tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60588622026136407462024-02-07T22:04:35.418-08:00AndSheCooks!Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-63172596505148019722014-03-01T10:42:00.001-08:002014-03-01T10:42:14.976-08:00Been too long!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Umm, hello, anybody still here?? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My poor, poor blog has been terribly neglected! I wonder if I even have any readers left at all.... I am however, just popping in to say a quick hello, tell you that I am alive and well and shall resume blogging very 'soonly'. There is plenty to share and much to cook. Leaving you with a picture of our early morning weekend breakfast tray, really though, I was dying to show off the actual tray. A friend picked it up for me, after I shamelessly drooled over a similar one at her house. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_BKGzA42YkavKp0QytEGVWgmti6r_ImHxAWTLFLnkCYzrpwLa4GHIfZKVt7NGI9co1MIVhBtAdv_ZQlFV-LhL7oGvTW3yCl4ba63oye5w1QfvdD5D501rdeYiFcJiQ9vghrHSMAtCfA/s1600/tray1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_BKGzA42YkavKp0QytEGVWgmti6r_ImHxAWTLFLnkCYzrpwLa4GHIfZKVt7NGI9co1MIVhBtAdv_ZQlFV-LhL7oGvTW3yCl4ba63oye5w1QfvdD5D501rdeYiFcJiQ9vghrHSMAtCfA/s1600/tray1.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SIS1Dz4ZffDkUkK7srAtC5tOoLQGha209fkUSPnx2SgtU4-ougzI2ULebKFN0gmg0YweZRb9CUrPnoLhvdDKboXXxbp6AKfUx2dQPbRN4_YVVRcz09s_bRmtLYIIhjx94uCtjI-r4mY/s1600/tray2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SIS1Dz4ZffDkUkK7srAtC5tOoLQGha209fkUSPnx2SgtU4-ougzI2ULebKFN0gmg0YweZRb9CUrPnoLhvdDKboXXxbp6AKfUx2dQPbRN4_YVVRcz09s_bRmtLYIIhjx94uCtjI-r4mY/s1600/tray2.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My two and a half readers (that too is doubtful) thankyou for staying with me....if you still come back and check for new posts, I am truly grateful. Do stay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PS- Just incase you are curious about what was being served in those plates, well, just plain ole' French Toast. Baaah! </span></div>
Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-59157201306528392462013-10-15T08:53:00.002-07:002013-10-15T08:53:28.080-07:00Everyday Chicken Curry-No fuss and No Brainer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVseWWN-e0rNm4AizTHx9UVzdyVCgapec8ZkpvesOSQra0mingcJvR6zu2B_ayMSOYM7LrMHtHYT7t9hzBprsDToVDXXpUyjww-q9QHZS95qVlGswib4B1SEaUlt9SeWl9FrzMPARarjM/s1600/chickencurryfinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVseWWN-e0rNm4AizTHx9UVzdyVCgapec8ZkpvesOSQra0mingcJvR6zu2B_ayMSOYM7LrMHtHYT7t9hzBprsDToVDXXpUyjww-q9QHZS95qVlGswib4B1SEaUlt9SeWl9FrzMPARarjM/s640/chickencurryfinal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is perhaps the easiest curry on the block. Yes, yes, involves a lot of 'bhunoing' and chopping and use of spices but even so, I still say it is the easiest. The kinds you don't even need to think and plan and shop for. The kind you can serve with an elegant pulao to unannounced guests and get away with them thinking, wow, you did so much for us!! If this is what you serve when we don't tell you of our arrival in advance, what would you cook if we did! Umm, in which case I would probably serve an elaborate roast Raan with a choice of Indian breads or a Biryani , the full works. But in the mean time, this basic Murghi Ka Salan (chicken curry) will have to do! It is my go-to mid week curry which I nearly always serve with fresh peas Pulao and a vegetable Raita. Serve a tangy mint chutney on the side with fresh Lassi or Lemonade or even a cup of hot masala Chai later, and you will win hearts. (I know we don't start a sentence with an 'and', thankyou). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would be foolish to claim that it is 'my' recipe. For it is not. It belongs to millions of other subcontinental households across the world. Perhaps the method or choice of spices might vary here and there, but essentially the base of a good curry remains the same. Pretty much a throw- in -everything -you- have- in- the pantry approach and 'bhuno' it to death and well, that's about it really. :) Personally, I make this so often that it isn't even considered special in any shape or form by my boys anymore! Talk about 'ghar ki murghi, dal barabar' ! Loosely translated, a meat which has the potential to become something really awesome and outta this world gets reduced to the level of a dal dish-an everyday, ordinary meal for us. Or something like that. I am not a language teacher anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To begin with please go and read my recipe for <a href="http://andshe-cooks.blogspot.ae/2013/09/garam-masala-from-north.html" target="_blank">Garam Masala</a> because you will need to use some. Or else, use any of your choice, home made or store bought, won't be an issue. Like I said, slight variations exist in every family curry!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is what you will need:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About 500 gms of chicken, cut in to pieces, bone in, washed and drained well.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*You can use just thighs/legs/drums too.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 large onion, finely sliced</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 large tomato, either chopped fine or blend in to a paste like I do. Adds a nice body to the curry.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1tbsp ginger-garlic paste</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2-4 green chillies, chopped fine or slit lengthwise</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spices you will need:</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tbsp of corriander powder</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1tsp heaped cumin powder</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp levelled tumeric powder</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1tsp freshly cracked black pepper corns</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp levelled, kashmiri red chilli powder (optional)-more for colour rather than heat</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tbsp of Garam Masala divided, keep a fat pinch aside from this measurement, to be used later.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Salt to taste </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4tbsp mustard oil for cooking or your choice of any cooking oil. </b><i>This is distinctively a North Indian curry, so avoid using coconut oil, but even if you do, I don't see how I can stop you! :)</i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A tbsp of fresh green corriander leaves, finely chopped, a few thin matchstick style julliened ginger and 2-3 green chillies slit lengthwise. ( I dont add any green chillies at all since my son cannot handle the heat) As always, adjust the amount of chillies you prefer.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Start by heating the oil in a large wok. Mustard oil has a strong, sharp smell and just as you see it begining to smoke up a bit, add the chopped onions and fry them untill really browned well. Mid way to frying those onions, add the ginger garlic paste. Brown this all together. This is the only stage which requires you to kind of hover over your stove, because while we want it all to brown up nicely, we dont want burnt bits. So resign yourself to a lot of stirring and frying. Next to go in would be the chicken pieces. Mix, stir, coat and let it get browned really well on all sides. I usually do all this on a high flame. Takes a good ten minutes at least and plus some more maybe. By the end of so much of stirring around and mixing the chicken pieces with the onions etc, all the moisture should have evaporated. It should pretty much dry up, with the oil clearly separated and visible. The chicken should also be half cooked by now. * If you are using very fresh chicken, it will take time to cook till nearly done or even half cooked.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgeWC8BpJeeHzn0x6rPq4j8Stljt5hjgis6zB2W7-1fjYAdY8kYKHQArt_hI6EnRYQuA2DimhUgumoKOuXGKVMbhMjPJt_aFh4d_h2xL456rg5nwAQaNXCyjptsSClA7CDW4sOPjzR10/s1600/chicken1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgeWC8BpJeeHzn0x6rPq4j8Stljt5hjgis6zB2W7-1fjYAdY8kYKHQArt_hI6EnRYQuA2DimhUgumoKOuXGKVMbhMjPJt_aFh4d_h2xL456rg5nwAQaNXCyjptsSClA7CDW4sOPjzR10/s640/chicken1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">See how nicely browned my chicken pieces are? And I chucked in a couple of potatoes too.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next stage, one by one, start adding all the spices- turmeric, cumin, corriander, pepper, kashmiri chilli powder, and the garam masala. Just reserve a fat pinch of garam masala on the side. Mix thoroughly and let the chicken be coated with all the spices. Add salt to taste. Add the tomato paste you made, mix. Sprinkle some fresh corriander leaves, julliened ginger slices, slit green chillies and a big pinch of garam masala powder you had kept aside. Cover and cook on 'dum' on very low flame for about fifteen or twenty minutes or untill you think the chicken is cooked through. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyspgKgSbu3CgVWNHpdqVNUGIr3z_bfDVRHIQYNsnJulO5lfXoYC4lewPdKn3OZA1Xx-VSNQuhss5Z1pvbzkygKFPp0QS-SAL2jSnS2JD6H5VJ4XEKcJyBtuONw8XJQi7TPTiQyxHXM0/s1600/chicken3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyspgKgSbu3CgVWNHpdqVNUGIr3z_bfDVRHIQYNsnJulO5lfXoYC4lewPdKn3OZA1Xx-VSNQuhss5Z1pvbzkygKFPp0QS-SAL2jSnS2JD6H5VJ4XEKcJyBtuONw8XJQi7TPTiQyxHXM0/s640/chicken3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> The tomato paste as been added, ginger, corriander leaves and a pinch of garam masala sprinkled on top, this will be covered and slow cooked untill done.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsKcgpwIRlZnjUzVmD1C5g6-QQl2-ukR_Fx3zcKAulo5q1fFMvTt7q9nLybV_QWXtWlnGc_v2k1otI1A3y4MJ7OPE-3TGxwilxt_Nq5cEhLQjlXnj0sHjPJNpKEKxzMRwdnfpwzDK4Ig/s1600/chicken4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsKcgpwIRlZnjUzVmD1C5g6-QQl2-ukR_Fx3zcKAulo5q1fFMvTt7q9nLybV_QWXtWlnGc_v2k1otI1A3y4MJ7OPE-3TGxwilxt_Nq5cEhLQjlXnj0sHjPJNpKEKxzMRwdnfpwzDK4Ig/s400/chicken4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Get your sides ready while the curry cooks, here is my vegetable Raita with chopped shallots, bell pepper, cucumber,green chillies, salt, spices and a generous dash of fresh lemon juice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Peas Pulao, Raita and the ahem 'the curry'!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Serve garnished with some more fresh corriander leaves, a Pulao and some Raita. Plonk a big pitcher of fresh lemonade to wash it down. Sit back and enjoy the compliments this 'no-brainer' curry will fetch you from even the most fussy member on the dining table! :) As for me, I am wondering why don't I ask the hubster to tag me along to London this week. He is off for a business trip and has planned to take some his clients for an authentic curry night. Unless he heads to Southall or Hounslow, I know he can be sure of a huge bill for a measly bowl of totally dodgy curry! If I was going, I would have gladly hosted all his clients, and be sure of winning some more big fat contracts. And some definite converts to curry too! </span><br />
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-89692233377418336072013-10-08T07:30:00.001-07:002013-10-08T07:30:24.497-07:00Benarsi Chuda Matar- minus the frills!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This post was meant to be done quite some days ago. It's been lying in the draft from the day I actually cooked this recipe. One evening, spurred by my usual impulsive nature, I decided to make some Chuda Matar! I don't make it as often as I would like to because I restrict my carbs at every meal. But this one is a genuine weakness of mine and on my cheat days, I sometimes indulge. An all time favourite, tea time snack we love to eat by the bowlfuls during winters. A close cousin of the Maharashtrian 'Poha', this isn't that famous in all of northern region of India. It is infact kind of restricted to Eastern UP and Bihar- and maybe in Delhi, made famous no doubt, by some UP immigrant! :) Anyhow, no matter where you may be from, once you have had this bowl of goodness, you will keep wanting more, and that is a promise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A quick and easy snack, flattened rice is stir fried in desi ghee along with fresh green peas available only during winters in the north. Ofcourse, here in Dubai, I am forced to use frozen peas, but I use so much of seasoning etc, I can recreate almost the same taste as the one we have back home. It can be made as mild or as spicy as you wish, the best thing is that it is so easy to customise and so I wouldn't worry too much about getting it right. It is a non fussy snack, the variations appealing to almost everybody. The Maharashtrian version uses tiny cubed potatoes and peanuts along with finely chopped onions.Some folks also add veggies like carrots, cauliflower etc. No thank you. The Benarsi method is usually easier and somehow has ended up being a very 'Jain' friendly dish. So we don't use onions or garlic. Fresh ginger is however liberally used, along with easy to assemble spices. The end result is a tangy-sweetish dish, a sure winner. If you like Poha, you will like any cousin of it too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what you will need: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This recipe serves one if you are very greedy like me or else will do just fine for two people too</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 large cup of 'Chuda'- flattened rice</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 medium sized cup of fresh or frozen peas</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1' ginger- finely grated</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2-3 green chillies- chopped very fine</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1tbsp finely chopped fresh corriander leaves</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Spices:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A pinch of aesafotida </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 tsp mustard seeds</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1.5 tsp of cumin seeds</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1tsp turmeric powder</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 heaped tsp of mango powder or juice of one large fresh lemon</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 tsp sugar</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1tbsp of 'bhuna masala' ( dry roast 1 tbsp of corriander seeds and 1tbsp of cumin seeds, cool, grind to a fine powder) </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1/2 tsp of any garam masala powder.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Salt to taste</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2 tbsp full desi ghee</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First off, take the chuda in a sieve. You need to be careful here, wash it quickly under running water no more than 10 seconds. I am serious about this step, if you exceed the time I recommend, you are likely to end up with a very lumpy dish in the end. But even before washing, just tap the sieve gently over the kitchen sink, any dust particles which dry chuda tends to have, will get 'dusted away'. Keep aside and let it drain. Like the in the pic below. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTNmwyQA42T3POPMGf0RSlRinNPt5zEEBDg3rlYJCPfGyXUqdE1Lhyphenhyphent9IdF-oXl-lW6UtwUNGcwccE4OR7D3AOEtBagHkdaJaOAHAs3qqOnhb5TJnDCLc5chRcWtzQd9-R3QmGgBsur0/s1600/chuda2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTNmwyQA42T3POPMGf0RSlRinNPt5zEEBDg3rlYJCPfGyXUqdE1Lhyphenhyphent9IdF-oXl-lW6UtwUNGcwccE4OR7D3AOEtBagHkdaJaOAHAs3qqOnhb5TJnDCLc5chRcWtzQd9-R3QmGgBsur0/s400/chuda2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next heat the ghee in a large round bottomed wok. Once heated through, chuck in the aesafotida, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter for a few seconds. Add grated ginger now. Let it brown on a medium flame. Once the ginger starts getting golden brown and gives off an aroma , add in the green chillies and fresh peas. Saute and mix. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqU-EbVP4mUni66op1NxkiJdOoi-zCqJ2hoPcTwhQ6f-kueUCT34sAYHLxLj2fWyQz_W6bsPQkAbsOIG_hmXw_JKFoVYZ9TRygCTSnjj5KAMBr8zKM6H_Cq1ovN-IMnyh9WqwQq7Q4tE/s1600/chuda1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqU-EbVP4mUni66op1NxkiJdOoi-zCqJ2hoPcTwhQ6f-kueUCT34sAYHLxLj2fWyQz_W6bsPQkAbsOIG_hmXw_JKFoVYZ9TRygCTSnjj5KAMBr8zKM6H_Cq1ovN-IMnyh9WqwQq7Q4tE/s640/chuda1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just as the peas begin to cook ( you may have to cover and cook them esp if you are using fresh ones), add in tumeric, chuda flakes, the rest of the spices, fresh corriander, salt and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Just before you will cover and cook this for about ten minutes, sprinkle the garam masala, cover and let cook on a low flame for about ten minutes or so. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIc557_9N65-45aFfuuAAsE8peRZPTKTTNL1CvRluStdOPuGe2i32u06LV1AqHI3Te62XzLlAwQoQhxV1Ik9RIxq9ldvI7rYVntk_h8sWOJLt4-WBBBlzlb5cLaFxk8WfJuugK85XSDA/s1600/chuda3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIc557_9N65-45aFfuuAAsE8peRZPTKTTNL1CvRluStdOPuGe2i32u06LV1AqHI3Te62XzLlAwQoQhxV1Ik9RIxq9ldvI7rYVntk_h8sWOJLt4-WBBBlzlb5cLaFxk8WfJuugK85XSDA/s640/chuda3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep the flame low else the chuda might start sticking to the bottom of your pan. The steam which builds up inside when covered, makes the chuda-matar just slightly moist and soft. The entire process from start to finish shouldn't take more than twenty minutes. Whatever time it does take is because of the need to cook peas. Once done, serve hot with wedges of lime and a hot cup of chai. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PS- Some people do add raisins and cashews too, which I personally really dislike. Serve this with a chutney of corriander or tamarind. I make do with ketchup usually. And mostly not even that, because I am too impatient to wait. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mep5CfitAWc4_TzZgOlA8G3gPne1ftUBLG6XUyDiOyuVyi2YpFX-Crs-5RheUjNlBvIXrJQt5PEDraip2oOaltUqIQeoII6O1k89IGyVgVYljEdKWVjajU0eEZAvw0CnFKlXH7D8ii0/s1600/chuda4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mep5CfitAWc4_TzZgOlA8G3gPne1ftUBLG6XUyDiOyuVyi2YpFX-Crs-5RheUjNlBvIXrJQt5PEDraip2oOaltUqIQeoII6O1k89IGyVgVYljEdKWVjajU0eEZAvw0CnFKlXH7D8ii0/s640/chuda4.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> This is how the final dish is supposed to look, a brilliant yellow! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDvSW0qcLexTCxAA9HxX2NfzKdmfnithXAs80zkY1ZbMRMKyj5Jow6MBjcBW1JvEmIrGmR52ONHNx60RFsEd_CXce8_xZGL7htWLFcy2FOak4f_aIGlESWhZzKvXK_6DVzcyM4LZ7bDo/s1600/chudamatar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDvSW0qcLexTCxAA9HxX2NfzKdmfnithXAs80zkY1ZbMRMKyj5Jow6MBjcBW1JvEmIrGmR52ONHNx60RFsEd_CXce8_xZGL7htWLFcy2FOak4f_aIGlESWhZzKvXK_6DVzcyM4LZ7bDo/s640/chudamatar.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have it for your evening tea time, filling and super tasty. Minus the frills. </span></div>
Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-80031240865561354522013-09-30T21:46:00.001-07:002013-09-30T21:46:41.275-07:00Garam Masala- from the North.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYBCazZOdIKx1KI6LGmCViwa58DI_ogD0EtCZlJni3RPLyIozYWd3SqbH4MpKz4RJuj7Uv2iS7QG-FvO7d0MwqFcJDpqU9lPcwfjniFHTiMn-8HtZPKfH1qGnDvonTtfwuHDL3vd6qow/s1600/garamasala2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYBCazZOdIKx1KI6LGmCViwa58DI_ogD0EtCZlJni3RPLyIozYWd3SqbH4MpKz4RJuj7Uv2iS7QG-FvO7d0MwqFcJDpqU9lPcwfjniFHTiMn-8HtZPKfH1qGnDvonTtfwuHDL3vd6qow/s640/garamasala2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you were to meet any random Indian, discussing curries and kebabs, you will keep hearing references to the ubiquitous "Garam Masala'- that one single blend of spices which sounds oh so mysterious, but is infact so ordinary and everyday ! Then the recipe itself is so varied and yet essentially same, with only a few ingredients here or there. So a billion homes will have a billion variations I think! Or maybe not. Having said that, nearly all homes use it frequently in their everyday cooking without even giving much thought to it, and yet every Indian cook is rather fussy about their choice of Garam Masala. How ironical! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Garam Masala for all it's ordinariness, is not meant to be used liberally in any recipe, be it a Korma or a Kebab or a Biryani or anything else you might be making. If you have used some choice spices, of the finest quality, all you really need is to use just a little. There are again,several ways of using it, sometimes to marinate (rarely) sometimes whole spices without powdering it, sometimes in the beginning of a recipe and sometimes only towards the end, just as your dish is nearly done and is ready to be served. I have over the years, tried many different blends and the one now I tend to favour , is my favourite. I mix and grind my own small batches, and while it doesn't last long, I dont mind because I love the idea of using home ground Garam Masala. I have used store bought ones also, but soon got frustrated when I realized how substandard most of the brands are. Especially when it comes to aroma and I figured this out quite by chance while making Biryanis- whenever I used store bought Garam Masala, the fragrance which is so important in a Biryani would be missing! Soon, I simply stopped buying it altogether. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before you go to the recipe/method of making your own, remember to keep some tips in mind. A lot of people mix corriander and cumin seeds to their blend, I suggest you either avoid it altogether or just use very little. The bulk of the body ought to be made of fine, expensive spices- like green cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and mace. The commercial ones have a lot of corriander and cumin powders instead of the real stuff, which is probably why the quality is mediocre at it's best. I do use a bit of those two, but mainly for a dark, rich colour. Again, some people dry roast all the spices on a cast iron girdle/pan, believing that the heat makes the oils of the spices more potent. I don't do it. It is really up to you. I like the raw, strong flavor and smell of unroasted spices, I feel it lasts longer too that way. Don't skip on the spices which might be expensive in general, they do add a certain 'grandness' to this grand dame of all spice blends! LOLLLL. For example, use Shahjeera, instead of the usual white cumin... and finally, make a small batch. Don't make a large one because you want to retain the freshness and potency till the end. My recipe here has approximate measures. I eye ball everything and with years of practise, don't need an exact measure...so even if you dont strictly follow my measurements don't sweat please.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is what you will need:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 tbsp heaped, green cardamoms- I generally remove the skin, but you can leave it on too.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4 big black cardamoms, with skin</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>20 -25 cloves</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>20-30 black pepper corns</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4' inch cinnamon stick</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>About 1/4 tsp of crushed nutmeg</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>About 10-15 blades of mace</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>*1tsp heaped- Shajeera (black cumin) and corriander seeds.(optional)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* I use Nutmeg and Mace for the convenience they provide- esp when I am making rice Pulaos and Biryanis- these dishes need nutmeg and mace, so instead of using them separately as most people do, I just prefer mixing them together with the rest of the spices. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grind to a fine powder in a coffee grinder/mixer. You will get about 3 tbsps of fine blend. Store in a clean, airtight container. I had to share this with you all urgently because my next few posts will call for garam masala quite frequently, best to get the basics out of the way! </span><br />
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-33107234615649751842013-09-29T21:20:00.000-07:002013-09-29T21:20:29.445-07:00Chappli Kebabs for all times! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Things have been unusually hectic this month. Lots of birthdays including hubster's. One weekend, we had to attend three birthday parties back to back and once we were done, it struck us perhaps we really are getting old, me and hubster that is. It was tiring. The only thing going for me was the fact that I hardly cooked most weekends, that is a welcome break. So many invites! But I cannot stay away too long, cooking in my kitchen relaxes me. September also saw a spate of invitations to attend cooking demos, exhibits and festivals and blogger meet ups. I had to say no to each sadly. I just don't have the time or the energy to network, even if it is food related! A friend of mine who is very active on the food network scene in Dubai lamented at the lost opportunities, but really, after living eight years in Dubai, the one thing that has not become 'my thing' is networking. I am such a home-body. I like being home. The only time I like stepping out is when I know I am going to be shopping. Typical. It seems I have missed many chances, of meeting celebrity chefs, celebrity food bloggers (what in the world are those?), food blogging meet ups and cooking lessons/demos et all. I have a feeling my friend will now stop sending me invites and passes. Sorry V! Oh well. It is simply too much of an effort honestly. Inspite of having a hubster who wishes I go out more and a chauffeur to drive me around. Naah. I will pass. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In between attending parties and pacifying miffed blogger friends, I made some Chappli Kebabs for breakfast the other day. Lightly spiced, easy to assemble and non fussy, it is different in that, we use lots of tomatoes in it. These are traditionally from Pakistani homes but you will find them in North Indian muslim homes too. I myself learnt it from our family lawyer's wife , back in Varanasi. I thought it was super easy and pretty versatile given that she was serving it for breakfast with hot, butter laden paranthas and a big cup of Chai. Serve it whenever you like actually. As an appetiser, as a side, for breakfast or even tea time. We are a meat loving family, so for us anytime is a good time to eat kebabs, we don't wait for any special times around here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is what you will need:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Finely minced meat of Mutton or Beef : 500 gms</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Meat Tenderizer 1 tsp or grated raw Papaya : 2 tbsp </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 Medium onion, very finely chopped</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2 Medium tomatoes, very finely chopped</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2 tbsp fresh corriander, finely chopped</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3-4 fresh green chillies, very finely chopped</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1tbsp garlic paste</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1.5 tsp ginger paste</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1tbsp roasted and crushed cumin seeds</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2 tbsp roasted and crushed corriander seeds</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1/2 tsp crushed black pepper corns or 1/2 tsp of crushed dry red chillies</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 tsp roasted and crushed anaardana (optional)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 tsp garam masala (optional, I did not use any)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Salt to taste</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Oil for shallow frying. I used unsalted butter. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>As always, adjust the chillies according to taste, this is actually supposed to be a mild Kebab with not many spices being used. </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D8Wyl2xBl7zs9211hdKX5zFZ_L1KwOAVZnSpyYMORYG3Md9LPqD2SBpFnEumS7U_RDIPP5GlLktURWkbr2HnXibMlmyD0kzhRLOWmkRPrYf8fV0n8r9I3HDt4ZdDNjZQvnXNt1QZKww/s1600/chapli1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D8Wyl2xBl7zs9211hdKX5zFZ_L1KwOAVZnSpyYMORYG3Md9LPqD2SBpFnEumS7U_RDIPP5GlLktURWkbr2HnXibMlmyD0kzhRLOWmkRPrYf8fV0n8r9I3HDt4ZdDNjZQvnXNt1QZKww/s640/chapli1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0dLdzN8EsYXfEmwZ8pk6LrBjKsYqxonGVpGxQFL9d3dBfDd7zuh3uIRhV4e7WcB5gDvNTlbZ5N-bIuYQPLXINZKVHFqz2bytrSJOEAilDxHI-DY6ZKhRvTeZd_YQJ2U-o5Nk00tWA7o/s1600/chapli2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0dLdzN8EsYXfEmwZ8pk6LrBjKsYqxonGVpGxQFL9d3dBfDd7zuh3uIRhV4e7WcB5gDvNTlbZ5N-bIuYQPLXINZKVHFqz2bytrSJOEAilDxHI-DY6ZKhRvTeZd_YQJ2U-o5Nk00tWA7o/s400/chapli2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mix the mince with the meat tenderizer or grated Papaya if you are using that. Add all the dry spices along with ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and fresh corriander. <b>Do not add salt, onions and tomatoes just yet </b>so that there is no moisture released from these, making your mixture too wet. Keep aside for 1-4 hours. Just before you have to fry the patties, about fifteen minutes before, add the chopped oinions, tomatoes and salt. Mix gently. Take a largish amount in your palms, make a ball and flatten in to broad patties. These kebabs are almost as large as a standard burger patty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Heat oil in a wide, shallow frying pan or your 'tawa'. Once hot, fry the kebabs on medium to low flame, a good five minutes at least on each side. Because we add onions and tomatoes both, the mixture tends to be a little wet. So take care when shaping the patties, be gentle when placing them in oil or when you flip them over. Once they are cooking though, they will begin to firm up. Fry them untill browned and done, keep checking for it's 'doneness'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Serve warm with paranthas or naans along with a chutney of choice. Isn't it the easiest? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSy1NBSJDae_sKe2CNtFjPdxhd1HF3OzVBMAptTWKCCaWqgoFeMtu0oDdoH02ick8ku9uu6XKuxHQ8tHUEMakiTmCUj7TVEr0RMmEBdE6ZvBjuRw2udwuYBshRur4g5bz1hTNKJn7xyhg/s1600/chapli3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSy1NBSJDae_sKe2CNtFjPdxhd1HF3OzVBMAptTWKCCaWqgoFeMtu0oDdoH02ick8ku9uu6XKuxHQ8tHUEMakiTmCUj7TVEr0RMmEBdE6ZvBjuRw2udwuYBshRur4g5bz1hTNKJn7xyhg/s640/chapli3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-43587757155363417812013-09-11T05:51:00.000-07:002013-09-11T05:51:04.469-07:00Quiet Mornings With Masala Chai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a morning ritual. Everyday. I am up at 4.30 a.m. and untill my daily chores begin at 5.30, I dedicate this one hour to myself. I was never a morning person for the longest time, but last year I adopted a lifestyle which is healthier and sustainable. I started a Paleo Diet, found an excellent nutritionist who guided me and helped me to lose a tremendous amount of weight. Apart from that, I also began excercising. I figured, if I want to lead a long and a fit life, to enjoy some grandbabies (primarily and God willing) I better do something about it. :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even though we are only two and a half in my family, I still have plenty to do during the day. There is a quiet lull in the hot afternoons and evenings are again busy, untill bed time. So this one hour in the morning is my favourite part of the day, when it is still dark outside and the boys are fast asleep. No TV, no music and no sound. I am still in my PJ's and the first thing I do is brew a cup of Chai for myself. While I sip my tea, I sometimes just sit and soak up the silence. Sometimes I read or surf the net. Usually I journal. No structure to my ritual, just being at peace thinking of the day ahead. I have been meaning to share my way of making 'Masala Chai' since some time now. My husband is a coffee drinker and is not fussy at all about his coffee. Me on the other hand, am fussy about how I make my Chai. We have managed to live with this difference quite easily, like an old pair of gloves, fitting comfortably, without abrasions. After all these years, he has infact learnt how to make me a perfect cuppa. And I think that is lovely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is how you do it my way:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 medium sized cup of water </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 small sized cup of full fat milk</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 tbsp tea leaves which has been mixed with:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1/2 tsp or 2 cardamoms crushed coarsely</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1/2 tsp dry ginger powder</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A small pinch of cinnamon powder (optional) </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>I usually make my own blend at home. I grind cardamoms, cinnamon and dry ginger coarsely and mix it with my 500gms of tea leaves. Store in an air tight container, saves me the hassle of opening individual spice jars. You can see tiny specks of cardamom skin in the pic above, blended with the tea leaves! :)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Set the water to boil in a sauce pan. Add milk to it. As it just starts to boil, add the tea leaves with the spices. It is important to remember, not to tip in the leaves if the milk-water is not really hot or almost boiling. Else the flavours of the tea leaves gets locked in without being released properly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bring to boil once, reduce flame to low and brew gently for a minimum of five minutes and maximum eight minutes. By this time your chai will be done. I dont drink it very strong, so five minutes are good for me. Strain and serve in a pretty mug. Take time, be slow, savour and sip your way to the zen land. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's to my Chai Mornings! </span></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-36224452026762648042013-09-10T05:43:00.002-07:002013-09-10T05:43:38.728-07:00Quietening the Self and some musings on Varanasi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It is only when I am away from home, from Dubai, do I realise just how much I love this place. Going home, Varanasi, is never easy for me. I was born and brought up there, I have my family there and yet as far back as I can remember, I was an uneasy 'Benarsi". They say you are born Benarsi, you either are or you aren't. I am certain of being the latter type. I have no shame in admitting that, honestly! Contrary to what most people believe, I find Varanasi extremely disturbing, emotionaly, physically and most importantly, spiritually. As a little girl, I remember, feeling restless, a strange sense of detachment towards my birth place. I just never connected it seems. When grown ups would ask me, 'what do you want to be when you become a big girl?', my answer without fail would be, I want to leave this place.... I do have memories of a happy childhood, my entire family and friends surrounding me, I had everything to nourish me and yet they knew I was straining to simply 'get away'. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I now lead a quiet, sedate life in Dubai, with my husband and child. It is extremely calm and peaceful, my life that is. My parents are still there. Every year, twice a year, I go back to see them. That is all. I go to see my parents and if they were not there, I would simply stop my visits. And for some favourite aunts and cousins. For now, when I do go back, the reality is even more stark. I am convinced it is also because of my own spiritual evolution. Since I found Christ, Varanasi disturbs me to my very core. It shakes me up. There is no light. There is no love. Only a deep,unfathomable darkness, mindless yet palpable. The moment I land there, is one of deep anxiety. Which stays with me throughout my stay. I live like a recluse. Refusing to step out, relatives and friends graciously come to see me instead. And for that I am grateful. But the city has nothing to offer, it only drains me. I come back, tired, shaken up and almost physically sick each time. I don't try and analyse it too much for I know, my home here, is waiting for me. Nourishing my house after the weeks of my absence and neglect is what restores me, slowly. I walk around the house, touching everything, remembering my life here, the peace I find here...and let the healing begin, untill next time I have to go back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are a few pictures which are like a balm to my weary heart. These are little corners in my house, simple and yet restorative for my frazzled soul. This air helps me to grab back whatever I seem to lose in Varanasi. These help me shake off the very dust and air which clings to me in Varanasi...cooking for my guys, gardening, re-connecting as a mommy and wife, reforming the gentle rhythms of my daily life. I strive to absorb some peace from my surroundings, especially my house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is my tiny world, gentle and reassuring. May my soul always be quiet and still as the Bible says. Amen! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Linking up to <a href="http://coloursdekor.blogspot.ae/2013/09/the-weekly-story-wk-33.html" target="_blank">Patty's Weekly Story</a> I have been away too long, let me join the party! :)</span></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-74207344587337377912013-09-07T23:00:00.000-07:002013-09-07T23:00:41.065-07:00Gosht Yakhni Pulao <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been a long time, isn't it? No points for guessing, like any other expat living in the Middle East, I had gone back to India for my summer holidays. It was quite a trip. Six weeks never felt so long! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just glad to be back, really, really glad. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't consider myself a foodie. I am a picky eater by any standards and am not very open to new culinary ideas. I also don't live to eat, I eat because I have to live. That's about it. Honestly. But then there are some kinds of food which will break all your pre-set notions and ideas, real or imaginary. It will have a strong grip on you and one must then do nothing but succumb. For me it my Nani's Yakhni Pualo. Chunks of goat meat, cooked with rice in it's own stock, mildly spiced and absolutely perfect. It is my all time favourite one pot meal, anytime, anywhere! It was made as far back as my fourth generation prior, by my great grandmother, perfected by my grandmother and passed down to our family cook because well, my mother cannot cook! So, I have stepped in and am taking the legacy of Yakhni pulao forward. I am happy to report, my five year old loves it too. Score! The recipe is simple enough, albeit time taking. But throw in some patience and you shall be richly rewarded. You dont need to assemble a lot of ingredients there can be short cuts employed with no major difference to the final outcome, but trust me on this one-slow and easy, so worth it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><i>From a typical North Indian/Pakistani kitchen, Gosht Yakhni Pulao. It is in the strictest of terms, truly 'riwaayati' (traditional). Most families also tend to use this same recipe, with the exception of choosing between yoghurt or tomatoes. Please note this is not a Biryani. It is a Pualo and so you don't make layers of rice and meat . </i></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; line-height: 18px;"><i>Cook this with the usual manner in which you would make any pulao. This pulao is known for it's mild flavours, with the taste of corriander and fennel seeds dominating. Those two are important. Some people add either tomatoes or yoghurt. I add a little of both. As always, the amount of chillies you use is up to you. Try getting the same cuts of meat as you would for a biryani. Be sure to include a few Nallis- for it's marrow. It lends a fantastic flavour to the final prep. Yakhni, means stock and as the name suggests, the difference between this pulao and the other regular ones is the use of meat stock to actually cook the rice in.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i><b>Here is what you will need:<br /><br />1 kg of mutton/beef<br />2 large onions, sliced thinly and divided in to halves.<br />1 ' of ginger whole or chopped in to chunks.<br />6-8 garlic cloves<br /><br />1 large tomato, cut in to rounds.<br />1 cup of yoghurt, whisked.<br /><br />Spices to be coarsely ground: ensure you dont make a powder. </b></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">1 heaped tbsp of fennel seeds</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">3 tbsp of heaped whole corriander seeds</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">1 tsp of Shah Jeera + 1/2 tsp more</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">1.5' stick of cinammon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">6 cloves</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">10-12 black pepper corns</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">2 black big cardamom</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">4-6 green cardamom</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">10 whole dry red chillies ( dont worry too much about the qty being used here, adding yoghurt to the pot will make the pulao mild later)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">a pinch of nutmeg and mace each </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">1 large bay leaf</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">*Once you make a powder, take this spice blend and tie it up in a 6' sqaure muslin cloth. This is known as a 'Garni'. You make a little pouch/potli of these masalas, to season your stock. Do use a really thin cloth for this, like I said, use Muslin. </span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">Good quality Basmati rice- 2.5 cups. Soaked for about 15 minutes, just before you are about to add the rice to cook and not before. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">6 -7 cups of water.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">Salt to taste</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">4 tbsp oil to cook. </span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Start by making a stock by boiling the water, salt, mutton pieces, half of the sliced onions, ginger, garlic. Also, add the little 'masala garni' you have made, cook untill meat is tender but not too overcooked. You may use a pressure cooker if you wish to. This is the only time taking process of the recipe. I usually slow cook my meat. In the mean time, while the meat is cooking, take half of the onions you kept aside and fry them caramel golden to garnish later.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">Once the meat is done, you can throw away the masala pouch and retain the rest. Strain the stock, and keep the meat pieces aside. retain the onions/ginger/garlic along with it. Make sure the meat is well drained of the stock.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">Measure the stock, you should have roughly about 5 -6 cups of stock left. If it is more, boil it down. If it isnt enough, don't worry, we will be using some yoghurt too. </span><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Next take a deep pot, with a thick bottom, one which has a lid and can be used to make rice. Heat the oil, tip in the 1/2 tsp Shah Jeera. As it sizzles, add the meat pieces and stir it around, let it acquire a slightly brown colour, this should take just a few minutes. The onion/ginger/garlic which was cooked along with the meat and retained later will also go in to this. As this starts drying, add the yoghurt, followed by the drained rice. Mix well, taking care not to let the rice stick to the bottom of the pot. Once it is all mixed in nicely, add the stock. This is where, you decide how much of it goes in. I usually measure by inserting my finger and checking to see if the water level just about reaches the first mark of my middle finger. Check for salt again. Set to boil. First on medium high flame, then low flame. As the water starts to dry, spread the tomato rounds over the top. Cover and cook on very low flame, untill the rice is cooked. I just lower the flame to the lowest mark, let it sit for another maybe fifteen minutes and open it only when I have to serve.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">When ready to serve, garnish with caramelised onions. Served with a raita, papads and desi style tomato salsa. This pulao tastes fabulous the next day too. Enjoy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I made this pulao as soon as I landed back here , to remember home. It was perfect. </span></span></div>
Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-89446068871219764552013-04-25T06:11:00.001-07:002013-04-25T06:11:23.369-07:00From the family Kithcen: Kurkuri Bhindi Raita- Crispy fried Okra in a Yoghurt Dip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>This post is dedicated to my aunt Shirley, my mother's older sister. I made a few changes, the final result was slightly different from what I learnt from her, but the basics remain the same. Okra bits deep fried with a spicy coating. Crunchy, crispy, spicy and very different!This recipe has also been inspired by my memories of an amazingly blessed, food filled childhood and my aunt who made so much fun happen in our small town lives! </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I have very strong food-memories , growing up in Benaras. One of them is of my aunt's house (and the food she served us) who lives in the suburbs of Varanasi and it is a bit like a rural farmhouse. She has this huge terrace- porch and winters there are absolute bliss. In summers too, it is the perfect place to have a meal al fresco, under the stars with the men of the house making Indian style barbeque if you will! Litti chokha, eggplants, potatoes and garlic roasting away on the open fire, dal cooking in a clay pot, desi ghee kept in a big bowl to dunk the littis in, a bit pot of spicy mutton curry being 'bhunoed', kachumber salad being assembled-raddish,tomatoes, cucumbers,onions,lots of green chillies, salt and lime, mosquito repellent coils burning away in a corner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I have grown up in my aunt's house and her children, my cousins, in ours. Thousands of meals have been eaten with my aunt's family, the family cook given instructions to always make something special, chutneys, salads, papads, kebabs flowing endlessly...the main course a grand gosht yakhni pulao or bhuna keema, koftas, dal-gosht, raseydaar aloo with pooris-runny potato curry typical to UP, bhurjis, on occasions even Khow Suey, assorted pakoda platters or sabzi kalaunji....followed by ghujias, gulaab jamuns, rasgollas, kal kal and what not for dessert. Some times a huge platter of fresh seasonal fruits. With lunch over, tea time would arrive pretty fast too! Hot mugs of chai and pakodas, bread rolls stuffed with mince, cheese, potatoes...fat green chillies coated with flour and deep fried, samosas. My aunt would sit there like a grand dame and direct us all to just dig in! Her fleet of maids fussing over us kids, ensuring hot, fresh delicacies and enjoying our genuine praises (and gluttony).