Macaroni with Mixed Herbs and Roasted Vegetables in White Sauce and a Happy Note!!

Pastas are generally our weekend dinners as I find them very easy and quick to make and can finish up the complete process of cooking in less than thirty minutes.My husband prefers a very simple pasta tossed with a good amount of EVOO,garlic and red chili flakes,which I find it a bit dry for me to eat.After lots of trials and additions I have settled upon this recipe which suited taste buds of both of us.There were days I used to buy the ready made pasta sauces and store them up in my kitchen,but after I started blogging I never bothered to buy as I find the fresh home made ones taste better than the store bought ones and are very economical too.As I mentioned earlier among all the pastas we love Basil pesto pasta and is always our first preference provided the fresh basil is available at home,if not I make pasta either with spinach,coriander or mint pesto.If there are no greens available in my refrigerator this is the second version of pasta which we prefer at home.It is very simple to make,no grinding process is required and if you are quick in cooking and good in multi tasking the whole process can be finished in 25-30 mins.I start everything simultaneously like boiling the pasta,slicing the vegetables,boiling and roasting the vegetables necessary in the order and making the sauce as well.Read my notes to get some tips on converting a high calorie pasta to a very healthy and low cal version of pasta.I am sure many of you might have implemented these tips but still I want to share for people who are not aware of them.

Ingredients:
2 cups macaroni or any other pasta
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/4 cup sweet corn kernels
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1 onion,thinly sliced
6-8 pods of garlic,finely chopped
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp mixed herbs
1/2 tsp black pepper,freshly ground
2 tbsp low fat eggless mayonnaise(secret ingredient for a low calorie version but optional)
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil(EVOO)
salt to taste

for white sauce:
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil or butter
3 tsp all purpose flour or wheat flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
1/4 tsp black pepper,freshly ground
a pinch of nutmeg
salt to taste

Method:

• Bring water to a boil with salt and add a tsp of olive oil in a big pot add macaroni or any pasta and cook for 8-10 mins or follow the instructions on your package.Drain them and keep it aside and reserve the water for later usage.
• Mean while make the white sauce.Heat EVOO or butter in another pan and add all purpose flour or wheat flour and fry well and add milk to it and quickly whisk until you get a uniform smooth mixture,add more milk or reserved pasta water to get the required consistency.Add grated cheese,required salt,mixed herbs,pepper powder and a pinch of nutmeg to it and give a boil.keep it aside.
• Steam broccoli florets until tender,still crunchy.Boil corn kernels until done.
• Heat a wide bottomed thick pan and heat extra virgin olive oil and add garlic and fry until light golden in color.
• Add sliced onions and fry until transparent.Add sliced mushrooms and zucchini and fry until done.Mushrooms might leave water,cook until the water evaporates.
• Add blanched broccoli and cooked corn kernels to it and fry for few more mins.Do not let the onions turn golden in color.
• Add red chili flakes,mixed herbs and enough salt and give a good stir.
• Add the prepared white sauce and mayonnaise and mix well,check for salt and add more if required.Add cooked pasta and mix well and cook for 3-4mins.

Garnish with grated parmesan and serve it warm with salad and bread.

Note:

• I make my pastas,low calorie and healthy.I replace all purpose flour with wheat flour and butter with EVOO while making white sauce,this itself makes the pasta very healthy as there is no other ingredient which makes it loaded with calories.
• You can use whole wheat or whole meal pastas which are available in market instead of flour ones to make it more healthy.I generally use flour one or whole wheat ones,I am not happy with the whole meal one,So I do not recommend to use the whole meal one.
  
• One more thing,I avoid adding cheese to the pastas unless it is for a party.I add 2 tbsp of low fat eggless mayonnaise instead of cheese to get the richness in pasta.The addition of mayonnaise even adds special taste to pasta,try it out you wont believe that there is no cheese in pasta.
• Adjust the chili flakes,pepper and herbs according to your taste buds.
• Replace macaroni with any kind of pasta like fusili,farfelle,shell pasta,penne,spaghetti etc etc.
• You can even add a pinch of cinnamon to the white sauce while making it.
• You can even add colored bell peppers,yellow zucchini or roasted eggplant to the pasta.
• If you are making it for a party,after you prepare the pasta transfer to a oven proof dish and cover it liberally with Parmesan cheese and dot with butter in between and bake it in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 mins until cheese melts and turns slight golden in color.
  

and now coming to the happy note..:)

I have completed two years of blogging successfully this feb 25th and I am really thankful to all the fellow bloggers and visitors of my blog to make this happen.Your comments and messages really mean a lot to me,a special Thanks and hugs to you all.

photo courtesy:Google

Read More»

Broadbeans Stir fry with Maharastrian Ghati Masala

As mentioned in my previous post I am posting a simple stir fry using the Maharastrian Ghati masala.I chose to make something very simple with this masala so as to know the flavors of the masala in the curry.I have used broad-beans here,you can use any of the beans like french beans,cluster beans,yard long beans and you can even make carrots,beetroot,cabbage,gobi the same way.Now coming to the recipe..

