Matar Paneer (Without onion and garlic)

Sometimes fine recipes are born purely out of need. This Ganesh Chaturthi my husband wanted something different from the puri-buta dali combo that is the staple dinner on festival days. With it being a no onion - no garlic day, I was hard pressed for choice. Then I zeroed in on this 'Matar-Paneer' recipe that I had jotted down in my notebook. It is a simple one with a combination of sweet, sour and spicy flavours without being too rich.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 200 gm Paneer cubes 
• 1 1/2 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1 big tomato 
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Kashmiri chili
• 5-6 almonds
• 7-8 cashews
• 10-12 raisins
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 green cardamom (powdered)
• 1 1/2 tbsp Kasuri methi
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• a pinch garam masala
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp butter

Preparation - Chop the tomato and transfer into a cooker. Add the raisins, cashews, almonds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, whole red chili and cumin seeds along with a little salt. Add 1/2 cup water. Cook for 2-3 whistles on medium flame.

Keep aside for steam to escape. Once the steam escapes, peel the almonds. Drain the water ( but do not throw it ) and transfer all the contents of the pressure cooker to a blender. Buzz till you get a smooth paste.

If using frozen peas, thaw them.

Add the panner cubes to a bowl of hot water.

Cooking - Heat the butter in a wok. Add the ground tomato-masala paste along with coriander powder, chili powder and garam masala. Rub the Kasuri methi between your palms to warm it a bit before adding to the wok.

Cook for 5-6 mins before adding the paneer cubes and green peas. Add about 1 cup hot water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 mins.

Add the honey and remove from flame.

Serve hot with puris/phulkas.

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to All!!!

Vakratunda mahakaya surya koti samaprabha
nirvighnam kurume deva sarva karyeshu sarvada

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!!! May Lord Ganesh save us from all evils and be our guiding light forever !

Today's special is the Chuda Ghasa- Dalma combo, a popular breakfast option in Odisha. Its popularity can be gauged by the fact that it has even got still more localized versions like Chuda Kadamba-Dalma (Chandanpur) and Chuda Ghasa-Buta Dalma (Puri).

Check the given links for the recipes -

Chuda Ghasa
Dalma 

Puran-Poli ( Ganesh Chaturthi special )

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi !!!

This is the last of the 'Ganesh Chaturthi special' series. Puran-poli is perhaps the most popular neivaidyan (offering) on Ganesh Chaturthi alongside the 'Modak' which is primarily consumed in Maharashtra. But one can also find the Puran poli in some parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh too. The Kannada name is Holige or Obbattu . I was a little scared to attempt it at first but the valuable inputs that I got from my South Indian neighbors helped me get it right at one go.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour plus

Ingredients -

For the puran (filling) -

• 1 cup chana dal
• 1 cup powdered jaggery
• 2 green cardamoms (powdered)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1 tbsp ghee

For the poli -

• 3 cups all purpose flour or wheat flour
• 1 tbsp ghee
• salt to taste
• water for kneading

Others -

• Extra flour for dusting
• Ghee for frying the puran poli

Preparation - Wash and soak the chana dal for 3-4 hours. Transfer to a pressure cooker along with 1 1/2 cups water and cook for 7-8 whistles.

Keep aside to allow steam to escape. Strain the dal and allow it to stand in the strainer for 1 hour or till all the water drains off.

Take the flour in a mixing bowl. Add salt and ghee. Mix in. Then add sufficient water to make a smooth yet firm dough. Rub a little ghee over the dough and cover it. Keep aside for 1 hour.

Cooking - Heat ghee in a pan. Add the cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.

Add the cooked chana dal after 10 seconds. One can add the powdered jaggery at the same time or at a later stage.Mix everything together and cook for 6-7 minutes or till you find that the mixture is turning powdery. Remove from flame and keep aside to cool down.

Transfer the cooled mixture to a mixie jar and buzz for a few seconds. It will become like a smooth dough.
Remove from the mixer jar and keep aside. Divide it into lemon sized balls.

Similarly, divide the dough into balls which are 25-30 percent larger than the chana dal balls. Lightly roll out each ball into a small circle. Place the puran ball at the center and close it by bringing the ends of the dough together.

    

Dust more flour on the working surface and roll out the puran-poli ball  into a thin circle.

Heat a tawa and sprinkle a little ghee. Place the puran-poli on it . Cook on one side till small brown spots begin to appear. Flip it over and cook it on the other side as well.

Once done on both sides, rub a little ghee over it. Remove from the tawa and keep aside.

Repeat the same process for the remaining dough and puran.

Serve hot/warm with milk (or even some ghee).

Note - Excuse me for the badly taken pics. Will change them as soon as possible.

Gajar Alu Suva Bhaji

A simple stir fry with carrots, potatoes and suva greens, this one is loaded with nutrients and quite easy to prepare too!! The sweetness of the carrots and potatoes go beautifully with the sweet smelling herb. I have used the herb to flavour this stir-fry rather than as a core ingredient.

This recipe goes well with rotis and parathas. It is a good option for a 'lunch box/dabba' wala subzi as it is dry and can be made in a jiffy. Leave out the potato if you find it too starchy or if suffering from high blood sugar.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 small carrots
• 1 medium potato
• 3-4 tbsp suva/dill leaves
• 1 small onion
• 1-2 dry red chilis
• 2 pinch cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 2 pinch coriander powder
• a pinch of cumn powder
• a pinch of turmeric
• 2 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash and cook the potato and carrots for 1-2 whistles. Remove and keep aside till steam escapes. Remove their outer skin/peel. Cut into cubes.

Chop the onion into small pieces.

Cooking - Heat oil in a wok . Add  broken red chili and cumin seeds. Allow the seeds to splutter.

