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2013-01-17T08:57:00.002+01:00

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Marbled Brownies

2012-11-30T09:49:00.002+01:00

At home I am constantly reminded to make “healthy” cakes and cookies. “Healthy” refers to not using butter or sugar. When these are replaced with substitutes like oil or honey, then I am told that the cakes are not as spongy or not as enticing as they should be. You cannot have it all people – make up your minds. Apparently they cannot – so I switch between creating healthy and scrumptious desserts.

I remember a colleague of mine once said, “a dessert is a dessert if after eating you think you have committed a sin.” What he meant was that it will be so full of butter and chocolate and all those flavors and ingredients you try to avoid for a healthy heart and weight, that you think you have sinned after you have finished enjoying it. This is what I did the other day – created a dessert with chocolates and cheese and butter – a touch of heaven when put to your lips and sheer guilt after you have finished and contemplating another piece. And then you head to serve yourself the next piece of moist and creamy brownie brushing away any thoughts of guilt by convincing yourself you will exercise longer or eat less the next day.

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Makes 12

Ingredients:

120 grams semi sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

120 grams cream cheese

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon baking powder

A pinch of salt

½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

½ teaspoon almond extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
Use a fork or electric mixer to cream the remaining butter with the cream cheese and ½ cup of the sugar. Beat in one of the eggs. Stir in the tablespoon of flour, lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the remaining eggs until thick; gradually add the remaining sugar and beat until quite thick.
Combine the chocolate and 3 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is just about melted, remove from the heat and continue to stir until the mixture is smooth. Keep aside
I another bowl, mix together the baking powder, salt and remaining flour. Gently stir into the beaten egg mixture from above.
Add the melted chocolate mixture, nuts if using, almond extract, and remaining vanilla to this.
Spread half the chocolate mixture in the bottom of the baking pan; top with the cream cheese mixture, and the remaining chocolate mixture. Swirl through all with a rubber spatula to create a marbled effect.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until just barely set in the middle. Cool on a rack before cutting. Store covered and refrigerated for no more than a day, if you still have something remaining.

Tomatoes, Corn and Capsicum on Crisp Toast

2012-11-26T09:17:00.000+01:00

Every time I visit Italy, I fall more in love with the food over there. The freshness of the vegetables, the passion with which food is prepared and eaten never fails to surprise me. Even simple everyday food seems to be so special – wonders are created with the humble tomato, some basil and olive oil and seasonings. Lip smacking pasta is created with sprinklings of olive oil, pepper and salt.

Bruschetta consists of toasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Depending on the region, the toppings could have fresh tomatoes and basil, salami or mozzarella. I tried to use the bruschetta to make my own topping – a topping consisting of more veggies and it was an instant hit with the children and husband. I cooked up all the vegetables whereas a typical bruschetta consists of mainly uncooked ingredients. Actually we ended up eating only bruschetta for dinner even though there was a pot of hot stew ready to be eaten in the oven.

I used whatever was available at home to prepare this recipe. I am sure you could substitute it with any other vegetables or toppings you have available at the time of preparation. I was able to get some bruschetta bread from the super market, but it can be substituted with any bread – the secret is toasting the bread well before adding the topping or you can end up with some soggy bread that can be inedible.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onions, finely diced

50 grams unsalted butter

2 green capsicums, finely diced and deseeded

2 ears of corn, cooked and kernels removed from the cob

2 large red tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons gherkins, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pinch of sugar

Pinch of nutmeg

6 slices buttered crisp toast or bruschetta

A few sprigs of coriander to garnish

Sprinkling of olive oil

Method:

Melt butter in a saucepan.
Add the onions and cook without coloring for five minutes.
Season well with salt and pepper according to taste.
Add the prepared tomatoes and capsicum along with the nutmeg and sugar. Continue cooking over gentle flame until the tomatoes are well-reduced – say about 20 minutes.
Stir in the corn and let it simmer in the covered saucepan for a further 10 minutes.
Serve with hot buttered toast or toasted bruschetta and garnish with the coriander leaves and some sprinkling of olive oil.

Spiced Chickpeas {Chana Masala}

2012-11-20T14:53:00.002+01:00

Whenever I am at a loss as to what to cook, I soak up some lentils or legume, pressure cook them and then add some spices and voila – a healthy vegetarian dish for the family is ready within minutes. I almost never use the canned version of legumes. With a bit of planning, I soak them in the morning before I leave to work, and back in the evening I give them a quick boil in the pressure cooker or vessel and freeze whatever is left for next time when my planning is not so good or I forget to soak them in the morning.

Chickpeas can be very versatile – I use them in soups to thicken it, in vegetables to increase the quantity or then on their own to make savory snacks or meals like the one below. When I have guests who like Indian flavors, I make the dish below and garnish some raw onions, tomatoes and boiled potatoes and a dash of lemon juice to add some fresh flavors and colors to the dish. Here I simply garnished with coriander and a bit of mint for my taste.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes + overnight soaking

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup chick peas

1 large red tomato

1 green chili

1” piece ginger

5 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

3 tablespoons coriander leaves

1 onion

A pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon corn oil

Method:

Wash and soak the chick peas overnight in water. Pressure cook for 15 minutes in 2 cups of water.
Wash and grind the onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, green chili and 2 tablespoons coriander leaves to a paste.
Heat oil in a vessel and when hot, add the bay leaves.
Now add the ground paste and fry for 5 minutes.
Now add the chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt and sugar. Also add the coriander powder and mix well.
Stir for a couple of minutes more and add the chick peas along with the water. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Sunflower seed cookies

2012-11-13T10:46:00.000+01:00

Have you ever seen a field of sunflowers? Rows upon rows of bright yellow flowers all turned in the same direction – the direction of the sun. And towards the end of the day – when the sun sets – how these rows upon rows of flowers bend their heads in gratitude as if to say, “thank you God for another beautiful day.”

