SIMPLE PLEASURES -Bhopalyache bharit/ Pumpkin Raita

Ingredients-:

• Pumpkin- cooked
• Ghee (Clarified Butter)
• Cumin Seeds
• Turmeric
• Asafoetida/ hing
• Green Chili
• Roasted Peanut powder
• Salt to taste

Procedure-:

• Cook the pumpkin and then peel it. I used steamer to cook the pumpkin, but you can certainly use the pressure cooker . It becomes easier to peel after it gets cooked. If you want you can peel it and then cook it. That is fine too.

• Mash the pumpkin so that no big lumps are left.
• Tadka preparation- Heat a pan with some ghee in it. Add cumin seeds, green chilies, saute for a minute and add asafoetida, turmeric.
• Add roasted peanut powder.
• Add salt to taste. Pour the tadka over the mashed pumpkin and mix well.

SIMPLE PLEASURES -Shevagyachya shenganchi amti (Daal with drumsticks)

Ingredients:

• Toor dal - 1/2 cup
• Drumsticks/ shevghyachya shenga - 3- 4 cut into 4 inch pieces
• Curry Leaves - 3-4 
• Oil
• Mustard seeds
• Cumin Seeds
• A pinch of asafoetida
• Turmeric powder
• Chopped cilantro
• Grated Coconut
• Amsul/ kokam - 2-3 
• Jaggery / gul
• Goda masala
• Salt to taste

Procedure-:

• Cook the toor dal in pressure cooker with some water.
• Cook the drumsticks in some salted water for less time than dal, as dal needs more time to cook than the drumsticks.
• Heat a pan with some oil in it. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, turmeric, and coconut.
• Add cilantro, and mix everything well.
• Add the cooked dal and also some water to adjust the consistency.
• When the daal starts boiling, add the drumsticks, amsul and salt to taste.
• Boil only for few more minutes, as the dal and the drumsticks are already cooked.
• Add the jaggery and let it boil for couple more minutes and daal/ amti will be ready.

SIMPLE PLEASURES- Vangyache Bharit / Baingan bharta /eggplant raita

I am always ready for a hot serving of vangyache bharit with Jowar bhakri. This dish has different versions in different parts of India. This is a dish that I think does not need proper measuring. You can eyeball all the ingredients and no matter how much you put, it will always taste yummy. So add as much or as little per your taste.

You will need-:

Eggplant- big not the small once

Chilies

Ginger

Garlic

Onion

Tomato

Cilantro

Curry leaves

Lemon juice

salt to taste

Mustard seeds

pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Oil.

Here is how to make this yummy Bharit-:

• Preheat the oven to 550 F or whatever the highest temperature your oven offers.If you have convection oven, then set it up on convection mode. That way you don't have to rotate the eggplant  half way and it will be done in less time.
• Line a baking tray with an aluminium foil and place the eggplant on it. Keep it for about 20- 25 minutes depending on your oven. Check if it's done by inserting a knife.
• Next thing is you want to get rid of the skin. To get the skin off easily, just slide the hot eggplant into a brown lunch bag or any paper bag and fold it's opening. Let it cool  and the skin will just peel right off with no extra efforts. Peel all the skin and cut it's stem end.
• Mash the eggplant with your hands. See picture below.

• Make a paste of ginger, green chilies and garlic. You can use mixer, or you can use mortar and pestle to make a paste. Keep aside.
• Add oil into a pan. When it heats up, add Mustard seeds, pinch of asafoetida, curry leaves, turmeric and the ginger garlic chili paste that we kept aside. Saute for few minutes until raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.
• Add diced onions , saute until they become translucent , add diced tomatoes and saute until they become soft. See picture.

• Add the mashed eggplant and mix everything well. Season with salt as per taste. Put the lid on for about couple of minutes. Since the eggplant is already cooked, it doesn't need much time after this stage. Vangyache bharit/ baingan bharta / eggplant raita is ready. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro on top, squeeze some lemon juice as well and serve with Jowar bhakri / poli/ any Indian bread.

I am sending this entry to Walk Through Memory Lane Event hosted by Gayathri's cook spot.

Thanks Gayatri for hosting the event.

Enjoy!!

Inspirational Award and Happy blogger award..:)

New year certainly started great for me already. My friend and a very good blogger Ashwini of Indulge- Ashcorner shared 2 awards with me and asked me to answer 8 questions about me. How nice of her to share the awards with me. I sincerely thank her for both the awards. 

About answering the questions, I have never done something like this before. But it was fun..:))


1. What makes you laugh, smile or giggle?

Everything that my little one does and talks all day long and Jerry Seinfield..:)

2. What are your dreams for your future? 

Oh...well..  I don't dream, I set goals. So my personal goal for this particular year is to get super fit and continue on the path of eating healthy. I have also set some professional as well as family goals, but I would prefer to keep them to me until they get done...:)

3. If you are going to a cruise, where would it be and why? 

I would love a cruise to Bahamas. I would like to relax and unwind on the islands of Bahamas and would love to try Caribbean cuisine.

4. How would you spend your vacation and with whom? 


At times, I want to spend my vacation with my family back in India. We have one planned very soon..:) At others I would prefer to spend with my hubby and my son. It doesn't have to be too long too. I enjoyed a lot going to Vancouver last summer for a couple of days...:) It's the quality not the quantity that matters when it comes to vacation.

  
5. If given a life, what life would you choose ? Your life now or your past? 


Always I will choose my current life. I absolutely love my current life and I can't imagine switching it for anything else. I am at my absolute best so far, and it's only going to get better...:)

6. Is there something that you wished before when you were young but you didn't get it?

There were a few things, but not worth a mention here.


7. Have you been in a situation where you might have given up but you still choose to move on? 


Last year was full of such situations where I could have easily given up, but I persisted and I am ripping the fruits of that hard-work...:)

I am a follower of Robin Sharma. and I truly believe his words- " Big lesson I've learned as an entrepreneur and as a human being: when we most feel like giving up is the moment we must keep persisting. "

8. Is there someone in your life who has been your source of strength and inspiration?

• Someone who is very close to me is my source of inspiration- My husband.
• My mother in law is my inspiration as well. I always look up to her for her management skills. She is the most honest person I have ever met in my life. 
• I should also not forget about my friend Sneha, whom I met back in California. We were together studying Human Resources. Whenever I talk to her, it always reminds me of my purpose in life. I think it's because we both were on a same boat, figuring out what we wanted to do in our lives. Discussing our goals and our passions, is always such a fun with her.
• Last but not the least, my son V, is my hero. He teaches me how to be calm in stressful situations and he is the reason, that I have a lot of patience in me than ever before...:) Love him..:)

• Also my sources of inspiration are Rujuta Diwekar and Robin Sharma- really my idols!

It's time to thank Ashwini for one more award "Happy blogger Award". Thanks again for her generosity.

Anyone of you, who wants me to pass this (Happy Blogger)award to you, just comment on this post and I will be more than happy to share this award to you..:)

Happy Blogging!

Enjoy!!

SIMPLE PLEASURES - Masalebhat (Spicy Rice)

A very Happy New Year to everyone!
I am sure you all had a great new year's celebrations just like I had.

I always love the first post of the new year. It's such a fresh and encouraging feeling to get started with the new recipe.

'Masalebhat' is a traditional maharashtrian recipe, a very popular menu item for almost all the maharashtrian  weddings. It is essentially rice, which is nicely blended with different kind of spices and your choice of vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

Basamati rice- I used extra long grain 1 cup
Tomato- diced 1 small
Onion- sliced 1 small
Green Peas - thawed about half a cup
Cauliflower- cut into florets
Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
Peanuts- a handful/ as many as you like
Curry Leaves - 5-6
2 tsp Goda masala ( you can get  in some of the Indian grocery stores, however I always have hard time finding it, so if you want to try and make your own, here is the recipe from another blog- http://bhaatukli.blogspot.com/2007/04/maharashtrian-kaala-masala.html )
1 green chilli
1 bay leaf
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Pinch of Hing / asafoetida
Oil - 3 tsp
2 tsp ginger paste

Dry roast the following ingredients together , let them cool and then grind. The consistency should be coarse.
Coriander Seeds- 2 tsp
Cumin Seeds- 2 tsp
1 inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves

1. Wash and soak the rice for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaf, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves and sliced onion. Saute till the onions get nice golden color.
3. Add turmeric powder, ginger paste and cook for about a minute.
4. Now is the time to add the dry roast powder that is kept aside. Also add goda masala and red chilli powder. Mix well and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Now add cauliflower, salt , add some water and cover for about 5 minutes. Add any other vegetables of your choice at this stage along with the cauliflower. You can add potatoes, carrots, green beans etc. Don't add the peas just as yet.
6. Add the soaked rice, and then add peanuts, water, tomatoes, and salt to taste. Cover the pan and cook on high for 5 minutes. Add twice the water of the rice, 2 cups in this case.
7. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes. 
8. After turning the stove off, let it rest for a minute or two. 
9. Add the peas on top of the rice and give it a good mix.
10. Garnish  with shredded coconut and cilantro.

There it is...an authentic masalebhat is ready.

Enjoy..:)

Mushroom Barley Soup

Last day of 2011!!  Last post of the year 2011. I am so excited to  end this year with a warm comforting bowl of mushroom barley soup! This one is a perfect blend of vegetables and barley.

You will need-:

1. 1 cup Pearled Barley
2. Olive oil.
3. White button Mushrooms- sliced
4. Celery-  diced
5. Carrot -  chopped into small cubes
6. Tomato-  chopped into small cubes
7. Onion - chopped into small cubes
8. Garlic - minced
9. Low sodium Vegetable broth
10. 1 bay leaf
11. 1 cup water
12. Mint leaves for garnishing
13. Salt to taste
14. Freshly ground black pepper

Here is how you will prepare it-:

Wash the pearled barley in water and drain. In a pan, bring 4 cups of water and 1 cup barley to boil on high. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 30-35 minutes. Turn off the heat when the barley becomesoft.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add garlic and onions. Cook for about couple of minutes. Add carrots and celery. After about 5 minutes add mushrooms and then tomatoes. Cook until they are tender. Add vegetable broth. Also add 1 cup of water. You can add more broth and water to make the consistency you want your soup to be. Add the bay leaf. At this point you can also add any fresh or dried herbs like thyme, oregano if you like. Simmer for 10 more minutes before adding cooked barley. Mix well, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add salt to taste, but remember that the broth you have added also has some salt. Also flavor with some freshly ground black pepper.

Garnish with a pair of mint leaves and serve hot.

Jeera Fried Rice With Peas

Simple and very easy, rice dish. A quick dinner, if you serve it with any kind of dal - a perfect combination of protein and carbs.

Here is all you need-:
Oil - 2 tsp
Rice- 1 cup
Water - 1 and 1/2 cups
Peas 1/2 cup
Onion - Chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Peppercorns - 2-3
Cloves - 2
Bay leaf- 1
Salt to taste.

Cook the rice with water. Add the salt and then cook rice. It's the right time to flavor the rice. Also add couple of peppercorns and a clove. You can pressure cook it or you can cook it in a pan with a lid on it.

Add oil into a pan. When oil gets hot, add Jeera (Cumin seeds). When they splutter, add asafoetida, cloves and peppercorns and bay leaf. Then add onion and saute for a couple of minutes. Then add thawed peas, mix well and add cooked rice, mix well. Cover for a minute. Add chopped cilantro.

This is my one more entry towards CWS Peas Event.

 

Thanks Priya for hosting.

Enjoy!!

Matar Kurma ( Green Peas Curry)

A nice blend of tomato puree, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, caramelized onion, with aromatic spices like cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, sesame seeds and fennel seeds along with the great green peas with their bursting nutritional value, makes this Indian dish even more delicious. It can be enjoyed with Indian bread (Naan/roti) or with any kind of rice.

Whenever I want to make green peas curry, I go with the traditional Maharashtrian style preparation called Matarachi Usal. I love it. The grounded coconut makes it special. Although this time I was going through one of the recipe books, and that's when I decided to make this yummy matar kurma, which has a combination of tomato puree and peas.

The ingredients I used:

Desi Ghee/ clarified butter- 4 tbsp

Green Peas: about 1 Lbs

Tomatoes: 3

Green chillies- 3

Ginger: grated about 2 tsp

Garlic: Finely chopped/ or you can use the paste, I used 2 cloves

Onion: 1 medium sized white onion finely chopped, you can use any onion you have on hand.

Spices:

Cloves: 2-3

Cinnamon: 1 stick

Cardamom: 2-3

Sesame seeds- 1 tbsp. Toast the seeds and grind them to turn them in a powdered form and keep it aside.

Fennel Seeds: 1 tbsp

Coriander powder: 1 tbsp

Cumin powder: 1tbsp

Salt to taste,

Coriander/ cilantro chopped for garnishing.

Step 1:

Blanching the tomatoes:

I started with blanching the tomatoes for couple of minutes, and gave them a bath in icy cold water later. The process of blanching is explained here. After blanching I peeled the tomatoes off and made a puree in a blender.

