Chenna paratha

This is a quick paratha recipe. I had some leftover chenna in the fridge after preparing a lip-smacking 'Chenna Tarkari' for lunch. So when dinner plans were dropped at the last moment due to an unusually heavy downpour, I decided to turn it into these delicious and wholesome parathas. And i have been hooked to them ever since. Unlike other stuffed paratha recipes, this does not require boiling, peeling, mincing, chopping or grating.

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - Whole wheat flour ( 1 1/2 cups), chenna ( 2/3 cup ), onion ( 1 small, chopped ), coriander leaves ( 1 tbs, chopped ), cumin powder ( 1/5 tsp ), red chilli powder ( 1/5 tsp ), green chilli ( 1 no, finely chopped (optional)), salt to taste, oil/ghee ( 2 tsp ), warm ghee ( 1/2 tsp ).

Preparation - Take the flour in a plate. Rub in the warm ghee. Sprinkle salt. Make a small well at the centre and add water. Mix throughly and knead into a soft dough. Keep aside for 10 mins.

Take the chenna in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped onion, green chilli, cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander and salt. Mix well.

Make four balls out of the dough. Roll out the balls into rotis. Divide the chenna mixture into two portions. Spread over two of the rotis.

Cover with the remaining two rotis. Seal the sides.

Cooking- Heat a tawa. Put one paratha and cook on one side for 1 minute. Flip and add oil/ghee. Cook till done.

Repeat for the other paratha.

Note - These parathas taste equally delicious without adding onions. On the day of Osa/Vrat I make them without the onions and just add a rock salt instead of normal salt.

Corn Palak

This is another recipe i prepared using my favorite 'palak gravy'. As I have already mentioned in my earlier posts, I always stock some of it in the fridge as i find it to be very versatile. This time i paired it with some corn. 

Fresh corn is another ingredient that is always available in my fridge. If nothing else, it always eases my 5 pm hunger pangs. I boil it and season it into one of the combinations like 'Butter-chilli', 'Lemon-chilli', 'Chat masala','butter-garlic', 'Butter-oregano-garlic', ,butter-chilli-lemon, and so on. 

Here is the recipe for some lip smacking corn palak:

Preparation time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 1-1 1/2 cup fresh corn, 3 cups chopped spinach ( palak, use only the tender leaves with stems chopped off ), 1 medium sized onion ( chopped roughly ), 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 green chilli, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/3 tsp chilli powder, 1/3 tsp garam masala (optional), 2 tsp butter, 1 tsp oil, pinch of turmeric, salt to taste. 

Cooking: Boil the corn for 5 mins. Drain water and keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the green chilli and cumin seeds. When seeds start spluttering, add the onion. Fry till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2-3 mins. 

Add the chopped spinach and stir fry on medium to high flame to remove excess water. Remove from wok and keep aside to cool down. Transfer to a blender and blend into a smooth paste.

Heat 2 tsp butter in a wok. Add boiled corn and stir for 2 mins . Add the chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and blanched spinach. Cook for 5 mins.

Garnish with an extra dollop of butter. Serve hot as a side dish with rice/rotis.

Note- Blanch the spinach to retain its natural green color.

Masala Chai ( Tea with spices )

Its been raining incessantly for 5 days now. The laundry baskets are spilling over and the house smells of half-dry clothes. No sunshine greets me as i wake up in the morning. The pitter-patter of the raindrops against the glass windows seems to be drowning out every other sound. The only saving grace to such a gloomy morning being the luscious verdant carpet that covers the open fields in sight.

I steal a sideways glance. Little angel is sleeping blissfully ensconced in his blanket. The sight of his innocent face always manages to lighten my mood. I tuck the blanket around him once again and step down from the bed. Hoping fervently that the newspaper guy is not late, I open the door. Today's edition of TOI greets me back. I pick it up lovingly and step into the kitchen. Need something special to warm up the house and dispel this dank musty feel which seems to hang in the
air. Its too early to bake a cake, so I settled for a cuppa of Masala chai instead.

Time to wake up hubby. Putting the water on the stove to a boil, I called out to him. Managed to wake him up but not without a few grunts and grumblings. Tea was served by the time he freshened up. Nothing better to drive away the blues. Before taking on the day, we savor these tranquil moments spent every morning with the newspaper and tea.

