Savi-Ruchi

Spinach Apple Salad with Olive oil & lemon dressing

2013-05-01T18:47:00.000-04:00

Though I love eating salads, my hubby's dislike took priority. So, I never made them at home. But, during my recent trip, I made sure to try a new salad whenever I could. After tasting the numerous salads, I totally fell in love with them again. I thought I could make it to myself during afternoons. I bought a big bag of lettuce & other greens to make salad often for my lunch. Here is my first attempt. I loved eating this simple salad that was ready in 5 mins!!!

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: Nil
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
Baby spinach: 2 fistful
Small Fuji apple: 1 no
Roasted walnuts: 2 tsp
Raisins: 2 tsp
Crushed pepper: a big pinch, for the garnish (optional)

For the dressing:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): 2 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Salt: A big pinch

Method:
Mix in the EVOO, lemon juice & salt. Whisk & keep them refrigerated for 15 mins.
Wash the spinach leaves & throw the leaves in a bowl.
Dice the apple & throw them on the bed of spinach.
Add in the roasted & chopped walnuts, raisins.
Pour the dressing over the salad, toss & serve immediately.

Notes:

I tasted a similar salad in one of the restaurants. They added cranberries & blue cheese with vinaigrette dressing. If you wish you could add cranberries or other nuts to make this salad more crunchier!
Repeating again, toss in the dressing just before serving!
You could use any of your favorite dressing. It still would taste great.

One more to guess!!

2013-04-29T12:58:00.001-04:00

During my recent trip, I managed to click these pictures. Could you guys guess which tree this one is?!

Update:

It is an almond tree!!

Shenga Hindi | Spiced Peanut Powder | Dry Peanut Chutney : Easiest chutney pudi ever!!

2013-04-16T23:30:00.000-04:00

I prepared 4-5 types of chutney powders for our long trip. We are currently having fun & I scheduled couple of posts before starting our trip. Will share more about our trip later.

Shenga hindi is a very versatile powder which could be consumed with almost anything. This chutney powder stays good for a long time. Like any other nuts, peanuts are also rich in protein & contains "good fat".

Ingredients:
Roasted peanuts : 2 cups, (refer notes)
Garlic cloves: 10-12 nos, (refer notes)
Red chili powder: 1 tbsp, adjust according to your needs
Salt: As needed
Sugar: 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Add all the ingredients mentioned above to a food processor & pulse till you get a coarse powder.
Can it get any easier than this?!

Notes:

I bought the unsalted roasted peanuts & used them. If you do not have the roasted peanuts, it is very easy to make them at home. Dry roast the peanuts till they turn golden brown.Once cool completely, rub the peanuts between your palm to remove the skin. Discard the skin & roasted peanuts are ready!
I used 10 big garlic cloves. The garlic cloves available in USA are quite big compared to the ones available in India. If you have small cloves, I suggest using 20-25 pods.

Happy Souramana Ugadi | Happy Vishu | Happy new year!

2013-04-13T19:30:00.000-04:00

Wishing all my readers a very happy Ugadi.

(Photo taken from here)

Muthiya | Muthia | Steamed whole wheat & greens dumpling : Gujarati Cuisine

2013-04-08T07:24:00.000-04:00

Muthiya has all the goodness & nutrition needed. It has loads of greens, whole wheat, and jowar flour. To top it all, it is steamed & not deep fried. Any greens of your choice could be added. In case you do not have leafy vegetable, you could add grated carrots/ grated bottle gourd/ grated cabbage. I tried hard for good pictures, but could't do justice for the dish with the pictures :(

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

For the muthiya:

Wheat flour: 1.25 cups

Jowar flour/Sorghum flour: 1/2 cup

Besan/Gram flour: 1/4 cup

Chopped dill leaves: 1.5 cups, loosely packed

Chili powder: 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Green chili paste: 1 tsp

Yogurt: 1/4 cup

Oil: 3 tbsp

Sugar: 1 tsp

Baking soda: 1/2 tsp

Salt: As needed

Water: As needed, to make the dough

For the seasoning:

Oil: 1-2 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp

Method:

Mix all the ingredients mentioned for the muthiya (except water) in a large bowl.

Add sufficient water & make a dough out of it. (The dough should be cutlet or patty consistency).

Make dumplings out of it & steam it for 15-20 mins on medium-high heat.

Turn off the heat & let the steamed dumpling cool completely. Observe: the steamed dumplings have expanded in size

(I'm stressing again, cool completely.., else it will crumble while cutting them!)

Cut the steamed dumpling into 1 inch bites.

Prepare the tempering/seasoning. Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, throw in the sesame seeds & let it turn golden brown (Take care not to burn the seeds!)Add in the cut dumplings & mix it gently. Cook it till it is slightly brown & crisp.

Serve it with a dip/chutney/sauce of your choice.

Notes:

The ratio of greens to flour is 1.5: 2. You could play around with any other flour of your choice. I sometimes add corn meal too.

You could add a fistful of left over rice to make the muthia's soft.

