Glimpses of St. Helena's farmers Market, Napa AND Zuke-A-mole

He is the King and he did it again!

Heartiest Congratulations to Roger Federer who took home the US Open trophy for the 5th consecutive time! What a beauty and pure joy it is to watch him play. The best player ever to play the game of tennis, IMO. Always a class act and ever so generous with all these great achievements, the sign of a true champion!!

Coming back to today's post, here are some pictures from my recent trip to Napa Valley, food related of course ;) I managed to convince all in my group to spare some time and go visit the popular St. Helena's farmers market out there. It was a beautiful bright day and we did pick up quite a few things from there. From the lovely produce of fresh fruits and vegetables, to various flavored honeys, to all kinds of pesto's possible, to handmade scarves, to fine crafted soaps, to indoor plants, they seemed to have it all! I happened to leave some pesto and jalapeno relish jars in my handbag and had to leave it at the airport :( Anyway, I'm very happy with my other purchases from there including the mega white peaches ;)

Let me leave you with the recipe of Zuke-A-mole, a smart twist to the ever popular guacamole using Zucchini which I've adapted from here. Made it a few times and it is one tasty dip! I've tried it with bread, idli's and makes a good accompaniment to desi meals as well.

Zuke-A-mole

3 Zucchini
1 sweet onion chopped
2-3 green chili, as per taste
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1/4 cup mint leaves or basil leaves (can make without it as well)
salt & pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp oil
2tbsp lemon juice, as per taste

1. Heat oil. Add onion, green chili and garlic, saute 2 minutes.

2. Add chopped zucchini and cook till done.

3. Add salt & pepper, coriander leaves, mint leaves and switch off the gas. Add lemon juice. Cool and blend smooth.

4. Enjoy this tasty dip as you would any other dip. The original recipe asks for roasting of zucchini and onion in an oven for 90mins, that will definitely bring about an intense flavor, but is quite time consuming for me! I thoroughly enjoyed this take on the ever favorite guacamole.

Carrot and Ginger Appe

Since I got my Appe pan/ Aeblevisker Pan from back home, I've been using it to dish up various varieties of sweet as well as savory dishes. This pan is quite multipurpose and the non-stick version uses least amount of oil to churn up delicacies. It also comes in handy to make tasty snacks out of leftover idli/dosa batter etc. It is available online, you may click the link above to check it's availability in Target. It works very well and makes for one perfect finger food. I've incorporated the recipe for Carrot Ginger pancakes and adapted it for the Appe Pan, worked beautifully!
Recipe adapted from here. I have adapted it to my taste and requirements and have omitted the egg. Now lets get to the recipe.

Carrot and Ginger Appe
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1 heaped cup grated carrot
1 small onion chopped fine
1 tsp grated garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp all purpose flour/maida (Use as required for all the ingredients to bind together)
Oil for the Appe pan
salt to taste
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1. Mix all the ingredients except oil, use as much all purpose flour as needed to bind it together to a batter like consistency. Freshly grated carrots release enough water to bind it all together, do not add water.
2. Heat the Appe pan. Add oil in the depression of the pan, you don't need to fill it with oil, just oil it lightly.
3. Add batter into the depression and cook for 2 minutes till golden and flip. Cook the other side for 2 minutes. Appe are ready.
4. Enjoy with hot tea!

It sure is getting tough taking pics at night, the ligth never seems to be enough.
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This made for one incredibly tasty dish and was very quick to make as well. Will be making this often :)
This is my contribution to Pooja's VOTW event .