Add chopped onion and fry till translucent. Add all the powdered masalas along with the suva leaves and fry for 1-2 mins.

Add the boiled carrot and potato. Toss everything together. Remove from the flame.

Serve hot/warm with rotis/paratha.

Mooli ka Parantha ( Radish Paratha )

This North Indian specialty hardly needs an introduction. Flavorsome mooli paranthas accompanied with an achar are mostly consumed in the winter months.

While most folks usually cook the grated mooli with a whole lot of masalas before using it as a filling, I prefer to incorporate it directly into the dough. It is healthier and definitely lower in calories. Adding a little yogurt in this case also helps to mellow down the pungency of the radish (but do remember to squeeze out all the water before you add yogurt else the dough will turn soggy). Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup grated mooli (radish)
• a fistful od finely shredded radish leaves (optional)
• 1 tbsp hung curd
• 1/3 tsp chili powder (or finely chopped green chilis)
• a pinch of turmeric
• a pinch of roasted cumin powder
• a pinch of garam masala
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• salt to taste
• ghee/oil for cooking the paranthas

Preparation - Add salt to the grated radish and keep aside for 30 mins. Then squeeze out all the water from the radish.

Take in a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except for the ghee. Mix everything into a dough. If it happens to be too sticky/wet , dust some more flour.

Divide the dough into 4-5 portions and shape each into a thick disc.

Dust a working surface with flour and roll out the disc into a thick circle.

Cooking - Heat a pan/tawa. Put the rolled out circle on it.

Wait for 20-30 seconds before flipping it over. Drizzle ghee from the sides and press down lightly with a spatula. Flip it over once again and add some more ghee on the sides.

Cook on both sides on a medium flame till small brown spots appear. Remove from pan/tawa and keep aside.

Repeat for the remaining discs.

Serve hot with pickle.

Uppu Undrallu ( Ganesh Chaturthi Special )

Another popular offering on Ganesh Chaturthi is the Uppu undrallu or salted and steamed rice balls. Spiced with some cumin (jeera) and black pepper, these are easy to make and quite healthy too. They are very popular in Andhra and one can find lot many versions/variations over the net (some sweet ones too )!!!

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins ( plus 10 mins standby )

Ingredients -

• 1 cup jeera rice 
• 2 tbsp chana dal
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 7-8 peppercorns (coarsely ground)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp ghee

Preparation - Wash the rice and soak for 5 mins. Drain off the water and spread on a cloth to dry.

Once it has dried, grind into a coarse paste.

Wash and allow the chana dal to soak for 2-3 hours.

Cooking - Heat the ghee in a wok. Add the cumin seeds and allow to splutter.

Add 2 cups of water to the wok along with the soaked chana dal. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil.

Add the rice flour and cook on medium heat till it forms a dough like mass. This takes about 5-6 mins.

Keep aside to cool it is bearable to touch. Pinch small portions out of the dough and roll into balls.

Steam the balls for 7-8 mins in a idli cooker.

Serve warm.

Sarson da Saag ( Mustard Greens)

Punjabi food conjures up images of sweet succulent chicken pieces dumped in a sea of red. Or even fiery char-grilled chicken legs/thighs oozing/dripping fat. For the vegetarians, it would be luscious Paneer pieces simmering in a creamy gravy accompanied by Tandoori Rotis dripping butter. Not to forget the smooth as velvet Dal Makhani. While these restaurant style recipes have a hell lot of mass appeal, the recipes that I hold close to my heart are the ones closer to home and hearth. Recipes that a loving mother/aunt or even a grandmother would have prepared by investing hours ( and patience ) to get it to the right texture and consistency. These are recipes that have the proverbial 'miiti ki kushboo' associated with them.

Today I am sharing one such recipe which is very close to my heart. The 'Sarson da saag' which never fails to transport me to the lush yellow-green mustard fields of Punjab. Doesn't it remind you of  DDLJ and SRK-Kajol singing 'Tujhe dekha to yeh jaana sanam'. That song remains a favorite till date. Read on for the very earthy recipe -

Preparation Time - 25-30 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 bunch mustard leaves
• 1 bunch spinach (palak) leaves
• 1 large tomato
• 2 medium onion
• 1 inch ginger
• 6-7 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2-3 dry red chilis
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp ghee
• extra butter for final garnish

Preparation - Wash and clean the greens by immersing them in warm salt water for 1-2 hours. Drain the water and replace with fresh water. Repeat 2-3 times. This will remove all the insects, mud and sand.

Chop up the greens into small pieces. Peel and dice one of the onions. Roughly chop up the tomato ginger and garlic flakes. Transfer everything to a pressure cooker along with 1/4 cup water. Add turmeric and salt to taste.

Finely chop up the remaining onion.

Cooking - Cook for 3-4 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes.

Use a hand blender to grind the cooked greens into a coarse paste.

Heat the ghee in a wok. Add the broken chilis and cumin seeds. Once the seeds start to pop, add the chopped onions. Fry till they start to brown at the edges.

Add the coarse paste and bring to a boil. Then turn down flame and simmer for 3-4 mins before removing from the flame.

Serve hot with makki ki roti or just normal rotis.

Note - One can also add some methi/fenugreek greens to this recipe. It adds a different flavour and makes it still healthier. 

Sweet Appams

With Ganesh Chaturthi around the corner, cleaning the house in in full swing. Replacing/washing the sofa covers/curtains/bed-sheets, dusting, removing the cow-webs, throwing out/giving away the old clothes/toys and cleaning out my pantry is what I plan do achieve by Wednesday. That would give me ample time to make the sweets/delicacies for the big day, i.e., 29th August (friday). People from Odisha do not celebrate the Gowri-Ganesh puju that is being observed on Thursday by folks from down South.