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mother and aunt both have fabulous cooks to do their family cooking but times have changed now. There aren't that many people to cook for anymore. All of us children are grown up, married and settled across the globe. We hardly get to meet as often as we would like to. We try though, to travel to India for Christmas at least, esp my sister in Canada and me. Along with our brood, trying hard to re-capture those special memories for the sake of our kids...those memories are a part of who I am today. Our spouses looking on with fond amusement! Perhaps the reason why I love to feed people. ( I dont always enjoy cooking even if that is hard to believe). My own house is now famous for good food and for 'barkat' (blessing/abundance in Urdu). Nobody who steps in to this house shall ever leave without a hot meal or chai/snack. And I learnt it from my parents but esp my aunt Shirley, who they say is just like her own mother(my maternal grandma, called Nana by all) when it comes to hosting, to feeding people, generous and awesome in her hospitality. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PS- Mom, I know you are amazing too, but let's face it, you are not in to food at all so no point in talking about food and you in the same breath. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here is what you will need:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 kg Okra/Bhindi- washed, completely dried and cut in to very thin discs.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Make a spice blend of the following:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 cup Besan (chickpea flour) or</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 cup rice flour</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 tsp red chilli powder</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 tsp turmeric powder</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1tsp mango powder</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1tbsp of bhuna masala- made by dry roasting equal qunatities of corriander and cumin seeds. Take a heaped tsp of each, roast in a non stick pan, cool and grind to a coarse powder. ( keep a fat pinch of it aside to use for garnishing later)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 tsp of Shaan's tikka masala or tandoori masala powder (optional)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Salt to taste *</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For the Raita/yoghurt dip</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>150 gms or a large mug of thick yoghurt, mixed with a little water and thinned slightly, whipped nicely</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>2-3 cloves of garlic- crushed, not ground</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Juice of 1 fresh lemon</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Salt to taste</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>A few mint leaves roughly chopped-to garnish</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>A fat pinch of bhuna masala-to garnish</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Chaat masala - according to taste/ to sprinkle (optional)</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Mustard oil or any vegetable oil for deep frying.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Some notes: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>*Do not add salt to the chopped Okra untill just before frying as it will release moisture and may make it soggy. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>*Mix your raita before hand and keep away in the fridge to remain cold. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>* I used Shaan's Tikka masala, you can use any brand really, or not use it at all, in which case you might want to increase the chilli powder, but it is up to you.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>*Chop the Okra in to wafer thin round discs, you will get uniformed frying/cooking. I didn't, I simply cut them slanted lengthwise. Didnt look pretty I think! </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>* Be careful with adding salt since we are using for both, the Okra slices as well as the yoghurt, plus you might be using chaat masala too in the end , which also has salt. So go easy and increase only if you find it isn't enough for you.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The reddish tinge in the picture above is because of using Tikka masala.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here is how you fry the Okra and assemble the Raita:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Combine all the spices along with the besan or the rice flour, except salt and sprinkle it over the chopped Okra. Work with dry hands, and gently mix it together in a large bowl. Keep aside for twenty to thirty minutes. Just when you are ready to fry them, heat a wok with mustard oil. The depth of the oil should be at least an inch high. When the oil is hot, reduce flame to medium- <em><strong>quickly add salt now</strong></em>, mix and fry the Okra in small batches so that the wok doesnt get crowded. Alternatively, sprinkle salt over each batch as you fry it. Fry the entire amount and spread it out on a large plate. Dont use a paper kitchen towel to soak the oil. Instead, just keep the plate slightly raised and tilted and the oil will slowly drain off and collect on one side. Using a tissue will make the fried Okra soggy. I fried mine on low/medium flame throughout. Will take some time but that is how you will get them crispy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Keep the fried Okra just as is. Do not cover. When you are ready to serve, mix it together with the yoghurt sauce, sprinkle some more bhuna masala, adjust salt, garnish with a few mint leaves and serve! Remember not to combine these too long before the actual serving time, else it might become a soggy mess. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I serve this Raita in individual bowls for my guests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Serve this with an elaborate Biryani or Pulao! You can also serve this just on the side and skip the yoghurt completely, it is espeically yummy with dal-rice, fresh corriander chutney and some chopped onions seasoned with salt and lime. It has made many a childhood afternoons special for me. I hope you enjoy it too. :)</span><br />
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-33930151452585264022013-04-23T21:56:00.000-07:002013-04-23T21:56:06.033-07:00Raseydaar Methi Malai Jheengey-Shrimps in a creamy, fenugreek flavoured curry.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not too long ago I posted a recipe for </span><a href="http://andshe-cooks.blogspot.ae/search/label/Shrimps" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Methi Masala Shrimps</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Some of my friends tried it and loved it. I usually make that for starters and it is always a hit. I happen to know quite a few combinations and permutations of spices and being absolutely hyper and restless with most things, I keep trying them out with different kinds of meat and fish. The results are not always good trust me, but the one I 'formulated' last night, was thankfuly a success. Gosh, I do sound imprtant huh! I shared on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/andshecooks" target="_blank">FB page</a> that I was not in a mood to cook at all last night and yet the menu plan for Tuesday was already in place, the ingredients bought for it and some prep done by my maid before she left. She is a Bangladeshi and has no ewwwiness in handling fish/seafood, so I got her to wash the Shrimps I was planning to cook. Much to my relief, the fish mongers here will devein and shell the prawns for us. If I were doing it myself, I would have expected nothing less than diamonds from hubster. Handling and cleaning of anything 'fishy' is not my scene, thank you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyhow, true to myself, I had to come up with a different spice blend for my curry since I wasn't really keen on our usual family Kerela curry . It would have to be distinctively North Indian. So here is what I did. Read on to know what you will need.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 kg fresh shrimps, shelled, de-veined, washed and drained.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 large onion, chopped fine</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 large tomato, chopped fine</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tbsp each of fresh corriander and mint leaves- to garnish</span></strong><br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><u>And oooh, my own spice blend : </u><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>a</u>lthough there is no such thing as 'my own whatever....' , one cannot really own a recipe if you know what I mean. </span></span></em></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp black cumin seeds i.e shahi jeera</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6 green cardamoms</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6 cloves</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10 black pepper corns</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1' cinnamon stick</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nutmeg- just about the size of the nail of your little pinky finger, and I do hope you dont have a humungous pinki-finger-nail. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 whole dry red chilli ( optional, I didn't use it, however use according to your preferance) </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tbsp heaped almond powder, crush/grind whole almonds </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dry roast the spices mentioned above, except the almond powder in an iron skillet or a non stick pan. Cool and coarsely grind along with almond powder. Keep aside. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 tsp of turmeric</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 tsp of red chilli powder </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>2tbsp fresh cream</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1tbsp heaped Kasoori Methi- dry fenugreek leaves,crush between palms and keep. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Salt to taste</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Mustard oil or peanut or sesame oil- 4-5 tbsp</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>*</strong> PS- <em> use red chillies-whole or powdered according to your choice, I didnt use much at all because I had already used crushed black pepper, more than what I have recomended above.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Heat the oil in a round wok/Kadai. Start by frying and browning the ginger garlic paste, followed by the chopped onions. On medium flame, be patient and keep browning untill the oil seperates. Add the chopped tomatoes. Mix/stir/fry/brown again untill the tomatoes are mushy and completely softened. Look for the oil seperating. Now add the ground spices, turmeric, chilli powder if using and salt to taste. Mix well. Cover and cook for about five minutes on low to medium flame, this is for the almond to integrate rather than for the spices to cook because we have already roasted them beforehand. Add about 1/2 cup of hot water should you feel the curry paste is becoming too thick or is sticking to the bottom. We need to get the curry completely ready before we add the shrimps since they cook in no time and we cant let it get over cooked. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>In the picture below, you can make note of the ground spices with the almonds. It is coarse in texture as you can see. </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The amount and measures I have recommended is not a large one. So the entire cooking time of the curry base wont be more than fifteen minutes, covered on low flame. Or even lesser. In about 10-15 minutes of slow cooking, open lid and add the shrimps. They will rapidly release moisture, so you dont need to add any more water. Mix the shrimps around in the curry. Now sprinkle some crushed Kasoori methi, corriander and mint leaves, dot the top with cream all over, check salt, cover and let the shrimps cook for just five minutes. Turn off the flame and dont remove the lid yet. Let it sit, the cream would have melted and made the curry creamy smooth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Just before you serve, give it all a final mix and serve it along with buttered rice, some vegetable stir fry of choice and a cold cucumber/mint raita. Serves four easily.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Have fun cooking this and send me feedback.</span></strong></div>
Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-30876517055795651322013-04-18T00:47:00.001-07:002013-04-18T00:47:52.510-07:00Aloo Gobhi Murghi- Chicken with Potatoes and Cauliflower<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Indian cooking often combines meat with vegetables and most homes have their favourite combos. Apart from the Biryanis and Pulaos, we do have curries and stir fries too, which make good use of random vegetables lying in your pantry along with meat. A very popular curry is of goat meat with turnips- gosht+shaljam. Bengalis are very fond of combining their fish with seasonal veggies. Makes for a sumptous and nutrition packed meal. Up north where I come from, meat eating homes usually tend to cook goat meat with vegetables like Okra, Turnips, Carrots, Cauliflowers and ofcourse everyone's favourite, Potatoes. It is fuss free, tasty and you know you are getting your daily dose of fibres/vitamins/minerals etc from eating those vegetables. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I usually stick to tradtional, desi cooking for our everyday meals. However, the recipe I am sharing today is not your traditional, run of the mill one. For one, we dont really cook chicken with vegetables, like I said, it is usually goat meat. Unless we are making a chinese inspired 'chin-dian' dish! Which is totally different and requires a blog post of it's own. The thing is, last week I happened to go to the local wholsale vegetable market and came back with truckloads of veggies. The results were not pleasant. We are only 2.5 people in this house. Who love meat. Who are not foodies really, who eat to survive I think. Vegetables are eaten here because they 'must' be. Who would finish off all those mind boggling variety of vegetables I got? I mean, how much salad and soups can one eat? And this family? Not likely. So in a moment of some timely inspiration, I got this idea of combining a rather huge cauliflower with some boneless chicken and fresh spring onions. The result was pretty good if I may say so myself. Have a look and try it out, you might be pleasantly surprised. You will need:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 kg of boneless chicken breast pieces, cubed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A medium sized cauliflower cut in to chunky florets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 medium sized potatoes, diced </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 large red onion, sliced fine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 bunch of green onions-the leafy part, chopped fine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 large tomatoes, chopped fine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1' ginger jullienes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">3-4 fresh green chillies, slit </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 large lemon, to squeeze over later</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Dry roast and crush the following:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 tbsp corriander seeds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 tbsp cumin seeds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 tsp black pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">5-6 green cardamoms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2' cinnamon stick</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1tsp shahi zeera, black cumin seeds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">6-7 cloves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Dry roast in a non stick pan untill browned, cool and crush coarsely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 bay leaf</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 tsp Turmeric powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 tsp red chilli powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Salt to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1tsp of chaat masala(optional) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1tbsp desi ghee(optional)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">4-5 tbsp of any cooking oil, I used mustard oil. Please do not use coconut oil though, as this is a typically north Indian dish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">You start off by heating the oil. Tip in the bay leaf and red onions and brown well on high heat. Add the giner garlic paste next. Brown untill the raw smell is gone. Now put in the chicken pieces. Brown all of this on high heat. In about 10 minutes, add the potatoes and continue to cook now on a medium flame for about 5 minutes. Now you add the green onion stalks and the cauliflower florets. Give it all a good mix, cover and cook on low for about 5-8 minutes. When you remove the lid after a few minutes, you will notice that the cauliflower is softening while the rest of the ingredients have taken on a darker colour. Go ahead and add the ground spices, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to taste. Mix and stir again. The dish has been cooking for a good 20 minutes by now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The last cookinng bit requires you to put the pot on 'dum', spread the chopped tomatoes, mint leaves, ginger jullienes, green chillies, the chaat masala, squeeze the lemon juice all over, cover and cook on very low heat for at least 15 minutes. The tomatoes will release a fair bit of moisture. Once the 15 minutes are up, open lid, increase the heat to medium-high, stir and mix vigrously. Let any moisture released evaporate and the dish become more 'browned' and dryish</span><br />
