HD's mushroom, bell pepper and potato fry.

5 star mushroom, bell pepper and potato fry.

I was in the doldrums one day and just not feeling like facing the task of cooking dinner.
Doldrums for a diabetic can be caused by anything: unbalanced sugars, muscle fatigue, joint pain...you name it, we have it.
While the challenge of life is to control the sugar and be as normal as possible, there are still days when one just has to let everything go and rest.
One such day, HD (Hubby Dearest) looked at me, went out and returned with a bag of groceries. An hour later, I woke from my nap to the best aromas coaxing me to go to the family room.
From there I have a good view of the kitchen...long long ago HD and I decided we would not trespass on each other's kitchen time...so I just peered in that direction while my salivary glands did a tango.
HD immediately positioned his back to block my view of the dish and said sternly, "Not ready yet!"
I sat down on the couch and opened up my computer...Who was I to worry about a little delay in dinner time when I was going to eat something that smelled so good.
Finally he heated up a tortilla , put some veggie on the side and said, "Here you go. It's not great but it's something."
He always says that every time he cooks. I don't know why.
Over and over these 30 years I have told him the greatness of the dish is not just the taste (though his are great...read on..you'll see why), it's the thought, the effort AND...the greatest part, the fact he leaves the kitchen spotless when he's done! The sad part is that this is the second or third time he's cooked this year, because he gets so exhausted?
Anyway I felt so much better after I ate, that I wrote the recipe down before either of us forgot it. HD says he made it once 20 years ago. I say he has never made anything like this...

Mushroom, Bell pepper,Potato Fry.

I pkt (8 oz) mushrooms, washed, chopped in half and dried on a paper towel.
1 medium onion chopped (our medium onions are equal to 2 large Indian onions)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium red potato cubed. (wish he'd put in 2).
1/2 large capsicum/bell pepper chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander/cilantro.
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
Chilli powder and salt to taste.
2 Tbsps olive oil
Optional: 2 Tbsps butter (He puts in more, but this is the quantity he says he puts in. Now you know why he blocks my view of the dish. I just go to the fridge and check the block of butter there and know how much he's used).

Heat oil. Fry onion.
When half done add capsicum and fry till onions turn brown.
Microwave cubed potato 4 mins without any water and add to pan.
Add tomato, mushroom, coriander and spices.
Turn your back so dish is hidden from your other half/children and add butter.

Fry everything well till done.

Eat hot with chappattis or rice. I opted for the former.

Baked matri

Whenever I get sick/feel under the weather, which is very often for a diabetic,I am challenged to come up with quicker and easier recipes... because no matter how sick the rest of me is, these taste buds; reared by a mother who loved to cook the best food and a father who insisted on the best food being served at every meal AND honed by my own work and eating skills...are something to be reckoned with.



My mouth has been watering reading all the recipes for matri BUT as explained before there is a huge gap between 'WANT TO' and 'CAN'.
It took two weeks to remember to get the omum/ajwain/carom seed,then another week to think about making matri.
Inspiration hit when I got some ready made pie crust for another recipes...look for it by the frozen biscuits etc. Two large sheets come in a box.
So here's the recipe, not written up in the traditional manner as it is too simple for that...
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
I rolled one sheet out to 1 mm thickness...next time I'll do it thinner.
I grabbed a round lid, cut out circles.
Then on top of each circle I sprinkled a very little omum...be careful as omum has a STRONG flavor and less is more.
Using my fingertips, I pressed the seed lightly into each round.
(next time I'll add cracked pepper too).
Do NOT add salt as the pie crust has enough for this dish.
I lined a tray with foil, placed my matris on it and baked it for 7 mins, till golden brown..
Watch carefully the first time and note your own right temp down as matris bake/brown quickly and everything depends on your oven.
These were flaky and absolutely delicious...the taste buds reminded me if only I'd had some Punjabi mango pickle made with somph to go with it, things would really have been great but I was too happy to care!!!

This is a healthy conversion of an old time favorite.
Though not deep fried, like the original recipe,there was no loss of taste.
PLUS, the final bonus, HD (Hubby Dearest) looked surprised and then very pleased when he tasted the new matris. He doesn't get enough savory snacks around here.

Sweet Apam

This is one of the nicest things my mother used to make for tea-time, when we had emptied the contents of her tins and she needed a quick sweet at tea-time!
I love the blend of jaggery and now I use whole wheat flour, as the kind we get in the Indian grocery stores are as fine as the maida (all purpose flour) we used in India.
The whole wheat flour is more nutritious, the jaggery does not send my blood sugar soaring as long as I eat one apam only, so this is an all around winner for a diabetic.


1 cup whole wheat flour.
1/2 cup jaggery, broken into small pieces or shaved off the jaggery 'block' with a knife.
(Brown sugar might work here too but I haven't tried it with brown sugar yet).
1/4 cup water.
1/2 tsp cardamom powder.
1 Tbsp raw cashewnuts (quartered if they are whole, halved if they are in two pieces)
1 Tbsp golden raisins (soaked in water for 5 mins to plump them up, and strained).

Melt jaggery in water and strain through a fine strainer. (I always do this with any dish I'm using jaggery for as there are always some impurities in the jaggery).
Watch carefully so jaggery just melts and does not harden...if needed add little more warm water to dilute quickly.
Cool and then add to flour with all other ingredients.
Mix like dosa pouring consistency...for those of you who do not make dosas mix like pancake batter, adding more water if necessary.
Spray a non-stick pan, heat on medium high, pour one spoon of batter to make a 2-4 inch circle...my mother painstakingly did 3 inch circles...with me size depends on how quickly I want the job finished.
Flip apam over and brown other side.
Eat hot, eat cold...delicious both ways.

Tips: If your jaggery is very hard, soften it in the microwave for a minute but be very careful handling it as it starts to melt from the inside out.
Do not make batter too watery.
Do not pour too thick as inside will not cook well...1/4 cm comes out great.
Do not cook crisp.
Apam should be golden reddish brown and soft.
Outer edge just get a little crisp but the rest should be soft.

An unexpected award

Never having thought of awards, I'm overwhelmed by this one.
Just doing the blog is reward enough for me, as it has always made me happy to share what I know. This summer it has given me something to do that I enjoy and helped alleviate the problems the heat causes diabetics.
Most of all, it's like opening a new gift every day to visit a blog...old or new and read a new recipe that I can't wait to try.



I am now an award winning blogger! Thanks Viki of Viki's Kitchen for the very first award I have received for this site...and for the very kind words.
The rules of the award are: Put the logo on your blog. Add a link to the person who awarded you. Nominate 10 other blogs. Add links to those blogs on yours, and leave a message for your nominees on their blogs. I am happy to pass on this award to my fellow blogger friends.

Tastes Like Home
Malabar Spices
Cheenachatti
Art of Cooking Indian Food (Let Us All Cook)
Ahaar
Aayi's Recipes
Paajaka Recipes
...and a little bit more...
For The Love Of Food
Zaiqa, Modern Hyderabadi Cuisine

Indian Sweets: RAWA PUFFS

Indian sweets aren't the candy of America or the toffees of England...they are the 'sweets' made for tea each day,and at religious festival times. Hindus have specific sweet dishes to be made for each festival...and of course each part of India has different sweets to make and offer...all delicious and infinitely varied.
To get back to the important ritual of 'tea-time',one sweet and one spicy/kara/savoury item was the norm in our house. My mother had two Britannia biscuit tins which she filled routinely with goodies for tea time. For those of you not familiar with them, these tins were made of aluminum, rectangular in shape about eighteen inches high and ten inches wide and deep. We got them from the station canteen manager who saved them for my mother, after the biscuits were sold.
After lunch or in the evenings my mother and the servant would make enough sweet and spicy things to fill these tins and then for ten days we would all work on emptying the tins and her job would begin all over again.
When guests came visiting, these snacks would be served to them with tea, coffee or that famous Indian drink, Orange Squash.
Most of the items for tea in India were deep fried. In Britain, where the custom originated, these goodies were usually baked.
For the spicy/kara/savoury part of the tea, we would have one of these: murku, papubilla,kodbilla,salty biscuits, bajjis, pakodas...the last two being made fresh of course.
For the 'sweet' part we would have one of these: some kind of halwa, kesari, mithai/barfi, rawa puffs, duckies and dollies...the name taking it's shape from the cutters my Mom used on the jaggery and flour biscuits that were deep fried...there were teddy bears too but they were not included in the name somehow.
The Rawa Puffs were one of my favorite tea time snack and at Diwali they were made in huge quantities. On the day of the festival each neighbor was sent a tray with all the sweets my Mom had worked diligently on for the last two weeks. The neighbors reciprocated on their special festival days...a tiffin carrier of biriyani on Eid came from one, Christmas trays of plum cakes and baked delicacies from another and so on. How rich this sharing made our lives and no matter which religious holiday it was, all the children felt the keen joy of anticipation for the goodies that filled every home.

