Methi Paratha

This is a delicious spiced chapathi from Gujarat where they serve it with meals, and also as a snack. You can substitute the fresh ones with the dried leaves as they are more easily available and make a lovely aromatic alternative.

Ingredients:

Wholemeal flour – 500 gms

Fresh Fenugreek leaves – 1 bunch finely chopped

Chili Powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp

Oil – 5-6 tbsp

Garlic – 3-4 pods grated

Salt

Method:

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add all the ingredients except oil.

Mix the ingredients thoroughly with your fingertips

Now rub in 2 tbsp of oil and make crumbles.

Gradually add enough water while continuing to mix.

Knead the dough until it is soft and pliable.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and cut 4 equal portions from each.

Form them into smooth balls and flatten each one. Now dust each piece lightly in flour and roll it out to 6-7 inch circle.

Pre-heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat and place a parata on it.

Cook for 30-35 seconds and turn it over.  Spread some oil over the surface of the cooked side and turn it over again.

Let it cook until the brown patches have appeared. Spread some oil on the second side , turn it over and cook until brown patches appear.

Repeat the same for all the paratas. You can keep them warm by wrapping it in foil lined with absorbant paper.

Serve the parata on its own or with any vegetable curry or just with plain yogurt.

Methi Parata

Goruchikkudu kaaram / Cluster beans curry

I learnt this from my co-sister when I visited her in India. So simple to make and with less oil. I call it as double dhamaaka as it is a mixer of two proteins, cluster bean and peanuts and both belongs to legume family. I have added a bit more chilli in order to suppress the sweetness of the peanuts.

Goruchikkudu kaaram

Ingredients:

Cluster bean - 300 gms - tear them into 2 inch bits

Chilli - handful (Depending on your taste)

Tomato - 2

Onion - 1 thinly sliced

Salt

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cluster bean, Green chilli, sliced onion and tomato

Method:

Coarsely grind the raw peanuts

Coarsely ground peanuts

Coarsely grind green chilli and cluster beans by adding salt.

Heat a pan with oil. When it is hot enough, add sliced onion and fry for a minute. Now add chopped tomato and toss it once. After a minute add the ground chilli and cluster bean.

Mix everything and cook for 2 minutes by covering with lid.

Now add the ground peanuts, mix it and cook for 2 more minutes

Now add about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water and cook until the cluster beans are well cooked.

You can have it with rice or roti. My choice is rice.

Diwali - 2012

Another wonderful year has passed away. Let us celebrate another Diwali by lighting the candles and sharing the sweets,,,,,

I have taken the below pictures at my friend's place. She has placed the glass bowls on both the sides with the floating candles in them.

In full view

Stream of candles ...

in different angle...

Happy Diwali.....

Rasmalai

A divine dessert made up of with divine milk.  The cheese balls are soaked in creamy milk that is boiled with loads of pistachios and almonds and with a hint of saffron which is called as rabdi.

Unlike the rasgullas which will be round in shape and soaked in sugar syrup, these rasmalai will be flat in shape and soaked in rich creamy milk.

The preparation is divided into parts.

First part is preparing the flat rasgullas and the second part is preparation of rabdi.

For Rasgullas -

Milk – 2 litres

Vinegar / Lemon juice – up to ½ cup

To make the cheese balls follow the same procedure as we do for rasgullas except making them flat instead of round.

For Rabdi -

Sugar – ¼ cup

Almonds – 10

Pistachios – 20

Saffron  - 1 pinch

To prepare rabdi –

Take 1 litre of milk and boil it until it reduced to 1/2 litre. Add thinly sliced pistachios, almonds and saffron and cook for some more time and remove from the flame.

Squeeze the sugar syrup from the rasgullas and drop them into rabdi.

Chill them before serving. Chillness will enhance the divine taste.

Pappu Chekkalu / Nippattu

These fritters are made up of rice flour and roasted chick pea flour. Adding the chana dal and peanuts will not only enhance the crunchiness, but also enhances the flavour. A nice companion during a cold day.

Ingredients:

2 cups, rice flour
1/4 cup, Roasted chick pea flour (Pappula podi)
1/4 cup, finely chopped fresh curry leaves
2 tablespoons each- soaked chana dal and roasted peanuts
Salt as per the taste


Method:
Take the flours into a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. 
Parallel to this, heat the oil in a wok.
Add few table spoons of warm oil to the flour and add just enough water to make a firm dough.
Tear out small portion of dough and place it on a wax / plastic paper. Flatten it a bit and using your fingers, spread out the nippattu in a circle until it is about 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Slip these discs gently into the hot oil and deep fry to pale gold. 

Remove to paper-covered tray. Make all the fritters in the same way. It is quick if you do them in batches.

Bread baasundhi

Baasundi is a rich Indian dessert basically made with milk, flavoured with saffron, fruits and nuts. Here is a quick version of baasundi where condensed milk is used instead of going through the lengthy process of reducing the whole milk. Bread is crumbled and added to the hot milk for texture and flavoured with cardamom and saffron. Finally, serve bread basundi hot or cold garnished with chopped almonds.

Ingredients:
Brioche roll - 1 or 2 Sweet Bread Slices
Milk - 1 1/2 cups
Sweetened Condensed Milk 2 Tbsps
Cardamom Powder a Pinch
Almonds 8-10
Pistachios - 8-10
Saffron few strands
Sugar 1/4 cup

Method:

Soak the almonds in warm water and peel off the skin and slice the almonds.

Chop the pistachios into thin slices.

Soak saffron in a tbsp of warm milk for a minute.

Crumble the bread. 

Boil milk in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium – low flame until it reduces to half.

Keep stirring during the process to avoid scorching.

Stir in cardamom powder and saffron milk.

After a few seconds, add bread and let it soak up the flavoured milk.

Finally stir in sweetened condensed milk and half of chopped almonds.

When the desired consistency of the baasundi is reached, remove from heat.

Garnish bread baasundi with sliced almonds and serve hot or cold.

Munakkaya Rasam / Drumsticks soup

Drumstick - I call this as wonder stick. It’s health benefits are plenty and it is said to cure many an ailments. Here are some of its health benefits.

Juice of Drum stick when mixed in milk and offered to children greatly helps by strengthening their bones as it is said to be a great source of Calcium. Also drumstick is said to be a great blood purifier.

Pregnant women should often eat drumsticks as it helps ease any kind of pre and post delivery complication.

Drumstick soup helps ease any kind of chest congestions, coughs and sore throats.

Inhaling steam of water in which drumsticks have been boiled helps ease asthma and other lung problem.

This is another way of benefiting from this wonderful God's given gift.

Ingredients:

Toor daal - 1/4 cup
Drumsticks - 2 cut them into 2 inch size pieces

Ripe tomatoes - 3-4

Tamarind - 1/2 lemon size

Salt - as per taste

Rasam powder - 2 tsp

For seasoning - 

Oil - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - 1 string

Coriander leaves chopped - 1 tbsp

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Garlic pods - 1 or 2 pounded

Dry chili - 1 or 2

Method:

Boil the tomatoes and drumsticks by adding 2 pinches of salt. Mash the tomatoes.
Boil the toor daal, mash it and keep it aside.
Soak tamarind in some hot water, squeeze the juice.
Heat a deep sauce pan, and add oil to it.

When the oil is warm enough, add crushed garlic pods, dry chili and then mustard, cumin and curry leaves. 

When the garlic gets slightly roasted, add the tomato mixture, boiled drumsticks, tamarind juice and the mashed toor daal. 

Add the required amount of salt, rasam powder and bring it to boil. Add chopped coriander at the end and remove from the fire.