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<em>Just before it goes on 'dum". </em></div>
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Also, add the desi ghee now or just before serving. Serve with hot Chapatis and a cucumber Raita. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">You could easily cook this with lamb, goat, beef etc. The cooking time will ofcourse vary and be longer than boneless chicken. Enjoy the diffrent combos and let me know. :)</span><br />
Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-7064138873611392102013-04-10T21:52:00.001-07:002013-04-10T21:52:19.658-07:00Vegan's delight- Olives+Almonds Dip.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This weekend we went over to meet our old neighbours. A lovely family who is big time in to healthy living, healthy eating and Yoga. And oh, they are also vegans. So anyway,we caught up over some lovely finger food. My friend also served us this awesome pesto like vegan dip...so simple and bursting with flavours of olives, garlic, shallots and almonds. I was blown away really! Pat, my friend, is a wonderful cook. While she herself is a vegan, she comes up with some amazing fish recipes. I have tried a few and wow can she cook! She also happens to be a very generous soul and when she saw my amazed delight with the dip that she had served, she immediately told me how it's done. Without even asking! It was so good and is so easy to make, trust me, you will be sending me 'fraandship' requests on fb! Ok sad joke. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Without wasting anymore time, here is what you will need.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 cup of fresh green olives, chopped, de-seeded.</strong> Make sure you are using good quality ones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 cup of soaked almonds or almond powder</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>2-3 pods of garlic</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 medium chopped red onion</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Juice of 1 small fresh lemon</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1-2 tbsp of olive oil</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 green chilli (optional)-</strong>I didnt use any since my son was going to be eating some.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>salt to taste. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All you have to do is blend the above to a coarse paste. Thats it! Use it as a spread, a dip, as a topping for baked fish/pizzas...the possibilities are endless. I liked it so much, I had spoonfuls of it just by itself. Infact, I finished the whole bowl actually. What must she have thought of my table manners! Sigh. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I served the dip with some plain Nachos. Which was the rubbish part ofcourse....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Used the remaining bit to spread over a baked sea bass fish dish I was making for dinner later...the recipe is from here </span><a href="http://orangekitchens.blogspot.ae/2013/04/roasted-sea-bass-with-tapenade-and.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here</span></a> . <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lovely food blog I discovered yesterday. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is so good, promise me you will try it at least once??? Pretty please! While I am wondering if I should turn Vegan....!</span></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-20814289969564028842013-03-24T08:01:00.003-07:002013-03-24T08:01:53.500-07:00The Queen Of My Castle...1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love doing up my house. Anytime, all the time. I love interior design. It is perhaps a passion overriding my love for cooking I think. Which is why I am unable to stop myself from sharing pictures of my own house, corners I have done up, the pretty things I collect and keep rotating just to create pleasing vignettes and sighing happily over the end result . I had this passion even as a little kid except my mother wouldn't let me do much around 'her' house . She said 'dont mess with my stuff, wait for your own house'. As far as I was concerned that wasn't happening fast enough. I wanted to be a wife and mommy at age twelve! Just to be able to decorate and cook to my heart's content, not realising that one needn't be married to indulge in either 1.cooking 2. being creative and decorating and playing house. Sigh. Anyhow, from where I look at it now, I am living my dream and it is being financed by the hubster, so, win-win. This blog is a great way for me to share my creativity and let the juices flow unbashed. Bliss! So long I can, I will be sharing my favourite recipes and ofcourse now on a regular basis, my own home decor ideas/pictures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Much as I love interior designing and keeping a pretty house, I dont usually spend a lot of time on sites related to it. It gets too much and I get very frustrated with not having access to most things myself, for eg, Mexican pottery. Gosh, it is so, so,so beautiful and sitting here in Dubai, I am heartbroken that for now I dont have any means of aquiring some. You get my point? So what I do is, play house here itself and keep myself happy with the little changes/decorating I carry out in my own home. It makes me happy at a very deep level. And it makes me happier still, to share it with you, my two and a half readers! Have a look.... I so hope you like what you see. :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOOyb3dVEH8ah30rh8jD2Gidd7kbV9pKze5-T-1cUlroXUR1i1MAkAiVtJ6ZaD2mJZ15IimgoJFxYaGcvU29vAvUYN5u0eJrCjaudqLAZHqPJQLFrT5F3Uohs8A_6T5OvCvtJ_ZuTcWk/s1600/vignette4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOOyb3dVEH8ah30rh8jD2Gidd7kbV9pKze5-T-1cUlroXUR1i1MAkAiVtJ6ZaD2mJZ15IimgoJFxYaGcvU29vAvUYN5u0eJrCjaudqLAZHqPJQLFrT5F3Uohs8A_6T5OvCvtJ_ZuTcWk/s640/vignette4.jpg" ssa="true" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>I love to collect glass bottles, candles, pebbles infact, just about everything...</em></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD99sV7Y2JtSIO5dljWM3aX1ZbEIMv2mOVCKC9arxlLsy444s5TpKvP0noDrhKBfyXJnMjI2J3c0asdwmIHEYngGshiiOadhdzfPHPRDR8_fUjYFpAKx46F2QdFqVlSBNFOtCleioiu8A/s1600/vignette2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD99sV7Y2JtSIO5dljWM3aX1ZbEIMv2mOVCKC9arxlLsy444s5TpKvP0noDrhKBfyXJnMjI2J3c0asdwmIHEYngGshiiOadhdzfPHPRDR8_fUjYFpAKx46F2QdFqVlSBNFOtCleioiu8A/s640/vignette2.jpg" ssa="true" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Prettifying the home theatre system...</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Then I collect baskets too....this one is from IKEA. </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>The new dining table top decor, changed completely from my previous picture of the same...that is by the way, an unused wooden photo frame being used as a tray for this vignette. From Saharanpur-UP.</em></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Toodles for now, hope you all have had a wonderful weekend. I did, cleaning, organising, decorating and taking pictures. :) Next up, will be another favourite recipe, so do come back please. </span></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-33400903839840992712013-03-21T20:51:00.001-07:002013-03-21T20:51:12.399-07:00The Spice Trail 1- Kerela Garam Masala Powder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I met my husband ten years ago my interest and knowledge regarding south Indian food extended only to Dosas and Idlis. And ofcourse the idea that 'the south Indians' use coconut oil in everything they cook. Not very impressive I agree. Here I was a small town girl from UP, my city had only one south Indian joint and I remember how much I loved to eat from there. Me, my little brother and my cousin N (who shall be referred to as MSIC-my sister in Canada, hencforth on this blog) would be treated to Dosas from this place every Saturday. We could never get enough of it and if MSIC is reading this, she must be smiling with nostalgia right now. It was a big deal for us. It is not surprising to me that the first proper, complicated (for me at age 13) dish I learnt to cook was 'Sambhar" , the south Indian version of Dal if you will. I learnt it from MSIC and I wonder if she remembers or even knows this fact about me. She in turn learnt it from the recipe written on the back of the store bought Sambhar powder pack I think. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think that is when my love affair with spices began. I used to be constantly asking our cook about the various combinations and blends of different spices and would experiment often. Some worked, many didnt. Almost two decades later, I am still not there...for example I am still looking for a 'garam masala' blend which will work for me, I am talking about the one we use in north India. However, am glad to report that as far as my south Indian garam masala is concerned, I have got it! Garam masala and its variations are used across India and even though the basic spices remain same more or less, the combinations could vary from each family to family. Here is my spice blend of Kerela Garam Masala which my mother in law taught me. All quantities are aprroximate. Depending upon the availibility in your area and the cost ofcourse. The use of good quality green Cardamom and Cloves is essential, and they do happen to be expensive in some places. Here's what you will need.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tbsp heaped Fennel Seeds (saunf)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp heaped black Pepper Corns</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Star Anise</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6-8 Green Cardamom</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6-8 Cloves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 1' sticks of Cinnamon </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tbsp Corriander Seeds (optional, since many families dont use this), I usually like to add this too because I love it's fragrance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heat a non stick pan and dry roast all the spices untill fragrant. Refer to the picture below. Do not burn! PS- curry leaf in the pic is just to make it look pretty, not a part of the recipe darling ! :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Bofp7c061jjcvjsDn3PkCsdgmpeOUQavbBKFpijLriW-7L795ESOgf17uj2MOK7weRPqqGJ5HK1WnzvsfRNUBqO5xpctO974dyDATmN5ij6ropQifJ0wl6b4Y7esqVx1U4fpkAPRsZc/s1600/kerelagaram2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Bofp7c061jjcvjsDn3PkCsdgmpeOUQavbBKFpijLriW-7L795ESOgf17uj2MOK7weRPqqGJ5HK1WnzvsfRNUBqO5xpctO974dyDATmN5ij6ropQifJ0wl6b4Y7esqVx1U4fpkAPRsZc/s640/kerelagaram2.jpg" ssa="true" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once the spices are roasted, cool and <em>dry</em> grind them in your coffee grinder, to a powder. Store in an air tight jar. The quantity as shown in the first picture is from my personal batch I made earlier and is double of the quantity I have given you today. It yielded me about six tbsp of fine powder. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCEmCdAn7yey6m0EOS1NCY60IAeTN8R1bcXJtN7KXVBPi0zNpBmdZ-DtIJ0qpfmhW0ylU-lLHnaZuE6ze1n4-qTRpRofybjZlRQXveKMm0i3bv7aIpaCDfjoKSULJOynP2rrfiLo9d3w/s1600/kerelagaram3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCEmCdAn7yey6m0EOS1NCY60IAeTN8R1bcXJtN7KXVBPi0zNpBmdZ-DtIJ0qpfmhW0ylU-lLHnaZuE6ze1n4-qTRpRofybjZlRQXveKMm0i3bv7aIpaCDfjoKSULJOynP2rrfiLo9d3w/s640/kerelagaram3.jpg" ssa="true" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Any Malayalees in the house? Please feel free to comment and offer any corrections this recipe needs. </span></div>
Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-11224497326577514152013-03-20T08:28:00.001-07:002013-03-20T08:28:44.075-07:00Humpey kisi ney hara rang dala- Green Corners In My House.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What a cheesy title no? Never mind, I love the song, although I am not sure of the lyrics anymore, infact I think I have got it wrong. However, I must get to the point of this post. Which is, sharing some pictures of the green corners around my house. I went plant shopping this weekend all the way to <em>Sharjah</em> and brought back some babies. A few for the indoors and some for my balcony which badly needs major TLC. Not much to talk in this post because well, am not sharing a recipe no? So there you go, enjoy the pictures, my two and a half readers! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Linking to Patricia's <a href="http://coloursdekor.blogspot.ae/2013/03/the-weekly-story-wk-7.html" target="_blank">Weekly Story-7 on Colours Dekor</a> , I have started enjoying participating in this weekly linky party of hers. We get to meet so many lovely bloggers and make new friends. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An empty Nescafe bottle gets recycled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just noticed that my tea cup planter matches my bedspread, well, thats nice I think!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">New succulent which I hope doesn't die on me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A new cabinet for our bedroom and I am so happy I have more surface space to display my junk!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...and I am overdosing on Pothos no?? Oh well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An evening at home with a corner fern looking pretty in the corner...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Would you like to share some of your house pictures too? If yes, please send me a message on my Facebook page and I will be happy to feature your photos/post here.</span></em> </span></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-2408938815650916372013-03-19T04:20:00.000-07:002013-03-19T04:20:16.637-07:00Dal Tadka My Way !<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everybody loves Dal! No? I mean, what's not to like? Wholesome, versatile and ultra comforting. Dals and it's different versions have reached the far corners of the world and to prove myself right, I will have you know that I once met a lady from Azerbaijan, who was not only familiar with this Indian favourite but even knew how to cook it! Holy moly smoking hot! In return, I was embarassed to realise I did not even know much about her country, leave alone it's cuisine. Anyhow, I was quite delighted to hear her version of the everyday-dal recipe and how authentic it seemed. Bless her. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Dals or lentils are a staple in every Indian household. A runny or thick soup like lentil curry if you will, served with plain steamed rice and a side of any dry stir fry vegetable or meat or just plain with chutneys and pickles. If there are no sides, just a wedge of fresh lime and green chillies will do. Mix together with rice, a dollop of desi ghee and feel the luuurve! And it is best eaten with your hands. I cook dal and its varieties everyday. My boy loves it and you may find it slightly incredible but all Indian kids grow up on this. It can be perhaps comapred to your regular cheese n mac the American kids trip on. It is almost like a ritual, all kids come back from school and expect a hot bowl of Dal and rice. Standard. And a sure child-pleaser. Mommy is hassled and had a bad day, cant/wont cook anything fancy, she will make a big pot of Dal. That's how ubiquitous is it. and so easy too. Most Indian homes have pretty much a set recipe, although definite variations do exist according to the region you come from. So you can have dals made with veggies, with meat, with fish even, with spices or without, slightly sweet or really tangy, with ghee or without but yes, the basics more or less remain same. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am going to share a simple, standard recipe for the <em>'everyday'</em> dal. I make this all the time. It may sound a bit tedious (it is not but anyway) but I will give you an easier way to do it too. Here's what you will need. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 cup or 2 handfuls of Arhar dal , also known as Toor dal/Pigeon peas,washed and soaked in water</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/4 cup or 1 handful of Lal Masoor dal, i.e red lentils , washed and soaked in water.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Either of the two- 5-6 cloves of garlic or 1tbsp heaped grated ginger. (I prefer ginger)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 large tomato, grated or blended in to a paste</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 tsp cumin seeds</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1tsp turmeric powder</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 fat pinch of Asafetida</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 dry whole red chilli</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">salt to taste</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1tbsp of desi ghee or butter or any vegetable oil. Do not use any smelly oil please. </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 medium sized thinly sliced onion, fried/caremlised and kept aside to garnish</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1-2 green chilli slit lengthwise to garnish</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1tbsp of fresh corriander leaves to garnish</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 fresh lemon to garnish or squeeze over the dal, according to pref and optional.</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KS0HTxU-1svMAG_tyh0kL-lkFzLm_aXl_yxQRVbEaTJPWqbjw5ODL72mGsWkhgK_fBU30MwjOpwR-78lANkPM_2OWfKdrs-dz8hDNUsQRqzTKGUPmLOE_OdGgMxscGso-DaE5-rquKw/s1600/tadkadal1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KS0HTxU-1svMAG_tyh0kL-lkFzLm_aXl_yxQRVbEaTJPWqbjw5ODL72mGsWkhgK_fBU30MwjOpwR-78lANkPM_2OWfKdrs-dz8hDNUsQRqzTKGUPmLOE_OdGgMxscGso-DaE5-rquKw/s400/tadkadal1.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Start by boiling the dals in a pressure cooker by adding 2 cups of water, tomato paste, turmeric and salt to taste. The tomato paste gives the dal a lovely texture, colour and consistency. You can adjust the consistency of the final prep by adding more water if you like it runny. I keep it medium thick but completely mashed up since nobody in my house likes the dal grains to be whole. Another tip a kashmiri friend gave me was the use of <em>red lentils or lal Masoor dal</em> when cooking the main Arhar dal, does add a nice flavour. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>Note: some of you may not be using a pressure cooker in which case, soak the dals for as long as you possibly can and simply set to boil on the stove top on medium flame, with the same ingredients. Arhar dal takes time, which is why I recommend soaking it for long. I am talking at least 3-4 hours. This will soften them up thus reducing cooking time. If you are using your stove top, add one tsp of oil, which will keep the dal from boiling over because it does tend to foam up a lot. You may cover and cook on low heat as well. Just ensure the water does not run dry or the boil over. </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Once your dal is cooked to a soft mushy consistency, turn off the heat and keep aside after mixing it thoroughly and mashing it up with a rounded spatula. Next up is the tempering or <em>'tadka'</em> as we call it. Take a sauce pan or a medium sized wok, and heat desi ghee in it. When the ghee is hot, start by tipping in the asafetida, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, as it starts to splutter, chuck in the garlic pods or the grated ginger. Only either of the two. Keep the flame low. Stir it around untill slightly golden brown. Turn off the heat and pour over the cooked dal. Sit the dal again on low flame for about last five minutes while the flavours integrate well. Stir gently. Let the dal come to boil once and then pour in to your serving bowl. Garnish with caramelised onions, fresh corriander leaves, green chillies and lime. Serve hot with steamed basmati. You can also serve some more melted desi ghee on the side in a pretty bowl for everyone to pour a small tsp over the dal-rice and get prepared to be bowled over by this simple, hearty fare everyday! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Comfort in a bowl! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The easier way I mentioned earlier, is to simply heat ghee, add all the ingredients for tempering, let it brown which takes 2 minutes max in hot ghee, add washed dals, turmeric, salt, tomatoes chopped fine or it's paste and pressure cook. Garnish and serve the same way in the earlier method. Done. However, if you cook dal on the open flame, remember adding tomatoes will really prolong the cooking time, so you can either leave it out altogether or add it in the very last, after you know the dal is properly cooked, is on a rolling boil, add tomatoes at this stage and let cook and integrate.</span> </span></div>
Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-3120377528797037212013-03-11T01:55:00.000-07:002013-03-11T01:55:12.425-07:00Signs of Summer...Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those of you who haven't regisered yet that I live in Dubai-UAE, well, its time now to make note of that. And yes, we do live in a furnace. Most of the year anyway. The winter months are most gorgeous here but alas, they fly by way too fast! I was organising my wardrobe yesterday and decided to pack away the two n a half pullovers that the three of us own between us!! Ha ha ha. I took out all my chiffon sarees and stoles. Which is when I realised that summer in Dubai is almost here! Oh man! That also means we residents start gearing up to face the worst..incredibly high temperatures, humidity and no respite untill October now. I also decided to bring in some greens to start the process of changing my summer look around the house. Here are some pictures to soothe the soul... </span><br />
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<em><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Linking up to the fabulous "weekly story' series hosted by a dear friend, Patricia of </span></em><a href="http://coloursdekor.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-weekly-story-wk-6.html" target="_blank"><em><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Colours Dekor</span></em></a><em><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, one of my favourite home decor blogs. Do hop over and have a look at some of the pretty stuff people share there.</span></em><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am thinking of incorporating blues, yellows and green in my house this summer...while I wait for inspiration to strike, have a look at some pics I took this morning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just a bunch of greens I plucked from my balcony garden and arranged in blue glassware...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWQuYZHWas5yAmQ7OQHwGCMNxIj1iaUUiEJ096vdJdBZSOv5l_wHfhrPHmI_CXOfmSipWoGccuWkQ4ImdK3l2ecXT2FyN1Phdxx7912djZa-8jgw0Krn4tkiXPVw_c6wWOG-q5NsSBMw/s1600/yohaanscraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWQuYZHWas5yAmQ7OQHwGCMNxIj1iaUUiEJ096vdJdBZSOv5l_wHfhrPHmI_CXOfmSipWoGccuWkQ4ImdK3l2ecXT2FyN1Phdxx7912djZa-8jgw0Krn4tkiXPVw_c6wWOG-q5NsSBMw/s400/yohaanscraft.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Summers are also for staying indoors, curtains pulled, bedrooms darkened, the ac on full blast and CRAFTS with your restless child! :)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPLeP21GHqflYAsYQ2GPfD3dXfBXaRg0yWP4I7NTkPWICs3dGU5mT6hMV_ZfkmZfQ7nspToFXoG-sSXqiGuSA8_AhACcwP6oWl1QyKawoKX9Z-1ShAIZ2mifjunZx9RHJAQlDvthEsH8/s1600/summer3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPLeP21GHqflYAsYQ2GPfD3dXfBXaRg0yWP4I7NTkPWICs3dGU5mT6hMV_ZfkmZfQ7nspToFXoG-sSXqiGuSA8_AhACcwP6oWl1QyKawoKX9Z-1ShAIZ2mifjunZx9RHJAQlDvthEsH8/s640/summer3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Jade plants will flourish now in the harsh desert heat...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bay window in the bedroom...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When all you want to live on are fruits and berries....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Time to bring out the soft chiffons, crisp cottons and all your sliver!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the dusk draws close...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">....and you get a welcome respite from the harsh heat outdoors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">How do you handle summers in your part of the world??? Do share. </span></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-59165296495385331912013-03-10T23:37:00.000-07:002013-03-10T23:37:04.566-07:00Masala Methi Jheengey- Shrimps in a spicy sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you were to ask me whether I enjoy eating seafood,I would have to say a clear no. However, I have realised that I am confused in reality, it seems there are times when I not only like, but actually enjoy all things 'fishy'. I have grown up eating fish cooked in a particular way only. And that is the Bengali way. When I got married, I discovered a whole new cuisine. My husband is from south of India and his food is amazingly different from mine! Anyhow, so these two styles were the only ones I have known. I have remained fussy over the years. There is always something that is not quite right about me eating fish. Yet, there are times when I contradict myself completely and proceed to stun the hubster. Like how I 'love' sushi! I dont know how, but well, I do! And then I love all kinds of shell fish. Go figure! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Considering that in my parent's home, fish was rarely cooked owing to my mother's severe allergy to 'all' kinds of fish/seafood, I have now reached a stage where I cook a mean fish fry or a fish curry! I am not sure if I can still say I have started liking it all, but then I force myself because it is such a healthy meat to consume. However, Shrimps/Prawns are something, I have no problems declaring that I absolutely love. Love it. In any form. Anytime. The recipe I am sharing is also something I came up with to please myself actually. Not bengali, not malayalee, not tamil or even benarsi ! It was just for me this weekend, I wanted to experiment and see if I can come up with something different and not worry about pleasing the man. Hmmphh. It turned out quite lovely actually. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's what you will need.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 kg : shelled Shrimps, washed and drained completely</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>A bunch of chopped green onions with stalks. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>For the marinade:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 tbsp: Grated ginger </strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 tsp: Turmeric powder </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1tsp : Cumin roasted and crushed : </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1tbsp: Corriander seeds roasted and crushed : 1 tsp heaped</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>2tbsp heaped: Dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi): </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2tsp: freshly cracked black pepper corns: </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1tsp: Red chilli powder </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1tbsp: Juice of fresh lemon </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>2tbsp: finely chopped fresh corriander/cilantro leaves</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">2-4: finely chopped fresh green chillies</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Salt to taste</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Mustard oil (or any vegetable oil) - 4-5 tbsp</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wash and drain the shrimps well. Marinate it in the spices mentioned above including the grated ginger. Do not add salt to the shrimps just yet. Keep it marinated for an hour or so. Next up, chop the green onions including the stalks. In a wok, heat the oil. Add the chopped green onions and stalks and fry untill well cooked on medium flame. You need to brown these onions. Once they are evenly browned, simply add the marinated shrimps and continue to mix and stir and cook untill all the water that the shrimps release evaporates, leaving behind a thick coating. However, dont overcook those babies! If you cook this uncovered, on a medium to high heat, the water will evaporate fast and you dont have to worry about overcooking the shrimps. Keep stirring and mixing. Add salt in the very end. </span><br />
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Browning the green onions first up.</div>
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You can see water/moisture collecting at the base of the wok, we need it to dry out.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> Another tip is, make sure you drain the shrimps really dry after washing, first apply turmeric and then the rest of the spices. The turmeric does a good job of absorbing the excess mositure. Shrimps dont take a long time to cook obviously. So again, be careful with the timing, I would recommend less than ten minutes from the time you tip them in in hot oil. Do a taste check, adjust salt and add more lemon juice if you want it slightly tangier. The main flavour dominating this dish is that of fenugreek/methi leaves. It imparts an awesome aroma and texture, so do not leave it out. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLhnsmACHg1KEuzJAKtUQs4rNbuj94QMTsmDODusiWjm33gQUGWcUwLWzghTBNoAoXmV3594pbF9tCZtm1ZDIIP5UntTUXLtRWaKZ-x4Kx_6bQn8cUWPTYiCBUQ3AHSFNbRkr5BjvvJE/s1600/jheenga4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLhnsmACHg1KEuzJAKtUQs4rNbuj94QMTsmDODusiWjm33gQUGWcUwLWzghTBNoAoXmV3594pbF9tCZtm1ZDIIP5UntTUXLtRWaKZ-x4Kx_6bQn8cUWPTYiCBUQ3AHSFNbRkr5BjvvJE/s640/jheenga4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdy1Zdal2TZUmMT1NuIkwVctN-8Mkpp2H2v0j2DIXGv82ri6zzCT9DDOkjmo9GwfUBfJk_Kipey2IRzEKZtlz5vm7Wcc7X00GkPELSR_0_9-aKbKjmH5OE1fPdAq7PRtfvTNZPG_xaJMo/s1600/jheenga5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdy1Zdal2TZUmMT1NuIkwVctN-8Mkpp2H2v0j2DIXGv82ri6zzCT9DDOkjmo9GwfUBfJk_Kipey2IRzEKZtlz5vm7Wcc7X00GkPELSR_0_9-aKbKjmH5OE1fPdAq7PRtfvTNZPG_xaJMo/s640/jheenga5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Once done, give it a final mix around and serve with cumin/zeera pulao like I did. I also made dal fry tadka to go with it, including a big garden salad and some raosted papads. Finger lickin' good it was! </span><br />
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-30543351359725506172013-03-09T00:45:00.000-08:002013-03-09T00:45:30.840-08:00The Coffee Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Are you a coffee person? I am not. I'm a Chai lover. I always keep saying, 'coffee will never be my cup of tea!' However, the hubster is a coffee junkie and cannot function without his early morning cuppa. I also make decent coffee, well anyone would, if forced to live with a coffee nazi! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On most days I use instant Nescafe Gold (the brand) granules. I dont need to ever grind our coffee because we get a big stash of fresh ground beans from India sometimes. On weekends, if I am feeling kind towards the hubster, I will brew him a fresh mug with the said ground beans. Else, Nescafe it has to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's how I make his.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 tsp heaped coffee powder/granules</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1.5 or 2 tsp sugar</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1tbsp hot milk + h</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">ot milk, measured out in 'his' favourite mug.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Beat together the coffee powder, sugar and tbsp of hot milk vigrously. Be patient, keep beating untill light and creamy smooth. We need to get the sugar to dissolve completely. Add that mug of hot milk now, stir gently and serve. If I get it right, the grumpy bear in him remains hidden. But I do always get it right! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuvm4M6nnotQp12H1HcCD-BQ3bIXDyffIuTZZ7shovz6FJk8P14fLGFf_0IfJX4Wxx369V_5UJ8uWo1Vuya7yUrA1UIeWGfcmYsYsLZH7-J1OariEBnssjojQpoffFYsjMMyyjzud9Ao/s1600/cofee2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuvm4M6nnotQp12H1HcCD-BQ3bIXDyffIuTZZ7shovz6FJk8P14fLGFf_0IfJX4Wxx369V_5UJ8uWo1Vuya7yUrA1UIeWGfcmYsYsLZH7-J1OariEBnssjojQpoffFYsjMMyyjzud9Ao/s640/cofee2.jpg" width="638" /></a></div>
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<em><strong>An antique traditional coffee grinder from Turkey, bowl from Africa, spice spoon also from Africa</strong></em>. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It might seem, we are fussing too much over what is merely instant Nescafe, but trust me, follow this method and you can actually believe you are drinking a world class brew!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42GlzQ_D1R2RqF3To7wdTxOQB_JfjNyutV5gBWeLLnaHkxha7VCU-7XlaAZROtNl7XJAlWGqZjCjFcov4i0T0wpRYFYhMaXP960WJZf2N422d0SuqhkC6Rv8fvTL6XVvtxCiuwpfHkBc/s1600/coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42GlzQ_D1R2RqF3To7wdTxOQB_JfjNyutV5gBWeLLnaHkxha7VCU-7XlaAZROtNl7XJAlWGqZjCjFcov4i0T0wpRYFYhMaXP960WJZf2N422d0SuqhkC6Rv8fvTL6XVvtxCiuwpfHkBc/s640/coffee.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em><strong>The way to my man's heart, at least in the mornings, when his tired, lawyer brains are dead!</strong></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl8et6VKCdtEUakGN1pu9ajRGyYYbXJcAjHusZcBRLtSDkD2VeAoBwbzjbKgaeUTpynQToIYm2uKcqzOrhkxfaPInpl-xM6eklRmgqpe4UKnFA6XlW7hitPBjnwUuIEGVnDWGjtlLCp4/s1600/coffee1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZl8et6VKCdtEUakGN1pu9ajRGyYYbXJcAjHusZcBRLtSDkD2VeAoBwbzjbKgaeUTpynQToIYm2uKcqzOrhkxfaPInpl-xM6eklRmgqpe4UKnFA6XlW7hitPBjnwUuIEGVnDWGjtlLCp4/s640/coffee1.jpg" width="451" /></a><em><strong></strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>Have a fabulous weekend ahead...</strong></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So how do you make your coffee? Or like me, you are a Chai junkie?? Do share here</span>. </div>
Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-457250652342288492013-03-08T13:21:00.001-08:002013-03-08T13:21:58.604-08:00Come on Over...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you follow me on FB, you will know by now that I love to play house. I am a home maker by choice and the only thing I want to do all day long, apart from cooking, is doing up my castle...umm, apartment. It is my joy and my pride. I know this is a food blog but you really cannot stop me from blogging about whatever I choose to. So it appears, you will have to grin and bear with me while I sing praises of my home. And share pictures of some corners. I keep arranging and rearranging stuff around and then taking pictures and then letting them lose on the world through fb. Thankfuly I have like minded friends who dutifuly cheer me on and let me believe that I am a rock star! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have no fixed taste in interiors. However, I do have an inclination for all things ethnic. I'm afraid, sparse, clean lines, uncluttered, contemporary does not do it for me. In my house, 'too much' does not exist. Nor is 'more' ever enough for me. I like it all, bright, colourful, lush and bold. I dont like bling though, ewwww! Anyhow, as we get to meet more often, I would love to welcome you in to my house and enjoy it as much as I do. It is still a work in progress because it took some time for me to figure out the look I wanted. I also keep changing my mind, so I am never quite content with the way things look around here. Here are a few pictures to begin with...enjoy!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpYvEPLqNPy20D8BV0vEPcyjFvg0054r9cl600cdq9jW6q_hVA3Nr-1bYFxAlettrIPdo89znpOIEQsdP73xLBSZy7nmws8QlB4oHkik7qy6tEiUZbLIDxU3WnFOIxuGp7r9-Ae87ajc/s1600/african3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpYvEPLqNPy20D8BV0vEPcyjFvg0054r9cl600cdq9jW6q_hVA3Nr-1bYFxAlettrIPdo89znpOIEQsdP73xLBSZy7nmws8QlB4oHkik7qy6tEiUZbLIDxU3WnFOIxuGp7r9-Ae87ajc/s640/african3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong><em>Stone ware, bowls from Africa.</em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDXoCO6VOVSzxYfy3em-RSVwL-mePEIoHHhsD9IKs9JeHquG-cpDV1KMoHS028JoFX8nPHnY2O5HOEwl-T2ZlvpJOQLeWfI9o111Hf-r_GJAsMkQETPiub0ibPgh1eHTAO71FV-6yRig/s1600/musicman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDXoCO6VOVSzxYfy3em-RSVwL-mePEIoHHhsD9IKs9JeHquG-cpDV1KMoHS028JoFX8nPHnY2O5HOEwl-T2ZlvpJOQLeWfI9o111Hf-r_GJAsMkQETPiub0ibPgh1eHTAO71FV-6yRig/s640/musicman1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<em><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A wooden music man, from Rajasthan, India but bought in Dubai! :) The wooden stamping blocks too from here. </span></strong></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-_RgJVAvZKOE6AZVqga0R7M1ErnE0KeLCVZMHpWwiyXTzkybr9pgZPtQ8jGkYM-ppDK6UoU8U2msMEJzNcKtexhX4v86kbqfqFuPtRBu-Op5mobRFVxNlM0FWchlbbkVO081J6JdsIw/s1600/moroccanteapot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-_RgJVAvZKOE6AZVqga0R7M1ErnE0KeLCVZMHpWwiyXTzkybr9pgZPtQ8jGkYM-ppDK6UoU8U2msMEJzNcKtexhX4v86kbqfqFuPtRBu-Op5mobRFVxNlM0FWchlbbkVO081J6JdsIw/s640/moroccanteapot.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em> <span style="font-size: x-small;">A Moroccan tea pot, I love it</span></em></strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A corner in the entryway...lit up to welcome you in! </span></em></strong></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-86306206469165057962013-03-07T20:45:00.002-08:002013-03-07T20:45:45.139-08:00Bihari Boti Kadai- a rustic, fiery gateway to bliss...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My husband loves my cooking but has one significant gripe. I am never consistent in rustling up the same-tasting dish over and over, especially if he has liked a particular curry a lot. He says he can guarantee, I wont be able to come up with the same stuff again. Whis is true! I cook everyday, but in all these years of our marriage and being a family, I am quite surprised to recall that, indeed, I not only hardly repeat recipes, I also go on a different tangent even when I am supposed to stick to it... do any of you have that 'problem' too? Strange! Good thing then that I am writing some of the favourites here. Today I am sharing a rather easy lamb recipe. Bihari Boti Kadai- lamb or beef chunks cooked in a spicy blend. No onions-no chopping required. Which is always a bonus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I dont really know for sure if this dish is from the state of Bihar, India. I simply, know it as Bihari Kadai and have been making it since forever. Boti ofcourse, refers to the largish chunks of meat with bone in. Kadai- as a dish refers to any 'gravy-curry' made in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent/Pakistan. The gravy could be thin and runny or even a thick masala flavoured one, to be eaten with breads. Bihari Boti kadai is quite spicy, so adjust the chillies according to your preferance and you wil be good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's what you will need.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Lamb/Mutton/Beef : 1 kg, I usually take shoulder cuts of a baby goat.</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ginger-Garlic paste : 1 tbsp heaped along with p</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">aste made of 5-8 (reduce if you want)- I simply ground them all together. </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>*You may even take boneless chunks of meat of your choice.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><u>For the Bihari Masala, spices to dry roast and grind to a coarse powder</u>:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Cumin seeds: 1.5 tsp</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Corriander seeds: 1.5 tbsp</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Pepper corns : 1 tsp </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Gram flour (besan) - 1tbsp (optional)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Dry roast the spices and gram flour on a gentle heat. Cool and girnd. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Salt to taste.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>About 5-6 tbsp of oil (reduce if you aren't big on cooking with lots of oil)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>A fresh lemon to squueze over in the end and a few ginger jullienes to garnish (optional). </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Marinate the meat in the ginger-garlic-chilli paste along with the spices you powder. If you have time, as always I recommend a marination of at least 4 hours or more, even over night. However, if you dont have time, worry not, just marinate and mix, and begin to cook! I did too this time because I had surprise visitors. And I served this for breakfast actually with parathas and a big cup of masala chai. Heaven!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Heat the oil in a 'kadai'- Add the marinated meat and cook(really that simple) initially on high heat for a couple of minutes then reduce the heat to medium/low. This dish is supposed to be dry, so aim for that in the final stages. A lot of moisture will be naturally rleased by the meat/salt combination, let it all help cook the meat and then gradually let it dry on its own while cooking. </span><br />
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The colour here is still that of raw meat and spices, the water is being released now...</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Again, over the next forty-fortyfive minutes, if you are slow cooking it on the stove top, you may have to baby sit it and watch for any burning/sticking -to- the -bottom action happening. In which case, all you need to do is keep adding a little water, say about 1/3 cup of hot water. Always try and add warm/hot water to curries, helps retain the flavours better than just adding regular/cold water. I usually keep a big mug of hot water around myself. You may also pressure cook with 1 cup of water to hasten the process but dont omit the 'bhunoing' process in the begining for at least twenty minutes and untill oil has seperated. </span><br />
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Half an hour in to cooking, see how the colours change! I added extra hot chillies for our guests who enjoy it like that. So just follow the recipe if you are not ok with too much heat.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then go ahead and pressure cook, once 'almost' done, remove lid, leave the pan open and cook to evaporate any water/moisture left. Keep mixing and stirring untill the final look is thick, dry with the marinade sticking to the meat pieces. In the last few minutes, while you are letting the excess water evaporate, all 'doneness' of the meat will be achieved now. So dont worry even if pressure cooking it hasnt cooked the meat completely. Usually, you will find beef taking time. </span><br />
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Do you see how all the moisture is gone and the spices stick to the meat? Using 'besan' also helps in that. </div>
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I used thai red chillies to garnish as well as in my marinade paste, feel free to use whichever chillies you enjoy normally. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Garnish with ginger jullienes and serve with a wedge of lime to sqeeze over if preferred. Also ofcourse, you will need to make some warm chapatis to make it a perfect meal. </span></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-91617504531834189902013-02-26T20:01:00.000-08:002013-02-26T20:01:09.597-08:00Grilled Chicken In A Creamy Marinade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been a few months since I started a low carb diet and my meals now mostly consist of meat/poultry/fish with tons of vegetables, salads and fruits. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I often eat chicken for dinner. With lots of veggies, cooked or as a salad. As expected, I run out of ideas all the time. I dont fancy curry anymore, so am pretty much stuck with grilled,baked or kebab forms of it. Even though I have this food blog, I am actually not a foodie at all. My food-knowledge is next to zero and trust me, I wouldn't know my Ratanjot from a Riesling! I eat to live, that's about it. I also prepare my menu three days in advance, so that I just do not get tempted to cheat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Chicken breasts in a creamy marinade- I dont know if similar recipes are around, well they must be I am sure, but since I thought of the ingredients for the marinade myself, I am going to take full credit for it. </span><br />