Here is the recipe for my special and always dependable 'Masala chai':

Preparation time - 10-12 mins (serves 4 )

Ingredients - milk ( 2 cups ), water ( 2 1/2 cups ), sugar ( 4 tsp ), tea leaves ( 4 tsp), ginger ( 1 inch ), cloves ( 2 nos ), cinnamon stick ( 1/2 inch ), green cardamon ( 1 no ), star anise ( 1 no ), peppercorns ( 6-7 nos ), bay leaf ( 1 small ).

Preparation- Bring the water to boil in a saucepan. Add the crushed ginger and all other spices. Boil for 5 mins. Strain the water, remove the spices and put it back into the saucepan.

Add sugar and tea leaves. Boil for 2-3 mins.

Add hot milk and simmer for another 2 mins.

Strain and serve hot with khari biscuits/cookies.

Avocado Smoothie

Avocados are easily available in the market these days and the prices have also come down. This is a great time for avocado lovers like me. Though i was first introduced to this fruit during my Mangalore days, i immediately fell for it. One can readily find it in parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

For the uninitaited, this lush green fruit has a very subtle flavour and velevtty , melt-in-the-mouth texture. No wonder it is also popular as butter fruit. Though high in calories, it is has high amount of mono-unsaturated fats and dietary fibre. It is also loaded with vitamins and minerals. It helps in lowering the LDL ( bad cholestrol) and increasing HDL ( good cholestrol ). It is a skin superfood with its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

While buying the fruit, look for deep purple ones or very dark green ones. On pressing between the thumb and forefinger, it should yield only slightly. Too hard or too mushy is just not good enough.

Here is the recipe for a quick smoothie that i made with this fruit:

Preparation time - 10 mins

Ingredients - ripe avocado ( 1 no), milk ( 1/2 cup), fresh yogurt (1/2 cup), almonds ( 5-6 nos ), honey ( 2 tsp), powdered flaxseed ( 1 tsp), ice cubes ( 5-6 nos).

Preparation- Soak the almonds overnight. Wash and remove skin in the morning.

Put a cut along the length of the avocado, and around its seed in the centre of the fruit. Hold the two pieces, turn in opposite directions and use gentle pressure to take apart. Remove seed with a sharp object. Scoop out the fleas using a spoon. (Do not throw the skin yet.Rub it on your face for yummy-licious skin)

Dissolve the honey in 2-3 tbs of lukewarm water.

Transfer all ingredients into the blender jar. Blend till smooth. Dilute with cold milk to get desired consistency or serve as it is.

Chenna Jhili ( Cheese balls in a light sugary syrup )

Along the much traveled road between Bhubaneshwar and Puri, lies a little discovered world of gastronomic delights. Small 'chalia' hotels dot this stretch and offer a wide variety of Odiya delicacies. One can eat to his/her heart's content without burning a hole in the pocket.

On our previous trip to Puri, we chanced upon one such foodie haven. We had halted by the 'Bata Mangala' temple to offer our regards to the deity. Hunger pangs were hitting us hard and we duly proceeded to one of the hotels after offering worship. The waiter ( if i can so call the urchin who was serving us ) was prompt to take the orders and the food was laid on our table in another five minutes. We had settled for 'Puri-buta dalma' and it turned out to be excellent. We could not
resist going for a second helping.

Once finished, we started looking around for dessert. This huge cauldron of 'Chenna Jhili' sitting next to the cashier was beckoning at us. Once started, we did not finish before wolfing down a dozen of these cuties among the three of us. With our appetites satiated, we proceeded towards our destination.

Anyone who has visited the Puri-Jagannath temple would always remember being over-whelmed by this huge sea of humanity that stalks this place throughout the year. It is one of the char-dhams, the four places that every Hindu is supposed to visit in his lifetime. Jostling the crowds and the ever rude ( or should i say obnoxious ) Pandas, we managed to get a darshan ( mind it...the queqes here operate in a round robin method...no standing and savoring the sight of the Lord being permitted ). For the uninformed, the Puri 'Pandas' are not to be mistaken for the Pandas, the latter being a friendly and lovable lot. The former are special priests who offer worship in the Jaganaath temple and are known to fleece people. Want to break a coconut, put in Rs'XX', want to get close to the lord, put in Rs'YY', and so on.

