Horse Gram and Spring onion Soup ( Comforting Monsoon Broths Collaboration )

Monsoon and romance. Well, these two have always seemed synonymous to me. Thankfully I am not the only one prone to their magical madness. The bewitching monsoons have fueled the imagination of many a creative souls resulting in those rain drenched Bollywood sequences that are symbolic of the heavens melting into the embrace of a scorched earth.

From watching those dark clouds traverse the canopy of the blue skies to catching those first rain drops with my hands, I find myself soaking in the beauty of this spellbinding season. And even if it scares the shit out of me at times, I am still fascinated by it. My childhood memories are littered with instances where I hid behind a thick curtain to take a peek at those almost mysterious lightning displays while closing the ears tightly every time the thunder rolled. In fact there are a dozen of those monsoon memories clearly imprinted in my memory.

Once the storm blew over, I would rush out to find the whole garden/terrace littered with Gulmohar blossoms from a huge tree that dominated the entrance of our locality. The lawns resembled something like a piece of modern art with splotches of red and yellow on a verdant canvas. And I would compete with my brother in gathering the most number of intact blossoms. Even if it meant venturing out in the muck and all. Replete with slithering earthworms and creepy crawlies. But somehow in those days, even though we were young, we had the values of 'peaceful co-existence' inculcated in us. So one was never bothered about these creatures.

While growing up has taken the fun out of the rains, it has certainly fired up the romantic in me. A dozen hopeless poems and passages in my short stories bear testimony to this. But speaking practically and sticking to realistic goals, every time it rains, I just want to cozy up with a book, a cup of warm liquid and a blanket. Good enough for most people, don't you agree ?

Now that I have already mentioned it, a warm broth aka soup seems to have become the mainstay of my monsoon diet. From the typical indigenous fare like Kanji, rasam and shorba, to chinese brews and healthy vegetable based nourishment, everything gets a chance to be on the menu. On a rotation basis of course. And the last entrant on this bandwagon is the 'Horsegram soup', a hearty decoction inspired by the 'Kolotho dali' which is an important past of Odia cuisine.

Check out the recipe -

[ and more !! Collab Post Alert *** ]

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup roasted and split Horsegram
• 2-3 spring onion bulbs
• 4-5 tsp chopped spring onions (including the greens)
• 2 medium sized tomato
• 10-12 peppercorns
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1-2 dry red chilis
• 1 tsp oil
• pinch of turmeric
• salt to taste
• additional spring onion bulb for garnishing

Preparation - Wash and soak the horsegram for 2-3 hours. 

Cooking - Cook it for 5-6 whistles in a pressure cooker along with 2-3 spring onion bulbs, tomatoes, salt, turmeric, peppercorn and 3 cups water. 

Once the steam escapes, open the lid and use a hand blender to puree the cooked lentils and tomatoes.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the crushed garlic and whole dry red chilis. Once it is fragrant, remove the chilis.

Add the chopped spring onions and saute for 2-3 mins. Pour everything over the pureed ingredients.

Put the pressure cooker back on the flame and let it simmer for 5-6 mins (without lid) . Adjust the consistency by adding hot water and check for the salt.

Pour into serving bowls. Serve.

Dont forget to dunk in some sliced spring onions for extra flavour.

Check this striking soup recipe by my amazing friend Parinaaz  who is a part of the ongoing Comforting Monsoon Broths Collaboration !! Don't forget to visit her blog - A Dollop Of That for some mouthwatering Parsi fare :).

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

Anar Gulab Sharbat ( Ramadam Special Collab with ADollopOfThat )

For the majority of foodies, Ramadan means a month long period of indulgence. From scouring for a treat in those tiny lanes that sell mouth watering kebabs and other delicacies to enjoying a full fledged meal at a friend's house, one does not leave any stoned unturned when it comes to making the most of this opportunity.