This would also make a lovely appetizer for Mansi's Game Night Fun Event.
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Sabudana Khichadi - With a Nutty Twist :)

Ever since I've had exhaustive training in the art of soaking sabudana(sago pearls) from my friend, a Sabudana Khichadi expert, I've had fantastic results, no more gooey lumps :)

But, when I saw Nupur's microwave version for the same, I just had to try it! And try I did with flawless results :)

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Lemme' share with you my Sabudana Khichadi story from my college days :)
Round the corner, on my way to the college, there used to be an elderly vendor(lovingly called maushi by us students), who used to sell some absolutely lip-smacking stuff like Kanda Pohe, Rava Upma, Sabudana Khichadi & Naral Wadi(coconut fudge). I can't say with certainity if I would have made it from the hostel for the early morning lectures if not for the delicious goodies sold by maushi. One just had to reach her cart in time to be able to get a plate of the goods, 'coz no sooner did she open her mega sized aluminium tins, than the students would scamper for a plateful of those :) When I think of it now, it just amazes me as to how good and fresh those snacks were. Also, it was never oily, just perfection to the core. The Naral Wadi used to be in a limited quantity and I used to hope every single day that I get one, at the very least ;) Thank You maushi :)

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I made it with a twist ;) Read ahead for the recipe details....................

Sabudana Khichadi with Pistachio powder

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1 cup sabudana soaked, I usually soak it overnite, you may use your regular method of soaking
1/2 - 3/4 cup crushed Pistachio**
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
1 small boiled potato, diced
1 tbsp ghee (Please use this for maximum flavor, will not give the same results without it, IMO)
1 tbsp oil
a pinch hing/asafoetida
1 tsp chopped Green chili
1/2 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
10 curry leaves
1/2 lime squeezed
1/4 tsp red chili pwd
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
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1. Mix the soaked sabudana with crushed Pistachio, sugar and salt. For best results, do not leave the Pistachio in big chunks, make a fine powder with a few coarse pieces.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, heat ghee & oil with cumin seeds, green chili, hing & curry leaves for 1 minute.

3. Add sabudana mix, red chili pwd, diced potato and microwave for 1 minute. Let stand for 2 minutes. Repeat this once more till sabudana is cooked through. I had to do it for 3 minutes with 2 minute breaks in between.

4. Squeeze the lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.

5. Enjoy a bowl of perfectly cooked sabudana khichadi, now one could get used to having this everyday :)
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Nupur's original recipe here, Thank You, Nupur. I was looking for ways to use up my stock of roasted/salted Pistachio received over the holidays and thought of using it in my favorite khichadi instead of the peanuts/groundnuts :)
It worked extremely well. I'm so happy I tried this :) Everyone enjoyed it a lot and I think had I not mentioned it, it would have been hard to recognize the difference. But ofcourse, I would not do it, I do not believe it serving anything without telling what goes in 'coz I would not like to be served anything without first knowing the contents :)
Do try this once, you will be hooked!!!!

This is my entry to Mansi's Game Night Fun Event.

Skinny Banana Pancakes with Walnut & Mascarpone Cheese Topping

Skinny, because I can't flip the other kind...lol!
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My friends think I'm lucky that frosted cakes or cream and sugar decorations don't tempt my fancy. Though I like to spend time admiring those kinds of edible works of art, I can't seem to cajole myself to eat more than a bite of them, I like 'em plain.

But Mascarpone is another story :) I like to keep a container of Mascarpone cheese with me at all times, if possible ;) It is something that I enjoy, and yes I know it is 75% fat or something like that :) Purists may scoff at my use of Mascarpone, but I'll let you in on a food secret of mine, after all, my blog, my rules ;) I like to have blob of mascarpone with some sugar as my quick shrikhand fix....lol! I find it too irresistible :)

In this recipe I've mixed up mascarpone with some sugar and ground walnuts.......trust me on this one, try it and lemme' know ;)
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Skinny Banana Pancakes with Walnut & Mascarpone Cheese Topping

Banana Pancake
1/3 cup all purpose flour / maida
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp semolina/sooji
2 bananas, mashed
2 tsp walnut powder
buttermilk to make the mix
1/2 tsp elaichi/cardamom powder
1/2 tsp baking soda/Eno fruit salt
pinch salt
Oil for shallow frying
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1. Mix all to get a pouring consistency like a regular pancake.
2. Heat a griddle and spray some oil.
3. Pour 1/3rd cup of the mix and swirl the pan to spread the batter.
4. After 3/4 minutes flip the pancake and drizzle oil around the edges and cook till done.
5. Make all pancakes.
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Walnut Mascarpone Topping
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4 tbsp mascarpone (OR as per your liking)
2 tbsp walnut powder (coarse)
1 tbsp sugar (as per taste)
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Mix all.
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To serve:
Serve Banana Pancakes with a dollop of Walnut Mascarpone topping!
Enjoy...