Unlike Maharashtra and some of the other states where it is a ten day long festival, Ganesh Chaturthi celebration in Odisha is a comparatively low key affair. Mandaps/Pandals of varying sizes come up in most schools, colleges, offices and market places. The most common prasad distributed at such Pandals is the 'Chuda Ghasa' and 'Khaee ukhuda' ( scroll down to the bottom of this post for more recipes ). In western Odisha, the harvest festival of 'Nua khai' is observed on the following day. It also heralds the beginning of the festive season in  Odisha. It is closely followed by festivals like Vishwakarma Puja, Dwitibahana Osa, Durgashtami, Kumar Purnima/Lakshmi Puja and Diwali/Kali Puja, and the holy Odia months of Karthik and Margasira.

Sweet appams happen to be one of the important offerings/Neivaidyam made to Lord Ganesh in Southern India. While it is traditionally made from rice flour, I have made these with store bought batter. Saves time and the taste is also preferred by toddlers/kids. Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup idli/dosa batter (should be thick)
• 1 tbsp wheat flour
• 1 ripe banana (peeled)
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 pinch cardamom powder
• 1/3 cup jaggery powder
• a pinch of salt
• oil/ghee for deep frying

Preparation - Take all the ingredients (except for oil/ghee) in a mixing bowl. Blend into a uniform mixture using a hand blender. Allow to stand aside for 20 mins.

Cooking - Heat oil in a wok. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. Take 4-5 teaspoons at a time. Deep fry on both sides to a light brown. ( Alternately cook in a nonstick appam pan or even a tawa. It tastes as good and absorbs much less oil )

Remove from wok and keep aside to drain on a paper towel.

Repeat for the remaining batter.

Serve hot/warm.

Note - If you wish to make the appams with rice flour, use about 1 cup water for about 1 1/3 cups of rice flour.

Other popular Ganesh Chaturthi recipes -

Chuda Ghasa
Chuda Kadamba (avalakki laddoo)
Paal Undrallu ( Attakali )
Modak (Manda pitha)
Pal Payasam
Channa Sundal

Suva greens - Moong dal ( Dill cooked with yellow lentils )

I was introduced to this sweet smelling greens by one of my neighbors. Since I had never came across this variety during my stay in Odisha, I was a little doubtful about cooking it for the first time. I did not want to make a bhaji out of it. As I was having rotis for lunch, I wanted something wet. It was then that I thought of preparing it with roasted moong dal. We use this recipe for cooking almost every kind of greens, from spinach (palak) to amaranthus leaves and fenugreek leaves (methi) to even drumstick leaves (moringa). I would put it as the fail-safe formula for cooking greens (apart from stir frying them).

Read on -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 bunch suva greens (dill)
• 1/3 cup roasted split moong dal
• 3-4 garlic flakes
• 1-2 green/red chili
• 1/4 tsp pancha phutana
• 2 pinch turmeric
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil

Preparation - Wash and clean the greens. Chop into small pieces.

Cooking - Cook the dal along with salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles on medium heat. Keep aside for 10 mins so that the steam can esacpe. Open the lid carefully and add the chopped greens to the hot dal and immediately close the lid. Keep aside for 5 mins.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add pancha phutana and allow to splutter. Add the broken chilis followed by the crushed garlic cloves.

Once the garlic lets off a fragrance, add the contents of the cooker to the wok. Turn up the flame and boil for 5 mins.

Serve hot with rotis.

Mangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast

Recently caught an episode of 'Coastal Curries' hosted by the dashing chef Vikas Khanna. He happened to be in Mangalore and was sampling the famous 'Chicken ghee roast'. As usual I was so engrossed in looking at him that I missed whatever he was saying. Soft-spoken with an almost school-boy charm, the guy seems like a total misfit to me. That is till he starts to wield the ladle. I really wonder how much he works out or whether he eats any of the tantalizing dishes that he rustles up. Coming back to the dish itself, I finally had to look up the recipe on the net. I finally settled on this one posted by Ria ( Check her blog ) but made a few subtle changes based on the snatches of conversation that I had caught.

This is one of the few Mangalore dishes that I will be remembering for a long time. Sampled it for the first time at a small eatery in Hampankatta (mangalore) during my stay in the city. This along with the deep fried surmai are my favorites among all the varieties available in Mangalorean cuisine. I would rate it higher than the 'Kori Gassi- Roti' combo preferred by many folks. Ofcourse, the creamy Kori Gassi is in a class of its own but my funda happens to be 'To each his own' . The Chicken ghee roast is traditionally served with the snow white and soft 'Neer dosas' but I enjoy it with white rice, yogurt and rasam too. One word of caution. Do not be thrifty with the ghee. You can always slog it out in the gym over the next week or maybe month.

Read on for the lip-smacking recipe -

Preparation Time - 45 mins

Ingredients -

For the marinade -

• 600 gm skinless chicken (cut into medium pieces)
• 1/2 cup hung curd
• juice from half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste

For the masala-

• 1 tsbp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 Kashmiri red chilis
• 4-5 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 10-12 peppercorns
• 10 fat garlic flakes
• a thumbnail sized tamarind ball

Others -

• 4 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Preparation - Wash the chicken pieces and drain out all the water. Add the other ingredients mentioned under marinade. Rub well all over the chicken pieces. Keep in the fridge for 4-6 hours or even overnight. ( I marinated the chicken for 6 hours )

Cooking - Dry roast the chilis on a pan till you get a faint smell. Remove and keep aside. Add 1/2 tsp ghee to the pan. Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick and peppercorns. Remove from flame once they start to release their fragrance.

Grind the roasted chillis and spices along with the garlic cloves and tamarind. Add a little water and grind again to get a smooth paste.

