Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey

Memories of Algarve , Portugal.. Orange, Mint and Ginger Reviver !

noreply@blogger.com (JCookingOdyssey) — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:19:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,
Happy Cooking :)

Last week, I went on a holiday to Algarve, Portugal with my family. The Algarve is a unique jewel which is the sunniest spot in whole Europe. The region is hidden with delights, with exceptional, picturesque and golden beaches, framed by beautifully wrought limestone rocks. The area is full of lush greenery, a serene atmosphere and above all, very friendly and welcoming people !!

Carvoeiro Beach !

Sagres and Cape St.Vincent ( End of the World )

Sea view from the Balcony !

I had such a fantastic week where I travelled and soaked in the sun! It was a blissful week. I have so many memories but this is the memory that I would like to share with you all today!

Breath taking view from our Villa Balcony !

Villa we Stayed at !

Priceless moments Sunrise at 6am !

One of the first sights as we got into our taxi transfer was rows of beautiful orange trees amidst the most beautiful villas I have ever seen. We could see many locals selling oranges on the streets. I was itching to buy some but I figured I would wait til I hit the markets!

At the Carvoeiro Food Market !

The town that we stayed in was called Carvoeiro which had a lovely farmers market. I bought a kilo oranges from there that were specially for juicing. When I got home to my villa, I juiced the oranges and couldn't believe the taste when I drank the juice! I'd never drunk orange juice quite like it! The colour of the juice was a deep orange, and that's just the beginning!! The sweet and the tartness of the juice was so strong and then I understood the difference between packaged juices (even if they are pure) and freshly squeezed. We were hooked on these oranges !!!!

I decided then that on the way back to the airport, I would leave enough space in my luggage to buy a not couple of kilos worth, but more than ten kilos of oranges so that we could savour the flavour back home as well! The only downer is that I know that I am going to have trouble getting back to packaged juices once my stock of oranges runs out!

After coming back from Algarve, we are enjoying our orange juice. However, I thought of adding a few other ingredients in to this juice and I assure you I did not make any mistake adding them :). I added Mint and Ginger syrup and it gave the orange juice a new dimension, added a little kick and everyone was so pleased to have it !

You will need :-

8-10 Portuguese Oranges
12-15 Fresh Mint Leaves slightly torn
2" fresh root ginger ( grated )
2-3 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup water
Ice
Fresh mint leaves to garnish

Method :-
Place torn mint, grated ginger, sugar, salt and water in a saucepan.
Bring it to boil and simmer for 6-7 minutes.
Switch of the heat and let it cool .
Strain and leave it in the fridge for 1/2 an hour.
When you are ready to serve, cut oranges and take juice out.
Add 1/3 mint and ginger syrup and ice in the glass, pour freshly squeezed orange juice and garnish with mint leaves.
Enjoy !!

Linking this to Made with Love Mondays event by Javelin Warriors !

When I dream of you, My dream is so fearless ~to comfort my mind and soul VAGHARELI KHICHDI !Re Posted

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:09:00 +0000

When you look into my eyes

World becomes a better place

And you know deep inside

Love is taking all the space

Baby, I love you... and you?

Chorus:

We are birds

We fly so high and we are falling down

When I dream of you

My dream is so fearless

We are people of the planet, we live human lives

We are angels, we're in danger, we are crystal white... crystal white

II.

When you look into my eyes

Sun is touching mountain top

When you look into my eyes

It will never have to stop

Baby, I love you... and you?

After friday the 13th, it came saturday the 14th ...sigh.....in the morning I looked out of my bedroom window, and brought a gentle smile on my face and thought today's sunshine will bring some light in my home, but NO as soon as I smiled, grey clouds covered that beautiful sunshine and my smile too..it always happens with me or in my life smile doesn't stay longer on my face ! anyway THAT'S BRITAIN FOR YOU ....:) So as usual I was passing my day..done house work, daughter went to her friends house for her study, hubby started watching IPL and I thought what will I do? wasn't intersted in blogging either, so went to bed for a nap..and my nap went into 6 hours long sleep and fearless dream !..yep I slept from 3 pm to 9pm...came down hubby asked me what do you want to have for dinner? let's go out or take away...I told him I just want to have something very light , coz normally I don't eat anything that late..it's not good for my size 0 figure..:P,so he helped me yes can you belive he helped me to make VAGHARELI KHICHDI !!!!!!!!!! he washed some rice and daal for me:) Ahhhhh that is so sweet of him , and I made very simple yet delicious and comforting khichdi in pressure cooker...while we were having our dinner I turn on the TV and watched some news in that time my daughter came and she asked me to turn the channel and here came this beautiful song on Eurovision contest ..as soon as the song started I told my daughter it is going to be one of my favourite song, the sand story was amazing,stole my heart and lyrics touch my soul so beautiful..we rewind it and put it on record..song was sung by Mika Newton from Ukrain...! Unfortunatley she didn't win..but hey who cares ? she and her sand artist touched so many peoples heart ...that what matters to me most !

Coming to my khichdi recipe, Khichdi is a South Asian preparation made from rice and lentils (dal). Khichri is commonly considered to be a comfort food, and was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian dish of kedgeree.The dish is widely prepared in many Indian states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Bengal (where it is called Bengali: খিচুড়ী khichuri). Vegetables such as cauliflower, potato, and green peas are commonly added. A popular variant in coastal Maharashtra is made with prawns....I made typical Gujarati style Vaghareli Khichdi !( source : wikipedia)

You will need :-

1/2 cup Tuver daal ( split pegion peas )
1 cup Rice
1 tbsp oil
handful of peanuts
1/2 tsp rai ( musterd seeds)
few cloves, cinamon sticks, bayleaves, red chillies, whole black peppers, hing
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
2 1/2 cups of water or as nedded

Method:-
Wash rice and daal together and leave it a side. In a deep pressure cooker heat oil , add rai and let it spultter, now add hing and all the whole garam masala fry for few seconds ..add rice and daal and fry about 2-3 minutes..add all the peanuts, spice,water and salt..Mix well ..close the cooker lid and cook for 3 whistle..Leave the cooker to cool. Serve with yogurt, pickle, papad, kadhi or chaas ! You can add any vegetables in there..choice is yours..
Enjoy as much as we did..

Linking this dish to my own event Re Post from Archives and Taste of the Tropics event by Chef Mireille

SHARJAH SHAKE - from Non Blogger Friend for Food She Loved event

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

Couple of days ago I received an email from Bini Basheer our regular reader, asking if I can post her recipe here. As soon as I read her recipes, I thought how wonderful and tempting recipes they are ! I must post asap as I really liked them, hope you like this one too.

Hi Jagruti,

My name is Bini Basheer. I am from Kerala. I am working in Kerala State Electricity Board..I have got my mom and dad at my home...I had a brother...He passed away before four years...My marriage is almost fixed...I came to know about this event through FB....I am a non blogger.Really glad that u allowed non bloggers also to be a part of this wonderful event dear.....Let me use this opportunity to show case my dishes dear...Starting with one of my personal favourites ........

This is one of my mother's favourite drink...In my childhood, she used to make this drink after me and my brother come from school...Hmmmmm...........Old memories...Anyway today, this is one of the drinks, I use to prepare for my mother with lotz of love and care....Moreover, This is one of the dishes she always wants me to prepare after she comes from hospital, if I am at my home dear....This is the dish, which immediately came to my mind

when i heard about ur heart touching event.....

SHARJAH SHAKE

INGREDIENTS

1) Frozen milk - 1/2 litre (better if you buy 1/2 litre cover milk and freeze it...It will be easy for to smash into small chunks it before you grind it in a blender)

2) Banana (small) - 2

3) Nutella - 2 tablespoon

4) Cashew nuts - 10

5) Peanut - 10

6) Sugar - 4 tbsp (If needed, add more)

7) Dates - 1 (chopped after removing seed)

8) Cadbuary dairy milk - A small piece (Optional, I added..I am really crazy about chocolates)

9) Cardamom powder - a small pinch

10) Boost/Horlicks - A pinch (optional as Nutella is the best choice)

11) Peanut candy/chikki - a small piece (chopped) - optional. I added

Garnish

Garnish is completely your choice..I garnished this chill chill drink with

1) Cherry - 1

2) Cashew nut (crushed) - 3 ( You can crush and mix it with the drink...It will add more taste when we have the drink)

3) Ice cubes (crushed) - 1

PROCEDURE

1) Smash and Crush the frozen milk into chunks with a chapatti roller (starting from the sides of the cover containing milk)

2) Grind the crushed frozen milk with all the ingredients numbered 2 to 11 in a blender for 1 to 2 minutes..Don't over grind it...It will loose it's thick paste texture

3) Garnish it with cherry, crushed ice cube and chopped cashew nuts..

Yummy healthy SHARJAH SHAKE is ready...The very important point when one makes this delicious drink is to avoid water totally while grinding....Consume as soon as u make it...As time passes, it will loose it's chillness...An easy recipe to entertain your guests...So You guys try it out

Thank you Bini for this healthy and nutritious drink recipe, your mum must be so proud of you !

Linking this dish to Food She Loved, I Loathed event by JCookingOdyssey !

Happy Cooking :)

Keri No Ras Gujarati style- Homemade Mango Pulp - Mango Mania

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:34:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

I still remember those childhood vacations. Hot, sweltering summers and luscious, juicy large variety of mangoes...!!
The childhood's gone, scorching summers are gone but I am still lucky to have those mangoes even here in UK :)
In India, in most of the Gujju households, Ras and Rotli or Puri are must for lunch with daal, sabji and rice. But at my parents family it wasn't :( ..My mum never had that type of time to sit there and spend hours squeezing out all the pulp from the mango..in those days we did not have a blender and I always missed that. Even then we ate lots of mangoes, but we just cut them and ate them ourselves...

I used to watch our next door neighbour from early in the morning. She used to sit with big box of mangoes, massages them very gently and squeeze out all the pulp into big Bowl, (an art in it self ) while she keeps chatting to people who pass from there.. It was fascinating for me. Since then I always wanted to make ras for myself. Whatever the share of mangoes I have for myself, I squeeze out ras for myself...and I never ever gave up on ras..here in UK I buy good quality mangoes. Every year I will make ras at least 5-6 times, the only change is that I now use a blender to speed up the process instead of by hand. You can have ras with puri or roti's which are smeared lavishly with ghee eating this authentic combo at lunch time, and then slumbering away the afternoon.
You might find a surprise here that we add ginger powder ( soonth paowder ) in our ras, don't know exact reason behind it, but once I heard that ginger helps you to digest the Ras..but if you guys have any idea, please do let me know !!

You will need:-

6 good quality mangoes ( I use Alphonso )
2-3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp dry ginger powder
2-3 tsp ghee
1/4 cup water ( optional )

Method:-
Wash and cut the mangoes in slices.
Peel the skin.
Place all the mangoes, sugar in blender.
Blend till very smooth you can see very smooth pulp.
At this stage pulp will be too thick, add little water and mix once more time.
Transfer into a big bowl and chill the ras until required.
When you are ready to serve in a small bowl for each person, add pinch of ginger powder and ghee if you like and have with hot puri's or special paper thin roti called " be padi rotli " means double layer roti's..Recipe is coming soon !

Linking this to my own event Re Post from Archives ! and to Mango Delights event by Kausers Kitchen

Classic All Butter Croissants - Better Late Than Never

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:51:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Bonjour readers,

Do I need to tell you here that Croissants are a staple of French bakeries and patisseries? Probbaly not! Dipping a croissant into morning coffee is a ritual in France. Flaky layers, all buttery and crescent shape Pastry. The origins of croissants are unclear. Though considered quintessentially French, croissants were reportedly first made in the 16^th century by the bakers in Vienna to celebrate a victory against the Turkish armies that had been besieging the city. Croissants are said to have been brought to France by Marie-Antoinette, as a 14-year old bride hankering for comfort food from her native Austria.

I've been eating croissants since I settled in UK for the past 21-22 years ! Whilst abroad on holiday, at breakfast time, croissants top the list of my favourite baked food and that is exactly what I always put firstly on my plate. In the variety of countries that I've visited on my hols I have compared the croissants in the all the different canteens or boulangeries, and the finest pick them of all has to have been the ones served in Paris!

In my several visits to Paris I've never missed out on croissants, but each time I come home thinking that I am going to attempt in producing similar croissants, they fail to materialise..So because of our February challenge with Aparna's We Knead to Bake # 2 I have had the opportunity to go for it and attempt long due croissants.. Better late than Never !

It was a long detailed process, where absolute patience and courage was needed, but the end result was tremendous as there were three overjoyed souls who patted my back. I'm So thrilled !!
We have been given the recipe by Aparna, original recipe from Finecooking. I followed exactly the same recipe and method. So copying and pasting the same recipe here.
I just halved the ingredients, after all it was All Buttery :)

Some tips that might help:

1. Ensure that your butter is cold – cold enough that it is pliable enough to smoothly roll out; not hard (or it will break) or soft (it will melt). If the butter is too hard and breaks while rolling out the dough, you will not get the layers in the croissants.

2. Do not over-knead / develop the dough too much, too much gluten will not help during the lamination process. The lamination process itself is a kind of stretch and fold anyway and will strengthen the dough. So keep to the 3 minutes the recipe says. You want a soft dough, not an elastic one.

3. When you cover the butter square with the dough, make sure you seal the dough well, otherwise the butter will leak out when you roll out the dough, and there’s no way you can manage to put the butter back in. You will also end up with butter leaking during the baking.

4. Always, always make sure your dough and butter inside it are cold. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Once the butter has melted, it is difficult to get the dough to produce layers because the dough tends to absorb the butter and will make greasy croissants. So, while working with the dough, or when rolling it out, if at any point you feel the dough becoming warm and soft, put it back in the fridge immediately. Also work as quickly as you can so the butter stays cold.

5. During the lamination of the dough (rolling and folding repeatedly), chill the dough in the freezer and NOT the fridge. The overnight refrigeration is to be done in the fridge NOT in the freezer. Resting the dough is an important part of the croissant making process.

6. Plan ahead and make sure you do all this when you have the time for it. You will need more time than you think you, believe me. You cannot leave this and attend to something else, unless you want to set yourself for failure!

7. You also need a lot of patience to keep rolling out the dough with just enough pressure to stretch it. The rolled out dough before shaping should be somewhere between 1/4” and 1/8” thick.

8. Make sure your dough is shaped with straight lines and square-ish corners. All the time you are rolling your dough out, keep this in mind. This way you will minimise waste of dough. More importantly, the edges where there is no butter would get folded in during lamination and affect your layers. So trim off those bits if you have any of them.

9. Keep lightly flouring your work surface (not too much), just enough to keep working smoothly without tearing the dough. However, dust with a light hand or you could end up adding more flour than desirable.

10. Do not be tempted to fold more than three times. A fourth fold will give you more layers, but thinner butter layers between them, and your croissants will not puff of as much as you would like them to.

11. And most important, as funny as it sounds. If you like to and do wear rings on your fingers like I do, take them off while working with this dough and the dough will thank you! Rings have a habit of inadvertently tearing the dough. If the butter comes out, patching it up by dusting a little flour can help but doesn’t always work.

You will need - For the Dough ( will make 15 croissants )

For the dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour, and a little more for dusting/ rolling out dough

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp cold water

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp cold milk (I used 2%)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

40gm soft unsalted butter

1 tbsp plus scant 1/2 tsp instant yeast

2 tsp salt

For the butter layer:

250 gm cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup of cold milk (or 1/8 cup of cream + 1/8 cup cream) to brush the dough

Method:

Day 1:

Make the dough (and refrigerate overnight)

Combine all the ingredients for the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. You can also use a food processor with the plastic blade, or do this by hand.

Mix everything on low speed for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl once if necessary. Then mix further on medium speed for 3 minutes. Lightly flour a 10-inch pie pan or a dinner plate. And place the ball of dough on this.

Gently shape the dough into a flat ball by pressing it down before storing it in the fridge, this makes rolling out next morning easier. Making a tight ball will strengthen the gluten which you do not need. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and wrap well with plastic so it doesn’t dry out. Refrigerate overnight.

Day 2:

Make the butter layer

The next day, cut out 2 pieces of parchment or waxed paper into 10” squares each. Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch-thick slabs. Place these pieces on one piece of parchment/ waxed paper so they form a 5- to 6-inch square. Cut the butter further into pieces as required to fit the square. Top with the other piece of parchment/ waxed paper.

Using a rolling pin, pound the butter with light, even strokes. As the pieces begin to stick together, use more force. Pound the butter until it flattens out evenly into a square that’s approximately 7-1/2”. Trim the edges of the butter to make a neat square. Put the trimmings on top of the square and pound them in lightly with the rolling pin. Refrigerate this while you roll out the dough.

Laminate the dough

Unwrap and lay the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out to a 10-1/2-inch square, and brush off the excess flour. Take the butter out from the refrigerator —it should be cold but pliable. If it isn’t refrigerate it till it is. This so that when you roll out the dough with the butter in ti, neither should it be soft enough to melt, or hard enough to break. Unwrap the butter and place it on the square of dough in the centre, so that it forms a “diamond” shape on the dough.

Fold one flap of dough over the butter toward you, stretching it slightly so that the point just reaches the middle of the butter square. Bring the opposite flap to the middle, slightly overlapping the previous one. Similarly repeat with the other two so that the dough forms an envelope around the butter. Lightly press the edges together to completely seal the butter inside the dough to ensure the butter doesn’t escape when you roll out the dough later.

Lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough. With the rolling pin, firmly press along the dough uniformly to elongate it slightly. Now begin rolling instead of pressing, focusing on lengthening rather than widening the dough and keeping the edges straight.

Roll the dough into an 8” by 24” rectangle. If the ends lose their square shape, gently reshape the corners with your hands. Brush off the excess flour. Mark the dough lightly equally into three along the long side. Using this as a guideline, pick up one short end of the dough and fold 1/3^rd of it back over the dough, so that 1/3^rd of the other end of dough is exposed. Now fold the 1/3^rd exposed dough over the folded side. Basically, the dough is folded like 3-fold letter before it goes into an envelope (letter fold). Put the folded dough on a floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 15 to 20 minutes to relax and chill the dough.

Repeat the rolling and folding, this time rolling in the direction of the two open ends (from the shorter sides to lengthen the longer sides) until the dough is about 8” by 24”. Once again fold the dough in thirds, brushing off excess flour and turning under any rounded edges or short ends with exposed or smeared layers. Cover once again with plastic wrap and freeze for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Roll and fold the dough exactly in the same way for the third time and put it baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, tucking the plastic under all four sides and refrigerate overnight.

Day 3:

Divide the dough

The next day, unwrap and lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough. Cut the dough along the longer side into halves. Cover one half with plastic wrap and refrigerate it while working on the other half.

“Wake up the dough up” by pressing firmly along its length with the rolling pin. Don’t widen the dough but simply begin to lengthen it with these first strokes. Slowly roll the dough into a long and narrow strip, approximately 8” by 22”. If the dough sticks as you roll, sprinkle with flour.

Once the dough is about half to two-thirds of its final length, it may start to resist rolling and even shrink back. If this happens, fold the dough in thirds, cover, and refrigerate for about 10 minutes; then unfold the dough and finish rolling.

Lift the dough an inch or so off the table at its midpoint and allow it to shrink from both sides and prevent the dough from shrinking when it’s cut. Check that there’s enough excess dough on either end so that when you trim the edges to straighten them, you have a strip of dough that is 20’ inches long. Now trim the edges so they’re straight.

If you’re good at “eyeballing” and cutting the dough into triangles, then forget the measuring rule, marking and cutting instructions. Otherwise, lay a measuring rule or tape measure lengthwise along the top length of the dough. With a knife, mark the top of the dough at 5-inch intervals along the length (there will be 3 marks in all). Now place the rule or tape measure along the bottom length of the dough. Make a mark 2-1/2 inches in from the end of the dough. Make marks at 5-inch intervals from this point all along the bottom of the dough. You’ll have 4 marks that fall halfway between the marks at the top.

Make diagonal cuts by positioning the yardstick at the top corner and the first bottom mark. Use a pizza wheel/ pie wheel or a bench scraper and cut the dough along this line which connects each top mark to the next bottom mark and then back to the next top mark and so on. This way you will have 7 triangles and a scrap of dough at each end.

Shape the croissants

Now work with one piece of triangular dough at a time. Using your rolling pin, very lightly roll (do not make it thin but only stretch it slightly) the triangle to stretch it a little, until it is about 10” long. This will give your croissants height and layers. You can stretch it by hand too, but if you don’t have the practise, your stretching could be uneven.

Using a sharp small knife, make a 1/2- to 3/4-inch-long notch in the centre of the short side of each triangle. The notch helps the rolled croissant curl into a crescent.

Place the triangle on the work surface with the notched side closest to you. With one hand on each side of the notch, begin to roll the dough away from you, towards the pointed end.

Flare your hands outward as you roll so that the notched “legs” become longer. Roll the triangle tight enough but not too tight to compress it, until you reach the “pointy” end which should be under the croissant.

Now bend the two legs towards you to form a tight crescent shape and gently press the tips of the legs together (they’ll come apart while proofing but keep their crescent shape).

Shape all the triangles like this into croissants and place them on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet leaving as much space between them as they will rise quite a bit.

Proof the croissants

Brush the croissants with milk (or a mix of milk and cream). If you use eggs, make an egg wash by whisking one egg with 1 tsp water in a small bowl until very smooth. Lightly brush this on each croissant.

Refrigerate the remaining milk/ milk+cream (or egg wash) for brushing the croissants again later. Place the croissants in a cool and draft-free place (the butter should not melt) for proofing/ rising for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. They might need longer than 2 hours to proof, maybe as much as 3 hours, so make sure to let croissants take the time to proof. The croissants will be distinctly larger but not doubled in size. They’re ready if you can see the layers of dough from the side, and if you lightly shake the sheets, the croissants will wiggle.

Bake the croissants

Just before the croissants are fully proofed, pre-heat your oven to 200C (400F) in a convection oven or 220C (425F) in a regular oven. Brush the croissants with milk/ milk+cream (or egg wash) a second time, and place your baking sheets on the top and lower thirds of your oven (if regular) or bake one tray at a time in the convection oven.

Bake them for about 15 to 20 minutes till they’re done and golden brown on top and just beginning to brown at the sides. In a regular oven, remember to turn your baking sheets halfway through. If they seem to be darkening too quickly during baking, lower the oven temperature by 10C (25F). Cool the croissants on the baking sheets on racks.

Serve warm. bon appétit !

Linking this to Aparna's event We Knead to Bake # 2 - Classic Croissants.

Also to Flavours of France , event started by Nayna and guest host at Shruti's .

Green Peas and Potato Rice Pilaf ~ Mum's style

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:16:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

I always enjoyed watching my mum with great curiosity while she used to cook this pilaf. She also used get me involved in shelling the peas, etc. We used to wait eagerly for this pilaf , as this was the first pilaf dish my mum started making in our family...It was something new for all of us, nearly 33-34 years ago it was a new dish in the Gujarati family or Gujarati neighbourhood ! People used to think and say that pilaf and biryani's are for non-Gujarati people and to make pilaf you need a special skill :) !!

Before I'd even learnt how to cook the perfect plain rice, I learnt this pilaf rice at the age of 8 ! and I have now taught it to my daughter who's 18 ! Let's look at the recipe

You will need:-

1 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup mixed vegetables ( I used frozen )
1 medium potato peeled and cubed ( you can use baby potato too)
2-3 green chillies chopped
1 medium onion chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped
5-6 fresh curry leaves
1 medium tomato chopped
handful of fresh coriander leaves
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp kitchen king masala
2 cup water approx

Method:-
Wash the rice in cold water and soak for 1/2 an hour.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan or kadai, add onions and fry 2-3 minutes now add garlic and fry till light brown.
Add 2 cups water. Now add curry and coriander leaves, tomatoes, potatoes, peas and all the masala with salt.
Allow the water to boil and add soaked rice. Cook rice first 3-4 minutes on high heat,then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12-14 minutes until rice is tender. ( if rice is not done , add very little water. here in UK rice doesn't need too much water, I have cooked same dish in India, I needed nearly 3 cups of water ).
Serve hot with plain yogurt, Raita and papad. I served with Mixed fruits and Nuts Raita.

Linking this recipe to Celebrate - Love For MuM event started by JCookingOdyssey, guest host by Tangy Minds.
Nayna's event Let's Cook Rice Dishes
Javelin Warriors Made With Love Mondays !

Batata Vada Gujarati style~ Deep Fried Mashed Potatoe Dumplings

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:37:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello reader

One potato
Two potatoes
Three potatoes
Four!

Five potatoes
Six potatoes
Seven potatoes
More!

One potato
Two potatoes
Three potatoes
Four!

Five potatoes
Six potatoes
Seven potatoes
More!

Go to any corner of the Earth, you'll find potatoes. Any dish made out of potatoes, you'll hardly ever hear someone say no to it !!!! I am optimistic that the next dish which I am going to post..you won't say NO to either.. but you won't be leaving any on the plate for others :)

Batata Vada, as soon as I hear the name of it, not sure about you guys, but I start drooling :D
Last week we had very dull and rainy weather, so we decided to have hot and spicy Batata Vada with sweet and tangy chutney. I like my batata vada's mixture without turmeric powder and batter without any masala. Also I like my batata vada's gram flour layers to be thin..

You will need:-

500 g boiled potatoes peeled and mashed
Oil for deep frying + 1 tbsp
3-4 tbsp crushed green chillies and ginger ( adjust according to your taste )
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp cashew nuts
2 tbsp raisins
1-2 tsp caster sugar ( optional )
1 tbsp crushed whole coriander seeds, Black pepper and fennel seeds
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3-4 tbsp fresh finely chopped coriander
1 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of hing ( asafoetida )

Batter :-

200 g gram flour ( I used kala channa flour )
Salt to taste
Plain soda water

Method:-
Add 1 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom pan.
Add mustard seeds and hing, when splutters, add crushed chillies and ginger.
Fry for few seconds, add cashews and raisins.
As soon as raisins puff up, add mashed potato, salt, sugar and mix very well.
Turn off the heat, add lemon juice. Mix well and let it cool.
Check the seasoning, divide potato mixture into a equal size balls.
Mix salt with the gram flour, add soda water and mix very well. Batter should be medium thick.
Leave it aside for 5-6 minutes.
Meanwhile heat oil in a frying pan.
Dip potato balls into a batter, take out coated balls with the help of a small spoon and fry into hot oil till light golden brown.
Remove from the oil.
Serve hot with any type of chutney..I served mine with THIS chutney. ( waiting to give a name )
Enjoy !!

Submitting to Celebrate - Diamond Jubilee event hosted at Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey !

Linking this to my own event Re Post from Archives

Mother's Day Treat ! A ROYAL INDIAN DESSERT - SHAHI TUKDA ! ~ Re Posted

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:29:00 +0000

Mother's are the Place

where love Emerges

from the earth,

And happiness rings

out like bells..........

In honor of our birth

Mothers are the

sun that lights,

for our inner sky

So we may know

that we are loved

and not question

WHY.................

