Vegetable Frittata with potato, tomato, spinach and onion

Frittata, the Italian vegetable omelette that is filling enough to make it meal on its own. Once you have a frittata, this will be your omelette of choice. Apart from the taste, the frittata makes for a healthy dish with the addition of all the vegetables in it.

Ingredients (for 1 omelette)
Eggs - 2
Onion - 1
Spinach - 10 to 12 leaves
Tomato - 1
Potato - 1

Cheese - I used mozzarella, and cut about 5 slices from the side, you can reduce or add as much as you want.

Salt as per taste
Black pepper pwd
Butter

Slice the onion, potato and tomato and cheese and keep aside.

Heat a pan and add a teaspoon of butter and saute the onion till just translucent and keep aside. Add a little more butter and sear both sides of the potato slices and keep aside. In the same pan lay the spinach leaves for a minute so that it is just wilted and take it out immediately. Add the tomato slices and sear both sides and take it out.

 

Grease a baking dish and start with layering the vegetables. Start with the potato slices at the bottom, then lay half of the spinach leaves, lay the sauteed onions over that and the tomato slices over the onions. Add the rest of the spinach leaves over the tomato slices.

 

In a separate bowl beat the eggs with a little salt and black pepper powder. Pour this over the layered vegetables and pop the baking dish into the oven to bake at 160 degree Celsius. After 5 minutes top the baking omelette with the cheese slices and let it bake till firm. Carefully take the pan out and after a few minutes serve it.

This is a filling meal in itself without adding any bread. When making for more people increase the quantity and bake in a larger dish and cut into wedges to serve.

 

Adraki Aloo Gobi Sabzi

 

In my ex-office, a few of us would lunch together and it was a shared affair. So, just before lunch time we would call each other up on extensions and ensure each of us got to the lunch room. And if any of us did not like what we had carried, we immediately gave it off and grabbed a little of everything from the other boxes. Most of us liked some dish or other from each others home and I liked this Aloo Gobi sabzi that my colleague, V got. His wife made his lunch and whenever he got this sabzi I would stake a claim right at the start. Eventually I got round to speaking with his wife and got this recipe. She gave me her recipe which I followed to the T and got it just right.

 

And with this, I am reminded of his daughter, G, whom V collected from her day care and brought over till such time that he wrapped up his work. She was so cute and I was happy when she took to me and insisted on sitting with me in my room till V was ready to leave. I was the listener to her poems, rhymes and daily happenings at her class and day care. She was one of the persons that made my day just by being there and I missed her sorely when I left that office and moved to another state.

 

Today after a long time, I made aloo gobi this way and was happy with the results. It's a very simple and easy recipe and requires very few ingredients as well. The key is in letting it cook on very low heat with minimal seasonings.

Ingredients
Potato, diced - 1 cup
Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Ginger, chopped - 1 tbsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 2
Turmeric pwd
Red chilli pwd
Tomato, chopped - 1
Coriander - a few sprigs
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Keep the diced potato and the cauliflower florets in water till ready to use. Slit the green chillies roughly powder the cumin seeds with a mortar and pestle. Clean the coriander leaves and chop it.

 

Heat a kadai and add the oil in. When the oil is hot, add the crushed cumin seed and after a few seconds add the chopped ginger and saute. Add the slit green chillies and turmeric powder and saute for a few seconds. Then add the red chilli powder and salt and the potato and cauliflower and mix well. Cover with a lid that can hold water in it. Keep the heat on low, pour some water on the lid and let the vegetables cook slowly. After about 10 minutes, add the chopped tomato and mix in well. Cover the kadai again with the lid and continue cooking on low heat. If the water has evaporated add some more. The vegetables will take about 20 to 30 minutes to cook. It should be just done and top with coriander leaves and take off the heat. Keep covered till ready to serve.

This vegetable does need a little more oil than normal but it tastes just yum. Serve this Adraki Aloo Gobi sabzi with phulkas or roti.

Pasta and Vegetables in White Sauce

If a lightly seasoned cheesy flavored sauce is what you crave then the white sauce with cheese is just right for you. The basic white or Béchamel sauce as it is known, can be enhanced with the addition of herbs and black pepper. This seasoned white sauce is a commonly added sauce to pasta / steamed veggies. Today, I combined all three - pasta, vegetables and white sauce to make a one dish meal. I resort to One dish meals when I am the only one eating at home. Most times I try and add as many vegetables to ensure I do not miss my daily quota. Quite often, the hassle of cooking for only one person overwhelms and we typically end up making a meal rich in carb & protein but without the required fibre and vitamins. 

It is commonly seen that people have chapati with chhole or paneer or aloo or chicken with absolutely no vegetables at all in that meal and believe it to be a complete meal. Many a times a dinner menu has paneer / aloo, chicken, a dal, roti and pulao with no vegetables whatsoever. Including a vegetable stir fry or a tossed salad would have made this very same menu a complete meal. Suffice it to say, try and add veggies and fruits for a healthy body and especially if there are children in the family. 

For now, let's get back to our recipe.