Heat the remaining ghee in a wok. Add the marianted chicken and fry on a medium flame till almost done ( 75-80 % ). Remove and keep aside.

Add the masala paste to the same wok and fry till the oil starts to form a separate layer ( 4-5 mins should be enough unless you have added excess water during the grinding process ). Add the fried chicken at this point and stir/toss for 2-3 mins.

Finally add 1/2 cup warm water and cover with a lid. Allow the juices to permeate the chicken. Finally when the water dries up and the chicken pieces are well coated with the masalas, add the curry leaves and corainder. Switch off flame and remove from stove.

Serve hot with Neer dosa.

Note - I am not too sure about the kind of chilis used in the original dish. I assume that one of them is Byadgi ( a Karnataka staple ) which makes for the striking color. Not sure about the other ( could be the Guntur ones ) but it is sure to be hot as the dish will almost surely set your tongue on fire. I have used the Kashmiri chillis which have a medium heat and give a nice color too. My dish was hot but tolerably so. No point in putting too much chillis and then drinking gallons of water instead of enjoying the dish. I also made a sweetened Ghee rice to go with it!!

Sorry for the bad camera work. My hands feel kinda shaky these days.

Ever Heard Of Pizza Economics? ( Guest Post )

My first guest post!! Feeling privileged to have Mr. Umakant Sharma write a piece for me.  An experienced writer, he has more than 6 years experience in online writing. He writes on mostly Food, health, Business and Education. Read on -

Last week I woke up with an incredibly awesome dream of a mouthwatering pizza with every bite bombarding my mouth with various flavors of yummy toppings. This was realization enough, that I had been suppressing my pizza craving from too long and nothing could stop me from having it as soon as possible.

I reached college determined to convince my gang of friends for a pizza party. Right when I was about to accomplish my mission, our economics professor entered and there was a disappointing murmur. Sensing the mood, the professor proposed a brilliant idea of ordering the pizzas in the class and enjoy the working bites. The concept was new for us and we loved it. This was when I knew God’s also loved pizzas.

The lecture started and surprisingly the professor was innovative enough to teach the pizza way. I could not believe what was happening. The teacher was explaining the distribution of average expenses of previous year. The best part was the he made a nice vegetarian pizza, the pizza base and cheese was called the entire population and wedges of different vegetables were  the other aspects like housing sector, food sector etc. 

After this we were discussing the policy implementation and the professor explained once we gave the idea having a pizza, the policy was proposed, and to implement the policy, we need to order online and this is what called policy implementation initiation.

However, before we could do it, we must understand the discrepancy in population, and also need to respect the non-vegetarians and need to choose a chicken pizza as well. So we decided on Chicken Dominator which has almost all the yummy toppings.

Finally we ordered 10 pizzas online from www.dominos.co.in  which turned out to be a very convenient way of ordering with various features like customize your order, Pizza tracker etc. Our pizzas actually reached within 30 mins and I ran to grab them as the Italian herby aroma announced their presence in our department. Now was the time to implement the policy and eat and enjoy the much awaited Italian pie. It was a huge party, full of enthusiasm and most importantly the humor that took off had the flavor of economics in a cheesy way.

This was really innovative and flavorful which made me an absolute fan of my teacher. This not only made the pizza gang bigger as other students who were not a part of our gang also joined in contributing and enjoying the pizza affair, but we also learned some of the boring topics in the most interesting way possible. This was one of the lessons I will remember all my life.

Until this day, I detested studies, specifically economics thinking it was just based on assumptions, but ever since the famous pizza session, I started scoring good and my learning trajectory kept on rising which made me a favorite student of my favorite teacher.

The pizzas actually bridged the gap between me and studies and finally today I owe a lot to that pizza session which not only gave me everlasting memories but also changed me to focus more and score well in studies. 

Jalebi with Rabdi

Sometime back I tried my hands at making Jalebi. Now I always had an idea that it would be very tough to prepare it . But it was quite easy and I was surprised at the results. Though I struggled a bit to get the shapes right, the taste was awesome.

I paired it with rabdi or 'thickened milk' which is a classic combination in North India. The creamy chilled rabdi goes very well with the crunchy hot jalebis. Though it takes a bit of time to get both ready, one can make the rabdi a day or two in advance to save oneself from too much trouble within the span of a single day.

Actually was planning to make some 'jalebis' today for my son. That's when I remembered that the post is long pending. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour 20 mins (approx)

Ingredients -

For the Jalebi -

• 2/3 cup all purpose flour (maida)
• 1/3 cup gram flour (besan)
• 4 tsp cornflour 
• 3/4 cup yogurt 
• 1/5 tsp baking powder 
• a pinch of saffron
• 1 1/2 tbsp warm milk
• 1 1/2 tsp rice bran oil
• oil for deep frying

For the Sugar syrup -

• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• a pinch of saffron
• 2-3 drops orange food color

For the Rabdi -

2 1/2 cup full cream milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
sugar as per taste
2 tsp finely chopped nuts
a pinch of saffron
a pinch of cardamom powder


Preparation - Soak the saffron strands in warm milk for 20 mins. Rub with you fingers. Add to a mixing bowl along with the rest of the ingredients ( except baking powder ) listed under 'For the jalebi'. Add a little water at a time and mix using a hand blender. The consistency should be thick .

Allow to ferment overnight or still more in a cold climate . The baking powder goes in 20 mins before the jalebis are made.

Cooking - Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan for making the sugar syrup. Boil for 8-10 mins or till 1 string consistency is reached. Add the food color and saffron. Keep aside and ensure that it stays warm to touch.

Heat oil in a shallow vessel. Take the jalebi batter in a piping bag or a cloth with a small hole in the center.
Holding the tip just above the oil, pipe out into circular shapes starting from center, make 2-3 circles (or more if you can manage) and close the end at the last circle. Apply uniform pressure while piping the batter.