Ingredients:
250 gms broadbeans
2 tsp Maharastrian Ghati masala
1/2 red chili powder(optional)
3-4 tsp roasted peanut powder
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a sprig of curry leaves
1 tsp oil
salt to taste

Method:

• Clean and wash the broad-beans and check for insects in it and then finely chop the broadbeans into 1/2 cm pieces.
• Steam the chopped beans until they are soft but still crunchy.
• Heat oil in a kadai and crackle mustard seeds and add urad,chana dal and curry leaves and fry until they turn light brown in color.
• Add the steamed beans and add enough salt to it and mix well and cover it with lid and cook for 5-6 mins.
• Add red chili powder,ghati masala,ground nuts powder and mix well and cook for 2-3 mins.
• Remove it from fire.
  

Serve it with hot piping rice and dal/sambar.

Note:
I have used broad-beans here,you can use any of the beans like french beans,cluster beans,yard long beans and you can even make carrots,beetroot,cabbage,gobi the same way.
I am sending this to PJ's 'Flavors of Maharastra' event which is started by Naina.

Read More»

Maharastrian Ghati Masala...for curries!!

I am one masala freak,if I find any new masalas(and ofcourse for vegetarian dishes)on the rack in any store I just grab them to my shopping cart.I have used many of the maharastrian masalas like goda masala,lassun masala,shenga masala,kopra masala,kolhapuri masala etc etc.During one of my usual conversations with my maid who is a maharastrian,I got to know about this ghati masala which she mentioned is very common in most of the maharastrian homes,they make it in a very large quantity and save it for the whole year as the process to make this masala is very tedious and time consuming.It is actually called 'Ghati masala' as the people who stays in ghats prepare this masala with the freshly available spices there.I do not claim that this is the most authentic recipe for maharastrian ghati masala as I did not verify the recipe with any other maharastrian.So my maharastrian friends,please let me know more details about this masala.I tried my level best to give you guys the precise measurements what I got from her and from my experience while making it.This masala sounded so unique to me as they use the fried onions in making the masala which makes it more tastier when added to any curry,fry or gravy.The masala is used in almost all preparations like misal,usal,stuffed vegetable curries, gravies, curries,simple vegetable stir fry etc etc.I will share a simple curry which I made using this multi purpose masala in my next post.

Ingredients:
1/4 kg onions,finely sliced
200 gms red chillies(spicy variety)
50 gms byadige red chillies(for color)
50 gms garlic pods,neatly separated and skin slightly removed
150 gms grated dry coconut
(75 gms of whole maharastrian garam masala which includes the following ingredients)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp til/sesame seeds
1 tsp khus khus
15-18 laung
4" cinnamom stick
12-15 tej patta
4-5 dagad phool/black stone flower
8-10 moti elaichi(black cardamom)
5-6 star anise
5-6 javitri
1/2 tsp soamph
1/2 tsp shahjeera
2 turmeric sticks or 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
Oil to deep fry onions

Method:

• Thinly slice the onions and deep fry in oil until golden brown and crisp.Leave them aside to cool.
• Dry roast grated coconut until deep dark brown in color and keep it aside.
• Dry roast red chillies(both the varieties) until they are crisp and dark brown in color.
• Dry roast the ingredients of maharastrian garam masala mix until dark brown in color.Do this process on a medium flame and do for each ingredient separately as the frying time of each and every ingredient differs.Slightly warm the nutmeg powder and turmeric powder if using instead of turmeric sticks.
• After all the masalas are cooled down grind the roasted garam masala first and then add fried red chillies and grind to a powder.Now add roasted grated dry coconut,garlic pods and deep fried onions and grind to a slightly coarse powder.

Store this in a air-tight container and use it when required.

I am sending this to PJ's 'Flavors of Maharastra' event which is started by Naina.

I am sending these following entries to pari's 'ONLY-cooking with Bread' event.

1. Whole Wheat Garlic and Herb Rolls
2.Khara/Masala Bread with Dill Flavor

Read More»

Brown Rice Dosa and Tomato Onion Chutney!!

