Hari Chutney

A must with all Indian meals, so my dad taught me. I can’t remember a meal, when this wasn’t served in my house.

All you need-

1 medium sized onion

A bunch of coriander leaves

Garlic cloves (size 2cm x 1cm) 2-3

Mint leaves (in the ratio of 1:4 against the coriander)

Medium sized Green chilies (2)

Raw Mango (boiled & peeled)

Lemon Squeeze

Salt to taste

 Finely grind – Onion, Coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilies, garlic cloves & mango pulp. Add salt and lemon squeeze to taste.

Hari Chutney ready to serve

Best served cold.

Enjoy!!

Seyal Phulka

Quite often we have chapattis left over from previous meal. A perfect snack dish can be dished up from these left over chapattis.

All you need is –

Chapattis (4-5)

Coriander leaves (handful)

Tomatoes (medium sized 3)

Green chilies (medium sized 2)

Garlic cloves (size 2cm x 1cm) 3-4

Haldi (Turmeric Powder)

Amchoor (Dried Mango powder)

Coriander Powder

Red Chilly Powder

Salt

Cooking Oil

This dish is not only restricted to left over chapattis, but can be made with fresh ones. Just that make the chapattis and make seyal phulka after about an hour of making it.

Let’s get cooking –

Take coriander leaves, tomatoes, green chillies and garlic cloves and grind it finely.

In a pan heat oil at mild heat and add the ground mix. Initially it will be watery, but after being cooked for 2-3minutes starts to thicken. Cover with a lid and cook at low flame for another 5mins.

Then add the haldi, chilly powder and coriander powder. Cook for another 2-3mins. By this time its mildly thick curry sause, and the oils are leaving from the sides.  Now add a cup full of water. Bring this to a boil and add salt.

Note – when adding the salt you need to add a bit extra as the chapattis don’t normally have salt

Cover with lid and cook for another 5mins on low flame.

In the meantime break the chapatti into 4-5pieces.

Finally add the chapattis to the curry sauce and cook for another 5mins at low flame.

Note – the chapattis should be fully covered with the mix and there is still a little curry sause left. So manage the sauce liquidity in accordance with chapatti qty.

Word of caution - Don’t add any more water at this stage, else its become very soggy and not very tasteful either

Seyal Phulka is ready to serve. Serve Hot for best results.

Enjoy!!

Tomato Chutney

Tomato Chutney is a great chutney my hubby introduced me to recently, and he made it in just under 10mins..

All you need is -
Tomatoes (Peeled) - 1/2 kg
Ginger (grated or finely chopped)
Green Chillies (Sliced or finely chopped)
Heeng (Asafoetida)
Cumin Seeds
Mustard Seeds
Bay leaves
Haldi (Turmeric Powder)
Red Chilly Powder
Salt & Sugar to taste
Cooking oil

Note - If you cant peel the tomatoes using a peeler, boil them in full for about 5-7mins. After that, the total peel comes out easy.

To make -
In a pan, heat 2 spoon full of cooking oil at mild heat. Now put a pinch of heeng and half spoon of cumin seeds. After 30secs add some mustard seeds and let it sputter for another 15secs. Add the bay-leaves and followed by ginger and green chillies within the next 10secs. Now add half spoonful haldi powder and red chilly powder to preference. After 30secs, add the tomatoes. Cook for 2mins, by then the tomatoes soften and add salt to taste. Stir and cover with lid and turn the heat to low flame. Cook for anoher 5-7mins. Finally add some sugar and cook for anther minute.
The chutney is ready.

Serve cold or hot, as per your preference.

Enjoy!!

Ande ki Bhurji....Scrambled Egg the desi style

A quick to make...and apt for Breakfast, lunch or Dinner is 'Ande ki Bhurji'.
Its the desi version of scrambled eggs, basically has a taste.

All you need is -
Eggs - 2
1 Medium sized Onion, finely chopped
2 Medium sized Tomatos, finely chopped
1 green chilly, finely chopped
Spices (to taste) - Salt, Ground Pepper, Red Chilly Powder, Corriander Powder (1/2 tsp), Cumin seeds (1/2 tsp), Garam Masala (1/2 tsp)
Cooking Oil - 2 spoonful

Lets get cooking -
On medium flame, heat a pan for about 30secs. Put 2 spoonful oil, then some cumin seeds. Let it sputter for about 15 secs. Then add the chopped onion. Saute them until they are translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and let it saute for another minute. Then add the chopped green chillies, red chilly powder, corrander powder, ground pepper & garam masala. Saute  for another 2 minutes on low flame.
Break the egges into the pan directly. Stir once and wait for the egg to set. If you prefer cover with a lid for a minute. Stir once to ensure that the egg gets coated with the spices. Leave for another 2mins on low flame.
Cook until its of desired consistency.

This is best eaten with Parathas. This also makes a good sandwich filling.

Happy Eating. Enjoy !!!!!

Baigan ka Bhurta

I have always loved this dish but learnt how to make it very recently when my mum came to visit me.

Baigan is also commonly known as Brinjal....EggPlant...Aubergine :o) ...... 

Well short sweet and simple of these confusing names is Baigan...in the desi style.

All you need is -

Brinjal (Purple) - Medium Sized

Onions - 2 medium sized, finely chopped.
Tomato - 1 medium sized, finely chopped

Green Chilly - 1 (actually to preferance), finely chopped

Corriander (for garnishing), finely chopped

Masalas - Salt (to taste) & Garam Masala (1 tea-spoon full)

We start with bhunofying(grilling) the 'Baigan' from all sides until its peel starts to become darker in colour, and when u try to peel it, the peel comes out smoothly. The outer layer of the inside becomes light brown.
It is preferred you do this on a flame of a gas-hob. Else the other alternative is to grill it on a barbeque.
Once the baigan is cooked properly, peel it. Then mash the baigan and keep aside in a bowl. 

In a pan, put a spoonful of oil and heat on medium flame for about 30secs. Then add the chopped onions (3/4 of the chopped onions) and saute until brown. Add the grilled brinjal and cook for another couple of minutes. Then add salt, garam masala, chopped tomatoes, green chillies & the remaining chopped onions. Mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and let this cook for another 5mins.
Finally garnish with coriander and serve hot.

You can eat this either with parathas, or even as a side dish.

Eat Healthy!!!

Food as Medicine

HEADACHE? EAT FISH!
Eat plenty of fish -- fish oil helps prevent headaches..
So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.

HAY FEVER? EAT YOGURT!
Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season.
Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily.


TO PREVENT STROKE DRINK TEA!
Prevent build-up of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea. (actually, tea suppresses appetite and keeps the pounds from invading....Green tea is great for our immune system)!


INSOMNIA (CAN'T SLEEP?) HONEY!
Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.


ASTHMA? EAT ONIONS!!!!
Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes. (onion packs place on chest helped the respiratory ailments and actually made breathing better).


ARTHRITIS? EAT FISH, TOO!!
Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis. (fish has omega oils, good for our immune system)


UPSET STOMACH? BANANAS - GINGER!!!!!
Bananas will settle an upset stomach.
Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea..


BLADDER INFECTION? DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE!!!!
High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.


BONE PROBLEMS? EAT PINEAPPLE!!!
Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.


MEMORY PROBLEMS? EAT OYSTERS!
Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.


COLDS? EAT GARLIC!
Clear up that stuffy head with garlic. (remember, garlic lowers cholesterol, too.)


COUGHING? USE RED PEPPERS!!
A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution-it can irritate your tummy.


BREAST CANCER? EAT Wheat, bran and cabbage
Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels.


LUNG CANCER? EAT DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND VEGGIES!!!
A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.


ULCERS? EAT CABBAGE ALSO!!!
Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.


DIARRHEA? EAT APPLES!
Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition. (Bananas are good for this ailment)


CLOGGED ARTERIES? EAT AVOCADO!
Mono unsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol.


HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? EAT CELERY AND OLIVE OIL!!!
Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure.
Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure too.


BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCE? EAT BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS!!!
The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.


Kiwi: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E & fibre. It's Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.


Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke..


Strawberry: Protective fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protects the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals. (Actually, any berry is good for you..they're high in anti-oxidants and they actually keep us young...........blueberries are the best and very versatile in the health field........they get rid of all the free-radicals that invade our bodies)


Orange : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 - 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer..


Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione which helps boost our immune system.. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients
Found in watermelon are Vitamin C & Potassium. (watermelon also has natural substances [natural SPF sources] that keep our skin healthy, protecting our skin from those darn UV rays)

Guava & Papaya: Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fibre which helps prevent constipation.


Papaya is rich in carotene, this is good for your eyes. (also good for gas and indigestion)


Tomatoes are very good as a preventative measure for men, keeps those prostrate problems from invading their bodies......GOOD AS MEDICINE..

Masala Bhindi

Bhindi...Okra...Ladyfinger.....different names to the same old thing....BHINDI :o)

One of the easiest way of making Bhindi.....and a delicious one too...
All you need is -
Bhindi - medium sized and fresh, say 20-30
Potato - say 2-3 medium sized potato
Masalas - Salt, Turmeric Powder (Haldi), Red Chilly Powder (Lal Mirch pissi), Coriander powder (Dhaniya Powder), Mango Powder (Amchoor)
Cooking Oil

Tip - Don’t put wet bhindi for cooking, it will become lacy.....so after washing the Bhindi clean, wipe it dry.....

Lets get to cooking now -
Take the bhindi (washed & dried), and cut off its head and tail and Slit them on the side...as you are going to put some filling in it.
Take the potatoes and peel them. Cut them into circular slices of medium thickness. The slices shouldn't be very thin.
In a separate bowl put 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder, 2 tablespoon coriander power, 1/2 tablespoon red chilly powder. Mix well and then add about 2 tablespoon cooking oil to it. Make it a smooth paste not very liquidy, neither very thick. Just enough so it holds itself. Then using the knife fill this into the bhindi through the slit.
Take a pan and put on medium flame. Put some cooking oil and heat for about 30sec before putting the bhindi. Sauté it for a couple of minutes. Then lower the heat to a minimum and cover with a lid and leave it for cooking for about 5mins.
After 5mins open the lid, stir the bhindi around and add the potato slices. Sprinkle some more turmeric powder, salt, chilly powder and coriander powder. And Stir. Cook for a couple of mins on medium heat. At this stage I normally ensure that the potato slices are touching the base of the pan and the Bhindi is sitting on them. This is to ensure that the bhindi doesn’t get burnt / overcooked. Then I lower the heat and leave it for another 10mins with the lid covering the pan. By the time I open the lid again the potatoes and bhindi are almost cooked. But I like the potatoes crisp. So I turn the potato slices and cook the other side too for another 5mins on low heat and lid on the pan. Even now my bhindi is resting on the potato slices and not on the pan. The bindi still greenish in colour but very much cooked.
Finally switch off the heat and leave the pan covered for another 5mins before serving hot.

Well I use a lot of oil as I feel this tastes better that way, but to not use as much, you can make it in a non-stick pan and use just a little for the taste.

Masala Bhindi is best eaten with Paranthas or together with Daal & Roti as a side dish.
I haven't made it recently, but when I do next will upload the pik.
Enjoy eating!!!!!!

Sai Bhaaji

Of late have developed a liking for spinach. So have that sitting my my fridge almost all the time.
Spinach has a whole load of qualities and can be eaten as numerous ways. Even if eaten raw, its amazing.

A dish I recently learnt is 'Sai Bhaaji'. Its a sindhi dish and means - Curry made with green leafy vegetable. A very healthy dish, which is filled with all the nutrients from the vegetables :o) especially due to its way of cooking.

Ingredients -
1/2 a bunch of Spinach leaves (Palak)
1/4 bunch of Fenugreek leaves ( Methi)
Corander leaves
3/4 cup Chick Pea lentil
1 medium sized tomato
1 small onion
6-7 pods of garlic (indian sized pods which are almost 1/2cm thick)
1 inch of ginger
green chilly to preference
Oil for cooking
Spices - Turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, Salt

For preparation before the actual cooking -
We start with soaking the chick pea lentil for about 30-40mins.
Peel the onion, garlic & ginger, wash and finely chop them
Note - Remember to take away the part from which the root grows. Its not good to eat, and I have heard its cancerous aswell
Wash the green leafy vegetables and chop them.
Tip - You should always wash vegetables, and then chop them. if you wash after chopping the nutrition in them is going to wash away too.
Finely chop the tomatoes, and green chilly too.

In a cooker, put 2 spoonfull of oil. First put the finely chopped onions and saute for bout 2mins. Then the finely chopped garlic, followed by ginger in another 30secs. Saute for another minute and then put 1/2 spoon of turmeric powder, chilly powder to taste and 1 and 1/2 spoon of coriander powder. After a minute add the chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Cook until tomato is tender, say about 2-3mins. Then add the spinach leaves, fenugreek leaves and coriander leaves. Saute for another 3-4mins and then add the soaked lentil. Finally add water, and don't add too much water, as spinach with leave some water aswell, so add water about 3/4cm high from the level of lentil. Let it come to a boil and add salt to taste. Close the lid of the pressure cooker. After one whistle from the pressure cooker, lower the heat to the minimum and cook for another 10-15mins. Then switch off the heat under the cooker.

On opening the cooker, use your spoon to mildly grind the cooked lentil so that the lentil pieces or the leaves are not so evidently visible. They must form a nice blend. Sai bhaji is normally a bit on the thicker side, not very watery.

Sai bhaji can be served with boiled rice or chapatis.

Yummm....I have just had it with rice, and it tastes really nice.

Enjoy eating!!!!!

Summer Fruits

As summer approches, we all try to find some alternatives to proper food. The evryday food is such a no-no as your metabolism struggles with multitasking on dealing with the heat & breaking the food.
Back from my chilhood, I have fond memories of the summer months in India. Mostly this is the same time when schools close down for a couple of months - commonly known as Summer vacation. I belong to a big family and have a ton of cousins. So we cousins spent almost the entire summer vacation together.

To beat the heat, our parents encouraged us to have more fruits. Lichi (Lychee), Karbooza (Melon), Tarbooz (Watemelon) were the hot (actually cool) favorites. Mums would make loads of ice each day, and many a times the ice trays weren't enough. So they would make bowls of ice. This ice was used during the day to cool down the fruits.

Mostly we cut the melons in slices and eat them. But my dad would cut melons in cubes and sprinkle some sugar on it. Then put this in the freezer for about 15mins. The best ever way to eat melons.
With Watermelons, he would agins cut them into small cubes and sprinkle some 'Chaat Masala' on it. Then put in the freezer for about 15mins. Yummmmmmm
And the way he would serve lichi's was in a bucket full of icey cold water. Then we all sat around the buckets and eat them. Rather unusual way to eat them, but its fun. And when you eat lichi, thats the only thing on your mind, you can barely think about anything else.

But the best seller in fruits during summer months in India is the Mango. It most definitly is the king of fruits in India in summers. Hundreds of varieties of Mango are available at every nook & corner of the city. My favorite type of Mango was 'Dussehri Aam'. And like lichi's, Dussehri Aam is best eaten out of a bucket of mangos in icey cold water.
But Mango's are actually hot. So they are best had as MangoShake. Just grind some mango cubes in milk. Sugar/Honey are optional, and depends on the type of mango you are using to make the shake. Then top up your mango shake with some ice cubes.....Wow....

So lets get shopping for all the summer fruits. Dont forget to sprinkle some sugar on melon & chaat masala on watermelon and then chilling them in the freezer. It will be worth the wait :o)

Pyaaz-Tamatar Sandwich

During our schooling years we took lunch boxes to school. While most of my friends got typical Indian breakfast - Parantha-sabzi - I preferred sandwiches.
One of the signature sandwich of my mum was - Payaz-Tamatar Sandwich (aka Onion-Tomato sandwich).

Even till date I still make that sandwich, sometimes with a few variations/additions.

Ingredients for the sandwich filling -
2 Onions
2 Tomatoes
Green Chillies
Vegetable Oil
Spices - Salt, Black pepper powder, red chilly powder, cumin seeds

Finely chop the onions, tomatoes & green chillies. Heat the pan on medium heat, and put approx 2 table spoons of vegetable oil. Add some cumin seeds and let them sputter for about 15secs. Add the chopped onions and stir until translucent. Add the spices - Salt, Black Pepper powder & red chilly powder - to taste and preference. Salt is a definite the rest are optional. Stir for another minute and then add the chopped tomatoes. At this stage increase the heat a bit, thought still not a high flame. Within 30secs of adding the tomatoes, add the chopped green chillies and cook for approx 2-3mins. I prefer to tomatoes to have a firm look at the end aswell, else the whole mix becomes too soggy.

You can put this filling between 2 bread slices and even as a topping for pizza. Else you can make a proper tawa-sandwich too.

Tawa Sanwich - Heat the tawa, and put some oil/butter ( i prefer butter). Put the bread slice and cook until slightly brown from both sides. Then spread some filling on a slice and cover it with another . I at times put a cheese slice in the middle too. Cook the sandwich until crisp and brown, from both sides. Serve with tea.

A few other variations of the filling I make by
1. Adding home made paneer or finely chopped paneer cubes. To this I add some chopped coriander aswell
2. Peppers (Capsicum)

An easy to make filling, and yummy too. Enjoy Eating :o)

I will start with a typical Indian breakfast - Poha. Well thats what I call it
Its got a few names around India, so it could be called Pohe/Pawa too.

A perfect start to the day with a light breakfast. Tasty eat, fills stomach, yet easy to digest.

Ingredients -
2 cups beaten rice (poha) - medium thinkness
1 onion
1 potato
1 cup garden pea
1 green chilly
corriander
a spoonful chana daal & peanuts
1 lemon
some cooking Oil
Spices - Turmeric powder, Red chilly powder, Salt, Mustard seeds (Raee), Kadhi Leaves (SouthIndian Curry leaves)

I started with washing Poha with water in a seive, and left it to drain for about 10-15mins. Next, I finely copped the onion & green chillies. My mum used a boiled potato instead, but since I decided to made this at the very last minute, so chopped my potato into small squared so they would cook fast.
In a pan, put 2 spoonsful oil and let it heat at a low flame for about a minute. I normally heat my oil at low flame as I feel that ways my food wont get a burnt oil taste. Well moving on, put some mustard seeds, channa daal & peanuts. Left them to sputter for about 15seconds and then added the kadhi leaves. Another 15secs and addeed the finely chopped onions. Cooked the onions till they were translucent. Then added the chopped potatoes and cooked those for about 3-4minutes on medium heat. And if you are using boiled potatoes, you can add the rest of the ingrediants within a minute of putting potatoes. Next I put some the garden peas and cooked for another 2-3minutes. I used the frozen garden peas (which are pre-boiled), but if you are using raw peans, put the peas within a minute of putting the potatoes as otherwise they will wont be properly cooked.
Coming back to the cooking, added the turmeric powder, salt and red chilly powder. Also added the finely chopped green chillies. Stired at medium flame for another minute and 1/4cup of water and squeese the lemon jouice in this. Increase the heat to full, so it comes to a boil. Let it boil for half a minute. Then reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Let that cook for 5 minutes.
In the mean time, the poha has been drained of all water. So finally add poha and mix well. Leave it on the low flame for another couple of minutes, ensure the pan is covered with the lid. This will ensure the poha absorbs the masalas and its flavours.
Finally garnish with finely chopped corriander leaves and serve hot.
Some people, like it with ketchup, so you can offer that with the poha. Yes and also keep a lemon slice aswell, some people like it with more lemon squeese, just for themselves.

I must admit that I am new to making poha, and dont really relish it much. But everyone at home does. So make it. At times for breakfast & time for packing in tiffin...
Enjoy some home cooking, and the tips & tricks which I will keep adding to my ways of cooking.

Eat well !!!

Everyday Food

Am using this blog to document my cooking skills...well whatever I have

With the target of putting 1 recipie a day I intend to remember all i know about cooking, and all I can learn.
So if you are reading, dont forget to leave your comments/feedback.