Thursday, June 7, 2007

Burgers and French Open


click on the pic to enlarge :)


Last weekend we were watching the two ladies fight it out on the courts, Sharapova the glamorous and Schnyder the demure, yet strong!
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It looked as if Schnyder would take away the match and it was just the fourth round! Papa Yuri was busy biting his nails, this is when the game turned around. There being no tie-breaker in the final set at the French Open, the ladies fought it out till the end and Sharapova did emerge the winner. She has some power, under all that 'i feel pretty'.
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Well, as far back as I can remember, I always loved watching Tennis. I remember, back home we as a family always loved to watch the grand slams. We used to be glued to the TV and would follow the games diligently, blissfully oblivious to the fact it might have been a recorded telecast! But we sure did enjoy it and so grew my love for the game.
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It was a dream come true to watch US Open at the Arthur Ashe stadium in NY for the first time when I came to this country. Waiting in line outside the stadium, ready to be ushered in as soon as the morning session got over, I just could not contain myself for those few minutes. Soon the gates opened and I was admiring everything wide eyed! There were numerous stores who had put up shop there and we just browsed around for a while & bought a few keepsakes :) Walking around, we saw the side courts and looked at the game schedules.
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Finally we entered the Arthur Ashe stadium, I was like a kid in a candy store, totally mesmerised & blown away. It is one of my most memorable experiences, had so much fun that we went back again the next day!!! Also got to watch a game at Louis Armstrong Stadium, it being the older of the two. The stadium experience is totally awesome, one not to be missed, specially if you are a tennis fan. The feel is totally different from what one experience's on TV. Getting to watch the real game, no biased commentary or unnecessary remarks! It's fun to make your own judgements about the game and it is your view point, not someone else's :)
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It's a given that it usually rains the weekend of the games, and that year it was no different! The officials had to reschedule many matches and that meant big names playing on the side courts :) That year I got to watch Kim Clisters, Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Safin and many more. It's going to be wonderful watching my favorite player, the smooth & unbeatable Federer, in action this time around :) Boy! is he good, or is he good!!!!! He is one classy player! !
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Moral of the story?
Burgers make a good meal while watching tennis :)
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I had my eye on Nandita's bulghur burgers, not having any bulghur on hand I opted for black eye beans patties.
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Here is how I made them.
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Black eye Beans/Lobia/Chavli Patties
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1 cup lobia
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 bread slices
2 green chili chopped
salt, chili powder, garam masala, amchur, roasted cumin seed powder
2 tbsp rava/sooji/semolina
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1. Soak lobia for 2 hrs.
2. Pressure cook till done. I pressure cooked it for 3 whistles. Cool and drain.
3. Mash drained lobia. Add onion, masala powders, garlic, coriander leaves & bread which is dipped in water & squeezed.
4. Divide the dough into equal sizes, make into balls and then flatten to get patties.
5. Heat a griddle, spray some oil. Dip the patties in a plate of rava and arrange over the griddle. The rava is to coat it very lightly, do not make a thick coating out of it.
6. Shallow fry one side, flip and do the same for the other side.
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In the meanwhile get the condiments ready. The burgers tend to be a little dry, so I used two kinds of chutney to slather on the bread.
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I made Mint/pudina chutney.
Here is the recipe of pudina chutney as made in a punjabi household.
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Blend 1 bunch mint with
2 tbsp coriander leaves,
2 green chili,
1/2 red onion,
1 clove garlic (optional),
roasted cumin seeds,
salt,
anardana powder(can substitute with lemon juice),
1/4 tsp sugar
Adjust seasoning & spices as per taste. It tastes YUM!
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I usually make red bell pepper aioli, this time I tried Trupti's recipe for red bell pepper dip with a slight change based on my pantry items.
Blend 1 cup roasted bell pepper, 1/2 cup curds, salt, pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 onion, 1tbsp lemon juice and red chili flakes.
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Chop cabbage, onion, tomato & cucumber to serve with the burger.
I buttered the bread and also had my favorite cheese wedges handy.
You can choose your combination of condiments and salad as per taste.
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I has some dough leftover and made these cutlets the next day. I shaped the dough into oblong shape like fingerlings, rolled them in cornflour & deep fried them. Served with ketchup :)



Many Thanks to Nandita & Trupti for the ideas :)
This is my contribution to Coffee's MBP-Going Lite.
This would also make one spicy breakfast, I would also like to send this over to Trupti for WBB-Spice it up!

53 comments:

FH said...

You do LOVE Tennis,don't you? Loved the write up:))
Burgers look great and so does the fingerlings! Going Lite? Nah,fried things are never lite!:D
Makes a great brunch though.

Richa said...

thank you, asha! yup, sure do love tennis :) fingerlings were just an after thought, made it from the left over batter, not the main dish :) but they turned out pretty good. Yeah the burger is versatile, can be had as is, with bread or anyway you like it. Enjoy...

bee said...

now, i really miss cable. we cancelled our subscription ages ago.

those burgers look awesome.

Saju said...

burgers look very tempting - I am starving now!!

Bong Mom said...