But for the people who actually observe the month long fast ( or 'roza' ), it is quite taxing to abstain from food and drink for almost 14 to 15 hours on an everyday basis. While it is supposed to help one develop the qualities of self control and abstinence, and the fasting does help detoxify the body, the whole process can leave one dehydrated and exhausted if one does not care to replenish ones energy reserves.

Hence the drinks also form an important part of the sehri and iftar meals as one needs to keep oneself hydrated. And if the weather is especially hot, it should additionally cool the body. Here is a very simple Ramadan drink that one can prepare in no time . Made with rose petals, pomegranate juice and a dash of Roohafza, this is one soothing concoction that smells heavenly.

Just in case the very description of this Sharbat leaves you with a whetted appetite, there is another delicacy to make it even more special. For my very talented friend Parinaaz is sharing the recipe for Quatayef, a luscious Middle Eastern pancake.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10 mins ( standby time - overnight  or 8 hours )

Ingredients -

• 2 cups of deep pink rose petals
• 3 cups hot water
• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 4 tbsp Roohafza
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• a few rose petals for the garnish
• a squeeze of lemon ( optional )
• sugar syrup as per taste

Preparation - Grind the rose petals in a blender and steep the paste in the hot water. Pop it in the fridge and let it stand for 7-8 hours. 

Strain into another jug using a fine mesh. Add the pomegranate juice and Roohafza. Taste and add more sugar syrup if required. 

If it is too sweet for your liking, squeeze in some lemon as well.

Pour into glasses. 

Garnish with pomegranate seeds and rose petals.

Serve chilled.

And here is the delicious Quatayef !!

Steamed Veggie Appams ( Collaboration with Plattershare & FarmztoFamiliez )

A great day begins with a great breakfast ! For someone like me, it is the most important meal of the day as I really get hungry in the morning. And any compromise on the quality/quantity has serious ramifications like dizziness ( due to low sugar levels ), migraine and even acid reflux. That is apart from struggling with low energy levels throughout the day.

But making a hearty breakfast for the family takes time and one tends to neglect doing it during the morning rush. That is when the 'Ready to Prepare' products like FarmztoFamiliez which their wide range of traditional batters come into the picture. They are specially designed to ease out the congestion in our everyday routine without computerizing on health and nutrition.

These easy to prepare 'Steamed Veggie Appams' is prepared from the FarmztoFamiliez 'Ready to Prepare' Appam batter that was delivered to me in collaboration with Plattershare. Freshly ground and free from preservatives, it has all the goodness and taste that one expects from a home made one. While it certainly delivers those crispy and perforated appams, I choose to make a healthier version by mixing it with veggies and steaming it.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 35 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup appam batter
• 1 cup mixed vegetables cut into small pieces ( broccoli, carrot, beans ) 
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 small onion 
• 1/3 inch ginger (grated) 
• 2 garlic cloves (grated) 
• 1 chopped green chili (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp thick coconut milk 
• 1/4 tsp white pepper powder 
• 1 tsp sugar 
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp canola oil

Preparation - Adjust the consistency of the appam batter by adding salt, sugar and the coconut milk. (One can also add a little water instead of the coconut milk if required)

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chopped onions, green chili, ginger and garlic.
Saute till raw smell goes off.


Add the chopped vegetables along with the curry leaves. Sprinkle a little salt and cook till half done.
Add the white pepper powder and mix. Remove and keep aside.

Switch on the stove . Put water in the steamer and get it to a boil.

Take a steamer plate and pour half of the appam batter over it. Spread the veggies in a uniform layer. Top with the remaining appam batter.

Let it cook for about 15 mins or till firm.

Remove from the steamer and let it come down to room temperature .

Cut into pieces and serve with tea and chutney / ketchup or even just as it is .