So, how do you like your Mascarpone cheese? :)

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!

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 :)

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' :)

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.

Nylon Khaman Dhokla Sandwich

No, I would not go that far just to make up a 'N', it is really called that!

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I have also heard of nylon poha and nylon sabudana, a litttle wierd I would say! I have come up with my own explanation as to why it may have gotten the not so appetising name, 'Nylon Dhokla' !
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Well, when I think of nylon, the things that come to my mind are the long and comfortable chairs back home with the nylon cloth material sewn as the base of the chair or the nylon bags that we happily trotted around with as kids and of course who can forget the nylon saree;-)

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My theory is, nylon, for some reason unbeknownst to me, translates to 'instant' or 'pre-processed' in the case of food items. The traditional khaman dhokla is made by soaking a mixture of various dals, grinding it and then fermenting it before finally steaming it into a dhokla. But the nylon one is made of chickpea flour (besan), no grinding or fermenting involved here. It is an instant version and hence the name nylon khaman dhokla. Phew! Now that we have the definition out of the way, we can safely proceed to the recipe.

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I learnt this recipe from 'G' aunty when she was visiting us from India some time back. I watched her prepare it once and now follow all the steps diligently to make this snack. Speaking of 'G' aunty, I will be happy if I've even half the energy & enthusiasm that she has when I reach her age ;-)
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Khaman dhokla is a much loved Gujarati snack. It is a steamed snack with a tempering of mustard, cumin, sesame and is adorned with coriander leaves & grated coconut. It is usually served with coriander chutney. It can also be made into a sandwich by spreading layers of green chutney or ketchup in between slices of dhokla. This is one snack which goes very well in parties as well.
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Here is how I make Nylon Khaman Dhokla Sandwich.
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1 cup chick pea flour (besan)
1 cup water

1 tsp ginger & green chili paste
1 heaped tsp sugar
salt, turmeric powder, 1tbsp lemon/lime juice
1 tsp eno salt
1tbsp oil, mustard seeds, jeera, hing, sesame seeds, curry leaves, 2 slit green chili
chopped coriander leaves, grated coconut

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Mix of 3 tbsp lemon/lime juice, 1tbsp water & 1 tbsp sugar (as per taste)
1/2 cup green chutney

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Blend chick pea flour, water, chili-ginger paste, lemon/lime juice, salt, turmeric powder, sugar very well. Do not add all the water at once, add little at a time and make the batter a little thinner than bhajia batter. You might need just a tbsp or two less than the whole cup. Mix it well and make sure there are no lumps. Keep water for steaming in a wide pan. These days you also get special dhokla steamers in the market as pictured below. In the absence of this you can use any shallow container for steaming.

Add eno salt to the batter and mix very well. Steam till an inserted knife comes out clean, about 15-17 minutes on high flame. Let cool. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, jeera, hing, sesame seeds, curry leaves, 2 slit green chili and keep this tempering aside.

For the sandwich, prepare two slabs of the dhokla. Cool. Sprinkle the lime/sugar mix over one slab. Spread green chutney over that and then cover with the other dhokla slab. This is just like icing a cake, a savory cake at that, like shown below.

Pour the tempering over this. Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut. Cut into pieces and enjoy Nylon Khaman Dhokla Sandwich!!

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

I would also like to contribute this to Barbara for her wonderful event 'A Taste Of Yellow' .

Rawa Dosa

Rawa Dosa is something that satiates your appetite when you want to have dosa but do not have the ground & fermented batter ready. Well there is a solution to that too, ready made batter!! but then there aren't many who have that kind of 'luxury' ;-(

In Matunga one step out of the house and you would have a hard time deciding from amongst the EXCEPTIONAL restaurants in the area. Oh boy! what a place!!!!! But lets not get carried away ;-)

In case you do not want to step out of your home but still enjoy a crisp dosa, Rawa Dosa is the way to go!! It is quick to make and tastes awesome, if I might say so myself ;-). Enjoy it with Onion sambar and Potato masala.

