February 17, 2010

Samosa Chole Chaat, ShivaRatri Thali, Bitter Gourd Gojju, Dosa with Okra Gojju, Tomato-Masoor Dal Rasam/Broth

I bet you all had a wonderful Valentine's day!
More than gifts and outings, hope you spent quality time with your loved ones, that's what we had this year. Snowy and cold weather in several states here is more conducive to quiet time at home than the usual weekend driving around the town is a blessing in disguise! :)

Well......
nothing much to write really, so let's have some Samosa Chole Chaat and other goodies, shall we? Hey, I watched an interesting movie this weekend btw!

Samosa Chole Chaat:

No, I didn't make and fry these Samosas. We went to a Indian store last weekend and I saw these frozen pack of mini Punjabi spicy Potato filled Samosas which I picked up. I baked them at home and made some spicy tangy Chole (Chickpeas gravy), topped with Tomatoes, green chutney, sweet chutney, onions and Cilantro, made a mini meal out of it. Of course, there was a hilarious movie to watch while having a bowl of this too. Curiouser and curiouser? :D

Store bought mini cocktail "baked" Samosa:
Bake these right out of the frozen state as instructed until crisp and let them cool a bit. Place 6 Samosas on a plate, add a cup hot Chole on top of Samosas. Top with chopped Videlia sweet onions, chopped Cilantro and chopped Tomatoes. Drizzle hot green chutney made of mint, green chillies and Cilantro or use from store bought jar and sweet and tangy chutney which is made of dates and Tamarind juice, salt. Sprinkle Chaat masala, chilli powder, Amchoor or whatever you have on hand and serve immediately. YUM!

Colorful Samosa Chole Chaat is going to Asankhana's "Let's play with colors-Holi" event. Thanks girl, enjoy mine too! :) Here are few other snacks and appetizers I have posted before in my blogs.

Chole/Chickpeas Gravy:
I used 2 canned Organic Chickpeas which are smaller in size, less gassy (:P) and tastier than regular canned Chickpeas. Drain all the water out of the can thoroughly, rinse the beans before using. Here is the quick version of Chole I made for Samosa Chaat.


To make Chole:
1.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan, add 2 tbsp grated or ground ginger (fresh ginger is better, not ready made from the jar), saute. Add 1 medium onion, finely chopped, 1/2 tsp sugar, pinch of salt, saute until slightly reddish.
2. Add 1 tbsp Coriander powder, 2 tsp Cumin powder, enough chilli powder and salt, 1 cup Tomato sauce, mix and simmer until Tomato sauce is thick and shiny.

3. Add 1 cup water, 2 cans of rinsed Chickpeas, 1 tsp Pomegranate powder or Amchoor to taste, mix.
4. Simmer until sauce is thickish, adjust the spices. Add 1 tsp of good quality Garam masala, chopped Cilantro, mix and serve hot.
Here is the link to other side dishes I have posted already.

SihvaRatri Thali:

I know! ShivaRatri is supposed to be celebrated in fasting and praying but we, as usual, EAT to celebrate and pray a little too!!:D
I made Whole Wheat flour Obbattu with Coconut-Jaggary-Cardamom filling, served with Chana dal/Kadalebele Payasa/Porridge, which is kids fave dessert to have, Carrot and Drumsticks Saaru, Dill Rice and Okra Gojju on the ShivaRatri day, a simple but traditional meal compared to this I made in 2007 and in 2009! Here are the rest of Festival/holiday posts. Here are some Indian desserts/sweets.
My Family's favorite thali is going Shama's "Family's Favorite Food" event, Enjoy! :)

Obbattu/Holige/Poli with Atta flour with Kayi Hoorana(sweet Coconut filling):
Method to make this Obbattu is same as here but I made them with 1 cup Whole Wheat flour instead of plain flour, 2 tbsp of sugar powder and 1 tbsp ghee this time, stuffed with the coconut filling. Kneaded the dough with lot less oil than usual, made them just like stuffed Parathas.