Fry on medium heat on both sides till golden and crisp. Transfer from the hot oil straight to the warm sugar syrup. Allow to soak for 1-2 mins before removing it to a plate.

Heat the milk in a thick bottomed saucepan for making the rabdi. Bring to boil on low to medium heat and allow to reduce to 1/3. Stir in the condensed milk and sugar and remove from flame after 2-3 mins. Add the saffron, cardamom powder and toasted nuts. Keep aside till it comes to room temperature. Then pop it in the fridge (not freezer) for 1 hour. ( This rabdi is not very thick

Pour out the chilled rabdi into pint sized glasses and place the warm jalebis over it. Garnish with a few saffron strands and nuts if desired. Serve immediately.

Avocado Pasta ( Vegan recipe )

This is another super simplistic pasta recipes that I stumbled upon while surfing the net. Love cooking pasta on my lazy days as it takes very less effort to put together something so tasty. It is one of those high ROI recipes. If you have a ripe avocado on hand, you will easily find the rest of the stuff that goes with it from your kitchen cabinets.

Read on -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup durum wheat pasta
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado
• 3-4 Italian basil leaves (optional)
• 2-3 garlic flakes
• 1 1/2 EVOO
• salt to taste
• freshly ground pepper

Preparation - Scoop out the avocado flesh. Roughly chop up and transfer to a blender. Add the garlic flakes, basil leaves, EVOO and a pinch of salt. Ground into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Boil water in a large saucepan. Add salt once you can see the bubbles coming up.

Throw in the pasta as it gets to a rolling boil. Cook till al-dente.

Drain off the water from the pasta ( but retain about  1/2 a cup for thinning the avocado puree if required ).

Transfer the pasta to a dish. Add the avocado puree and 2-3 tsp pasta water. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper. Toss up and serve immediately.

Tastes best when warm. (Do not re-heat)

Note - One can also add a bit of tang by mixing 1/3 tsp lemon juice/sour cream/hung yogurt with the puree.

Goalondo Chicken Curry

I love recipes that have a story woven around them. Whether truth or fiction, a bit of folklore always seems to add that right amount of oomph or X-factor to a dish. Goalondo Chicken curry/Steamer chicken curry was created by the Muslim boatmen of 'Goalondo-Narayanganj' steamers in pre-partition India. It was an important point in those days while travelling from Kolkatta to Dhaka.

As this is a Bengali recipe that dates back to the British days, I feel honored to put a piece of history on my blog. Having read about it on so many blogs, I could not resist its charm. There is nothing earth shattering about the recipe, just a very basic rustic type with minimal spices. Due to the limited kitchen available on a boat, it was made with un-ground spices.Believe me, many of us would have already tried it out without knowing about its iconic status. Even my mother-in-law makes something like this but has long forgotten where she picked up the recipe. My husband attributes the great taste to the miraculous waters of the Ganga and Bhramaputra that irrigate the region.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour ( plus 10-12 mins extra )

Ingredients -

• 600 gm medium sized chicken pieces ( skinless )
• 3 big onions (roughly chopped)
• 2 inch ginger ( roughly chopped )
• 8-10 garlic cloves ( roughly chopped )
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2-3 green chilis ( slit lengthwise )
• 2-3 red chilis ( broken into two )
• 4 tbsp mustard oil ( no other oil plz )
• salt to taste
• 1-2 tsp tomato sauce ( my addition )
• coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation - Thoroughly wash chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, red chilis, green chilis, turmeric, mustard oil and salt. Mix well. Keep aside to marinate for 1 hour.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade. Toss on medium flame for 3 mins.

Reduce the flame to low. Cover with a lid and allow to cook without adding any extra water. It is important for the chicken to get cooked in its own juices. It will take about 45 mins to 1 hour for the chicken to become tender. ( Most of the water should have reduced by now. If not, turn up the flame for 2 mins )

Serve hot with white rice or rotis.

Sirini ( Satyanarayana Puja Prasad )

During my childhood days, most people would organize a 'Satyanarayan Puja' on the birthday of their kids. Usually they would pick the date for the Puja according to the 'thithi' or Hindu religious calendar leaving their kids free to celebrate the actual B'day ( as per the Christian calendar ) with a cake cutting ceremony. All the neighbours would be invited for the Puja and a big vessel of 'Sirini' would be prepared by the 'Nana' or the pujari. Sometimes if the pujari was lenient, he would allow some family member to prepare the prasad. In those days  Brahmins would not touch food prepared by any other caste than their own. Along with the 'Sirini', there would be a large plate holding dozens of 'Sitabhog' laddoos or 'Sareikela laddoo' as we call it in Rourkela. All the kids would be eyeing the laddoos and hoping fervently for the Puja to get over. The prasad would consist of a 'danaa' or bowl made with 'sal leaves' filled with delicious 'Sirini' and a Sitabhog laddoo.

Sirini was originally made with rice flour but sometime back people switched to using 'atta' or whole wheat four instaed of the former. The other ingredients are milk, mashed ripe bananas, sugar and crushed black pepper. Some people also add fruits like apples and pears. I have chosen to make this with a mix of rice flour and wheat flour in equal proportion.
Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 3 tsp sugar
• 2  - 2 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper

Preparation - Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use a hand blender to get a smooth and consistent mixture.

Serve immediately or chill for 20 mins before serving.

Matches are made not fixed !!!!!!!!!!!

Its time for my favorite celebrity couple to exchange their vows. Yes, the cricketing poster boy finally ties the knot with the beautiful Yash Raj girl. The adventurous couple have decided to have an all out beach wedding at Goa complete with the rustic shacks serving sorpotel and vindaloo ( Ofcourse...there will be the feni too). And being appointed the wedding planner, I am in seventh heaven as I get a ringside view of the nuptials! Shhh...stay tuned as I may pass on some of the insider info from time to time...........

