Turai ki Subzi

Just a week ago, my hubby dear cooked a fabulous dish out of ridgegourd, commonly called as Turai in Hindi. This came as a surprise to me as he is a complete novice when it comes to cooking. He can barely make tea or heat milk and that's it! So you can imagine, how amiably I was surprised as I was greeted home from work with the aromas from the kitchen lingering around the house. I asked him how he managed to make such an elaborate curry painstakingly (I believe he ground the spices before cooking this). With a gleam in his eyes, he said it was the magic of technology... the internet! I am sure he must have spent hours making this! I am still wondering what spices went into it as it tasted mild and very flavoursome. I managed to capture it on my camera before I indulged in it!

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Kadhi

Not sure if it was an invention or a discovery! But I can't help to think how different our eating styles would have been without the existence of curd. I freak out on curd. My meal somehow doesn't seem to be complete without ending with a cup of curd. Just a cup of plain curd... no salt, no sugar. Curd compliments any Indian meal, be it north or south, east or west. Not just eaten as it is, for those who don't like it in it's true form, there are various recipes that use curd like Punjabi Kadhi, Sindhi Kadhi, Raita, Papad ki subzi, Dum Aloo, Aviyal, Majjige Huli, Dahi vada, Dhokla, various Indian chats, Jalebi, Srikhand, etc... list just goes on! It gives a creamy richness the healthy way.

Today, I bring forth a very common North Indian recipe, Kadhi. This one is quite commonly made by my mum. I learnt it from her. I have not yet shared the basic Kadhi recipe which is much simpler than this one. This one requires the following:

Kadhi

INGREDIENTS

Roughly mince:
A pod of ginger
A sprig of coriander
1 hot chilli

1 cup curd/buttermilk
1/4 cup besan, chikpea flour
1 cup water
Chilli powder to taste
A pinch of hing/asafeotida (a must)
A few curry leaves
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. oil or ghee
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
Salt

DIRECTIONS

Mix the besan for the kadhi with the buttermilk. Add salt, chilli powder and the minced paste to the same so that they mix well. Heat oil. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric and hing and then pour in the liquid. Add the water and let the whole thing simmer till the raw taste of besan is gone. If the water has evaporated by now do add more water. Consistency of kadhi differs depending on you. Generally, kadhi is done when it's thick enough to stick to the back of the spoon. Enjoy this dish with rice.

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Methi Malai Soya

You must have heard of Methi Malai Paneer, Methi Mutter Malai and similar other names. Very commonly available in most Indian restaurants. Today I bring forth Methi Malai Soya. Yes! Heard it right! It's with Soya chunks. All of us know the health benefits of soya and that it is protien rich. Here it's coupled with greens (fenugreek leaves) and made creamier with malai (cream). This dish is yummy and you are sure to lick your fingers till the end.

Methi Malai Soya

INGREDIENTS

Grind to paste:

1 Onion
A pod of ginger
1 Chilli

Other ingredients:

1 cup soya chunks
1 cup methi/ fenugreek leaves
1/4 cup malai/ milk cream
1 cup fresh tomato puree (2 tomatoes)
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp amchoor/mango powder (optional
Oil
Salt

DIRECTIONS

Boil and cook soya chunks in water and salt for 5-10 mins till soft. Cut them in halves if too big (so that they absorb more gravy). Keep them aside.

In a wok/kadai, heat oil, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the ground paste to it and cook for 5 mins on low flame with continuous stirring. Then add the tomato puree following the other dry powders except mango powder. Cook for 2 mins and then add the soya chunks and fenugreek/methi leaves. Cover the lid, cook for 10 mins so that the gravy is absorbed. Add fresh cream and cook for another 5 mins on low flame with closed lid. Cream gives some sweetness to the dish. If you want a slight tang, add amchoor/ mango powder. It's optional. I added a pinch to mine. And if you prefer more gravy then add water. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or pulao.

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Clear Vegetable Soup and Italian Pasta Delight in Mornay Sauce

A Perfect Quick Healthy Meal!

Are you feeling tired or lethargic? Or you've been out all day and are back home for dinner, but you don't have sufficient time to cook a complete meal. Do you wish to wrap up a quick meal not wanting to spend too much time in the kitchen? But your better half is hungry and expecting a good meal tonight? I am sure you have been through this sometime. Well, this is what you can do?

The trick here is not to strain yourself too much, but making a meal that looks worth a day effort! Now here's something that can make it look elaborate, but isn't as much as it looks. Adding to it, it's a great meal loaded with nutrition. I started with boiling vegetables on one hand, cooking pasta and making the white sauce simultaneously.