Filling:
Mix 2 cups grated fresh coconut, enough fine brown sugar or powdered Jaggery, 1tsp Cardamom powder, 2 tbsp Mava/Khoa if you have it (optional), heat in the microwave until melted and thick, cool, make balls and stuff in the rolled dough like Parathas and cook. Serve with any Payasa.
Chana Dal Payasa/Porridge:

1. Take a glass bowl,
add 1/2 cup Chana dal, 1 cups water, cook until soft and almost mashed.
2. Add 1/4 cup Jaggary or more to taste, 1 tsp Cardamom powder, 1 cup or more of milk, pinch of Saffron for color, mix. If you want smooth textured Payasa, run it thru' in the mixie for few seconds. You can thin it with more milk.
3. Heat again until Payasa is thickish, pourable consistency. Serve with Obbattu.
Dill Rice:
This is a super easy rice to cook. When you are cooking 2 cups of rice with water, add 1 cup of chopped Dill leaves, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp ghee and cook as usual, mix well when done.
Carrot-Drumsticks Saaru:
I added Carrots and Drumsticks to this Sambhar I have posted before. Here is my grandmother's recipe for Mysore style freshly ground coconut masala saaru, she always used fresh grated coconut, dry coconut will do too.
Here are more Sambhar/dal recipes.

Bendekai/Okra Gojju with Uddinabele/Urad dose:
I had leftover Okra Gojju next day, so I served the healthy Gojju with nutritious fermented Urad dal-brown rice Dosas. Loved it with dosas too, make it spicy if you are making this for dosas. Gojju is any veg. side dish with little spicy and tangy gravy in Karnataka similar to subzi/Bhaji in the North.
Here are more
Dosa and Idli dishes I have posted before.

Okra Gojju:
1. I used frozen Okra. I thaw them overnight and next day, I saute them in a wide mouthed non-stick Wok with 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp salt until they shrink and reddish with all the gooey things gone. Cool.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil, add 1 tsp each Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, few curry leaves, pinch of hing. Add 1 onion, finely chopped, 2 garlic chopped, 1/4 tsp Turmeric, saute until reddish.
3. Add 1 cup water, 1/4 tsp Tamarind paste, salt and ground masala powder. Simmer and add sauteed Okra, cook and adjust the spices, add 1 tsp ghee and garnish with Cilantro.
Roast and powder these:
2 tbsp Coriander seeds, 1 tsp Urad dal, 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds, 1 tbsp Chana dal, 2-3 dry red chillies, 2 tsp raw Rice grains, 1 tbsp Poppy seeds, 3 tbsp dry Coconut, 1" Cinnamon, 2 cloves.
Okra Gojju with Urad dal Dosas goes to Sudeshna and Radhika's "Food for 7 stages of life-Tiffin box (35-55yrs)" event, enjoy mine as well!

Haagalkayi/Bitter Gourd Gojju:

I bought 2 Bitter gourds last weekend. Usually, I do the same
stir fry every time I have these but this time I decided to experiment a little and added some Besan flour to it. It tasted delicious.

To make Haagalkai Gojju:
1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non-stick, add peeled, seeds scooped, finely chopped Bitter gourd pieces (if it's too bitter, soak the chopped pieces in salted water for an hour and squeeze out the water, let it dry) with pinch of salt and fry until they are reddish. Keep aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil again, add 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds, few curry leaves, 3 tbsp chopped onion, 1 tbsp ginger-Garlic paste, stir for a while. Add 1 tbsp Besan/Chickpea flour, 1/4 tsp chilli powder, salt, stir.
3. Add 1/4 cup Tomato sauce, 2 tsp each of Dhania-Jeera powder, 1 tbsp or less Jaggary powder to balance the bitterness, simmer until thick and shiny, add fried Bitter Gourd pieces.
4. Mix well and cook on low heat until oil shows up on top, garnish with Cilantro.
This
Bitter Gourd Gojju is going to Yasmeen's "Bitter Better Health" event. Have fun with mine too, Yasmeen! :)

Tomato-Masoor Dal Rasam/Broth/Soup:
After reading the hilarious saga of Charu by sra's
this post, I couldn't resist making some tasty, healthy and low calorie Rasam or Masoor Dal and Tomato soup. Nothing like sipping a cup of thin, hot, spicy broth on a cold, cloudy and snowy day. I made this delicious soup in the Microwave too! Here are more Microwave dishes I have posted.