Organizing a celebrity wedding is no easy task but being the online freak that I am, I obviously turn to one of my favorite website Baggout.com. Yeah.......it is my destination of choice for deals and coupons (hehehe..and some cashback too). Well I am going to make the most out of it and help my clients save on their wedding expenses. Agreed they earn much more than all of us put together but still they are smart people and want to spend it right.

I have been handed the guest list and the couple have given me a few suggestions for the wedding invites and the gifts that will go out with it.  Print venue  and Chumbak offer some great designs and variety along with good discounts. I am sure the couple is going to like the fact that the gifts can bear a personalized message or mugshot or even both. Planning to suggest some Photo coffee mugs/sippers/engraved pens/mobile covers that their friends are going to love.

The guests have to be flown in from all over the country and abroad. No running after travel agents or repeatedly calling up the airlines and hotel reception desks to enquire about discounts and manage the bookings. Makemytrip is the perfect solutions to get everything done at one place. Currently they offer upto 50 percent discount on hotel bookings plus 10-20 percent discount on the domestic flight bookings. Local transportation for the guests will be arranged by Olacabs which currently offers a discount of rupees 56 on every booking. Seems minuscule by itself but adds up to a lot when the all trips are taken into account.

No wedding is complete without flowers and the bouquets and flower arrangements will be taken care by  Fernsnpetals....flowers...anywhere...anytime! Apart from the lavish multi-cuisine spread at the wedding venue, just-eat.in has been roped in to ensure that the guests do not go hungry or thirsty anywhere anytime.

Coming to the couple itself, it is time get some shopping done for them.After all they be going on a month long honeymoon once the wedding is over. He has decided to gift the stylish dame some great stuff from Jabong. Hardly surprising as the lady also happens to their brand ambassador. (Click here to take a leaf outta her style guide). Since she also happens to a avid reader, he has decided to gift a whole library of books ( and e-books too) bought from Amazon and Flipkart both of which have some great discounts running on at the moment. "And since your lady openly professes her love for jewellery by saying "Gehnon se bahut bahut pyar hai", a few statement pieces from Jewelskart will definitely make her day", I offer him some girly advice which he happily accepts.

Now its time for me to sit down with the lady and help her purchase the gifts for her beau. Apart from buying some trendy designer outfits from Jabong ( yeah they have been stocking names like Rohit Bal for sometime now !!), I suggest her to buy some dapper luggage pieces as both of them practically live out of suitcases given their hectic schedules. Apart from the fine collection at Jabong, Flipkart offers a mind boggling variety in terms of designs and colors. "By the way , you can also pick up some quirky and stylish stuff from FabFurnish and India Circus to do up your new pad", I offer as a parting advise . I can see her still glued to the homepage of Baggout as I wave her goodbye for the day. I cross my fingers and hope that I still have the job when I report for work the next day. With Baggout.com's help, anyone can organize a wedding !!! Even Virat Kohli and Anuskha Sharma.............




Disclaimer - This is my blog post written for Baggout.com's contest . It is a fictional account and any resemblance to any character dead or living is highly coincidental !!!

Mula Besara ( Radish in a mustard-yogurt gravy )

Radish is one of those vegetables which is a must include for a weight loss diet.  It is low on carbs, high on roughage/fiber and loaded with water. It is low GI food which helps manage sugar levels more efficiently in diabetics and its high vitamin C, folic acid and anthocyanins make it an anti-carcinogenic. It also happens to be a wonder food for disinfecting, detoxifying and nourishing all the organs involved in the digestive system.

This vegetable is consumed in most Odia households in the form of khatta, raita, salad, bhaja and besara. All of these recipes are simple, doable and low in calories. Though my husband is not very fond of this vegetable, I quite enjoy it and make it when I am cooking a meal for myself. Today's recipe is a simple mula besara or radish cooked in a gravy of mustard-yogurt-garlic. I have tweaked the recipe a bit.

Read on -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup radish ( peeled and cubed )
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1-2 green chili
• 3 tbsp thick yogurt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/2  tsp mustard oil
• salt to taste
• freshly grated coconut for garnishing

Preparation - Grind the mustard, garlic and green chili into a fine paste. Dissolve in 1/2 cup water. Strain to remove all the black bits (skin). [ I was a bit clumsy while doing this and some of the un-strained paste fell into my mixing bowl. Hence you can see some black specks in the final dish]

Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the strained mustard paste. Mix well.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Add the contents of the mixing bowl . Cover and cook till the radish is just cooked.
(I prefer to leave it a bit crunchy/chewy)

If there is still lot of liquid remaining, remove the radish and then reduce the sauce till it is thick. Pour this thickened sauce over the radish and sprinkle freshly grated coconut.

Serve at room temperature with white rice.


Note - One can also leave out the garlic as the radish is quite pungent in itself. The yogurt and coconut also help to reduce the pungency.

Shrikhand

Shrikhand is a simple yet easy to make and good to eat Indian dessert. By using a low calorie yogurt and substituting Sugarfree/Splenda for sugar, it can be transformed into a low calorie delight. One can also add fruit puree to it. Also it happens to be one of Bal gopal's favorites.

Read on for this recipe which is also offered as prasad/neivaidyam on the occasion of Janmasthami-

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup hung curd
• 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• a pinch of cardamom powder
• a few nuts
• 3-4 strands of saffron
• 1 tbsp warm milk
• 1-2 drops rose water/kewda water (optional)

Preparation - Soak the saffron in the milk for 10 mins.

Transfer all ingredients (except nuts) to a blender. Buzz to get a smooth paste.