Tomato Thokku | Tomato Chutney

2013-04-03T23:46:00.000-04:00

When I am in no mood to cook elaborate meals, I make some thokku or gojju which stays good for couple of days. They are very versatile & tastes great as a side dish with many things. They kick up your taste buds too.My son loves mixing the tomato thokku with plain rice, my hubby eats it with chapathi or paratha (Indian breads). I use it as a side dish for idli, dosa, or akki rotti :)

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:
Tomatoes : 7 nos, medium sized
Oil: 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 6-8 nos, torn
Fenugreek seeds: a pinch
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Chili powder: 1 tsp
Jaggery: 1/2 tbsp
Taramind concentrate: 1tsp
Salt: As needed

Method:
Finely chop the tomatoes & keep them aside.

Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds.

When mustard seeds splutter, add in the torn curry leaves & fenugreek seeds.

When fenugreek seeds turn golden brown, add in the tomatoes & mix well.

Throw in the red chili powder, tamarind concentrate, salt, & jaggery.

Mix well & cook the tomatoes on a medium heat for another 20-30 mins, until the tomatoes are soft & mushy.
Turn off the heat & serve it warm or at room temperature.

Notes:
I kept the thokku little watery instead of making it very thick, since my family prefers it that way!
You could cook for some more time to get a very thick gojju/thokku.

Easiest khichdi | Dheeli Khichdi | Rice and Lentils Porridge

2013-03-31T22:24:00.001-04:00

Neither winter, nor the flu season is ending here :( It has been snowing & will continue to snow until at least till the end of this month. Because of the fluctuations in the weather, all of us are down with infections. My son has been throwing up continuously from the last 2-3 days. He is not able to take any complex food, not even vegetables, fruits or milk. I kept on giving him rice & yogurt with a pinch of salt all the time & he got bored of it, until my friend suggested me this dheeli khichdi. He loved it so much that I have made this dish back to back for him. Me & my hubby also loved eating it.

Preparation Time: Nil
Cooking Time : 15 mins
Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:
Rice : 3/4th cup (I have used sona masoori rice)
Skinned moong dal | Hesru bele: 3/4 cup
Oil: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida: a pinch
Cloves: 3-4 nos
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Salt: As needed
Water: 6 cups

Method:
Wash the rice & dal thoroughly. Let the rice + dal soak in water for 15 mins

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. When oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds & cloves.

When they turn fragrant, add in the asafoetida, turmeric powder, & water.

Adjust the salt & let the water boil.
Drain the water from the rice + dal.
When water starts boiling, throw in the rice + dal & cook it on med-high heat for 3-4 whistles.
Turn off the heat & allow the pressure to be released.
Remove the pressure cooker lid, add a tbsp of ghee & minx in the cooked khichdi thoroughly.

Enjoy hot.

Notes:
The water to rice + dal mixture needs to be 4: 1

Simple Vegetable Rice with no garlic or onion!

2013-03-26T10:27:00.000-04:00

When I posted the pic of vegetable rice in FB, I got a good response from people. Also, they wanted me to share the recipe soon. Although, I have almost finished another post, I am holding it for the moment & going ahead with this vegetable rice recipe. This is a very simple pulao recipe & not a mixed rice (also known as bhath or kalasida anna). Let me bring out the difference between the bhath (mixed rice) & pulao

Mixed rice | Bhath is prepared the below mentioned ways. First the white rice is cooked & spread to cool. Meantime, the spiced up curry/gravy/palya/gojju is made. A tempering is done. The spiced curry/gojju, some salt, and tempering is added to the rice. It is mixed gently but thoroughly to ensure the spice paste is well coated on the rice. Finally garnished with some cilantro (optional) or grated coconut and served! My blog does have many mixed rice recipes. To name a few...

Cluster beans rice
Coriander rice
Curry leaves rice
Coconut-mustard rice

For the pulao, a tempering is done, followed by the spices, veggies, rice, water, and seasoning. Then it is covered & cooked either in a pressure cooker/rice cooker or on stove top, until the rice is fluffy. Some pulao recipes are...

Rice and black eyed peas pulao
Dill leaves pulao
Beetroot rice
Coconut pulao

Now, coming to today's vegetable rice recipe! My mom is off to garlic (I might have told this a zillion times) & you all must have guessed why I try recipes with no garlic & onion :p A very simple, one pot dish that can be whipped up fast.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice: 2 cups
Chopped vegetables: 1.5 cups (I have used carrots, beans and green peas)
Water: 3 cups
Coconut milk: 1/4th cup
Salt: As needed

For the tempering:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Bay leaf : 1 no
Cinnamon: 1 inch stich
Green cardamom: 2 nos
Star anise : 1 no
Cloves: 2-3
Green chilies: 3-4 nos, slit

For the garnish:
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp, chopped

Method:
Wash the rice thoroughly.Soak the rice for 15-20 mins.
Meantime, heat oil. When the oil is hot, throw in the cumin seeds.

When cumin seeds turn aromatic & brown, throw in the dry spices (bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and star anise).

After the spices are sauteed, add in the green chilies.

Follow it with the vegetables & saute the vegetables until the oil is well coated on the veggies.
In between, drain the water completely from the soaked rice.
Add in the water to the vegetables & let the water boil.

When water starts boiling, add in the coconut milk, salt & soaked rice.

(After this step, I transferred the contents to the rice cooker & cooked it in the electric rice cooker. This step is completely optional. Refer notes to know why I do it!)
Cook it covered on a med heat until the rice is almost cooked. Do not keep mixing. The rice grains will break & the end product will become mushy.

When the rice is almost cooked, gently mix once & reduce the heat to low until the rice is cooked to perfection. (for about 5-7 minutes).
Turn off the heat. Add in the coriander leaves. Keep it undisturbed for another 10 mins & then fluff the rice gently.
Serve it with a side dish of your choice.

Notes:

This vegetable rice is not spicy & dry like the jeera rice or peas pulao. It needs some spicy side dish like vegetable saagu | dal makhani | palak paneer. Raita might not go well with this rice.
It is very important for the rice to get cooked undisturbed. If you keep mixing, the rice will become mushy. You don't want that, right?
I transfer the contents to the electric rice cooker because I will be sure that the rice will not stick to the bottom & burn.
Feel free to use a pressure cooker. If you are using a pressure cooker, then cook on medium-high heat for one whistle only. Then remove from heat & wait till the pressure is released. Remove the lid & gently fluff the rice.

Kidney bean burger

2013-03-19T11:38:00.001-04:00

I'm introducing burgers to my son. Though he is staying in the States from the last one year, he is totally off to American food. He prefers Indian anytime. Although it is good for his health, it becomes extremely difficult when we travel. To make him get used to the burgers, I keep making burgers often.

Instead of the regular potato patty, I try with different patties each time. This time it was a kidney bean burger. Kidney bean is a great protein source. Although you could use canned beans, I prefer to use dried beans for obvious reasons.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: Around 10 mins
Makes around 7-8 burgers

Ingredients:

For the patty:
Kidney beans : 1 cup, raw or 3 cups of cooked beans
Finely chopped bell pepper: 2 tbsp
Onion: 1 med sized, finely chopped
Finely chopped coriander leaves: 2 tbsp
Bread crumbs: from 2 slices of bread (about 1/4th cup)
Carom seeds | Om kalu: 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Lemon juice: 2 tsp
All purpose flour/Maida: 2 tbsp, optional
Salt: As needed
Oil: About a teaspoon for each patty

For assembling the burger:
Burger buns: 7-8
Slices of tomato: 2 on each burger
A slice of cheese on each buger
Lettuce or baby spinach
Any dressing of your choice (refer notes below)

Method:
Soak the kidney beans overnight. Drain the water. Add the kidney beans + water + 1/2 tsp of salt to the pressure cooker and cook it for about 4-5 whistles.Let the cooker cool down.
Once the pressure is released from the cooker, remove the lid & drain the water from the beans. You get approximately 3 cups of cooked beans.
Mash the beans gently. To the mashed beans, add in the ingredients mentioned for the patty (except oil & AP flour).
If the mixture is gooey & sticking to the hands, add in a tablespoon of flour at a time to adjust the consistency.

Heat a griddle. Make the patties & shallow fry the patties on both sides on a medium heat.

Remove the patties from the griddle & immediately arrange the burger.

Cut the burger bun in half. Add a layer of greens first (I have used baby spinach here).
Follow the greens with the cheese slice (I did not have the slices, hence used grated mozzarella. What matters is the cheese & not the form, isn't it ;) )
Place in the patty. Add a tablespoon of dressing.
Finally a slice of tomato, and cover with another slice of the burger bun.
Press in the burger & serve immediately.

Notes:

The above mentioned ingredients are a just a guideline. You could vary accordingly & it will be delicious anyways :)
Any dressing of your choice could be used. I prefer mustard while my family loves mayo.
For the above burger, I have mixed equal quantities of mayo + tomato ketchup as dressing!

Flax seed and garlic dry chutney | Bellulli Agase Pudi

2013-03-14T22:34:00.001-04:00

Chutney powders are great time savers. I store at least two types of chutney powders at home to keep things going fast. We eat these chutney powders with almost anything. This is a modified version of the North Karnataka Agashi hindi /Flax seed chutney powder.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: Nil
Adapted from: Desivideshi
Makes around: 2 cups of chutney powder

Ingredients:
Flax seed: 1/2 cup
Grated dry coconut: 1/2 cup
Sesame seeds: 1/4 cup
Dry tamarind: 2 tsp
Garlic pods: About 15-20
Chili powder: 2-3 tsp, more or less
Salt: 1 tsp, more or less
Oil: 1 tsp

Method:
Dry roast the flax seeds & the sesame seeds separately.
Mix the roasted seeds with the dry coconut & let them cool.

Meantime, heat the oil. Throw in the garlic & roast the garlic on low heat. The garlic should become soft. Add in the dry tamarind & turn off the heat.

Allow the garlic to cool.
Throw in the flax seeds, sesame seeds & dry coconut to the food processor | mixer | coffee grinder & pulse it till the seeds turn coarse.
Add in the garlic, tamarind, salt, chili powder & pulse again.
Scoop out the powder onto a bowl. Let it cool.
Once cool, store it in a air tight container.
This powder stays good for about a month in the refrigerator.

Avarekalu uppittu | Hyacinth Bean Upma | Akki tari uppittu

2013-03-07T15:20:00.000-05:00

At my mom's place avrekalu upma is synonymous to akki tari upma (rice rawa upma). My mom never makes avrekalu upma with the normal rava/semolina. Although, rice rawa upma is not my types, I still eat it because I love avrekalu!

I have mentioned here the method of making rice rawa. Idli rawa & rice rawa are not always the same. Idli rawa is made with parboiled rice while rice rawa is with raw rice. The raw rice rawa is what is used for making this upma. I have occasionally found the raw rice rawa in the Indian Stores here.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Rice rawa: 1 cup
Avarekalu/Hyacinth Beans: 1 cup (I used the frozen ones!)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Urad dal/ Black gram dal: 2 tsp
Cashew nuts: 1 tbsp, optional
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Red chilies: 3-4 nos, non spicy variety!
Water: About 2.5 cups
Salt: As needed

For the garnish:
Ghee: 1 tsp, optional
Grated coconut: 2-3 tbsp, fresh or frozen

Method:
Heat a broad pan. Add the rice rawa & saute till the rice rawa gets warm. Turn off the heat & let it cool.

Keep the water for boiling.
Thaw the hyacinth beans/avarekalu.
Heat oil in a saute pan. When oil is hot, throw in mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the urad dal & cashew nuts. Allow them to turn golden brown.

Throw in the broken red chilies & curry leaves. Wait till the curry leaves become crisp.

Add the avarekalu & boiling water to the pan. Add the salt & let the water boil again.

Add in the rice rawa (little at a time) to the boiling water & keep stirring. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Fold in the mixture & cover it with a lid. Let it cook on a low heat for 3-5 mins

Pour in the ghee, coconut & mix well.
Serve it hot with pickle or chutney powder.

Notes:

Rice rawa need not be roasted like the Bombay/upma rawa.
If you use the idli rawa instead of the raw rice rawa, the upma becomes a little sticky.
Hyacinth beans could be replaced with frozen peas.
If you are using fresh avarekalu, then pressure cook it with a pinch of salt for 2-3 whistles.

Aloo Sandwich | Potato Sandwich

2013-02-26T13:49:00.000-05:00

Potato sandwiches are a great option for weekend brunch or weekday dinner.These are our current favorite! I pack them for my hubby's lunch too. These are quick to make & quite filling.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Adapted from: Manjula's Kitchen

Ingredients: (Makes 3 sandwiches)
Bread: 6 slices (I used Aunt Millies Potato Bread)
Melted butter: 1 tbsp
Boiled & mashed potatoes: 2 cups
Salt: As needed
Chopped coriander leaves: 2 tbsp
Chili powder: 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Cheese slices : 3 nos (I used grated Cheddar & Mozzarella Cheese)

Method:
Mash the potatoes thoroughly. Add in the coriander leaves, chili powder, lemon juice, cumin seeds, and salt to the potatoes & mix well.

Heat the tava/griddle.
Take 1.5 to 2 tablespoon of potato mixture & spread the mixture onto the bread. Press the mixture hard onto the bread. The potato mixture should stick to the bread.

Do the same on the other slice too.
Smear the butter over the potato spread.
Place both the slices of bread on the griddle (Potato spread should be facing down).

Cook on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked & turn crisp.

Flip one slice of bread. Add in the cheese & cover it with the other slice.

Cook again on both the sides till the sandwich turns golden brown.

Make two more sandwiches similarly.
Serve them hot with a dip/green chutney or tamarind chutney.

Notes:

Along with the cheese, you could add slices of tomato, cooked beets slice, and a slice of paneer(cottage cheese) too. I often add paneer to this. It tastes great!
The potato mixture is very flexible. You could play with a lot of flavors. I have tried adding carom seeds/ajwain instead of cumin seeds. I do add jalapenos for the extra kick sometime.
The above ingredients & recipe is just to give an idea. You could use your imagination to build your own grilled potato sandwich.

Palak Cabbage Pakora | Spinach and Cabbage Fritters

2013-02-18T22:08:00.001-05:00

I made these pakoras on a cold snowy & a lazy Sunday afternoon. They are a breeze to make & absolutely delicious!! Go ahead...It's alright to indulge in these fried beauties once a while.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 15-20 mins

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

Shredded Spinach: 2 cups
Shredded Cabbage: 1 cup
Carom seeds/Ajwain/Om kalu: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Salt: As needed
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Gram flour/Besan: 1 cup
Rice flour: 2 tbsp
Fine Rava/Chiroti rava/Cream of wheat: 2 tbsp
Hot oil: 1 tbsp
Water: Approximately 1 to 1.25 cups

Other ingredients:
Oil for deep frying the fritters.

Method:

Mix in the shredded spinach, cabbage, carom seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder & salt in a large bowl.

Let the mixture sit for 5-10 mins. The mixture will ooze out water.
Next, throw in the rice flour, cream of wheat, gram flour to it.

Pour in the hot oil & mix them all together.
Now, slowly add the water & make a thick batter. The batter should be of dropping consistency.

Heat enough oil in a kadai/wok for deep frying the fritters.
When oil is hot enough, drop in a tbsp of batter at a time to the oil.

Cook the fritters on med-high heat, on all the sides until the fritters are golden brown & crisp.
Remove the fritters using a slotted spoon & let them dry on a paper towel.
Serve these fritters hot with a dip/chutney or ketchup.

Cornmeal idli | Steamed Savory Cornmeal Cakes

2013-02-14T08:22:00.000-05:00

As I told before, my new found hobby is keeping me busy. Here is a glimpse of the latest hat that I made for a good friend. She was moving back to India & I made this hat in a jiffy for her.

My son posing with the hat.

I am experimenting a lot with the corn meal these days. I tried adding them to rice flour roti, rava idli, muthiya and many more. Couple of months back, I thought of making idlis with the corn meal. I replaced the idli rava with the corn meal & got great results!

Here is my version of the corn meal idli.

Preparation Time: 30 mins (Excludes fermentation & soaking time)
Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients: (For about 40 idlis)

Skinned black gram/Urad dal: 1 cup
Corn meal: 2.5 cups
Rice flakes/Poha/Avalakki: 1/2 cup
Salt: As needed

Other ingredients:
Oil: To grease the idli moulds.

Special utensils needed:
Idli plates with the stand
Steamer

Method:
Wash the urad dal throughly. Soak it for 3-4 hours.
Mix together the corn meal & the rice flakes. Wash it & drain the water. Soak the corn meal & rice flakes mixture for an hour.
Drain the water from the soaked lentils & add them to the food processor jar.

Add 2-3 tbsp of ice cold water to the lentils & pulse for few seconds. Add few tablespoons of ice cold water to the very coarsely done lentils & pulse again. Repeat the whole process of adding ice cold water & pulsing for at-least 5-6 times.
The lentils paste must be very smooth & frothy. Refer the notes here to know more about how to grind the urad dal.

Scoop out the paste to a broad vessel.

Add the corn meal + rice flakes mixture to the food processor & grind them to a coarse paste. Do not add more water while grinding.

Pour this coarse paste over the scooped lentils mixture.

Mix well & adjust the consistency of the batter.

Allow the batter to ferment for 8-10 hours or overnight.

Add salt to the fermented batter & gently mix the batter.

Grease the idli plates & pour a ladle full of batter onto each mould.

Steam the idlis for 10-15 mins.

Allow it to cool for another 5 mins.

Remove the idlis with a spoon and serve them hot with chutney/sambar/dip or chutney powder.

Aglio e olio: Beginner Series

2013-01-30T09:56:00.000-05:00

Aglio e olio, is Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, & chili peppers in Italian! I read about this simplest Italian pasta recipe in one of the cookbooks that I borrowed from the Library. I have made this pasta several times & I just love it, period.

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

Spaghetti : a fistful
Water: Around 1 liter.
Olive oil: 3 tbsp
Garlic: 2 pods, chopped
Broken chili: 1/4 tsp, see notes
Salt: As needed

For the garnish:
Pepper powder: a pinch
Salt: a pinch
Parmesan cheese: 1 tsp, completely optional

Method:
For boiling the pasta:
Boil the water in a sauce pan.
When water comes to a boil, salt the water generously & mix. Add couple of drops of olive oil. (See notes)
Slide in the spaghetti.

Let it boil on med-high heat uncovered for 8-12 mins until al dente.

For making the sauce:
Mix in the olive oil, garlic & chili in a saute pan.

Keeping the heat very low, let the garlic turn golden brown. It should take around 8 mins.
The flavors of garlic & chili should get infused in the oil.

Drain the cooked pasta & immediately add the drained pasta to the flavored oil.

Mix well.
Scoop it out on a serving plate, garnish it with salt, freshly cracked pepper, and Parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately.

Notes:

I am repeating again, let the olive oil get heated up in a low heat. This is the secret for the beautifully flavored olive oil.
I did not have chili, hence used crushed dry chili.
To prevent the pasta from sticking to each other, couple of drops of olive oil is added to the boiling water.

Sajjige | Cream of wheat pudding | Sheera

2013-01-25T13:05:00.000-05:00

Sun is playing hide & seek from the last couple of months. In fact, I hardly saw him in this period. To add to it, the days are extremely short. All these things add to "not so good quality pictures". I have 20+ recipes along with the pictures waiting in the draft. Since, I am not happy with the pictures I am waiting to make them again, retake the pictures & then share the recipe.

Sajjige is a very simple & quick pudding. Sajjige along with the mashed banana is served as a prasadam/neivedyam/bhog/offering on Satyanarayan Pooja. The recipe calls for just four ingredients...., milk, sugar, ghee (loads of) & cream of wheat. But, you could add other ingredients for flavoring & garnishing the main dish :)

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients:

Cream of wheat/Fine Rawa/Chiroti Rawa: 1 cup
Milk: 3 cups (I use 2% milk)
Sugar: 3/4th cup*
Ghee/Clarified Butter: 1/3 cup, divided use
Saffron: a pinch
Cardamom powder: a big pinch

For the garnish:

Ghee: 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts: 1 tbsp
Raisins: 1 tbsp

Method:
Heat 1/4th cup of ghee in a broad pan. When ghee is hot, pour in the cream of wheat.
Keeping the heat in medium, saute the cream of wheat for 6-8 mins. Keep stirring the cream of wheat to ensure even roasting of the rawa.