To make this:
1. Take a deep glass bowl, add 1/4 cup Masoor dal, 1/4 tsp Turmeric, 2 cups of water, 1 tsp ghee and microwave this for 15 to 25mins at 100% power or until dal is cooked and completely mashed. Keep checking every 10mins.
2. Add 1/2 cup Tomato sauce, 2-3 tsp Rasam powder, salt, 1 tbsp dry grated Coconut, 1 tbsp chopped Cilantro, mix it and heat again for 4-6mins or until raw smell of Tomato sauce is gone, soup smells good. Take the bowl out and adjust the spices. Heat again if needed.
3. In a separate bowl, add 1 tbsp oil, heat in the microwave for 2-3 mins or until very hot. Add 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds, few chopped curry leaves, 1 dry red chilly, heat again for 2 mins or until seasonings are crisp.
4. Take the bowl out, add a pinch of Hing (optional) to the cooked Rasam and mix.
Rasam powder: You can use ready made MTR Rasam pd which has the best taste without being too spicy or you can use any Homemade Rasam pd.
Tips:

If Masoor dal is soaked for 2 hrs before cooking, they cook faster in the microwave.
You can use Chana dal, or Moong dal as well instead of Masoor dal. Tuar dal is harder to cook in MW but doable if you soak Tuar dal first, cook it for a long time with lots of water.
You can also add few chopped Spinach leaves to the soup while cooking to make it even healthier.
Tomato-Dal Rasam goes to Usha's "Healthy inspirations-Soups" event and since I made this in the Microwave, it's also going to Srivalli and Sara's "MEC-Soups" event as well. Thanks to all of you.

************************************************************************************************************
Movies I watched:

"Coco Before Chanel" or "Coco Avant Chanel" :
A beautiful French movie with English subtitles. It's about the life of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel (Yes, that Coco Chanel, a name famous for fashion and perfume empire), who was abandoned as a child by her father in an orphanage, grew up in struggle as a mistress to a rich man but never married until she died and built up a huge fashion empire, with a sweet love story thrown in there too. I love Audrey Tautou, beautiful and very talented actress! Watch it if you can.
Here are some quotes by Coco Chanel.

"3 Idiots!".
Surprise!!!
I watched the latest Bollywood sensation
. It was more of a pleasant "Chamatkar" than a "Balatkar" to watch this movie! Hahaha!!
It's a hilarious movie with a good message but with little "making fun of a NRIs
(Non-Resident Indians) or making them look and act silly" bit thrown in there! I am taking about Kareena's fiance and his tantrums about $200 watch and the other guy showing off his good looking wife, million dollar house and his Lamborghini car after living few years in US! :P Why..oh..Why? Must they show us, ie NRIs, like we are all some kinda ridiculously retarded snobs but ultra rich people with wads of money in our pockets and with just air in our heads?! Most of us are not like that at all, we do work very hard to earn our dollars. May be very few are braggers like those caharacters in the movie but not all of us behave like that!

Anyway, I will take all that with a pinch of salt. Other than that, this movie really has some good teaching moments to young Indian kids/students/generation and their parents. It tells you to be proud of who you are, think for yourself and asks parents to let kids grow up and become what they want to do or like to do and not hang on to the old convictions like "you must do what I say" and "you go where I ask you to go" etc. A great movie to watch with good message for future and past generations in a fun way and with beautiful songs too! I wish they won't show "getting drunk silly" is a fun thing to do in the movies, sends a wrong message to young people. But ALL IZ WELL that ends well! ;D

Last Saturday, we decided to visit our daughter in college and had lunch with her in a newly opened "Royal Dhaba" restaurant nearby. After a lovely Makki da roti and sarson da saag lunch, we stopped by a Indian store to buy some Indian veggies and groceries. After I paid for it, she says "you can pick up 2 DVDs over there at the video store for free". I thought they probably give me some old movies, went there anyway. They had copies of "3 Idiots" and "Paa" (yet to watch) and I did a "Yippee!!" and got both of them! :D

V Day:
We had a few Chocolate Truffles, glass of Champagne on Sunday evening for V day with a bunch of beautiful Roses sitting pretty on the coffee table and watched "3 Idiots" together (yes, that's a miracle! :D), loved it. That's what I call "quality time" and cherish it!
That was my weekend, see you all next week.

138 comments:

notyet100 said...

thanks for the lovely entry,,,,:-)
as always beautiful post with yummy delicacies,..

jayasree said...

Glad to know you had a lovely weekend. Sivarathri thali looks very festive and tempting... Your payasa is similar to mine except that its chana dal. I have to try using that. Mouthwatering samosa chaat

Raaga said...

I loved the chhole... your thali...and the movie reviews... but I loved best your valentine's bunch :)

S got me a bunch too. Two infact!

Latha said...

Asha's awesome spread. How's that? We went to the theater and watched 3-idiots with our 13 & 5 year olds (for the first time). They throughly enjoyed the movie.

Samosa chat is my hubby's fav. Dosa is my kids fav. and poli is my fav. There, you covered my whole family. Thank you!