I was feeling a little low after my husband's run-in with one of these people. But once we hit the road, these thoughts were duly banished. Visiting the beaches is sacrosanct on a trip to Puri. The golden sands were as inviting as ever and we frolicked among the waves for a good two hours. With appetites all whetted up, we started off on the return journey. There were more delights to be discovered on the way back.

Here is the recipe for 'Chenna jhili':

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients- whole milk ( 1 litre ), maida ( 1 tsp ), powdered sugar ( 2 tsp ), sugar ( 1 3/4 cups ), cardamon (2 nos), oil/ghee for deep frying.

Cooking -

To prepare chenna - Bring milk to a boil. Add the sour curd and wait for a few minutes till the milk solids separate from whey. The whey should have a clear appearance at this point. If not add more curd and boil for another 5 mins.

Once all the solids separate, strain the chenna using a fine cloth or even a strainer with very fine mesh. Allow to stand for sometime till excess water is drained.

Around the same time, dissolve the sugar in 2 cups of water and bring to a boil on medium flame. Crush the cardamon and add to the vessel. We need a very light sugar syrup, so it takes about 7-8 minutes. Remove from flame just before it reaches a stringy consistency.

Take the chenna in a vessel/mixing bowl and add the maida and powdered sugar. Crumble and knead the chenna to remove lumps and it just comes together into a soft dough ( takes about 5-6 mins, do not overdo the kneading ). Pinch small lumps out of the dough and shape into balls. These balls can either be shallow fried or deep fried.

Heat sufficient oil/ghee in a wok. Put one ball into the wok and test if it holds together. If yes, add the remaining balls into the wok and fry them to a brown color on medium heat. (If it starts to crumble/break, add little more maida to the chenna dough and knead for another 2-3 mins.)

Once the balls are fried, put them into the vessel containing the hot sugar syrup. Allow to stand for an hour or so.

Serve with a garnish of chopped almonds or as it is.

Coca-cola Cake

Most of us love a coke. But what do we do with one of these unfinished family pack bottles that sit in the fridge after a party/ friends get-togather ? There is just no fizz left in it after being opened a number of times. Being bitten by the baking bug, i decided to use it in my next cake. Will the flavour really pop-out ? Or will it just disappear in the flour-sugar-butter mix.

Some quick googling threw up quite a few recipes. Somebody had mentioned that using coke as it is will give a very subtle flavour and we need to concentrate it by boiling before using it in the recipe ( i am yet to try this ). I decided to go with the subtle flavour and use chocolate/coffee to enhance it . Since coke  is already laden with caffiene, i dropped the idea of using more caffiene ( not good for kids ).

Since i had a cup of cream cheese sitting in my fridge, i decided to make a white chocolate=cream cheese frosting as well. That was the first and only time i have ever tried by hand at frostings/icings.

NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO SUBSTITUTE DIET COLA IN THIS RECIPE. THE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS IN DIET COLA ARE KNOWN TO BREAKDOWN UPON HEATING AND RELEASE HARMFUL BY-PRODUCTS.

This one has been in the draft for quite sometime. So, Today i will finally be sharing the recipe for this delicious Coca-cola cake. Here we go :

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients- Butter ( 100 gm ), sugar ( 1 cup ), eggs ( 3 nos ), self-raising flour ( 2 cups ), baking powder ( 1 tsp ), cocoa powder ( 2 tsp ), warm milk ( 4-5 tbs ), coca cola ( one cup, at room temperature ).

For frosting - 1/2 cup cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup white chocolate, 1 cup powdered/castor sugar.

Preparation - Powder the sugar in a food processor.

Take the butter ( at room temperature ) in a mixing bowl and add the powdered sugar. Beat it nicely with a whisk till it turns a few shades lighter in colour.

Break the eggs in a separate bowl and whisk them till it forms soft peaks. Around the same time, dissolve the cocoa powder in the warm milk and keep aside.

Add the whisked eggs into the mixing bowl and mix them nicely.

Add the coca cola, little by little so that it mixes completely with the batter ( Do not add all of it in one go ). Batter will be very liquid at this point so do not panic.