Dosa,being the staple breakfast in many south Indian homes appears regularly on their breakfast menu.These days many people avoid eating them as it has large proportion of white rice which makes then feel it is bit unhealthy.For such kind of people brown rice is a nice and healthy substitute to the regular rice in making dosa.One need not to even compromise for the taste of dosa as I felt there is no major difference between the regular and brown rice dosa other than a slight dullness in the color of dosa because of the usage of brown rice.Though the calories,carbohydrate and protein contents are similar in both the rice varieties,brown rice has low glycemic index when compared to white rice and also it has required dietary minerals and vitamins which are essential for the body.As I have made my dosa healthier I had to even pick a low calorie side dish which goes with it other than the coconut chutney which is loaded with calories.So I made Tomato-Onion chutney to pair up with my healthy brown rice dosa.I make this tomato chutney very rarely as husband always prefers coconut chutney for idli and dosa and that is the reason it rarely appears on my menu,but I made this specifically to make this breakfast combo healthy.

Brown Rice Dosa:

Ingredients:
3 cups normal brown rice(I used sona masuri variety)
1 cup whole urad dal(skinless)
1 cup mix of toor dal,chana dal,moong dal (approx 1/3 cup each)
1 cup beaten rice(poha)
1 tsp methi seeds
salt to taste
oil/ghee to roast the dosa

Method:

• Wash rice,dals and methi seeds all together for 2-3 times in running water and soak them for 6-8hrs or overnight.
• Next day morning soak poha for an hour before starting the grinding process of the batter.
• Grind everything together to a smooth paste in the wet grinder for better results.Add enough salt to the ground batter and mix well and let it ferment for 9-10 hrs at room temperature or keep it in hot oven in winters for speeding up the process of fermentation.
• I am sure everyone knows how to make simple plain dosa,still I explain the process of making it for people who are not familiar with it.
• Mix batter well.Pour a big ladle of batter onto a medium hot pan and spread it in the circular motion to form a uniform shaped dosa.
• Pour 1 tbsp oil approx over it and cover it with a lid.(No need to add more oil if using Non stick pan,you can completely replace oil with ghee for better taste if you are not calorie conscious).
• Let it initially cook on low flame for 1-2 mins and remove the lid and increase the flame later and cook for a couple of mins until you see brown/red patches.(No need to turn the dosa).But do not try to remove the dosa in between while it is roasting.We should remove it only when you are sure that the dosa is perfectly roasted.
• Remove the lid and pour some ghee in the center and you can even close it from two sides or three sides like we get in hotels.
• Brush the dosa with ghee and place it in the center of the pan to make it more crispier.How ever it is optional.
  
• Serve it directly and do not drop them in hot boxes.It should be served on to the plate immediately to enjoy the flavor and crispiness of the dosa.
• Reduce the flame for one minute and then start preparing the next dosa.Do not pour the batter on high flame.

Serve dosa with chutney of your choice like coconut chutney/groundnut chutney/mint chutney/tomato chutney/tomato onion chutney.I served dosa with tomato onion chutney.

Variations:

1. Use regular white rice instead of brown rice to make regular plain dosa.
2. Use your regular proportions for dosa like how you usually do and just replace white rice with equal quantities of brown rice.
3. I add toor dal and chana dal sometimes to my dosa batter,but never added moong dal to the dosa batter,one of my friend recommended to use it so I thought of making an attempt and it turned pretty tasty though not much of difference.

Tomato Onion Chutney:

Ingredients:
2 large juicy tomatoes,chopped
1 large onion,chopped
2 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
4-5 red chillies
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp(if using hybrid tomatoes which are not much of sour)
salt to taste
2 tsp oil

for tadka:
1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
a sprig of curry leaves
a pinch of hing

Method:

• Heat a tsp of oil and roast red chillies,chana dal and urad dal separately until brown and keep them aside.
• Heat another tsp of oil in the same pan and fry onions until translucent and then add chopped tomatoes and fry until they are pulpy.Add a pinch of turmeric to it and tamarind(if using) and let it cook for few mins.Cool the mixture completely.
• Grind the roasted dals,red chillies with salt to a fine powder and then add cooled onion-tomato mixture and grind to a slightly chunky paste.
• Heat ghee in the same pan and crackle mustard seeds and add urad dal and curry leaves and fry until brown.Add a pinch of hing and pour this tadka over the chutney and give a nice stir.

Serve it with Idli/Dosa/Rice/Uttapam/Rotti etc.

Variations:

1. You can use either chana dal or urad dal or combination of both in the above chutney.Everything tastes equally good with slight difference.
2. You can even add a handful of coriander leaves while the tomatoes are being cooked to make it flavorful.
3. If you like mint,you can even add a handful of mint leaves while the tomatoes are being cooked.
4. You can make the chutney bit rich if you add a couple of tea spoons of grated fresh coconut while grinding the chutney.

Note:

• For a Vegan version use only oil while frying as well as in chutney for seasoning.

I am sending this to Siri's 'WWC-Brown rice for Dinner',the event started by Sanjeeta.