CurryLeaf said...

What a spread.I love chaat and samosa chaat is my favourite.Love the rasam esp I too make rasam with masoor dal.Good to know you watched 3I.I have read the book thgh I have not seen the film.Its supposed to be different from book.

FH said...

I will send it to you shortly N, having breakfast now! :)

Jaya, Chana dal payasa is very traditional to serve with Obbattu in K'taka! :)

Raaga, Two?! Lucky! I have to remind mine twice to get that bunch! Hahaha!

We live in a small town Latha. Never mind watching that movie in theater, I am lucky to get those DVDs! HeHe! Glad I did though, enjoyed it.

C, there is a book too of 3I, didn't know that! Movie is good, better than other Bollywood movies! :)

indosungod said...

That samosa chole chaat is calling to me. Love the looks of that chole too. Rasam any time in this weather, with a stuffed nose and itchy throat that is the best ever.

We watched Amelie - heard so much about the movie, picked it up at the library, so so in my opinion, maybe I didn't get the deeper meaning :)

Rachel said...

I would have never thought of making a samosa chaat..great thinking!

FH said...

Indo, Amelia movie is modified to suit the audience,romanticize it a bit, not that exciting.Loved how similar that Hilary swank looks to real Amelia though.
But there is a real black and white documentary from A&E channel I am buying which has a real footage of Amelia Earhart which I bought from Amazon for keepsake!:)

Thanks Rachel, hope you try. Great for lunch too! :)

Sunitha said...

All of it looks great..Like your movie reviews too. Your's is a fun blog.

Suparna said...

Hi Asha,
The chaat looks yummy. Shivratri thali def. is impressive. tha gojjus are bai chapparso thara :)
3 idiots is a good movie I too loved it,it was inspired by The book written by chetan Bhagat called - 5 point someone. It's a great fun read :)
Glad to know u had a grrrrrrrrrrrrr8 time on V day!!
Hope ur kids are doing good, my best wishes to them.
Keep rocking
TC

ruchikacooks said...

Lovely entires..More Gojjus for me to try. Little samosas in chat is a good idea, else it would take forever to eat them. Polis and thali yum.

Have you been to India lately? Life is so better there now a days..salary as well.

Roses look lovely. Chamak rahi hain sab cheesen.

Pari Vasisht said...

Hi Ashaji. Lovely spread again. Oobattu is not what I have tried and with wheat flour I must try it.
Gojju to my understanding is a thick and very tangy curry so loads of tamarind..check out my Bendekayi gojju it's a slightly different version and now gradually understanding ur taste I think u will like it.
I loved ur saaru with masoor, I must try it. So glad to hear about ur cosy celebration on Vday.

sra said...

Thanks for the link love - it's a revelation to know even such failure posts can inspire!

As for NRIs, I have no fixed views but I must tell you this: When I went to the US a few years ago, people who had gone only a few years before that told me very helpfully that there is something called Disneyland in the US, and that something called Inca civilization exists in South America. The knee-jerk reaction is to say, "Oh, I visited Disneyland when I was seven years old, and we read about Inca civil. in Standard 7 Geography, you realised only now?" but I was too gobsmacked that they thought of it as information to be helpfully revealed to visiting relatives from India!!!
And then there are some people (of our age, not elders) who visit here and give us money because "we haven't had the time to get you a US gift" - how awkward is that?
And no, these aren't super-rich, accent-putting-on ppl, just ordinary Indians who haven't been exposed to anything before they went abroad and want to show off, somewhat thoughtlessly.

Everywhere today, I've been climbing on and off soapboxes, it seems, pardon me and thanks!

Sushma Mallya said...

i just loved the thali and the chaat, its one of my fav among street food,looks fantastic with mini samosa...

Sara's Corner said...

Hi Asha, Perfect dishes I love obattu, thali and chaat. Gojju thumba superagide.

Thanks for participating in the event.

FH said...

Thanks N, Suparna and Sushma.

Ruchika, I was in India last May-June, made a post too with pics, check it out. It was HOT and muggy there, should have gone later in July or rainy season.