Now as Diwali approaches and I am filled with memories of home, I decided to try out the Rawa Puffs for myself as I have found a shortcut that is doable in spite of the weakness that is a part of the Diabetes.
In addition, the summer heat has finally relented and the cooler weather has given me some of my energy back.

RAWA PUFFS



This is my entry for Paajaka Recipes 'Deep fried or steamed sweets' event.

(got the dates mixed up so I guess it's not in the event.)

This is also my entry for All Thingz Yummy' Yummy Festival Sweet: Diwali event

Filling

1 cup rawa/sooji/cream of wheat.
(If you are buying this from an Indian store buy the medium coarse not the fine variety).
2/3 cup sugar.
(this seemed a little extra sweet to me but that may have been because I have become used to cutting back on my sugar intake. You could use half a cup, taste and then add a little more if needed.)
1 level tsp powdered cardamom.
1/3 cup chopped cashewnuts.
(Halve each cashew and then halve it again)
1/3 cup raisins. (I'll increase this next time).

Heat pan, roast rawa with cardamom powder for three -five minutes...do not brown or burn.
Remove rawa from pan.
Heat one Tbsp ghee or oil.
Fry cashewnuts, when half done add raisins and fry till raisins plump up.
Add rawa and fry for another minute or two.
By this time the kitchen should be filled with a heavenly aroma.
Remove from stove, add sugar and mix well.
(our sugar is really fine here so if you have granulated sugar, powder a little but not completely).
Cool filling.

For the cover: (Here's the shortcut).

From your local Mexican supermarket buy the frozen empanada covers.
If you don't have a Mexican supermarket in your area, here are my sympathies and the recipe for the cover.

1 1/2 cups flour
(I use the chappatti atta/whole wheat flour from the Indian store is ground really fine. Some people use only all purpose flour but I feel this combination is more nutritious.)
1/2 cup all purpose flour.
1 Tbsp olive oil.
1 tsp salt.

For frying: I mix half olive oil and half corn oil for frying as it works better than just olive oil.

Mix all the ingredients. Knead with slightly lukewarm water to poori dough consistency.
Roll out either into into one big round, cut out circles using four inch cookie cutter (you can make smaller circles depending on the time you have to spend on them),or roll out as individual small pooris/circles.
(For newbies trying this recipe for the first time, poori dough consistency is like pizza dough and when rolled out this should be as thin as tortillas).
Fill each 4 inch circle with one Tbsp filling, wet edge of circle with water and fold half the circle over to meet the other half.
Using your fingers and then the tip of a fork, press down edges very firmly.
(If puffs open while frying, the filling will leak into the oil and burn...in that case switch off stove, allow oil to cool, strain and then resume your work...it is easier to make very sure puffs are well sealed in the first place).

Heat oil in frying pan. Deep fry puffs till golden brown.
Do not overheat oil as these puffs come out better when they fry at just the right temperature. Is this a riddle to see if you know what that is? No, it's not. The right temperature is when you put in a tiny piece of dough into the heated oil and it rises to the surface immediately.

Last instruction:
Eat one hot...they are so.o.o good this way then eat one cold later on...can't make up my mind which way they taste better. I made three, which is all the time I could stand in the kitchen for...meant to be fair and share fifty-fifty with HD (Hubby Dearest) but he wasn't home, and two were sacrificed to the noble task of tasting.
Hope he returns before the third goes in search of the first two!

TIPS:
1. One to two Tbsps grated coconut can also be roasted and added to filling.
2. Empanada covers can be filled and baked to cut down on the fat but this recipe comes out better when fried.
3. Fat is not absorbed by these puffs or any other dish, if oil is heated to the correct temperature before anything is fried using the small test given above.

5 star badam halwa for Navratri

Navratri literally means nine nights. This festival honors Devi/the Indian Goddess who fought against demons who wanted to conquer heaven and earth.
Devi was created by the light that emanated from the Gods and she was endowed with the special power of each of the Gods.
They sang her praises in special hymns, recorded in the Devi Mahatmyan when they needed her and she appeared and rescued them from the scourge of the demons.
These nine days are celebrated all over India, in different ways...Gujratis hold 'garbha sessions' which convene at 8 or 9 at night in which they celebrate with song and dance till mid-night when the 'arti' is performed, Bengalis perform Durga Puja for these nine days, South Indians perform pujas at home,some set up a display of dolls and grow fresh grains in a plate for nine days. People visit each others homes to see the dolls and eat the 'goodies'.
For those who cannot make elaborate dishes, fruits and milk are offering enough when served with devotion. I also mix nuts and dried fruit and serve this.
The tenth day Vijaya Dashmi is the day of Victory.
The simplest explanation of Navratri is it is the fight of good versus evil and eventual victory by all that is good. By celebrating the festival, we affirm this.
The simplest worship is to follow all that is good every day of our lives in thought, action and deed. The light of goodness will always dissolve the darkness of evil.

Here's an easy dish that is a great offering, a great dessert and simply a great sweet.

5 star badam/almond halwa

1 can condensed milk
1 cup blanched almonds, powdered coarse.
(If you do not have a food processor, then do this in a blender with a little milk)
1/2 cup milk powder.
1 tsp Elaichi/ cardamom

Put all ingredients in a pan on medium heat.
Stir till thick and halwa falls from spoon like a mass.
Remove and transfer to a serving dish.
Serve small portions as this is a rich dish.
No one will believe you haven't spent hours making it!
Picture coming soon!!!

DALIA/BROKEN WHEAT UPMA

ABOUT WHEAT:

Dalia is the Indian name for cracked/broken whole wheat.
I was first introduced to dalia as a porridge, in North India.
The porridge took a long time to cook but tasted nutty and delicious.
Seeing dalia in my local Indian grocery store after my return to the US from that trip, gave me the idea for this recipe.
This dish is nutritious and super for any meal: breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Wheat is to North India what rice is to South India...a staple food.

Nutritional Values of Wheat.
Wheat is rich in protein and fibre.
It contains Manganese, Phosphorus, Magnesium and Selenium in very large quantities. Rich in Zinc, Copper, Iron and Potassium. However, Calcium is also present in small amounts.
It is rich in Vitamin B6, Niacin, Thiamin, Folate, Riboflavin and Pantothenic Acid. Vitamin E and Vitamin K are also present in small but considerable amounts.
Wheat has a calorific value of 339.0 per 100 gm.

Health Benefits of Wheat:
Consumption of whole wheat is necessary for a healthy metabolism, as it prevents Breast Cancer, Gallstones, childhood Asthma and heart risks. Definitely an essential food to intake for women for gastro-intestinal health, also reduces risk of high blood pressure, Diabetes and high cholesterol. To add up to it all, it has phytonutrients which promotes better health through maintaining high blood levels.

Source ORGANIC FOODS

Dalia Upma

This is my entry for Eat Healthy: Fight Diabetes ( Sangeeth of Let us all Cook has organized this event.)
Two hours after eating this I find my blood sugar perfectly normal...which is a meal by meal challenge for a diabetic like me till one masters the art of managing a chronic disease to have a shot at a healthy life.
Diabetes is now a national problem in the USA and prevention is better than waiting till one is diagnosed with the disease so please be aware and cut back on huge quantities of white rice, white flour sugar and generally overeating.
If you have diabetes in your family start a healthy diet today.

This is my entry for WBB 'Grains in My Breakfast' event, hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen.
WBB, Weekend Breakfast Blogging is an event started by Nandita of Saffron Trail.

This is also my entry for Tasty Palettes,'Whole Grains'event.

1 cup dalia
1/2 onion, chopped.
1 tomato, chopped.
1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped to 1 " pieces
1/2 cup soy beans (frozen)/peas.
1/2 cup cubed potatoes
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 green chillies (optional)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp pepper powder
Salt to taste.
2 Tbsps olive oil.
1/2 a lime


Note: The last time I bought dalia, it was like grains of wheat broken into two pieces,and needed pressure cooking. I like this kind best.
Today the package I opened is like coarse cornmeal/sooji so I cooked it stove top.

Pressure cook 1 cup dalia with 1 cup water OR cook dalia with 2 cups water and salt to taste, on stove top.
(Bring dalia and water to a boil, reduce heat and cook till water is evaporated...about 5-7 mins.)
While dalia is cooking on one burner I go ahead with the rest of the recipe on another, keeping an eye on the dalia.

Fry chopped onion.
Add green chillies, chilli and pepper powder and fry for 3 mins.
Add tomato, cauliflower, soy beans, potatoes and fry for 5 mins.
(If the soy beans are frozen and the caulflower and potatoes are fresh, then I zap the last two items in the microwave for 4 mins first, drain them and add them to the dish so all the veggies will cook at the same rate).
Add 1 cup water, cover, and let everything cook on medium heat till done and liquid is reduced.
There should be just enough water left to make a very thick sauce (about 1/2 a cup).

Mix with cooked dalia. Leave on low heat for 5 mins so that flavors incorporate and dalia absorbs the extra liquid.
Add a squeeze of lime juice to bring out the best flavors in this dish.
Serve hot...excellent for breakfast, brunch, lunch, munch or dinner.

Potatoes with fennel, parsley and cheese

Potatoes with fennel, parsley and cheese.

This is my entry for the October Royal Food Joust.
If you need more information on this site or want to join the Foodie Blog Roll, click here.

Two medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold), about 2 cups, cubed.
1/2 cup non-fat milk (use any milk).
1 cup grated cheddarella cheese (a mix of cheddar and mozzarella).
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsps ground fennel seed (roast a Tbsp of fennel seed in the microwave for ten seconds. Grind fine in spice grinder.)
2-3 cloves garlic, grated.
2 Tbsp parsley,chopped.
1/2 onion, chopped.
Salt, chilli powder, pepper powder to taste.

Cook potatoes in just enough water to cover them.
As soon as they are soft, drain them.
Return pot to stove, add milk and let potatoes absorb the milk on lo heat.
In a skillet fry onions on medium heat.
When brown add butter and then grated garlic.
Fry for 1 minute.
Add chilli powder, pepper powder, fennel seed powder.
Fry for another two minutes.
Add potatoes, parsley and salt to taste and mix well, mashing just a little.
Potatoes should still be lumpy... not like mashed potato.
(Don't over do the salt as the cheese is salty too).
Fry for three minutes.
Put in an oven proof dish, sprinkle grated cheese on top and broil for 2-3 minutes watching carefully.

The cheese forms a crust and makes this dish yummy-licious.

Have left overs? Lucky you...here's a couple of ideas of what to do with them.

1. Make a plain omelet, heat up and use the potato as a filling.
A few drops of hot sauce on top mixed with a Tbsp of ketchup, on the side, makes it perfect.

2. Put the left over potato between two slices of bread and grill it. Makes a great sandwich.

Pros of owning a cockpot

My crock pot Curry In A Hurry recipe (see below) led to this post

What is a crock pot?

A crock pot is a slow cooker. It's an electrical appliance that can be plugged in and left to make super stews/curries.
Similar to a rice cooker it contains an outer chamber and...here's where it differs from a rice cooker... an inner, removable porcelain chamber.

Pros of owning/buying a crock pot.

1. Easy cleaning: the porcelain interior rarely gets food stuck to the bottom.
2. Hands free cooking...once you put stuff in there correctly.
3. A meal is waiting for you when you come back from work/an outing...the aroma of curry filling the house reminds me of India where we always come home to something smelling yummy-licious from the kitchen.
4. It's inexpensive...approximately 11 dollars on sale for a one quart crockpot.
5. For a party, it gets the curry ready and keeps it hot, while you work on other dishes...you can place the crock pot directly on the table, as the exteriors are pretty.
6. Besides the kurma at the bottom, they are great for stews,soups or curries that need long, slow cooking.
7. You can season everything/fry onions on the stove top, then transfer to the crock-pot and put in lentils or meat or veggies or a combo and leave it to simmer till done...I get the best flavors this way.
8. I have made khoa in the crock pot, leaving milk to boil in it for eight hours, stirring occasionally. This needs a little attention when milk gets very thick but it prevents that stirring, stirring, stirring...and arm ache.
9. It's great for Rabdi...the North Indian/Mughal thickened sweetened milk dish and kheers/rice payasam...again, anything with liquid that needs long, slow cooking.
10. Chakkrapongal, a traditional South Indian sweet dish, made with rice, mung dal, jaggery and milk comes out great in the crock pot.

I'm not just a recorder of recipes. My crock pot adventures made me feel like a proud pioneer in shortcuts. I love nothing more than finding ways to cut down the work while KEEPING the same age old wonderful flavors and taste.

Do follow manufacturer's instructions for safety while using a crock pot.
Never let your dish run dry while cooking or it WILL burn.
Test every new recipe for the first time when you are around to observe results.

Crockpot Curry in a Hurry

Crockpot: Curry in a Hurry.

A few years ago, my sister was visiting me and I wanted to spend time with her and my brother-in-law and NOT in the kitchen.
Yet, here was the dilemma of wanting to provide a good meal as well. Making as much as I could before they arrived, in desperation I recalled a talk I had given to an American group of friends re., 'Curry in a Hurry'. Whisking out my crockpot I put all the ingredients that I had listed for them into the crockpot, turned it on, said a prayer and left the kitchen.
Four hours later I served lunch, with another prayer. Amazingly the first comment came from my brother in law who has a very well developed palate. "This curry is delicious."
I couldn't have been more pleased. Coming from him, it was high praise. This was followed by my sister's ever loyal and supportive words, "Geeta is such a great cook," and to me, "How do you do all this?" I treasure those words of appreciation. Though we lost her to cancer her memory is in my heart, interwoven in my life and a very important thread of my being.

While researching calcium rich foods for Sangeeth's Eat Healthy: Calcium Rich event, I found the USDA's database list on which Tofu was second. Tofu is made from soybeans which were fifth on the list. Some years ago I encountered soy beans in their shell in an Oriental restaurant when a bowl of soybeans, dipped in hot salted water was placed in front of us.
'Edmame', said the waitress. I peeled one and found the bean reminded me of mocche/avaraykai/averaychi shenga. Just like mocche, I could peel the outer skin from the bean and reveal a tender inner bean. In India, the averaykai are peeled, the beans are soaked in water overnight (pidakka pappu) and then the outer skin is removed. Though the inner beans make for a more delicate flavored curry the whole bean has more fiber. The averakai season in India (winter in Bangalore) is looked forward to.
In the US, packets of soy beans are inexpensive in the Oriental stores, and I use these protein and calcium packed veggies in curries just as if they were avaraykai. Of course the original avaraykai is the greatest in taste, but we have to make do with what is available here.

So here's my fifth entry for Sangeeth Raghunathan's EAT HEALTHY: CALCIUM RICH event.




CROCKPOT CURRY IN A HURRY

No crock pot? No worries. Just put it on the stove and it will be done quicker than in a crock pot.
The former is when you have no time to watch a dish and still need it ready.

Calcium content per 100 gms of soy beans (by weight)or 3.53 ozs, is 277 mg.

A group
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup cubed, red skinned potato (approximately 2 medium)
1 cup frozen soy beans (rinsed in hot water).
1 tomato chopped.
2 whole green chillies.
2 Tbsps chopped cilantro
1/2 onion, sliced and fried. (I have large batches of onion fried and frozen, so I use that).
One pinch turmeric.
1/2 spoon ground pepper.
1 spoon garam masala/Everest Biriyani pulao masala.
1 Bay leaf
1" piece cinnamon
3 cloves or 1/3 tsp clove powder.
1 Tbsp ginger and garlic paste.
1 1/2 cup water

To taste
Red chilli powder.
Salt

B group

1 Tbsp cashewnut powder
3 ozs coconut milk
1 Tbsp khus khus powder (khus khus is poppy seed found in the Indian groceries. I roast a pkt at a time in the microwave, blend and what else? freeze it of course!)

Put all the A group ingredients into a crock pot and turn it on High for the first hour...if you're around.
If you're going to be out/away for 4-6 hours just leave it on medium.
Ten minutes before serving add B group ingredients and let it continue simmering...you can omit group B.

TIPS: This is delicious with peas too if you can't find the soy beans in your area.
Try cauliflower, potato and half a pkt frozen spinach for a great flavor.
In a crock pot, you need ingredients that will cook at the same rate...red skinned potatoes frozen soy beans and cauliflower are a perfect combo.
You don't have to fry and freeze large batches of onion like I do...that's just because I'm not well enough to cook from scratch every day.
Instead when chopping onion for one dish, chop another onion, fry both together, remove half and store in the refrigerator/freezer for another day/dish.
Time and motion study proves this is economical both in time and energy.
Do not add too much water to the crock pot and check the curry after four hours...if you're leaving it all day leave it on lo.
It's better to stick around the first time you try this recipe so you get an idea of what it's like in four hours/six hours etc.

No one will guess your kurma/curry wasn't made on the stove with you sweating an hour over it.
(My mother always insisted that the masala had to be fried for fifteen minutes and then the veggies put in and fried for another fifteen)
Add any ingredients you would normally add to your kurma to make it great.
I have done it without onions, garlic/ginger too and it has come out great.
I cannot recommend this dish highly enough.
Crock pots wash up easily in the dishwasher. Food rarely burns in it.

For those really in a hurry, this curry can be done in ten-fifteen minutes stove top if you zap the vegetables in very little water in the microwave for five minutes and then add all the ingredients to a pot and simmer till done...remember not to overdo the water or it will take longer to thicken.

HD (Hubby Dearest)says this curry/kurma tastes best with chappattis and I swear by the rice 'n curry combo. You be the judge.

Curry Leaf Chicken Fry

A friend I hadn't met for 30 years called this year and as we renewed our friendship, I invited them to visit. They finally fit in a short visit to our place. I was just starting this blog and as soon as my friend Mary, and her husband Neethi, heard what I was doing, they generously shared their best recipes with me. They are both good cooks but I didn't know how good till I recently tried this recipe they gave me.
Thanks Mary and Neethi...hope the picture looks like the finished dish is meant to look like.



Curry leaf (Karipatha) Chicken Fry

1 lb boneless chicken
Ginger 1 Tbsp
Garlic ½ Tbsp
Red chilli powder, haldi, salt
½ cup curry leaves
3 Tbsps olive oil
One oz. butter

Heat oil and butter.
Fry curry leaves then ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and haldi nicely, then chicken. Add salt to taste.
Cover and keep till done adding little water if necessary.
Towards end add little more curry leaves.
Opt: squeeze ½ lime.

Truly simple and delicious.

Shammi Koftas

Shammi koftas (pronounced Shummi).

My father had a good friend and fellow officer, who was from Hyderabad. When the latter's daughter got married, we were invited to Hyderabad for the wedding.
Till then I'd thought every wedding was grand, but this one outdid all the others I had been to with it's pomp and pageantry.
Add to this, the wonderful, thoughtful, old-world courtly treatment we received in the Bride's home and you'll know why we felt like Royalty.
Hyderabadis are famous for their courtly manners and wonderful hospitality.
Never had I seen so many meat dishes served at every meal, starting with breakfast (3), lunch (4) and dinner which was just a feast each of the four nights the ceremonies went on for.
This recipe, was one my Mom got then, and we have made this dish part of our family's recipe collection.



It has two versions after the first part of the recipe to make it possible for both the advanced and beginner/intermediate cook to try.
This also my entry for: Announcing RCI: Authentic Hyderabadi Cuisine.

2 lbs kima/lean ground lamb (I use lean ground turkey here in the US.)
1/2 cup channa dal/ Bengal gram lentils.
1/2 large onion chopped.
1" piece ginger,peeled and chopped.
1" piece cinnamon.
3 cloves
3 red chillies
3 green chillies.
1 Tbsp peppercorn (for my American friends and son-in-law, I omit the green and red chillies and use very little peppercorns)
1/2 cup cilantro,washed, finely chopped and dried on a paper towel.
Salt to taste.
2 eggs.

Wash and cook the channa dal with just enough water to cover it.
When done add the washed, drained meat, onion, ginger, garlic, red and green chillies and peppercorns to it and let it cook till meat is done and water has evaporated.
Cool. Blend in food processor till it is just a little coarse.
Add eggs and salt and mix in food processor.
Remove, put in bowl and place in refrigerator for at least half an hour.

For the beginner cook:

Additional ingredients: 1 onion, cooking spray.

Put oven on BROIL
Add 1 chopped onion and cilantro to the mix.
Mix well, shape into small oval patties. 1" wide and 2-3 "long.
Place on baking tray lined with foil.
Spray with cooking spray and broil till well browned.
Watch carefully...this takes 2-3 minutes only.
Turn and spray other side and brown it.

I use this method to control our fat intake. Formerly these were shallow fried in a skillet.
These are Shammi kebabs.
Serve hot with mint chutney.

For the intermediate/advanced cook, there are two ways of finishing this recipe:

Additional ingredients: Oil for frying, chicken tenders/boneless chicken and/or eggs.

Method One
1. Add cilantro and shape cooked, cooled mixture into balls/koftas.
2. Heat oil in a deep fryer till very hot but not smoking. Oil should only be one-third of the way up the side of the fryer.
3. Very carefully, put in five koftas.
4. Oil will start bubbling and huge bubbles will come to the top...be careful oil does not boil over...if it comes too close to the top, switch off stove immediately.
5. Watch carefully till edges of each kofta start showing brown before turning over...if you touch them earlier koftas will disintegrate.
6. Remove in a minute or two. Koftas should be reddish brown.
Serve hot. Makes a great appetizer, main dish.

Method Two

Cook chicken tenders/boneless chicken with salt and chilli powder in a little water till done. Drain on paper towels. Cut into 1-2 inch pieces.
Hard boil eggs. Shell and cut in half lengthwise.
Add cilantro to meat mixture and cover chicken pieces completely with it.
Take a two inch ball of mixture, flatten it, place chicken or egg in center, cover completely, using more meat on top if necessary.
When well covered, press between your hands so meat is well compacted around filling.
Fry as above BEING very careful to only fry two egg halves at a time or four chicken filled koftas.
Enjoy hot as a main dish or as an out of this world appetizer with mint chutney.

In the olden days, entire drumsticks and thighs would be covered with this mixture and fried. Hurrah for boneless chicken.
Originally the meat mixture would be stuffed with a mixture of khoa mixed with raisins and nuts! We never did this.

When stuffed with egg, or chicken, these are called Nargisi koftas...the original recipe called for putting them in a gravy/sauce (given below), but we prefer them just fried. My mother would put half the plain fried koftas (no stuffing) in a gravy and serve half just fried.

WARNING: Don't stand close to frying pan/kadai as these have been known to burst a little in the oil if there is any water content in the filling.
Watch oil carefully...I cannot stress this often enough.
If first batch breaks up in oil, remove pieces, let oil cool, strain it and return it to frying pan. Add another beaten egg to mix and 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs.
I try not to do this as it works in a pinch but it changes the taste of the koftas.
Click on above pictures to see each stage of the process of these egg and chicken koftas...the ones where the egg is showing through is where it burst while frying!
I have the marks to prove it!!!

This is the MOST trying thing to deep fry till you get the hang of it and the MOST wonderful thing to eat. I didn't realize till reading a book of Hyderabadi cooking that very few people do deep fry it. (I guess that's because of the difficulty.)

Gravy for koftas.
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 bay leaf
1" stick cinnamon
4 cloves.
1 onion,sliced
4 tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped cilantro.
1 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp garma masala powder.
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 can(3 ozs)coconut milk.
1 Tbsp cashewnuts, ground to a paste in a little coconut milk.
Salt to taste.

Heat oil and butter.
Put in bay leaf, cinnamon stick and whole cloves (bud removed or it will burst in oil).
When bay leaf turns brown,add sliced onion. Fry brown.
Add all powders and fry for three minutes.
Add tomatoes and cilantro...fry till they get pulpy.
Add salt to taste.
Add 2 cups water and cook for five minutes.
Add cashewnut paste and coconut milk and simmer for 3 mins.
(Some folk use yogurt here instead).
Gravy is done..it should be thick.
Add well drained koftas just before serving...if you let it sit too long koftas will become mushy.

Jiffy Eggplant

1. Japanese Eggplant. 2. Chopped up. 3. Fried. 4. The complete dish.

Jiffy Eggplant

Eggplant/Vankai/Baingan/Aubergine/Badnekai/Vangi

This is my entry for the The Saas, Bahu aur Sensex contest, hosted by Edible Garden.
Saas, Bahu aur Sensex is a movie released by Warner Brothers on October 19th, 2008 "to celebrate the spirit and individuality of Indian women everywhere".

Eggplants originated in India somewhere in the Assam Burma region and are only known to the rest of the world for the last 1500 years.

As the end of summer rolls around, eggplant is in abundance in the market. We get four main kinds here...Japanese eggplant, Chinese eggplant, the regular large eggplant and in our ethnic grocery stores, the small round eggplant. Seeing a really fresh vegetable revs up the cooking engine so when I saw a heap of eggplant, their skin shiny purple, I knew I had to make this dish for: Eating With the Season: September Roundup.
I used the Japanese eggplant for this recipe as they are the best variety with a tender skin that cooks up quickly.

3 eggplants, cut into very thin pieces about 1/4" by 1"
1 onion, chopped.
1/2 inch piece Ginger (about 1/2 Tbsp grated)
4 cloves Garlic (about 1 Tbsp grated).
2 Tbsps chopped fresh cilantro/green coriander.
3 Tbsps olive oil
Chilli powder, haldi/turmeric, salt.

Seasoning:
1 tsp rai/mustard
3 red chillies
1 sprig curry leaves.

Eggplant usually takes a lot of oil but I just discovered this new method of frying it which satisfies my need to watch our fat intake.
This works well if you slice the eggplant thin.
Put washed/drained/sliced eggplant in pan with no oil.
Heat on medium tossing eggplant from time to time.
It will turn light brown quickly. Then add 2 Tbsp olive oil and mix.
Eggplant will brown well and evenly.
Remove from pan when soft.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in pan. Add rai, when it splutters add red chillies and curry leaves.
Add chopped onion and fry till light brown.
Add grated ginger and garlic, chilli powder and haldi and fry 2 mins.
Add eggplant and cilantro, salt to taste and mix everything.
Cover and let flavors incorporate on medium-lo heat for 2-3 mins.
The shine on the top upper right corner is half a lime on the plate...some drops of lime juice improved everything.

Delicious with hot chappattis/tortillas/in a pita sandwich or rice and dal/sambar.

Potato and Methi Leaves

This is my entry for Red Chillies' Herb Mania: Fenugreek event.

Potato and Methi Leaves.

Methi alias fenugreek, is a major spice in Indian cooking.
Methi seeds are frequently used in spice powders and as a seasoning ingredient.
Fresh Methi leaves are used as a vegetable.
Now dried methi leaves (Kasoori Methi) is sold in the Indian Grocery stores.
As with any herb, unless you are familiar with the herb, less is more.
Methi is bitter when used in excess and delicious when just the right amount goes into a dish.
As we get methi only in the winter months here, I get 6 of the best bunches, pluck the leaves, wash three times and...guess what...if you are a frequent visitor to this blog you know...freeze them in baggies so I have them year around. My son loves methi and this way I ensure I have it when he announces a sudden visit.

3 red skinned potatoes cubed. (3 cups).
1 cup fresh frozen methi leaves.
Chilli powder, haldi/turmeric and salt to taste.

Cook cubed potatoes with 1/2 cup water, covered, in microwave for five minutes.
It's okay if it's not completely done.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a pan.
Add methi leaves, and fry 2 mins on medium.
Add chilli powder. let it fry with methi for half a min.
Add potatoes and salt, mix well, cover and cook for a few minutes till potatoes are done.

This is delicious with chappattis/rice and rasam (pepper water).

TIP: This dish is good with half cauliflower, half potato and the methi too .

5 minute Fried Cauliflower with Dill

Some vegetables go together like love and marriage.
Such is the case with Cauliflower and Dill.
Dill, called oosi kurak (needle spinach)in Telugu and Soychi/Soy Bhaji in Marathi, is a herb. Indians use the leaves and tender stems chopped up. Dill seed is also used in cooking and so is dried dill.
HD Hubby Dearest)'s family used a lot of dill in their cooking and though I knew about the herb I didn't start using it frequently till I got married.
The freshest, hugest bunches I find are at a Lebanese store, second best are the ones in the Chinese supermarket. I buy a huge bunch, chop it wash it, strain it through a fine strainer and...of course...freeze it, so it's always on hand.
When using dill, especially if for the first time, less is more till you are sure you like the flavor it imparts to dishes.



Fried Cauliflower with Dill.

(This is how a diabetic manages to place food on the table when she is not well. I call this my 'Some Assembly Required' dish. For those of you who want to do everything from scratch when you make this dish that works well too.)

1/2 Onion (I had this chopped and frozen too).
3 cups Fried or fresh cauliflower (see the fried cauliflower recipe below for the former).
Dill (2 Tbsps frozen chopped dill leaves and tender stems from freezer).
Chilli powder
Haldi/Turmeric
Salt
Optional: green chillies whole or sliced.
TIP: Leaving a green chilli whole imparts left heat to the dish and yet allows someone who wants more spice in this dish to eat it with the cauliflower.
The jalapeno you see in this picture was left out in the counter and turned red. HD loves chillies with his food and he said this was one of the hottest he had eaten.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in pan.
Fry 1/2 fried/fresh chopped onion.
Add dill and fry for 1 min.
Add 3 cups fried/fresh cauliflower, chilli powder, haldi and salt.
Mix well.
Cover and keep on medium heat for 3-5 mins.

This is yummy with chappattis (ours are store bought) or rice and dal or rasam.
It took 5 minutes to assemble and paid off my earlier investments of time and energy in my FOOD BANK 500%.

Freezer Bank: Cauliflower

We have so many vegetables in our supermarkets in the States; yet visiting our son in London years ago I went to the Bangladeshi area and saw a fresh abundance there like I have never seen. The owner's daughter who heard me remarking on every thing and my delight at the plethora said, "We get vegetables from 50 different countries by nine each morning!" When I don't know what to make and the freezer is empty I go to the supermarket looking for something that will incite me back to the kitchen.
I walked in once and saw Cauliflower so fresh that it looked like it had just been picked. It was a good day for the Diabetes too with my sugars and pain factors in abeyance...a gift of time to enjoy whatever I feel like doing.
HD (Hubby Dearest) was amazed when I came home with 4 giant cauliflowers and expounded on their freshness. That afternoon, exhausted with the morning's shopping, I took a nap to re-charge. That evening I put on my favorite show on television (work goes quickly with the Sound of Music), broke the cauliflower florets off with half inch stems, chopped up the big florets and some additional stems and started frying them.
It took two big skillets and two batches in each to get the work done.
When they were 3/4 done, I cooled them and put them into freezer baggies.
It helps me on days when I am not well to make a cauliflower dish in a jiffy. It's a shortcut to cooking and t helps me get the finest ingredients, preserve their quality by immediately cooking and freezing them...the main hallmark of good freezing.
The next day I was tired and took it easy, indulging the diabetics need for rest after my cauliflower marathon. The halo around my head was redolent of the smell of frying cauliflower.
I did this in the Spring and my supply of cauliflower lasted me all through the summer, when it was too hot for me to stand by the stove for more than 10-15 minutes a day.

TIPS FOR THE BEST FRIED CAULIFLOWER.

Wash florets well and drain.
Heat pan and put the cauliflower in...no oil at this stage.
Do NOT cover pan. Do NOT leave unattended as the cauliflower will scorch quickly.
As the water starts evaporating (all veggies retain some water though washed and drained)the cauliflower will start getting light brown. Turn so all sides get light brown evenly. When almost done (you will see the small stems attached to the florets change color), remove some at this stage and cool for curries.
To the rest, I add just enough olive oil to coat them. Toss lightly and they will brown beautifully...I take them out 3/4 done so I can finish cooking them when I make something with them.
Cool immediately and freeze in freezer baggies.

TIP: When I'm freezing a big batch, I use the inexpensive baggies for each amount then put the whole lot into very good Freezer bags and label them.
This way I can save on the Freezer bags too and CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP is a good tune playing in my head on the way to the Freezer.

Help Akshaya Patra win funding for hungry children in India

Raising money to feed the hungry was the reason I started this blog.
This news item caught my attention...please help by voting.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an organization that provides a free hot daily lunch for malnourished/poor children, to try to get them to go to school, is hoping to get 1.5 million in funding from American Express Members Project. AP has 1623 nominations and needs 2500.
Won't you please log on to American Express and vote for AP?
The nomination process ends Sept 29th. Top five voting begins Sept.30th.
Click on the above link and vote.
You don't have to enroll in anything, or have an American Express card, or donate money. Just vote on the site by Sept 29, 2008.

Oven Fried Tofu

Ever had to cook for vegetarians and non-vegetarians before for the same party?
I have...often. I do this frequently since HD (Hubby Dearest) turned vegetarian some years ago.
No biggie as growing up our household had both veg and non-veg dishes at every meal, for my mother who was the former and my father a confirmed die-hard meat eater.
The oven fried tofu was a new discovery. I'd bought the tofu, made the fish masala and decided to experiment with it.
It wasn't for HD as he won't try tofu, but I was pleased with the result.
The bland tofu and the spicy masala would have won the old 'Made for each other' contests we had in India.

Second on the USDA list for vegetarian foods rich in calcium is tofu with calcium sulfate.
So here is my fourth entry for Sangeeth Raghunathan's Eat Healthy CALCIUM Rich contest

1 pkt firm Tofu with calcium sulfate.
(I used three slices, drained...1/8 inch thick)
Fish masala (recipe given below).

