Stuffed Mirchi/Pepper

Stuffed Mirchi/Pepper is one tasty dish that I turn to when I need to whip up something fiery real quick! This works best with the long Mirchi/peppers available widely and the stuffing is made of easily available pantry ingredients!

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Here is how I prepare Stuffed Mirchi, taste and nutrition in a bowl!

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5 long green peppers
4 tbsp besan/chickpea flour
salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, ajwain, sugar, lemon juice
1 tsp kanda lasun masala ( this is a potent maharashtrian masala which gives a fiery tang to the dish, can be substituted with garam masala)
1 tbsp oil, mustard seeds, sesame seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves
Garnish: grated coconut & chopped coriander leaves
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1. Wash the peppers, make a slit in the pepper without cutting in half, remove seeds and fibre and wash again. This reduces some the heat from the peppers, else they will be too hot to handle for a few. Sprinkle some lemon juice drops onto the insides of the peppers.

2. For the stuffing, mix together besan, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, kanda lasun masala/garam masala, lemon juice and ajwain.
3. Stuff the mix into the peppers uniformly and then cut into two pieces to fit in the steamer.


4. Steam cook for 12 minutes. If you do not have a steamer, you can cook it in the pressure cooker without the whistle.
5. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, sesame seeds, asafoetida & curry leaves, splutter. Add the steamed peppers and saute for a few minutes till it crisps a bit. This dish can be served without the tempering/tadka for those who want to avoid oil altogether, tastes good this way too.
6. Garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves and enjoy steaming hot Stuffed Mirchi with your meal!

This is a much loved dish at my home and with my friends as well, it is quick to make and packs a punch ;)

Peppers are a good source of most B vitamins, and vitamin B6 in particular. They are very high in potassium and high in magnesium and iron. Their high vitamin C content can also substantially increase the uptake of non-heme iron from other ingredients in a meal, such as beans and grains, thus pairing it with chapati and dals makes it a complete meal.

Peppers are a much loved vegetable in India and are used during the tempering for most savory dishes, for making pickle & chutney, making chili powder and also as a stuffing vehicle amongst others. The ever popular mirchi pakoda/bhajji is another way of savoring the pepper. The fiery pepper is also used to ward off the 'evil eye' and one can see the pepper and lemon combination hanging by huge trucks. It is one revered delicacy and it's incomprehensible to imagine a savory dish without it!

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This is my contribution to Nupur's A-Z of Indian Vegetables, for the letter 'S'.

Enjoy.....

Of a Beach Wedding

This past long weekend I attended a Beautiful Beach Wedding, on the New Jersey shore! New Jersey is a popular beach destination to many, with it's more than 150 miles of shore line of the Atlantic Ocean! Tourists visiting the beaches have to rent the beach homes much in advance to avoid disappointment, it gets real busy during the season.

As for the wedding, the guests stayed at the Beach Resort & Spa and the nearby hotels to attend the various functions like Mehendi(henna), Bonfire, Dandiya(a dance with it's origin in Gujarat), the wedding & the reception.

Draped in beautiful & colorful sarees and salwar kameez, the women strutted down the ramp from the Beach Resort & Spa, onto the beach, and towards the traditionally decorated 'Mandap' in gold! With sand getting in their 5" heeled shoes, it was a wonderful way to get into sand and water to start the summer season :)

After the wedding rituals the bride and the groom went for a stroll on the beach, bare feet, aww! that was romantic ;) Such a sensual way to start a new life together, amidst nature, in sand, with the expanse of water staring at you, after just becoming man & wife, loved it!
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Here are some pictures to charm your visual senses.
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The reception was in the Ballroom of the Beach Resort & Spa in the evening. Lots of dancing and mingling with folks ensued. After a delightful dinner people were ready for yet another round of dancing. I did not take any pictures of the food, figured you have seen enough buffets :)

The way dessert is served these days is pretty dramatic, after dinner the lights are dimmed and amidst loud music tables upon tables laden with innumerable dessert are ushered in, sparklers burning on each of the tables. There were about two dozen desserts including various types of cakes, pastries, torte & cheese cakes, halwas, many types of sandesh, few varieties of chocolate covered cookies, numerous flavors of ice cream and a few other traditional desi sweets ;) I ate just the sandesh, was smooth & tasty. All in all we had a good time.