Pari, I add less Tamarind, my kids somehow don't like the taste of Tamarind but Tomato is okay, I try and add less tam in my dishes!:)
I will check your's too.

lol! sra, I believe you! Disneyland is the thing to show off here to guests but they don't realize that there are few similar in India too. Some people can be very ignorant. I have seen people picking up shirts and pants here as gifts to relatives to India but they are all "made in India" and I have told them that too!:D
Hey, take the money when they give you, better than receiving sarees which come from India, may be you should ask for IPods. Wait! You get those too in India now, right?
Old people who came here in 60s are even worse! They tell their kids who are born here about 60s India, so these ABCDs have the hardest time figuring out the real India and have strange views on India. Sometimes I have to sit and explain that we were not all poor in India before we came here! :D

Parita said...

i love samosa chole chaat..have it almost every week in office canteen :) rasam looks very inviting too!

Anonymous said...

Delicious recipes! i love any kind of chaat and love those mini samosa... i rather have those mini samosas to the big ones.. :)

Veggie Hut said...

lovely..am drooling over your samosa chaat..do u have some for me..

btw.. i too enjoyed watching 3 idiots... aamir ia a perfectionist... paa is also a nice movie.. watch it soon.. waiting to see your review about it..

Hayley said...

Very happy that you had a lovely weekend!!all the dishes looks delicious and tempting..;-))

Haven't seen 3 idiots yet..:-((

Nandinis food said...

What lovely spicy and hot dishes you posted this time! All of them are slurrrrp! I'm drooling all over them! I love the rasam and samosa chole chaat especially! And about the 3 idiots movie, I just thought that they were trying to express mindless rote learning and "be what you wanna be". Oh well, it's a good movie but I hated some parts with crude obscenities.

Laavanya said...

What a whole lot of yummy dishes.. the mini samosas in the chole chaat look so cute. Masoor dhal in rasam - so new and a good substitute for toor dhal. The Shivarathri thaali looks awesome, except no dill rice for me :) I want poli now...

Simplyfood said...

My first time here you have an amazing selection of recipes.The thali looks awesome and beautiful click.

FH said...

Glad I could send you one sara! Thanks Partia, M , Jyoti (will watch "Paa" this weekend), laavanya and Jagruti! :)

Welcome to Fh S, enjoy!

Nandini, I agree. There were some unnecessary "jokes" but then got to please those front rows, otherwise Amir khan won't get his money back! Amir Khan playing a "college kid" is enough of a joke for me! :D

Madhuri Krishna Bhat said...

You had perfect Valentine day. Samosa chat looks yummy and so as your thali.

Cham said...

Making obattu with wheat flour is much easier to roll I found, less oil and more fiber!
I want the chaat now, beautiful spread and u rock!

Bong Mom said...

That's such a sweet V Day celebration. Did you spice it up with samosa chaat ? I am going to do this with store bought samosas this Sat, thanks

I like this "Royal Dhaba", never had Makki di Roti.

FH said...

Thanks Madhuri!

Cham I was surprised how tasty it was withput all the oil, Maida and the usual. Do try.

Sandeepa, that Dhaba is really great, perfect Lassi, roti and saag with glob of butter on top and Gajar Halwa. I was so happy to find this restaurant. kids as usual, ate only rice and Butter chicken, nothing else! :D

Mayuri said...

Nice spread of dishes again , but I was eyeing the karela dish ;)
watched 3 idiots too, was hilarious specially the "chamatkar" and "balatkar" speech.

Namitha said...

here you are with an array of yummylicious dishes, Asha :D
What a tempting thali..Can't take my eyes off from the samosas..
BTW lovely bunch of roses..:-)

Anonymous said...

Delicious Thali and samosa chaat.Guess you had a good valentine's day.

Shalini

Rupa said...

What a lovely spread...drool;)just made your hurli kurma and it tastes Yum..Thank you for the recipe

AJ said...

What a thali Asha!! I love dill rice.

FH said...

Mayuri, I loved that too, so funny!:)

Gulmohar, Shalini, A and Rupa, thanks girls. Thanks for trying Kurma and the feedback Rupa, enjoy.

Recipeswap said...

wow that chaat looks otta the world.......Im going to try the orka gojju and the rasam.I enjoyed 3 idiots and more than me..my daughter who is still singing the songs and watches the movie back to back lol.
Nice Vday u had!Also Happy Bday to u and ur hubby.........have a good one!

Kannada Cuisine said...

That is a nice Shivratri tradition Ashakka! Mine is a 'Bhuka' family, they will love this sort of Shivratri too.. We had Uppittu, Gojju/Mosaru avalakki for the festival..

Three idiots was fun. Interestingly I never quite noticed the NRI bashing till I read about it here. Never quite considered myself a NRI may be...

BTW Chole looks awesome :)

AnuSriram said...

Lovely entries.. I'm drooling over your samosa chaat... Nice to know you had a lovely weekend! We too had a wonderful time and a very very long Nascar Race to watch!!

Priya Suresh said...

Wat a lovely spread, i want the chaat rite now...am hungry just on looking at ur clicks...More gojjus to try out specially loved the bitter gourd gojju...

Slurp, that tomato dal rasam looks fantastic..

FH said...

Thanks Neema, we enjoyed it and movie was fun too! :)

Smitha, lol @ Bukha family, my grandpareants are do the fasting too,not so much at my parents. Anybody who lives out of India for atleast 182 days out of a year and not pay tax in India for our earnings are considered NRIs, so I feel a bit awkward and touchy when some make fun of us! :P

Anu, looks like you had fun watching Nascar, good for you! :)

Meera said...

splendid spread! loved all the pictures. i think now i know what i am going to make with those frozen okras in my fridge! Thanks for sharing.

Rajee Mani said...

Thats a tasty spread Asha. Gojju always makes my mouth water :-)

BDSN said...

Hey Asha....
Lovely pics as usual..
I am quite droolin over the obatu.I like your recipe.
I get exhausted if I have to make rasam in a microwave. I like your tip of soaking the dhal before cooking in the microwave but my preference after all these exhausting experiences is using my pressure cooker. I make extra dhal and refrigerate and use whenever I want to make rasam..

I made peanut laddus on Valentine's day for my hubby and have posted the same in my blog...

FH said...

Priya, Gojjus are always yummy with dosas and Idlis.

Meera, I do whatever I can to eat Okras, even frozen! :D

Thanks Rajee, try these.

BDSN,I freeze dal too whenever I can remember to make Rasam, easier that way!:)
Peanut laddoos sounds delicious, will check out in your blog.

Shri said...

Your samosa chaat is simply fantastic!The thali sunds so delicious!I have yet to watch 3 idiots..I know its a shame!!

Padma said...

Sivaratri thali looks very tempting Asha and also your samosa chaat. That is one of my fav. Obbattu too has come out so perfect in shape.

Jaya M said...

Asha,
lovely spread and delicious food..
we usually don't eat rice when we are fasting though ,but perhaps it's just a conception or rather a personal choice .. chana dal payasam is something new for me ...and You will love Pa also if you have liked 3 idiots..
hugs and smiles

Smita said...

Awesome...Happy v day! Your thali looks yummy...:)

ranji said...

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMO!!...so many items Asha..i have to say samosa chat is my fav :)...even we buy from indian stores and instead of eating it just like that make a meal out of it by making chaat...shivaratri thali looks fulfilling..delicious...

i watched paa and the original version of it Jack(english)...i liked paa much better than jack..havent watched 3 idiots yet...really want to watch it..had netflix subscription till now cancelled it recently...will activate it next month and watch it...take care

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Oh wow wow everything looks fantastic ,... thali looks sooooooooooooooooo yummy.

ವನಿತಾ / Vanitha said...

Lovely posts asha:)
luved thali n samosa chat..planning for that lil samosa over the w/e..
Though 3idiots gives some good messages..really I didnt like few of the scenes..liked 'paa' a lot..watched twice allready:)..enjoy ur week too..I also liked one more bollywood movie 'wake up sid'..u can give a try!.

Cynthia said...

A channa curry has been on my mind all week, I hope to remedy that soon. Okra and bittergourd - two of my favourite veggies.

Vikis Kitchen said...

Well said about the quality time. Good that we had snow and great to have that moment at home:) Didn't knew about that baked samosa before. Thanks dear. Its a nice idea to get some crispy baked samosa. Love it very much. Shivrathri thalli looks very divine. Channa masal recipe is fantastic. Cute rose bouquet! Rasam tempts me very much. Totally a very colorful post.

Gita Jaishankar said...

Looks like you had a fantastic Valentines Day :) I too have some of those samosas sitting in my freezer right now...I too bake them, love your idea of adding all those delicous toppings! The thali looks fabulous!

Lakshmi said...

Samosa chaat...and kayi holige ..slurrrrrrrrppppp...I need a bucket to catch my drool :) how I wish I was there to enjoy that meal! We loved watching 3 Idiots too.

Pavani said...

Looove the idea of using frozen mini samosas for chaat. Looks so yummy, I'm going to make that soon.
Hope you guys are not snowed in again.. Take care.

Savi-Ruchi said...

Loved the line.."It was more of a pleasant "Chamatkar" than a "Balatkar" to watch this movie". Very true. As usual hats off to your efforts for preparing soo many dishes & presenting beautifully in just a week's time.

symphony said...

That is an awesome post Asha.With the hot samosas and chole,you can indeed call it as a semi rich meal itself ! I would like to check with Okra Gojju soon since am an Okra fan.
Hope you had a great Sivrathri fast and the thali reminds me of the auspicious festivals at home.
Belated Valentines day wish to you as well.

Sreelu said...

Asha, loved your shivratri thali, lip smaking. you said it right ,its not the gifts but the time spent with loved ones that make v-day special. Would love to hear ur take on paa as well

lubnakarim06 said...

That's what quality time is really is.....love that chole mix with samosas....never tried that combo....

Srivalli said...

Ah, thats one lovely Shivaratri meal!..great Asha. good to know you watched those movies, I am yet to watch 3 idiots, though watched MNIK, it was ok. Loved your samosa chat, and of course the remake of the hilarious charu from sra..;)

suvi said...

Yum yum yum...I just love that samosa chaat! Rasam in a microwave..that is awesome! But most of all, I love those roses - chocolate, champagne and roses, now that is a perfect V day celebration!

FH said...

Thanks to all of you girls. Movie was fun, usually I will be moving around in the middle of watching any Bollywood film because of boredom, but these 3 Idiots kept me glued!:)

Enjoy the chaats, see you all soon in your blogs.

ruchikacooks said...

Had a busy day yesterday. I couldnt believe my eyes when I read you havent been to Indian in 18 years. I remember the market place photo, that used to be the main page before the blogging break announcement.

That chamatkar guy has become a hot fav now. Only last week I saw some award function on TV in India and he was hosting and sweeping the times of india awards..Hmm..

Jayashree said...

I loved 3 idiots, too....an out and out fun movie. Don't think the guy was made fun of 'coz he was an NRI, though.....he was the butt of all jokes right from the beginning.
Samosa chaat looks colourful and delish.

Shammi said...

Man, I had SUCH good samosa chole chaat in Boston, at Quincy Market :) Are your frozen samosas the real deal, or the kind made with filo pastry? Wish I could get real samosas close by where I live...

I saw 3 Idiots and Paa, again in Boston... 3 Idiots was ok, I thought. But Paa was awful! Amitabh is meant to be cute, I guess but ugh, he's just so annoying. Have you seen the movie yet, Asha? What did you think?

Deepthi Shankar said...

I watched 3 idiots .. loved the movie. samosa chole chaat looks delicious. & the shivratri thaali is fab.

Vrinda said...

Chole chat is awesome dear..really tempting,liked ur bittergourd recipe ,bookmaking it...Hope u had a gr8 V'day........

Shama Nagarajan said...

thanks you dear for the delicious platter....

gtyuk said...

baked samossas and Chickpeas Gravy together as a chaat looks wonderful, ideal one before watching a movie!!!

loved your sivaratri thaali too,that channa dal paayaassam is my favorite one and as you've mentioned, we (my family) belong to the ones who EAT to celebrate too :):) whether we pray or fast, we promptly manage to eat well, hihhih

and Champagne, chocolates and roses, that's absolutely perfect for a V day !!!!

I saw 3 idiots too, loved the theme and enjoyed the movie and kept myself in that moood !!

but we saw another weird/freaky movie (saying this because you seem to watch this kind too) which changed my mood on the contrary, Case39, brrrrrr, somewhat troubled after seeing it!!!
cheers !!

Rahin said...

wht a spread, i love those mini samosas, i get them often,the chaat,thali,gojjus n rasam all look v v delicious

FH said...

R, I have been raising my kids mostly by myself since they are born, never had any nannies or baby sitters for help. I know it's crazy but I never trusted anyone with kids. When my daughter started driving, then I decided "okay, let her take care of her brother, let me go to India for 2 weeks and enjoy!":D
He is good actor though, so why not get a few awards, good for him.

Jaya, I was also talking about Kareena's NRI fiance in the movie and his tantrums about $200 watch etc. it's so silly!:D

Thanks Deesha, Vrinda, Shama and Akal(will try and watch that scary movie too!)!

FH said...

Shyam, those Samosas are really spicy and made of Phyllo sheets, very crispy and tasty, love them, great for parties like cocktail snacks.
Usually, I don't get to watch any Indian movies here, lucky I got these dvds. Yeah, 3 Idiots is okay, a bit different than other Bollywood movies with usual silly jokes thrown in.
I saw a snippets of Paa in US TV show, they were making fun of AB's character in the movie, like he was trying sit down on a hot rock and then little AB making a chair with his hands so he can sit down without hurting his backside!:D
I will watch this weekend, reminds me of "Benjamin Button", aging and all but I know it's probably very different.