Take the self-raising flour in a seive and add to the above batter slowly, a little at a time (This trick incorporates an extra amount of air into the batter which is very important in making the cake very spongy).

Add the baking powder to the last quantity of the flour being added to the batter. Mix well. (We need to be quick from this point as the baking powder starts working as soon as it comes in contact with moisture)

Add the cocoa milk mixture to batter and mix it well.

Take a baking tray ( 1 litre capacity) and spray it with a non-stick cooking oil/brush with butter. Sprinkle some flour.

Pour the batter into it and shake it gently.

For frosting - Take the cream cheese and butter (at room temp) into a mixing bowl and beat nicely. Melt chocolate in a water bath and add it gently .Mix well.

Finally add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Allow to cool for half hour before using.

Cooking: Pre-heat an oven to 175 degees celcius. Put the cake into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Prick the centre of the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Else pop it back into the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Allow to cool down. Spread the frosting over the top (and the sides too if you like) of the cake. Sprinkle a layer of grated white chocolate.

Cut into generous portions and serve. Store the remaining pieces in an airtight container.

Note: The butter-sugar and eggs should be beaten separately as it helps in getting more air into the batter.

Omlette do pyaza

'Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khayen ande', exhorted Dara Singh in one of the most memorable telly adverts of all times. And it has been my mantra ever since. Fried, poached, scrambled, boiled or curried, I relish eggs in any form. Easy to prepare and good to eat, they fit into every budget. When the 'Rs 12' meal controversy erupted in recent times, I could think of no better non-vegetarian option than '1 bowl of rice + 1 egg curry + one/half papad', sold on a marginal profit ofcourse.

Studies have indicated that people having eggs for breakfast experience less cravings for fried/junk food later in the day. Fortified eggs being sold these days also pack in Omega acids/iron/calcium and other nutrients which are our daily requirement. With low cholestrol and diabetic friendly eggs also available, everyone can enjoy them without any guilt.

Today, I will be sharing one of my lazy recipes, the yummy 'Omlette do pyaza'. I chose to call it Omlette do pyaza instead of Anda do pyaza as do pyaza is generally prepared with boiled eggs.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Ingredients: egg ( 1 no.), onion ( 1 medium), green chilli ( 1 no ), chopped coriander ( 1 tbs ), finely chopped garlic/ginger ( 1/2 tsp), tomato puree ( 1 tbs )/Maggie bhuna masala ( 1/2 tsp ), garam masala ( 1 pinch, optional), oil ( 2 tsp), salt to taste.

Preparation: Chop the onion into chunks. Slit, de-seed and cut chilli into thin long strips.

Break egg into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat for 1 min.

Cooking: Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan. Add the egg and cook on both sides till done. Remove from pan and cut into small pieces.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add chopped onion and fry till translucent. Add the tomato puree/Maggie bhuna masala and cook for 1-2 mins along with few tbs of water.

Toss in the omlette pieces. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Finally add the ginger/garlic and garam masala, and mix togather.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with white rice or rotis.

Marble Cake

I must confess that i love baking a cake more than eating one. Even the filmy-est excuse sends me scurrying into the kitchen to pick up my mixing bowl and whisk, and bring out the oven from the cupboard.The aroma and warmth that fills up the house when my cake sits prettily in the oven is capable to lifting my spirits out of the deepest dumps. I can only describe the experience as therapeutic.

No fancy baking tins or food processors for me. I try to retain the old world charm associated with baking and get nostalgic every time a bake a cake. Making use of the very basic ingredients with some lime zest/orange rind/cinnamon stick/few strands of saffron/cocoa powder/strawberry slush thrown in for variety, I rely on my hands to recreate the magic every time. I usually skip the decorations as i find that it takes away from the cake. I really admire Rachel Allen for her lovely cakes and the way she makes use of the simplest form of cake dressing/decorations.

Today I am sharing the recipe for 'Marble Cake' which is so named as it is reminiscent of the swirls/patterns found on a marble flooring. It is a delectable mix of plain old Vanilla and Chocolate cake.

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients- Butter ( 100 gm ), sugar ( 1 cup ), eggs ( 3 nos ), vanilla essence ( 7-8 drops ), self-raising flour ( 2 cups ), baking powder ( 1 tsp ), cocoa powder ( 2-3 tsp ), warm milk ( 4-5 tbs ).