Hope you enjoyed the colorful pictures :)

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Let me sign off by giving you the recipe for this quick Date Pops!

Saute finely chopped dates in a tbsp of ghee till the mass comes together, add cardamom powder. Roll into balls and pierce a toothpick into each one of them, makes a lovely dessert and everyone enjoys the Date Pops. I make these with mejdool dates because they are very soft and just right for this preparation.

Enjoy..........

Ragda Patties

We were tired and hungry, all 13 of us, including the two extras!!

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I'm talking about a few (!) years back, when I, as a part of my school hockey team had won inter-district competition and had qualified for inter-state competition. We were in Nagpur for this event. The food served was less than appetising even to hungry 14 year olds, we made do with some vada pav available in the vicinity of the school grounds and were hungry 15 minutes later!

Whilst thus roaming aimlessly, we bumped in to 'A', the captain of the opposing team and a localite at that. Our team captain 'K' had befriended her in the short 2 day period. 'K' had a vibrant personality and could befriend anyone she met even once, let alone the captain of the opposing team! While K & A chatted a bit, we just stood there, hands in our pockets thinking about our next meal. A invited K over to her house and looking vaguely in our direction said, why don't you guys join in too? What! 13 of us? including the two extras? We were evil then, always treating the two extras with lesser respect ;)

But we more than jumped at the opportunity thinking of the food that we might get to eat at her house. Poor 'A' might have been alarmed, but she had already spoken, so off we went to her house, all 13 of us!

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It was a small 2 room apartment, the lack of furniture was more than made up by the warm welcome given by her mom. We sat on the bed in the room, a few of us cross legged on the floor, every one's gaze fixed toward the kitchen :) As her mom emerged from the kitchen, our gaze followed her, she said she had made Ragda Patties and asked A to help her get the snacks into the room. Our faces had a distinct smile, all waiting hungrily and greedily :)

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A and her mom got the Patties in a couple of plates and Ragda in a bowl, we all shared from those plates and devoured the whole thing in a matter of few minutes.

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It was a simple snack, sans grandeur, sans pretense! It is one of the cherished moments and I remember the scene vividly to this day! I guess it was the warmth which struck a chord, the taste of the dish was never in question! I will treasure this memory with me forever, it was one fine moment!!

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I never met 'A' after that, but the memory still brings forth strong emotions when I think of it :)
There is a saying in India, 'Atithi Devo Bhavo', which means treat your guests like you would treat God. I've never seen anyone leave my parents house without first having something to eat, that is just the way it is :)

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So in honor of 'A' and her mom, for thinking about us hungry souls, how about a plate of steaming hot Ragda Patties!

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Ragda Patties
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Lets start with the Patties, which on it's own makes a yummy snack to go with tea. There are various kinds of Patties, I make mine with just boiled potatoes. I do not spice up my Patties too much, I like to use various aromatic and colorful chutneys to do the job :)
Also I shallow fry these little bundles of taste rather than deep frying them and you would never know the difference, trust me on this one ;)

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Patties

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4 potatoes boiled
2 tbsp coriander leaves
2 tbsp bread crumbs (optional)
salt, chili powder as per taste
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1. Mash the boiled potatoes well to a smooth mush.

2. Add salt, chili powder, bread crumbs and coriander leaves and mix well.

3. Shape into lemon sized balls and flatten to get the shape in the picture below.

4. Heat a non-stick griddle, spray with oil (in the absence of a spray, just drizzle a few teaspoons of oil). Add a few patties as per the size of the griddle and shallow fry one side till golden, flip, spray some more oil and fry till the other side is done too. Using a fairly large sized griddle allows one to cook many patties at a time, thus making this an excellent party dish and is loved by all.

Now for the Ragda recipe.
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1 cup yellow peas soaked overnight (green peas are not to be used for ragda)
3 tbsp onion chopped
Tadka: 1tbsp oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves
2 slit green chili (this can be easily discarded after cooking to make sure kids do not chew on it)
salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder
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1. Cook yellow peas till done, I pressure cook them which is the fastest & most efficient method in my experience.

2. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida & curry leaves. Let splutter and then add slit green chili and onion, saute till translucent. Add all the masala powders and boiled peas. Add more water as per desired consistency and simmer a few minutes.
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For serving:
Coriander chutney, Tamarind chutney & Garlic chutney. You can find the recipes for all the chutneys here. These chutney's freeze well and come in handy with all the savory snacks!
1 onion chopped fine
coriander leaves chopped
lemon/lime juice
Fried chickpea (sev/ganthia)
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Arrange 2-3 petite Patties in a bowl, let hot ragda drip over the nimble patties. Sprinkle chopped onion and splash the three chutneys as per your taste, be it hot & spice or sweet & tangy :) Can squeeze lemon juice as per taste.
Finally sprinkle the fried goodies(sev) over it and enjoy a bowl of sizzling hot Ragda Patties! Have I perked your interest yet ;)

This is my contribution to Nupur's A-Z series.

My contribution to dear Archana's One D event :)

Weekend Brunch with Buttermilk Upma

I've always had an affinity for a well made Upma and as a kid polished off my breakfast real quick if it was upma. This is one dish which can be cooked up in a jiffy and can be made in so many ways. This time I tried this buttermilk upma recipe from Mahanandi and it turned out so tangy and tasty. Here is my version for the weekend brunch.
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1. 1 cup sooji/upma rava/cream of wheat
2. 1.5 cups buttermilk and 1.5 cups water
3. 1 green chili finely chopped
4. 1 onion chopped
5. 2tbsp crushed green peas
6. Tadka: 2tbsp oil, rai, jeera, 1Tbsp chana dal, 1 red chili, hing, curry leaves, 1/4 cup cashew
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Heat oil, add rai, jeera, chana dal & hing, let splutter.
Add curry leaves, red chili, cashew, green chili, onion & crushed peas, fry for a few minutes.
Add rava and saute well till you get a good aroma.
Once rava is roasted, add salt, buttermilk & water, stir well.
Cover & cook till buttermilk & water is absorbed.
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We enjoyed this upma with fresh papaya for a refreshing weekend brunch :)

Beetroot Pulav

Sure, it has an enticing color, but it leaves it's mark on everything it touches, the hands, knife, cutting board, cooking pots and the like, yes it is the beloved Beetroot! Well known for it's nutrition content, though I guess the jury is still out on it's curative properties for anemia, it is widely used in salads, raita, pachadi, koshimbir and wherever you need to get the dark pink color naturally.
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I try to make different kinds of pulav once a week, they make a well balanced meal with a side of yogurt/raita and some prefer a pickle as well. As you all know beetroot has a sweet taste, when using it in savory dishes it is imperative to use good amount of your favorite spices. Let's go straight to the recipe of Beet Pulav.
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1 cup rice
1 beetroot finely cubed
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
1.5 tbsp oil
2 green chili (as per taste)
mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing(asafoetida), 1tbsp cashew
turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala (as per taste)
1 tbsp lime/lemon juice
Garnish: Fried Moong dal
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1. Soak rice for 1/2 hour. (I soak the rice for a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 1hr). I do this while I'm chopping the vegetables and getting everything else ready.
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2. Mince the green chili along with the ginger/garlic paste.
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3. Chop all the vegetables.
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4. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, jeera, let splutter. Add hing, curry leaves, cashew and chopped onion. Once the onion turns translucent, add minced items along with chopped bell pepper and beetroot, saute for a few minutes.
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5. Add salt, all the masala powders and soaked rice. Add water and cook till done. You can use whatever method you prefer to cook rice, rice cooker, sauce pan or pressure cooker. I made it in a pressure cooker using 1:2 ratio for rice:water and cooked it for 2 whistles. Squeeze lemon juice and garnish with fried moong dal just before serving. I chose this garnish for a little variation from the good old coriander leaves, you may use either :) Just saute soaked moong dal in a tsp of oil till done but still crunchy.
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6. Enjoy colorful Beet Pulav with any raita or plain yogurt and your favorite pickle/chutney!
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7. I use the same process for most kinds of Pulav.

the Quintessential Paneer

Paneer!
The word is enough to conjure images of luscious varieties of food that can be churned up using the Quintessential, indispensable delight of a curdled milk! It is well revered, so much so, that no punjaban worth her salt will ever be caught without a huge chunk of it in her refrigerator, or at the least the phone number of a dairy selling fresh paneer nearby on her speed dial :)
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Right from amazing appetizers like Paneer Pakoda, Paneer Tikka Masala, Chili Paneer...
To extraordinary entree's like Shahi Paneer, Matar Paneer, Paneer Bhurji.......
Not to forget the beautiful breads like Paneer Kulcha, Paneer paratha, paneer stuffed puri...