I use the sunflower seed oil often in cooking – alternating between coconut oil, corn oil and sunflower oil depending on what I cook. And then I have a two boxes of sunflower seeds – one those that are salted and roasted and can be eaten while watching your favorite movie and another box of peeled sunflower seeds which I use in my porridge or muesli or like you can discover here, in cookies. I have used them before on top of banana cakes too. And in the future you will see recipes using them in broths and other desserts.

One of the main reasons I started using sunflower seeds was because of the vitamin E they contain which is supposed to be good for the skin and hair. I do not use any sorts of cream on my face – instead I try to use natural oils and foods. And almost every commercial cream contains Vitamin E – so it makes sense to then incorporate these seeds in my diet. I just wish they had Vitamin D since they are pointing to the sun the whole day – then that would also be taken care of.

Preparation Time:

Makes: 60

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter

½ cup raw sugar

½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 and 1/3^rd cups white flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups rolled oats

¾ cup sunflower seed kernels

½ cup wheat germ

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Cream the butter together with the raw sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.
Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and stir into the creamed mixture.
Fold in the oats, sunflower seed kernels and the wheat germ.
Place teaspoonfuls of the batter, two inches apart, on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Curried Bitter Gourd

2012-11-08T09:57:00.002+01:00

When we were small, growing up in India, bitter gourd was one vegetable we were exempted from eating. Actually I knew it was bitter, so till I was about 22 years, I had never even tasted it. Not to mention the looks of the vegetable. And while typing these words I realize how we tend to judge people too by their appearances and looks and not who they truly are. In the case of the bitter gourd, the insides were bitter too, so I cannot say that the inside was much better than the appearance.

My mother used to sprinkle loads of salt on the bitter gourd on the rare occasion that she would cook and eat it herself to take the bitterness out of the vegetable. The salt brought out all the juices which were the bitter part of the gourd and then you washed and cooked the rest. She would also scrape it to look smooth like the normal convention of what we expect vegetables to look at. But this time when we were in India, our maid did some vegetarian cooking for us and I learnt a new way to cook and appreciate this vegetable. It did not need a lot of preparation and was ready within 30 minutes.

And most of all I appreciated the way she prepared the vegetable – it was not scraped to get rid of the uneven skin. The bitterness was kept in the vegetable and cooked. This was the character of the vegetable – its essence and I loved it that it was kept as it was meant to be. There is a quote that goes along the lines of “…Torment is the fire of test wherein the pure gold shineth resplendently and the impurity is burned and blackened.” This is what I think happened to the vegetable – there was the after taste of the bitterness of the vegetable, but most of it was gone in the cooking process. And the after taste was so subtle, the vegetable still full of texture and thoroughly enjoyable with some home-made naans.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3 Bitter gourds

1 medium sized red onion

10 cloves garlic

1 dried red chili

50 grams jaggery

2 medium sized red tomatoes

½ cup grated coconut

1 lemon sized tamarind

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

5 curry leaves

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Mix tamarind in ½ cup warm water and remove pulp and keep aside.
Grind together the garlic, coconut, tomatoes, cumin seeds and dried red chili.
Slit the bitter gourd from the middle and take out the seeds. Cut it into tubes of 2 – 3 centimeters and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and when hot, add the curry leaves and the mustard seeds.
When they splutter, add the onions and fry till brown.
Now add the bitter gourd and keep stirring for another 5 minutes on medium flame.
Add the ground paste and salt and continue frying for another 5 minutes.
You can now add the tamarind pulp and jaggery to the vessel, mix well and cover and cook on low flame for 20 minutes or till cooked. Serve hot with naans or chapptis.

Fennel Pasta

2012-11-05T11:58:00.001+01:00

What happens when you put two contradictions together when it comes to food? How would children respond? This is exactly what I did with the dish below. My children love anything that has macaroni, pasta or spaghetti. And my son hates red capsicums that are cooked – my daughter hates zucchini in any shape or form. This dish has red capsicum and two types of zucchini. I need to make sure I cater to both their dislikes in the same dish or I would be “unfair” or in their own words, “Why do you hate me more?” Mothers of teenagers could relate to this sentence I think.

I sometimes camouflage the capsicum with the tomatoes in a salad for my son, and he hardly ever recognizes the taste difference or then mixing the zucchini with the cucumber for my daughter. In most cases it is just psychological or the looks of the vegetables that put them off. Besides that, sometimes julienning them or grating them does a lot to disguise the vegetables or the taste. Combine some seasonings with the disguised vegetables, and you have a recipe for success. The gentle flavors of the dill combined with the lemon and lemon zest do wonders to this dish. In the recipe below, I did omit the yellow zucchini and instead doubled the green one.

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

500 grams pasta/macaroni or spaghetti

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1 large fennel, thinly sliced

2 yellow zucchini, thinly sliced or grated

2 green zucchini, thinly sliced or grated

1 red capsicum, thinly sliced

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

150ml cream

3 tablespoons fresh dill

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese gratings

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

Bring a large pan of water to boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions. Drain and keep aside.
In a separate pot, melt 1 teaspoon butter and toast the pine nuts in it till golden brown. Keep the pine nuts aside.
In the same pot, add the remaining butter and cook the fennel for about 7 minutes or until it begins to soften.
Stir in the two types of zucchini and capsicum and cook, stirring for another 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, cream, dill and the drained pasta to the pot and stir to combine.
Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately topped with parmesan gratings.

