March 18, 2009

Mughlai Dum Aloo,Lazeez Kulche,Tofu Masala, Murg Nizam and fiesta Salsa in Vegan Taco!

Spring is almost here at last! YAY!
Although it rained the whole "birthday" weekend and next 2 days too without a break, it was warm enough and now the temp is in the upper 60s, lawn is green, trees are full of white blossoms and ready for green leaves, birds are chirping, Geese are flying back to the Lake and colorful flowers everywhere. It's wonderful and hopefully, old man Winter will be gone forever or at least until next November! :)

About Lucknow:
We are visiting Lucknow for RCI this month. I am not familiar with Lucknowi cuisine much and I am assuming here that most Mughlai dishes are included in popular Lucknowi cuisine.
"Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, located in what was historically known as the Awadh region. Lucknow has always been a multicultural city. Courtly manners, beautiful gardens, poetry, music, and fine cuisine patronized by the Persian Nawabs of the city are well known amongst Indians and students of South Asian culture and history. Lucknow is popularly known as the The City of Nawabs. It is also known as the "Golden City of the East", "Shiraz-i-Hind" and "The Constantinople of India." Info from WIKIPEDIA.

Mughlai Dum Aloo, Tofu Masala and Lazeez Kulche:

(I had cooked all these and made this post ready to go before kids birthdays came. I knew I would be too tired to cook anything immediately after the b'days! ;D)
These recipes are mostly adapted from Nita Mehta's "Mughlai Khana" cookbook with my changes to the recipes to suit my taste. "Dum" is method where you place all the meat or veggies along with spices in a pot, covered tightly and cooked in their juices on lower heat for a long time on the stove top or in the oven. "Lazeez" literally means "delicious" in Hindi and Urdu, Kulcha is similar to Naan without the tear shape and softer.

To make Dum Aloo:
We usually "Dum" the spices, tomato sauce and Potatoes in this dish but if you don't have the time, you can cook on the stove top, tastes equally good.

Prepare baby Aloos first:
10 round small baby Potatoes,(canned is okay too, easy to saute. If using fresh, cook in the Microwave until they are halfway cooked, dry and saute until you get golden crust)
1-2 tbsp oil to saute or shallow fry, 1/2 tsp salt.
Heat oil in a flat non-stick pan, add potatoes and saute until they are cooked with a reddish crust on top.Add some salt. Keep them aside.
Next, grind the nuts and spices to paste:
3 tbsp of mixed nuts (Pumpkin seeds, Cashews and Walnuts)
1 tbsp Poppy seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds pd.
1/2 tsp Garam masala,
Roast the nuts, poppy seeds and cumin lightly and grind all these mixed Nuts, spices with garam masala and some hot water to a smooth thick paste and keep it aside.

For seasoning:
1 tbsp oil+1 tsp Butter,
2 onions, grated or finely chopped,
1" grated Ginger,
1/2 cup Tomato sauce,
1/2 tsp Paprika or Deghi chilli pd,
enough salt and 1 cup or more of water.


Dum in the oven!

Finally;
1. Heat oil and butter in a deep heavy cast iron pan or Le Crueset or any heavy pan, fry onion until soft and has a bit of reddish color, add ginger, saute for a minute and then add Tomato sauce.
3. Stir fry until you see the sauce thicken and it leaves the sides of the pan. Add paprika, salt and water, simmer for 5 mins.
4. Add Potatoes and nut paste, mix well and cover the pan (Dum) and put it the oven at 300F for about 30-50 mins. Take it out. Adjust the spices and you are ready to go! :)

Tofu masala:
Tofu masala dish is nothing but cubed extra firm Tofu added to the same Aloo Dum gravy above without the Potatoes. You can use Paneer too. My daughter loves Tofu, so I just took out some gravy from Aloo Dum and added Tofu, heated gently for her. You don't need to "Dum" this dish. Great for everybody, specially for women, as Tofu is a excellent source of Protein. My son hates Tofu though! :D

Lazeez Kulche:
Kulchas are similar to Naan without the elongated shape and are much softer. You can stuff them to bake them or just press the onions etc to bake or bake without ant spices at all for plain Kulche.
You can also cook the Kulche on the stove top on a tava/griddle instead of baking, which gives them a softer texture than baked Kulche.

You need: Makes about 6-8
2 1/2 cups Plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp Baking powder,
2 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp yogurt,1/2 warm cup milk.
1/2 tsp Yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, 1 tsp sugar.
Filling:
1 sweet onion, finely chopped, mixed with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp crushed Ajwain, 1/4 tsp chilli pd, few mint leaves chopped. Keep aside. (saute onion until soft if you don't want the raw onion taste)
Topping:
few tbsp of chopped cilantro.

To bake Kulche:
1. Warm water to 90F and add yeast and sugar, keep aside for 5 mins.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients first and add oil, yogurt and mix. Now add yeast mixture, mix well. 3. Add enough warm milk, mix and knead to a soft but non-sticky dough. Add more water if you need to make the dough pliable if it's too dry.
4. Brush oil on the dough, cover and keep it in the warm place for 30mins. After it swells up, punch down, divide the dough to 7-8 balls.
5. Roll out into 3-4" circle and add 1-2 tbsps of onion filling, cover and roll out or press with your hand again to 5" circle, about 1/4" thick gently. Place them on a cookie sheet, brush some oil on top of each Kulcha, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for 5 mins.

Preheat the oven to the maximum or to 550F and pretend it's a "Tandoor!" ;D

6. Bake Kulchas 2 at a time for about 3-6mins or until slightly golden or you see dark spots on top. Take them out, place them on the cooling rack, immediately sprinkle chopped Cilantro on them. Or cook them on the stove top on a tava and press cilantro etc on top.
7. When cooled, keep them in the Tortilla warmer until you need them. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven quickly just before serving.


Murgh Nizam:

"Royal Chicken" or "Chicken fit for a king" is a delicious dish with spices, Raisins and mixed Nuts paste which gives a great aroma and creamy texture to the sauce. Delicious to eat with Naan or soft Kulchas. Photo isn't that great but it's super delicious, as my kids said! :)

You need:
about 2 lbs of dark and white meat chicken, cut into 2" pieces,
Seasoning:
2 tbsp oil, 2 onions chopped, 3 tbsp Ginger paste, 1 tbsp Garlic paste, 2-3 green chillies sliced, 1/2 tsp Turmeric, 1/4 tsp Chilli pd and salt.
Grind these coarsely:
1/4 cup Almonds, 2 tbsp Sesame seeds, 1/4 cup Coconut, fresh or desiccated, 1/2 tsp Cardamom seeds, 1/2 cup Yogurt
or sour cream, pinch of Saffron pd or few strands of Saffron.
Garnish:
1 tsp oil or ghee to roast 2 tbsp Cashews, 1 tbsp Raisins,
1 tsp Garam Masala, chopped Cilantro and mint leaves, 1 tbsp Lemon juice.
To make:
1. Heat 2 tbsp oil, add onion and fry until reddish. Add ginger and garlic paste, fry for a minute. Add green chillies, chilli pd, salt and turmeric. Lower the heat.
2. Add coarsely ground Nuts+Yogurt paste, stir fry on low heat until the sauce is thick. Add chicken pieces and stir until chicken is whitish for 3 mins.
3. Add 1 cup or more of water, simmer for 30 mins or until chicken is cooked and sauce is thickish. Adjust the salt, and heat.
4. Garnish with cilantro, Mint, roasted Cashews and raisins, garam masala. Squeeze lemon juice if needed and serve with Kulche.


Fiesta Salsa with Cucumber,Avocado and the kitchen sink!!

Of course most of you know how to make Salsa! This is my version. Salsa is favorite for light Summer lunch, specially when I get loads of homegrown veggies from my veggie patch! In Winter, I rely on store bought fresh and canned veggies! :)

Mix all these and chill in the fridge for one hour and serve on the side with Doritos, Tortilla chips, inside the Tacos, Quesadillas, Enchiladas etc. for healthy and delicious snack.
Peel and chop 1 large cucumber, 1 Avocado, 3 Plum Tomatoes, 1/4 red onion, 1/2 cup Corn (canned is okay), 1/4 cup red bell pepper, 1 Jalapeno seeded and minced, 1/4 cup canned Red beans, 2 tbsp Cilantro, 1 garlic minced, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds powder (get Mexican cumin seeds if you can which a different smoky flavor than our Indian cumin seeds), salt, few drizzles of honey (optional) and 2 tbsp Lemon juice. Dig in with a spoon and enjoy!

A Vegan Taco!

A Mexican delight; I made my vegan Taco with Organic Wheat Tortilla, canned Organic Re-fried black beans, Fresh fiesta salsa and drizzled with Taco sauce! If I wasn't making this dish Vegan, I would add grated Jack or Cheddar cheese and sour cream in there too! Even my daughter, who usually doesn't like veggies, loved this Taco and ate this with me for lunch. So delicious with sweetish Wheat Tortilla, nutritious beans and mouthful of crunchy, tangy, hot and sweet Salsa for refreshing lunch!

To make Taco:
1. Take a Wheat Tortilla, warm it either in the Microwave for a min or heat it on a pan both sides just until soft, not crisp. Place it on a plate.

2. Heat 3-4 tbsp of refried black beans, layer it on half of the Tortilla bottom thickly, drizzle some Taco sauce or sprinkle some Taco seasoning.
3. Take a big ladleful of fiesta Salsa, layer on top of the Refried beans and fold the half of Tortilla over and serve as lunch immediately. Slurp! :)

Note: if you don't have canned refried beans, just mash soft cooked red, Kidney or black beans with salt, few chilli flakes, cumin pd, lemon juice until coarse paste and fry in a pan with some oil until thickish paste. Enjoy.

Here are the logos, links and hosts of these events. My thanks to all the event hosts fot taking time! :)


Mughlai Dum Aloo, Tofu Masala with Lazeez Kulche, go to Lavi of "Home cooked recipes", who is guest hosting "RCI-Lucknowi Cuisine" this month, an event started by LakshmiK.

Murg Nizam, goes to JZ of "dessert Pro", who is guest hosting "Go Nuts-Almonds" this month, an event started by Aquadaze.

Vegan Mexican Tacos, goes to Vaishali of "It's a Vegan World" to her event "It's a Vegan World-Mexican".

Cucumber-Avocado Fiesta Salsa, goes to Neha of "Tasty recipes" who is guest hosting "AFAM-Cucumber", an event started by Maheswari.

********************************************************************************************************************************
A quick last minute addition for "Tried and Tasted"!

Ven Pongal and Gosthu, a delicious traditional Tamilnadu combo from Suganya's "Tasty Palettes" blog is my choice to "Tried and Tasted-Tasty Palettes"
, an event Sweatha of "tastyCurryleaf" is guest hosting this month and this event is started by Zlamushka of "Burnt Mouth" blog. Thanks ladies, enjoy hosting! :)

Ven Pongal with Gosthu:
Very tasty combo to have for lunch and nutritious too, thanks for the delicious recipes Suganya. Only change I made was to add Chana dal to Gosthu instead of Moong dal since Ven Pongal already has Moong dal in it. We make a similar Gosthu/Gojju in Karnataka and is called "Kadale Huli" made with Chana dal, Brinjal, Tomato and Potato to serve as a side dish with Dose.

Movies I watched:

"Rachel getting married"
Good movie to watch with family dynamics and drama, ups and downs and all that. Ann Hathaway was nominated for Oscar for playing the role of Kim, Rachel's sister in this movie, who comes home from rehab for a weekend to attend her sister's wedding.
"The boy with striped Pajamas"
I am sure not many have heard of this movie. I just picked it up out of curiosity. Glad I did!
It's heart wrenching and I almost teared up in the end. It's about a 8 yr old German boy who makes friends with another 8 yr old Jewish boy imprisoned in a concentration camp along with his father and others like him. They develop a innocent friendship and what happens in the end is shocking, saddens you and makes you very angry at the same time at the society which let something like this take place in the past! I know this is just a movie based on a fictional book but still....
"MILK"
Most of you know the story already. My heart goes out to the all the gay community. They still don't have equal rights even after all the struggles for so long. Hope they succeed and at least have the right to get married legally like the rest of us. If you have seen the movie, you know where the phrase "Twinky defense" comes from! :P

Have wonderful week and weekend, see you all later! :)

156 comments:

Chutneytales said...

Wow..Your kids had a blast..Lucky girl who got wonderful presents :)
I just started drooling just by reading the title..Its real torture to look at those mouthwatering pics..Esp dum aloo and lazeez kulche.
Salsa looks very colorful and you have clicked it b'fully..

sallywrites said...

Happy 18th and 14th to your children. What fab cakes!! Sounds like they had a great time. I haven't seen "A boy with striped pyjamas" but I have read the book and I sobbed.....

FH said...

Thanks Madhu. Yeah, 18 is big one for us all, a third adult in the house! ;D

Sally, that movie was so shocking in the end, I didn't really expect it. I will order the book to read, books are always more interesting then the movies.

EC said...

I always wonder how u have this much energy to cook a lot of variety food..nice spread..belated wishes to your kids

jayasree said...

Glad that you all had a blast during the b'day weekend inspite of rains.

Loved ur versionof dum aloo. Lazees kulche looks mouthwatering.

Nice b'day pics, Ashakka.

Finla said...

Looks like both of them had a wonderful time.
Trisha has grown from that last pic i saw from here. I loved her cookies cake i have never had tasted cookie cake, hi hi hours of guitar hero, no wonder your brains were gone.
Now to thecooking, i am gonna make dumallo i have never made them , and the chiken too will be prepared in my place.

Vikis Kitchen said...

Nice to read about the birthday parties. My hearty wishes and prayers for them to have a happy and blessed future . Dum aloo , kulche, tofu and Royal chicken looks wonderful.
The three movie reviews are nice. This reflects ur concern on society and i m proud to be ur fan:)
Movies on those wild , arrogant camps always make me weep. Atleast in future everyone in this world should live in peace.yes, i too approve ur thoughts on gay.

Meeta K. Wolff said...

i am always blown away by your extraordinary feasts Asha! Hugs!

Nandinis food said...

I love Mughlai food! Dum Aloo's going easy in the oven (it's very time saving) :). Tofu masala-The kids love paneer, but tofu is a good replacement and they accept them. Royal Chicken is royal for party time! I'm a fan of onion kulche and you tempted me to prepare it in the weekends. It's quick to make salsa! And........you must have enjoyed the parties.

UjjU said...

Kulchas are looking too good. I would try it out. :) Between, belated wishes to you kids.

notyet100 said...

wht a post,,..u r right,,..about luckmow,..cuisine,..its mostly mughlai,..//:-)
gng to prepare hyderabadi biryani for dinner,..thnks for the sals recipe,..looks so yum,..

AnuSriram said...

Wow... thats a fabulous party! Looks like they all enjoyed to the utmost! I'm drooling over your Mughlai cuisine.. especially, the dum aloo... Hmmm! Looks inviting! Veg taco is simply superb! Nice and tempting clicks.. Waiting for the spring to arrive.. to sow some seeds...

Beyond Curries said...

Lovely photos of the dishes as well as the party. Does Trisha resemble you? I vaguely remember you from a picture you had posted when you went for vacation last summer.

You are doing a great job with your kids Asha. Especially it's difficult to raise a girl in this culture right? It's also hard on them with peer pressure and also to follow our culture. Kudos to Trisha for that too, I think she is balancing it wonderfully. May God bless both of them with all good things in life.

My husband loves tofu too. These days I'm seeing a lot of tofu side dishes. It's long time since I prepared one. I think this is my cue now. The Kulcha looks very tempting.

I was literally crying when Simon was giving his feedback for Anoop. It was so good right! Simon was so hard on Anoop last week but I really appreciate him for taking back his words. Even though everybody boo for Simon, I think he is really genuine.

Bong Mom said...

So you survived 2 birthdays :) Trisha is a certified adult now

All the food are so delicious, loved the tofu masala with the dum aloo gravy

FH said...

Madhu, me too! I believe Simon is the real deal, kids do get very happy when he approves! :D
Trish has my round face and lips, everything else is dad's. Both of them are combination of both our family! Haha!

Sandeepa, yeah! She is the third adult at hoem now, feels great. Now, if anything happens to us parents, she can take care of Tushar which is blessing living in US without other members of the family! :)

Anonymous said...

Delicious recipes as always asha...vegan taco looks amazing with all the overflowing veggies! we just celebrated our son's 1st birthday last weekeend too :) my wishes to your kids.:)

Lakshmi said...

Birthday cakes are awesome ashakka. Birthday wishes to both Trisha and Tushar. Dum Aloo looks great :)

Trupti said...

Sounds like everybody enjoyed birthday parties. I loved Tushar's cake. It was lovely.

All dishes looks very delicious Asha.. specially Kulcha. Wish I could be your neighbor so that I can taste all those lovely dishes.

Yes, spring is around the corner. I saw some cherry blossom on the road. We have lot of cherry trees in our community.. cann't wait to see all tress with cherry flowers.

Gita Jaishankar said...

Such lovely dishes... I am drooling over all the pictures...may be I can join you for dinner to have these excellent dishes :)

Lavanya Raj said...

Asha..Thanks for the Lovely Platter, Dum Aloo, Kulche, Tofu masala are drool worthy. I also liked venpongal. Beautifully presented. Thanks once again!

My Belated Bday Wishes to Trisha and ur son. Trisha looks so cute, her smile is so cute!

Anonymous said...

Nice reading you as always..So,Trisha is onto a new world..enjoying..lovely.And about not having a bf yet,Asha,you are lucky atleast have the kinda peace of mind there.(21 is okay ..Good luck Asha)
UP cuisine is so rich na Asha...There is a tendency among food to be royal that part of the country..ha ha..all the names bear royal grace..Among all you prepared I love to have Murg Nizam first..Truly yummy and rich

Pooja said...

wow...what aspread asha...delicious.......

Recipeswap said...

Just saw the photos all happy children.Happy Birthday again to your kids.
Asha again a nice spread,I simply loved the kulchas and the royal chicken..actually I like anything Mughlai..This weekend we were planning to watch Rachel getting married so good to get a review from you.
Take care and have a great day!

Pavani said...

Glad to hear that the kids (& U) had a blast on their b'days. Lovely Lucknowi spread, especially the kulchas. btw Anne Hathaway was nominated for oscars, but Penelope won.

Vandana said...

Nice Pictures! Great party! Belated Birthdsy wishes to your kids! I will try and participate in the lucknow RCI event...
Vandana

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha I visit your blog often but never leave any comment (I know shame shame!) How do you get your kulches so soft? Every time I make them, they come out like rocks :(

Priya Suresh said...

U amaze me always with a lovely array of mouthwatering dishes, Just saw the pictures, seems all of u had a great time..am just drooling over the lazeez kulche..delicious!!!Hearty welcome to Trisha for entering the adult's world..

Laavanya said...

Wow..i always have so much to say by the time i finish your post :)

First it sounds like you had a fun, but busy Birthday weekend and both parties sound like the kids had a blast.

Love the kulchas.. can't get enough of them and the dum aloo - how divine. The Taco looks awesome and bursting with yummy veggies.

FH said...

Pavani, you are right! I have got confused with the other award she got for the same role! :D

Ann, most boys at this (18) age are so immature, I am glad she is waited so far. I can't stop her if she wanted one of course since age of consent in NC is 16!! 21 is quite okay to me too, at least she will be graduating from college! :)

Sandhya said...

Seems both birthdays were full of fun and turning 18 is a big milestone. Good luck to both the kids.
Your spread is always so elaborate, how do you so much in one day?:-)
We are still waiting to take off winter coats!'sigh'

Divya Kudua said...

Hey Ashakka...welcome back,I know you havent been gone for long but two teen birthdays back to back sure made you busy!!I love both the cakes..lovely birthday platter too,what with How Old written all over;-).

Love the Lucknowi spread,I am still searching for a veggie dish to prepare!!Love Dum aloo and I make it often when I get hold of baby potatoes.Tofu is something which I still havent tried..Lovely platter as always!!

Anonymous said...

The brain melting part really made me LOL ;-)

The kulchas & the chicken .. I think I need some now except no chicken at home:-( but i'll definitely make it sometimes. Ah! that fresh salsa is an anytime treat for me. i'll go & look at the pics now:-)

Daily Meals said...

Love the birthday cakes...All the dishes look yummy...

indosungod said...

Asha, you are brave to host 2 birthdays in one weekend. I am tired for weeks after just one. They all so well behaved in the photos :)

I just love the dum aloo, usually make it with coconut next time will sub poppy seeds instead. I don't like tofu but the gravy should be excellent with any veggies I guess. Those kulchas look great.

indosungod said...

Forgot about the Vegan Taco. It is colorful and delish. Announces Spring's arrival well. Around here Spring is not here yet.

suvi said...

what a spread asha...reads like restaurant menu!! nice pix, thanks for sharing:)

Cham said...

Asha U got to deal with only one teen now :) They had a blast, i imagine how u manage 4 hours guitar spring festival! I would have took my car and hide away! It is fun! Nice Birth pictures (I like the puppy who is looking for Asha's food in one pict)
I was waiting what u would post for Lucknow! Well another dish to die for! Great choice of Pongal gotsu and taco too!

Ashwini said...

Both the cakes looed yumm..Good both had fun in their own way..Lucky girl got all wonderful gifts..Loved Dum aloo and kuche looks Tempting..Murg Nizam is very tempting..Bookmarked that..Nice spread Asha

Deepa Hari said...

Lovely cake...seems like everybody had a great time...Nice b'day pics.

Wonderful feast Asha...absolutely delicious and mouthwatering...loved them all...dum aloo, tofu, kulche, tacos and chicken...your family is lucky to have u.

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

I love your energy. The amount of time you put into your posts and the effort is amazing. Nice cliks and recipes.

Raaga said...

This looks straight out of a dhaba style restaurant. I'm so hungry... all I have is some dal roti, rice, mushroom-peas curry and a corn salad... happy birthday to Tushar and Trisha :)

Vishali said...

Wow Asha....ur kids sure had a blast with those wonderful recipes....I never tried Dum Aloo, will definettly try it this time.

Thank you for posting the snaps. Your dog is so cute. Hope u all had a very memorable day. :)

Cheers

LifenSpice said...

Hi Asha,nice to know the b'days went great! i checked the pics. looks like u had a blast and lucky trisha got so many wonderful presents! And i found Trisha so cute:)
about the spread, dont know what to say. i am at office and terribly hungry. and these pics are a torture. loved the dum aloo and kulcha pics..am gonna try the kulchas soon:)

Vani said...

WHew! The birthdays are over! Looks like they were fun too.COngrats on having one more "adult" in your home now :)

Loved the masalas in the curries. Lovely entries for RCI!

Sunshinemom said...

What a blast!! It is nice when they start having only close friends. Last year my daughter invited only three of her friends. This time she has got seven or eight:). She knows what she wants for her birthday (to eat). Your son appears to be a budding rockstar - reminds me of American Idol:)

Unknown said...

Belated wishes to ur kids.. Lovely pictures. Am too tempted to try the veggie taco rite away!

Uma said...

Wonderful b'day parties your kids had! I can feel their enjoyment. Nice pics Asha! You've a beautiful house!

There is nothing I can say about your dishes! They are always mouth-watering with tempting pics. Wonderful spread Asha! WOW!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,
the dishes are mouthwatering.will try out the dum aloo and taco and let u know.
Nice pictures.

Shalini

Varsha Vipins said...

My bday wishes to them Ashakka..:)..Looks like u all had sooo much fun..:)
What a lovely feast..loved alll esply the Murg nizam..great dishes..
Am yet to see RGM n Milk..:)

Sujatha said...

Thats looks like a blast! and Nice photos too.. Trisha looks cute :) She should be thrilled to get her own license!

And ofcourse your array of dishes look so appetizing, as usual!
Love that Dum aloo especially.. oh and your salsa.. they look delicious!

Jaya M said...

Asha,
Looks like you had a very busy and tiring week with two birthdays ina row, may God bless them !!
coming to the excellnet and yum platter , wow! chicken curry is making me real hungry ....
hugs and smiles

Priya said...

I like the Vegan Taco and will sure try it.

Sum Raj said...

enjoyed each and every snaps. and ur dish its heavently...plzz invite us tooo to have ur delicious heavently food...

Paru ... said...

Phenomenal platter again, sounds very royal & tasteful. Lovely pics too :), felt nostalgic about my 18th b'day :) . I am sure your kids had a blast. Yayyyyy finally spring is in the air!!!!!

Manju said...

saw the pics and the videos! looks like they had a lots of fun!! n im soo jealous of trisha for such wonderful gifts she got! :)well, turning 18 is something beeg!

again, im loving all that food!! the kulche looks sooo soft!!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

I'd be saying all the same thiings again, so I'll restrict myself to "delicious spread, as usual". :)
I knew both your children's birthdays were round the corner, but I never connected it up when you said busy weeknds with the kids! So my belated b'day wishes to them both.
It feels odd to realise that the "babies" are suddenly turning adult, doesn't it?

Shivali said...

Beautiful cakes n lovely birthday pics and videos.So finally to r a teen's mom :).
Every recipe from dum aloo to vegan taco looks inviting.The kulcha looks so tempting am surely going to give it a try.
Your recipes look so good each time.Your home must be always filled with wonderful aromas.
Love being here every wednesday..

Unknown said...

You've been one busy lady! All of these dishes look extraordinary, Asha. Thanks for sending in the tacos to IAVW Mexican!

DK said...

oh oh..forget what I said in ur 'other' blog..in my excitement I completely skipped through that teeny weeny link here :) mm..u have singers in the house - good one at that ;-) The cakes are droooooooolicious...Wait u dint invite me to the party :( I know u thought I wud eat up all the cake! How could you!? even if it is true!? ;)

BTW would have loved to see the person behind the camera and the video though ;) ;)

Lisa Johnson said...

Belated Happy Birthday to the kids! Sounds like they had a great time.

Thanks for reminding me to add "Rachel Getting Married" to my list of movies to rent.

And the phrase "baby Aloos" just makes me smile. :D

Unknown said...

Belated Birthday wishes to your kids and hearty thanks for a delightful and comforting entry.Thanks for letting me know about the right click again.I will be disabling it as early as possible.

Shivapriya said...

Lovely, wow so your done with all those messy days with your kids;). Love the dum aloo, I shud try cooking it in oven like you did. Kulche looks so soft.

Thanks!!
Belated wishes to Kid's

Archy said...

Wow, wonderful week with b'day Asha, had a blast.. nice to see spring snaps.. Wonderful b'day cakes !!

Coming to recipes.. all are mouth watering.. kulcha an dum aloo !! Love it !!

Suganya said...

Yay, you made pongal. I agree there is a different kind of kootu with chana dal. But G likes this gosthu very much that I always stick to it :). Thank you for trying the recipe, Asha. Compliments from you means a lot to me :)

Smita said...

wow I love this spread.....Definitely going to try the dum aloo...

Jamie said...

I am definitely going to try the Dum Aloo. And I had no idea what 'dum' meant so I am glad you clarified that in your post. :)

Vibaas said...

you are making me hungry now. yummy spread as usual :)

Pavithra Kodical said...

Happy Birthday to Trisha and Tushar :)Birthday cake looks fabulous.

Lovely spread.I want to try everything.I tried to make Paputtu last weekend, We both liked it.Thanks asha akka.

Rathna said...

Wow...what a feast here...lovely recipes Asha. I loved dum aloo recipe. Looks like you've been quite busy with the birthdays :-)

MR said...

happy b-day to ur kids
the dum aloo recipe is tempting
where do u get pumpkin seeds
regular grocery store?

Uj said...

What a great array of dishes..Looks mouthwatering..Belated birthday wishes to your kids.. Looks like they had a great time..
Got to make aloo dum and Lazeez kulcha..We are planning to shift to a new house soon so will be busy with shifting for some time!

amna said...

the first platter looks like restaurant food, so creamy and professional looking. when i grow up, i want to cook like you :D

Red Chillies said...

Wow, what a lovely party. Thanks for those pics Asha, it gives a glimpse of the kids. Best wishes to them.
Every time I read your post, I feel energetic. The way you cook and post them is so detailed, that I want to do the same. But then I get back to my usual self.
Loved all the dishes. I am gazing very hard at the Mughlai Dum Aloo. It has that rich nawabi look to it.

A_and_N said...

Wow, I wish I was T's friend or something!

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

awesome dishes! love the kulcha, dum aloo and the salsa.... i am drooling here :)

Suparna said...

Hi Asha,
Wow! It's been a geat celebration :)Looks like kids had a lot of fun...the doggie looks very cute like a fur doll. Great pictures as always. What rich food! yummy..I fell for the fiesta salsa in vegan taco ...looks so healthy. Glad abt the reviews u've mentioned..will see them sometime soon in April :)
God Bless!Ugadi greetings in advance :)
TC

Savi-Ruchi said...

First of all, belated birthday wishes to your children. I wonder where & how you get so much energy to cook, watch movies, try others recipe & on top of it manage the entire family. Three cheers to you Ashakka. I'm really happy that, I know somebody like you & I can take you as my inspiration.
Coming to Lazeez Kulche & Dum Aloo, they look fabulous & pictures are very appealing..

vidhas said...

All the pcitures are lovley. Seems that your kids had a great time. Nice srpead of foods, Dum aloo l love that. Tofu masal sounds great. salsa looks gorgeous, nice click.

Deepthi Shankar said...

Mughlai dum aloo sure looks tempting .. N vegan taco got me interested too .. awesome spread

Meenal Mehta said...

wow Asha ..happy belated bdays to both your kids ,you sure look like you had a smashing and busy weekend

lovely recipes :)

-Meenal

Raks said...

Dum Aloo looks fabulous! Nice entries for the event Asha,as usual! Flower pics are coll! Enjoy Dear:)Have a great weekend!

FH said...

SJ, try this Kulcha recipe and do not bake too loon, take them out when they are still a bit whitish! :)

MR, pumpkin seeds(Magaz) are available where they sell Spanish or Latino food in grocery store or sometimes in Indian stores too. You can buy Watermelon or Pumpkin and dry the seeds and keep them. You peel the skin to use them in the gravy, tastes good! :)

Mojo said...

Sorry... just seeing the word "Dum" I kept flashing back to the movie by that name with Vivek Oberoi and Diya Mirza. Definitely not the same meaning!

I can't imagine having six teenaged boys over to my house regardless of the occasion. Really glad those days are behind me! But it sounds like your two had a wonderful weekend despite the weather. And you survived 4 hours of Guitar Hero, which in my mind should be medal-worthy all by itself!

And I should have known better than to read today's entry on an empty stomach, but I do it every week don't I?

I don't know if winter's officially gone yet or not, but we shouldn't have any more of the really frigid stuff again -- until next fall!

FH said...

Mojo, "Dum" and "Dhoom" both torture me forever! ;D

You are very lucky to have "all grown up" boys. Believe me, I would have escaped to my little cabin but it was raining so much that day, had to stay in and endure all the drumming and singing with that double edged voices of six 14yr olds! Haha!
I don't think it will snow again, looking forward better weather, it's in the 60s already! :)

Sia said...

i am soooooooo loving that mughalai dum aloo recipe and if time permits (and also mood;) i am gonna make it this weekend. i love 'dum' way of cooking biriyani and curries. my friend's mom used to make one of the best dum biriyanis and we all would lick the bowl clean;) she used to cook it in open fire place and all and the aroma of slowly cooked food would drive us crazy:) what a spread u have here for RCI ashakka. loved it.
b'day party seems like a huge success. :) did u bake the pizzas?
have a lovely weekend ashakka. i am gonna try and relax this weekend but just the thought of next week's work is enough to make me all stressed out! :)

Bhawna said...

Nice Pics, I'm sure kids had a blast. Like always Food platter is amazing. I'm not very fond of tofu but still picture makes me to drool. M-Dum aloo and kulcha what to say...I always wish to live near ur home..oh yum yum

Srivalli said...

my god asha..thats a fab spread you got there...happy bday to your kids again...great that your daughter's got her own things..heheh..if I remember right nobody did that for us right...:)..and another thing..why the pictures have come more pinkish?..y monitor or have you changed something?..anyway they look very tempting alright!!!

FH said...

Thanks Sups and Bhawna. DUM dishes are always yum, slow cooked and juicy! :)

Sia, no. I didn't bake the Pizza, they wanted everything from outside this year because I always did everything at home so far! :)

Sri, I know! It was so bright and Sunny that day when I was taking those photos, I just couldn't get a clear pics, that's why the plates look pink. I tried correcting it, couldn't! :D
I will try again later.

Anonymous said...

Your post is amazing, as always.. its lunch time here and the dishes are tempting me so much, i cant help but DROOOOOL!! the pics of the kulcha and dum aloo is out of the world...


Murgh Nizam sounds just as delicious..Thanks for sending it to my event..

Belated Bday wishes to the kids, enjoyed the pics and the videos!! :-)

Vanamala Hebbar said...

Your kids had a good time...really wonderful pics and videos...i love the dum aloo recipe and vegan taco.

FH said...

You are welcome JZ, I specially cooked Murgh Nizam for you. Hope you try, excellent taste! :)

Shobana senthilkumar said...

Hi ashaji,
my belated wishes ....
hmmmm wonderful gifts...good mother:)
Ur dum aloo is tempting me...

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha, out all day yesterday so finally I could come see the b'day kids! Looks like everyone was having a marvelous time :) T reminds me of m in that shot, with all her friends hovering around/hanging on tight!! Sending B'day wishes to both -- oh, and the sweet doggie photo was great too :)

Your Lucknow feast looks excellent -- love all the dishes but esp the idea of tofu in the dum gravy - yum! Salsa looks especially gorgeous too -- glad you have some springtime down there at last! :)

Mona said...

Hey Asha! Thanks for your good wishes for my BIl. He is improving fast! :)

Lucknowi food is typical! I love it :)

& spring in LA is beautiful!!

TBC said...

Sounds like your kids had a good time.:)
Everyhing you made looks good. I especially like the dum aloo.

Cynthia said...

Thanks for sharing and taking us into your home. I bet they all had a great time!

Neha said...

Waoooo, what a spread, i'm drooling...
Specially, dum aaloo, n kulche are looking delicious, n so is the salsa.
Belated b'day wishes to ur kids, saw the pic., seems they had a nice time..

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos - was easy to place yr kids - bro n sis resemble each other so much. ( well, I am extremely fascinated to see siblings looking like siblings only - coz, we five of us look so diff ; and guess what: my two daughters also look so different ! I used to take pleasure in dressing them up in similar frocks when they were kids !! ha, ha ! )
And stuffed n sleepy Bichano is so very cute !

By the way, hats off to you,girl- that is some REAL spread !! All the best for RCI Mughlai - I have to keep my eyes off these splendid dishes( my TG level is too high to permit even eye-feasting and right now,I am all alone; so no other dumpyard for the calories I bring into my dishes! )

Luv u, and luv yr blog !!

Sumy Sunil said...

Happy Birthday to Trisha and Tushar - Belated though ;-) Birthday cake's look yummy.
Looks like they had a blasting party…music party, huh…I didn’t see your photo in the flickr ;-)..long to see your lovely face.

As usual with no doubts, the platter is colorful and fabulous. Adipoli (Malayalam)..(meaning Superb)

I'm happy that I know at least one of the preparations that you have posted. Ven Pongal..I prepare it almost once in a week for breakfast. I prepare Drumstick sambar and cocunut chutney to go with it.

Dum Aloo - I had it only in restaurants. I’m going to try this weekend. Lemme see how it turns out.

Have a nice weekend with your family. Nice flowers!!!

Anonymous said...

hi,

I visit yr blog almost every week.. i am newly married and learnt to cook lot of yummy...recipes from yr blog.. ;-)

Thanks for inspiring me to cook :) Happy belated b'day wishes to yr kids

FH said...

Thanks girls, we had a great time although 2 birthdays in one weekend are stressful! :)

Linda, Trisha doesn't like people touching her, a bit like me but her friends do hug her just to irritate her! :D

Mona, so glad your BIL is recovering, takes time but he is getting there! :)

Ani, enjoy the new married life, hugs to you. If you need anything, do ask me. I will try my best and help you out. Thanks for saying hi to me!:)

UjjU said...

Thanks Asha! :) Neevu khara buns andhaga, nanna baiyalli neer banthu. May be I'll give that a try along with palya bun one day. Have a nice day ahead.

Ranjani said...

All the food looks phenomenal! particularly the kulchas...I'd kill to have fresh home mad kulchas now:)

Namratha said...

Wow Asha, that is one eventful weekend! :) Loved all the food, esp the Dum Aloo and the Kulchas...finger licking good! :)

Namrata Kini said...

A Belated Happy Birthday to your kids. Nice spread. My mouth's watering looking at that kulchas and dum aloo. Cakes also look very tempting.

Srikitchen said...

i dont know how u prepare such a large array of dishes asha akka!
hope u will be busy always and energetic too!
belated b'day wishes to kids!

Malar Gandhi said...

Lucknawi mela, right. I am a die hard fan for lucknow biriyani and haleem too.

Mughalai feast is very inviting as usual. Great picks, all sounds unique and authentic...Lazeez, a must try one, love mughal dum aloo...

Preety said...

belated wishes from my side too asha..now i am hungry after seeing all those yummy looking pics..

Anonymous said...

Fabulous dishes Asha! I should try the tofu dish with paneer. For some reason I dont like tofu. I think I will have to eat it a few more times to develop a taste for it :( The salsa looks so colourful!

Anonymous said...

Forgot to add..Belated Birthday wishes to your kids :) Lovely pics and videos. Got to mention here that your home is beautiful! :)

PG said...

It is always a big pleasure to come here. What lovely partys. That's an exciting age. Right now it fills me with all those worries when i think of my son. :D
Loved each and every dish you have put here. I have to try them all, didn't know what dum meant until now. lovely!

Rajitha said...

i have been thinking of geting the book 'boy with striped pyjamas' from the library....i was extremely curious about it myself. Glad ur daughter had a great party....and i am making that dum aloo really really soon!!

Varsha Vipins said...

Ashakka,My feed not updating in reader's page,sobs..:( ,Knw any way to sort it out?
pls chck my new post n pick the award ..:)
happy weeekend dear..:)

FH said...

Thanks girls, enjoy the weekend! :)

HC, I don't like Tofu either. Only my daughter loves it and my hubby eats it without a fuss. My son and I skip Tofu. Paneer is a great substitute, try it! :)

Varsha, it happened to me too last week, some of the blogs disappeared and I had to re subscribe it. I will see you shortly! :)

Archana said...

Lovely birthday parties..Your kulchas and aloo dum look totally drool-worthy...very very nice recipes Asha

Miri said...

I love the lazeez kulche - seems like the real thing indeed!

Happy Birthday to the kids!

Nandinis food said...

Ashaji,
Thank you for your support and encouraging me to expose that plagiarizer. She removed that thattai post. Her website is full of stolen photos. See you on the coming wednesday. Thanks.

ChrisB said...

Glad to see the birthday celebrations went well. I've not seen the movie but read the book and like Sally I found it was so sad.

Mishmash ! said...

hi asha....Lazeez Kulche looks ssoooooooooooooooo tasty!! i just loved the look of it...am sure it tastes great too....

checked out b'day photos too...pls pass my belated wishes to both of them :)

Dibs said...

I have a to do list for my life - (like sky diving, visiting kenya safari, starting a restaurant and so many other dreams!! ) ....I am thinking probably eating the food cooked by you should go on that list!!!!

Dibs said...

...and oh Wish you kids a wonderful year ahead! I know they had fabulous b'days! :-)

delhibelle said...

what a lazeez spread:)

Viji said...

As usual, very colorful plate Asha. Good info too. Saw the photos. Hope you had a great time. Take care. Viji

Unknown said...

drooooolig over the pic each and evry dish looks so so mouthwatering especialy the dum aloo uuummmm yum yum great

Premyscakes said...

belated wishes to your wonderful kids, hope they would have had a great time and enjoyed your mouth watering dishes.

Saritha said...

Happy belated bday for ur gal and lovely menu asha,just can't take my eyes from those snaps

Indian Khana said...

Wow thats sounds cool...and the pics are nice too...the platter looks so damn gud...real yum....

SMN said...

I envy Trisha for having such good and gracious parents :) lots of gifts for d big girl.. Belated Bday wishes girl and wish you all the very best a good year ahead...

I always look forward for ur RCI entries Ashakka ur amazing wth those spreads..

hows ur grinder?

FH said...

Sushma, I can't leave a comment in your blog, something is wrong there. I couldn't find your email to let you know that, hope it will fixed soon! :)

Grinders are doing well, I posted them at Aroma, so glad I bought them. Fluffy idlis now! :D

lissie said...

thanks a lot Asha! u are the first one to visit whenever I blog...
dum aloo looks yummy so is the salsa :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha
no words to describe ur presentations as usual wonderful.
been long time,just now i got time to msg u,will try out dum aloo recipe tomorrow,thank you for the recipe

Usha said...

Sounds like your kids had a grand time, lovely pictures of the parties!

Great Lucknowi spread, looks awesome. The kulche sounds like something I want to try very soon !

bee said...

hey, your kids seem to have had a great time. have your brains unmelted yet?

FH said...

Took 2 days to get the brain solidify again, Bee!! It is exhausting to listen to the drums and Guitars for 4 hrs non-stop, they only stopped for few mins for eating!!:P

Anonymous said...

Your doggy is very cute.

You got to post more of your doggy pictures!!!

Anon.

Chitra said...

Lovely array of dishes with excellent pics. Will surely try kulcha and let u know:)

Purva Desai said...

This platter looks yummy and delicious....kulchas look very soft...and simply loved the tortillas...

This post was linked to the Holi Hai event announcement......just checking whether this post is for the Holi hai event as well as the post is not linked back to the event announcement

Nandini Vishwanath said...

If I haven't already told you, the jalapeno chutney rocked and its a regular now. Every week! Yay! :) Thanks

FH said...

Purva, I had sent you my Dill Dabeli Parathas with a photo with URL link, which is in my last post. I think you have probably missed it, will resend it again shortly! :)

starry said...

Always a pleasure to visit your blog.love all the dishes and the pictures of your garden.I have not been feeling too good so have not visited many blogs.I am so excited for Anoop.He really sang well last week, hope it is an encore.keeping my fingers crossed.

FH said...

L, thanks girl. Please do take care of yourself first and then blog. Hope you feeling better now, lot of flu and cold bug going around here too but Spring is here, should get better from now on!
Anoop was great last week indeed. He is a crooner like Frank Sinatra, can't really sing country or rock well. So, hopefully he will be around for a while and make a career out of AI! :)

Rajesh &Shankari said...

Happy Bday to your lovely kids!

Those kulches's - makes me want to try and also teach that in class :)

FH said...

Thanks shankari. You can make Kulchas on stove top too, get softer texture than baking! :)

Jayashree said...

Belated happy bday to Trisha & Tushar. The kulcha and dum aloo are absolutely droolworthy.....

Shionge said...

Friendly visit to you Asha....also to satisfy my craving as usual heheheh..

Just kidding, just want you to know that I might not cook all the dishes you recommended, I did enjoy feasting :D

Kolors of life said...

Hi Asha,

How r u..

UR blog is one of my favorite blog and i have started preparing ur foods.They are really tasty too.
And this blog really helps a girl to start her cooking..Great work

FH said...

Hi K, I am doing well. Glad to know that my blogs are helping you, do ask me if you need anything. Thanks for saying hello ! :)

Anonymous said...

What delicious and hearty meals. All of them look equally tasty. The best way to celebrate is like this, with good food and family :).

FH said...

That's true, Sophie. Always good to see happy faces and smiles across the table with a big meal infront of them at least once a week! :)

LifenSpice said...

Hi Ashakka, i am makng dum aloo now:) will let u know:)

LifenSpice said...

Ashakka, i made the dum aloo yesterday for my hubby's b'day. It was too good! we both enjoyed it a lot. i followed the recipe, the only change was that i used the stove top method instead of oven. But this recipe is a keeper! thank u:)

FH said...

Glad you tried it K. Yeah, you don't need to Dum, it takes a long time time and also waste of electricity too. Stove top is fine, doesn't make any difference if you just cove it and cook for a while. Thanks for the feedback! :)

Unknown said...

Tat was fast!! I'll surely try ur mughlai version next time, thanks for the link, Sure will see on Monday! :)

FH said...

Hope you try my version of Dum too S, have a fun weekend! :)

MR said...

got the pumpkin seeds and made ur recipe dum aloo
turned out royal
it is a keeper.

FH said...

Thanks for the feedback MR. You can use any seeds or nuts in the gravy too. glad you found Pepita! :)