And delightful desserts like Ras Malai, Paneer Mawa Cake.....
Can you ever have enough of Paneer :)
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I wanted to make a Paneer dish which stands out on it's own and is not guzzled down by tons of gravy, so here it is, Paneer Puri! It's all paneer, no additives like onion, coriander leaves or any such. . .
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Fine threads of paneer are seasoned with spices and stuffed into a wheat flour dough to get Puffy Paneer Puri! This is a paneer lover's delite, Mind you this ain't for the faint hearted, it has paneer and it is deep fried :)
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Here is how I make Paneer Puri
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1. Knead 2 cups wheat flour with salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and ajwain(oregano) to a stiff dough.
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2. Grate 1 cup paneer. Mix in salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chat masala & ajwain(oregano). Yes this has a double dose of ajwain, in dough as well as in the stuffing! All the spices are added as per individual taste.
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3. Roll the dough into a small puri and stuff with about a teaspoon of the stuffing. Bring back the dough up the edges and roll again to get a puri. Make sure there are no cracks in the puri. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
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4. Deep fry the puri till it puffs up and crisps to a nice golden color.
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5. Enjoy Paneer Puri with or without pickle, or with a steaming cup of tea, like I do :)
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So what is your favorite paneer dish? would love to know :)
the Quintessential Paneer is my contribution to Nupur's A-Z for 'Q' :)

Parwal aur Kale Chane & a Peek

Has this ever happened to you?

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You go to a restaurant so often that the waiter, the owner, the chef, (cannot be sure about the help who loads the dishwasher), all know you a little more than you would like them to know :) As soon as the waiter glances at you entering the restaurant, you can almost feel his 'all knowing smile', soon you are seated and in a very nonchalant manner he says, "chole bhature, madam" !!!! A part of you wants to bury your head on the shoulders of whosoever is next to you, but another little part says, hmm, now I do not need to waste 15 minutes going over the menu & you just nod your head, Yes, whilst trying to keep a straight face!

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Well this happened to me in a restaurant frequented by me & my family a little too often! There was this one time (I promise only one time, it was) when we ended up going there Three days in a row ;-) The third day I pretty much walked in, (in)conspicuous, hidden behind a pair of dark glasses & an over sized hat :) The red radiating from my cheeks matched the paneer tikka masala on the adjoining table. Well, you gotta' eat to live, right!! How do you explain to the smiling waiter that you have had a long day & had no energy left to cook, not that he asked you to explain. Anyway, it was at this restaurant that I tasted the unique combination of Kale Chane & Parval, am not sure if it a regular of any particular region, but for me it was a first! I was happy looking at just the kale chane, when I tasted the subzi, I knew I had a keeper. And then the oft repeated story repeated itself, I recreated the dish in my kitchen :)

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Here is my creation for you: Parval aur Kale Chane ki Subzi. Parval in hindi, is tondli in marathi, tindli in gujarati, kovakka in malayalam & dondakaya in telugu and so on.

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1 cup Kale Chane soaked overnight

1 cup parval sliced length wise

1 onion finely chopped

1 dry red chili

2 garlic cloves minced (optional)

2 tbsp coconut

1.5 tbsp oil

Tadka: mustard seeds, jeera(cumin seeds), hing, curry leaves

1 tbsp coriander powder, turmeric, 1/4 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Garnish: chopped coriander leaves & grated coconut

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Cook soaked kale chane till done, I use a pressure cooker.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, jeera(cumin seeds), hing, curry leaves & red chili. Add chopped onion & garlic(if using). Fry for 2 minutes, add sliced parval, coconut, salt, red chili powder & turmeric powder, stir well.

Cook till done, but still crunchy, add boiled, drained kale chane along with coriander powder & garam masala. Cover & cook till masala blends well. Garnish with coriander leaves & coconut.

Do not throw away the water left over from cooking the kale chane, it is supposed to be pretty nutritious.

Serve the subzi with roti & curds. If serving with rice, you can make kadhi or dal to go with it or just enjoy by itself!

The combination of Kale chane and parval is too good to be missed, do try it out. . .

And now as promised here is a 'P'eek at this delicious 'P'alak 'P'aneer Fritata (and eggless at that!) baked by a dear friend who is an awesome baker of savory & sweet stuff, will get the recipe soon :).
Till then feast your eyes.......