Patra Ni Macchi ( Navroz Collaboration with ADollopOfThat & DelishPotporri )

The Parsi New Year Navroz or Nowruz literally means a new day or new light ! Celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Shehenshai calendar, it almost always falls on March 21st according to the Gregorian calendar. And just like everyone else, Parsis celebrate the day with new clothes and some great food. Of course there is the mandatory visit to the Fire Temple and the laying of the festive table with various items that symbolize the Parsi way to life. A copy of the Gathas, a lit lamp that symbolizes fire, a bowl with live goldfish, sprouted wheat, silver coins, painted eggs, flowers and sweets along with seven food items are some of the things that one can expect to find in every Parsi home on this day. Each one of these things is supposed to hold some kind of significance in life.

For the rest of us, it can be just about the food. While it does sound cliched, almost everyone thinks that Parsis are synonymous with great food. Of course they are but that is not all. Parsis are actually a very intelligent breed with an added sense of humor ( did anyone say Cyrus Broacha ) and immense business acumen ( Tata, Godrej, Wadia and so on.....). For an ethnic group with a population that does not even breach 6 digits, they sure have a way of making themselves seen and heard !

Getting back to the food (thank God for that), there are some favorites that feature on the Navroz menu every year. Prawn Patio, Ravo, Mithu dahi, Sev, Patra ni Macchi, Sali Chicken, Faludah are some of delicacies that are simple and yet sure to make one drool.

And simplicity was what I was looking for when I zeroed in on the 'Patri Ni Macchi' which literally means fish wrapped in leaves. Yup, it is a Pomfret or Ravas smeared in simple spices and very little oil, wrapped up carefully in tender banana leaves and steamed till done. That's it. Simple, rite ? But wait the best part is yet to come ! As one unfolds the leaves, a tantalizing aroma starts tickling the nostrils and as if one cue, the mouth starts watering. The final blow to the senses comes when one takes a bite of the succulent flesh. It can only be described as 'heady'. Trust me, I am not going to be thinking about grilled or fried fish for a long time.

But save some of that drool for there is more delicious to be sampled. Check out  Parinaaz's  and Saswati's !

Read on for the recipe of 'Patra Ni Macchi' -

Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -

• 6 pieces of rawas (fillets)
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 2 banana leaves

For the green chutney -

• 1 cup freshly grated coconut 
• 1-2 green chilis
• 1 cup coriander leaves (lightly packed)
• 1/2 cup mint leaves (lightly packed)
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 2 pinch cumin seeds
• 2 pinch sugar (optional)
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash the fish pieces and dry with a paper towel. Add 1 tsp lime juice and salt to taste. Mix and let it stand for 20 mins.

Take all the ingredients mentioned under 'green chutney' into a mixer jar. Make a smooth paste using as little water as possible. Mix the lime juice into this paste.

Wash the banana leaves and dry them. Remove the stiff middle spine and cut into decent sized squares for wrapping the fish.

Brush a little oil on each leaf. Place a teaspoon of the chutney in the center and a fillet over it. Heap the fish fillet with more of the green chutney till it is completely smeared with a thick layer.

Fold each leaf individually and tie it up with a string. Repeat the process for each fillet.

Cooking - Get a steamer ready . Place the parcels inside it and steam for 20 to 25  mins.

Transfer to the serving dish and remove the strings.

Serve with the banana leaves. (To be opened just before eating)

And before you set off to buy fish, just take a few minutes to go through these two delicious recipes !! Maybe it will save you another trip to the market ;)

Check out the delicious Mithu Dahi by Parinaaz on 'A Dollop Of That!'

and the luscious Lagan Nu Custard by Saswati on 'Delish Potpourri'.

Eggless Turmeric Coconut Cake ( A Christmas Collaboration )

This year saw the humble turmeric grab the spotlight on an international stage ! The 'haldi-wala doodh' reinvented itself as the gourmet showstopper aka the 'turmeric latte' . Long relegated to the kitchen shelves of every Indian household, the western world is warming up to the superfood status of this miraculous spice. The fact that it possesses a beautiful burnished hue is a major factor behind it's appeal.