Read More»

Masala Idly Fries

There are so many options to utilize the left over idlis,so far I have tried chili idly,idly upma,idly fries,masala idly fries,idly manchurian with the left over idlis which are just perfect for simple evening snack.We rarely have left over idlis as I make the required exact number for both of us,so I end up making more idlis intentionally sometimes over the weekends to make evening snacks like this.I prepared this last weekend for my evening snack and I was not planning to take any photographs of that as it was already late in the evening.After I served for both of us,my husband insisted me to take the photographs of it and blog about it.I wanted to eat it immediately so took few snaps quickly without bothering much to change the cutlery and that is the reason my photographs are simple and there was also not enough light which made my photographs look dull as well,so please bear with the photographs.I will post milagai podi again with the photographs as I have finished off the milagai podi that day itself,but I mentioned the procedure for your reference.

Ingredients:
5-6 Idlis,cut into 1/2" wide strips
2 tbsp Idly podi or Idly chili powder or Milagai Podi(recipe follows)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon(optional)
salt to taste

for Tadka:
1 tbsp sesame/olive oil(I used olive oil)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp chana dal
1 big onion,roughly chopped
2 green chillies,finely chopped
1 garlic pod,pressed(adds a very nice flavor)
15-20 curry leaves
a pinch of hing

Method:

• Cut the cooled idlis(use left over idlis) into lengthy strips and keep them aside.In order to fry them you can use of any of these following methods according to your preference.

1. Deep fry the idly wedges in oil until light golden brown in color.
2. Shallow fry them ie., heat a tbsp of oil in a wide bottomed pan and place the idly wedges separately and roast on both sides until crisp and golden.
3. Arrange the idly wedges on a greased aluminum foil and gently spray/drizzle olive oil over it and bake/grill it in preheated oven @ 180 deg for 12-15 mins until light golden brown in color.This is the method I opted to get crispy Idly wedges.

• Heat a tbsp of sesame/olive oil in a wide wok/pan and crackle mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Add pressed garlic pod,chopped green chillies and hing and fry until light brown.Add chopped onions and fry until they are translucent and slightly crisp.
• Add curry leaves and fry until they are really crisp or if you find the oil is less,do this in a separate pan and add the crispy fried curry leaves to the onion mixture.
• Add the roasted/fried idly wedges and add idly chilli powder ,salt and turmeric powder and stir fry them on medium to high flame until all the idly wedges are coated nicely with the masala and powder's,let it roast for few more mins.
• If you want you can squeeze a lemon wedge over it before serving,it is optional to add lemon juice.

Serve it piping hot and it does not require any other accompaniment as it tastes really good on its own.If you are serving for kids,serve it with tomato ketchup.

Note:

1. Instead of cutting the idlis into wedges,you can even use button idly(small idly) to make this.
2. You can even add a tbsp of tomato ketchup after adding roasted idlis to it,it will be a nice treat for kids.

Idly Podi / Milagai Podi:

Ingredients:
4 tbsp urad dal
3 tbsp chana dal
6-8 guntur red chillies
4-5 byadige red chillies
1 tsp sesame seeds or 2 tsp grated dry coconut(optional)
2 garlic pods(optional)
1/4 tsp hing,use the rock variety
salt to taste
Method:

• Dry roast urad dal and chana dal until golden brown and keep it aside and let them cool.
• Dry roast red chillies and hing until the chillies are crisp and keep them aside and let them cool.
• Dry roast sesame seeds or dry coconut until light golden brown color and let it cool.
• Grind all the above ingredients with enough salt to a coarse powder.Add the garlic pods and turn in whipper mode again.
• Store it in a air tight container.

I am sending this to Sathya's 'Twist the Traditional -Idli' event.

Read More»

Bisi Bele Baath(BBB)....aka....Bisi Bele Huli Anna....the patented dish of Karnataka!!

Bisi Bele Bath is another classic authentic dish from Karnataka.To make this delicious BBB a lot of prior preparation is required and more over it is time consuming to make a tasty and delicious BBB.BBB is a one pot meal and is filling too which is apt for a brunch or lunch on lazy weekends.The procedure to make the masala for BBB may vary from one home to another,I am sharing with you the recipe with which we make BBB at home.Some people might follow simple techniques to make the process simpler by pressure cooking everything together and adding masalas at the end,but the taste of it will not even match a bit to the traditionally prepared one.

Bisi Bele Bath literally means 'hot lentil rice' in kannada which is evident by the name that one should eat BBB piping hot,but for me it absolutely tastes good either hot or cold.Ideally BBB should be sprinkled over generously with spicy boondi and served with thick and creamy onion-tomato raita and some potato chips.My mom used to make special variety of thick potato chips which are par boiled and sun dried and which can be stored for a year.All you need to do is just fry them in oil when required and season with salt and chili powder and munch them as a snack or eat them with BBB,they taste very nice and quite different from the regular potato chips.