Mother's are the moon

that shines

upon our black despair

So even when we

weep we know

that some one's always there

Mother's hold their

children's hand

for a while, but

their hearts forever

Mother's are loving

Mother's are Patient

Mother's are giving

Mother's are beautiful

No matter which journey

or which life's season

Mother's will be there....

If I had a single flower

for every time I thought of you

I could walk in my garden

FOREVER................(author-unknown)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHER'S !

Although here in UK mother's day was on 3rd of April..that time I was in India at my mother's place..sadly my mum wasn't there for me..:( ,and I was away from my kids...so we are celebrating today and having great day so far....my daughter specially thought about my gift very carefully..before I went to India I was mentioning to update my electric toothbrush, and she kept that in her mind and guess what..............:) yeppppppppppp !!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH MY DARLINGS...hubby treated me with yummy lunch...

In return I wanted to treat my special ones, so I thought of making something easy to make yet royal ( since we had a royal wedding in UK ) made for all occasion...A ROYAL INDIAN DESSERT... SHAHI TUKDA..... The traditional sweet has its genesis from Hyderabad where fried bread slices are soaked in warm milk with cardamom, saffron and sugar for enriched flavor and garnished with nuts..It is served with a plain pudding called 'Rabri' made by milk thickened over low heat enriched with Almond meal.I made cashew nuts, Raisins and Cardamom bread at home and used slices from that bread..one thing is for sure that this dessert will enlighten your senses....:)..Surely mine did;)

Ingredients:- for Bread

water 11/8 cup
Skimmed milk powder 2 1/2 tbsp
Sugar 1/4 cup
Salt 11/4 tsp
Oil 21/2 tbsp
Strong white flour 3 cups
Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp
Dry yeast 11/4 tsp
Raisins and cashew nuts 1/2 cup

Method :- I used my bread maker..

Ingrdients for Shahi Tukda :-

Bread slices - 4 ( I used my own home made bread )
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Milk - 2 cups
Double Cream - 2 cups
Sugar - 75 grams
cardamom powder
Saffron threads
Few nuts like almonds and pistachio

Method:-
Remove the crust from the bread and cut them in to your desired shape..I cut them into triangle shape. Heat ghee in a non stick pan and shallow fry them till lovely golden colour. Remove them and leave them a side. In another non stick pan boil milk till become thick..add cream and sugar and let it boil for 8-10 minutes. Then add cardamom powder and saffron and leave it for few minutes. In a serving dish place fried bread slices and pour thickened milk and garnish with nuts..Chill in refrigerator for about half an hour and enjoy as much as we did...and promised each other that we will burn lots of calories on our exercise machines which are collecting dust ;)...I have five of them :)

Till my next post happy cooking and blogging..enjoy this beautiful song from the movie Jagriti...

Linking this dish to Re Post From Archives , event by JCOOKINGODYSSEY and Javelin Warriors Made with Love Mondays .
Pradnya's guest host Know Your Dairy - Buttermilk/Cream , event started by JCookingOdyssey

Sooji Matar Dhokla - Instant Semolina and Green Peas Savoury Steamed Cake !

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

Hooray, we are already in the Month of May and once again we are having a Potluck Party, Cyber Style at JCO! This time I have brought Sooji Matar Dhokla for my lovely friends. If you want to join our party, please email me @ jagrutiscookingodyssey1971@gmail.com

I've seen my Mum making these dhokla during my childhood, and at that time I wasn't too keen on green peas in dhokla, but lately I have developed a taste and now I can have them anytime! I can assure you that if you are a dhokla fan you'll definitely enjoy my Lasniya Mag na Dhokla , Khaman Dhokla and Khatta Dhokla too.

You will need :-

1 cup semolina
1 tbsp rice flour
1 tbsp besan or chickpea flour
1 cup plain sour buttermilk ( 1/2 cup sour yogurt whisk with 1/2 cup water )
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 -3 tbsp fresh ginger and green chillies puree
1/4 cup frozen green peas
1 tsp Eno ( fruit salt )
1 tbsp oil

You will need for tadka ( temper )

2-3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
10-12 fresh curry leaves
3-4 slit green chillies
1-2 dry red chillies
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
2-3 tbsp water
Handful fresh chopped coriander

Method:-
Thaw green peas in M/W.
Lightly mash them and leave aside.
Now mix all the ingredients in a big bowl except tadka ingredients.
Mix well and leave aside for 5 minutes and add lightly mashed green peas.
Start heating water in a big pot and pour the mix in a deep lightly greased thali .
Steam over water about 15-20 minutes. Pierce with a knife, and check, should come out clean if dhokla are done.
Leave it to cool a little.
Cut with a clean knife into diamond or square shape.
Now prepare tadka by heating oil in a pan, add mustard and cumin seeds and hing..add both chillies and curry leaves..let it boil for about 1-2 minutes. Pour this tadka mix on dhokla.
Now garnish with coriander and coconut.

Enjoy with Garlic, Tomato and red chilli Chutney.

Linking this to Potluck Party, Cyber Style and Food, she Loved I loathed ! and Pradnya's guest host event Know Your Dairy - Buttermilk or Cream . event started by JCOOKINGODYSSEY !
Javelin Warrior's Made with Love Monday's .

Aloo Bhathure - Indian deep fried bread stuffed with potatoes - Re Posted

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

Few days ago hubby requested choley bhathure for the weekend...so I made it yesterday ! While I was preparing the bhathure dough, I started thinking about my child hood trip to Delhi...all the memories flooded in my mind...My whole experience can be read here...and I thought about stuffed bhathure..and so I made my mind up to make potato stuffed bhathure. I made few bhathure with potato stuffing and they came out so well, every bhathure had fluffed up so well...Every bite of these bhathure was delightful, and we devoured them in no time with yogurt and pineapple chutney at tea time !

Note :- In the picture you can't see bhathure much fluffed because when I took the pics later they were deflated.
You will need:- Bhathure

2 cup Plain flour

1/4 cup semolina(fine)

1 tsp fast action dry yeast

1 tsp each salt and sugar

1tsp ghee or oil

Oil for deep frying

1/2 cup warm milk

Method:-
Sieve the plain flour, add ghee,semolina,milk,yeast and knead to a smooth dough with little warm water.
Cover with a muslin cloth and keep aside for more than 3-4 hours. This ferments the dough.

You will need :- Potato stuffing

2 large potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed
2 tsp green chillies and ginger crushed
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
handful chopped coriander
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of hing ( asafoetida )
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Method :-
Heat oil in a non stick pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter add hing and chilles and ginger.
Fry for few seconds, add ground turmeric, chilli powder and salt.
Now add mashed potatoes, mix well.
Add sugar, lemon juice and coriander. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Turn the heat off. Leave the mixture aside to cool.
After cooled down, make small balls from the potato mixture.

Make small balls from the dough, roll into thick puri (small circles). Place a one potato ball stuffing in it.

Meanwhile put oil in a kadai ( WOK ) to heat on medium heat.
Wrap up the thick puri and close the dough from all sides. You'll have round dough ball once more.

Gently press the stuffed ball and place it on the rolling board.
Roll it a bit thick with the rolling pin. ( I needed dry flour to roll the ball, as it was slightly sticking on the rolling board ).
Oil must be hot now, slide the rolled bhathura into hot oil.
Press bhathura slightly with perforated spoon ( jaro) to make fluffy bhathura.
Fry till both side very light golden brown.
Remove it from the oil with the help of perforated spoon.

Serve hot with choley or any chutney and yogurt.
I had mine with fried green chillies to accelerate the taste.

Linking this to my own event Re Post from Archives .

Round Up - Gain Popularity

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Fri, 03 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

Thank you very much taking part in this event. Here is the round up. Please let me know if I've missed any of your entries. I have been so busy past few weeks and unable to visit your blogs but I'll as soon as I am able to. Thank you so much for your support !