Garnish with the chopped nuts and serve chilled.

Note - I personally prefer to make shrikhand with a day old yogurt so that it has just a hint of sourness. 

Sev Tamatar ki Subzi ( sev tamatar nu shak )

Happy Janmasthami to all my readers!!!!!

Nal Lal. Bal Gopal. Kanhaiya. Devakinandan. Makhan Chor. Govinda. Murlidhar. These are some of Lord Krishna's popular names. Most of us would visualize him as a chubby toddler stealing 'Makhan' or as a teenager playfully teasing the Gopikas but most commonly as the charioteer cum adviser of Arjuna during the Mahabharata. Today as we celebrate his birthday with the breaking of the 'Dahi handi', I am sharing a simple no onion - no garlic recipe for all those who will be keeping a fast today. It is the simple 'sev tamatar  ki subzi' that is a favorite among most of my Jain friends and me too!!
 ( To know more about the story of Lord Krishna's birth , click here )


Recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp chili powder ( one can reduce/increase the quantity )
• 1/3 cup sev
• 2 pinch turmeric
• a pinch of asafotida
• a pinch of garam masala
• a pinch of cumin
• salt to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp oil ( one can also use ghee )
• coriander leaves for garnishing (optional)
• 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

Preparation - Finely chop the tomatoes.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the cumin seeds and allow to splutter. Add asafoetida followed by the chopped tomatoes.

Cover with a lid for 1-2 mins to soften the tomatoes.

Add turmeric, chili powder, garam masala and salt along with 3-4 tbsp water. Cover till the tomatoes are completely cooked.

Add the sugar and stir in. Then add the sev and switch off the flame.

Finally garnish with some coriander leaves and serve hot with roti/parantha/puris.

Note - One can also add onion , ginger and garlic to this recipe on non-fasting days.

Tiranga Faluda

Its that time of the year yet again. The tricolor hues seem to be floating everywhere around me. Even my kid is wearing it to school today. And not to mention all the lovely blog posts that have been popping on my screen over the past week. This one however was conceptualized almost a fortnight back for the second round of the Borosil-Indiblogger contest that I did not win. It seems one needs past laurels as well as a good sales pitch to reach the podium finish in such contests. Anyways that's in the past now.

The recipe that I am going to share today is a simple one. I have used mango, vanilla and kiwi as the flavours in the this recipe. But one can go for any three flavours that one likes and use a bit of edible food color to get the right shade. I would have liked a thicker consistency for the faluda but unfortunately there was an 8 hour long power-cut on the day and my ice creams just melted off. While it does not look as good, it does taste great. Very apt if you are entertaining any friends over the long weekend. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 12 tbsp subza (basil) seeds
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 scoops vanilla ice-cream 
• 2 scoops mango ice-cream
• 2 scoops kiwi ice-cream
• 2 tbsp mango crush
• 2 tbsp kiwi crush
• few drops of orange food color ( or saffron instead )
• few drops of green food color
• chopped cherries for garnishing

Preparation - Divide the subza seeds into 3 portions. Add each portion to 2/3 cup warm milk. Add a little green color and 1 tbsp kiwi crush to one cup. To another cup, add some orange color and 1 tbsp mango crush. Soak for 1-2 hours.

Mix in the remaining mango and kiwi crush with 2 scoops of mango and 2 scoops of kiwi ice-cream respectively .

Assembly - Take some clean glasses . First add a little of the green colored subza mixture. Top it with the Kiwi ice-cream.

Then add another layer of white colored subza mixture topped with the vanilla ice-cream.

Finally add the layer of orange colored subza mix topped with mango icecream.

Sprinkle the cherries on top.

Serve immediately.

Note - I have not used sugar as the crush and ice-cream add a lot of sweetness to this dessert. But one can add some sugar as well as per preference.

Chingudi Dalma ( Our very own Prawn Dhansak )

As Dalma is usually synonymous to fasting days in the Odia culture, it came as a bit of shocker when I first heard about the non-veg versions from my husband's cousins. I am not sure how such recipes came about but I have a niggling doubt that maybe some enterprising Odia chef/restaurant was inspired by the iconic  Parsi delight 'Dhansak'. But I maybe wrong. Being from the western region of Odisha, Dalma was not something that we regularly encountered during the growing up years. It was labelled as 'Kataki' ( meaning that it was favored by people from Cuttack ) dish.

However after marriage it became an integral part of my menu and i cook it alteast 2-3 times a week as it is very light and nutritious ( i avoid any kind of garam masala and ghee unless it is a special occasion ). Also, if one has chopped veggies stored in the fridge, it hardly takes 15 mins to get this dish onto the table. But coming to today's recipe, the 'Chingudi/Prawn Dalma' has got elements of the both a Odia prawn curry and a vegetable dalma. Like mine to have the texture of a thick lentil soup with melt in the mouth vegetables and chewy prawns. ( But going by the list of ingredients, I guess it is the closet thing next to a 'Prawn Dhansak'). Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 25-30 mins


Ingredients -

• 1/2 cup toor dal
• 1/2 cup diced pumpkin
• 1/2 cup green banana
• 1 small potato (cubed)
• 5-6 big cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup green peas
• 2 small tomatoes (each cut into 4 pieces)
• 1/2 cup small shrimps
• 1 small onion
• 7-8 garlic flakes
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 red chili
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 1/2 inch cinnamon
• 2 small bay leaf
• 2 pinch cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 4 tsp rice bran oil
• coriander leaves for garnishing
• 2 pinch roasted cumin-chili powder (optional)

Preparation - Wash and marinate the prawns with a bit of salt and turmeric. (If they are small, leave the shells as it is else remove the shells)

Grind the onion, ginger, garlic. bay leaf, red chili, cinnamon and cardamom into coarse paste and keep aside.