I loved Nandita's Burgers too, have been thinking of giving them a try. Yours look great and I love the next day cutlets

Richa said...

thanks bee! yeah you shud get it for the games, better yet come over for the season to watch them live heh!heh! i've a few more varieties of burgers to try next.

thanks saju! see, this is what happens when one goes blog hopping on an enpty tummy :) come on over dear and we can make some more burgers!!

thanks sandeepa! yeah there are so many varieties of burgers that can be made. those cutlets were yum, well anything fried ought to be yum heh!heh!

Arts said...

NIce write up... used to watch it back hone.. not any more here :|
And abt the burgers.. oh so tempting.. thanks for sharing!

Mandira said...

my idea of a relaxing weekend! I love watching tennis too, it should be a good final.

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

very nice write up!! I am not that big a fan of Tennis.. But my dad was. So, I would sit and watch it along with him.... [:)]

Those burgers look perfect!!!

Vini K said...

Looks like you would rather watch Tennis than cook!:)Very good write up Richa..those burgers look great.Using black eyed peas is a great idea!:)

sunita said...

I totally share your passion for tennis...and, can you pleeaassee pass me some of those patties, even the cutlets will do...

Richa said...

thanks arti! you can try the burger with various combinations of legumes and then add spices as per ur liking, that makes it so versatile :) also try the pudina chutney you will like the different taste! btw why don't you watch tennis any longer, don't miss out sweetie!!

thanks mandira! yeah it sure is relaxing watching tennis. great way to spend the wknd, absolutely right! have u been at the stadium?

thanks ramya! do lemme' know if you try the burger :) maybe u can start watching again, heh!heh!

Richa said...

thanks vini. yup we enjoyed the whole enseble, burgers and all. what kind of burger is ur regular fav? about tennis, yeah i can watch lots of it, speacially if my fav players are on the court :)

thanks sunita! you are morer than welcome to savor the burgers and the cutlets as well :) it will be my pleasure to make it for you :) wow! it's great to know you too share this passion. have you been to the wimbledon?
enjoy..

Jyothi said...

Hi Richa, those burgers are looking too too good. Lovely. Thanks for sharing.

TNL said...

Lovely,Lovely entry...! I love the texture of these burgers.

Tennis... I just like to watch Andre Agassi....no. not him playing, just him. ;)

Anonymous said...

Hi Richa,
Came to your blog thru the comment you left at my blog.
You have wonderful blog with great recipes and pics. Love the pictures...they look great...
Wonderful recipe of blackben cutlets....loved it. Thanks for sharing.

Aruna said...

Those kababs are mouthwatering Richa!! And Love tennis tooo :)

indosungod said...

Watching the Grand Slam events was a favorite passtime back home, lost touch adter coming here. My brother is a Federer fan now my daughter is one. I was planning on making some black eyed peas vadais this weekend, the cutlets look good. Enjoy your Tennis.

Coffee said...

Awesome write up!!!!! And what a lovely meal!!!! I totally agree with your moral of the story ;)

I can just imagine the blend of all the flavours in a burger!!!! And I can see that you are using slice bread vis-a-vis burger buns!!! Surely going lite!! :D

Thanks for this lovely entry. :)

Kajal said...

WOW.......Looks gr8........soup and photo looks completely dazzling.
Have a nice day.:)))

Roopa said...

looks delicious, i have been thinking of trying these burgers too. loved the writeup.

archana said...

Bharpur protein yukta patties. Chan dista ahet :) Tyancha close up tar mast ahey. Mala ti red pepper chi dip awadli . Nakki karoon bagheen.
Tas TV baghta baghta ase khayla milale tar majach ahe . Awadla Menu, and entry chan ahey :)

Kribha said...

Oh, what can I say Richa? Looks simply superb. I'm drooling already. Guess what time it is? 1am midnight. Where can I get these dishes now? Anyway, thanks for posting the recipes.

Rachna said...

hi richa, your lobhia patties look amazing, didnt know you can do so much with lobhi until i saw yours and dilipji's post... lovely pics as usual!!

Sig said...

Wow Richa, you got to go watch US Open, that is amazing! I hate all sports, but Tennis is an exception... we used to watch a lot of Tennis too long time ago... :)
Loved reading the post... wonderful write up...
BTW burger looks awesome with the two chutneys, guess I'd like the deep fried stuff better though :)

Sia said...

me too, me too:) i love tennis and its anytime better than cricket:)
and loved ur patties and cutlet:)

Alapana said...

Thank you richa,well,i say so because these will be a part of my dining table when my friends will be visiting me tomorrow:) all of them said "light and tasty food when we come and meet you" and i started my hunt and ended up at your blog:)will try them tomorrow and will let you know the result.

Raaga said...