There are some childhood memories associated for me with this BBB as it used to appear very frequently in our lunch boxes.My brother's friends who are from Andhra had kept a nice name for this dish,they used to call it as 'Alla Baath' as they found it difficult to pronounce Bisi Bele Baath.My mom used to make a huge quantity of BBB which would be sufficient for four of us to eat as breakfast and lunch and sometimes I used to eat it even for dinner,yes I am that crazy about this delicious BBB.

I rarely make this at home even though I love it because of the lengthy process involved in making it and that is the reason why I have not blogged about this so far.Even the photographs I used in this post are more than two year old and was not happy with the photographs and that is one more reason I did not post it.I will try updating the post with new photographs when I prepare it next time.My BBB turned little brown in color as I did not have red chili powder at that moment,the addition of byadige mirch powder will give a nice red color to BBB.The list of ingredients and method seems quite lengthy and elaborate,but the end product is quite worthy for the effort you put in.

Ingredients:
1 cup heaped rice(sona masuri or anything similar)
3/4 cup toor dal
3 tbsp tamarind pulp
1 tsp grated jaggery
1/4 cup grated dry coconut
1 tsp red chili powder(preferably byadige mirch powder for more color)
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp oil

Vegetables required:
2 carrots,diced
2 potatoes,diced
15 french beans,chopped
1/2 cup dried green peas,soaked
1/4 cup dried double beans,soaked
2 big tomatoes,finely chopped
1 big capsicum,finely chopped
2 big onions,finely chopped

for tempering:
3-4 tbsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
a handful of peanuts
10-12 cashewnuts,broken
a sprig of curry leaves
a pinch of hing

for Bisi Bele Bath Masala:
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp chana dal
1" cinnamon
5-6 cloves
1 mace
1/4 tsp methi seeds
10-12 red chillies
5-6 byadige red chillies
2 tbsp coriander seeds
3 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 cup dry coconut,grated
salt
Method:
for masala:

• Dry roast chana dal,urad dal,cinnamon,laung,mace,red chillies,coriander seeds until brown and keep them aside
• Dry roast methi seeds,poppy seeds and dry coconut until slight brown in color and mix with the above roasted spices and add enough salt to it and grind to a slight coarse powder.
• You can store this in a clean bottle for weeks together for further usage as we need 3 tbsp of this powder to make one time.

To make BBB:

• Pressure cook soaked toor dal with turmeric for 3 whistles until soft and keep it aside.
• Pressure cook washed and soaked rice(for 30 mins) with 2 and 1/2 cups of water for 3 whistles or until done.Keep in one container soaked dry green peas and double beans in the pressure cooker while cooking rice.
• Pressure cook the vegetables potato,carrot and beans for 2 whistles or microwave them for 4-5 mins.
• In a big heavy bottomed kadai or cooker heat oil and add finely chopped onions and fry until translucent and add chopped capsicum and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Now add chopped tomatoes and fry until you get a pulpy mixture,it takes approximately 3-4 mins.
• Add cooked toor dal,tamarind pulp,grated jaggery,salt and 2-3 cups of water to it and let it come to a boil.
• Add cooked Vegetable,boiled peas and double beans and cooked rice and mix well.
• Add 3 tbsp of powdered BBB masala,red chili powder to the above mixture and simmer it and cook for 12-15 mins.
• Now check the taste of it and adjust the sourness(by adding more tamarind pulp),spicyness(by adding BBB masala) and salt according to your taste buds.This is the most important step as a well balanced taste of BBB tastes out of this world.
• Add grated dry coconut and mix well and cook for another 3-4 mins.
• Mean while heat a small tadka pan and melt ghee,add mustard seeds and crackle them.Add peanuts and fry until they are slight golden brown.Add cashew nuts and let them turn slight golden and add curry leaves and hing and quickly switch off the flame.
• Pour the tempering over the Bisi bele baath and give a nice mix to it and cook for another 2 mins.

Serve it piping hot with onion-tomato raita,potato chips and use spicy boondi to top the Bisi Bele baath.

Read More»

Makki Ki Roti aur Sarson Ka Saag...winter special!!

I am neither a punjabi nor a north Indian to claim that makki ki roti and sarson ka saag is staple at our home but I absolutely love this combination and is also hubby's favorite as he was brought up in Delhi and was pampered with these delicacies .There are few killer combos in each regional cuisine which makes the meal very special to eat, be it 'Idli-Vada-Sambar' from south or humble 'Khichdi-Kadhi' and 'Dal-Baati-Churma' from west or 'Chole-Batura','Rajma-Chawal' and 'Sarson Ka saag -Makki ki roti' from north.These are the well known combinations that make different regions in India, proud of their cuisine.