This is my contribution for 'P' Nupur's A-Z vegetables.

Fresh Fruit Crudite

(Click on the pic for a close up :) )

(My Aunt holding the Crudite )

Spring brings with it a bounty of beautiful fresh fruit and I like to enjoy it just as nature gifted it to us, pure and fresh! Making Fresh Fruit Crudite is the best way to enjoy fruits, I think. The French love their crudites and I took it a step further to make this beautiful Fresh Fruit Crudite. It makes a wonderful center piece and everyone is tempted to taste a few chunks of fruit, cannot think of a better way to get your dose of daily 5!!
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What is a Crudite?
Crudite is an arrangement of raw vegetables, usually served with some dip on the side.
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How does one make a crudite?
Select a wide pot/ceramic bowl. Line the bowl with a stiff sponge.
Keep a few chopsticks ready for use.
Melt your favorite chocolate in a pan.
Slice the oranges along the diameter.
Chop pineapple into rings.
Chop apples into slices.
String the grapes onto the chopsticks.
Dip strawberry into the chocolate & string it onto the chopsticks.
String all the fruits onto chopsticks.
Pierce the fruit laden chopsticks into the sponge, use your artistic side of the brain to come up with a nice arrangement for all the fruits you have!
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How does one eat the crudite :)
Just plonk a chunk of Fresh Fruit from the Crudite into your mouth, with or without whipped cream ;-)
Can be served for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner!
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I would like to send this over to Meeta for Monthly Mingle / Spring is in the air.

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This would make an excellent breakfast for Padmaja's WBB#11/Fresh Fruit.

Sweet Nothings

I wanted to bake these Date Rolls since I had seen them on Viji's blog, I also knew that I would be using my 'culinary license' (to quote Nupur) to incorporate the puff pastry sheets. Viji made the dough from scratch using all purpose flour & butter, I on the other hand wanted Pepperidge Farm to prosper (read was lazy to knead, was out of time or whatever else you want to read it as :) ).
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Here is how I made the Date Rolls. I'm giving you the basic guide line which can be appropriated to your needs.
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Thaw the Puff Pastry Sheets as directed on the packet.
In the meanwhile heat a tbsp of ghee and saute finely chopped dates for a few minutes, this gives a very good taste.
Grate ginger and grind some cardamom to make a powder. If you do not like ginger shreds in your dish, you can use ginger juice, but definitely do use ginger, it gives a nice contrast to the sweet dates.
Mix sauteed dates, ginger, elaichi powder and sprinkle some milk over it. I did this to avoid over drying of dates during the baking process.
Cut each sheet of pastry into 3 long strips. Spread the date mix along the center of each sheet and then bring the edges together to form a roll, seal well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the roll. Cut into smaller pieces.
Bake in 400 * oven for 12-15 minutes till golden brown on top, the last 2-3 minutes are crucial, it is best to hover around the oven and keep checking so the rolls won't burn.
Enjoy hot & crispy Date Rolls.
For a variation I also tried it with dried Figs and it turned out good, figs being so versatile!

How about one more sweet treat for you :) Rava Laddu

I have always been very fond of Rava/Semolina Laddu, but the excessive ghee deterred me from making it many a times.
I believe in moderation, I do not mind eating little bit of ghee for the authentic taste in certain dishes, in fact I would rather eat ghee than the so called fat free margarine or make-believe butter :). You will most certainly not find me adding flax seed powder in my chocolate mousse, but I can do without the soda or sugar laden donuts ;-) no offence, just kiddin' !!
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So, when I saw Sigma's Rava Laddu, made with just a tbsp of ghee, I knew I had to try it, and try I did. They turned out great and here is how I made them.
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1 cup Rava/Semolina
3 tbsp raisins, chopped (I'm very fond of raisins, hence the huge amount, can reduce as per taste)
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup sugar (I took a little less than that)
1 cup milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
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Heat ghee and fry raisins, keep aside.
In the same pan add rava and fry till it gets heated through, add coconut and keep frying till you get a golden color.
Add sugar, raisins, cardamom & milk. Keep stirring till the milk gets incorporated.
Cool and then shape into balls.
As Sig mentioned, you can store them in the fridge and microwave just a few seconds before serving.

Enjoy the sweet treats and many thanks Viji and Sig!
The 'Sweet Nothings' is my contribution to coffee for MBP.