When scouting for Christmas recipes, this wonder ingredient was on mind all the time. I wanted to incorporate the beautiful hue and aroma of turmeric in my cake but in a manner which is very different from the Sfoof, a Lebanese tea cake. This cake draws it's inspiration from the 'Enduri pitha', a steamed dish from Odisha which is remi to the Konkani 'Patholi'. It is infused with the sweet aroma of turmeric leaves, cardamom, and coconut. Interestingly, coconut cakes are an important part of the Christmas celebrations in tropical countries like Sri Lanka and even Australia.

While I wanted to use a few drops of freshly squeezed turmeric juice to lend that golden color to my cake, I couldn't find some on my last trip to the local vegetable market. Had to settle for the powdered one. But the flavor turned out to be very different from anything that I have ever tried. Overall, the cake was extremely rich, moist, dense and something that will reminds one of the tropical climes. Read on for the recipe -

[ Don't forget to scroll down to check out a true blue Christmas pudding by my dear friend Parinaaz ]

Preparation Time -

Ingredients -

• 3 cups Maida / all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Sugar 
• 1 cup Ghee 
• 2 cups Yogurt
• 3-4 tbsp condensed milk
• 1 cup freshly grated coconut
• 3 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed turmeric juice (or 1/2 tsp turmeric powder)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
• Turmeric leaves to line the baking tray (optional but recommended)
• a pinch of salt
• a few spoonful of freshly squeezed coconut milk to thin the batter if required

Preparation - Sift all the dry ingredients together.

Add the solid ghee and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk for a few minutes. Then add condensed milk, and curd one by one to the mixing bowl. Whisk till everything forms a homogeneous mixture.

Fold in the dry ingredients taking care to whisk in the same direction.  Finally, fold in the grated coconut.

Line the baking tray with the turmeric leaves. Apply a thin layer of ghee on the leaves. Pour the batter into the baking tray.

Baking - Pre-heat the oven at 180 C for 10 mins.

Place the tray in the oven. Bake at 180 C for 40-50 mins or till a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (the baking time will change depending on the size of the tray)

Remove from the oven and let it cool down.

Invert onto a cooling rack and remove the turmeric leaves. Once it is completely cool, cut it into pieces and serve.

Store the rest in an airtight container.

Check out this fabulous Christmas pudding from A Dollop Of That !! -

Christmas Pudding with brandy sauce !!

Gondhoraj Lemonade with Chia seeds and Mint ( Diwali Collaboration)

As the festive season draws to a close, Diwali becomes the perfect excuse to indulge oneself in every possible way. Unfortunately, it is also the time when we pile on the calories and the resulting kilos. Suddenly that skinny pair of jeans that one picked up last month from a sale seems too tight and the love handles just don't go with the halter blouse that one had got stitched for a cousin's wedding. That leaves one with no option other than hitting the gym with renewed vigor and simultaneously praying for a miracle to melt all that lard in less than a fortnight's time.

Enough reason to revisit our eating habits for the festive season. And cut down of the consumption of high calorie foods. One of the key points to be considered while planning a menu is that the brain often confuses between hunger pangs and thirst signals. Hence while our body might just be craving for some liquid replenishment, one can end up mistaking it for hunger and end up stuffing oneself with food.

To reduce the chances of needless calorie consumption, it is important to keep oneself hydrated. And the best way to do it is by introducing a traditional drinks like shikanji, buttermilk and jal jeera in the Diwali menu. Most of them aid in digestion, replenish the water content of our body and also make us feel somewhat full. And in turn, we end up putting less on the plate.

Keeping this in mind, I prepared a lemonade with the famed Gondhoraj lemons which are found in West Bengal and North-East regions of India. These highly fragrant limes are a rather rare find in Bangalore but then I got lucky on a weekend trip to the vegetable market. I ended up adding some crushed mint (for digestion) and some chia seeds (for fiber) to the lemonade. It turned out quite refreshing, delicious and attractive. The soaked chia seeds settling down on the mint leaves make for a rather pretty sight.