Ingredients

for white sauce

Butter - 1 tbsp

Flour - 1.5 tbsp

Milk - 1 cup

Cheese grated - 4 tbsp

White sauce is usually made with white flour but this time I used wheat flour and it was as good. To make the sauce heat some butter in a pan, when it melts completely, add the floor and mix well. Keep the heat on low and slowly add milk little by little and keep stirring to make a smooth sauce on low heat. In case there are lumps cheat a little and give it a quick whisk in a blender. Now I am sure the purists will scorn but less experts like me have to find a way around. Continue on low heat and add the cheese now and a pinch of black pepper and oregano as well. Take it off heat and use as suggested.

This white sauce can be made for any recipe suggesting it.

Pasta - 1 cup

Vegetables - 1 cup

(I used a mix of baby corn, broccoli, mushroom, green beans and capsicum)

Black pepper pwd - a few dashes

Oregano - few dashes

Salt to taste

Boil about 3 cups of water, add some salt and cook the pasta in it.

Clean and cut the vegetables and steam it lightly with a dash of salt. Add a dash of black pepper and oregano and mix. Stir these vegetables into the white sauce and keep aside. Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the vegetable and sauce mix. Mix well and add a little more cheese if you like.

Serve it into bowls and enjoy.

Chicken Sandwich

My husband and I loved the sandwiches we got at Quiznos when we were in the United States. Since the time we returned to India we tried to find a replacement sandwich place but we were not completely and fully taken by any completely. For me, I love sandwiches, period, but that's not the case with my husband. He loves his chicken sandwich and tried a lot of places but was not satisfied with any he tried till date. The chicken sandwich he likes is simple to the sound - put together grilled chicken, mayo, onion, tomato, jalapeno and lettuce with a dash of salt and oregano.

 

Then we once had a Chicken Jungli Sandwich made by his cousin who is a chef; the sandwich was superlative and we couldn't resist but ask for the recipe. But I lost the recipe and could only remember a few ingredients, but I put those together and added some I thought would go well and I came up with this sandwich. And we enjoyed it as much. It is a great sandwich to team up with a soup for a hearty dinner.

Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches)
Bread slices - 4
Chicken, boneless - 100 gms
Mayonnaise - 2.5 to 3 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Lettuce leaves - 2
Celery, finely chopped - 2 tbsp
Capsicum, finely chopped - 2 tbsp
Green chilli, very finely chopped - 1
Cheese slice - 2
Black pepper pwd - a pinch
Salt as per taste
Butter - a little (optional)

Wash the pieces and cut off all the fat off. In a sauce pan add the chicken, a little salt, a pinch of pepper and a couple of tablespoons of water and cover and cook. Take it off the heat when done. Let it cool and shred to pieces.

 

In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, celery, capsicum and green chilli. Apply this on one side of a bread slice and top it with chicken pieces and then cheese slice. Place another slice of bread on this and apply a spot of butter (optional) on the outer side of the bread slices and keep aside. Heat a ridged pan on and when hot place the sandwich on it and toast till light brown ridges are formed on both sides. Take it off the pan and add the lettuce leaves in between and cut each sandwich into two.

Serve with tomato ketchup.

Beetroot Cake

I have been wanting to make a beetroot cake for some time, in the hope of having a natural pink / red hued cake. When mixing the ingredients, the batter was a deep pink color and it would have been awesome if the baked result had retained it. But no such luck, the cake when baked looked something like a banana cake. There may be some chemical reaction at such a high temperature that makes the beets lose their color. I regret not taking pictures of the batter, it would have been nice to post it here.  

This beetroot cake is really soft and retains its moistness and is good to go with a cup of tea.
Ingredients
All purpose flour - 250 gms
Baking pwd - 4.5 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 150 gms
Eggs - 2
Oil - 150 gms
Cashew nut - 50 gms
Raisin - 50 gms
Beetroot - 200 gms
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and dust the cake pan.

Grate the beetroot and then measure it. Roast the cashew nuts and break them into quarters. Keep the eggs in room temperature.

Take a bowl and mix in the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Beat the eggs in another bowl then add the oil and beat again till they blend and keep aside. Add the beetroot and the oil and eggs mixture into the flour mix and beat with an electric mixer. Add the cashew nuts and raisins and mix in. Pour the batter into the cake pan and pop it into the oven and bake for about 50 to 60 minutes. Pierce with a knife to check if done and let it cool before slicing it.

 

My Beetroot Cake goes to these events:

- Bake Fest @ Cooks Joy

- Cakes Mela at cooking4allseasons 

- Holiday Baking at Ammaji Recipes 

Vegetable Pulao

This Vegetable Pulao is an excellent rice dish to include on the menu for special occasions and parties. My husband loves this pulao and it takes him back to his childhood days when his neighbor would make this on special occasions. For them, it was a mandatory dish to include on the menu for all festive days. So, when he described it to me, I remembered that when we were kids, our neighbor had an aunt visiting it and she had made this for us kids. She had made it in the hope that all of us would eat this without much fuss and she was right we did lap it up.

Once we had made this vegetable pulao, my husband and I were so taken by it that we took this along for an overnight travel journey along with some rice papad and enjoyed it. Especially, since it was dry and not messy. I had forgotten to pack in spoons in spite of reminders, and we ate the pulao using our business cards as scoops. And remembered all the roadside bhel puri we had using either a puri or paper scoops!

Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Mixed chopped vegetables - 1/2 to 3/4th cup
(I use a mix or carrots, green beans, little cauliflower and green peas)
Bay leaf - 3
Cloves - 8
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Green Cardamom - 2
Black Cardamom - 2
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Salt as required
Wash the rice and if you have the time soak it for 30 minutes or till the time it is ready to be added to the pressure cooker.