Meantime, start heating the milk.
Once the aroma of the roasted rava fills the kitchen, pour the hot milk over the roasted cream of wheat. Mix well.

Throw in the saffron strands & let the cream of wheat cook on a low-medium heat.

In 3-5 mins, the cream of wheat will absorb all the milk & starts leaving the edges of the pan (see pic below).
During this stage, pour in the sugar and the cardamom powder.

Mix well. The cooked rava will loosen up because of the sugar. Keep mixing. Ensure no lumps are formed while mixing.

Add in the remaining ghee & continue mixing for a couple of more minutes. The mixture will thicken, ooze out ghee & starts leaving the edges of the pan.

Remove the pudding from the heat.
Fry the cashew nuts and raisins in ghee. Add the fried nuts to the cooked pudding.

Mix well & serve hot!

Notes:

If your family prefers sweeter sajjige, increase the sugar to 1 cup. I add one cup of sugar when I cook only for my family. When I have guests at home, I add 3/4 cup sugar as most people prefer it that way!
Any variety of milk could be used to make this pudding.
Do not be stingy in adding ghee. More the better!!

Beetroot Palya | Boiled & Sauteed Beets : Beginner Series

2013-01-21T05:09:00.004-05:00

There are many dishes I cook often & do not take time to click them before serving. Beetroot palya is one such!! I make this palya to go with Indian flat bread/roti and rice. Palya is called poriyal in Tamil.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Beets: 1 pound
Oil: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Skinned black gram/Urad dal: 2 tsp
Gram dal/Channa dal: 1 tsp
Green chillies: 3-4 nos
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Salt: As needed
Sugar: 1/2 tsp, optional but recommended
Vaate huli pudi*: 1/2 tsp (refer notes)

For the garnish:
Grated coconut: 3 tbsp, fresh or frozen

Method:
Trim the edges of the beets.Add sufficient water to the pressure cooker & drop in the beets along with the skin. Pressure cook the beets for 1 whistle or 15 mins on medium-high heat.
Let the beets cool. Once the beets cool down to room temperature, peel the skin of the beets (Refer notes).
Dice the cooked beets.
In a saute pan, heat oil. When oil is hot, throw in mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal & channa dal.

When dal turns golden brown, add in the green chillies & the curry leaves.

When curry leaves wilt, add the diced beets, salt, sugar, and vaate huli powder.

Toss in medium heat for the seasoning to blend in. Cook it covered on a low heat for another couple of minutes.

Turn off the heat & add the grated coconut. Mix well & serve it with rice or Indian flat bread/roti.

Notes:

Vaate huli pudi or powder is a tangy powder. It is used as a souring agent for stir-fried vegetables (palya in Kannada)by my mom-in-law. It is available in Mangalore/Udupi/Sirsi Districts of Karnataka. It is available in few specialty stores in Bangalore too. I do not have much information about this powder. I would be happy if someone would share more info about this fruit. You could substitute this powder with amchur powder/dry mango powder.
Once the beets are cooked, the outer skin can be peeled easily. As easy as peeling the skin of a boiled potato!

Rava Pongal | Cream of wheat and lentil porridge

2013-01-15T15:45:00.000-05:00

Wish you all a very happy Makar Sankranti | Lohri | Pongal!

Festival for me is all about having great time with family, cooking, eating & serving good food, not to forget to worship the God. We had a great weekend & hence was tired to cook elaborate meal on Monday morning. Since, it is the festival, I did not want to skip the tradition of making the pongal, both khara & sweet! I made this rava pongal instead of the regular rice pongal.

Pongal tastes divine with just a couple of ingredients that goes in. The magic of pongal lies in the ghee/clarified butter that is added!

Here goes the recipe for it.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins (except the lentil cooking time)
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

Moong dal/Split green gram lentils/Hesaru bele: 1/3 cup
Cream of wheat/Rava/Uppittu rave: 1 cup
Ghee/Clarified butter/Tuppa: 3 tbsp(divided use)
Pepper powder: 1/4 tsp
Pepper pods: 6-8 nos
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts: a fistful
Curry leaves: 4-5 nos, torn
Salt: As needed
Water: 3 cups

Method:

Heat the 1 tsp ghee in a pressure cooker. When ghee is hot, throw in the moong dal & saute the dal on medium heat until it slightly changes its color. Add in around a cup of water & pressure cook the dal for two whistles or 15 mins on medium heat. Allow it to cool.
Meantime, heat a tbsp of ghee in a wok. When hot, throw in the cream of wheat & roast on a medium heat for 5-7 mins. The cream of wheat should turn golden brown & the aroma of the roasted rava should fill your kitchen!
Boil 3 cups of water in a sauce pan.
When the lentils are cooled, mash them thoroughly. (Refer notes)
Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a broad pan. When ghee is hot, add in the cumin seeds & the cashew nuts. When nuts turn golden brown, throw in the curry leaves, pepper pods & pepper powder.
When curry leaves wilt, add the hot water & salt.
Pour in the roasted rava & mix well. Ensure no lumps.
Add in the mashed dal & mix again. Cook it covered over low-medium heat for couple of minutes.
Turn off the heat. Add couple of teaspoons of ghee, mix well & serve!