Smear fish masala on tofu slices and marinate 10 mins.
Broil on baking tray...five minutes on each side in middle rack.
(I did this in the toaster oven on the broil setting).
Watch carefully so it doesn't burn but does turn dark brown.

Remove, cool and eat. I loved it.

THE HINDU VEGETARIAN

THE HINDU VEGETARIAN

In Indian history the caste system defined who ate meat and who did not. The Brahmins...the highest on the scale, and those who dedicated their lives to learning of the Vedas and Sanskrit prayers and the practice of religious rituals and ceremonies were the only ones allowed into the inner sanctuary of the temples. They didn't eat meat,fish,eggs, onions and garlic.
They maintained great cleanliness and believed that even the shadow of an untouchable defiled them and they had to bathe again at the very least, to get rid of the taint.
They were vegetarians.
The Hindu vegetarian has always included milk and milk products in their diet. Milk is used in temples to bathe the deities, from time immemorial.
Cows were worshipped as sacred for the milk they gave.
The other three castes: the Kshatriyas or warrior class, the Vaishyas or business class and the Sudras or untouchables, all ate meat,fish, eggs...but not beef.
These were the non-vegetarians.
The last three classes all observed special festival days, dedicated to the various Gods, when only vegetarian food was eaten. Most families also had one day a week, when they did not eat meat.
30 years ago when I came to the States as a bride, we were among those who did not eat meat on Saturday.
The first time America friends invited us to dinner was on a Saturday. As it is the responsibility of the invited to mention any special dietary needs, I told our American hostess we didn't eat meat on Saturday for religious reasons. My statement was followed by a shocked silence.
Then she said in an anguished voice, "If I make four salads will that be okay? I don't cook vegetables."
I persuaded her that one salad would be more than enough but she wasn't happy about it till I offered to bring a vegetable dish.
In those days, those who did cook vegetables, often poured in chicken/meat stock to do so. Salads were sprinkled with bacon and if we didn't ask what the base of our vegetable soup was in a restaurant, we often had beef stock.
We met many happy Hindus who had started eating beef when they came here as they wanted to fit in. As one friend told me very seriously, "These are American cows we are eating...only the Hindu cows are sacred." It took me a whole week to stop laughing over that one.
Another American told me, "You don't have to eat the chicken. If you eat the curry...that's vegetarian, isn't it?"
While we changed almost every other thing, including being non-vegetarian on Saturdays;America's party night, we still don't eat beef...
Not knowingly that is...
We didn't know that McDonald's French Fries were fried in beef/animal fat and heartily ate those for years every chance we got...in our ignorance we offered them to all the strictest vegetarians who visited us from India. They enjoyed them tremendously. Later when the fat controversy made this fact public, we mentally apologized to everyone over and over again for this MAJOR religious affront. Of course we dared not do it in person as it would have made the spiritual load for all these good relatives very heavy.
For years we made and offered everyone gulab jamuns made of Bisquick...it wasn't till my mother came here at 75 and started reading the fine print on every container and can that we realized our delicious gulab jamuns had beef fat in the Bisquick. even today many cans that claim to be Vegetarian Refried beans have beef fat in them.

People are much more aware of what a vegetarian is these days in the USA. Now there are vegans, ovo-lacto vegetarians and many other kinds.
Growing up in India in an Army family, we automatically provided for vegetarians and non-vegetarians at every dinner party. At official Mess parties there would be separate tables for these two categories. Chicken and lamb and eggs were what was served most commonly. Pork was unclean for the Muslims and beef for the Hindus so these two were not served on these occasions.
At first, here in the US, I was a little taken aback at first by the lack of vegetarian fare on restaurant menus...that has changed in the last five years.
On the personal front every one seems to have one kind of vegetarian in the family.
There is less fuss if a vegetarian is coming to dinner, but I still get comments like, "But I don't do vegetables", or when I say I do eat meat and fish, "But aren't all Indians vegetarians?"
If you get the former remark, just offer to take a dish along. If you are the latter group who don't do vegetables (and I don't think there are many who are in that category these days), just remember a vegetable pizza or lasagna with a salad is great meal for a vegetarian not a vegan. If you are still perplexed , suggest a restaurant where everyone can get their own food. The main thing is to enjoy the get together without fussing that makes the guest feel guilty about their lifestyle choices.
If all else fails, ask them over for dessert and coffee...most vegetarians do eat desserts that have eggs in them now.

The main thing about a Hindu vegetarian is to remember that for religious reasons it is important and courteous not to mix the food you are making for them with any non vegetarian food.
I cringe when I see a pizza maker using his hand to place a meat topping on a pizza and then the same hand, unwashed, picks up the vegetables for a vegetarian.
We have some ways to go to understanding the Hindu vegetarian better but we've come a long way from French Fries done in beef fat.

Subhash stopped by the blog to leave a comment and remind me of GELATIN...another thing we didn't understand the composition of, for a number of years.
According to Wikipedia: 'Gelatin is a protein produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the bones, connective tissues, organs, and some intestines of animals such as the domesticated cattle, and horses.'
According to the Vegetarian Resource Group: "Kosher gelatin can be made with fish bones, and/or beef skins. Contrary to assumptions, it is also considered kosher to use it with dairy products. Kosher law is very complex and the bones and hides used in gelatin production are considered pareve. The general meaning of pareve refers to foods that are neither milk nor meat, and many people assume this means that the product is vegetarian. However, OU pareve certified ingredients can have animal products, such as fish, eggs, and gelatin, in them."
Unfortunately some yogurts, Skittles, Starburst and Milky Way Bars also contain gelatin so the Hindu Vegetarian would need to read labels carefully!
Vegetarian gelatin is made from agar-agar. China Grass can also be used as a setting agent similar to gelatin. It is derived from seaweed.

Thanks to Subhash's reminder, I added Gelatin to this topic.

5 star fish masala/marinade

For you fish lovers out there, try this version of spicy fish masala.For those of you wondering about the word 'masala', it is a mixture of spices; in this case used as a marinade.
I have started making it and freezing it so it is on hand when I need it.
Mercury poisoning makes it difficult to eat just any fish these days but catfish, salmon, herring, sardines and tuna among others are considered safe.
The other fish are okay too as long as they aren't eaten too frequently i.e. not more than once in 7-10 days.
For more about which fish to eat and which to avoid, visit the USFDA site: Mercury in Fish: Cause for Concern?

Anyway here's a recipe that my favorite aunty gave me when I was about to leave India. Her family lived by the sea and fish was served in various dishes every day. Nobody made fish like she did. I have used this recipe often and cherish her generosity in sharing it with me.
Now it's time to pass it on. As I said before I make a large amount and store some so it's hard to tell how much masala is required for how much fish. It's the old eyeball thing again and I feel my age when I just look at the fish and know how much masala to make.
Try this amount and store the unused portion in a baggie in the freezer for future use.

1 medium onion (USA)
1 teaspoon rai (mustard seed).
2 tsp jeera (whole cumin)
1 teaspoon whole black pepper
1/4 tsp methi seeds (whole fenugreek)
1 medium sized pod garlic (In the US this is big too).
2 Tbsp oil (I use olive oil)

Peel the garlic cloves using above tip.
Peel and slice or chop the onion into one inch cubes.
Heat oil, add rai, when it splutters (cover pan if you're not used to rai and listen for the sound of it spluttering).
Reduce heat and add jeera, pepper, methi seeds.
When jeera becomes light brown (happens quickly), add onion and garlic.
Fry till light brown.

Remove and cool.
Add tamarind paste and blend till smooth. Store in freezer.
I add salt as and when I take out the amount I'm going to use each time.
I apply the masala and allow cleaned fish to marinate for a few hours (in the refrigerator).
Sometimes I get a batch of fish, apply the masala and freeze immediately in baggies.
Then i take out one at a time broil and eat.
Other times I just broil a big batch, then freeze in baggies and take out a piece as needed, heat and eat.
Either way works great.

Oven fried fish.

I prefer to oven fry my fish these days.
To do this set oven on Broil.
Line a pan with two sheets of foil (saves on scrubbing later).
Spray with cooking spray, place marinated fish, broil till done (depends on thickness, type of fish but check every three minutes if unsure). When broiled dark brown (like pan fried fish), turn and apply a little more masala if needed, spray other side and broil. If you get the color right, no one can tell it's oven fried.