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Rawa Dosa: There are many variations to the ratio of the three flours used in this dosa. This is the one I use successfully.

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1 cup rawa

1/2 cup rice flour

1/4 cup maida

2 tbsp chopped onion (optional)

2 green chili chopped

1 tbsp oil

rai(mustard), jeera, curry leaves, coriander leaves

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Mix rawa, rice flour & maida with water to make a watery batter.

this batter is supposed to be on the runny side, do not make it thick. Add salt. Heat oil, add jeera, curry leaves & green chili. After a few seconds add chopped onion and saute till onions turn translucent. Add to the batter. Heat the tava well, spray some oil and pour the batter. This batter should not be spread on the tava, it should be just poured and should form a lace for the best texture. Once this side is cooked, flip the dosa and cook the other side. Repeat for the remaining batter.

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Onion Sambar

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1/2 cup toor dal

1/2 onion sliced

1 tsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp sambar pwd

1/2 tsp chili pwd

1 tbsp oil

rai(mustard), jeera, hing, 1/4 tsp methi seeds, curry leaves, 2 dry red chili

coriander leaves

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Pressure cook the toor dal. In the absence of a pressure cooker, the dal can be boiled in a wide saucepan, just that it takes longer to cook by this method.

Heat oil, add rai, jeera, methi seeds, red chili, hing & curry leaves. Add sliced onion and saute till onion turns translucent.

Add tamarind paste and a cup of water. Let it cook till the raw taste of tamarind disappears. Add sambar powder & red chili powder(if using). Add whisked boiled toor dal and water as per required consistency. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

One of my friends adds a tsp of ghee just before switching off the stove and it adds a great taste, it is purely optional though!

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Potato Masala

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4 potatoes boiled

1 onion sliced

2 green chili finely chopped

1.5 tbsp oil

rai(mustard), hing, curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt

1/2 tbsp lemon/lime juice

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Mash the potatoes roughly. Heat oil, add rai, hing, curry leaves & green chili. Add sliced onion & fry till it turns translucent. Add turmeric powder, salt & fry a bit.

Add mashed potatoes and mix well. Cook till done. Can add a tbsp water if it gets too dry. Add the lemon juice and switch off the gas. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Variation: You can add cashew nuts for a crunch.

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Enjoy Rawa Dosa with onion sambar and potato masala.

This is my contribution to RCI-Tamil started by Lakshmi. Thanks for the event, Lakshmi.

Malai Toast

Thanks to our insatiable appetite for fast food, many a times we succumb to the marketing gimmicks of the food industry and find ourselves lost in the serpentine queue at the drive-thru. I hesitate to say that time is a factor, only because I believe that one can make time for something one loves to do, irrespective of what the 'pundits' say ;-)

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Today I want to share with you the humble 'Malai Toast', a simple and a quick breakfast/snack. I'm known to savor this with some soup or a milk shake depending on the weather to make it a complete meal. Nothing too fancy, but a filling and a tasty snack nonetheless. Sometimes there is a need to indulge in simple flavors and this definitely fits the bill. The combination of sooji(cream of wheat), onion, tomatoes, green chilli, coriander leaves and malai(cream) makes it a snack which is hard to resist. I do replace the malai with buttermilk to make it lighter. You can use any kind of bread as per your liking, somehow white bread lets the flavors of the other ingredients shine through, I feel. But by all means, go ahead any use your favorite kind of bread.

