Paneer Burger

On our last grocery trip, I saw B pick up two fat buns from our local baker. 
"I want a burger", he said. 

"Great! I have just soaked some soya nuggets ... will make some thick patties." 
He kept quiet. And then I noticed a big pack of paneer too. 

He hates hates soya nuggets while I try to sneak it into his food for the protein boost. 😊

"So how to do plan to add the paneer to the burger? Grate?", I keep on. 
"I haven't decided on it, yet". 

Today, he wanted his burgers for lunch. 

"I want a stir fry with lots of onions and garlic, some tomatoes for moisture and small pieces of paneer. 

And I want  Italian flavours. I will add the olives last. " 

So I made this stir fried Paneer with vegetables for the burger. 

Need : 

Thickly sliced onions 
Sliced capsicums 

Paneer cut into small pieces 
Boiled potato cut into small pieces

Chopped garlic
Mixed Italian herbs - Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Celery etc. 

Olive oil

Red chilli flakes 

Salt

Sugar 

How to : 

Heat a little olive oil and add the garlic and the potatoes. 

Add a little salt and fry on high for a while. 

Now add the paneer and the rest of the ingredients. 
Stir fry on high heat till everything comes together. 

Heat the buns on a flat heavy pan .... I kept the base for a longish while so that it crisped up. 

Cut them in half but not all the way. 
Stuff with the filling and serve immediately. 

We are not eating deep fried right now ... so there was no potatoes chips on the side. 

( Guess it is high time I got that air fryer ..... what say? ) 

And also no soft drinks too. 

But B did make some Pomegranate juice for me. 

Lunch was good. A change from our regular meals was welcome since the weather has started to turn really hot these days. 

Take care all. 

Ps: B forgot to add his favourite olives after all. 😉

Chicken Hakka Noodles

 ( I had made this post on my instagram page around two months back but never got around to posting it here. The weather is not exactly as described , right now. ) 


After four days of gloriously bright sunshine , a clear blue sky and crisp, cold breeze, the day started dull and gloomy and foggy again.

Though it is difficult to call this city's weather gloomy. Even cloudy foggy days are beautiful. I woke up late as I slept very late last night ... was at the fag end of a book and just didn't want to keep it away ... and even though I woke at my regular 6 am, seeing the weather outside, promptly buried myself back into the covers.
Skipped breakfast and just sipped on the hot kadha that I make everyday.
While both of us agreed that such a weather calls for some spicy, deep fried food, we decided we won't indulge in any.
But we did not want the regular meals of rice or roti too.

I had ordered vegetables yesterday and since had almost everything I needed, we zeroed in on some quick stir fried Hakka noodles .
I sliced the vegetables and brought out some frozen pieces of chicken that I had saved from an earlier stew.
Made B's vegetarian version first and then made mine.

Stir fried the shredded chicken with chopped ginger and garlic, green chillies and threw in the vegetables.
After tossing them together, added boiled noodles , a little vinegar, sliced onions and spring onions greens.
Added some crushed black pepper and mixed everything well.
I did not add any sauce as I have given up eating packaged products.
Would have loved some soy and chilli sauce with it😊.

Turned out great.
The noodles were perfectly al dente, the vegetables held their crunch since I cooked them on high heat and just for a little while .... never cover and cook vegetables for Chinese food ... nothing is worse than soft, sagging vegetables in a stir fry.... and the green chillies had the right zing for balance.
.

 Vegetarians can add paneer , tofu or soya chunks for the protein content. 
Or else, just the vegetables work fine too. 

Enjoy!! 

Prawn Masala Fry and Prawn Rice ...... cooking a meal under thirty minutes

Yesterday I made a post on my instagram feed on one of my current knitting projects, as I was getting a lot of messages to share my works in progress. 
And I wrote about how this year has been for all of us. 
And could not help contemplating on it the whole day. 

I realised what I had written was just the tip of the iceberg. Given insta's limited word allowance per post, I am not always satisfied with writing there. Which is why I have almost stopped writing a good post. The hurried feel does not suit me. 

I like to write in a way that the reader gets the essence and the feel of not only the photo but also the setting , the prelude as well as the interlude and conclusion. 

So while I did mention how we all found out some hobby to hold on to for comfort in this difficult year, I felt a there is a lot more to it than what meets the eye. 
Like how we learnt to manage our days and to divide time among work and family and chores in a more balanced way.

How we learnt the real meaning of division of labour. 

And how to make the division of chores interesting .... focussing not only on the jobs getting done but also on  how to give the other person a break too. 

And the most important thing we learnt was how to manage the kitchen in the shortest possible time, how to cook up a nutritious meal for the family without getting exhausted and above all, how to come up with quick cooking ideas with the most basics of ingredients. 
And at the same time ensure that it is tasty to please every palate sitting at the dining table. 

No mean feat I must say. 

For me, it has been a long, difficult year when it comes to eating restaurant kind of food. 

Not that we used to eat out regularly. But I had a surgery last year towards the fag end of August and was on monitored food for almost 6 months. And just as we started to eat out a little .... we must have eaten out for exactly three times .... lockdown happened. 

And now it has been 8 months that I have been craving for some good Chinese food. Or a good Vada Pao. And Phuchka too. 

I have made every one of these at home too. And even more like baking breads, pavs, focaccia , cakes .... and so on. But it requires big work. Lots of effort. And at the end I feel so exhausted that actually enjoying the food becomes an effort too. 

So I have turned to cooking some spicy and masaledar food for myself recently. 

Any change to the tastebuds is welcome now. 

Recently, my fishmonger got me some very fresh and good sized prawns. 

They were so fresh that I wanted to keep the sweet taste with just a smattering of spices. 

And so made this beautiful fry. The coating was of spices and the inside held the juicy, sweet meat that was so good when bitten into. 

For the Masala Prwan Fry : 
 
Need : 

Prawns - 6 to 8 pieces, cleaned and deveined 

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp 
Jeera powder - 1 tsp 

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp 

Rice flour - 2 tbsp 

Salt - to taste 
Oil - to stir fry 

How to : 

Marinate the prawns with the rest of the ingredients except for the oil. 

Keep aside for 15 minutes. 

Heat oil. 

Let in the prawns one by one and fry till done. 

Serve immediately. 

For  the Prawn Rice : 

Need : 

Leftover Rice 
Whole garam masalas 
Chopped green chillies 
Salt to taste 

How to : 

In the same oil that the prawns have been fried, add the garam masalas
and the green chillies. 

Let in the rice and toss well. 

Add salt and adjust the rest of the seasonings. 

Remove and serve hot. 

Enjoy!! 


Here is my link to the post on Instagram where the write up is even better. 
I am going crazy trying to keep track and coordinate my writings at both places. 
Hope to sort out the time management soon so that I can write the same post and thoughts in both places as well as share the links too. 

Pineapple Chicken .... recipe for a quick, light and tangy chicken cooked with pineapples

It has been a beautiful morning. 
After the deluge of two days, back to back, it is all warm, sunny and bright all around. 
Just when we thought monsoon is over, it started to rain in earnest again. 
Humid, suffocating days vanished and gave way to torrential rains. Huge pellets of water drops, shooting down like arrows, with a roar and the dark sky rumbled ceaselessly. 
It turned hazy and gray all around and the distant buildings and trees were lost to the vision. 
The trees stood still, accepting the beating of rain. Drinking in quietly. 
The leaves however were happy, shiny and all bright and quivering under the pure water. 

The dry earth drank  to its fill. The little stream by our house started to run again .... dark muddy water happily gurgling and rushing forth with white froth lacing. 
The birds did not come to my balcony for a drink. I could see them sitting on the branches .... near their  nests. The crows and the eagles were soaked through and looked different. 
The Bulbuls were restless and did come out to prance around for a while before diving back into the thickets. The sparrows are nowhere around too. 

Today, everybody was back on my balcony. 
Chirping, cawing and even screeching out to me ... demanding their share of biscuits and my breakfast. 
The water bowl was full with the fresh rainwater ... I did not change it. 
B had cleaned the balcony of all dirt and mud from the plant pots yesterday, as I stood in the rain to soak in the coolness, after I finished with the chores. ( Yes yes, I have already written about this on my instagram post ) . 
So it was good to spend the morning in the balcony. 

I have a  chair in the small space to our balcony and often sit there to take in some fresh breeze, in between my work.
Today, that breeze seemed so fresh, heavy with the damp smell of rains and of freshly beaten green, that it took me back to my Dadu's house back home. 
I could smell the water laden, cooling breeze coming from across the huge pond, carrying with it the smell of damp grass and leaves, along with the fragrance of the flowers of the old Jamrul tree. 

I could see Thamma sitting at the khirki duar ( one of the side entrances to the house ), with her back to me, looking out at the pond and its dark, calm waters that had a very light ripple on the surface, made by the breeze. Her long hair, only slightly white, spread all over her back. Once in a while, she would run her fingers through them .... to help them dry sooner. 

And I realise, that with time, I am slowly turning into my Thamma. 
As I sit in my chair, loving the breeze on me, looking out to the small forest and the stream, I realise this is my khirki duar.
My little door to the world I love to look at. 
And am grateful for that. 
You see, I have always wanted to be like Thamma. 

Coming back, I had cooked this beautiful, quick dish of chicken with pineapple, a few weeks back. 
I loved it so much that I wanted to make a post here .... for my own self to come back to the recipe when I needed to. 

*  I had marinated the chicken pieces before freezing them ... which helped it to cook faster I guess. 
If you are making it fresh, then do keep it marinated for at least an hour. 

* I had some leftover rice, so added it for the carb content and make a full meal. 
You may or may not. 


Need : 

To marinate : 

Chicken pieces - cut into bite sized pieces ( I use the thigh pieces) 
Grated ginger
Grated garlic
Vinegar - a little
Soy sauce 
Honey 
Oil
Salt
Sugar

Mix everything together and keep aside for an hour. 

Other ingredients : 

Pineapple pieces
Onion cut into cubes
Chopped green chillies 
Chopped ginger
Red chilli flakes 
Crushed black pepper 
Oil
Salt


How to : 


Heat oil in a pan. 

Add  the pineapple pieces and toss well. 
Sprinkle some red chilli flakes on them and keep aside. 

Now add the chicken pieces on high heat and sear them well. 
Toss, cover and cook till they are done. 
Remember not to overcook. 

Now raise heat, add the rest of the ingredients and toss well. 
If using rice, add now. 

Add the pineapple pieces.
Mix everything together. 

Serve hot.  

Enjoy!! 

Eat healthy. Eat to your fill. 
And stay safe.


Here is a little reminder about the giveaway I am doing.
Hop over to know the details.






 

 

Chicken pepper fry

And just like that, the rains are gone. 
We did not get as much rainfall this year as we would have liked to. 
Especially when we are not going out. 
With the whole world and our lives coming to a a standstill, due to the pandemic raging all around us, all we had was the rains outside to look out at. 
Sitting by the window, or standing in the balcony or lounging in the sofa that I drag half way across the room just for the view ..... all we had was the gentle, quiet Pune rains and fog outside. 

The trees have grown a lot over the years and are now almost at our eye level at the seventh floor. 
Their leaves shiny, healthy, glistening in the rain. 
And swaying to the wind. 
The birds go on with their activities. 
And we go on with life. 
Daily, mundane chores. 
The only welcome break was the rains. 
And that too has gone now. Too soon. 

I don't mind  the sun though. 
The mornings are brighter and clearer now. 
And sunnier. 
There is a chill in the air and the feel of autumn is already in the air. 
Ganpati festival is on. 
Listening to the bhajans and aarti songs all around give an air of sanity. 
As if nothing has changed. 
And all is well with the world. 

I made this beautiful, spicy Chicken pepper fry a few days back for lunch. 
It was quick to make and was the perfect finger food for the dark, rainy days. 
The heat of the black pepper warmed the body as well as the cockles of the heart .... just like Ma  has cooked a warm meal and is feeding me  lovingly.

Need : 

Chicken pieces, on the bone (you may use boneless too ) 
Ginger garlic paste

Soy sauce

Vinegar / Lemon juice

Freshly crushed black pepper 
Chopped onions

Chopped garlic 

Chopped green chillies 

Curry leaves 

Salt - to taste

Sugar - to taste

Cooking oil 

How to : 

Marinate the chicken with vinegar, soy sauce, ginger garlic paste , a little oil and  salt. 
I marinated and froze it. You can keep it for 1 hour. 

Heat oil in a flat pan. 

Let in the chicken pieces one by one. 
Sear them on high heat till the sides turn crisp and brown. 

Lower heat and add the onions, garlic , green chillies and the curry leaves. 
Add salt and the crushed pepper, cover and cook till the chicken is done. 

If you want less spicy, then add the black pepper last, just before removing from heat. 

Serve hot . 

The chicken was crisp on the outside and juicy and soft inside. 
The meat  peeled away smoothly .... I guess the marination did the magic. 

I had made some crisp dosa and so paired with them. 
With some beautiful peanut chutney on the side, this was my lunch on a dark, cold rainy day. 
Will go great with laccha parathas too. 


Stay safe folks. Eat well. Eat healthy. 

Enchor bhaja / Stir fried raw Jackfruit

Summer is blooming here.
Blooming .... yes. Because I have no other word for what is going on outside right now.
Mid morning temperature starts with 32 degrees and rises as much as it wishes to by late afternoon.  And then decides it loves the city so much that it refuses to down with the sun.
Clings on to the air, making it difficult to breathe even after night falls.
The floor and the walls of my balcony radiate the heat off. My plants stay still ... almost as if fearing to move lest the heat increases again.
I spray them with water liberally, only to feel the steam off the floor tiles and the wet earth.
On days when there is no breeze, I look out to see the dark profiles of the trees standing sombrely.
The rooster that I see of the few branches on the top of the Eucalyptus too does not move ... on other days I love to see the branches that form the neck and head move in the breeze ... as if nodding.
It is only when the restless bats shift branches that it moves ... sometimes the head moving away eerily and sometimes the plume of the tail.
Depresses me more .... just like the heat does these days.

 I have a thousand and one things going on at the same time in my life right now.
Some happy; some not as much.
And then there are a thousand and one recipes  .... okay, a little less maybe ... running in my head too.
To try, to post and share with you here.
But this heat ... nah .... will have to wait for some cooler days.
Meals have been mostly light ... you know if you are following me on Instagram. So I had nothing much to make a post on.
And then, my green grocer has been gone for a while now on vacation.
He is the only guy I rely on these days for fresh vegetables. So when he mentioned that he will be away for a while and I should buy some of that very fresh raw Jackfruit, I gave in.
He does make it easy for me, or else dealing with Enchor / raw jackfruit is painful and deters even the most expert housewife from handling it.

My tip on how to deal with a raw jackfruit is - get your grocer to peel it ... they have that big chopper and is easy for them .... and then make medium cuts from the sides till the center ... without cutting the center.
All I do is wash it well under running water and dump the whole thing into a pressure cooker with some salt and turmeric powder.
And cook it for two whistles on low heat.
And then, after cooling it, I cut it into blocks and store it in the freezer ... ready to take out and cook whenever I want to.
Simple!!!
No oiling of hands, no sticky gum clinging to fingers, no messy jobs of papers and tissues and everything sticking together, etc. etc.

Try it ... and do remember to come back here and thank me. 😄😄

Now, to the recipe.
If you know me, if  you have tried my recipes, you will know by now how I am obsessed with simplifying recipes and cooking light.
So while the whole world has gone overboard with trying to cook the kathal / enchor / raw jackfruit with loads of masalas ... in keeping up with the idea of it being a vegetarian substitute to non vegetarian food .... I phoo the idea away and go ahead and cook it real light and flavourful. If you have not tried this recipe yet, you are surely missing something good this summer.
And then, today I made this light bhaja or stir fry.
I was so amazed and at the same time so happy the way it came out that forgetting hunger and mealtime, I clicked a few photos to share it here pronto.
You really do not have to do much here.
All you need is some pre boiled enchor and some onions and green chillies.
And some dry masalas.
That's all.

Need :

Raw jackfruit / Kathal / Enchor - boiled with salt and cut into medium pieces
Onions - chopped into big sizes
Garlic - chopped ( optional )
Green chilles - chopped
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Cooking oil ( I use mustard oil )
Lemon juice

How to :

In a heavy kadahi/ wok , heat the oil on low heat till smoking hot.

Add the jackfruit and toss on high heat for a minute ... searing it well.

Now add the onions + garlic + green chillies and keep tossing.

Add the turmeric + red chilli powder + salt + sugar.

Keep tossing till everything comes together.

Add a good dose of lemon juice and toss a little more.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

Since we were having it with rice and dal, I did not add any other masala and kept it simple like a bhaja should be.
If you are planning to eat it with rotis or parathas, then you may add garam masala as well as tomatoes too, to bring up the moisture quotient.

Enjoy!!
And a happy weekend all!!

Motorshuti bhaja / Stir fried fresh green peas

 

 Winter is finally here. I mean not by the names of the months but by the temperature outside.
We have been missing the real winter for the past couple of years in Pune. But this year it has turned real cold and the fresh, crisp air outside has that perfect smell of winter ... dry leaves, smoke from a faraway bonfire mixed with the beautiful, sweet smell of the Eucalyptus leaves that waft around in the light breeze.

I step out on to the balcony every evening to catch the gorgeous sunsets. And to watch the stars come out. These days the sky is so clear that they sparkle a couple of shades brighter. And the new moon comes up looking all shiny and clean.
Needless to say, I love winters.
I can knit all I want to, wear the ones that I have knitted earlier, enjoy my hot cuppas of sometimes tea or coffee and soups at other times.
I can sit in the sun for longer times ... my bay windows are now awash with sunlight ever since the sun has shifted south.

I have recently twisted my knee ... yes, how can the year go by without my falling ill properly at least once .... and am confined to rest right now.
I do try to hobble around and rustle up quick meals but my leg turns too painful and I go back to my corner in the sofa. Near the window, in the sun.
And do what I do best ... knit. 
And reminisce.
Which I do a lot these days.
Of days gone by, of the winters of my childhood.
Losing the elders of the family one by one, memories are the only things that stay with me these days.
So I think of the winters of my childhood, the breakfasts of crisp, toasted bread and poached(fried) eggs ... sitting out in the sun.
Lunches of steaming hot stews. Teatimes with cakes at times and traditional snacks at other. 
And it was from one of those memories that I made this traditional, simple stir fry that spells winter as well as memories for me in many ways.

This used to be a favourite evening snack for us at home.
Ma would make this with the fresh green peas, soft and oh so sweet, that the season brings, and that have been freshly shelled.
Iin the afternoon, after lunch, Ma and the other kakimas would sit out in the soft winter sun in the uthon / courtyard ... some drying their long hair, some knitting .
All around, there would be achars/ pickles sunning as well as  batches of boris here and there. 
The breeze from the pond, which was so welcomed in the summer, would make them shiver and draw their shawls around them a little more.
Thamma would be there too, soaking in the sun, eyes closed and narrating small incidents ... mostly form the past.
The house helps would join in too, enjoying the leisurely time.
They would bring along with them small pending jobs .... one of which was the shelling of peas.
We children would drift in and out, picking up handfuls of freshly shelled sweet peas and munching on them.

While I love raw peas in about everything .... I add them to my egg scrambles / anda bhurji, stir fries, upma, uttapams, salads and muri / puffed rice, I love this stir fry just as much.
In the evenings, when at a loss as to what to make to accompany the evening tea, Ma would rustle this up while Jethima would prepare the muri.
She would add a dash of mustard oil and some chanacchur to the muri. ( It will not be the regular moshla muri ). And serve them in individual bowls.
At times, the muri would be tempered with some kalo jeere / nigella seeds and dry red chillies too ... but only if it has turned soft. This tossing on heat crisps the muri up as well as add some flavour too.

Meanwhile Ma would temper some heated mustard oil with kalo jeere / nigella seeds and whole dry chillies. Then she would add some chopped onions and stir fry them till just soft. No browning.
And then tip in a bowlful of shelled green peas and a pinch of salt.
The peas will release water and everything will turn soft.
Just a few tosses ( you may cover and cook it for a while too ... but not for too long ) and it is done.
They would top the muri and the bowls would be handed out to everyone ... along with some thick, milky ada cha / ginger tea.

I can still see everyone sitting around the dining table, some sitting on the low window sill when there are no empty chairs left, some even on long, low bench that stood near the wall at the far end of the dining room .... munching, sipping, talking, laughing, discussing dinner's menu.
The dining room would no longer be cold .... there was so much love and warmth all around.
The peas would be so soft they would just melt in the mouth. And the crisp muri was the perfect foil, with its crunch.

Here is my bowlful of muri and motorshuti bhaja that I made one evening.
I had shared it on my Instagram and my facebook page .... but then memories overwhelmed me and I decided to make a post too.
For you.
And for posterity.

Hope you have a wonderful winter.
Have lots of hot food and make loads of memories.

Enjoy!!

Aloo Matar ki sukhi sabzi / Masala fried Potatoes and Peas

 

Before moving on to other recipes, I thought I will make a post of the stir fried potato and peas that I had made along with the Dal Palak for lunch that day.
Just so that you can enjoy it when fresh peas are still in season.

Of course, you can make it any time of the year, but you won't get that sweetness that the fresh peas have. And that makes a big difference.
Nothing like fresh vegetables after all ... eh?

I love this fry or bhaja because  ... one, it has fresh peas ( I am absolutely love them) .... two, it has a different kind of taste ... that is quite uncommon to this Bengali palate .... and three, this is such a versatile dish ... not to mention the very little time that it takes to be made.
Pair it with anything and it is sure to be a hit.
It is dry but has the moistness of the fresh peas.
It goes fabulously with rice and dal, perfect with luchis or parathas and can be a great friend to our daily roti too.

I have been a little under the weather of late ... hence resorting to quick cooking.
And fry is the quickest that one can rustle up.

Am not in a mood to write much today ... so let's get straight to the recipe.

 Need :

Potatoes - 4, cut into very small cubes ... they should complement the size of the peas
Fresh green peas - around 1 cup
Amchur / Dry mango powder - 1 tsp 
Haldi / Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Lal mirch / Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( more if you like spicy )
Hing / Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp ( I used mustard oil )
Fresh coriander leaves - chopped

How to :

Heat oil in a kadahi or wok.
Add the hing and the potatoes.

Raise heat and stir well.

Add haldi + salt.
Cover and cook on low flame till the potatoes are done.

Remove cover, add the fresh peas + red chilli powder + amchur powder + black pepper powder.
Stir well and mix everything together.

Remove , sprinkle fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately. 

Enjoy!!

Stir fried Macaroni with vegetables and chicken sausage

The only thing that I do not make with macaroni is the very famous mac and cheese.
The reason? Well ... I do not have any reason.
Maybe because I do not like the white sauce.
Maybe because I do not like cheese.
Maybe. I don't know.
But then ... maybe that is not such a solid reason after all because B loves cheese. And I do cook a lot of things that B likes and I do not.
So there.

But what I do make with macaroni is a variety of other things.
Sometimes a cold salad.
Sometimes add some to a soup. And sometimes the stew.
Sometimes with roasted vegetables.
And at other times, this stir fry that can be eaten as a warm salad too.
It is quick to make and makes for a very filling meal.

It was one of those late evenings when I was dead tired and did not want to cook anything for dinner.
B suggested ordering out but I was not interested in that too.
Suggestions and options went to and fro .... from me stuck on the sofa with my knitting for most of the evening and B, stuck in the chair in front of the idiot box.
I was getting hungry and we were reaching nowhere.
And the noise from the juvenile movie on god-knows-what-kind-species-are-these was getting on my nerves already.

So decided to take matters to my hands ... which was exactly what B knew would come to.

 Walked into the kitchen and made this in 10 minutes flat ... because I had boiled macaroni in the fridge.
And sprouts ready on the counter.
Chopped up a few vegetables and stir fried everything together.
Chopped and fried myself some  chicken sausages too.
And dinner was ready even before those godzilla like creatures on the telly could burn a complete city down.

These photographs are from the phone .... again.
Impromptu meals like these are sometimes so good and flavourful that I am tempted to share it here.
So please do bear with the snaps.

Need :

Boiled Macaroni - 1 cup
Carrots - 1 medium, chopped into very small pieces
Cauliflower - 6 to 7 florets, chopped
Green peas - 5 tbsp
Capsicum - 1 medium, chopped
Moong dal sprouts - 8 tbsp
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 5 cloves, chopped
Mixed Italian herbs - 1 tsp
Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Black pepper powder - to taste
Salt - to taste
Sugar - a pinch
Cooking oil  - 1 tbsp
Chicken sausages - thawed and chopped 

You can use any vegetables of your choice.
You can use scrambles eggs too.
Or chicken cubes.

How to :

 Heat oil in an open kadahi or wok.

Add the garlic + onions.

Raise heat and add all the vegetables.

Stir fry for a while.

Add the sprouts.

Add the salt + lemon juice + sugar + Italian herbs(crushed) + chilli flakes + pepper powder.

Toss well.

In another pan fry the chopped sausages and add to the macaroni.

Remove from heat and serve hot. 

This was perfect for a rainy night dinner.
After the telly was switched off.

I love to douse this with some ketchup sometimes. Just sometimes.
Else it is good as is.
Do eat it hot ... just off the wok. 
Enjoy!!

Carrot and cabbage stir fry

Makar Sankaranti came and went by.
For some days, before it came, I was on a fast forward mode .... planning, prepping and writing ... in my mind ....  a good post as well as recipe of a good Pithe or Puli that are traditionally made on Sankaranti in Bengali homes.
It has been ages since I made a Pithe last; so was really looking forward to making something good.
Had soaked some rice and dal too.
Had stocked up with some good Patali gur ( date palm jaggery, available only in the winters ).
Had boiled the milk well and kept it ready in case I wanted to make some Pulis too.
Was waiting for a coconut to arrive ... had delegated that work to the man of the house.
When  .... bam! ... fell the lightning.

What else? I fall ill. Yes. Again.
A bout of fainting; hit the back of my head hard; resultant ... a temporary vertigo.
The funny part is I have no recollection of any of the events except the last one ... which is making me see daylights both during the days and the nights.
And in the noons and the evenings.
Everytime I try to lie down, or get up, the world and everything in it goes into a dizzy circle, spinning round and round and round ; till I have to shut my eyes to stop the dizzy picture.
Which of course makes matters worse.
It takes my eye shutting as an insult and starts spinning with double the speed.

The spell goes on for a few seconds but for me it might as well have been a whole lifetime.
And the back of my head throbs all the while.
Which is why I refuse to watch any inane Hindi movies these days. Those fights .... ugh.
The idiots have no idea what it feels like when the back of the head is hit. Else they wouldn't show people getting beaten up all over, so easily.

So that is where I am these days ... on a merry-go-round that refuses to stop.
Only ... it does not seem merry to me at all.

And instead of an exotic Pithe or Puli, I am serving you a simple stir fry, making the most of winter vegetables.
Quick, simple, tasty,easy. The mantra of my blog. 

 This recipe actually belongs to a blogger friend who had posted it on fb. I immediately tried it and shared it there too. And met her approval.
Since the winter sun is at its best on my table these days, I clicked a few photos, hoping to add to my quickly depleting drafts folder.
And yes, thanks to your encouragement in my earlier post, I have clicked these on my phone too. :-)

Also. there have been too many of posts on fish here, these days.
So while some good pieces of the Katla, some prawns, two pomfrets and half a kilo of Parshe fish sit in my freezer, I am posting this vegetable stir fry today.
 
I have used just carrots and cabbage in this fry.
Since it is abundant now, you can use some fresh green peas too. 

Need :

Cabbage, 1 cup - cut very thinly
Carrots - cut into juliennes
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Hing / Asafoetida  - 1 pinch
Fresh green chillies - 2 chopped
Lemon - half
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste ... a pinch maybe
Roasted and crushed peanuts - 1 tbsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp 

How to :

Heat oil in a kadahi.
Add the mustard seeds.
When they start to splutter, add the hing + green chillies.
Immediately add the carrots and the cabbage.

Stir fry on high heat for a minute. Mix everything well.
Lower heat and fry for another two minutes.

Add salt and fry some more on medium heat.
The vegetables should get cooked but not soggy ... there should be a slight crunch in them.

Add the crushed peanuts and squirt the lemon all over it.
Add the sugar, stir well on high heat.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

This is great as a warm salad and goes great with some toasted garlic bread.

Otherwise, this can be enjoyed with both rotis as well as plain parathas ( recipe for the parathas here. )
Or on the side with some dal and rice.


Hope all of you had a beautiful Makar Sankaranti / Lohri / Pongal!
Have fun all ....  while I go back to that ice pack.


Enjoy!!

Bori diye Palong shaak bhaja / Stir fried Spinach with lentil dumplings

And Bappa is gone.
As I sit and type this post, I can see the Visharjan processions slowly moving down the road, one by one.
The air reverberates with the rhythmic beats of the drums, all over. Somewhere the Aarti is being played, signalling the start of Bappa's journey. The roads are covered with pink and red gulal.
People dressed up in traditional attires ... men in white kurtas and ladies in sarees ... accompany the vehicle carrying Lord Ganesh, dancing along.
I watch, quietly bidding Bappa adieu.
Ten days gone in a flash.

This year, the rain gods have played spoilsport. So Ganeshotsav was a slightly subdued affair.
I had a guest at home; so hardly noticed the festive days going by.
Going down to the aarti inside our society complex was by itself a task this time.

Today there is a little calm in the house.
Guest gone. Routine back.
Rains back, after a respite of two wee days.

These days I am on a mission of cleaning up all pending photographs and making posts of them.
Some of them are as old as two years back.
Or more.
I want to be done with them before I forget the actual recipe.
Thank god my recipes do not have much ingredients or complex processes ... so far I have been in stream all along.

These photographs of the Palong shaak with Bori have been in my folder for too long.
After selecting the few photos, they sat in my drafts again ... I think for around a month or so.
Hence I'll finish with these first.
I'm short of time today. So it will be a short write and an even shorter recipe.

Growing up I got to eat a good variety of leafy vegetables or shaaks.
But the only leafy vegetables that we get here are the palak or spinach, the methi or fenugreek leaves, some Amaranth and the dill.
That's all I guess.
So, after using the palak in gravies, dals and chorchoris, I sometimes make a bhaja or a stir fry out of it.
Some chopped onions for sweetness, as the palak is slightly salty on its own, some chopped garlic for flavour and some fried and crushed Boris thrown in, it turns into the perfect shaak bhaja to go on the side of with a little gorom bhaat or steamed rice.

Need :

Palong shaak / Palak / Spinach -  (washed well and chopped) 1 coffee mug ful
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 3 big sized cloves, chopped
Haldi / Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp 
Whole red chilles - 1, broken
Boris - 6 to 8 pieces
Mustard oil or any cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - a pinch

How to :

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadahi or pan.
Let in the Bori s and stir fry on low heat till they turn brown.
Remove and keep aside.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to the same kadahi.
Add the whole red chillies and the onion.
Fry till onion turns translucent and the raw smell is gone.
Now add the chopped garlic and fry well.

Add the chopped palak, haldi, salt and sugar.
Stir well and cover.
Cook for around 5 minutes.
Remove cover and give a good stir.
Cook uncovered till all moisture disappears.
Crush the fried bori s lightly by hand and add to the palak.
Give a good stir.
Remove from heat.
Simple, wholesome shaak bhaja is ready.

 

Serve hot.
Goes great with steamed rice and some dal.
You can eat it with rotis too.

Enjoy!

Lemon Rice

"Keep a look out for a Tiffany on your side of the highway when I say to."
We were getting ready for our day trip to Srirangapattana when B mentioned this.
I did a double take. "Tiffany?!"
"Yes. It seems they serve the best Maddur vadas."
Maddur vada? I had never heard of Maddur vada .... but gulp down the line.
It would not be fun to see that "But you are a food blogger!!!" look right at the begining of our trip.
The only Tifanny I had known about till then was for the high and mighty and their love for beautiful, glittery things.
So I kept looking out, missing the lovely scenes speeding by.
Travelling on the Karnataka highways is a joy. But I tried to concentrate.
As we approached and just crossed Maddur, I did notice two names that sped by me ... A.K.Tiffany and S.K.Tiffany.
After a second of hesitation I mentioned them.
"There was a Tiffany?! Why didn't you say so ... we should have stopped!."
"But ..."
"What?"
"They are just two run down sheds on thin metal supports that have already started to lean towards one another. Are you sure they are the real Tiffany?"
"Hmm ... what were they selling?"
"I don't know ... but they looked like tea shops."
"Ok ... there will be more ... then we can stop and check them out."

We did not see anymore of them till Srirangapattana.
On our way back, on the other side of the highway, we did see a few more. But they looked so run down and were bang in the midst of garbage and flies, that we did not dare to go over.
The man looked a little crestfallen and went on to describe what beautiful things Maddur vadas are.
"They are very crisp on the outside but soft inside. And they have soft pieces of onions in them. The whole vada is dotted with small,  crisp round things.
You have to break a hot vada and wait for it to cool and then have a bite of the wonderfully crispy piece."

I listen quietly, trying my best to make a picture of the darned thing.
The description went on but the voice started to sound morose.
"But when did you ever get to taste a Maddur vada?"
"Why? In Pune! You have eaten it too."
Double double take. But again a quiet double double take.

Just as I was giving up hope, there loomed in front of us a big building with the word Tiffany written boldly on it. We parked the car and went in.
It looked like regular idli/dosa joint to me except people were standing around small round tables and having coffee and vadas.
With a look of triumph, B orders two plates of vadas and coffee.
And then starts another round of event.

The moment a boy puts two steel plates in front of us that held  two dark brown coloured vadas that looked like overbaked biscuits, doused with chutney, the look on B's face changed.
"This is not Maddur vada!!!!!"
"No?!"
"No. Wait. Maybe they did not understand."
He walks over to the counter and tells the boy that he wants Maddur vada.
The boy nods and says yes .... Maddur vada.
B says no ... Maddur vada.
The boy nods again ... yes, Maddur vada.
Both do not understand each others' language ... so a lot of gesticulating and nodding goes on.
B points to the huge baskets on the stands behind the boy and says "Maddur vada. Hot."
The boy says " Aa, Maddur vada. Hot aa."
B says " Bring hot."
Boy says "Aa, hot aa. Illaa." All the while with a smile on his face.

After what seems ages to me, and seeing this wasn't going anywhere ... and more afraid that I must burst out laughing any moment now, I coaxed B to give up and at least try what they have served.
After all everybody else were eating it. It must be good.
"No no no ... I must have the real thing."
"Ok then ... we'll get it somewhere for sure."
I did try the vadas ... I had asked for them sans the chutney. They were crisp ... no, a little hard I thought.
I did see onions bits in them ... but they too were over fried and had turned too dark.
And they were cold. I too would have liked them a little fresh and hot.

B was so miffed that he actually did not let me take a picture of the place for my travel blog.

A few days later, after going through a lot of blogs I found out what the Maddur vada is.
What it is made of and how. 
And realised what we had been served was the real Maddur vada after all. But nowhere did it match B's description.
So one weekend afternoon I quietly made all the preparations for the Maddur vada, planning to surprise B with crisp, hot vadas with tea in the evening.
After I proudly presented a hot vada, I stepped back to see his face.
He looked at it, sniffed at it, took a bite and said "Mmmmm .... tasty!"
"What is this?"
Double take.
"Maddur vada."
"But this isn't the Maddur vada!!!!!!"

Sigh!

I have here today a simple lemon rice that I usually make when I have left over rice in bulk .. i.e. enough for a meal.
I am not sure if this is the way South Indians make it but I have seen Ma make it this way always.
 I sometimes add a pinch of hing to the tempering.
In winters I add fresh green peas ... my favourite ... too.

Need :

Cooked rice
(updated: leftover rice kept in the fridge for a day or two works better)
Urad dal
Peanuts
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds
Lemon juice
Salt
Red chillies - whole
Turmeric powder
Cooking oil

How to :

Heat oil in a kadahi / wok.
Add a teaspoon of mustard seeds.
When they start to splutter, add the whole red chillies, curry leaves and a tablespoon of urad dal.
Add the peanuts and fry for sometime.

 Then add the rice, salt and the turmeric powder.

Add salt and the lemon juice and mix well.

Serve hot.
I love to have some fresh curd on the side along with this.
Enjoy!!

Gawar fali ki sabzi / Stir fried Clusterbeans

I am a Bengali. And a proud one too.
But I am also a part of three more different cultures. Which do not make me any less a Bengali, but have indeed taken me to new depths. I know much about those cultures, traditions, food, dress, rituals. In short, everything that makes me able to say that I am proud to know or be a part of these cultures.

But somewhere along the way my blog started to be called or known as a Bengali food blog.
And I ... a Bengali food blogger.
Nowhere at no time have I ever claimed that my blog has Bengali food only ... or authentic Bengali food.
I do cook Bengali food ... with as much authenticity as my phone calls home and my other food blogger friends' input allows ... also my memory plays a part here too.
But I do not like being dragged into being labelled as a 'Bengali food' blogger
I'd rather be the Bengali 'food blogger'.

One of the many kinds of food that I regularly cook is the Rajasthani food. Almost daily I make a dal ... which would have temperings that is far different from the Bengali temperings. There will be a sabzi or vegetable dish, which again reflects the Rajasthani home cooking than the Bengali one.

I have actually divided the two kinds into two categories.
On the days I make rice, I make the dal and sabzi with Bengali temperings ... say the paanch phoron or the jeera+ada baat/ginger paste or fried onions+radhuni. This is mostly on days I make fish.
And on the days I make rotis, the dal and the sabzis have a Rajasthani flavour .... like the hing+jeera or whole dhania+red chillies ... and so on.
Both sides of the family ... that is the two of us ... are fine with it. Which makes things much easier for me.
Dinner is always something more neutral ... like the aloo paratha, methi paratha, pulao, etc. etc.

Though I'd love to follow this trend every single day of the week ... I cannot. But do stick to it most days.
Weekends are not counted.

One vegetable I had never eaten before marraige is the Gawarfali / cluster beans.
In fact it was never cooked at home too. The first time I saw it was when I went vegetable shopping and B picked them up with much enthusiasm.
I had no idea how to prepare it. Result ... a call home.
Mummy patiently explained how to cut it, why we need to boil it first, ... and so on.
End of the day saw a good, new dish on the table that B polished off happily.
I did not touch it. I still don't.
But both B and the in laws agree that I make a decent gawar ki sabzi.
And am happy with that.

Cluster beans should be brought very fresh. So fresh that they should break easily when you snap them.
If dry, they'll neither cook well nor will taste good. In fact, the bitterness is more prominent then.

I make this sabzi exactly the way Ma in law makes it. No changes.

Need :

Fresh gawar / cluster beans - 250 gms, washed and broken into medium sized pieces
Potatoes - 1, chopped
Jeera / cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Hing / asafoetida - 1 pinch
Dhania / coriander powder - 4 tbsp
Red chilli powder - ½ tsp
Haldi / turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Peanuts powder (optional )
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

How to :

Take enough water in a bowl. Add salt and the chopped gawar pieces.
Boil uncovered till the gawar is cooked. .
Remove, strain and cool ... this straining helps in getting rid of the slight bitterness the gawar usually has.

When cool, take them in bowl and mix in the haldi powder, the dhania powder, the peanut powder, salt and red chilli powder.

Heat oil in a kadahi.
Add jeera and hing.
Add the potatoes and fry well.
Add a pinch of salt ... just for the potatoes.
Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Remove cover and add the gawar.
Give a good stir and cook till everything comes together.
If needed, add a little water.
 Cook well till dryish.
Remove from heat.

 Serve hot with rotis and dal on the side.
Enjoy!!

I do make another version of the gawar ... will post soon.