Doneness test: If you're trying this for the first time, knife should go in smoothly. When cut there should be no pink areas in an Indian fried fish dish. If there are, slice into fish and turn pink slices face up and return to broiler for a couple of minutes.
If you like your fish spicy, sprinkle chilli powder on both sides before broiling.
This way of frying the fish eliminates the odor of fish in the house.

Varieties of fish for frying: salmon, pomfret (pompano), halibut.

For fish curry:

Take two level Tbsps of this masala, add to one can whole peeled tomatoes. Blend.
In a pan, heat one tsp oil, season 1/2 tsp rai. When rai splutters add 4 red chillies and one sprig curry leaves.
After a minute, add masala, tomato mix and let it come to the boil.
Let it boil for three to five minutes.
Add washed and well-drained fish or shrimp to this mixture, salt to taste and cook.
I add a little extra chilli powder at this stage. If you're trying this for the first time, remember fish cooks quickly.

Varieties of fish for curries: catfish, a salmon fillet cut up into two inch cubes, sliced whole halibut, sliced whole pomfret, shrimp. I usually ask for the whole pomfret to be cleaned and cut into half inch slices.

Tip for peeling garlic

Shortcut Tip: Peeling garlic cloves.

HD discovered this 10 years ago when he wanted to peel quite a few pods for a recipe he'd thought of. Necessity really is the mother of invention isn't it?
Peeling garlic the traditional can be difficult and time consuming.
This shortcut helps people who use large quantities of garlic, often.
Separate cloves, put them on a microwave safe plate or a paper towel...microwave for 10 seconds.
Take them out. If they are not easy to peel, put them in for another 5 seconds.
This is the quickest way to peel garlic.
Control the cooking time to control the kind of garlic you want...firm to very soft.

Kale and Lentils

Kale and calcium 3

Remember the kale I chopped up for fried kale, South Indian version?
Well, that one bunch chopped up was too much for just the fried spinach...there's only HD (Hubby Dearest) and me at home now so I had to do something with the last four cups. (Didn't know I would get so much from one bunch of kale that cost 78 cents).
Though I've been making spinach dishes with it,and saying it reminds me of spinach, it belongs to the cabbage family.

So, here's my third kale dish (similar to our pappu kurak, dal bhaji shaak or parrupu keera), and it's my fourth entry for Sangeeth Raghunathan's Eat Healthy-Calcium Rich contest.

4 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup toor dal.
1 medium tomato
1/2 medium onion, chopped and dried.
Haldi, chilli powder, salt to taste.

Kale needs to be cooked well so I cooked it in the pressure cooker with the haldi, tomato and toor dal.
After the pressure cooker cooled and I opened it I let it simmer for a while on the stove.
After it had thickened to stew like consistency, I added the chilli powder and fried onion.
This was HD's favorite of all 3 kale dishes.

TIL/ SESAME SEED LADDU

Til is the ingredient listed as the highest source of Calcium by the USDA. 3.53 ozs or 100 gms by weight contains 975 mg of calcium!
As soon as I read that, I started a search for recipes using a lot of til.
The ones I found on the Net were for til chikki.
Then I thought of the festivals and my mother's recipes and came across this easy, 'quick as you can grind' one.
So this is my third entry for Sangeeth's Eat Healthy: Calcium Rich contest.
(anyone guessed by now I'm trying to win the cash prize for my 'end world hunger program', that this blog was started for?).
This is the old entry in my cookbook in 1978, word for word.

Clean, wash and dry 1 cup til.
Fry till it splutters.
Grind coarse.
Add 3/4 cup jaggery.
Mix well.
Shape into balls

What can be easier than this?
It is so easy it got me heading for the kitchen.

Here are my notes to add to the old recipe.

(I used black but please use brown til).
Fry stirring constantly till you will see little bits of til literally start jumping in the pan.
Grind coarse.
Add 3/4 cup grated jaggery...I had to heat the lumps of jaggery to get them warm and then slice with a knife.
Remember jaggery in the microwave heats from the inside out so do not overheat.
(I know they used to pound everything in India,and that made it come together, but the warm jaggery shaved off the lumps is fine and pliable. If it isn't heat very slightly.
Mix well the ground til mixture and shape immediately.
I liked the one I made with a little ground cardamom added to it but HD (Hubby Dearest) liked the traditional one better.
It tastes good.

Janmashtami/Krishna Jayanthi in my mother's house

Before I came to the States , under my mother's direction, I noted all the festivals we celebrated and the food that was made for each. Up to then, I had only been interested in eating all that great food but suddenly the responsibility was shifting to my shoulders. I had to know what to do, my mother said. How grateful I am to her that she gave me all that information. I look at those notes and think of her life, lived in devotion to God and after that, to cooking. My father's family could trace their ancestry back to Lord Krishna and in his hometown of Krishnagiri there is a temple to Lord Krishna, purported to be there since the conception of the village. Janmashtami was celebrated as the day before Krishna's birth as he was born at mid-night...the day after was Krishna Jayanthi. On Krishna Jayanthi, we had things with til, which was favored by Krishna. Besides the til/sesame seed dishes: laddus, murku, jeera laddu, hing laddu (yes hing), a plate would be placed in the puja room with Krishna's favorites: curd, milk, butter, ghee, buttermilk, cream. The one item not to be forgotten on this day was beaten rice (atakalu or pohe), as this was what Krishna's poor friend Sudama brought to him as a gift and what was enjoyed tremendously by Krishna. Now I see recipes for pohe kheer etc on the Internet, but we soaked it, mixed it with curd and salt and offered it that way. Lord Vishnu in his avatar of Krishna gave us the Bhagavad Gita which contains all the wisdom we need to live good lives. When I left home for the first time, my mother gave me a small copy of the Bhagavad Gita and said, "Even if you don't pray, it is okay. Just read this daily."
I did and slowly the wisdom of the words penetrated my modern mind and sank in. So, on this Krishna Jayanthi day, in the midst of our modern lives, I wish that all of us would have an attitude of appreciation for even the smallest gift and the humility to express thanks even if it something we don't want/need. While this is the duty of the recipient, it is also the duty of the giver not to give something inappropriate just to get rid of it.
“A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return” Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.

Fried kale, South Indian version

Kale and Calcium 2

This is my second entry for Sangeeth Raghunathan's Eat Healthy.Calcium Rich contest.

Remember the last kale dish in which I only used the smallest leaves.
Well, here's what I did with the rest of the great big, calcium-rich bunch I had.
I washed them thoroughly, following my mother's rule of, 'wash everything thrice'. I removed a few stalks/spines from the largest leaves. I placed the leaves one on top of the other and rolled them up like a very large cigar and chopped them finely and then chopped them the other way pretending for a few minutes I was one of those big chefs on a cooking show. Later I felt I should have chopped the kale even finer.
Four sites I visited researching kale stated the spine of each leaf had to be removed, but my leaves were fresh and the stem reminded me of Indian dantu kuraku/dantachey bhaji ( spinach witha thick stalk;similar to the kale spine) that we cook with the stalks, so I just chopped the stems into half inch pieces.
Here's the rest to the recipe.

4 cups finely chopped kale and stalks.
1 large onion finely chopped.
4 large garlic cloves chopped or sliced (I put in about 10 whole cloves.)
1/2 tsp rai (mustard seed)
1 1/2 tsp split urad dal (white lentil)
3 red chillies
1 tsp red chilli powder (to taste)
Salt to tast.
2 Tbsp olive oil.

Heat oil. Add rai, when it splutters add urad dal. Let it brown and add red chillies
Fry for one minute.
Add chopped onion and garlic and fry till onion is light brown.
Add chilli powder and fry for another minute.
Remove all this and place in a bowl.
Put spinach into pan and let it fry on medium...don't add any water.
You can do this step in the microwave...put spinach in a bowl and mic. for three minutes...stir and microwave for another three.
When soft (kale takes a little longer to cook than normal spinach and hence the fine chop), add salt.
Like spinach, kale becomes one third the amount.
Add seasoning/onion mixture and mix well.
Serve hot.
The kale gave this spinach dish a great flavor and it's a great way to get the calcium we all need.

Oven Roasted Kale

KALE AND CALCIUM 1

I have never made anything with kale much less given any thought to this frilly cousin of cabbage. Sangeeth Raghunathan's e-mail informing us of her Eat Healthy: Calcium contest led to research on the Internet on calcium rich foods and turned up the fact that kale is a rich source of calcium. Here's my first entry.

This is also my entry for SnackoRama's Sunday Snacks Event.
Don't have kale in your area? No worries. Use baby spinach leaves. I have used the whole small leaves for this picture but you can chop up the whole bunch of kale and use it. This is a delicious and nutritious snack/appetizer/starter.

This is also my entry for Easycraft of Simple Indian Food's, 'WYF: Salads/Starters/Soups event'.

A new ingredient is a challenge and fires up my slow engine. so I decided to get to know kale better. According to the USDA database 3.53 ozs of kale (100 gms by weight) has 135 mg of calcium which is high, as 3.53 ozs is 1/2 cup packed kale by volume.

Further research turned up lots of recipes with kale (who knew so many people cooked with kale...one learns something new everyday). I finally picked one American recipe and came up with two of my own.

I set off for the local grocery store hoping to find kale...the store not only had kale but I got the freshest, hugest bunch and fell in love with the fragrance from it. Can't think what it reminded me of, though.

The frilly, light green leaves, free of yellow edges and no holes are obviously the best kind to get...I picked medium sized and small leaves as the best bunch because reading all those recipes had told me kale can be pretty tough.

Home again I couldn't resist, putting my kale into water (above picture) and going back to the computer to refresh my mind about the recipe I had picked to try.

It is Stepahanie Gallagher's recipe with my adaptations from the site About.com:cooking for kids.

Heat the oven to 350...make sure one rack is on the lowest level.

Take the smallest leaves, wash and dry them.

(I just used six leaves for the experiment).

In a bowl, mix one Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, salt and chill powder.

(Stephanie's recipe said to sprinkle with coarse salt before serving, but I had none).

Toss the leaves to coat them and placed them on a baking tray.

Bake them for 10 mins.

Take them out, turn them over and bake for another five.

The leaves have to crisp, like chips to the touch.

Remove, cool a few seconds and dig in...it is so.o.o.o good.

Proof of how good it was, came when HD (Hubby Dearest), who approaches new dishes as warily as a mongoose approaches a cobra, said, "What's this?"

"Try it," I coaxed.

He picked one leaf up with that...'I'm in trouble if I do and I'm in trouble if I don't', look he gets, took a bite of it and then said in surprise, "This is good!"

(As if all my experiments end in disaster...some do, not all).

The cherry on my sundae of happiness came a few minutes later...I took a picture, put the camera away and turned...the last three leaves were gone!!! High praise indeed!

This is an excellent appetizer or just a side dish that adds crunch to a meal and as Gallagher who created it said, excellent for kids (without the chilli powder).

She took the leaves apart, tore then into bite size pieces, then tossed them in the mix. I liked my way better, stem and all but I wouldn't do this with the big leaves.

Try it...you'll be amazed at the taste and result.

New recipe for celebrating India's 61st Independence Day.

New Recipe for celebrating India's 61st Independence Day Celebrations.

Take three parts sacrifice...what parents do to raise their children, what soldiers do for their country.

Add three parts purity...in thought, action, words.

Layer with three parts growth...create a garden of beauty, support farmers, preserve the environment.

To all this add the essence of the 24 spokes of the blue Ashoka Chakra.

The following is quoted from the site oneindia.com The Chakra signifies that there is a life in 'Movement' and 'Death' in stagnation.

Wonderful Qualities of the Twenty Four Spokes :

1. Love 2.Courage 3.Patience 4.Peacefulness 5.Magnanimity 6.Goodness 7.Faithfulness 8.Gentleness 9.Selflessness 10.Self-control 11.Self sacrifice 12.Truthfulness 13.Righteousness 14.Justice 15.Mercy 16.Gracefulness 17.Humility 18.Empathy 19.Sympathy 20.Spiritual knowledge 21.Moral Values 22.Spiritual Wisdom 23.The fear of God (Live as if you know there is a higher power than you). 24.Faith or Belief or Hope

Take one helping each day.

Let this recipe be part of our internal make up and let change begin with you...one individual and watch it spread in ripples. This is my recipe for Independence Day and my wish that everyone understand what the Indian flag represents.

This is also my submission for Pooja’s My Creative Ideas.

BEST OF BLOGS...AUGUST 2008

My two cents worth...again.
Last month, I spent a couple of hours each day exploring cooking blogs.
It is addictive, and before I know it I visit anywhere between five to ten, and become lost in reading recipes, forgetting the original one I'm looking for.
I click on leads and interesting recipes, always taking a minute or two to pause for a first impression. I reiterate though I'm not an expert on how to set up great blogs, I do know what looks attractive, and information presented accurately and informatively with ease of access.
So by the time, I'm ready to post this, I'm sure of the blog I wish to name..

This month's choice for best of cooking blogs is Cynthia Nelson's TASTES LIKE HOME.
Her site is attractive, with excellent layouts, her photographs outstanding, and her archived album slide shows with detailed how-to instructions on recipes, a very nice touch for someone trying to figure out a new recipe with unknown ingredients. Cynthia e-mails her recipes promptly upon request. Overall, she exemplifies my ideals of an outstanding and generous fellow blogger reminding me of an old, favorite saying,
"It is not what you do but how you do it that counts."

Cruel Cooks

What cruelty we are capable of as cooks:

We beat eggs, pound garlic, whip the cream, pummel the dough, dig out the eyes of potatoes, crush spices.
We drop food into hot oil, boil, bake, blanch, broil, freeze.
We also cut, dice, squeeze,scrape, grate, julienne, mince, puree, reduce, scald, sear, shred, skewer, toast and toss.
We de-bone, fillet, gut, shuck and I don't know what else.
Finally we bite and chew it all up and consign our food to the digestive system to continue the process of being broken down.

This protest is being registered on behalf of the BE KIND TO YOUR FOOD society, which currently has a membership of one.

JIFFY VEGETABLES: BHENDI

Bhendi, Bhindi, okra, bendakai, vendakay, lady's finger (why not lady's fingers?).

One evening last week, HD (Hubby Dearest) looked at my face and could tell I wasn't feeling up to par in the heat.
"Let me cook something," he said.
I nodded happily tamping down on my reluctance to refuse his offer and defrost something for dinner. These days he rarely offers, because his own energy level isn't great. (We both know, growing old isn't for cissies).
He said, "Bhendi?'
I nodded. He has recipe is quick and easy and definitely part of our five star recipe collection.

1 16 oz pkt. frozen, chopped bhendi.
1/2 large onion chopped (3/4 cup or 6 ozs chopped).
Salt, chilli powder, haldi/turmeric.
2 Tbsps olive oil.

Heat oil, fry chopped onion.
While onion is frying, place frozen bhendi in a microwave safe dish and nuke for 5 mins. Take out, stir and nuke again for 3 mins.
If it looks uncooked, nuke for two more.
Add chilli powder to onions in pan. Fry for a min.
Add bhendi, salt and turmeric, mix lightly or bhedi will become a mash and remove from stove after 2 mins.
Eat with hot chappattis...ours are whole wheat tortillas from the store that heat up in a minute.
HD swears he doesn't put butter on this dish, but I KNOW he does as soon as my back is turned and I stop talking about clogged arteries.

How else can a simple veggie be so finger licking good?

Thursday, 30th July, 2008.

Another JIFFY BHENDI recipe.

This is my recipe from a Punjabi friend and HD loves it.



Fresh bhendi...I chooses the kind that is fresh and tender, checking by pressing firmly in the middle...the old days when my mother used to test for freshness by breaking the tip are in the past.
Salt, chilli powder, turmeric and oil to fry.

Wash the bhendi, top and tail it with a knife (remove tip and other end), and leave it on a paper towel or kitchen towel to dry. This ensures your bhendi will NOT be sticky. Sometimes I make a slit on the side, sometimes I don't.
This recipe is rather vague re. quantities as it is an 'eyeball' recipe...first you eyeball the fresh bhendi, then you eyeball the pan and put in enough oil (eye balled of course), to coat the bottom of the pan plus one extra Tbsp.
When oil is hot put in chilli powder and haldi, let it sizzle while you eyeball it (twenty seconds or so)then put in bhendi. Stir fry on high for three minutes, then lower heat to medium, cover and let it cook for five minutes more.
Lift lid, test for doneness by poking the fattest bhendi with a sharp knife, then add salt...eyeballing the bhendi of course...mix, leave for another minute.
Eat hot or cold...it is delicious and so easy.

Talking about eyeballing, our parents and grandparents gave us recipes like this. As a teenager I used to wonder how I would ever get anything right if all my Mum's recipes were: Salt is added 'after looking at the vegetables' or 'dittanga', meaning 'correctly for the dish'. I wanted it in spoons and look at me now...daring to give a recipe just like my mother.

She used to make a bhendi dish with chopped bhendi, seasoned with mustard seeds, and fried almost crisp, theonly other ingredients being salt and chilli powder.

As children, we also had bhendi sambar and bhendi pulsu...curry in a hot, sour tamarind sauce.