Preparation - Powder the sugar in a food processor.

Take the butter ( at room temperature ) in a mixing bowl and add the powdered sugar. Beat it nicely with a whisk till it turns a few shades lighter in colour. Add the vanilla essence.

Break the eggs in a separate bowl and whisk them till it forms soft peaks. Around the same time, dissolve the cocoa powder in the warm milk and keep aside.

Add the whisked eggs into the mixing bowl and mix them nicely.

Take the self-raising flour in a seive and add to the above batter slowly, a little at a time (This trick incorporates an extra amount of air into the batter which is very important in making the cake very spongy). Add the baking powder to the last quantity of the flour being added to the batter. Mix well. (We need to be quick from this point as the baking powder starts working as soon as it comes in contact with moisture)

Take 1/3rd of the batter into another bowl. Add the cocoa milk mixture to this and mix it well.

Take a baking tray ( 1 litre capacity) and spray it with a non-stick cooking oil/brush with butter. Sprinkle some flour.

Put a dollop of the plain batter followed by a dollop of the chocolate batter in the pattern as shown below. Follow a pattern such that the two batters are alternately placed.

Finally take a toothpick and move it around in gentle swirling movements to mix the two. Do not go overboard as the two might get completely mixed up.

Cooking: Pre-heat an oven to 175 degrees celcius. Put the cake into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Prick the center of the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Else pop it back into the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Allow to cool down. Cut into generous portions and serve. Store the remaining pieces in an airtight container.

Note: The batter should be so thick that if you overturn the bowl, it should not fall. The butter-sugar and eggs should be beaten separately as it helps in getting more air into the batter.

For best results, use a deep round baking dish.

Chenna tarkari ( cottage cheese balls in a savoury gravy )

Travelling on a long stretch of road between Oltapur and Pahala on a late Sunday afternoon, our car is overtaken by an auto crammed with passengers inside and at least a dozen bundles of white cloth hanging outside. The watery fluid leaking from those bundles catches my attention and I throw a curious look at the husband. 'Freshly made chenna being transported to Pahala and Bhubaneshwar' comes the reply.

I had been in a dreamy state till now, capturing the sights of a setting Sun playing peekaboo among the trees, and lush fields swaying in the winds. Occasionally jolted out of my reverie by stray cattle blocking our way or scores of urchins asking for money ('chanda' as we call it in Odia) to build a temple/celebrate Durga Puja, the ride had been uneventful till that point.

In no time at all, we came across several autos, bicycles, rickety old mopeds (Luna/TVS), and even a swanky bike or two carrying these leaky bundles with the fluid leaving a trail on the dusty roads. In a few hours' time, the contents of these bundles would be processed and displayed as a mouth-watering array of sweets (chenna poda, chenna gaja, rasagulla, chenna jilapi, rasmalai, raj-bhog, etc ) on the shelves of a Ganguram/Atmaram/Capital sweets. Or maybe they will find their way into one of the many quaint-looking shops that dot Pahala and will be turned into the most melt-in-the-mouth type of Rasagola ever invented. One needs to visit these places in Orissa to experience the magic of making 'chenna' sweets.

More on the sweet stuff another time. Today I am sharing a savoury recipe made out of fresh home-made chenna. Chenna tarkari is the Odia cousin of the Paneer curry but with a unique texture and flavour of its own.

Update - The deep fried chenna balls are easily available in the sweet shops of Bhubaneswar these days.

Preparation time - 40-50 mins

Ingredients - 

• 1 litre whole milk 
• 1/2 cup sour curd  
• 2 heaped tsp maida
• 1 large tomato pureed
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• salt to taste
• oil for shallow/deep frying.

Spices 

• 1 medium-sized onion(finely chopped) 
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly made ginger garlic paste
• 2 green cardamon
• 2 cloves
• 2 inch long cinnamon stick
• 1-2 bay leaf 
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder

Preparation -

To prepare chenna - Bring milk to a boil. Add the sour curd and wait for a few minutes till the milk solids separate from whey. The whey should have a clear appearance at this point. If not add more curd and boil for another 5 mins.

Once all the solids separate, strain the chenna using a fine cloth or even a strainer with very fine mesh. Allow to stand for sometime till excess water is drained.