In south, we don't get these greens, so never got to taste it, but in Mumbai we get them in winter. My husband and MIL though say that the greens that we get here in Mumbai are not as flavorful as what they used to get in Delhi. I learnt this recipe from my MIL who stayed in Delhi for almost thirty years but when she made it, she pressure cooked the greens for over seven whistles, which in fact made the saag, lose its beautiful luscious green color- admit though that the taste was nice.I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my taste. I just blanched the leaves, like how I do for any other greens and added spices which suits my taste buds. Traditionally, Makki ki roti is made of makki ki atta and salt and since I like the radish flavor, I added it to the atta - Got this inspiration from our fellow bloggers.Do try this combo if you have'nt tried so far,I assure you that you will definitely enjoy it.

Sarson Ka Saag:


Ingredients:
1 bunch Mustard greens(Sarson leaves,approx 5-6 cups)
a small bunch of Batua(approx 2 cups)
a small bunch of Spinach(approx 1 cup)
2 onions,finely chopped
2 tsp ginger,finely chopped
2 tsp garlic,finely chopped
2 tbsp fine corn meal(Makki ki atta)
2 tsp coriander powder
5-6 green chilies,roughly chopped
1 slit green chili
1/2 tsp jeera
juice of 1/2 lemon(optional)
salt to taste
2 tsp oil
2 tsp ghee
1 tsp fresh butter for serving

Method:

• Wash thoroughly all the greens in water and let the extra water drain through a sieve.Separate out the tender stalks from the leaves of mustard greens and chop them finely.Chop all the leaves of sarson,batua and spinach and keep them separately aside.
• Bring approximately 8-10 cups of water to a boil in a big pot,add a tsp of oil and add the mustard greens and let it cook for 4-5 mins.Do not cover the vessel with lid otherwise you will loose the beautiful green color of the greens.Now add chopped batua,spinach leaves and green chillies and cook for another 2-3 mins until the leaves are tender.
• Strain the greens through a sieve and quickly run the cooked greens under fresh water which again helps in retaining the color of the greens.Squeeze the greens slightly and grind it into a coarse puree,do not grind it to a smooth paste.
• In a thick kadai heat 2tsp of each oil and ghee/butter and crackle jeera,add finely chopped ginger and garlic and fry till slightly brown and add chopped onions and fry until brown.
• Add coriander powder and makki ki atta and fry for some time.
• Add the ground puree and add enough water and salt to get the required consistency.Do not cover the lid while cooking,it helps in retaining the color of the greens.When the fat gets separated switch off the flame.

Add a dollop of fresh butter and squeeze in lemon juice to it before serving.

Note:

1. I add fried paneer pieces or the fried alu cubes to the gravy for a variation sometimes.
2. You can even add the seasonal turnips,chopped while cooking the gravy.
3. You can add a tadka of red chili powder to the gravy to give the dhaba style touch.
4. For a Vegan version avoid butter/ghee in the recipe.

Makki Ki Roti:

Ingredients:
2 cups makki ki atta(fine corn meal)
a handful of wheat flour(optional)
2 tsp chopped coriander
1 tsp green chillies,finely chopped
1/2 cup grated radish
salt to taste
fresh butter to serve
makki ki atta or wheat flour for rolling
hot water to make the dough

Method:

• In a big bowl add makki ki atta,wheat flour and salt and mix to a form a uniform mixture.
• Add chopped green chillies,coriander,grated radish and mix well.Add enough hot water to it and make a dough out of it and knead properly.
• Take a lemon sized ball of it and flatten it using a rolling pin to a form a 6" roti of medium thickness.You can even follow the traditional process of patting and moving over the flour or even rolling in between two greased plastic sheets.I opted to use a rolling pin as it was not that difficult to roll.
• Fry it on both sides until crisp and brush with butter generously.

Serve with a dollop of butter on it with sarson ka saag,pickle,lemon and salad.

Notes:

1. Traditionally,makki ki roti is made with just makki ki atta and salt,the addition of other ingredients are truly optional.As I like the flavor of mooli I generally add it to the dough.
2. For a Vegan version avoid butter while serving.It tastes still good.

Read More»

'ONLY' SALADs Event Round up and the Winner

Firstly, I would like to thank Pari of FoodDelicious for giving me this wonderful opportunity to host her event 'ONLY' Salads which is in fact the first event I have hosted.I have received 73 entries in total for this event which I can say is really a big number to make me scream that my first event is really successful. I personally do thank all the blogger friends and non bloggers who have sent entries for the event and made it successful.Well for me, I managed to add a few more bloggers to my network. I would have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and more importantly this also made me aware of the pain that my fellow bloggers take in putting together the round up's for the event. I tried to put up all the entries which I have received,If I had missed any of your entries I apologize for it and please let me know so that I will include them to the round up.