Looks yummy... Nice use of lobia. I like it in any form :)

Richa said...

thanks jyothi, glad you found them interesting, lemme' know if you try it.

thanks trupti! tari dip saras hati :) yeah last year when andre gave the seech infront of the crowd everyonr including him was in tears, was very moving, yup love to watch him play, but federer is my fav :)

thanks madhu and welcome here! glad you found them interesting and thanks once again for ur lovely words about my blog :) hope to see ya around!

thanks aruna! glad to see a fellow tennis admirer around here!
enjoy

Richa said...

thanks isg! it used to be so exciting watching all thoses games on DD, why did you stop it now :) your bro & dotr have great taste :) enjoy...

thanks coffee! i'm so happy you liked the going-lite entry :) so you agree with the moral of the story heh!heh! :)

thanks kajal! do try it!

thanks roopa! yup there are so many variations that be done with the burgers! enjoy..

Richa said...

thanks archana! tv baghta baghta kahi tari khayla pahijey, you are absolutely right! ani protein yukt nakki ahet :) tikdey jarred roasted red pepper miltat ka? with that it is so quick :) ti pudina chutney pan try kar kadhi :) enjoy...

thanks kribha! what, you are up blogging till 1am :) i guess you must have been busy shopping in the day :) have a great time dear!

thanks dumela! i too found out recently :) it is pretty simple to make and good chuyneys to go with make a lot of difference :)

thanks sig! yup tennis is a much loved sport! specially if federer is playing, he is of a different league altogether :) watching US Open is an awesome experience :) fried stuff, yup always ready for that :)

thanks sia! oh u too are a tennis fan, good to know. did you get to watch any games out there?

thanks alpana! do lemme' know how you liked them! make the chutnies tangy & spicy 'coz lentil burgers tend to be a bit dry! also do add lots of salad! you can make the patties once ur friends arrive, it's pretty quick! enjoy...

thanks raaga! welcome to my blog :)

TNL said...

ubhi rene tu, shukravar vali!

:)

Sia said...

i want to goto wimbeldon this year but the thought of camping out whole night to get the tickets somewhat puts me off:(

Cynthia said...

I too like to watch tennis on TV :) I used to love watch Ivan Lendel, Boris Becker and that Stefan Edberg. Tennis rocks!

The burgers look so good and the entire pic so colourful and joyful.

TNL said...

maar khavoche tarey? ;)

Upwas rakhine faydo su? paachi akhu gaam jamey etlu khavanu? My SILs and MIL do that, agyaras rakhey aney paachi 6 items banave "upwas" todva matey. (heheheheh)

trupti

Anonymous said...

I havent heard of lobhia patties. a great Idea!

Bharathy said...

Burgers look so so so yummy..can I have a bite of it...errr I am not that health conscious and luv cutlets..

Shivapriya said...

Yummy burgers Richa.

Suganya said...

Yum looking burgers....Love it...Nice pictures...Lovely snack...

Mallika said...

Hi Richa - your tennis story sounds a bit like the first time I went to Wimbledon here. Those patties looks scrumptious to and perfect for picking...

Nupur said...

The burgers look so good! You are such a tennis fan :) My younger sister played junior Nationals, and I would sometimes take her to tournaments. Went to Arthur Ashe once and it was rained out :(
Oh well :)

Priyanka said...

hey richa, yummy, yummy burgers!!! just cant resist them. could you parcel them to me please :)

Anonymous said...

Can't say I'm a tennis fan, but I sure loved the colorful meal you put together for it! Looks fantastic :)

Arts said...

Tujha aikun kaal finals baghitle :)
Ani tried ur patties as well.. mast jhale hote! :)

Richa said...

thanks cynthia! yup tennis sure does ROCK :) glad u liked the burgers.

thanks dee!

thanks bharathy! do try them. and yes i'm with you on the cutlets, fried does taste better heh!heh! enjoy dear

thanks shivpriya!

thanks sukanya, glad you liked the burger, it's a nice change from regular patties.

thanks mallika! great to know you enjoyed wimbledon, hope to see the games there someday :) how was your experience? i heard getting tkts is a problem & that one has to camp out the previous night!!

Richa said...

thanks nupur! yeah burgers turned out good, many variations can be done to include salads, chutneys, spices etc.
yup i sure am a big tennis fan :)

thanks priyanka! sure will parcel them to you, you are most welcome! enjoy...

thanks linda! yup they do look colorful with those chutneys, don't they :)
enjoy

thanks aarti! arreywah try kelas patties :) kontaya chatnya banavilya? tennis pahun maja ali asel na :)
enjoy....

Sharmi said...

Waw!! beautiful looking burgers and sandwiches. SO you went to the stadium. must have been really great to see a live one.

Viji said...

The patties look great and the entire spread it mouth watering Richa. Viji

deena said...

Hi richa,that was a lovely platter.the patties seem quite simple.must try them..

Suganya said...

The cutlets look like hot dogs :) Thanks for trying my ginger cordial and letting me know. Am glad you liked it.

Suma Gandlur said...

Loved the burgers and especially the patties recipe. My SIL and I were looking for Indian version of patties all over the web. Will definitely give them a try.

Richa said...

thanks sharmi, viji, deena, suganya & suma! I'm glad you all liked the dish, do try and let me know how you like them! Thanks for your loving comments, look forward to seeing you around :)
Enjoy

Prema Sundar said...

The burgers with bread slices in it look great Richa.. nice write up too.