Tomato Rice with Peas

2012-10-17T19:58:00.000+02:00

Tomatoes are in abundance in the market these days. I bought about 10 kilos and made a tomato sauce to be used in my food when there are none at home. I also attempted a tomato soup which was not appreciated by my son at home because it tasted too “tomato-ey”. Now, how else should a tomato soup taste if not “tomato-ey”. I have come across some other recipes to use tomatoes in, but for today have used them in my sister’s favorite recipe – the tomato rice. A simple vegetarian dish using up tomatoes you have lying around in the house. It can be paired with some fried fish or grilled chicken or just salad.

We even planted two cherry tomato plants having zero expectations of them bearing any fruit as this was our third attempt in two years. But this year it bore little cherry tomatoes – not a lot but a couple can be harvested everyday and eaten. I have put the plants in large pots near the entrance door so we pick a couple every time we get back home, wash and savor the sweet fruits of organic home grown cherry tomatoes.

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

250 grams basmati rice

20 grams unsalted butter

1 red onion, sliced finely

1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 black peppercorns

2 cloves

1” piece cinnamon

75 grams green peas, fresh or frozen

200 grams tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato puree

500 ml boiling water

2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Salt to taste

Method

Rinse the rice under cold running water, put in a bowl and cover with warm water. Soak for 15 minutes and drain and keep aside.
Heat the butter in a large vessel. When melted, add the chopped onion, ginger-garlic paste, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the peas and tomatoes and tomato puree. Stir for another couple of minutes.
Now add the drained rice and boiling water. Bring to a boil.
Add the salt, cover and reduce the flame and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes or till the rice is cooked completely.
Add the coriander leaves and stir the rice. Fluff the rice grains with a fork and serve hot.

Eggless Banana cake

2012-09-25T10:35:00.000+02:00

My children refuse to eat bananas with spots – yes, that is what they call over ripe bananas. Even though these bananas with spots are supposed to be sweeter and healthier than the non-spotted ones, I cannot get them to eat it. So more often than not, the cakes I prepare are banana cakes. The bananas can be all black and I can still use them in the cake and then I have no complaints from them. So I keep looking for banana cake recipes and experiment with them – sometimes substitute part of the flour with desiccated coconut or then substitute nuts with sultanas. Either ways, children love cake and especially warm banana cake served with vanilla ice cream.

I came across this recipe that has not used eggs in the cake and should be perfect for those vegetarians who do not eat eggs. I was apprehensive as to whether the cake would be moist and spongy enough without the eggs, but there was no difference in texture. I also made the same cake and substituted half the flour for wheat germ, and it was still as good.

Preparation Time: 55 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

350 grams condensed milk

100 grams plain yoghurt

100 grams unsalted butter

250 grams flour

1teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla powder

4 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds, lightly toasted

A pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Beat butter and condensed milk together till creamy.
Add yoghurt and beat till mixed well.
Sieve together the flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep aside.
Fold the dry ingredients gradually into the mixture and mix well.
Add the bananas and vanilla and mix lightly.
Grease and flour bread tin and put the cake mix into it.
Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a rack before slicing and serving.

Red Kidney Bean Stew (Rajmah)

2012-09-18T17:56:00.000+02:00

The US Presidential elections are soon coming up in November. The candidates are current President and Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney. So far it seems a tight race. It is the elections for the President of the US, but we all know that the person chosen to the Oval Office would have implications on the whole world. The policies of the new President would directly influence the world economy and more importantly the direction the world would go towards – War or Peace. So then I ask myself – if the President of the US is more than just the Commander-in-Chief of the world’s most powerful nation, should we all not have say in choosing him/her?

Foreign policies of nations like the US affect us all. The person elected to be the next President of the US brings with him his ideals and his advisors. Every important decision taken by the President regarding foreign policies no longer just affects the Americans – it affects a poor farmer trying to make his living in Afghanistan, it affects my friends’ husband who is in the Army, it affects those millions in the Middle East on how they would be perceived in the future, it affects the future of my children. With powers come responsibilities – and responsibilities not towards a nation but towards the world and its future.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes + 3 hours soaking time

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

225 grams red kidney beans or rajmah

225 grams medium sized potatoes

225 grams ripe tomatoes

10 grams coriander seeds

30 grams sunflower oil

3 dried red (or Kashmiri) chilies

10 grams fresh ginger

Pinch of nutmeg

A pinch of saffron

A pinch of cumin seeds

A pinch of mace

6 cloves garlic

115 grams red onions

¼ teaspoon red color

1 cup water

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon coriander leaves, for garnishing

Method:

Wash and soak kidney beans in water for 3 hours. Pressure cook the beans in 1 cup water for 15 minutes or till cooked. Keep aside.
Peel and cut potatoes into cubes and soak in cold water.
Blanch the tomatoes and keep aside.
Chop onions.
Lightly roast the chilies, coriander seeds and the cumin seeds and grind it together with the ginger and garlic.
Heat oil and sauté the onions.
When they become translucent, add the ground spices and fry well for 3 minutes.
Now add the kidney beans along with the water and half the saffron.
Add nutmeg and mace and color and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes and salt. When the potatoes are tender, add blanched and pulped tomatoes.
Simmer till thick. Add the remaining saffron and cook on low flame, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve hot with bread or chappatis after garnishing with coriander leaves.

Tikka-style Fish

2012-09-17T14:00:00.000+02:00

The pre orders for the new iPhone 5 sold out in under an hour. Everywhere you see, people own a smart phone. If you Google (being used as a verb here) what business to start, the best business to start is becoming an app developer or to open a smart phone repair shop. There are apps today to manage your to-do lists, your grocery and menu, monitor your sleep patterns, book tickets and hotels – to do almost anything. The “Cloud” is the next big thing.

I have an ipod to listen to music and audio books. The last time my son borrowed it, it now can scan products in the supermarket, can make audio and video calls to every place in the world, is able to create troll pictures, blinks every time there is a new news item on CNN and even has an app to monitor bowel movements! Not to mention all the games I can play when I get time. And it is all intertwined – I can inform my friends on Facebook what music I am hearing, what news article I read and which places I have been to. I have to keep up-to-date with all the privacy settings to make sure nothing inappropriate is being shared with strangers. And then I wonder why my life is stressful!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes + marinating 1 hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 kilo firm boneless fish, cut into medium sized pieces

4 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste

6 tablespoons yoghurt

2 tablespoons Olive oil

2 teaspoons turmeric powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

3 teaspoons cumin powder

Salt to taste

Method:

Mix the ginger-garlic paste along with the turmeric, chili and cumin powders, salt and yoghurt and oil. Use this mixture to marinate the fish pieces, then chill for at least 1 hour until ready to cook.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C if you are going to use an oven.
Put the pieces of the fish on a baking dish and cook for 10 to 12 minutes on each side. Serve hot with salad.

Kashmiri Chicken

2012-09-17T13:09:00.001+02:00

Today my brother sent me a very interesting article about this entrepreneur in India who started a pearl farming business with an investment of USD7000 and within three years has grown it into a USD7M business. He did not come from a family of pearl farmers. Then what must have prompted him to go into this business? An astrologer! Yes, you read it right – an astrologer. He met an astrologer who told him that he has a future in pearls and that is why he went and learnt about pearl farming and is a successful businessman today.

India is the centre of the IT service industry and engineers and developers and computer wizards working here still would not even see the face of their new born if the stars are not in the correct position. It is a country on contradictions. There is belief and hope in everything. This blind belief in more times than not is pure superstition but the nation is also a nation of hope. Hope for the future – their future. The country still has to deal with corruption, with over-population and age old beliefs and customs. These things will not be changed over-night but you do see that glimpse of change.

Preparation Time: 45 minutes + 2 hours marinating time

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken, cut into medium sized pieces

2 cups yoghurt

4 medium sized white onions

2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste

5 dried red chilies

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

2” cinnamon

10 green cardamoms

½ teaspoon black pepper corns

6 cloves

½ cup cashew nuts, broken bits

10 almonds

¼ tsp saffron

2 tablespoons lime juice

¼ kilo tomatoes

Salt to taste

4 tablespoons sunflower oil

Method:

Grind two onions.
Mix the ground onions, ginger-garlic paste and yoghurt and marinate the chicken in this mixture for 2 hours refrigerated.
Lightly roast the red chilies, bay leaves, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, cashew and almonds on low flame till light brown in color.
Now grind to a smooth paste along with the tomatoes and keep this aside.
Finely chop the remaining two onions. Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel and when hot, add these onions.
When the onions turn golden brown, add the tomato mixture and fry for about 5 minutes on medium flame.
Now add the chicken-yoghurt mixture and keep vessel covered on low flame till the chicken is cooked, approximately 30 minutes.
Now add the lime juice and the saffron and cook for another couple of minutes. Serve hot with rice or bread. You can substitute the chicken with lamb, but then the cooking times would increase in step 7.

Aubergine or Brinjal Pahie

2012-08-27T14:21:00.000+02:00

Growing up I remember several families who had fled from Iran and were living in India waiting to go to the West as refugees. Families with small children, older couples, bachelors – everyone leaving the one place they knew and called home to find asylum in another country. People who were fleeing religious persecution at the hands of the government seeking to find another place they could safely raise their children in and call it “home”. A couple of decades later, I have connected to some of these refugees (thanks to social networking!) who are now successful businessmen and women, honest taxpaying citizens of the country that harbored them in times of need. Their children are educated in the ways of their adopted country and they have in most cases forgotten the hardships and trouble their parents went through to bring them safely across. When asked where home is, the younger generation replies it is their adopted country while the older one still relates to Iran as their home.

Are they nationalists? No. Are they unfaithful to the country that gave them safety and abode which Iran could not provide? No. My son was 4 ½ years and my daughter barely 9 months when we moved to Belgium. I try to visit India and/or Yemen once a year at least so they are abreast with the culture and family over there. I cook Persian or Indian food half of the week and listen to Eastern music. I have applied for Belgian citizenship and taken classes in the Dutch language. I have no hatred for the country or its people or culture or cuisine, but at heart I want to be associated with India. That was the country I was brought up in – that is where I feel home is. Similarly, my children think Belgium is home. They crave for French Fries with mayonnaise and Dutch is the language they are most comfortable conversing in. They have Yemeni and British passports, but want to get Belgian citizenship someday. Does your passport or nationality dictate where you belong to? Or is it the people and roots you develop while growing up that dictate where your heart truly belongs to?

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

115 grams aubergine or brinjal

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

5 grams red chilies

1 sprig curry leaves

5 grams ginger

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

50 ml vinegar

A small piece of cinnamon

5 grams coriander seeds

A pinch of sugar

10 grams onion

A few cloves of garlic

5 grams green chilies

10 grams tamarind

1 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons corn oil

5 grams turmeric

Salt to taste

Method:

Slice the aubergine lengthwise and rub over with turmeric and salt. Keep aside.
Roast lightly red chilies, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Now grind these spices together and keep aside.
Soak tamarind in salted water.
Slice garlic, ginger, green chilies and onion.
Heat oil and when hot, fry the aubergine and drain and remove.
Mix together the fried aubergine in a vessel with the ground spices, vinegar, and tamarind, curry leaves and sliced ingredients.
To the same hot oil, add this mixture and coconut milk.
Simmer for about 15 minutes stirring all the time.
Add the sugar just before removing from the fire. Serve warm or cold with bread or chappatis.

Vegetable Dhansak

2012-07-26T09:37:00.000+02:00

I work to earn and earn to consume. So if I worked less, I would earn less and hence consume less. Would I be happier if I worked less? Definitely yes! Would I be happier if I earned less? I think probably not. Would I be happier if I consumed less? Not sure yet.

I am not a lazy person. I would work less at the work place, but would instead dedicate more time perhaps in my kitchen, meeting more people and maybe even undertake a service project for the community. Since I would work less, I would have more time with the family, would not require a maid anymore and all sickness associated with work like stress would disappear. My work-life balance would be perfect – or I at least hope so near perfect. If I earned less, it means I would have to be more careful spending money on whims. I would not starve or be homeless. I would only be able to afford the necessities in life – not the luxuries. Then why are some decisions so difficult in life when we already know what is the right thing to do?

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

55 grams split pigeon peas (tuvar dal)

30 grams red lentils (masur dal)

30 grams mung beans (moong dal)

15 grams field beans (val dal)

30 grams bengal gram dal (chana dal)

55 grams red onions

115 grams red pumpkin

1 cup fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves

115 grams potatoes

A sprig of mint

1 cup coriander leaves

1 green chili

1 dried red chili

2" piece ginger

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

15 grams dry coconut

1 garlic pod

½ teaspoon black pepper powder.

½ teaspoon turmeric

115 grams tomatoes

115 grams egg plant

15 grams sweet potato

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ tablespoon sambhar masala

½ teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoons corn oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Cut vegetables and chop half the onions.
Pick and wash all the beans/dals.
Chop the coriander and mint leaves and the chili.
Roast and grind the red chilies, cumin seeds and dried coconut to a fine paste and keep this aside for later.
Grind ginger and garlic.
Into a pan put the ginger, garlic, dals, cut vegetables, chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves, green chili, turmeric and pepper powder. Add enough water and let it cook. This can also be pressure cooked.
When the dal is cooked, add the tomatoes and salt.
Sieve the dal through a soup strainer.
In a separate vessel, heat the oil.
Fry the remaining chopped onions, ground spices and sambhar masala and garam masala and fry this for a few minutes till the onions turn translucent.
Now add the dal mixture to this. If dal is too thick, make it thin with more water.
When it boils, take off flame and serve with fried rice.

This is how the mixture looks after it has been pressure cooked

Warm Thai Style Chicken Salad

2012-06-25T11:09:00.000+02:00

The video of a 68-year old lady, Karen Klein, who was abused by four teenagers while on a bus in New York has gone viral on the net. Donations have been collected for her and the overall response from people has been kindness. But who has apologized to her for what she had to go through? I have seen people debate whether it is the school or parents’ responsibility for how those teenagers behaved.

Where are our morals? We always stood up when an elderly person needed a seat on the bus, always wished and thanked people for kindness shown. We have never abused the elderly. We have never been disrespectful towards our elders. We have always set our morals high. Then why is this degradation in morals affecting our new generations? Where are we going wrong?

Preparation Time: 30 minutes + overnight marination

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 red/yellow bell pepper, deseeded and cut into juliennes

2 carrots cut into juliennes

1 cucumber, cut into juliennes

2 spring onions, sliced

1 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves

1 cup Thai basil

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the chicken and marinade:

2 skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander

For the Dressing:

1 small fresh red chili, finely chopped

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons oriental stir fry sauce

Method:

Flatten the chicken breasts slightly and cut each lengthwise into two. Further cut these pieces into thin long strips. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a shallow bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside, covered in a plastic wrap in the fridge overnight.
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combines.
Combine the bell pepper, carrot, cucumber, green spring onions and herbs on a large serving platter.
Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan until smoking.
Fry the chicken on both sides until cooked through, about 4 minutes.
Remove and place on the platter of vegetables.
Drizzle on the dressing and sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately while the chicken is still warm.

Date Apple Cake

2012-06-18T14:31:00.001+02:00

If you see a 12-year old driving a car on the highway, what would your reaction be? How would the authorities respond to this act if bylaw a person is allowed to drive only when he is 18 years after holding a valid drivers’ license? Knowing that this 12-year old is endangering his life and those of others on the road, as a responsible citizen, what should you do? I am guessing you would each in the same way like me – alert authorities, the responsible guardian/parents of the child and if possible, perhaps even ground the child and vehicle till authorities arrive and take charge.

The legal age to sell cigarettes to a person in Belgium is 16 years old. How many of us have seen this law broken time and again – children below 16 years come into possession of tobacco and openly flaunt disobedience of the law. At bus stops and in front of schools you must have often seen children as young as 10 years puffing smoke. As responsible citizens, how do we have to react to these circumstances? Ignore the law being broken?

Preparation Time: 55 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup shortening

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon dried ginger powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 cup dates, deseeded and chopped

Method:

Cream sugar and shortening; dissolve soda in apple sauce and add to the sugar mixture.
Sift the ginger, cinnamon powder, flour and salt. Add to the wet mixture and mix well.
Now stir in the dates.
Grease a loaf pan and pour the batter into it.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for about 40 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean when pricked in the middle of the cake.

Dill Dal

2012-06-11T09:34:00.000+02:00

One of my favorite herbs is Dill. When I say favorite, it is not that I use it in everything. However, when I get the opportunity to use it, I enjoy the flavor it gives to any dish – be it rice, a sauce, a curry or a salad. Unfortunately we do not always get fresh dill in the market. So when I do get some, I buy it immediately and use up the dill before it withers. A stock of dry dill is also always available in the pantry for use on fishes or in rice. The rice dill recipe with broad beans I will share with you at a later date.

I remember when growing up, we had a neighbor who could not stand the smell of dill. She would literally throw up as soon as she smelt the herb. It is strange how each one of us reacts to different things around us. Tastes and smells are so subjective – you cannot say what you like would be liked by others. But like I always tell the children – do not judge something without even giving it a try. Give it a try and then use your senses to decide whether you like something or not. Do not rely on hearsay.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

100 grams dill

½ cup Green gram dal (roasted)

2 green chilies

1 big red onion (chopped)

1 tomato (chopped)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

Seasoning:

1 tablespoon clarified butter

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ tablespoon lemon juice

Method:

Wash and chop the dill. Wash the dal.
Pressure cook the dill, dal, tomato, onion, green chilies, adding water just enough to cook.
When it is cool, churn well and then add sugar and salt.
In a separate pan, heat the clarified butter, and when hot, add the cumin seeds.
When the splutter, add this to the dal mixture and mix well.
Add lime juice just before serving. Serve hot with rice or chappatis.

Meat Balls in gravy {Kofta}

2012-06-04T11:18:00.000+02:00

The Euro 2012 is starting next week. In the midst of all the excitement over football, reports about racism and white supremacy in the host countries have also been brought to the attention of the world. Do international events like the Euro Cup, Olympics, Common Wealth games, Football world cup or any other international events bring to focus the attention of the world on the host country and thus force the country in question to take action for the better? Or should countries with bad human rights records not be selected as host countries for international events until their record improves? The question is what is the best approach?

I remember when the Common Wealth games were to be hosted by India a couple of years back, corruption was the focus. The officials and politicians in charge of organizing the games were the ones who took most of the money. The games went ahead as planned, but not before some teams quit due to poor living and sanitary conditions. The country was in focus in the world media and being an Indian, it was an embarrassment to me as well. After the games, people were held accountable for the corruption involved – but did corruption in India become less? No. Ukraine and Poland are in focus now for the Euro 2012 over charges of rampant racism during their football events. Many are flabbergasted at scenes of football fans taking the Nazi salute or the kicking and hitting of some non-white spectators during a match. What is being done besides bringing it in focus of the world? Nothing.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the meat balls:

½ kilo minced meat

1 egg

4 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped

1 large red onion, roughly chopped

1” piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

2 green chilies

½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

Salt to taste

To Fry:

4 tablespoons corn oil

For the gravy:

3 red onions, ground

1” piece ginger, peeled and ground

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

250 grams red tomatoes, skinned and chopped

¾ teaspoon garam masala

200 ml water

2 tablespoons yoghurt, for garnishing

Method:

Beat the meat and egg together.
Combine the remaining meat ball ingredients together and grind to a paste. Add to the meat mixture.
Roll the spiced meat into small balls about 2” in diameter and fry in hot oil to seal the juices, but not long enough to cook the meat. Remove meat from the pan.
In the same oil, sauté the onions until golden brown and then add the ginger. Stir fry for a minute.
Add the turmeric and the garam masala.
Now add the tomatoes and over a moderate heat fry until the tomatoes soften and become smooth in texture.
Pour in about 200 ml of water. Bring to a simmer.
Gradually add the meat balls and juices to the pan. Simmer for a further 15 minutes and garnish with yoghurt before serving.

Mung Sprout Salad

2012-05-30T11:12:00.000+02:00

Why does a massacre have to take place every time before the world decides to take action? Why do we wait for genocide before we take a stand against it? Syria has been an issue for the past months. We know that there has been shelling and killing of innocent victims. We know that the UN has been helpless in breaking the cycle of violence there. We have seen endless reports on the brutality of the regime and the helplessness of its people. Then why did the massacre of Houla have to claim the lives of more than a 100 men, women and children before the leaders of our nations decided to take some action – small action – albeit some action.

Syrian diplomats have been asked to leave in several countries to show outrage over the Houla massacre. Ties now have been completely cut off with Syria. When I am upset with my children for misbehaving or bringing home bad results, I cut off ties with them for a day or two – things just get worse. They rebel; they test the limits even more. Through dialogue and encouragement things work differently. I do hope the Syrian regime is not like my children. I do hope they do not test the limits they can go to with their atrocities now that the world has decided to cut them off.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 cups Mung sprouts

1 medium white onion

2 medium red and firm tomatoes

½ cup coriander leaves

1 green chili

1 cup potatoes, boiled and cubed
1 firm ripe mango
2 tablespoons roasted groundnuts/peanuts

1 tablespoon orange juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

You can make 2 cups of mung sprouts by washing and soaking 1 cup mung bean overnight. Wash and tie in a fine muslin cloth the beans and keep in a dark place for about 8 hours. Occasionally sprinkle with water to keep the cloth damp. For longer sprouts, leave for another 2 to 4 hours.
Chop onions, tomatoes, chilies and coriander finely and keep aside.
Chop mango into small cubes and mix with the vegetables gently.
In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Add the dressing to the onion mixture.
Stir in the potatoes and groundnuts and garnish with coriander leaves before serving.

Baked Spinach with Spaghetti

2012-05-18T14:30:00.001+02:00

Sometimes before my children even finish their breakfast, they are already inquiring about what’s there for lunch or dinner. Before today has even started, they want to know what is going to be done for the weekend. If they were good planners or strategists, I could understand them asking these questions. But they are just 14 and 10 years old – why do they have to know what even I sometimes have not bothered to think through. Why not enjoy what’s in the moment?

A lot of information is available at our fingertips these days. I put on my digital television and have the program schedule for over 100 channels for the next week in seconds. I log on to my internet provider and I can see how much my internet usage has been over the past days, how much I need to pay them for my bills and all the upgrades I can get if I just agree to pay them a few euros more. I log on to a news website, and all articles I might find interesting are suggested to me based on my past reading statistics. Are we getting overloaded with information? Do surprises scare us?

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

800 grams Spaghetti or Fettuccine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups milk

4 tablespoons cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 eggs

1 cup dried soya

500 grams spinach

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt to taste

Method:

If the soya pieces are not pre cooked, wash and soak them in water for 20 minutes. Squeeze out the water and keep aside.
Wash and drain the spinach leaves. In a big vessel, blanch the spinach. Drain the water and cut roughly and keep aside.
Heat the butter in a pan and add the flour and stirring continually. When a nice aroma comes, add the milk gradually still stirring.
When the sauce thickens, add the cheddar cheese, salt, pepper and the cayenne pepper.
As soon as the cheese has melted, add the eggs and beat them in the sauce.
Now add the blanched and drained spinach and soya pieces. Mix well. Put off the flame and keep aside.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. From the pictures you can see that I have used fettuccine which takes lesser time to cook than spaghetti. Drain and keep aside.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Oil a baking tray and add the spinach sauce and spaghetti. Mix well. Garnish with parmesan cheese and put in oven for 15 minutes. This can be served warm or cold.

Black Chickpeas & Rice

2012-05-09T09:30:00.001+02:00

I came across a very interesting quote today:

“The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!” - Napoleon

I genuinely believe that the world is filled with good people. There are very few people who commit bad deeds. But the overwhelming majority is the good people – people like you and me. Then if people like you and me is the majority and we wince every time we see what is happening in Syria or want to take action to save the millions in Sudan or know we are heading towards environmental catastrophe with the way we are abusing our natural resources – is it you and me to blame for the suffering of the world because we choose to keep silent and “go along” with what is happening? When did the minority become stronger? Were we not always told that good prevails over evil?

What can I, an individual entity, do to change the state of affairs of the world? What can I do to stop injustice? How can you and I get to break the silence of the good people to stop the violence of the bad?

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 cups black chickpeas (kala channa)

2 cups basmati rice

1 big yellow onion

1 green chili

1 teaspoon dried mango powder

2" piece cinnamon

3 cardamoms

6 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

100 grams tomato puree

3 cups hot water

1 tablespoon corn oil

2 tablespoons coriander leaves

Method:

Soak the chickpeas for 12 hours in water. Now pressure cook this with 1 cup water for 20 minutes. Keep aside.
Wash and soak rice in warm water for 15 minutes.
Chop onions and slit the chili and keep aside.
Heat oil in a vessel and when hot, add the cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Now add the onions and the chili. Fry stirring continually for 8 minutes or till the onion is golden brown.
Now add the chickpeas and the mango powder and stir for another 5 minutes.
Add the tomato puree and drain and add the rice. Mix well.
Boil three cups of water and add to the rice chickpea mixture. When it boils, reduce flame and cook on low flame covered for 20 minutes or till the rice is fully cooked.
Garnish with coriander leaves before serving.

Vegetable Vermicelli

2012-04-23T10:47:00.000+02:00

I was on a two week vacation in Yemen and returned last week. When asked about my holiday, I am sometimes at a loss of what to say or how to describe it. We met the family, which was nice. We met friends, ate and had fun – which was all very nice. We even went to a private beach every day.

Holidays are sometimes about running away from your daily routine and engaging in a new one to charge up when you get back. Holidays are about relaxing and eating and having fun. I did get all of it during my vacation in Yemen. Then why can I not say I enjoyed my vacation when asked about it. Why am I at a loss of words? Should the lawlessness we observed be ignored since we were on vacation? Should the poverty be overlooked? Should the fact that schools were converted to asylum centers for the homeless not really be my concern since I was only on a vacation? The fact is that we did have a good time but what we saw could not be ignored. The plight of the children brought up in a zone where the army and tanks were everywhere, the extremes of poverty and wealth witnessed amongst the population, the fact that people rely on generators rather than electricity, where planning makes no sense as you have no idea if the roads would be open tomorrow or you could fill your tank with gas or if the airports could be closed.

I asked my children aged 13 and 10 what they thought would improve the situation of the country. My son very wisely answered, “Educate the next generation…this generation is a lost one”. I wish his words were not true – what would happen to a nation who has lost an entire generation. But as the days went by and our vacation came to a close, I thought his observation was accurate.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

500 grams vermicelli

3 medium sized potatoes

3 medium sized carrots

100 grams French beans

8 florets cauliflower

1 medium sized green capsicum

1 medium sized red capsicum

½ cup green peas

2” piece ginger

2 medium sized white onions

1 green chili

8 curry leaves

4 tablespoons corn oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

3 teaspoons black gram split (urad dal)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

4 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt to taste

Method:

Peel, wash and cut potatoes and carrots into one centimeter cubes. String, wash and cut French beans into one centimeter pieces. Wash cauliflower florets. Wash, halve, deseed and cut capsicum into one centimeter cubes. Wash and drain green peas. Peel, wash and finely chop ginger and onion. Remove stems, wash and slit green chili. Wash and pat dry curry leaves.
Boil potato, carrot and cauliflower in 4 cups water till nearly done. Add the French beans and peas and boil further for five minutes. Drain and cool.
Heat 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add vermicelli, salt and 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook for one minute or till slightly underdone. Drain, refresh under cold water and keep aside.
Heat remaining oil in a pan, temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add black gram split, ginger, onion and chili. Sauté till the onion turns light brown.
Add the capsicum and turmeric powder and fry for another five minutes. Now add the cooked vegetables and continue to stir.
Add the cooked vermicelli, salt and stir gently. Cook for another five to six minutes. Remove from heat. Mix lemon juice and serve hot.

Salmon with Dill

2012-04-12T17:06:00.000+02:00

There are some things that might not last forever if mankind is going to abuse his natural resources and does not change his ways. And one thing I fear for is that the Great Barrier Reef in Australia might fall victim to our greed and disappear forever. I did not have this on my places to visit. Instead I was thinking of either Hawaii or Seychelles – a place where I can do nothing and just admire the blue ocean. And then the thought about the rising temperatures of the ocean struck me and I thought that the Great Barrier Reef might not be there forever – I have to visit it. So that is how it came by on my list. It was not planned, but I have to see this natural protected wonder that we still have. And this would give me an opportunity to visit the Aussies.

Again, like the name suggests, the Great Barrier Reef covers a very large area and is estimated to be 1000s of years old. It has been the home to the Aboriginals – so there should be so much of history in the waters there – untold stories. Again, it is the mysticism of who might have lived and what could have happened there that draws me to the place. Imagine touching a rock that might have been silent witness to so many tales.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

4 pieces Salmon

1 teaspoon red chili powder

2 teaspoons dried Dill

1 teaspoon honey

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Corn oil for frying

Method:

Clean, wash and pat dry the salmon pieces.
In a bowl mix the salt, chili powder and the lemon juice.
Now add the honey and mix well. Place the salmon in the bowl and let it marinate on both sides for about 20 minutes in a cool place.
Now sprinkle the dill on the salmon till it is coated on both sides.
Heat oil in a flat pan. When hot, shallow fry the salmon pieces till golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with Dill & Pea Rice.

Red chicken Curry

2012-04-03T16:44:00.000+02:00

Some weeks back our very helpful neighbors invited us for dinner along with the other neighbor we did not know that well. Needless to say, the other neighbor too turned out to be a very nice middle aged couple who was very fond of travelling and who actually made me very interested in this next place I would like to visit – the Angkor Wat Temples in Cambodia. Declared a UNESCO Heritage sight, the Angkor Wat Temples were built in the 12th century.

Coming from a place like India, I have seen more than my fair share of Temples and architecture. The Angkor Wat is nothing more than what I might have already seen. But why I want to visit them is because of the unique situation of the Temple – on a hill. Our neighbors described the special dinners that could be hosted at the Temples – the whole temple site is lit in candle lights, traditionally dressed Cambodians serve you meals , live music being played while you are seated in the premises of these Temples – the Gods watching over you. It could be heavenly – what could be more perfect than dining with someone you love in sacred grounds!

Preparation Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 chicken

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

3 dried red chilies

60 grams red onions

6 garlic cloves

1" piece ginger

4 cloves

3 cardamom pods

Salt to taste

30 grams cashew nuts

1 tablespoon raw basmati rice

2 tablespoons coconut shavings

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1" piece cinnamon

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tomatoes

250 ml coconut milk

Coriander leaves, for garnish

Method:

Clean and joint the chicken and keep aside.
Roast together the coriander seeds, red chilies, cloves, cardamom, cashew nuts, rice, coconut shavings, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and cinnamon and when light brown, grind together to a find powder. Keep aside.
Grind ginger and garlic and mix with the ground spices.
Marinate the chicken in this mixture for 30 minutes.
Slice onions. Heat oil in a vessel and when hot, add the onions. Fry for a couple of minutes till light brown in color.
Now add the chicken with the marinade and sauté for 7 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cook covered on low flame for 20 minutes.
Now add the coconut milk and simmer for a few more minutes or until the chicken in cooked.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or bread.

Banana Fritters

2012-03-28T14:30:00.000+02:00

If there is one thing I would like to visit in the US, it would be the Grand Canyon. Incidentally this is also on my top 5 places to visit. For me the name says it all – Grand Canyon – majestic, historic and full of grandeur. The variations in climate and elevation in this area means you can see different types of flora and fauna in this area.

The Grand Canyon is estimated to be millions of years old and the rock formations have developed over time. It has also been a settlement for the Native Americans as well as the Europeans for centuries. When I look at the pictures of the Grand Canyon, I am in awe of this creation. I can imagine how insignificant I would feel when I am actually there – the majesty and greatness of this natural wonder in comparison to me – one tiny little thing living in a tiny country somewhere in Europe.

Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup ground almond powder

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

A pinch of salt

Milk as needed

1 tablespoon icing sugar

Corn oil for frying

Method:

Mash the bananas with a fork and keep aside.
Beat the eggs and sugar well and then add the all purpose flour.
Mix this and then add the almond powder and salt and vanilla essence.
Fold in the bananas. If the mixture is too thick, add a little milk.
Heat oil in a frying pan. When hot, drop the batter gently in the oil with a spoon.
Fry on low flame till brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels and serve warm or cold sprinkled with icing sugar.