1.	Paneer Rezala	52.	Eggless Mago Pie(No Bake)	103.	Gujarat na Daal Vada
2.	Emerald Fruit Salad	53.	Kesari Phirni	104.	Vegetable Quesadilla
3.	Vegetable Au Gratin	54.	Raw mango and Onion Relish	105.	Neer Dosa
4.	Khandvi	55.	Refreshing Buttermilk Smoothie	106.	Fruit Custard
5.	Karupatti aappam	56.	Mango Salsa	107.	Sweet Lime Soda \| A Summer Drink
6.	Poha Chivda	57.	Rice Pakoras	108.	carrot and capsicum with besan
7.	Aaloo Paratha \| Stuffed Potato Paratha	58.	carrot and kasoori methi handvo cupcakes	109.	Almondy Rooh afza Lassi
8.	Coconut Cookies	59.	corn mushroom tarts with white sauce	110.	Nimona with cauliflower(peas curry)
9.	Vegetable Puff	60.	Amba Haldi Pickle	111.	Garlic Bread Biscuits
10.	Kaali Maa Ki Daal	61.	Rose Flavoured Sooji Halwa	112.	Shakarkandi ki Sabzi / Sweet Potato Curry
11.	Mattha (Spiced Buttermilk )	62.	Stuffed Capsicuma with Peanuts	113.	Orange Chocolate Sandesh \| A Sweet Recipe
12.	Pizza Cups	63.	Spiy Galic Focaccia Bread	114.	A light and refreshing Cucumber Fizz
13.	Jalapenos Cornbread Poppers	64.	Amrakhand	115.	Misal Pav
14.	Crispy Ivygourd/Dondakaya Vepudu	65.	Namita	116.	Garlic Kulchas
15.	orange Juice \| Fresh Real juice	66.	Rajma Cutlets	117.	Karela Peels Pickle
16.	Hare Bhare Kabab	67.	Raw mango pachadi	118.	2 Mins Eggless Chocolate Cake
17.	Easy Sandwich Recipes \| Summer Special Sandwich	68.	Bharwan Karela	119.	Masala Chaas \| Spicy Buttermilk (Smoky)
18.	Spinach Risotto	69.	Samak ki tikki	120.	vegetable kolhapuri with soya
19.	Sweet Watermelon Dosas	70.	Vadagam \ Fryums	121.	Torcettini di saint vincent
20.	Quick Pizza	71.	Watermelon Rice Kheer	122.	Chia Chocolate coconut pudding
21.	Corn Bruschetta	72.	How to make Fruit and herb ice cubes	123.	Bread Pizza
22.	Ragi Powder & Health Drink	73.	Ragda Patties	124.	Malai Kofta/Vegetable balls in Creamy Sauce
23.	Speghetti and Tempeh Meatballs	74.	Barley Adai	125.	Bell Pepper/Capsicum Stir Fry
24.	Idli~~Old wine in a new bottle	75.	Almond Crusted Tofu Parmesan	126.	Gobi(Cauliflower) Manchurian
25.	Pindi Chole	76.	Sindhi Pakora Curry	127.	Mysore Pak/Gram Flour Fudge
26.	Roasted Red Bell Pepper Dip	77.	Milagai chutney / Red chilli chutney	128.	Badam Barfi/Almond Fudge
27.	Dal BokChoy	78.	Corn Munchurian	129.	Microwave Spicy Okra
28.	Dal Bokchoy	79.	Chole Masala \| Chana Masala \| Spicy Chickpeas	130.	Sweet Mango Pickle
29.	Baked Spaghetti Frittata	80.	Ice Apples and Mango Dessert	131.	Barley Raita
30.	Risotto de Fungi	81.	Bael Sharbat	132.	Karupu Kadali Urundai Kulambu
31.	Farfalle pasta in white sauce	82.	Bread Pakora	133.	Sev Tameta Nu Shaak
32.	Paneer and Vegetable Korma	83.	PINK COOLER	134.	Mixed Vegetables with Chana Dal
33.	Watermelon Rice Balls Jaggery	84.	Coconut Macaroons - Eggless	135.	Wood Apple Juice
34.	Cheesy Grilled Shitake Mushrooms	85.	Homemade Rasam Powder & Quick Rasam	136.	Patra
35.	Aam Sandesh (Mango Cheese Sweet)	86.	Sitaphal curry and buckwheat poori	137.	Vegetables Deewani Handi
36.	Lemon Oats	87.	Lemony Rice Noodles	138.	Merina Beach Sundal
37.	Oats Naan	88.	Soda Chaas	139.	Lemon Yogurt Cake
38.	Coconut stuffed pancakes	89.	Methi Kadhi	140.	Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
39.	Caramel Pudding	90.	Eggless Banana Oats Muffins	141.	Grilled Paneer Bhurji Sandwich
40.	Whole Wheat Puttu	91.	lassi \| A Traditional Yogurt Drink	142.	Khandvi - Gujarati Farsan - SNC - 7
41.	Cabbage Raita	92.	Veggie Fried Rice	143.	Peas Spinach Rice
42.	Ginger Melon Punch	93.	Sindhi Toori Chana Dal Sabzi	144.	Paneer Pasanda
43.	Raj Kachori	94.	Baklava	145.	Broken Wheat/Lapsi Halwa
44.	Instant Carrot and Chilli Pickle	95.	Rasgulla	146.	Stuffed Paneer Breads \| Homemade Paneer Breads
45.	Tofu and Griled vegetables fajitas	96.	dates nuts momo	147.	Bread Upma
46.	Thayir Oats	97.	shahi cauliflower kofta	148.	Mango Lassi
47.	Dal Dhokli	98.	Falooda	149.	Stir Fried Carrots
48.	Ghughra - popular gujarati street food	99.	Kosambari/Split green gram-Carrot Salad	150.	Pina colada Lassi
49.	Rainbow Color Sandwich Pakoras	100.	Semiya Payasam/Vermicelli Kheer	151.	Eggless Tiramisu
50.	Hemp seeds, basil and coriander pesto	101.	Banana Oatmeal Smoothie	152.	Olan - Winter Melon&Cowpeas in coconut milk
51.	Veg Momos with Sesame Chutney	102.	Healthy Snacks \| Summer Special Salad	153.	Namkeen Chillo / Savoury Pancakes (using leftover rice)

Avocado and Strawberry Salad with Honey Vinaigrette !

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:02:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

How to colour your diet?
Eat a rainbow!

I always try to increase the colour ante on our food plates ! I love to eat a colourful , crunchy and refreshing salad bowl anytime ! Salads can be very healthy and satisfactory meals on their own or it can enhance your main meal. Most of us always grab few basic stuff like cucumber, tomato and onions when it comes to making salad, well not anymore ! Nowadays salad can be prepared almost from any ingredients !

I prepared this avocado and strawberry salad for our lunch and I must tell you it was pleasing to the eyes and the taste buds , awesome ! Buttery avocado with sweet and juicy strawberry , with a light sweetness and tangy dressing was to die for. This salad can be eaten as a light first course on a very hot summer days ! Takes only few minutes to prepare and gives you lots of time to relax in lovely sunshine :) Go on , don't wait put some rainbows on your diet !!

Recipe adapted from TheDailyGreen with little changes. I kept an eye on this salad recipe since last winter and was eagerly waiting one sunny day to prepare :)

You will need :-

2 ripe Avocado
18-20 fresh strawberries
200 g various salad leaves ( I used baby leaf salad bag from Asda ) ( optional )

You will need for salad dressing :-

3-4 tbsp good quality Honey
3-4 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
Sea salt per taste
3 tbsp olive oil
Ground black pepper per taste

Method:-
In one bowl whisk honey, oil , lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Peel avocado and cut them in to big chunks or wedges.
Wash and halved the strawberries.
Drizzle the honey vinaigrette over the fruit salad and serve immediately.

Tip :- The honey will slip right off the spoon if you first measure the oil.

Linking this salad to My Bowl Of Salad event by JCookingOdyssey.(ME)
Javelin warriors Made with Love Mondays
Tinned Tomatoes event Bookmarked Recipes
Lisa's Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes event No Croutons Required

Happy Cooking :)

Event Announcement - Re Post from Archives !!

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:08:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

There is always a time probably once a year when you sit down and look at all of your old family photos whilst you reminisce in the "good old days". We can also watch home videos - there are so many means by remembering what happened a long time ago. This thought gave me an idea for my next event. Some of us have been blogging for a while whilst others may have just started! Why not repost some of our old posts from our blog for newer readers who probably haven’t seen them and older readers who may have forgotten but would enjoy reading again?!

Interested? Then read below for the details!

How to Repost your blog post.

Go to DESIGN (top right of your screen).
Select POST.
Choose EDIT POSTS.
Click POST SETTINGS and choose Schedule.
Change to AUTOMATIC and then PUBLISH POST.

This post should now be at the top of your feed. The previous comments are still there too.

Guidelines to follow :-

Only Post Vegetarian recipes.
Eggs allowed in Baking.
Only Re post recipes from month of May 2010, 2011or 2012 also what is important that it must be on the same date of the Calender month. Example : today is 1st of May, so re post your recipes which you've posted on 1st of May in 2010 ,2011 or 2012 ....
Link this event announcement on your post. It's Compulsory.
Use of logo is compulsory .
Only entries allowed are posted between in month of MAY 2010, 2011 1nd 2013.
You can send entries to our email if link doesn't work jagrutiscookingodyssey1971@gmail.com with the following details.

1.Your Name
2.Your Blog name
3.Recipe Name
4.Recipe URL
5.Picture of your recipe
Also non bloggers can send their entries to my email ID and the subject line with your name, Recipe,and the picture of your recipe.

Go ahead and send your delicious recipes and also check out our other events too. My Bowl of Salad and Food, She Loved I loathed !

Event Announcement - Food She Loved, I loathed !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:30:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

I bet you all have a long list of food that you refuse to eat during your childhood or even now, but your mum always comes up with these repeated lines.." It's good for you, see I can eat, I like it " !!!!
I had plenty, and used to spend more than an hour finishing my meal or always look out for any excuses or ways to get rid of that food.

However, while growing up, automatically I started liking the same food, which Mum Loved and I had loathed..many many times I feel so guilty about why I was such a fussy eater and giving mum a hard time. Are you feeling the same as I feel then why not make up for it by making a dish that you used to hate or using ingredients that you used to hate but love now, and dedicate that dish to HER and celebrate Mother's Day !

Guidelines to Follow:-

Cook a dish which your MUM Loved, You Loathed but love now LOVE it too.
It can be starter, main or dessert or any drink.
Dish must be vegetarian.
Eggs allowed in Baking.
Multiple entries allowed.
Link this event announcement on your post. It's Compulsory.
Use of logo is compulsory .
Only entries allowed are posted between 1st May-31st May 2013.
You can send entries to our email if link doesn't work jagrutiscookingodyssey1971@gmail.com with the following details.