Cooking - Wash and transfer the vegetables ( except for 1 tomato ) and the dal into a pressure cooker. Add salt and turmeric.Close lid and cook for 1-2 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes.

Add 2-3 tsp oil to a wok. Thrown in the prawns and fry them on medium flame for 5 mins or till done. (Frying time depends on size)

Add the remaining oil to the same wok. Thrown in the bay leaf and cumin seeds. After the spluttering slows down, add the onion masala paste and fry till raw smell goes off.

Add the remaining tomato and cook till it softens. Now add the fried prawns and cook for 1-2 mins.

Pour the cooked dal and veggies into the wok. Bring to boil and simmer for 7-8 mins.

Sprinkle coriander leaves and roasted cumin-chili powder just before removing from the flame.

Serve hot with white rice or rotis.

Note - For a thicker and richer gravy , increase the amount of onion-garlic-ginger masala by 1.5 times, boil for 5-7 mins extra and add a little cinnamon powder just before removing from flame.

Jain Pav Bhaji

Jain food happens to be an extension of the Jainism philosophy of 'Ahimsa' or non-violence. Hence it does not include any ingredient which is harvested in a manner that causes death or injury to any living being. That eliminates all the root vegetables as it involves uprooting/killing the plant and displacing small organisms living in the vicinity. Also, foods that stimulate feelings of anger/negativity ( 'tamas') like onions and garlic are also prohibited.

My first taste of Jain pav bhaji came during my stay in Pune. This is a city that offers some really amazing jain food though I have forgotten the names of the places after so many years. Coming back to the Pav Bhaji, it is a really simple one made without using onion, garlic or even potatoes. Hence it is something that can be eaten/served to guests on 'Vrat' or fasting days. One just needs to buy a 'Pav Bhaji Masala' that eliminates onion and garlic among its ingredients and one is good to go. I got the 'no onion-no garlic' masala from a brand called 'Kapol'.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 25-30 mins ( this includes a standby of 10-12 mins )

Ingredients -

• 1/2 raw banana
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 medium sized capsicum
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 1 tsp pav bhaji masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 pinch cumin seeds
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 4-5 pav/buns
• butter as required
• coriander leaves for garnishing
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• lemon wedges for garnishing

Preparation - Wash the cauliflower, cabbage and green peas. Transfer to a pressure cooker.

Wash and peel the raw banana and cube it. Add to the cooker along with 1/2 cup water, a pinch of turmeric and salt. Cook on medium flame for 2-3 whistles.

Keep aside till steam escapes. Use a hand blender to mash up the boiled veggies into a coarse/chunky paste. ( one can also use a traditional masher instead )

Chop the capsicum and tomatoes into small pieces.

Cooking - Heat 3 tsp oil and a bit of butter in a pan.  When sufficiently hot, add the cumin seeds.

Once the seeds stop spluttering, add chopped capsicum. Fry for 1 minute before adding the tomatoes. Cover with a lid for 1 min. Remove lid and crush the softened tomatoes with a spatula.

Add all the powdered masalas along with a little salt. Fry for 1-2 mins before adding the mashed veggies.
Cook for 8-10 min to blend all the flavours. Adjust salt if required and add a few teaspoons of hot water if it is getting too dry. Sprinkle coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Heat  1-2 tsp butter in a separate pan. Fry the pav to a light golden.

Garnish the bhaji/curry with a dollop of butter, more coriander leaves and lemon wedges. Serve hot with the pav.

Note - Use Kashmiri red chili powder if you want a reddish hue to the bhaji. Also, I have kept the quantity of chili powder quite less as I was making it for my toddler. Add more if you want it hot.

Chuda Kadamba ( Avalakki/Poha Laddoo )

Chuda santula (Poha). Chuda Kadali Chakta. Chuda khera. Chuda payas. While there are many ways of consuming beaten rice ( or 'Chuda') in  Odisha, I came across this one very recently. 'Chuda Kadamba' or laddoos made of powdered beaten rice are not only easy to make, they taste great and are super healthy too!! They do sound like manna from heaven for folks on a strict diet regimen ( one can cut down on the quantity of ghee by half and use skim milk instead ) .

I was inspired to make this for my kid who is on a snacking spree these days. Store bought stuff can be unhealthy at times ( MSG, too much sugar, artificial sweeteners) and he is always looking for more variety. Hence I tried these laddoos which did not call for much effort and are low on white/refined sugar too !!! While I have added some cashews and raisins to my version but one can also omit the same. Read on for the quick recipe -

Preparation time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups thin poha/chuda (beaten rice)
• 5 tsp brown sugar/jaggery
• 2 green cardamoms (powdered)
• 1 tsp ghee
• 4 tbsp freshly grated coconut
• 4-5 tsp warm milk ( or as needed for binding )
• a pinch of edible camphor (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp broken cashews (optional)
• 2 tbsp raisins (optional)

Preparation - Heat 1/2 tsp ghee in a pan. Add the cashews and raisins and fry for 10-15 seconds. Keep aside to cool down.

Grind the beaten rice to a fine powder.

Next add the cardamom and brown sugar/jaggery to the same blender jar and buzz till mixed.

Add freshly grated coconut, ghee, fried cashews and buzz for 1-2 seconds.

Finally add the milk little by little and give it a buzz. All the ingredients should come together like a dough. If not add more milk by the teaspoon ( be careful at this stage ).

Rub ghee on your hands, take a little of the mixture and try to form a ball/laddoo. If it is binding well, remove the mixture from blender jar into a mixing bowl else add more milk . Add raisins and camphor. Mix well.

Make into small balls. Pop into the fridge for a few hours. Keep refrigerated and consume with 2-3 days.