Take the chenna in a vessel/mixing bowl and add the maida. Crumble and knead the chenna to remove lumps and it just comes togather into a soft dough ( takes abt 5-6 mins, do not overdo the kneading ). Pinch small lumps out of the dough and shape into balls. These balls can either be shallow fried or deep fried.

Cooking: Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Put one ball into the wok and test if it holds together. If yes, add the remaining balls into the wok and fry them to a brown color on medium heat. (If it starts to crumble/break, add a little more maida to the chenna dough and knead for another 2-3 mins.)

Once the balls are fried, keep them aside and drain the excess oil from the wok.

Put the whole spices into the remaining oil in the wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the chopped onion and saute on low flame till light brown ( abt 6-7 mins to allow the sugar in the onion to start caramelizing ). At this stage add the sugar and allow it to melt. Once the sugar melts, it gives a deep brown color to the onion. Sprinkle the soy sauce at this point.

Add ginger garlic paste and stir fry for 2-3 minutes till its raw smell goes away. Pour in the tomato puree and cook for another 2 minutes.

Now add turmeric, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt. Roast the masalas for 1-2 mins.

Add about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Allow water to reduce to 2/3rd.

Put in the fried chenna balls and simmer on medium flame for 2 minutes. Cover with lid and switch off the flame. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes.

Notes- 

1. One can also use lemon juice/citric acid to prepare the chenna but using sour curd gives it a better flavour. Also the chenna turns out softer.

2. One can also make a paste out of all the ingredients mentioned under spices and add it at once instead of doing it in steps.

3. There is a no onion - no garlic version of this recipe which uses a different masala paste and some amount of milk for added creaminess. 

4. For making the 'no onion no garlic' masala paste - 

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp fennel 

1 tbsp melon seeds

1 tbsp poppy seeds 

2 green cardamom

1 inch long cinnamon stick

1 inch long ginger

1 dry red chili 

Soak everything in warm water for 2 hours. Grind into a medium fine paste. 

Spinach rice

It is a lazy Friday afternoon. The sky is overcast and its very windy outside. I am curled up on the sofa with today's Sudoku. Little one's had his lunch and is now busy with his toys.

Everything seems perfect till the hunger pangs hit me. My toes curl in protest as i get down from the sofa. Damn, i curse the Banglore weather. Its turning me into a couch potato.

Nothing fancy today, just a one pot meal. My mind is made up.I make a quick trip to the Pandora's box ( my fridge as i sometimes call it). So, what evil are we going to unleash today????

As i open the door, this evil looking bunch of spinach stares at me. It looks like its cozying up to my Tupperware bowl ( it contains cooked rice ). Humm...so u guys have a thing for each other. Lets get u married i thought (no dates ?? ....no engagement?? guess i was inspired by the wedding mania that has hit the Saas-Bahusphere (aka, the telly world) in recent times).

I made this quick spinach puree ( as i always do..... if you have been reading my blog ) and popped the rice in a micro for heating.

Once they were togather, the duo looked a little sad. What is missing?? Humm....no wedding is ever complete without the baaratis (guests). Another quick trip to the Pandora's box. A rather sad looking half of a yellow pepper and a ripe juicy tomato were staring at me. I guess they were upset abt not being invited. How did i miss u guys?? In you go.

Things are looking better now. But i miss something. Ahh, its the 'Phoren touch'. Indian weddings are incomplete without foreign liquor and exotic flowers/fruits/vegetables/dancing girls. None of them fit by budget, so i decide to make do with some foreign cheese ( made in india, ofcouse ).

Last dash to the fridge. I get the Parmesan and shower some of it over my happily married couple.
Marriage over...now lets hit the food stalls. Thats what we Indians look forward to at all marriage functions.

Preparation Time : 10-15 mins

Ingredients: cooked rice ( 3 cups ), coarsely chopped spinach ( 1 cup, tightly packed), chopped onion ( 1 small ), ginger ( 1/2 inch long ), garlic flakes ( 10-12 nos ), 1 green chilli or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, tomato ( 1 no, small, chopped ), bell pepper ( one small, chopped ), olive oil ( 2 tsp ), fresh rosemary ( 1/2 tsp), garam masala ( 1/5 tsp ), grated parmesan/plain cheese ( 3/4 cup ), salt to taste.