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Just a few things before we get to it. I have used low fat, 'cream cheese'- which is freshly made here in the middle east. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strained_yogurt" target="_blank">Labaneh</a> and it's varieties are commonly found in the middle east and is super yummy. One food of the Arabs, which all expats enjoy I think. I used one which was flavoured with thyme. You can get any flavour you want. If however, you don't get labneh, simply get any brand-any kind of cream cheese or hung yoghurt made out of the Greek variety. Philadelphia is also good. If that is also not an option then get thick, plain cream and season it with garlic powder and some dried herbs of choice. However, do try and get a tub of cream cheese, will make quite a difference to the over all flavour of this dish.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's what you will need:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 kg boneless, breast of chicken- cubed or cut in strips.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>2-3 tbsp heaped Labaneh/cream cheese/cream</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>2 tsp mixed, dried herbs. I used everything I had. :) </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1.5 tsp paprika (or Kashmiri chili powder)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1/2 tsp red chilli powder</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 tsp black pepper powder</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste or 1 tsp heaped garlic powder alone. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice</strong>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and marinate the chicken chunks in it for as long as you can, preferably at least 2-6 hours. Grill on medium flame untill done. Alternatively bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes or little less. Or simply pan fry them, which is what I did last night. Serve with a big, garden salad. I dont usually use any salad seasoning, so I end up eating a lot of different types of pickled peppers, and my favourite is Jalapenos. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83MC3COcguoRmeP-GdDwdeIQ4CVgqqBWT3Y6m4nDITZGCDLst0zdy1sf6ELrebnpnn41P5asDD1fn1joumVALm7c3k9HZ_dGvQy6LyVgtf2Mk8i-HzCcokYfb7pwqwoFd6tvL-V9208U/s1600/grilledchkn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83MC3COcguoRmeP-GdDwdeIQ4CVgqqBWT3Y6m4nDITZGCDLst0zdy1sf6ELrebnpnn41P5asDD1fn1joumVALm7c3k9HZ_dGvQy6LyVgtf2Mk8i-HzCcokYfb7pwqwoFd6tvL-V9208U/s640/grilledchkn2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had some chicken drums also, which I grilled for hubster's India vs Australia game night. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This family, quite clearly, loves chilies in all forms! </span>Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-47987097735001373622013-02-25T02:31:00.000-08:002013-02-25T02:31:06.849-08:00Keeping It Simple....Pickled Shallots With Nigella Seeds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Continuing my 'keep it simple' mantra from the previous post, here is a commonly found recipe for Indian style Pickled Shallots. If you were to ever eat a meal in any of the regular north Indian homes, you will be served this pickle for sure, especially in the hot summer months. A bottle sits on the dining table of every home. It is multipurpose, works as a side, as a pickle, as a condiment, or even just to nibble on while your mommy (or daddy, why not?!!) serves up the food. Make some every few days and be assured of some extra kicks at meal times! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is what you will need.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup washed, peeled and whole shallots/pearl onions.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp levelled Nigella seeds (optional)</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp salt</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp sugar (optional)</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few green chillies, slit (optional)</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup of white vinegar</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once you have assembled your ingredients, simply combine them in a lidded jar/bottle. Let sit for a few hours and voila, it's ready to eat! This pickle does not really get spoilt if kept in the fridge but if you are keeping it out, make it in less quantities and keep replenishing with fresh stuff every time you run out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Serve with any desi meal of choice. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_1Fr4K0gKGvBbpW1cwA6p-F901imZ1vEtzwhNS4JYYnD0hIMfBnd5UUoijXkTgafWYHEngNjKRwTZw95QoIYNTNsLtCcf23_ASXbD7KwO-ZU11_nXMx1LojFvIZznwpRD8BzUjIESH8/s1600/shallots3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_1Fr4K0gKGvBbpW1cwA6p-F901imZ1vEtzwhNS4JYYnD0hIMfBnd5UUoijXkTgafWYHEngNjKRwTZw95QoIYNTNsLtCcf23_ASXbD7KwO-ZU11_nXMx1LojFvIZznwpRD8BzUjIESH8/s640/shallots3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Dont you think it looks pretty!</span><br />
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-76366880182679365972013-02-24T02:28:00.000-08:002013-02-24T02:30:21.166-08:00A comeback of sorts and Oh, A happy New Year Folks! ,<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That is right. I am aware, oh so aware, that I have been missing in action since a long, long time now. I was away mostly travelling, celebrating a massive Christmas this year and then faffing around on FB. It is not much of an excuse but will have to do. FB has become the bane of my life and today, just like that, I decided to pull myself away from it and slather some TLC on my poor blog. If only I would spend some time being useful and productive, I would have been filling up this blog with yummylicious food which, by the way, I do cook on a regular basis. Sorry that I haven't gotten around to sharing them yet. I hope to change all that soonly though. :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am going to keep this as short as possible. Do let me wish my two and a half readers, a fabulous new year which already seems to be speeding along! Anyhow, those of you who blog hop, must be kind of expecting some kind of 'good wishes' on the blogs you visit, so I dont see why should I be rude and not do it as well. Have you ever seen such a long and convulated New Year Greetings ever? Well then, here is it... </span><br />
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<em><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Have yourselves a fabulous year ahead... whatever is left of it, be safe, be happy and please be eating good food everyday! </strong></span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Now, I do not have any </span><span style="color: black;">fancy-shmancy recipe to share with you. I have a lot going on in the other departments of my life and it will take some time before I warm up to blogging about 'noticeably' lovely food which might want to make you try them asap. I am sharing a really easy and simple Minty-Tomatoey-Fish Masala recipe, served with a simple steamed rice or even a mildly spiced, fragrant Pulao. It will become a keeper, thats how simple and delicious it is. The recipe came off from the top of my head, so there are no rules to follow. You will need :</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>6-8 pieces of any firm fleshed fish steak. I used King Fish.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1 very large Tomato, grated, skin and all included. Or finely chopped.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1' grated ginger</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>4-6 fresh green chillies, slit whole.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped up</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1/2 cup fresh corriander leaves</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Juice of one medium seized fresh lemon</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>4-5 tbsp mustard or any vegetable oil</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The spices:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1/2 tsp turmeric</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1/2 tsp salt (to smear over the fish)</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1.5tsp roasted and coarsely crushed cumin seeds</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1/2 tsp Panch Phoron (optional) I dont always use this</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wash and pat dry the fish pieces. Smear them with turmeric powder and salt and keep aside for about half an hour. Next up, heat the oil in a wok. Once the oil is heated through, tip in the green chillies and panch phoron (if you are using). Let it sizzle for a few seconds. Slide in the fish pieces at this point and lightly brown them on both sides taking care not to cook them completely. This should take about 2-3 minutes on both sides on high heat. Then you shift the fish to the sides of the wok and arrange them in a circle making an oil well in the middle. Let the chillies remain in this well. Something like the picture that follows...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOOgHmw_RB0lVMnHtmS0gLgpudOZpf4YkKk-KpTOwhnbPhRRkA3zuJsmHhJNZX_7Hp43c63hKIXHwkQShnxy33ZDax0j20ZZqXrYSoW66btZD92cakCQfMbNP295susDGUPTrPY50SjM/s1600/surmaiprep1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOOgHmw_RB0lVMnHtmS0gLgpudOZpf4YkKk-KpTOwhnbPhRRkA3zuJsmHhJNZX_7Hp43c63hKIXHwkQShnxy33ZDax0j20ZZqXrYSoW66btZD92cakCQfMbNP295susDGUPTrPY50SjM/s640/surmaiprep1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next to go in will be the chopped tomatoes, let them sit in this well too, spread the chopped mint and corriander leaves, sprinkle the roasted and crushed cumin, squeeze that lemon now, season with salt but dont stir just yet, cover and cook for about 15 minutes on very low heat. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JQaDTt0EVnD6JGayt4mV9wZNRWxEi0oig4eAp0jR3wNFVBw8hz4dYMKqRncg6DNBjRWenI745TScxLxt6WMXYiYS9sNGzcA4pFtuSNbDGM6nw-B76Qg2SfYUl85NHZilSZh6MQ1eTs0/s1600/surmaiprep2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JQaDTt0EVnD6JGayt4mV9wZNRWxEi0oig4eAp0jR3wNFVBw8hz4dYMKqRncg6DNBjRWenI745TScxLxt6WMXYiYS9sNGzcA4pFtuSNbDGM6nw-B76Qg2SfYUl85NHZilSZh6MQ1eTs0/s640/surmaiprep2.jpg" width="424" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fish will cook in all the juices being relased by the tomatoes which will turn all mushy. You must not stir it untill just before sereving and that too, to just mix the salt well. Once you are ready to serve, arrange the cooked fish pieces in a bowl and then pour the thick sauce over it. Give the sauce a good mix before you do so. Serve, garnished with some more fresh mint and corriander leaves. I served this with dal, rice and sauted mushrooms. I have also served this on a bed of fresh, crisp salad of lettuce, onion rings and cucumber cuts and roasted-crushed peanuts. Simple, easy to cook and as elegant as you want to believe it to be!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfHSocFNRM-yXay2SUhcXm4E_gRz-tNnPtoMlPLs_BQHueU_3TnpeDrRtzCIQUiSXnPmIhXSLApLckbvjlapkdZwB2sHHAA1D9bFCjqk0MbpkE8imWL4rK4JGo-eyc-c7L6qslz62A2E/s1600/surmaiforblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfHSocFNRM-yXay2SUhcXm4E_gRz-tNnPtoMlPLs_BQHueU_3TnpeDrRtzCIQUiSXnPmIhXSLApLckbvjlapkdZwB2sHHAA1D9bFCjqk0MbpkE8imWL4rK4JGo-eyc-c7L6qslz62A2E/s640/surmaiforblog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">That is how I have begun my year too. After a lot of introspection, soul searching and getting rid of rubbish, here's to an all round calm and peaceful year ahead. Take it easy folks. Cheers! </span></div>
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6058862202613640746.post-5064302963550894172012-10-12T01:00:00.001-07:002012-10-12T01:09:19.846-07:00Bharva Mirchi- Stuffed Green Chilli Peppers with Besan or Chick Pea Flour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am leaving for India in just about two hours, but then my friend Anshie of </span><a href="http://www.spiceroots.com/2012/10/know-your-flours-besan/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">spriceroots</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> , asked me to participate in an online blogger food event and I could not say no to her. I was wanting to post a recipe before I left for India and this provided an excellent chance. I have so many pictures on my hard drive, but no time to sort them out and do a post. So when she asked me to join in the event, I agreed. The event is called 'Know your flours' with a focus on Chick Peas. Indian cuisine has an extensive use of chickpeas flour, all sorts of vegetable fritters fried dipped in chickpea batter, being one. I had some fresh green chilli peppers lying with me. I decided to do a stuffed version which is popular in my state. Something like a fresh pickle if you will. I made only four of them but you can make as many as you like. Serve them warm with a main of rice-dal or for morning brekkie of paranthas and yoghurt. Finger licking good and really easy to not only assemble but to cook as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Ingredients</u>:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>4 fresh, green chilli peppers, long ones, washed, dried, slit in the middle and deseeded. Jalapenos will be fine.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1 cup of chickpea flour</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1/2 tsp of fennel seeds</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1/2 tsp </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1/2 tsp turmeric</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1 tsp red chilli powder</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1tsp of amchur (mango) powder</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1/2 tsp of ajwain seeds (carraway)</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Juice of 1 lime</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>2 tbsp each of very finely chopped onions and fresh corriander leaves</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1 tbsp of raw mustard oil</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC9Ltl93ObV-oRcgSxz1W0im9Ssd7m2tnO3duWy3MMB_A7a6iX_Jpkr4v0Jtlb_a8oqahxd0f_J5dGLjrIdUZK96-QYwiAFveHBy2g05sOfWg9DfTkV8EWULjWFEY6VQcTDkIcFZYm3Q/s1600/bharva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC9Ltl93ObV-oRcgSxz1W0im9Ssd7m2tnO3duWy3MMB_A7a6iX_Jpkr4v0Jtlb_a8oqahxd0f_J5dGLjrIdUZK96-QYwiAFveHBy2g05sOfWg9DfTkV8EWULjWFEY6VQcTDkIcFZYm3Q/s640/bharva.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Combine all of the above in a plate except for the chillies. Now stuff the slit green chillies with this mixture and keep aside. Do a taste test, sometimes a little extra salt, than you would normally use, is required.</span></em><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>For the Tempering:</strong></span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1 tsp of mustard seeds</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>2 tbsp of mustard oil</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>a few pods of fresh garlic</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JZCCm2iU_G2nzfIQXNJ_tBxf1ubfaR_60ShrvMQdav6NX5zLJz5pRpMoDPaV5zGgdlnsyv7mpioWH-I-BuZh5qDadCf45O9TCJaoUn4W94q6OR42_uQer258_l6q3dBENuRWUJ4q7D8/s1600/bharva2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JZCCm2iU_G2nzfIQXNJ_tBxf1ubfaR_60ShrvMQdav6NX5zLJz5pRpMoDPaV5zGgdlnsyv7mpioWH-I-BuZh5qDadCf45O9TCJaoUn4W94q6OR42_uQer258_l6q3dBENuRWUJ4q7D8/s640/bharva2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>How to:</strong></span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>In a wok heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil untill smoking. Chuck in mustard seeds and let splutter. Throw in garlic pods. Place the stuffed chillies in to this wok, brown on all sides for approx two to four minutes on medium flame. Wait to get brown specks on the chillies. Lower the flame to low, cover the wok with a dinner/flat lid or plate. Now put 1 cup of water over this plate, so that the steaming action will soften and cook the chillies underneath. Chickpeas take 'longish' to cook, so cooking these stuffed a good fiteen to twenty minutes on low flame, covered will do the trick. Thats it! Done! This will stay in the fridge up to a week if you dont use onions, else 2-3 days. Store in an air tight container. You may adjust the tanginess, heat and salt factor according to your taste. If you have extra stuffing left, use it to make stuffed paranthas or simply just sprinkle it all over the chillies before you cover them. They make a moist, tasty crust on top and sides of the chillies.</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-71uwnFAvm04NH6EqgnU3ipNBYz9fVLGkqcbVOMn72yzM76mK4wHifBBo-wqjdR8JC19Zdsj2J6JjYuO9n38NHx9L3KFoaqjspCRUz9aGb4-Ybig2JxJVi8eKlKfz9wvK7Iy1V-mSENI/s1600/bharva3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-71uwnFAvm04NH6EqgnU3ipNBYz9fVLGkqcbVOMn72yzM76mK4wHifBBo-wqjdR8JC19Zdsj2J6JjYuO9n38NHx9L3KFoaqjspCRUz9aGb4-Ybig2JxJVi8eKlKfz9wvK7Iy1V-mSENI/s400/bharva3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBl_GllJWXSuD-V_KYZVxtr5G2lud7FvQpEirXUCNZmH-YxiPSpxteRCxh2QvpcI3sMcAY2bsdGf00sz9QOrNPCCujyxF0nWxPGU-ECXqYDicw-hsYucZcmAlZQhqwnYRfguH9E1cN_U/s1600/bharva4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBl_GllJWXSuD-V_KYZVxtr5G2lud7FvQpEirXUCNZmH-YxiPSpxteRCxh2QvpcI3sMcAY2bsdGf00sz9QOrNPCCujyxF0nWxPGU-ECXqYDicw-hsYucZcmAlZQhqwnYRfguH9E1cN_U/s640/bharva4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Linking to Anshie's </span><a href="http://www.spiceroots.com/2012/10/know-your-flours-besan/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Know Your Flours: Besan Chickpea Flour</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> blog event. Do hop over to check out other entries and to participate even! </span><br />
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Harshikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988515276239170996noreply@blogger.com2