Step 1: Choose a mix of veggies available in your pantry. 1/2 cup each of the following veggies diced and boiled. Carrots, peas, spring onions, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, sweetcorn or baby corn, french beans, mushrooms, spinach (boil separately as they leave color), etc. Add a finely chopped green chilli for some spice (optional).

Boil these veggies (sufficient for both clear veg soup and pasta) in water. Add salt while cooking. It takes about 10 mins. Cabbage and mushrooms are added just before the other vegetables are about to cook. Make sure that the vegetables are just cooked and they retain their crispness. We don't want them mushy.

Step 2: While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the pasta. Cook the pasta in boiling water with salt and a tsp of oil till they are just done. Drain the water, add another tsp of oil.

Step 3: Using a slotted spoon, transfer a part of these veggies (without the broth) to another bowl and kept them aside for dressing the pasta.

Now for the Mornay Sauce, we require the following

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 garlic pods pods
1 onion slit to 4 pieces
4 cloves (pierced them onto each onion piece)
2 cups milk salt freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the butter in a sauce pan over medium-low heat until melted. Slowly add the milk to the butter and whisk continuously. Pierce about 4 cloves to the onion. Add this with garlic to the milk. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Turn up the heat to medium and cook the flour for about 6 to 7 minutes. This will prevent the sauce from having a raw flour taste. Whisk continously to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil. Remove the onion pieces and then add 1/2 cup grated cheese to 1 cup of hot sauce; stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to use.

Clear Vegetable Soup

Scoop out the remaining veggies with the broth into serving bowls. Add freshly ground pepper to them and serve hot.

Italian pasta in Mornay Sauce

Here's how we can arrange the pasta. It's done in 3 layers with pasta as the base, following the veggies and then the sauce.

Base: Place a layer of steaming hot pasta as the base.
Middle Layer: Layer the next layer with the cooked veggies.
Topping: A nice serving of the Mornay white sauce. Garnish with basil leaves.

Believe me, I just took 20 mins to prepare and serve this one! 5-7 mins to chop, 10-12 mins to boil veggies and pasta and another 3-5 mins to layer and serve. And not just for those lazy days, this one is a sure hit among your family and friends and will be loved by all!

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Homemade low-fat chocolates!

Homemade low-fat chocolates! Does low-fat make you feel happy? Chocolates are considered to be high calorie foods. What a delight would it be to be able to consume your favorite choco snack and still not feel that guilt? I do admit that everytime I have consumed a bar of chocolate, I feel guilty, as if I let the germs attack my precious dents and have allowed another few ounces of fat to be collected around my waistline. Now considering that everyone wants to live the healthier way and still not compromise on eating, I have my version of home-made chocolates which are a great treat and low in calories.

Splenda/ 1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup milk powder (an alternate for cream)
3 tbsp bitter cocoa powder
50 gms low salt butter (You may use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt)

Mix sugar, cocoa and milk powder. Melt butter and add the above dry mixture and heat on medium-low flame. Add a little milk or cream to the above to achieve desired consistency. Mix and fold in thoroughly to get a smooth velvety mixture. Chocolate should be ready once it begins to stick stiffly to the back of the spatula. Remove from the gas and transfer the molten mass to a well greased pan immediately. Set in refrigerator to freeze. Cut to cubes after the molten mass is set.

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Appe HuLi

Welcome summer, welcome mangoes. Is there anyone among you who dislikes mangoes, the king of fruits? I doubt. Indian summers can get so hot at times, that you wouldn't be able to bear the heat even for minutes. You can feel the heat and sweat running through every part of your body. Back in Mangalore, summers are terrible. Infact, we often say that Mangalore has just 2 seasons, one Monsoon and second Summer. There is no winter in this part of the country! The moment sun shines on the city, it gets sweaty, hot and humid. Traditional tiled roofs do beat the heat to certain extent. Surprisingly, this part of the country is still green and healthy, thanks to the humidity. And with March-April coming through you are sure to find branched trees bearing fruits.

This takes me back to my nostalgic moments spent in Byndoor, near Bhatkal, where we would go to maternal grandparent's place for summer vacations. A lovely small village with a palatial old tiled-roof bunglow in the centre of an acred green area, an old well at one end, a nice huge dung laid courtyard, the house surrounded by green vegetation with all kinds of trees including mango, chikku, pineapple, brahmi, tomatoes, loads of coconut trees and many others. I still recall the time when grandparents would scare us from going to the backyard of the house fearing cobra snakes and other animals residing there. Summers meant treating ourselves with lots and lots of mangoes, all from our very own backyard garden. Breakfasts with dosa and maavina rasayana (mango kheer), lunch and dinners had other mango variations like rice with appe huLi, mavinkai gojju, mavinkai sasime, amTi, etc. And no matter how many times mangoes were used on a daily basis we would never tire eating them in any form. That was the magic of mangoes.

In this heat, what can be a better way of soothing yourself other than mango. Welcome summer and you are sure to be greeted with Appe HuLi in most Havyaka homes. This is one of the A Havyaka delicacies and is very common in most of our kitchens. Here, I share with you the recipe for Appe HuLi as made by my amma.

Appe Saaru

INGREDIENTS

2 raw mangoes
1 tsp jaggery (or as per your taste)
Salt
1 tbsp Oil
3-4 dry red chillies
1 tsp Mustard seeds
4-5 Curry leaves
A generous pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

DIRECTIONS

Cut the mangoes roughly and cook them in boiling water. Once cooked, squeeze the pulp off the peels and seeds and mash them. Bring this pulp to a boil and add water if you prefer it thinner. Add salt and jaggery as per your taste. This depends on how sour or sweet the mango is. Prepare the tempering. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and a generous pinch of hing. Add to the boiled broth and switch off the heat. Serve with rice or as it is.

This sweet, sour and spicy raw mango soup will leave your taste buds tongue tickling for more.

Photographs updated dated 3rd June 2013

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Pineapple Sheera

Pineapples have been ruling my kitchen for sometime now. Time for some desert and that too cooked in the aromatic home-made ghee! The aroma of home-made ghee gives an amazing flavour to the recipe, makng it very rich and calorific. But who cares when it's once in a while indulgence! Few saffron strands will give this dessert a royal touch. Adding pineapple bites is a tangy sweet twist to the normal sheera we make.

Pineapple Sheera

INGREDIENTS

1 Pineapple, cut to bite sized pieces
1 cup Rawa or cream of wheat
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
4 tbsp ghee
3 cloves, optional
1/4 tsp cardamom powder

DIRECTIONS

Heat ghee, add cloves and fry for a minute. Add rava and fry on a low flame till aromatic. Add 2 cups of hot water and stir well. At this point, it may begin to form lumps. Adding hot water avoids forming lumps to a large extent as the rawa absorbs water quickly. Add sugar and pineapple pieces before the water dries up completely. Cook till sheera till it comes to a semi-dry state (not completely dry). Add cardamom powder for garnishing.

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Punjabi Aloo Gobi

I love food and I am a complete foodie by heart! It doesn't matter what cuisine it belongs to. And my only criteria is that it has to be vegetarian. I love trying various cuisines. This was an attempt to try Punjabi Aloo Gobi today, which is one of my favorites. I haven't seen many who are fussy when it comes to cauliflower. Unlike many other vegetable, this one is loved by most of all. As children, we would often play around with cauliflower when it was prepared for the meal. It would fascinate us as if we were eating mini-trees!

I often prepare this dish. This common Punjabi dish is brilliantly flavored with earthy ginger hinted with a background flavor of coriander-chilly flavor. This one will be most loved if one adores spicy food. Here's the recipe for Aloo Gobi.

Punjabi Aloo Gobi

INGREDIENTS

Grind to paste:
Half a cup chopped coriander leaves
1 cube ginger
2 green chillies

Vegetables:
1 cup square cut boiled potatoes
1 cup cut cauliflower
Half a cup peas/mutter (optional)

Other Misc Ingredients:
Oil as per requirement
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 spn garam masala
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
A pinch of aamchoor powder (mango powder)
Salt as per taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a kadai/wok. Allow cumin seeds to splutter. Then add the cut cauliflower, boiled potatoes and peas into the pan. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, add salt, sugar, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, aamchoor powder and chilly powder. Add the ground paste (grind coriander leaves, ginger and green chillies into paste) to the cooked vegetables. Cook for another 10 or 15 mins. Sprinkle with remaining coriander leaves and serve hot with Naan or Pulav.

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Pineapple Rasam/Saar

Summers in Mangalore get pretty hot and humid. What can be a more simpler meal than having steaming rice with hot rasam, papad, mango pickle ending with curd! We often get pineapples at home. At times, the pineapples may not be as sweet as enjoying them as is and just bland by taste. This saar, as called in Kannada or rasam is a great way of using these pineapples. It's simple, quick and easy... sweet, sour, spicy... a great way to beat the heat!

Here's what we need:

1 medium pineapple, chopped/cubed
1 tsp Rasam/sambhar powder
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 cup water Jaggery
Salt
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of hing (asafeotida)
A sprig of curry leaves

Boil chopped pineapple with 1/2 cup water for sometime till it turns soft. Add tamarind, jaggery, salt, rasam powder. Ajust the ingredients as per your taste. Add more tamarind/jaggery if the pineapple is too bland. Add a tempering of mustard, hing and curry leaves. I love mine with a stronger dash of hing. Wasn't this quick and simple!
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