First let us check out the International entries which I got for the event in the order I recieved.
I got my first entry from Soumya of Soumya's Kitchen from USA.She has sent four amazing nutritious salads which are very healthy.

FARRO SALAD
FRUIT n VEGGIE Salad with Guacamole
Quinoa and Fruit Salad

Quinoa and Vegetable Salad

Next comes the colorful entry from Pavithra of Dishes from my Kitchen from USA,whose blog is admired by everyone,including me.Look at the way she has wrapped the salad in those beautiful soy wrappers which is appealing to our eyes.

SALAD in Soy Wraps

Madhu of SweetSPiceySour from CANADA has sent a beautiful and healthy Italian Salad.

Tossed Italian Salad

Mythreyi of Yum Yum Yum from USA has sent a Poblano pepper-Avocado-Mango salad,check out the way how she has presented that salad in the form of a beautiful tower.She has also sent Crunchy cucumber salad.

Poblano Pepper-Avocado-Mango saladCrunchy Cucumber salad

Look at the creamy and delicious Apple - Waldorf salad and Custard Fruit Parfait Salad's sent by Smitha of Smithaspicy flavors from USA,so yumm naa!!!

Apple - Waldorf Salad

Custard Fruit Parfait

Now check out the beautiful fruity Orange Salad and Chickpeas salad sent by Jyoti of The Veggie hut from IRELAND.

Orange Salad
Chickpeas Salad

Malli of chillilovesmalli from USA has sent a healthy warm Quinoa,tempeh and butternut squash salad which is just perfect for this cold weather.

Warm Quinoa,tempeh and Butternut Squash salad

Lakshmi of Taste of Mysore from SINGAPORE has sent a seasonal and traditional karnataka salad,Fresh Chickpeas Salad which is apt for the season.She has also sent a cooling Kadabele Mosaru sasive/Chanadal in yogurt salad.

Fresh Chickpeas Salad/Kadalekaalu Kosambari

Kadalebele Mosaru Sasive / Chanadal in yogurt salad

Chitra of Chitranna from LONDON has sent a Warm Veggie Rainbow salad which is really colorful and healthy.

Veggie Rainbow(Warm) Salad

Soumya of Soumya's kitchen from USA has sent a very different Spaghetti Salad which looks really yumm.

Spaghetti Salad

Pavani of Cook's Hideout from USA has sent a beautiful warm Lentil Salad with Grapes which is perfect for this cold weather.

Warm Lentil Salad with Grapes

Next comes the Quinoa Tabouli,a twist to the regular tabouli from Honey bee of Honey bee cooks Jackfruit from USA.She has also sent a colorful veggie salad.

Honeybee of Honey bee cooks Jackfruit

Veggie Salad with Blueberry Balsamic vinaigrette

Lavanya of Cookery Corner from USA has sent healthy and yummy Spinach Salad.

Yummy Spinach Salad

Hasna of Kachuss Delights from UAE has sent two entries Penne in thousand Island dressing and KFC Coleslaw for my event.

Penne in Thousand Island dressing

KFC Coleslaw

Priyanka of Asankhana from SINGAPORE has sent a healthy Spinach and paneer salad for the event.

Spinach and Paneer Salad

Krithi's kitchen from USA has sent a tasty Paneer Green salad with ginger lemon dressing.

Paneer Green Salad with ginger lemon dressing

Reva of kaarasaaram has sent a very colorful Carrot and Orange salad and also Eggplant Feta salad with mint pistachio dressing.

Carrot and Orange Salad

Eggplant Feta Salad with Mint Pistachio dressing

Akila of Learning to cook from SINGAPORE has sent Carrot-Beetroot salad.

Carrot-Beetroot salad

Next comes the five entries from our super blogger Priya of Priya's easy and tasty recipes from FRANCE.

Salad Shirazi
Chickpeas and Broccoli salad

Carrot Celery and Corn salad

Bulgar and Chickpeas Salad

Sprouted Moth beans,Beets and cucumber salad

Kavya of Kavya's Kitchen from USA has sent a different Palak-Pineapple salad.

Palak-Pineapple salad

Rekha of Plantain leaf Recipes from LIBYA has sent a nice and different Poached Eggplant salad.

Poached Eggplant salad

Denny of Oh taste n see from USA has sent two entries for the event.

Celery Apple Salad with honey yogurt vinaigrette

Red kidney bean salad with sun dried tomatoes and mini peppers

Sanyukta of Creative Sayukta from USA has sent two entries for the event.

Kiwi summer salad
Green chickpeas veggie fruit salad

Jaleela of cookbookjaleela from UAE has sent a protein rich salad.