1.Your Name
2.Your Blog name
3.Recipe Name
4.Recipe URL
5.Picture of your recipe
Also non bloggers can send their entries to my email ID and the subject line with your name, Recipe,and the picture of your recipe.

Go ahead and send your delicious recipes. Please check out our other events too ! My Bowl of Salad and Re-Post from Archives

Raw Mango Rice - Potluck Party, Cyber Style 28th April

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

We had our first Potluck Party, Cyber Style on 10th of April here on JCO ! Had lots of lovely and delicious food and drinks and fun with our fellow food bloggers who already linked their dishes here. Obviously, we all live in different parts of the world, so there is no chance that we can taste their food, but we decided that if we prepare each others dish again in our own kitchen, we can taste and eat their dishes too !

I was paired with one of our guests Manjula of Desi Fiesta. She brought Raw Mango Rice to our party, pictures were so tempting and rice looked delicious. I prepared this rice the next day and followed exactly the same recipe. We never had Raw Mango Rice before so I must say I am glad I made because my family loved it so much..I will prepare again and again Manjula, Thank you so much for sharing this dish with us!!

You will need :-

1 cup rice
1 medium raw mango - grated
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp tumeric powder ( haldi )
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbs urad daal
2 tbsp channa daal
2 tbsp peanuts
2-3 dry red chillies
1-2 green chillies
10-12 curry leaves
Pinch of hing ( asafoetida )
fresh coriander for garnish

Method :-
Cook rice in boiling water such a way that every grain is seperated.
Let the rice cool compeletley.
Heat oil in a heavy based pan, add mustard seeds and hing.
When they spulutter add peanuts, channa daal.
After one or two mintes add urad daal, chillies and curry leaves.
When they are slightly brown add grated mango, haldi and salt.
Cook mixture for 2-3 minutes, now add cooked rice.
Mix everything gently and turn of the heat.
Garnish rice with fresh coriander and serve with raita, salad and papad.
Enjoy !!

Linking this dish to Potluck Party, Cyber Style . Linky tool below .
Gain Popularity and
Javelin Warriors Made with love Mondays.

Event Announcement -My Bowl of Salad !

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

If you were boring, you'd probably say that salad is "rabbit food". This, as we all know, is not true! Made with a little bit of care and attention, salad can add a lot to your meals and definitely to your diet. The appeal of a salad is the colour, the various textures and of course the health benefits.

They usually do not take very long to prepare and the art of assembling a salad means that you can experiment a lot with ingredients!

Go on! Add some colour to your life!

Guidelines to follow:-

Prepare salad with vegetarian ingredients.
Eggs are allowed.
Multiple entries allowed.
Link this event announcement on your post. It's Compulsory.
Use of logo is compulsory .
Only entries allowed are posted between 1st May-31st May 2013.
You can send entries to our email if link doesn't work jagrutiscookingodyssey1971@gmail.com with the following details.

1.Your Name
2.Your Blog name
3.Recipe Name
4.Recipe URL
5.Picture of your recipe
Also non bloggers can send their entries to my email ID and the subject line with your name, Recipe,and the picture of your recipe.

Go ahead and send your fresh and colourful salad recipes.
Don't forget to check out our other events too, Food, she loved I Loathed ! and Re-Post from Archives

Torcettini di Saint Vincent - Sugar Crusted Twisted Cookies for We Knead to Bake # 4

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:19:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

Torcettini di Saint Vincent (Sugar Crusted Twisted Cookies from the Valle d’Aosta) chosen by Aparna, creator of We Knead To Bake , for April month challenge . We already have faced three challenges and baked few baked goodies like Pull Apart Bread, Classic All Butter Croissants and Hokkiado Milk Bread with Tangzong .

I have copied Aparna's quote here word to word

Torcettini are smaller versions of Torcetti (meaning small twists), and these pear/ teardrop shaped twists are made of a dough of flour, yeast and butter which are shaped and then rolled in sugar before being baked. These biscuits/ cookies are synonymous with the town of Saint Vincent in Valle d'Aosta, a small mountainous region in North-Western Italy, even though they’re well known throughout the Piedmont region as well.

Torcetti/ Torcettini are believed to have descended from Grissini (breadsticks) which were made from the leftover scraps of bread dough. According to one story, a Grissini baker had some leftover butter which he needed to use up. Inspiration struck and he decided to add the butter to the last batch of his Grissini dough for the day. To be able to differentiate this lot of “breadsticks” from his Grissini, he rolled them in sugar and shaped them into loops, and the Torcetti was born. Torcetti/ Torchettini are usually flavoured with lime/ lemon zest or anise.

These biscuits/ cookies are crunchy on the outside with a somewhat bread-like texture on the inside. They’re not very sweet and pair very well with cold milk, hot chocolate, tea/ coffee or wine. They are delicious served warm and equally good cold, and keep very well if stored in airtight containers. Apparently, Queen Margaret, the wife of King Umberto I of Savoy loved these biscuits so much during her stay in Valle d'Aosta, that she gave her servants enough provisions to bake an abundant supply for her consumption.

Aparna has adapted this recipe from the one in Nick Malgieri’s “A Baker’s Tour”. Traditionally these biscuits/ cookies are shaped by rolling out bits of dough into “ropes”and then pinching the ends together to form a “teardrop” shape. These are shaped by crossing the rope of dough near the ends to pretty looking twists.

I have followed Aparan's recipe , which were given by her to all the challengers. I did not add any cocoa powder in my recipe, and I doubled up the recipe in volume , I gave half cookies a round shape and I coated them with dermera sugar. Right now husband is having them with tea and he described them as " Amazing " :)

Torcettini di Saint Vincent
(Adpated from A Baker’s Tour by Nick Malgieri)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water, about 45C (110F)

1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 tsp instant yeast)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp lime/ lemon zest or 1 tsp crushed anise seeds

40gm 2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

about 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookies

Method:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, in a small bowl and keep aside.

Put the flour and the salt in the food processor bowl (or a largish regular bowl if kneading by hand) and pulse a couple of times to mix. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is well mixed and the flour-butter mixture looks powdery.

Add the yeast-water mixture and pulse till it all comes together as a ball. Do not over process or knead. Place the ball of dough in a oiled bowl, turning it so it is well coated with the oil. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise quite a bit. This dough does not really double in volume, but it should look “puffy” after about an hour or so. When you pinch off a bit from the top you can see the interior looking a bit like honeycomb. Press down the dough and deflate it, wrap it in cling warp and refrigerate it for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

When ready to make the cookies, take the dough out and lightly roll it out into an approximately 6” square. If the dough feels sticky, scatter a little sugar on it. Using a pizza wheel cut the dough into four strips of equal width. Cut each strip into 6 equal pieces, by cutting across, making a total of 24 pieces. The measurements are not very critical in this part because this just makes it easier to have 24 equal sized bits of dough, as compared to pinching of bits of the dough.

Roll each piece into a pencil thick “rope” about 5” long. Sprinkle a little sugar on your work surface and roll the “rope” in it so the sugar crusts the dough uniformly. Form the “rope” into a loop crossing it over before the ends.

Place the Torcettini on parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 1 1/2" between them. Leave them for about 20 minutes or so till they rise/ puff up slightly. They will not “puff up” much, like bread, but the “puff” will be visible.

Bake them at 160C (325F) or Gas Mark 4 for about 25 minutes till they’re a nice golden brown. Cool the cookies completely, on a rack. Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature. This recipe makes 24 cookies.

Enjoy !!

Linking this to We Knead to Bake

Gain Popularity event by JCookingOdyssey and

Made with Love Mandays event by Javelin Warrior

A light and refreshing Cucumber Fizz - London Marathon 2013 !

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:41:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

So many of my posts start with the weather and today is no different! It really is amazing how much the weather affects what you make!

Through the roller coaster climate of the UK, we seem to have seen the silver lining - the weekend was a lovely and warm one. Perfect for the London Marathon that took place on Sunday. I had planned to go to marathon to cheer on the runners but was apprehensive because I thought it would be freezing! Finding out that it was in fact going to be a warm day, I wasted no time in getting ready and making my way into Central London. I had one of the best days of this year and it was completely spontaneous!!

It's often the same picture with food. You don't know what you are going to make and you end up making something completely different!

I decided to make a refreshing cucumber drink (that's what happens when cucumbers are on offer and you end up buying too many) that would be nice and cooling. The addition of the sparkling water gives the drink the kick that it needs to be crisp and refreshing! The drink had a wonderful green colour reinforcing the colours of spring and summer!

I can assure you that after drinking this drink you will definitely have a certain spring in your step!

You will need :-

1 whole cucumber
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
500 ml sparkling water or plain soda
Salt to taste ( optional )
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh mint chopped
Herb ice cubes

Method:-
Place sugar and water in a saucepan , dissolve the sugar and boil water for 2-3 minutes.
Let the water cool completely.
Wash the cucumber and take juice out of it. ( if you prefer peel the skin ) I didn't want to take away all the goodness from the skin, so I left it. That's why my drink colour is quite green.
In one glass add 1/4 sugar syrup, 1/4 cucumber juice add salt , lemon juice, finely chopped mint and herb ice cubes.
Fill the glass with sparkling water and serve immediately.
Enjoy !!

Linking this to my own event Gain Popularity
Celebrate - Cool Summer guest host by Sowmya ,event started by ME
Show your best Creation , Made with Love Mandays and to Nancy's YBR event

Gujarat na Daal Vada - Spicy lentils deep fried Fritters !

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:25:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

Gujarat na daal Vada became famous from the Dal vada street vendors outside the Gujarat College in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat state – almost nothing to do with the state of “Gujarat” in it’s name!!!! Mostly every collegians pass their free time at those vada stall and snacking on those irresistible vadas. If you are passing by from there, the frying vada smells tempts you to buy those vadas, just wrapped in old newspaper. But tell your mum or wife that you've snacked on those vada's then she definetley will roll up her eyes at you :)

All these things never happened to me, I never ever snacked those vadas from outside while I was student or neither my dad brought them home either. Luckily my mum had this recipe and she always used to make them at home, as she was concern about food hygiene and was health conscious about buying food from outside.

So, today I am presenting her recipe here and what can I say ! As soon as the vadas were ready to eat everyone at the dinner table was happily vanishing them in no time :)))

You will need :-
1 cup split yellow moong daal
1 cup split green moong daal
Salt to taste
10-12 fresh green chillies
2" fresh ginger
6-8 cloves garlic
Pinch of baking soda
Oil for deep fry
More green chillies to serve
One medium onion chopped to serve

Method:-
Clean, wash and soak both daals together for 6-7 hours or overnight.
In the morning once again wash daals in clean water and throw away water.
Place both daals in a grinder and grind daal to coarse mixture with chillies, garlic and ginger with very little water. Make sure mixture is not runny.
Now add salt and soda and mix everything.
Heat oil in a frying pan.
Take a spoonful of mixture and drop it in a hot oil , fry vada on a medium to low heat till vadas are light brown.
Vada should be crispy outside and soft inside.
Fry green chillies in oil and sprinkle little salt on them.
Serve hot vada with fried green chillies and chopped onion.
You won't need any type of chutney or dip with this Gujarat na vada.

Linking this to my own event Gain Popularity and
Made with Love Mondays

Tzatziki-- In Greek: τζατζίκι, pronounced dza-DZEE-kee Re-Post

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:08:00 +0000

At first, I had no clue about Greek cuisine and I also had no plan to find out any more about it- I didn't expect there to be anything for me in this foreign cuisine...The only Greek food that I had heard of was, unsurprisingly, Greek yogurt! ...This was until we went on a summer holiday to the beautiful Greek island, Crete... The island bore stunning golden sandy beaches and tranquil blue waters... The hotel was 4 star and most of all, the glorious sunshine was the icing on the cake :)

From Crete, we took a day excursion to Santorini, where the famous films, Chalte Chalte and Wanted, had some of their songs shot.

In that week, when we were baking ourselves in pure bliss, one of the animation team members came up to us, and disturbed us from our moments of happiness :( :

A- "Hallo, would you like to come to our greek cooking classes?" (imagine a european accent here :))

Me - "What?! I came here to take a break from cooking" (imagine a british accent here :))

A- "Well it isn't your normal cooking, you might learn something new" (loool)

So.. I had to agree and also dragged my daughter along!

When I got there, they told us that they are making cucumber dip called Tzatziki. To me, this sounded something suspiciously like cucumber raita, until the chef unveiled his secret and we found out that this is no ordinary dip. Garlic and extra virgin olive oil in large amounts were the secret surprises!

"Tzatziki is traditionally served as an appetizer and can be left on the table as an accompaniment to foods throughout the meal. The key to great tzatziki is the thick creamy texture that allows it to be eaten alone, as a dip, as a spread, and as a condiment."

You will need:

thick Greek yogurt - 1 cup (if not avaliable, hang the yogurt)
Garlic cloves finely chopped - 6-7 cloves
Extra virgin olive oil - 4 tbsp
Cucumber grated- 1/4 cup
Dill finely chopped - 1/4 cup
salt to taste

Method:
First, mix the salt and grated cucumber and leave for 2-3 mins (this step is important as the salt helps to remove the moisture from the cucumber). Mix in all of the other ingredients into the yogurt. From the cucumber, press out all the water and add into the yogurt, mix it well and chill for half an hour.

Serve it with your choice of food :)

Sending this to PJ's guest event Flavour's of Greece, brain child of Nayna

Soda Chaas - Sparkling Spiced Yogurt Drink !

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:08:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

We've seen that lately traditional recipes have been getting a modern twist. People like to experiment with "old school" recipes that have passed down for generations.

One such recipe is masala chaas. Chaas is an indian beverage, consumed whole year round in India by millions. It is a refreshing drink made based of yogurt or buttermilk with added spices such as cumin seeds or herbs such as mint. I have altered the recipe by adding sparkling water, it was lovely and zingy taste and loved by family !
Perfect for summer days !!

You will need :-

1 cup mild plain yogurt
1/4 cup water
2 cup sparkling water or plain soda water
Salt per taste
1 tsp roasted cumin seeds crushed
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped mint and coriander
1/4 tsp cumin and coriander powder ( dhana jeera powder )
Herb ice cubes

Method:-
Beat plain yogurt and water.
Add all the masala, salt and herbs. Leave ayside.
When you are ready to serve take 1/4 beaten yogurt mixture in a glass and add 3/4 sparkling water.
Add herb ice cubes and serve immediately.

Linking this to my own event Gain Popularity
Know Your Dairy - Yogurt guest host by PJ event started b ME
Javelin Warrior's Made with Love Mondays.
Celebrate Cool Summer guest host by Sowmya event started by ME
Enjoy !!

Sunrise To Sunset...GoKul..... ! Reposted

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Here in the U.K sun is a rarity...so when April starts, people have their eyes on the weather forecast! With merely 17-18 degree we Brits count ourselves lucky...we worship the sun here...summer maybe short lived but, summer fashion lingers on much longer....yeah we make a big deal of it, don't we?...:-)) OK, I know people in India would think "wot's all the fuss about?"....but believe me when you live 5-6 months in freezing weather, one would appreciate it...Like in SR K's movie dialogue "Ekt chutki sindoor ki kimat tum kya jano?" for us, a few rays of sun is priceless....but after a long spell of winter we are glorified with Beautiful sunshine..last week we had fantastic weather..Temperature reached around 30 degrees,(i know right)...:) I know today it's only 18, but hey we're lovin it...we prepared ourselves for the blistering sun..so naturally, I planned my menu and my wardrobe for it..we hoped to enjoy ourselves and make the most of it... So in the process I made several cool drinks which can be served around the clock..

From Sunrise to Sunset.....सुबहा से लेकर शाम तक....

Summer is the time for juicy fruits and for ice cream, so why not mix the two; it saves scoffing ice cream straight from the tub whilst chilling out....Simple way to boost your consumption of fresh fruit...

BREAKFAST:-

1-Mango,Papaya and Passion fruit Smoothie

A thick Mango flavoured smoothie with tropical touch, certainly appealed to us...Ideal for breakfast as it is filling, nourishing and quick, can be enjoyed as a delectable dessert...

1 ripe Mango (peeled and cubed) or you can use pulp
1/2 cup cubed papaya
1 passion fruit (take out the pulp)
1/2 ripe banana
200 ml skimmed milk
1 tsp sugar(optional)
3-4 heaped tbsp vanilla frozen yogurt

Method:-
Place all the ingredients in a blender or smoothie maker and blend until mixed and frothy. Serve immediately...Enjoy !

2 - Celery and Pineapple Juice

Pineapple and celery juice is packed with fibre...Pineapple is full of vitamin c and celery has vitamin A...In hot days this juice will give you cooling effect..

1 bunch Celery
1 cup Pineapple
1 tsp black salt

Method:-
Take out the juice from the celery and pineapple...Mix well, add black salt and serve...Enjoy !

BRUNCH:-
3-Orange and Carrot Smoothie

Tasted and looked fabulous and contains abundant health-giving beta-carotene and vitamin C.

200ml Fresh carrot juice
200ml Orange juice
200g vanilla ice cream

Method:-
Blend both juices, until well combined, add ice cream and process until thoroughly blended. If you want you can add ice cubes and process once more..Serve..Enjoy !

Lunch:-
4- Pineapple Soda

Refreshing ice cream soda for everyone, a luscious mix of pineapple, coconut milk and ice cream was irresistible.

150ml pineapple juice
75 ml coconut milk
200g vanilla ice cream
75 g frozen pineapple chunks

175ml sparkling water

Place everything except water in a food processor, blend until smooth..Pour the mixture into a glasses until two-third full. Top up with sparkling water and serve..Enjoy!

5-Mango, Peach and orange fizz

A luscious combination of fruit pureed together with a little fizzy ginger ale, makes a wonderfully refreshing fruit drink with deference-ripe and fragrant fruit for the smoothest fizz...

1 ripe mango (peeled and cubed)
1 ripe peach (peeled and cubed)
100ml orange juice
500ml low calorie ginger ale

Method:-
Place mango, peach and orange juice in a blender, blend till smooth. Pour over enough ginger ale just to cover the fruit, then blend until completely smooth. Pour in the remaining ginger ale and blend again..Quickly pour into glasses over the crushed ice. Enjoy!

6-Pineapple and Coconut Shake

The perfect partnership and a lovely way to wind up down at the end of a busy day with your own perfect partner..

350ml pineapple juice
100ml coconut milk
150g vanilla ice cream
140g frozen pineapple chunks

Method:-
Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth..Serve and Enjoy!

7-Rose Sunset

Beautifully fragrant drink, with it's romantic name, has an equally delectable and illusive flavour....

100ml natural yogurt
500ml milk
2tbsp rose water
1 tbsp honey
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

Method:-
Pour the yogurt and milk into a food processor and process gently until combined. Add the rose water and honey and process again. Now add the mango and blend until smooth. Serve and Enjoy!

These are just a few, many more to come......
Please keep sending your entries to ongoing event Home remedies # 3
Sending all these to Natasha's 5 star makeover Announcement : Smoothies and Shakes..

How to make fruit and herbs Ice Cubes - An easy way to Beautify your Drink !!

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

As soon as the weatherman announces the arrival of sunny days, most of us start planning our sunny, long days. Especially us girls in UK are always looking for ways to dress up nicely! With the weather changes, automatically, your needs for food changes too. Summer arrives and you look out for recipes which are light, cool and refreshing. Mostly, we all settle for refreshing drinks and beverages.

And what a better way to dress up your drinks and beverages than fruit and herbs ice cubes. I saw this eye catching trick one year back in a magazine whilst I was out and I have waited a whole year to try them!

I had strawberries, red grapes and few herbs in hand, so I thought I'd give it a go! I used a basic ice tray for this but if you want to give your ice cubes a facelift then try a different variety of jelly moulds or ice trays.

It's a great way to enhance and chill up your drink while entertaining, these fancy and garnished cubes will definitely surprise your guest by adding a twist of fruity and refreshing taste!

Add them into soft drinks and they become simply beautiful, Your family and guest will satisfy themselves by enjoying a colourful glass with a real taste of fruit or herbs.

You can also use different types of fruit and herbs such as oranges, kiwis, lemon peels or lemon grass to make these lovely frozen ice cubes. If edible flowers are available, then freeze them also in ice cubes, to make a gorgeous addition to summer drinks. An easy way to beautify your special drink :)

You will need :-

water
Ice cube trays
Variety of fresh fruit and herbs like Strawberries, rasberries, grapes, blue berries, fresh coriander, fresh mint leaves

Method:-
Boil the water and let it cool completley. ( this step will give you extra clear ice cubes )
Slice fruit or herbs and place them in the ice cube tray.
Fill them with the cooled water.
Freeze them in a freezer for 8-10 hours.
When you are ready to use take them out from the freeer and leave them at room temperature 2-3 minutes before knocking thm out.
Make sure the selection of fruits or herbs that you choose is suitable for the beverage that you plan to serve.
Add them to your cocktail drinks for a more colourful and fruity taste.

Linking them to my own event Gain Popularity
Javelin warriors Made with Love Mondays
Celebrate - Cool summer guest host by Sowmya , event by ME.

Fafda, Chutney kadhi ane Kacha papya no sambharo - Chickpea crisps,Spicy Chutney and Raw pappaya stirfry

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:30:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

I want to jump out of the train......yes, don't stop me, please don't stop me !!!! I can bet you these thoughts will come in your mind if you are travelling on a train and your train is going to pass or stop at Ahmedabad station in Gujarat, India in the morning. You'll ask "why" !? Are there any free giveaways?? No no..nothing is free, :( but the awakening smell of lipsmaking fafda, chutney and jalebi will mean that you think twice before leaving Ahmedabad station without this typical gujju snack.

Fafda is a somewhat identity of Gujarat when it comes to food. A morning in Gujarat without fafda, chutney and jalebi is Diwali without diya and somehow it is associated with Sunday mornings. Although fafda is a popular food item usually people don't bother making it at home..in the early morning people will start queueing at the mithaiwala's shops and buy very hot fafda, jalebi and chutney..!

Without chutney kadhi and sambharo, fafda is incomplete..it's like Karan Johar's movies without SRK !! Chutney kadhi is a delicious dip, which is made of gram flour and various other spices , which gives a unique taste and texture which sets it a class apart...Sambharo is nothing but a spicy stir fry made out of Raw papaya, white cabbage, carrots and green chillies ! Once again, fafda and sambharo go very well together...

Yesterday morning I suddenly had a craving for fafda and jalebi, weather was dull and wet...so I thought of making it at home. With few tips from my friend Minaben I prepared this delicious and mouthwatering dish ( according to my kids and family ) ..and it vanished in no time that I had to prepare once again for myself! ...Was so happy with the results and excited to share recipe with you all..

You'll need :- Fafda

1 1/2 cup gram flour ( chickpea flour )
1 tbsp ajwain ( carom seeds ) you can use less if you want
1 tbsp crushed black pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper powder ( again choice is yours if you want to use less you can )
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup oil + for deep fry
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
water as needed

You will need :- Chutney Kadhi

4 tbsp gram flour
1/4 cup sour yogurt
2-3 tbsp jaggery or sugar
salt to taste
1/2 tsp black salt ( sanchal )
1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of hing ( asafoetida )
1 green chilli
1/2 " ginger
2 tbsp fresh corinader
1 tbsp fresh mint
2 cup water

You will need :- Sambharo

1 small raw pappaya grated
1/4 cup white cabbage grated
1 carrot peeled and grated
7-8 green chillies
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of hing
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp lemon juice

Method :- Fafda
In a big bowl place oil, salt, hing, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, crushed black pepper and ajwain seeds and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well.
Add gram flour and make a soft dough just like chapatti dough.
Knead the dough at least 5-6 minutes and add 1 tsp oil once again and knead the dough once more.
Leave it aside for 15-20 minutes covering with the clean napkin or clingfilm.
When you are ready to make fafda knead dough once again, devide dough into 20-25 small balls.
Give them oval shape.
Heat oil in a kadai.
Take flat surface like choping board but not very smooth ( I used plastic chopping board, which wasn't a smooth, it helps when you remove the fafda from the board )
Take oval dough ball, with your palm press the dough and increase the length of ball with hands and keep it on the board under your palm. Press it with the palms and it in front direction. Roll out the thin layer of the fafda.
Fry he fafda in heated oil till they turn into light brown colour. they will be crispy outside but soft inside. Serve garma garm fafda with chutney and jalebi.

Method:- Sambharo
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.
Add mustard seeds, when splutter add hing and fenugreek seeds.
Now add green chillies and fry for a minute and add papaya, cabbage and carrots.
Mix well and add turmeric powder and season with salt.
Fry the mixture on a high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add lemon juice.
Mix well and serve with Fafda and jalebi.

Method:- Chutney Kadhi
Mix gram flour, yogurt and 11/2 cup water in a bowl.
Blend until it becomes smooth and consistent. Make sure there are no lumps.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add mustard seeds; when seeds start spluttering, add asafoetida.
Add prepared mixture of gram flour followed by black salt, jaggary and salt and let it boil over medium flame.
Meanwhile Grind ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves in grinder and make a coarse paste. Keep it aside.
When yogurt mixture starts to boil, lower the heat and let it simmer further at least 5-6 minutes.
If kadhi gets too thick add little water. ( consistency should be like cake batter )
Turn of the heat and add coarse paste. Mix well and let it cool at room temperature to serve with fafda.

Enjoy fafda, chutney, sambharo and jalebi with your friends and family...!
Thank you Srikrupa for a lovely english name of Fafda :)
Linking this platter to shama's guest event Celebrate- Come and Join in our street party started by Jagruti's cooking Odyssey.

Navratri Special - Stuffed Capsicum with Peanuts !

noreply@blogger.com (Jagruti) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 14:05:00 +0000

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

I love vrat ka khana, but since I have gained more knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating I avoid fasting. Reason is most of the vrat food is full of carbohydrates and is sugary and fatty :( and it doesn't help my body at all...

But in this fasting recipe I have used peanuts to get protein and capsicum for some vitamins, minerals and other benefits. The colours of the capsicum look great and the different flavours and textures are wonderful!

This sabji was delicious and tasty, enjoyed by everyone in the house!

You will need :-

2-3 capsicums
1 medium potato peeled and diced
1/4 cup coarse ground peanuts
1 tbsp grated coconut
2 tbsp ginger-chilli crushed
Salt per taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander

Method :-
Wash capsicums and cut into half.
In one bowl mix peanuts, coconut,salt, sugar,lemon juice, ginger-chilli paste and black pepper powder.
Mix everything and stuff mixture into half cut capsicum .
Heat oil in a heavy based pan and place stuffed capsicum into the pan.
Add diced potato in the leftover stuffing, mix and add into the pan.
Add little water, cover pan with lid and let the sabji cook on a very low heat.
It will take 20-25 minutes to cook the potatoes, if potatoes are not cooked add few tbsp of water and let it cook again.
When sabji is done , turn off the heat .
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with mild yogurt.
Enjoy !!

Linking this to my own event Gain Popularity and Javelin Warrior's event Made with love Mondays.