Preparation: Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the chopped onion followed by the ginger and 4-5 garlic flakes. Fry till translucent. Add spinach and fry for 5 minutes on medium flame till all the water evaporates. Remove and allow to cool down.

Grind the above into a smooth paste along with the grren chilli (if using).

Cooking: Heat a wok. Add 1 tsp oil. Throw in the garlic flakes and saute for 10-15 seconds.
Add the spinach paste and fry for 2 mins. Stir in the cooked rice and mix everything nicely.

Add the bell peppers, tomato and cheese ( add chilli flakes if using ). Mix well and cook for 3-4 mins. Sprinkle rosemary.

Remove from wok and serve hot.

Haleem ( Ramzan special recipe )

The Holy month of Ramzan is drawing to an end. And my tastebuds were craving for some Haleem, not having any chance to devour some of this sinfully indulgent delicacy in Banglore. How i miss Hyderabad and the Chicken haleem (@ Hyderabad House) and mutton haleem (@Pista House).

On an impulse I decided to give it a try. Since the preparation involves slow cooking the meat fr 6-8 hours, it looked a little daunting. Did a bit of research on the net and found that a pressure cooker can be used to significantly cut down on the cooking time.

Next was to zero in on the masala. Homemade or off the shelf , which way to go ?? Luckily i found this packet of 'Shan' haleem masala on the shelves @ Total superstore and the decision was made.

So, i washed and soaked the pulses overnight. Brought fresh mutton from the neighbourhood butcher on a sunday morning (Yeah...u get the best mutton on a Sunday morning). I kicked off the preparation with much fanfare.

Midway into the cooking, i realized that the curry looked much darker than the ones i had in Hyderabad. And the grains were still whole (though they were fully cooked).

'Ditch that advice on the net, go by your instincts' said my mind. So, i ended by separating the mutton from the rest of the curry and straining the gravy. Once i had ground the whole grains/lentils, the colour turned very much lighter. On combining everything in the wok this time, i knew i was bang on target. All's well that ends well. Pat on the back. My haleem turned out to be delicious and it was worth all the time/effort invested.

Now it would be criminal on my part to keep this delicious recipe to myself. So, here we go:

Preparation Time- 60-70 mins


Ingredients - Mutton ( 250 gm ), whole wheat ( 2 tsp ), barley ( 2 tsp ), toor dal ( 2 tsp ), channa dal ( 2 tsp ), ghee ( 3 tsp ), haleem masala ( 1 1/2 tsp ), 1 large onion (chopped), mint leaves ( a handful ), chopped almonds ( 7-8 nos ), ginger garlic paste ( 1 tsp ), sour curd ( 1 tbs ), raw papaya ( 1/4th cup ), for garnishing ( coriander leaves, mint , lime juice, green chilli, caramelized onions ), salt to taste.

Preparation - Wash and soak the wheat, barley, toor dal and channa dal overnight.

Marinate the mutton with sour curd, chopped raw papaya, ginger garlic paste, pinch of turmeric and little salt for 2-3 hours.

Cooking- Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the marinated mutton and haleem masala. Fry for 5 mins.Add the soaked grains and lentils along with 3-4 cups of water. Close the lid and cook for 40 mins.

Once the pressure cooker cools down, open the lid and check if the mutton pieces have started to fall off the bones. If not, close lid and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Separate the mutton pieces from the gravy and remove the bones from them. Mash the mutton pieces using a heavy spoon/fork.Strain the gravy and keep the liquid aside. Grind the lentils/grains (left on the strainer) into a smooth paste.

Heat the remaining ghee in a wok. Add the chopped onion and fry till golden. Add mint leaves and chopped almonds and fry for 30 seconds. Add the mashed mutton, strained liquid and lentils/grains gravy along with 1-2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Simmer on low flame for 15 minutes. Stir in some caramelized onion and coriander leaves and cook for 5 minutes more.

Garnish with coriander leaves, mint leaves, caramelized onion, line juice and green chilli. Serve hot.

Note- If you do not get Shan Haleem masala , try Banne Nawab's. It available online. Else go for a homemade spice mix ( coriander, cumin trmeric, red chilli powder, nigelle seeds, bay leaf, cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, ginger, garlic ).