Heat a pressure cooker and add in 2 tbsp ghee and when it is hot add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom and black cardamom. Sauté for a minute and then add the mixed chopped vegetables and sauté for a couple of minutes. Then scoop in the drained rice and sauté it for a couple of minutes.
The rice we use daily - Sona Masoori or Kolam, requires double the quantity of water to cook but basmati rice needs lesser water than that.
Continuing with the recipe, Add 3 and 1/3rd cups of water and salt and let it come to a boil, then check for salt and add little more if necessary. Close the lid and cook under pressure for 2 whistles. When the pressure has released open and top it with the remaining ghee or additional ghee and lightly fluff the rice with a spatula. Cover the lid and open when ready to serve.

Pulao goes well with any vegetable or meat dish with a little gravy.

Aloo, Gobi, Mattar Hara Rassa / Flower, Potato and Peas in Green Gravy

Colors seem to be my flavor of the season. Today, I made this Cauliflower, Potato and Peas in Green Gravy and this was after a bright beetroot cake and a white pulao made earlier in the day. And that's when I realized I had also used all seasonal vegetables today and was happy with the range of colors and vegetables I had used!

This Cauliflower, Potato and Peas in Green Gravy sabzi has a nice gravy that will pair off well with a pulao ( like I did today) or with chapati. For the green gravy, I used the usual coriander leaves and then topped it with ground spinach. The ground spinach gives additional gravy to the sabzi along with the goodness of spinach as an added benefit.

Ingredients
Potato, diced- 1/2 cup
Cauliflower, florets - 1/2 cup
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida pwd - a pinch
Spinach - 20 to 25 leaves
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - 1 tsp
Oil - 1.5 tbsp
grind to paste
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 5 to 6
Coriander leaves - a handful
Green chillies - 3 to 4
Chop the onion and tomato.
Wash the ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and green chillies and drain off. Add these ingredients into a blender jar.

Heat a frying pan and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and sauté till translucent. Take off the heat. Scoop the onion out draining off as much oil as possible. Add the sautéed onion to the other ingredients in the blender jar and grind to a fine paste.

 

Put the frying pan back on heat with the remaining oil and heat it. When the oil is hot, put in the cumin seeds and when it splutters add the asafoetida powder. Wait for a few seconds then add the ground paste and fry till the raw smell of ginger and garlic disappears. Add the potato and cauliflower and sauté for a couple of minutes and then add two cups of water and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling lower the heat and add the green peas and tomatoes along with salt and cover and cook.

 

While the vegetables are cooking, wash the spinach well and drain. Add the leaves into the blender and grind to a fine paste.

 

Check on the vegetables and when they are almost done add the ground spinach. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes just time enough for the spinach to cook. Check for salt and add some if necessary. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and mix and take off the heat. Keep covered till ready to serve.

My Flower, Potato and Peas in Green Gravy goes to -

- Eat seasonal food, fresh, originally hosted by Jagruthi

Motta Curry Thenga Paal / Egg Curry in Coconut Milk Gravy

This Motta curry is another version of an egg curry we make at home. Especially when we don't know what to make and are too lazy to check the contents of the refrigerator and decide. That's when my husband enters the kitchen to rustle up an Egg / Motta curry.

 

Ingredients
Eggs - 4
Onion - 1
Tomato - 2
Green chilli - 2
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Curry leaves - 7 to 8
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli pwd - 1 tbsp
Coriander pwd - 3 tsp
Coconut oil - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt as per taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Slice the onion and chop the ginger, tomatoes and green chillies.

Separately beat the eggs with a pinch of salt till fluffy. Heat a pan and add the remaining oil and let it heat up. Once hot add half the beaten eggs and make an omelette. Once done, take it on to a plate. Make a second omelette with the rest of the beaten eggs. Cut into about 2 inch square pieces.

 

Heat a pan and add 2 tbsp oil and once it is hot add the sliced onions. Sauté till light golden then lower the heat and add the turmeric and red chilli powder and sauté well. Then add coriander powder and sauté well without burning it and then add 2 cups of water. To this add the chopped tomatoes and ginger and cover and give it a boil. Let the tomato soften and blend with all the ingredients. The gravy has to be a very water one at this stage. Add the omelette pieces to this and let simmer and absorb some of the gravy. After a few minutes add the coconut milk and some more curry leaves into the curry and mix well. Take it off the heat before it boils. You can pour a few drops of coconut oil over the curry and keep covered till ready to serve.

 

This Motta curry is best served with steaming hot rice and a thoran.

Dal Tadka / Lentils with tempering

from my husband - The dal is a staple in the Indian diet and is made in various forms in various parts of the country. In its function, it is both nourishing and comforting. In character, it is democratic and nationally unifying. Its make-up varies in flavor from bland to severely spicy, in taste from tangy to sweet, in consistency from soup-like thin to gruel-like thick.

 

Here, we will take up a style of dal, supposedly the UP style. I say supposedly, because I am not absolutely sure in that I have never had this in UP, but my neighbors where I grew up, made it this way. They were from UP and their cuisine was unique - we were entreated to a whole new spread - Pulao, Chhole, Poori, Kachori, Sabzis, Curries, Dal, et al.

 

Use of ghee, hing, jeera, and not using onions and many more such specific methods seemed very different to us, more so, because our idea of anything north Indian was more Punjabi in nature with onion, tomato, garam masala, etc. Since they hailed from the UP heartland and were pure vegetarians, we took their cuisine to be representative of UP vegetarian from places like Aligarh, Moradabad, Bareilly, Mathura, Agra, Chandausi, and such, and distinctly not Mughlai or Awadhi.

Ingredients
Tuwar dal / split Pigeon peas - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 2
Coriander leaves - 5 to 6 sprigs
Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli pwd - 1 tbsp
for tempering
Ghee / Clarified butter - 1 tbsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Wash and soak the dal for an hour. Drain the dal and add 1 cup of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
In a pot / saucepan add 1/2 cup water and put it on heat. Chop tomatoes and add it into the pot with salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Cover with a lid and cook. Add the dal, coriander stalks and leaves and 1/2 cup water and cover and cook. Take off the heat when the dal and tomatoes have cooked and mixed together. Check for salt and add a little if required.

Heat a pan and add the ghee / clarified butter. When hot, add the jeera or cumin seeds and let them splutter and add hing or asafoetida and take off the heat. Pour this into the pot of dal and cover immediately with the lid. When ready to serve, mix the tadka / tempering into the dal and pour out into a bowl.

Lentil / dal is a very healthy food full of proteins and dietary fiber. This recipe for Dal Tadka uses tuwar dal which contains folic acid an essential vitamin for women especially during pregnancy.

Pepper & Cumin / Kurumullaku Jerakam Rasam

Now that the temperatures are dropping, eating and drinking hot things are the most enjoyable. With the body burning fat just trying to keep warm in this weather, gives an excuse to eat up. Like they say, you don't have stomach problems in the winter because the body typically doesn't fall sick in the cold. I can't wait for the temperatures to fall a little more, to get out & eat all that street food. For now rasam and soups are on the menu at home, and today this is a recipe for another rasam - a pepper and cumin rasam or a kurumullaku jeerakam rasam like it is called in Malayalam. This rasam is typically made the minute someone at home has a cold. The pepper in this rasam is good to open all the blocked sinus and nose and cumin is known to help our digestive system.

Ingredients

Tuwar dal - 1/4 cup

Tomato - 3

Tamarind - 1 small ball

Turmeric pwd - 1 tsp

Red chilli pwd - 2 tbsp

Coriander sprigs

Salt as per taste

Sugar - 1/4 tsp

for the powder

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Peppercorn - 15 to 18

for the seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 5 to 6

Oil - 1 tbsp

Wash the dal and add a cup of water and pressure cook till it turns mush. Soak the tamarind in a little water for some time. Then with your fingers make it mush and extract the pulp and keep aside.  

 

Wash the tomatoes and chop into big pieces. Heat a saucepan and pour in 2 cups of water, add the tomatoes, a little salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Let this come to a boil and add the cooked dal in. Lower the heat and cover the saucepan. Add in the tamarind pulp with some more water and coriander sprigs and cook till the tomatoes are done.

 

Dry roast the cumin seeds and the peppercorns on low heat and once they emit their aroma, take off heat. Powder this finely and add into the rasam. Add the sugar to the rasam and check the taste and add salt or more tamarind pulp if necessary. Take off the heat.

 

Put a small pan on heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and when it splutters add the curry leaves. Take off the heat and pour into the rasam and cover the rasam immediately. Mix when ready to serve.

 

Notes: The quantity of pepper is high in this rasam to help soothe a sore throat or cold, it can be lowered to about 10 peppercorns for daily use.
Don't discard the coriander stalks, save them to be used in rasam. Add as much of coriander as you like, it only tastes better.

The rasam has to be very watery like a clear soup.

Eggplant and Dry Prawn / Vangi Sode Ghalun

This dish is a typical Maharashtrian curry that is paired off with chapatis. During the monsoons, fishing activity ceases or is on a very low scale because of the unpredictable weather conditions. The fish breeding season is also around the same period and the fishing community takes a break from fishing activity and restricts itself to repairing boats or nets. This is also the time when serious fish eaters  resort to dry fish preparations. Prior to the monsoons, housewives stock up on dried fish that is made to last through the season and dry prawn is most popular amongst the dry fish category. Dry prawn can be made into chutneys, curries and dry preparations combined with vegetables.

 

Ingredients
Eggplant, diced - 1 cup
Dry prawn - 1/2 cup
Onion, large - 1
Tomato, large - 1
Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli pwd - 1 tsp
Kanda lasun masala - 1 tsp
Kokum - 1 small piece
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

If the dry shrimp is really small then lightly roast it till its aroma is released, should not take more than 10 minutes on medium heat. If the dry shrimp is big then the shrimp has to be cleaned by removing the head and legs and then roasted. The measure given here is after removing the head and legs.

Chop the onion and tomato and keep aside.

Heat a pan and add the oil, when it is hot add the chopped onion and sauté till light golden. Then add the chopped tomato and continue sautéing. When the tomato has softened add the turmeric and red chilli powder and sauté. Add the dry prawn and mix in then add 1 cup water and add some salt. Let the mixture come to a boil and add the kanda lasun masala and mix. Then cover the pan with a lid and cook. After about 10 minutes add the chopped eggplant, kokum and water if required. Mix well and cover with a lid and cook. When it is cooked check for salt and if required add some. Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix and take off the heat.

If you do not have kanda lasun masala omit it and adjust the red chilli powder for the spice level.

Basbousa or the Goan Baath Cake - Semolina Coconut Cake

The Baath or Batica Cake is a semolina and coconut cake from Goa, that is traditionally made during Christmas. It is very similar to a cake from the Portuguese cuisine called Bolo de Coco. Surprisingly, the Baath cake is also similar to an Egyptian / Arabic cake called the Basbousa / Hareesa and also features in Lebanese, Turkish and Greek cuisine. There is a slight difference in the method and/or ingredients that each of these cakes employ but semolina remains the primary ingredient. Like in the Tres Leches cake where milk is poured on the cake, the Basbousa Cake has sugar syrup poured on it.  This Basbousa cake is rich in coconut, and both coconut milk and coconut flakes are used in this recipe.

Being Keralites, we are partial to anything coconut and I liked the Baath cake right from my first bite. There was one store near our place in Mumbai that stocked this cake and the fellow at the counter started recognizing me as one who came repeatedly for the Baath Cake. So, I tried a recipe the minute I laid my eyes on it but it did not turn out as well as I hoped - it turned out dry and slightly burnt. I was sorely disappointed with the results and couldn't wait to try another recipe again. This recipe for Basbousa did sound daunting at first what with no sugar being used in the cake but using sugar syrup instead. The sugar syrup gets absorbed in a short time and the result is not sticky as well. The original recipe calls for 1.5 cup sugar for the syrup but I used only 1 cup sugar thinking it would turn out too sweet especially since the condensed milk was already sweet. My recipe, thus, is not overtly sweet and is a rich, moist and dense cake but tastes really yummy.

Ingredients
for the cake
Semolina / Rawa - 2 cups
Coconut flakes - 1 cup
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Condensed milk - 1 can (400gms)
Butter - 1/2 cup + 1tsp (applying on pan)
Baking pwd - 1.5 tsp
Eggs - 2

Rose essence - 1 to 2 drops

for syrup

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - a few drops

Orange essence - 1 to 2 drops

Rose essence - 3 to 4 drops

Preheat the oven to 170C degrees (the original recipe stated 180 degrees, going by my oven's performance I kept the temperature at 170C degrees and it worked for me). Grease the pan you want to bake the cake in with the 1 tsp butter. I used my bundt cake pan since I could not find my rectangle shaped pan.

Take a mixing bowl and add in the butter and condensed milk and using a wooden spatula mix the two. There is no need to beat the batter in this cake. Once the two has mixed in add the baking powder and mix it in. In another bowl lightly whisk the eggs and then mix into the butter condensed milk mixture. When these contents are mixed add the coconut milk, the semolina or rawa and the coconut flakes. Mix all these ingredients lightly with the spatula till they have blended well together. Pour into the greased pan and insert it into the ready oven.

Bake the cake for about 35 to 40 minutes, till the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean when pierced.
In the time that the cake is baking in the oven, make the syrup separately on the stove. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water to a boil. Let it simmer for 6 to 8 minutes and then take off the heat and add the lemon juice and rose or orange blossom water. I did not have rose or orange blossom water, instead I used rose essence and orange essence which I had.

 

Once the cake is ready, remove from the oven and prick it with a toothpick or fork. Pour the syrup all over the cake. Keep the cake aside to cool before serving. Slice the cake and serve.

 

 

 the sugar syrup soaked cake

 

a slice of cake anyone?

 

My Basbousa goes to these events:

- "Dish it out - coconut & sugar/salt", originally from Vardhini's cooksjoy

- Spotlight - Festival Treats (Part - 2)

- Bake Fest @ Cooks Joy

- Cakes Mela at cooking4allseasons

- Holiday Baking at ammajirecipes

 

Mutton Masala Curry

It is a few days since we made any non-vegetarian dishes at home. With all the preparations for Diwali and the puja, there was no non veg cooking at our home. And I had started craving for some fish and rice but going to the market for it was too tedious today. So the alternate was calling for mutton from the local guy who delivers. Yay!

 

Today the mutton goes into a curry and along with rice and salad, it will make tonight's meal.

Ingredients
Mutton - 500 gms
Onion - 2, medium
Tomato - 1, medium
Potato - 1
Ginger - 2 inch
Garlic cloves - 10
Coconut milk - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - 15 to 20
Turmeric pwd - 1 tsp
Red chilli pwd - 4 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Coriander leaves - 5 to 6 sprigs
for Masala powder
Coriander - 2 tbsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Star anise - 3 petals
Black Cardamom - 1, seeds only
Green Cardamom - 1, seeds only
Saunf - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Nutmeg - 1/8th of whole
Mace - 2 piece

Dry roast the whole spices and then powder it. Peel ginger and garlic and julienne it. Wash the mutton pieces and add the salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the masala powder to it and mix well. Add the ginger and garlic juliennes also to the mutton. Let it marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Slice onions, chop tomatoes and peel potato and quarter it and keep aside. Heat a pressure cooker and add oil, when the oil is hot add the sliced onions and curry leaves and sauté. When light golden add the marinated mutton along with all the marinade and sauté for a few minutes. Add the chopped tomato and sauté till the tomato softens. Add 1 cup of water and cover and let it cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Open and add the potato pieces, slit green chillies and mix well. Check for salt and cover with lid and cook under pressure for 2 whistles. Open add coconut milk and mix and add a little more water if required, the curry should have a slightly watery gravy. Add the chopped coriander leaves, mix well and take off the heat. 

 

Serve it hot with rice for a nice hot meal on a wintery night.

Spiced Tea / Masala Chai for that sore throat

I am continuing with my series of recipes - hot and spicy to soothe my throat and jog my congested chest and blocked nasal passages and how can tea be left far behind. Our everyday tea cuppa is great to gulp down a sore throat but try a masala chai / spiced tea instead and see the difference. It soothes the throat and at the same time generates heat in the body that opens up the sinuses and aids perspiration.

Ingredients
Water - 2 cup
Milk - 4 tbsp
Tea leaves - 2 tsp
Ginger, crushed - 1tsp
Peppercorn - 7 to 8
Clove - 2
Green cardamom - 1/2, peel and seeds
Sugar as per taste

Use a mortar and pestle / silbatta to crush the ginger, peppercorn, cardamom and clove together. Add the water and this crushed spice mix into your tea kettle and put it on heat. I like to keep it on low to allow the spice enough time to steep. When this mix comes to a boil, lower the heat and let I simmer for a few minutes then add the milk and sugar and let it boil on low. Take off the heat and pour into mugs after a couple of minutes.

Take big sips of the hot tea and let it steam down your throat; the spice and heat warms you instantly.

Notes: I use large mugs and 2 cups of water and milk  reduces eventually to a little less than a cup when the tea is made.
This is more a medicinal tea than the regular masala chai.
When we stayed in the US, I had this tea most evenings on my return from work, it actually thawed me and helped bear the cold Northeast winters.

 

Benefits of:

- Ginger infused in hot water / tea is known to warm the respiratory tract making it a soothing remedy for colds, flu and coughs.
- Cloves are rich in flavonoids and a component called eugenol that is a mild anesthetic and contains anti-inflammatory properties.

- Cardamom, like ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that limit pain and swelling especially mucus membranes, the mouth and throat. It may help prevent and relieve cold and flu symptoms and is used for cough and bronchitis as well. 

Cauliflower, Methi & 1 Mystery ingredient Sabzi

What do you do when your refrigerator is not stocked and you need to put together a sabzi for lunch? You make do with what you have. And that's my story for this sabzi, my intention was to make a potato cauliflower sabzi. But I forgot to buy potatoes and did not realize I had none by which time the onions were already frying in the pan. With no recourse, I decided to make a sabzi with only cauliflower when I saw a piece of pumpkin on the kitchen counter. It was the left over piece after some went into the sambhar. So I quickly peeled a chunky and chopped it up fine and kept it covered in hiding from my husband. If he saw he would have asked me not to pull off any stunts with cooking! This is one downside in having a spouse who knows and likes cooking. So after the cauliflower was half cooked, in went the pumpkin and he was none the wiser and loved the sabzi. See, I am proved right, if he knew he would have decided to dislike it but now he liked it and still does not know what went in.

 

Ingredients
Cauliflower florets - 2 cups
Onion - 1
Pumpkin - 1/2 cup
Kasuri methi - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 1
Green chilli - 2
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli pwd - 1 tsp
Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Chop the onions and tomato in medium pieces. Chop the pumpkin in small pieces.
Heat oil in a pad or kadai and add the onions and sauté till translucent then add in the cumin, coriander powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Then add the cauliflower florets and sauté. The masala mix should have coated the florets. Cover with a lid with some water in it and let it cook, checking in between so it does not catch the bottom. When the florets are half cooked, add the pumpkin pieces, tomato and salt and mix and again cover and let it cook. Add the kasuri methi in and mix well. Take the kadai off the heat and serve.

Veth Chaman - Paneer Kashmiri style

Kashmiri cuisine continues to be a little of a mystery and not many restaurants serve authentic Kashmiri dishes. The Rogan Josh is one dish that is seen on the menu of many restaurants but whether it is authentic is questionable. Chaman means paneer in Kashmiri and makes use of spices like sonth or dry ginger powder and saunf or aniseed powder which is unique to the Kashmiri cuisine. Veth Chaman does not have onion or garlic in it and hence is good to add to the menu for a puja or religious menu. The dish is rich and will go well on a party menu as well, pair it off with either tandoori roti or vegetable pulao to complete the picture. In fact, this is a good combination to put on your Diwali dinner menu.

I came across this dish when I was browsing through some old magazines and checked online for the recipe and followed the recipe given by Chef Aditya Bal. I did make a few minor changes like adding a little more milk and curd than suggested in the original recipe because this dish does dry up quickly. I had to add a little milk just before serving to get a little gravy.

Ingredients
Paneer - 500 gms
Water - 1 cup
Asafoetida pwd - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
for gravy
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1
Cloves - 5 to 6
Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli pwd - 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri chilli pwd - 1.5 tbsp (for red color)
Dry ginger pwd - 2 tsp
Curd - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Brown Cardamom - 3
Green Cardamom - 3
Saunf pwd - 3 tsp
Garam Masala - 1.5 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
for garam masala
Cloves - 4 to 5
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Black peppercorns - 1/2 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Green Cardamom - 3
Brown Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon - 1 piece
Dry Ginger pwd - 1/4 tbsp

Boil the water and add the asafoetida to it and keep the heat on low. Separately heat pan or griddle and heat the 1tbsp oil. Cut the paneer in cubes and add it to the oil when it is hot. Lower the heat and let it sear a little on all sides by tossing it a few times. Scoop the paneer pieces out and dab on a paper towel to take as much oil out as possible. Add the pieces to the hot water and keep aside.

Take a dry pan and roast the spices listed under garam masala on low heat. Roast each of the spices separately and lastly add the dry ginger powder and immediately take off the gas. Put it all into a dry grinder and powder till fine.

Heat a pan and add the 2tbsp oil. When hot add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves and stir then add the dry ginger powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and immediately add about 2 to 3 tbsp of the asafoetida water so the spices do not burn. Beat the curd and add into the pan and sauté, the oil will start separating at that stage add the milk, cardamoms and saunf powder. Stir and blend all well. Then add the paneer pieces and 1.5 tsp of the prepared garam masala powder. Add the asafoetida water only to balance the gravy, do not over add. Cover it and simmer for a couple of minutes before taking it off the heat.

Notes: I used about 3/4th to 1 cup milk and about 3 tbsp curd. The curd should be slightly sour for a rounded taste to the dish.

Veth Chaman served with Veg Pulao

This recipe for Veth Chaman is going to these events :

-  "Diwali Special" hosted by gayathriscookspot.

&

-  "Diwali Bash 2013" hosted by cooksjoy.

-  "Diwali Delicacies Event" jointly hosted by priyaeasyntastyrecipes & spicytreats

Almond Haven aka Badam Burfi

Diwali is round the corner and preparations are on with cleaning the house, putting up the lights, and preparing sweets and savories that are customary for this festival. While growing up, we looked forward to the two-week vacation more than anything else. New clothes, crackers, and lots of snacks were the bonus. That Diwali was around the corner was obvious from the cartloads of diyas, candles, tea-lights, rangoli colors, and rangoli stencils that flooded the market. The shops were all lit up and on display were hampers with sweets and dry fruits and other gift items. On sale was the ubiquitous "star" and "disco" lights also.

In Mumbai, these snacks and sweets are called faraal. Preparations and plans for making faraal began weeks back. The aunties in the locality would discuss what faraal to make and what things were to be bought. Those were the days when supermarkets were not there and readymade flour was not available. Therefore, just before Diwali, the flour mill saw an influx of steel dabbas with different dals and cereals that were needed to make these goodies. The afternoons were reserved for grinding these items at the flour mills and housewives would then get down to making two or three items per day. Children on vacation would hover around to sample it and the elders would give their ‘initial reactions’ on how it turned out.

Cut to the present, with only the two of us at home, and in a different city than Mumbai, Diwali is as much or as little as we make it to be. Till date I enjoy the excitement that surrounds this festival - whether it is buying those cute diyas or drawing out a few awkward rangolis or making faraal at home. The cleaning is on, one set of lights are out, I want to buy some new diyas and along with that today I started on making the faraal. I decided to start on a sweet note with an Almond / Badam Burfi. The only thing about making these goodies is that it is requires strong will and steely resolve on my part to make it last till Diwali and in the case of hubby dear the only way is to hide it from him.

Almond / Badam Burfi

Ingredients

Almonds - 1 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/3 cup

Almond essence - 3 to 4 drops (optional)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Food Color (optional)

for garnishing

saffron strands - small pinch

crushed almonds - 1 tsp

Grease the pan you will set the burfi in and keep aside. Heat water in a saucepan and when it boils add the almonds / badam and take off the heat. Keep aside for an hour. After an hour wash the almonds and skin them, it will be easy to do this now. Grind the almonds to a fine paste with a little water.

In a saucepan, add the sugar to the remaining water and heat till it is of one-string consistency. Heat a kadhai or any heavy bottomed vessel and add the sugar syrup and almond paste and stir and mix it well. Keep on low heat and stir often if not continuously. Add the almond essence and keep stirring till the whole mix comes together and starts leaving the sides of the pan. Spoon a little of the ghee around the almond mix and bring it together. When the mix comes together completely into a ball smear the rest of the ghee on it and put it into the greased pan. Use a square or rectangle pan for ease of cutting the burfi into shape.

Sprinkle the crushed saffron and the crushed almonds on the burfi and keep it in the refrigerator to set.

This recipe for Almond Haven aka Badam Burfi is going to these events :

-  "Diwali Special" hosted by gayathriscookspot.

&

-  "Diwali Bash 2013" hosted by cooksjoy.

-  "Diwali Delicacies Event" jointly hosted by priyaeasyntastyrecipes & spicytreats

-  "Spotlight: Festival Treats" hosted by cuisinedelights

Fried Eggplant / Baingan

Living on a tight budget means looking for deals and coupons and buying things as cheap as possible. When we moved to the US, we learnt to do exactly that - live on a budget. The weekend newspaper carried coupons for grocery, food, daily needs, etc. and we cut the coupons we needed. We had a store nearby that was almost like a farmers market with fresh produce coming from the farms around. We always visited the store on Wednesdays because it had a sale on that day when they dropped the price of produce and seafood. And sometimes the prices dropped to a few cents and we were happy to buy it and put it in the freezer. In seafood we stuck to either tilapia or prawns but many times it wasn't on discount and we wouldn't buy it. During those weeks, I racked my brain to make a fry of some sort and this eggplant fry was the outcome of those experiments.

Since we missed fried fish so much, I tried to make the eggplant as similar to the fried fish and used the spices to marinate the eggplant slices before frying it. Actually, frying is a misnomer because it requires only a couple of spoons of oil and it is grilled on a griddle. Use a ridged griddle like I did and you get nice lines on the eggplant slices. For this recipe use the big round eggplant that is used for baingan bharta and eggplant parmesan. This fried eggplant can be made in two different ways - one with wheat flour and the other gluten free. Both the versions taste good but I prefer the wheat flour coated one for its powdery crispness.

Version 1 - Fried eggplant with wheat flour
Ingredients
Eggplant / Baingan
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
Turmeric pwd - 1 tsp
Red Chilli pwd - 2 tsp
Coriander pwd - 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
for garnishing
onion rings - 5 to 6
julienned carrots - 2 tbsp
Slice the eggplant into 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick slices and keep the slices soaked in salted water till the other ingredients are mixed and ready. In a bowl mix the wheat flour, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt and then spread it on a platter. Drain the eggplant slices and prick all over with a knife or fork. Dip it into the powder mix and coat both the sides. Heat the griddle and add the oil, use a spatula or brush to spread the oil all over. Once the griddle is heated lower the heat and put the eggplant in a single layer. Turn the slices over and cook for 5 minutes before flipping it over again. Try and place the slices just like before on the same ridges. Slowly press down the slices with a spatula so it cooks well and do the same for the other side.
Take it off the heat and serve with sliced onions and julienned carrots.

Version 2 - Gluten free Fried eggplant
Ingredients
Eggplant / Baingan
Turmeric pwd - 1 tsp
Red Chilli pwd - 3 tsp
Coriander pwd - 1 tsp
Oil 1 tsp
Lemon jce - a few drops
Salt as per taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
for garnishing
onion rings - 5 to 6
julienned carrots - 2 tbsp
Slice the eggplant into 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick slices and keep the slices soaked in salted water till the other ingredients are mixed and ready. In a bowl mix the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, lemon juice and oil. Drain the eggplant slices and prick all over with a knife or fork. Apply the masala mix on both sides of the slices, rubbing it in. Keep the slices aside for 15 minutes.
Continue with cooking the eggplant slices like in the previous version.

Chicken Gassi, a Manglorean style Chicken Curry

In Mumbai, some of the seafood restaurants serve a few Mangalorean dishes typically neer dosa, gassi and sukke dishes. One of the seafood restaurants I like in Mumbai is Apoorva and they serve an awesome prawn and chicken gassi. Chicken gassi is a typical South Indian recipe in which coconut is used lavishly. Both grated coconut and coconut milk is used along with coconut oil to make this a creamy and very coconutty curry. Chicken gassi is best had with rice especially the brown rice that is predominantly used in South India. And yes, remember to cook some vegetable with coconut to go with the curry and rice.
When we were in the US, a colleague of mine told me about a restaurant that served Mangalorean cuisine in Jersey City, NJ. We visited it once and fell in love with the food they served, especially the amazing mutton sukke. But the next time we visited it had shut down, I guess they did not have many takers there.

Ingredients
Chicken - 800 gms
Onions - 1.5, medium
Tomatoes - 2, medium
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - a small ball
Turmeric pwd - 1tsp
Red chilli pwd - 3 tbsp (Kashmiri chilli)
Curry leaves - a few sprigs
Oil - 1 tbsp
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste
for a paste
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1.5, medium sized
Garlic - 8 to 10
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 2 small pieces
Coriander seeds - 4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - a generous pinch
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Peppercorns - 10
Dry red chillies - 5
for tempering
Curry leaves - 10 - 15
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Clean and trim the chicken pieces off all the fat and then wash it well. Put the pieces into a bowl and add a little salt and turmeric powder and mix and keep in the refrigerator an hour at least.

For the masala, heat a frying pan and dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon and dry red chillies separately. Then dry roast the grated coconut till medium brown and keep aside. Add some oil into the same pan and sauté the onion and garlic till the onions turns light golden.

Add the roasted whole masalas, coconut and fried onions and garlic into a blender jar with a little water and grind to a fine paste. Keep aside.

Chop the onions and tomatoes and keep aside. Soak the tamarind ball in water and extract pulp and keep aside.

Heat a pressure cooker and add both the oils and when hot add the curry leaves and onions. Sauté till the onions are translucent then add the chicken, red chilli powder and the ground masala and sauté for a few minutes till everything is mixed well. Then add the chopped tomatoes and 1 cup water and cover and cook till almost done. I cooked it in pressure for 2 whistles. Open and add the tamarind pulp and mix well and give it one boil. Adjust the seasoning and add the coconut milk and mix in well. The curry should have a slightly thick gravy, add water if required since it continues to thicken even when taken off the gas.

For the tempering, heat the pan or small kadai and add the coconut oil, when its hot add the curry leaves and take off the heat. Stir till all leaves are coated well and pour it onto the prepared curry and cover and keep till ready to serve.
I sautéed some sliced small / sambhar onions in the oil before adding the curry leaves since I thought it would add to the taste. Its completely optional to do so.