Mixed Pulses Healthy salad

Swapna of Swapna's cuisine has sent a colorful and wonderful Greek Salad,which is really a treat to eyes.

Greek Salad

Usha of MySpicyKitchen from USA has sent two entries for my event.

Cabbage cucumber salad in Mustard yogurt dressing
Chickpea salad

Dershana of The Footloose Chef has sent two lovely entries for the event.

Rainbow Salad Meal

Fresh Figs in Yogurt Dressing

Sadhana of SensibleVeg has sent a colorful Greens-Fruit-Veggie-nuts salad with yogurt honey dressing.

Greens-Fruit-Veggie-nuts salad with yogurt honey dressing

Harika of Harika's Kitchen has sent a delicious and nutritious chickpeas salad.

Chickpeas Salad

Next got the entry from My creative Flavors from USA,A date with strawberry,yeah you read it correct that is the name of salad..sounds interesting right?

A date with strawberry

Anshu from USA has sent nutritious Black Chickpea salad.

Black Chickpea salad

Next comes the entries from our Desi Bloggers,I mean the entries from INDIA.Check out what our Desi bloggers have brought for us.

Aparna of Ap's Kitchen has sent a famous karnataka style salad called Kosambari with a twist to the regular one.

Beetroot Kosambari

Dr.Sameena of My culinary Creations has sent a cooling Yogurt salad.

Yogurt Salad

PJ of Seduce your taste buds has sent three wonderful salads.Look at the colorful Dragon fruit salad which is served in a nice fruit shell.

Dragon Fruit Salad

Sprouts,Veggies and bhel salad

Aloo Nu Raita / Potato Yogurt Salad

Pia of cookhealthy has sent a colorful Green salad in peanut sauce which is really unique.

Green Salad in Peanut sauce

Next comes the entries from Pari of Foodelicious who is the brain child behind this event.She has sent my favorite Som Tam Thai salad and Mixed Veg salad with a rich n spicy mayo-yogurt dressing.She has prepared these salads exclusively for our event and I am thankful to her to send those entries.

Som Tam/Som Tum

Mixed Veg Salad with spicy yogurt and mayo dressing

Zenobia of RAWk me has sent three healthy entries Fennel-Peppers-Lettuce Salad,Watermelon Jalapeno mint and Tofu Salad and Mixed Veggie salad with rosemary and sumac.Check out her blog for various salad ideas.

Fennel-Peppers-Lettuce Salad

Watermelon Jalapeno mint and Tofu Salad

Mixed Veggie salad with rosemary and sumac

Archana of The Mad Scientist's kitchen has sent innovative Cucumber and Paneer Salad for the event.

Cucumber and Panner Salad

Preeti of Khaugiri has sent colorful Chilled Melon Ball Salad,look the way how the melon's are beautifully scooped.

Chilled Melon Ball Salad

Priya Sreeram of Bon Appetit has sent a Minty tomato cucumber salad which is called salad-e-shirazi in Iran.

Salad-E-Shirazi /Minty Tomato Cucumber Salad

Shobha of Food mazaa has sent a lovely Mixed vegetable salad which served in edible exotic pine apple birds.Check out for the beautiful pine apple bird carving in her blog.

Mixed Vegetable Salad

Roshan of Roshan's cucina has sent Babycorn salsa.

Babycorn salsa

Savitha of savitha's kitchen has sent a different and colorful Peanut salad with cucumber.

Peanut salad with cucumber

Kanchan of Kitchen gossip has sent Egg salad which can be used as a filling for your sandwich.

Egg Salad

Sweatha of TastyCurryLeaf has sent two wonderful entries for the event.

Waldorf Salad
Eggplant Salad-Salata de Vinete from Romania

I have recieved one non-blogger entry too.

Ashwini from UK has shared a different Radish salad which her mom prepares to make her two year old fussy grand daughter.I am sharing the recipe in her own words.
Radish Salad

Ingredients:

Radish - 1 cup grated

Green Chilles - 1/2 tsp finely chopped

Tomato - 2 tbsp finely chopped (remove the seeds)

salt - to taste

lemon - as desired

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients and serve immediately,as it leaves water when kept for a long time.

And finally the four entries from your host,urs truly Prathibha of The Chef and Her Kitchen.

Steamed Babycorn and Raw Mango Salad
Red Pumpkin-Yogurt Salad
Sprouts Salad-Chaat Style
Tabbouleh

And now coming to the winner of 'ONLY' Salads event.I have use random.org to select the winner and the lucky winner is Sweatha of TastyCurryLeaf.Congratulations to Sweatha for winning the event,you have won Tarla Dalal's 'Healthy Soups and Salads'.

Pari will choose the winner for the CSN give away,so please stay tuned to see who will win the give away at her place.

Read More»