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bread slices

2tbsp sooji/rava (cream of wheat)

3-4 tbsp malai OR buttermilk (I use thick buttermilk)

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 tomato chopped

2 green chili finely chopped (alter as per taste)

1tbsp chopped coriander leaves

salt & pepper as per taste

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Mix all ingredients to a thick batter. It is important to make sure that the batter is not runny(see pic) and sticks well on the bread. Spread a thin layer of the batter on the bread. Heat a griddle, add a tsp oil and put the bread on it, batter side down. Cover and cook on medium for 2 minutes. Take off the cover and let crisp for another minute. Flip and cook for a minute. (Please do not try to move the bread around on the griddle when cooking, or you will end up with batter stuck all over your griddle. Once the side is cooked it can be flipped quite easily.)

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Slice into triangles or bite size squares("for the kid in you") and serve with a dollop of ketchup or any chutney of your choice. You can refer to my Misal post for the green chutney recipe.

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Instant Pineapple Jam

Blogging does make you try out out so many new varieties of food, experiment with new fruits/vegetables and then makes you wonder, what can 'I' stand for....
Well I is for Instant Pineapple Jam!
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I went through my cookbooks, and hidden behind all the other mega books was a small booklet (paak pustika) which came free with my pressure cooker. Somehow it was lying by itself all this time, but now it was time to shine!

I found a recipe I liked and tried it out immediately. The recipe book was in marathi and here is my translation for you all to enjoy. It was great reading marathi after such a long time. See, this event even helped me re-polish my marathi.
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1 cup grated fresh pineapple ( I used canned crushed pineapple)
1/4 cup grated apple (I used 1 apple)
1tbsp lemon juice
1cup sugar (I used a little less than that)

Pressure cook pineapple, apple & lemon juice.
{cooker madhye ananas, safarchand ani limbu ras ghala}

After one whistle, reduce flame to low and cook 5minutes. Let it cool.
{Prakhar achewar purna pressure yeoo dya. Aach kami kara ani 5minitey shijva. Cooker tasach thand karat theva.}

Take contents in a sauce pan and add the sugar slowly. Let it melt completely and keep stirring. Just boil till it comes together and sets.
{Cooker madhle sahitya saucepan madhye ghya, haluhalu sakhar ghalat dhavla ani sampurna viraghalwa. Prakhar achewar set hoipareyant zhatpat ukalwa.}

Isn't that simple and quick!

(Please note that I have given the marathi version because I had so much fun writing it. Please excuse mistakes if any.)

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

I was just informed( thanks, Sig) that today is the last day for AFAM- http://publishtoday.blogspot.com/, would like to submit it there as well.

Upma with Sambar & Chutney - Matunga Style

(clockwise - Sambhar, Khajur/Date peda, Coconut chutney, Upma)

Oooh how I love the Upma at RamAshray, Madras Cafe or Mani's in Matunga. It is simply the best there! Also the fact that they indulge you with lots of unlimited sambar & chutney adds to the charm. Out here I've seen the restaurants charging extra for additional chutney or sambar, that is pathetic, methinks! Also the taste is nowhere close to my Matunga upma, people who have tasted there will definitely second me. Just thinking about it makes me so nostalgic. If anyone has visited these places recently pleeeeease, pleeeease let me know about your experience. Everytime we visit India, by the time we reach home and freshen up it is about 3am, then we wait till 5am b'coz that's the time these restaurants open and we make a mad dash to eat Upma, Sheera, Medu vada, Dosa etc. Yes we eat like we have never eaten before!!

Here is my recipe for Upma. Try it once and I promise you will be hooked. This is a basic recipe, you can add veg as per liking.

1cup sooji/upma rava/cream of wheat
4cups water
1tsp green chilli paste
1/2tsp ginger paste
1 onion sliced
1tbsp lemon juice
Dhaniya Patta
Tadka: 2tbsp oil/ghee (ghee gives best flavor), rai, jeera, hing, curry patta

Heat oil/ghee, add rai, jeera & hing. Add curry patta & onion, fry for couple of mins. Add rava and saute well till you get a good aroma. In the meanwhile boil water. Add chilli & ginger paste to the water. Once rava is done, add water and stir well. Cover & cook a min. Add salt per
taste. Add lemon juice and dhaniya patta. Serve with chutney & sambar. Enjoy. If you ever get to visit Matunga, try the upma at Madras Cafe, RamAshray or Mani's.