And this being a Diwali Collaboration with my blogger friends Parinaaz ( A Dollop Of That ) and Saswati ( Delish Potpourri ), there are more drinks recipes to be discovered. (Just scroll down to the bottom of this page ! )

Read on for the recipe of 'Gondhoraj Lemonade' -

Preparation Time - 5 mins ( plus 40 mins soaking time )

Ingredients -

• Juice of 1 Gondhoraj lime
• 1 sprig of mint
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar syrup ( use Sugarfree Natura if you want to avoid calories/sugar )
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 200 ml water
• a pinch of salt (optional)

Preparation - Mix in the water, salt and sugar syrup in a jar.

Lightly crush the mint sprig and drop it into a tall glass.

Pour in the lemonade. Sprinkle the chia seeds on the top.

Put it in the fridge for 35-40 mins for chilling. The chia seeds will also get soaked in the meantime.

Remove from the fridge and serve.

Do check out these fabulous drink's by my fellow bloggers -

Parinaaz's Babri Beol Thresh

and

Saswati's Ice Creamy Gulkand Shake .

Magaja Laddoo ( Ganesh Chaturthi Colab with A Dollop Of That & Delish Potpourri )

It's time to welcome home the 'Vighna Harta', the Hindu God endowed with the power to remove all obstacles. He is the God of new beginnings, of wisdom, success and prosperity. Hence for many of us, Ganesh Chaturthi is the right time to begin something new. However, the festivities surrounding this occasion vary with various parts of the country. In Odisha, it is just a one day affair whilst in states like Maharashtra, the celebrations last 10 days on such a grand scale that everything else almost comes to a standstill.

With just 3 days to for the festival, it is high time to get the grocery shopping done for the various kinds of Prasadam to be prepared on the day. Except for the perishables, which of course have to wait for the last day. Different regions swear by their own version of the elephant God's favorite. But 'Laddoos' are onething that remain a constant. Almost every image of Ganesha is depicted with a laddoo in his hand or a plateful of these placed right in front of him.

Hence, my special recipe for this day had to be some kind of a laddoo. And I finalized on the 'Magaja Laddoo' or'Atta laddoo', which is quite popular in Odisha. When I was a child, these laddoos were made by my grandmother who absolutely adored them. She used to dot them with roasted charoli seeds and the combination of flavors was just heavenly. These are a specialty of the cold winter months when the hilly regions of Odisha can turn quite cold. As expected, quite a bit of ghee goes into the making of these laddoos which are said to keep the body warm.

My version of these laddoos is however low in ghee. And I have further fortified their nutritional quotient by adding powdered almonds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, charoli and pumpkin seeds.

Do not forget to scroll down to the bottom of this post for more amazing laddoo recipes from my blogger friends !!

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups whole wheat atta (flour)
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 tsp flax seeds
• 2 tsp charoli 
• 2 tsp pumpkin seeds
• 10-12 almonds
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 2-3 cloves (powdered)
• 1 green cardamom (powdered)

Preparation - Dry roast the sesame seeds, flax seeds, charoli, pumpkin seeds and almonds separately.

Keep them aside to cool down. Transfer all these nuts into a mixer jar (chutney jar is fine) and powder them. Do not overdo the grinding as these the natural oils tend to seep out.

Cooking - Dry roast the whole wheat atta on a very low flame on a skillet. Gradually it will start turning a few shades darker and giving off a heavenly aroma.

At this stage, add the ghee, powdered nuts and sugar . Cook for a while to bring everything together.

Finally sprinkle the powdered cardamom and cloves. Mix in and remove from the flame.

Let it cool a little till it becomes bearable to touch. Take small amounts of the mixture and press tightly to bind them into laddoos. Shape them while they are still warm as they tend to be fragile and difficult to mold once cooled down.

Store in airtight containers once completely cool. Stays fresh for over two weeks.

That's not all !! Check out these fabulous recipes -

Parinaaz's Dink Che Laddoo / Dry Fruit Laddoo with edible gum

And

Saswati's Carrot Cottage Cheese Truffles / Gajar Paneer ke Laddoo !!

Once again, wishing everyone "A very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi " !!