Potato and Spring Onion: A quick sabzi

Where have I been? Its a question I ask myself more than you would have asked me. Mid way into 2010, I find myself with one thing that I have never been comfortable with - Change (with a capital C), or to be more precise Unplanned Change. Yeah yeah..."Change is the only constant" wise men have cited and so have the management books, but I am someone who just runs away from it. Maybe because I am too lazy or maybe (as my husband says) because I am a control freak.

And yet, this year has been full of unplanned changes. Change of job (which I wanted), followed by unplanned changes at personal front and professional front too. I do not know what tomorrow holds. If I were someone else, I might have enjoyed the roller coaster ride. But not me! The only bright spot has been an official visit to London (Yipee!). I hope I can blog about it sometime soon.  

Coming to food, sharing a recipe which I have loved as a kid, and still do. Its quick, simple, has minimum spices and has one of my favourite veggies - Spring Onions (also called Scallions or Green Onions).

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 3 medium, diced in small cubes
Spring Onion: a bunch, finely chopped (approx 2 cups)
Onion: 1 medium, finely chopped
Mustard oil: 2 tbsp
Turmeric: 1/3 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/3 tsp
Jeera / Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp
Salt: To taste

Method:

- Heat oil in a kadhai / heavy bottomed pan, till it starts smoking. Turn off the heat and let the oil cool
- Turn on the heat again, and when the oil is hot enough, add the cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, including the spices. Mix well.
- Lower the heat. Cover and cook. Do lift the lid and stir every few minutes to ensure that the potatoes do not stick to the bottom.
- The potatos should be done in around 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with dal - rice or parathas / chapatis.

Sending this over to Weekend Herb Blogging # 239 hosted this week by Mele Cotte. The event is managed week on week by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything Atleast Once

Chutney for Summers: Coriander, Mint and Raw Mango

Weekends these days are becoming so difficult. And I never thought I would say that (I start waiting for weekends from Monday morning)! 
Difficult not because I have suddenly fallen in love with my work, but because of the sweltering heat. The respite of office air conditioners is missed on these days. And while I would love to be confined to my room and switch on the a/c for the entire day on these two days, its not possible - my electricity bill ensures that. 


So we resort to the natural coolers - iced tea whether lemon or apple, mango shake, and Rooh Afza!
Another favorite recipe for summers is Pudina (mint) chutney with raw mango. The recipe is simple, though it may take time to perfect that taste which makes you go mmmm! 

Ingredients:
Pudina (mint) leaves: 1 small bunch
Coriander leaves: 1 small bunch
Raw mango: 1 medium
Green Chillies: 2 or more (or less)
Cumin powder: 1/2 - 1 tsp
Kala namak (black salt): 1/4 - 1/2 tsp
Salt: To taste


Method:
- Clean the pudina and coriander leaves. Wash well with lot of water
- Peel the mango and chop in small pieces. Discard the "stone"
- Grind the herbs, green chillies and raw mango with a little water, till a smooth consistency is achieved
- Mix in the spices. Adjust salt. 
- The chutney is ready to be served as an accompaniment with snacks or main meals


Note:
- If you prefer a more tangy taste, you can add half a mango more
- The chutney can be refrigerated and kept for 7 - 10 days
- The mango "stone" can be added to dals (especially arhar / toor) while cooking, for added flavor


Which are your favorite foods / recipes for summers to beat the heat?

Palak ki Kadhi

I am back after ages...one and a half month to be more precise. It is surely the longest break I have taken, though completely unintentionally. 
Has it happened to you that life becomes unpredictably busy - busy not just with activities, but busy in thoughts as well. When your mind is constantly running and it takes over whatever personal space you treasure. 
Today, I decided to strengthen my will power, and told my mind to just shut up, and let me do things which bring me joy. Like trying an old recipe from my Mom's diary, clicking photographs and posting it (without retiring it as a draft), even if its past midnight!

Palak (spinach) ki Kadhi - a recipe which was exchanged by one of the neighborhood aunties with my Mom (when I was still in school!), during one of their afternoon chat sessions. And though my mother has not made it very frequently, I have always loved it. This is the first time I have tried it, and the result was fabulous!

Ingredients (Serves 2 - 3 adults):


Spinach leaves, cleaned and washed: a small bunch
Besan / Chickpea flour: 2 tbsp
Curd: 1 - 1 1/2 cup, preferably a bit sour
Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cloves: 2
Turmeric powder: 1/3 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/4 tsp, or as per taste
Salt: To taste
Oil: 2 - 3 tbsp

Method:


- Finely chop the spinach. It should yield approximately 2 - 3 cups of chopped leaves
- In a bowl, whisk together the besan and the curd. Add 2 glasses of water. Mix well
- Heat oil in a kadhai / pan. When the oil is sufficiently hot, add the cumin seeds. When the seeds begin to splutter, add the mustard, cloves and fenugreek seeds. Let the mustard crackle. 
- Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the spinach. Sauté on medium heat for half a minute or so
- Add the besan and curd mixture, and mix well. Add more water if the mixture is too thick, since the kadhi will thicken as it cooks
- Add salt, and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 8 - 10 minutes. 
- The kadhi should be of pouring consistency. You may want to add more water, and boil the mixture for sometime if required. 
- Serve hot with  steamed rice or rotis. 

And now that I have sharpened my will power, I hope to be back soon (keeping my fingers crossed!) 

Chatpata Hara Chana (Green Chickpeas)

Which is your least favourite job in the kitchen?

- Washing the dishes?

- Cleaning the mess after cooking?

- Chopping the veggies?

- Any other?

Well, for me the clear winner will be cleaning and chopping the vegetables - esp. ladies finger / okra, cleaning "saag" (green leafy vegetables) like methi, shelling peas and the likes. Yup, I do not like shelling peas at all. Hence, I find it easier to resort to the frozen alternate available in the market.

But, there comes a time when one is forced to slave and spend 3 hours (yes, 3 long hours) for the love of fresh green chickpeas aka hara chana / choliya. The chana, which grows in bushes (remember, chane ki jhaad?) is in the form of pods. The pods need to be individually opened to make way for the chickpeas, so that they can be cooked.

Image Source: http://www.plant-biology.com/

I love hare chane and aloo ki subzi (green chickpeas cooked with potatoes). My mom would make it when the chickpeas were in season, and it tasted yum. But I always refrained from buying it because of the work it would lead to. However, I could not stop myself this time when I visited the local super market. The pods were being sold in packets of 1 kilo each, and I went ahead and purchased it.

What ensued was a 3 hour work spent shelling the pods. I called my Mom the next day to ask her expert advice on how she does it.

**********************************

Excerpts of my conversation with Mom on Hara Chana:

Me: Mom, I bought hara chana yesterday at the supermarket yesterday.And guess what, I spent 3 hours shelling them!

Mom: Wow! That's a really long time

Me: I know. How do you do it? What's the trick?

Mom: I don't know.

Me: (confused)

Mom: Our vegetable vendor sells them all cleaned and shelled!

Me (In my mind): (Cursing the vegetable vendors in my city)

**********************************

So, I made hara chana - in two batches - once with potatoes, and the second time on their own, flavored with lemon and ginger. Sharing the second recipe with you.

Ingredients:

Shelled green chickpeas / hara chana: 2 cups

Oil (Mustard / Vegetable): 2 - 3 tablespoon

Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp

Ginger, finely chopped: 1/2 tsp

Green chilles, finely chopped: 2 - 3 (or as per taste)

Coriander powder: 1 - 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp (Optional)

Juice of half a lemon (or more)

Chopped coriander

Salt: To taste

Method:

- Boil the chickpeas in around 4 cups of water. If you are using the pressure cooker, it will take 5 minutes on low flame after the first whistle. Drain the water.

- Heat oil in a pan / kadai

- Add the cumin seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the ginger and green chillies. Lower the flame

- When the chillies begin to change color, add the coriander powder and turmeric powder. You may also mix the spices in a few teaspoons of water to prevent burning. Stir on low heat for a few seconds.

- Add the chana and salt. Mix well.

- Turn off heat. Add the lemon juice and coriander.

- Adjust salt and lemon juice. Serve hot

Serve it as a snack, as a filling breakfast or with parathas / rotis. You can also garnish it with chopped onions and tomatoes for added flavour.

I am sending this recipe to My Legume Love Affair - 19th Helping. The event started by Susan, is being hosted this month by EC of Simple Indian Food.

Grape Raita

Winter is my favourite season. Even when I was in North India - when it seemed a herculean task to get out of the confines of quilts and blankets in the morning - I still loved the winter months. But as I moved to the western parts of the country, the season became quite mild. In my current city, we have already started using the fans during the day, while my parents and in - laws in the north have not witnessed sunlight for the past 3 days.

But temperatures aside, winter still has its charms in terms of the fruits and vegetables it offers. Fresh green peas, cauliflowers, red juicy carrots, oranges, grapes, strawberries - the vendor's cart seems quite tempting. It is fun to shop for vegetables. My mind instantly associates each purchase with a recipe I would like to try.

This week we bought green grapes for the first time in the season. And after reaching home, I realised that the quantity was a bit too much for just the two of us. What I experimented with, and which was an instant success, was this Grape Raita. It is adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe of Grape & Walnut Raita. I skipped the walnuts since I did not have any, and substituted the mint with coriander.

The raita works well with pulaos and biryanis, and can also be had on its own. We had it with Coriander Mint Rice and the combination was just awesome.

Ingredients:

Curd / Yoghurt: 2 cups

Seedless grapes: 20 - 25, halved lengthwise

Fresh Coriander, finely chopped: 2 - 3 tsp

Sugar (preferably powdered): 1/2 - 3/4 tsp

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Rock Salt (Kala namak): 1/4 tsp

Salt: To taste

Method:

- Whisk the curd to a smooth consistency

- Add the sugar, rock salt, cumin powder and salt. Adjust to taste

- Add the grapes and coriander

- Cool it in a refrigerator before serving

This recipe goes to Monthly Mingle, the event organized by Meeta of What's for Lunch, Honey? This month's mingle features Winter fruits and vegetables, and is hosted by Sudeshna of Cook like a Bong.

Common Cold & Ginger Chai (Tea)

Common cold is so annoying. One sneezes, goes around with a runny nose, headache, fatigue and yet, one cannot be called technically ill. A day off from office requires a graver reason than “just” common cold!

And to think that science has still not been able to discover a cure for it. Hmph! Like my Dad says “Zukaam ho gaya hai? Dawa loge to 7 din mein theek ho jaayega, nahi to ek hafte mein”. (You have caught a cold? If you take medication, you will be fit in 7 days, else it will take a week).

So as you would have got the hint, I have “caught” a cold. And am not sure what medication to take. But what I did have in the morning, before leaving for work, was “Adrak wali Chai” – Ginger Chai (Tea). And trust me, it is really soothing.

Ginger is such a multi faceted tuber. Apart from enhancing the flavor of recipes, it has a high medicinal value as well. Wikipedia tells me that it is used in the treatment of diarrhea and nausea. And in several countries, including India, ginger is used for providing relief in common cold and sore throat.
So, what I am sharing today is a simple and age old recipe. Nothing creative, no experimentation whatsoever. But a sure way to keep warm in the cold weather.

Ingredients (For 1 cup):
Water: ¾ cup
Milk: ¼ cup
Ginger: ½ inch piece
Tea leaves: ¾ - 1 tsp or 1 tea bag
Sugar: To taste

Method:
- Wash the ginger piece and grate it with the peel on
- In a pan, add the water and grated ginger. Bring to a boil.
- When the water starts boiling, add the tea leaves / tea bag.
- Let it simmer for around half a minute so that color of the leaves seeps in
- Add the milk and bring the concoction to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for another 30 – 45 seconds
- Remove the tea bag / strain and pour it in a cup. Add sugar to taste.
- Serve hot and consume while still warm.

Note: Ginger may not be suited for people suffering from ulcers.

This tea makes its way to Weekend Herb Blogging # 214, the event started by Kalyn and now nurtured by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything Atleast Once. This week's edition is being hosted by Haalo herself.

Weekend Brunch: Healthy Vegetable Wraps

This was an impromptu preparation for a Saturday brunch. Quick, healthy and tasty, and not to forget, quite filling.

I used whole wheat parathas, prepared with minimal oil. I made them in advance, and lightly heated them in a microwave before serving.

For the filling, I used whatever veggies I had at hand. You can add more variety based on your choice.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

Cabbage, finely shredded (I used half of a small sized cabbage)

Capsicum: 1 medium, cut in thin strips

Carrot: 1 medium, sliced in 1 inch strips

Onion: 1 medium, sliced

Salt, pepper: to taste

Mixed Italian herbs: 1/2 tsp (approx)

Oil (Olive or Vegetable): 1 - 2 tbsp

For the wraps / rolls:

Tortillas / whole wheat parathas: 4 - 6

Method:

- Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and saute on high heat for a minute

- Add the cabbage and carrots. Reduce the heat to medium and stir fry for around 3 - 5 minutes. Do not cook the veggies completely or else they will lose the crunchiness

- Add the capsicum and saute for another 2 minutes

- Add the salt, pepper and Italian herbs. Mix well

To Serve:

- Take a paratha / tortilla. Heat it slightly in a microwave / tawa / pan

- Place the filling in the center (or slightly away from it)

- Roll it and secure it with a toothpick

- Enjoy it with your favourite chutney / ketchup

Note: I also used the leftover filling to prepare grilled sandwich. It tasted great too. Too bad that I could not take any pictures.

Green & Pink: Coriander Mint Rice and Pomegranate Raita

Yes! I have finally returned after my more than a month long break from the blogging world. Well not the blogging world – because I have started a new blog. Making My Day Brighter is my hobby blog and it would be great if you could visit it sometime. Your views are welcome.
Coming back to the break from this blog – the reasons are several. My hubby was / is on a restricted diet due to health reasons and a few changes at the workplace were keeping me occupied as well.
But since November is ending today, I did not really want to have a complete month of inactivity – technically speaking. Plus I did cook something exciting yesterday which I surely want to share with the world! And with D of India Shoes.

But before we come to the actual recipe, here are a few (abridged and approximate) snippets of conversation:

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Time: Sunday noon. On phone with D.
Me: I am hungry. I want to have Pudina Pulao
D: Pudina Pulao? Why? I have never had it before. And then why don’t you go ahead and make it?
Me: Because there is a power cut since morning. Which means I cannot use the Mixer to grind the leaves.
D: (Laughing) Why don’t you use the old fashioned Imam Dasta (traditional mortar and pestle)?
Me: Humph! #%#@%

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time: Sunday evening. Returning with Hubby after grocery shopping.
Me: I want to have Pudina Pulao.
Hubby: I have been hearing you say this since morning. What’s stopped you?
Me: The power cut
Hubby: Now that the electricity is restored, why don’t you go ahead and make it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time: Sunday Night. On phone with Mom.
Me: What is the recipe for the pudina pulao you used to prepare?
Mom: I never used Pudina!
Me: Then what was the green pulao?
Mom: That’s coriander pulao.
Me: (Disappointed) Oh! What’s the recipe?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, even though the recipe called only for coriander, I went ahead and used mint. Generously. After all, the craving had to be satisfied. Even though it called for modifying my Mom’s recipe – a bit.
I served it with Pomegranate Raita. It is adapted from Nigella Lawson’s recipe which was telecast on one of her shows last year, sometime during Christmas.

For the Coriander Mint Rice:

Ingredients:
Rice (Basmati or any other variety): 1 Cup
Coriander & Mint: a small bunch each, cleaned and washed
Green Chili: 1 – 2 (Optional)
Onion: 1 medium, sliced
Peanuts: ¼ - ½ cup, roasted and coarsely ground
Cumin Seeds: ½ tsp
Bayleaf: 1
Juice of half a lemon
Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt: To taste

Method:
- In a blender, ground the coriander and mint leaves, and the green chilies, to a smooth paste. Add a tsp or 2 of water if required.
- Heat Oil in a heavy bottomed pan / pressure cooker
- Add the cumin seeds and the bay leaf. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add the onions. Sauté on low heat till the onions turn golden brown.
- Add the rice and the coriander – mint paste. Mix well. Add salt to taste.
- If cooking in a pressure cooker: Add 1 ¾ cups of water. Cook on high heat for 2 subsequent “whistles” plus around a minute on low heat. Turn off heat. Let the steam subside before opening the lid.
- If cooking without a pressure cooker: Add 2 cups of water. Cover and cook on low heat till the rice is cooked. Add more water if required.
- Once the rice is cooked add the juice of half a lemon. Mix.
- Add the peanuts before serving.
Verdict: The flavor enhancer is undoubtedly the lemon juice. It complements the coriander and mint flavor beautifully. The peanuts add a nice crunch to each bite.

Pomegranate Raita

- Whisk around 2 cups of curd / yoghurt.
- Add the seeds of half pomegranate. Mix well
- You can add a bit of sugar / salt as per your taste. I did not add any seasoning which worked very well with the pulao.

Methi Ki Puri

Ages ago, when I was in kindergarten, our class was taken for a picnic to the city zoo. After watching the monkeys, giraffes and the lions, we had rested for lunch on the bank of a duck pond. Wondering what my Mom had packed for lunch, I opened my lunch box and it was packed with “green puris” . I was overjoyed, because I liked them more than the plain puris which were quite boring to look at.
In my later years, I realized it was my Mom’s method of feeding me all the green-leafy-vegetables which I would not have touched had it been in the form of “Palak Paneer” or “Methi Aloo” .
There are several recipes for preparing Methi ki Puri, many of which call for mixing different spices. My recipe (or rather my Mom’s) is simpler, has lesser ingredients and apart from cleaning the leaves, does not take much time.

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour (Atta): 2 cups

Methi (Fenugreek) leaves: a bunch

Salt : ½ tsp

Oil to deep fry

Method:

- Clean and wash the methi leaves. Chop them finely.
- Mix the flour, the chopped leaves, salt and enough water to make dough. This requires lesser water than what you would normally use because (a) the leaves are also moist (b) the dough for puri is harder than that of chapattis / paratha.
- Divide the dough into small balls (roughly the size of table tennis balls), and roll them into puris
- Heat sufficient oil in a kadai / frying pan and deep fry puris till puffed up and golden brown.
- Drain the excess oil on paper towel and serve hot

My Recommendation:
- I love it best with Matar Paneer
- It goes well with pickles or any other Indian curry

For those who are new to Indian Cooking:
How to Make Puris