Step 2:

Caramelizing Onions:

On a medium flame, I tossed finely chopped onion in about 1 tbsp of butter. The process of caramelizing onions is explained here.

Step3:

In a large pan add the remaining butter. In a moment, add the good old spices. Roast them for a minute or two. Add the caramelized onion and the green peas. Saute everything together for 3-4 minutes more. Then add the tomato puree and mix everything well.

Step 4:

Add water as much as you want. It's your choice, adding more water will make it great combination with rice, because it will have a thinner gravy, or just keep the water content low and it will turn in to a nice thick gravy, which will go very well with the Indian bread. Make sure that the everything should come to a boil before you switch off the flame.

Step 5:

Add salt as per your taste and serve it with chopped coriander/ cilantro.

You can garnish the kurma with a dash of cream as well.

I am sending this entry to announcing cooking with seeds - Peas event hosted by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes. 

I am also sending this to  Sweet Heat challenge hosted by Food and Football and Baby.

Enjoy!!!

6 Layer Dip

Last month, my little kiddo turned 2. We had a party at our home with a very few close friends. I wanted to keep it simple with less people and more fun..:) My dad was also here to celebrate.
So let's get straight to the menu! I made a 6 layer dip to go with organic corn chips, 2 types of chaats -bhel puri and ragada pattice. We also ordered vegetable biryani and a cake for everyone. To top it off I made a Kulfi and a vegan cake for V.
Kulfi and the 6 layer dip was a total hit. Vegan cake was a total failure. I am not so good when it comes to baking, somehow I don't get it. People say baking is easier than cooking, I find it other way round.  I am used to eyeballing my ingredients so much, that it's hard for me to measure everything precisely and put it all together. Strange but true!

Okay, so here is what that 6 layer dip looked like-:

The recipe called for a 7 layer dip, when I searched through the Internet. I omitted the layer of shredded cheese and made it 6 layer, which turned out to be of a great taste. It was very simple to put together and looked very fancy.
Layer- 1
The first layer was organic re-fried beans mixed with a packet of taco seasoning.

Layer -2
Organic Sour cream

Layer-3
Organic Medium salsa

Layer-4
Guacamole

Layer-5
A dollop of sour cream

Layer-6
Sprinkled chopped spring onions over all the 5 layers.

Spread all the layers across the plate on top of each other, starting with layer one and there you have it. I would say , take out as much water as you can from salsa and then add the layer carefully to avoid the tomato sauce dripping over the layer of sour cream.
If you want to add the shredded cheese, you can add that layer in between layers of salsa and guacamole. I thought adding cheese might include too much of fat than the recipe can handle.
You can also add chopped cilantro to the sour cream , mix and then spread, which I think will enhance the flavor.

Give it a try this holidays, and have fun!

Sweet Murmura

This  recipe is one of the accidents.(which I can proudly call an experiment..:) I was actually trying to make Murmura ladoos, something went wrong and I wasn't able to roll out the ladoos. So I thought, let's just keep it that way and eat with a spoon as a snack ( as a sweet chivada!)


This is a healthy and crunchy  snack, if your kid needs something different and you don't want to stuff his mouth with all the unhealthy snack that's out there. It's just jaggery, murmura , some water and a pinch of cardamom powder and that's it, you are done. Being a natural sweetener,  jaggery has both nutritive and medicinal values. It is a product of sugarcane and a great source of iron and minerals. During summer the water with a small piece of jaggery helps to alleviate the bad effects of excess heat on the body.


So as I mentioned earlier, all you are going to need is Jaggery, water, cardamom powder and murmura. 
Water- 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup powdered ( if you are going to use the pieces , try putting in about 4 - 2 inch pieces of jaggery.)
Murmura- 4 cups

Cardamom powder- a pinch or two


The measurement doesn't have to be perfect unless you want to actually roll out the mixture and make ladoos...:P


Heat the jaggery and the water in a heavy bottom pan. Let everything come to a nice boil and and continue heating the mixture and let all the jaggery melt. Keep stirring untill it becomes something like the consistency shown in the picture below. It takes about- 15- 20 minutes on a medium high heat to come to this consistency. 

Add cardamom powder and mix in the murmura, while stirring constantly. Mix well to get all the murmura coated with the jaggery and water mixture. Keep the heat on for 2 more minutes and then turn it off. 

If you have done everything well, you might actually be able to roll the ladoos from the mixture, otherwise just grab a spoon or hey...just a handful....:))


I am sending this recipe Spice your life and Cook's hideout.