Notes:

My family prefers grainy dal over completely mashed. Hence, I keep them a little coarse (as seen in the picture).
Coconut chutney & kootu is a great combination for pongal.

Palak Pakoras | Spinach Fritters: Carom seeds flavored!

2013-01-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

"Wishing you all a very happy & a prosperous new year"

My son asks, who loves spinach more, me or Popeye? I answer back saying, " you are the greatest lover of spinach in the whole world". He happily & proudly asks for second serving of the spinach dish. Because of the above reason, I always have spinach lying in my fridge. I try to make as many dishes as possible using spinach. Some of my spinach delicacies could be found here.

During one of the festivals last year, I made this pakora instead of the cabbage pakora. We relished this with thick rice flakes bisi bele bath.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

Spinach leaves: About 2 cups finely chopped
Gram flour/Besan: 1 cup, a little more or less.
Rice flour: 2 tbsp
Fine rava/Cream of wheat: 2 tbsp
Salt: As needed
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp, adjust according to your needs
Carom seeds/Ajwain: 1/2 tsp (Refer here for Language Translation to Kannada)
Hot oil: 1 tsp
Baking soda: a small pinch
Water: As needed

For deep frying:
Enough oil for frying the pakoras.

Method:

Wash the spinach leaves & chop them fine.
In a medium sized bowl, add all the ingredients mentioned (except the oil for deep frying!).
Mix them well.
Add few tablespoons of water at a time and make a thick batter. Consistency should be like that of a cupcake batter.
Heat oil in a wok. When oil is hot, scoop out a tablespoon of batter directly in the oil & deep fry in a medium heat.
After a couple of minutes, keep moving the fritters in the oil for even cooking.
When the pakoras turn golden brown, remove them on a paper towel.
Repeat the procedure with the remaining batter.
Serve the fritters, either with green chutney or with a dip of your choice!

Notes:

For extra crispness, add thinly sliced onions along with the spinach.
Instead of carom seeds, these fritters could be flavored with cumin seeds or grated ginger.

The year 2012 in retrospect

2012-12-31T01:28:00.000-05:00

The moment I decided to write this post, my mind did a slideshow of an array of things non-stop. Apart from a couple of incidents (that I would want to forget!), it was a great year for me. Little did I imagine in 2011 that I would be experiencing my first snow, my first autumn & would be visiting many attractions in the US. I hope God has planned better things for the coming year too.

I moved to my own domain this year. I tried lots of new dishes which I am yet to write about. Now I can effortlessly bake & decorate dozens of cupcakes. I'm happy that my blog has given me a new identity & a new motive!!

Here are my personal favorites from the year 2012:

Spring Onion Curry

Pav Bhaji

Khara bhath

Tomato Rasam: Kerala Style

Eggless vanilla cupcakes

Masala Vada

Plain Rava Dosa

Grilled eggplant burger

Potato Roast

Cashew Burfi/Kaju katli

Dibba Rotti | Idli Batter Roti : Andhra Delicacy

2012-12-25T22:21:00.001-05:00

I got to know about this dish from a friend of mine ! Initially, I was hesitant to try this dish. In the blog-world, I did find many blogs writing about this dish. My friend had asked me to ferment the batter & I followed her, though some blogs asked for freshly ground batter.

Cooking Time: 10 mins (for 2 rottis)

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
Idli batter: 2 cups, fermented & fresh.
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Salt: As needed
Oil: 2 tsp for each rotti.

Special utensil:
a heavy bottom kadai

Method:
Mix cumin seeds, and salt to the idli/idly batter & mix well.
Heat a kadai. When it is hot, add a teaspoon of oil. Pour around a cup of batter(I pour 2 big ladle full of batter).

Cook it covered on a low-medium heat for approximately 5 mins. The edges should turn crisp and brown.
Carefully flip the rotti. Sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of oil & cook for another couple of minutes.

Repeat the procedure with the remaining batter.

Bread Oggarane | Bread Upma

2012-12-18T09:19:00.001-05:00

It often makes me think, how was life before my kid? Though, he is just six, I feel he is with me forever. I have enjoyed my share of childhood days, teenage days, newly-wed days, but now life completely revolves around my kid. All mothers out there agree with me & all other women will realize this as soon as they have their own kid! I enjoy being a mother, but sometimes the kid in me wants to do what I love to do. On one such day, I made my childhood favorite "bread oggarane" for lunch & relished it thoroughly.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:

Whole wheat bread slices: 6-8 nos
Onion: 1 medium sized, finely chopped
Green chillies: 3 nos, sliced
Cooking oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Cashew nuts: 1 tbsp, coarsely crushed
Tomato ketchup: 1 tbsp
Salt: As needed

Method:
Chop the bread slices into 1 cm cubes. Refer notes below.
Heat oil in a broad wok. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds & cashew nuts.
When nuts turn golden brown, add in the green chilies & curry leaves.
When curry leaves wilt, throw in the finely chopped onion & saute.
Cook the onions till they are soft & translucent. No need to brown the onions.
Add the chopped bread pieces, salt, tomato ketchup & mix them thoroughly.
Increase the heat to medium-high & toss until the bread pieces slightly change the color.
Remove from heat & serve immediately.

Notes:

I normally do not trim the edges of the bread. Feel free to trim the edges, if needed.
This is a very basic bread upma recipe. You could add veggies like bell peppers, green peas, cooked potato to make it healthier.

Cooking Tips: Grinding frozen coconut

2012-12-14T10:36:00.002-05:00

Does the frozen coconut/dried coconut ooze out oil while making coconut chutney or any other coconut based gravies? Use warm to hot water while grinding the coconut & see the difference!!

Badanekai Palya | Simple & Quick Eggplant Stir-Fry

2012-12-11T14:06:00.000-05:00

I get to answer many questions like how has life changed after you moved? As a SAHM now, don't you get bored at home & many such! I feel, it is all your perception towards life. You can enjoy wherever you are or whatever you do. I do accept that there are some limitations here, but you are the best person to decide how to keep yourself occupied.

After moving here, I kept myself busy in knitting (along with my blog!). I learnt ABC of knitting with the help of youtube. Kudos to the internet!! Now, I have knit couple of scarfs & at least half a dozen hats!! Here is a glimpse of one of my recent hat. My son proudly tells his friends " See my new hat. My mamma knit it for me".

Now back to business. This is my granny's quick & easy recipe that goes well with rice or roti.

Ingredients: (Serves 3-4)

Chinese eggplant/Long purple eggplants: 1 pound
Tomato: 2 medium sized
Bell pepper: 1 small, optional, seeded
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp, more or less
Cooking oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Urad dal: 1 tsp, optional (refer notes)
Channa dal: 2 tsp, optional (refer notes)
Green chilies: 3 nos
Curry leaves: 3 nos, torn
Salt: As needed.
Jaggery/Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Few tablespoons of water.
Lemon juice: 1 tsp, optional

Method:

Dice the tomatoes, bell pepper & Chinese eggplant.

Slit the green chilies.
Keep the diced eggplants in salt water. This helps in reducing the bitterness of the eggplant & also prevents it from browning.
Heat the oil in a wok. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds, channa dal & urad dal.
When dals turn golden brown, throw in the curry leaves & green chilies.
Drain the water from the eggplant.
When curry leaves wilt, add in the tomatoes & saute till tomatoes are coated with oil.
Throw in the diced eggplant, bell pepper, salt, sugar, turmeric powder & red chilli powder.
Mix well & add couple of tablespoons of water.Cook it covered for 5 mins on medium heat. Keep stirring in between for even cooking.
Remove the lid & cook again for a couple of minutes. Eggplants should become very soft. Remove it from the heat.
Squeeze in the lemon juice & serve it hot with rice or roti.

I served mine with sabudana rotti.

Notes:
Urad dal & channa dal adds crunch to the plain stir-fry. If you do not like it, you are free to skip it.
Adding bell peppers are also optional.
Try not to skip adding sugar or jaggery. It reduces the bitterness of the eggplant & enhances its flavor.

Kaju Katli | Cashew Burfi

2012-12-06T09:20:00.000-05:00

Making kaju katli at home is a long-pending dream come true for me! This is my son's favorite sweet. In fact, he prefers eating only this for breakfast, lunch and dinner :)

It melts in the mouth & you too would say "home-made tastes the best!". Btw, this is one of the great examples for " less is more". It just needs two ingredients, cashew nuts & sugar. Can it get more easier than this?! This dish doesn't take much of your effort. If I can make it, you all can make it too. Give it a try!

Forgive the grainy texture of the katli, that was because of my food processor!

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins

Ingredients: (Makes around 16 squares)

Cashew nuts : 1 cup, leveled
Sugar: 1/2 cup
Water: 1/4 cup

Method:
Add the sugar & water to a wide & thick bottomed pan. Mix until sugar dissolves & heat it on a medium heat.

Do not disturb the sugar syrup.
Meantime, prepare a coarse powder of the cashews. (Refer notes)

The sugar syrup becomes bubbly. Check the consistency of the sugar syrup. It should be of one string consistency. (Refer notes)
Immediately turn the heat to low & pour the coarse cashew powder to the sugar syrup.

Turn off the heat & mix well. The mixture looks like a dough ball.

Scoop out the mixture onto a bowl & let it cool for 5 mins.
Grease the palm with very little ghee/clarified butter & knead the cashew mixture until smooth.
Roll the cashew mixture into 1/4th of an inch with a rolling pin.
Cut them into desired shape.
Kaju katli is ready to be served.

Notes:

One leveled cup of cashews yield to one heaped cup of coarse cashew powder.
One string sugar syrup consistency: A thin string of upto 1 inch is formed when tested between thumb & forefinger. This step is the very important for making kaju katli. If you add cashew powder when sugar syrup becomes little more thick then the kaju katli becomes hard & brittle. If cashew powder is added before reaching the one string consistency of the sugar syrup, then the mixture becomes very sticky & feels uncooked.
If the mixture becomes little hard after cooling down, add a tsp or less of milk while kneading it. Remember, adding milk will reduce the shelf life of the burfi.
Keep kneading until the mixture becomes smooth.