is, paneer.You can crumble this or cut it up in cubes....I buy mine from the Indian store)

Vegetable cutlets are well, cutlets . Boil and mash potatoes and add peas, breadcrumbs, salt , black pepper and amchoor .Make little balls , flatten them and shallow fry them .Have them with corriander and/or turmeric chutney .

For dessert I took pumpkin pie .(and everyone knows what pumpkin pie is ).

All of the above were popular and here are some pictures .Enjoy

The Indian Twist

Kesar Pulao

Butter Chicken

Saag Paneer

Vegetable Cutlets

Pumpkin Pie

Merry Christmas every one :-)

Lamb Curry

2005-11-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

Yeah ,lamb curry ....I had made a big brouhaha about this to some of my freinds(and they know who they are;)) and here Iam writing about it .

I recently made australian lamb curry ..took this big chunk of meat and chopped it up , marinated it overnight in yogurt and spices and then cooked it on slow heat ....

It turned out great ...served it with Rumali roti (for those of you who dont know what rumali roti is ...Its a very large, very thin bread from Northern India .Its supposed to be as fine as a silken scarf and is cooked on what looks like an upturned wok - a convex metal pan ...

In the picture below the rumali roti's look like the usual chappati (indian bread), but they have been folded a couple times to fit them on the serving dish .)

Simple yet Complete

2005-10-26T02:02:00.000-07:00

After a hectic day at work most people come home and grab the nearest and the easiest thing to eat .Calories and vows to work towards a better body are forgotten ..All that matters is taking care of the hunger thats poking holes in your stomach ....

I often try to live up to my vow(pun intended ,wink!!) There are few days when I dont care for anything but boiled eggs (atleast they are healthy) and other days when I am capable (and thats mostly the situation) when I cook up a 2-3 course , healthy meal ...

The picture represents just that...boiled or steamed rice , yellow lentil soup(in india its called toor or arhar dal ), minced mea(called keema in india) with vegetables ,yogurt and some fresh salad ..A meal like this mostly takes care of my body , soul and my hunger and gets rave reviews..

Bon appetit :-)

Grilled Salmon with steamed vegetables

2005-10-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

yeah ..healthy ,yummy and fast to cook..loaded with omega 3 fatty acids...

the vegetables(mushrooms, carrots, spinach , zucchini ,onion and yellow bell paper) were steamed and the salmon was marinated in olive oil and seasoned with salt,pepper , lemon and some "special masala "I have :-)

Enjoy !!

Durga Puja fare

2005-10-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

I become extremely nostalgic when Durga Puja is around the corner and miss home ..The pandals ,the endless fun, the camaraderie and the food...Since I no longer get that food I decided to make it myself and fill the void.For those of you who dont know what Durga Pooja is,Well, it is a prominent festival amongst bengalis in India .

My menu had the quintessential Khichudi(a mixture of rice, lentils ,veggies and spices),cabbage with peas,Labda(a funny name but dont get mislead by it )a delicious,aromatic& sweet-salty mix of vegetables like squash, aubergines and potatoes,seasoned with five spices and cooked in mustard oil),tomato chutney(I also added dates,rasins and cherries to the mix), Begun bhaja(sliced aubergines marinated in turmeric and salt and panfried in mustard oil) and the dessert was khejur gud paish (rice pudding cooked in palm sugar)...

Shubho Bijoya everyone !!

khichudi

Labda (yeah say that again ..its a funny name):-)

cabbage and peas

begun bhaja (aubergines pan fried in mustard oil)

tomato chutney

khejur gud paish(rice pudding made with palm sugar)

Rock Fish fillet in Red Curry

2005-10-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Last evening I did'nt feel like eating fish grilled or the Indian way ,so I decided to go Thai.And cooked some Rock fish in thai red curry.

Cooking the curry :
This involves dicing rock fish fillets in medium sized cubes .Diced a large red onion into cubes and chopped soem baby carrots.Heated some sesame oil to which I added a couple of dried red chillies and then sauted the vegetables.When the veggies were a little soft added the fish cubes ,salt,red pepper flakes ,black pepper and some fish sauce .When the Veggies and fish were almost cooked ,added some thai red curry paste to which I had added coconut milk .Simmered the vegetables in sauce for a little while and there you go.

Cooking the Rice :
The rice that I cooked to accompany the fish curry was'nt the traditional jasmine rice but long grained basmati rice .For this ,I heated some ghee(clarified butter) and then added Nigella seeds(kalonji),whole red chillies and a couple of bay leaves .Added water and salt and then when the water was hot and bubbling , added the rice .And then cooked the rice on slow heat till it was done.

The fish in red curry

Fish curry and rice

Pastalicious

2005-10-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

I love pasta , noodles and sphagetti ....I dont eat them very often but when I do,its always my first priority to make it wholesome .

So I concocted one of these pasta dishes ...It has pasta that comes in 5 different shapes which I mix up with chicken and vegetables (spinach , peas, beans and carrots )I do a tomato based sauce with garlic in olive oil to which I add italian seasoning , black pepper ,salt and red chili flakes and cook the veggies and chicken in the sauce .Then I add boiled and strained pasta and garnish with cheese.

Viola ,An interesting mix of spices, texture and healthy food.And ofcourse ,you can always turn it up a notch with a glass of red wine :-)

Enjoy !!

Doi Maach

2005-10-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

And so I continue with more "fishy" recipes.This one is called Doi maach ...and I love it .I do a quick version and sometimes a slow version.The slow version is obviously more labor intensive .One can use catfish, seabass, halibut fillets or any other that are available.

the recipe usually involves marinating the fish fillets in a mixture of ginger ,cumin,red pepper,salt, corriander powder,turmeric etc etc in yogurt..The rest can be discussed in any one wants to know(wink!!)

Enjoy:-)

Pyaaz Maach

2005-09-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

I will continue to cover more items from bengali cuisine and then move to another region of India or perhaps the world .

Meanwhile , this is pyaaz maach( fish cooked in spicy onion gravy) .I enjoy this particularly because its hot and real spicy.I put a different spin on it sometimes by adding a little bit of tomato and that enhances the flavor .

Enjoy !!

Satisfied customers :-)

2005-09-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

Suchita , my freinds younger sister was visiting me on july17,2005 and had been deprived of home made food .She's bengali and Iam part bengali too so I thought I would treat her to nice Bengali food .

I cooked pulao(rice with spices,ghee and salt),kosha mangsho(spicy chicken bengali style),dim curry(egg curry),aloor dom( baby potatoes in spices),luchi (pooris) and added yougurt and salad to the mix .Suchita enjoyed the food and I had a great time making it .Even more fun looking at the happy and satisfied faces of Suchita and Pankaj .

I will discuss recipes in the next post, Till then here are some pictures I would like to share .Enjoy

The spread

Suchita and Pankaj clink their beer glasses

They seem satisfied

Birth

2005-09-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

A very lofty title for a food blog entry, but thats what you call the birth of a baby and this is mine . Food is one of my loves and I look at this as the beginning of all things good .I wish to discuss and sometimes offer my 2cents on food,wine, restaurants,and cusines from all over the world in addition to things I make everyday in my humble little kitchen .

Heres a lovely little poem on food which clearly sets the tone for this food blog.

Why food -
Is it at all necessary?
Why must we go
Every other day to the marts
To stock fish, condiments
And rice?
We hustle each day
At work
Only so that our bellies
Can be filled afterwards.
We think we control food,
But clearly it controls us.(samuel nze)

Welcome folks ,to Foodies Unite.