Dubai Airport

It is a major airline hub in the Middle East. There are some tremendous shops in the Dubai airport. I have taken couple of snap shots during my visit.

DDF Gold shop at Terminal 1

ha... the golden palm tree

Gorgeous scent bottle

Beautiful jewellery box 

The precious Swarovski diamonds

Amazing art...

Beautifully studded wine set

Courgettes curry

This is a simple vegetarian recipe. Courgettes simmered with onion, tomatoes and yoghurt in a fragrant mix of spices. This dish tastes good if served with chapathi but you can serve it with boiled rice, too.

Ingredients:

    Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp

    Onion - 1, thinly sliced

    Courgettes - 2 peeled and cut into circles

    Ginger+Garlic paste – 1 tsp

    Chilli powder – 1 tsp

    Turmeric – 1/8^th tsp

    Coriander powder – 1 ½ tsp

    Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

    Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

    Tomatoes - 4, chopped

    Yoghurt – 2 tbsp

Method:

Heat oil in a large sturdy pan over medium heat.

Sauté onion until transparent. Add Ginger garlic paste and sauté everything. Add chopped tomatoes, mix and cook them until mushy by covering the pan with the lid.

Now add courgettes, salt, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin powder, garam masala and yoghurt and combine thoroughly.

Add about 100 ml of water, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 – 15 min, stirring occasionally.

Veg Sandwich

I have tasted this during my school days. I used to study in a residential school where they serve some healthy snacks in the evenings. One among them is this snack.

Ingredients:

Bread slices – 8

For the stuffing –

Onion – 1 cut into small pieces

Shredded Cabbage – 1 cup

Shredded carrot – ½ cup

Green chilli – 2 chopped into small pieces

Mustard + Cumin - ½ tsp

Salt

Turmeric – 1 pinch

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat the pan with oil. When is warm enough, add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add chopped green chilli. Saute for a minute and then add onion with a pinch of salt. Fry the onion till it turns transparent. Now add the shredded cabbage and carrot. Sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder. Stir everything and cook the vegetables covered till tender.

Trim the dark edges, place the stuff on one slice and cover it with another slice. Cut them into 2 triangles.

Warm Spring

A warm welcome to the spring....

Candle lights bring a warm look to the bathroom......

In another mode...

Toor daal / Kandhi Pappu Paratha

This is a dish I found to be very tasty when there is left out dals. I had some left over mudha pappu. Thought to make parathas. Instead of stuffing the daal mixture, I just added this to the wheat flour, mixed every thing and kneaded into soft dough same as the roti dough. Fry them with ghee and serve them with spicy red chilli pickle.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour – 2 cups

Cooked Tour daal – 1 cup

Ajwain / Carom seeds / Vaamu – ½ tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Salt
Oil / ghee to fry the parathas

Cooked Toor daal / Mudha pappu and Wheat flour

Method:

Mix the wheat flour, cumin seeds, ajwain seeds and salt in a bowl, add gradually the cooked toor dal / Kandi pappu and knead everything into smooth dough (add water if necessary)..Keep aside for 30 minutes...

Make 10- 12 medium sized balls from the dough, dust the balls with enough flour and roll them into round parathas using rolling pin.

Heat few drops of oil in a tawa, gently place the flattened paratha, cook the paratha on both sides, drizzle oil if needed. 

Serve with any sort of spicy side dish..

Potato / Aaloo Kurma

This is a must have recipe in each and every house of India whether it is Southern or Northern part. A nice companion for pulao rice / Biriyanis as well as chapathis. Adding fennel will give the unique flavour to the curry.

Ingredients:

Fresh Coconut grated / thin slices – 2 tbsp (heaped)

Khus khus / Poppy seeds / Gasa gasalu – 1 tsp (heaped)
Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
Cashew nuts - 

Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Cloves – 3-4

Cinnamon stick – 1 inch

Cardamom – 1

Onion – 1 small chopped into small pieces

Tomato – 1 large chopped

Potato – 300gms

Salt

Oil – 2 tbsp

Fresh coconut, khus khus, Fennel seeds, green chilli, cashew nuts

Method:

Wash, Peel and dice the potatoes and keep them immersed in salt water

Fry the Khus khus, Fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon under very low flame.

Allow them to cool down. Add enough water and grind them into smooth paste along with green chilli, coconut and Cashew nuts.

Heat a pan with oil. When it is hot enough, add mustard, jeera, curry leaves and red chilli

Add ginger garlic paste and fry for few seconds.

Add chopped onion along with a pinch of salt and fry until they are transparent.

Add the ground masala and fry until the oil gets separated.
Now add coriander and Chilli powder.

Add chopped tomatoes and potatoes.

Mix everything. Add some turmeric and required amount of salt.

Add some water and cook until the raw taste goes away and the potato is soft.

Shower  some chopped coriander and remove from the flame.

Potato Fry with Spicy Coconut Powder

A simple recipe with minimal ingredients and can be done with less than 10 minutes. Another time management art. Steaming the potato and parallel to this, prepare the seasoning and mix them together with the final touch of coconut powder.

Ingredients:

Potato – Medium size 3
Onion – Large – 1
Mustard – ½ tsp
Cumin – ½ tsp
Curry leaves
Dry chilli – 2
Chana daal / Bengal gram – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp

For Coconut powder click here

Method:

Wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into small bite size cubes. Spread them in a microwave proof plate or bowl and steam them for 2-4 min by stirring in between. By doing this we require little oil.(Again the time may vary depending on the Microwaves).
Simultaneously, heat a pan with oil and add the seasoning and then chopped onion. When the onion turns tender, add the steamed potato and stir in between for 3-4 minutes.

Finally sprinkle the coconut powder and remove from the fire.

Serve with daal and warm rice

Note: Alternatively, you can add the potato cubes to the seasoning and fry them, which will take a bit more time to cook.