Thanks Rahin, easier than making Samosas at home and so crispy and tasty too, love them!:)

Unknown said...

Each and every dish looks mouthwatering... Love the baked version of samosas looks so cute, and chaat looks delicious.
You are the first person I know, who make obbatu for Shivrathri...:)
We always had kosmabari and avalakki.. :(.

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Wow the thali caught my eyes and I was all thinking how much I could have ;D... Choles are my fav, not to forget the chat slurrp slurrp...

Somehow I havent seen the movie yet but did read the novel - "Five point some one" Gotta catch up on it!!!

Oh did I say Navrathri and Vday were good minus the those lovely Indian delicacies showcased here :(

http://memoryarchieved.blogspot.com

FH said...

Madhu, you are so right! Somehow I think ShivaRatri is special and always make something special. I know I probably am the only one who makes a feast instead of fasting! :D

Ramya, I didn't know it was based on a book, love to read that. books are always better than movies!:)

Mallika said...

Aww your man is still the romantic! You know I also saw 3 idiots - 1st hindi movie in 5 years... it had a good message yes. Aamir khan was the first man in my life... he he!!

Mallika said...

I forgot to say samosa chaat looks awesome. I'm going to nick that idea...

Varsha Vipins said...

Oh..That Tali is too much..am all hungry now..grabbing a K bar..:(
I never knew those samosas r good actually..are they prev fried n frozen..looks like it is..nyways glad u had a grt V day n had a nice time Ashakka..:)

RV @ Food for 7 Stages said...

Thank you Asha for the "healthy" lunch box recipe. Loved your other recipes too. I liked both 3 idiots and Paa, definitely 5 stars to 3 idiots for making me laugh aloud :)

Red Chillies said...

What a spread. Loved the dishes for the thali you cooked for Shivratri. Has all my fav desserts.

We watched 3 idiots and loved it. It was a good change.

FH said...

Mallika, da man still needed a push and a hint from me to get me those Roses, nothing will happen otherwise!
First man, huh? ;D

Varsha, they are frozen but halfway cooked too. You have to either thaw and deep fry or you can bake them in the oven. They are very spicy!:)

RV, there were definitely some lol moments in that movie, liked it too.

RC, 3 Idiots movie is different from the rest, isn't it? I watched "Blue" too, had heard a lot hype before about Blue but got bored really although it was Hollywood style movie!:)

Cassia Bark said...

Hi Asha,

I'm a new blogger though have been blog hopping for the past 1 year...and I've been in love with ur blog. All the recipes and posts are lovely as well as the pictures and the decriptions...

U r so right abt the 3-idiots NRI part...don't know why they keep on doing that!

the roses are very pretty...:)

Rhea

Lisa Johnson said...

I'm glad you had a nice Valentine's Day! Lovely flowers too.

And I'd like to see that Coco Chanel movie. I'll be on the lookout. Have a great weekend! ; )

lissie said...

loved the samosa chat and Shivarathri thali...! your dosas look so perfect..

I did the same...watched 3 idiots with my husband! :)

Jaishree Iyer said...

What a lovely spread. Shivrathri thali is fabulous:)love samosa chole chaat.. Well said about the quality time. The time spent with loved ones it makes the day special! I love those roses..It is awesome:)

Chitra said...

Ur posts always makes my eyes wide open ..I really want to try tat cute looking baked samosas and gojju for dosa..wil surely try sometime & post in my blog.. Thanks for such a colorful post !!

Kusum said...

Love the thali and chole.

sayantani said...

am drooling at those mini samosas. they look great and would be a party hit. loved your rasam recipe as well bookmarking it as I love to have Rasam with rice. perfect platter for Shivaratri.

Unknown said...

yummy delicacies..nice post and movie review was good..

John said...

I like your all recipe but Shivratri thali most!!mouth witted!!and what about 3 idiots....it is fantastic movie as Aamir Khan done ever.Nice message in movie.Thanks for very delicious post!
r4i revolution gold

Raks said...

Wow,its lunch time for me and I am fainted already seeing all those delicious food Asha! I love all chats especially this samosa chat with channa! Thali and rasam looks great too! Okra gojju is some thing new to me :)

Ash said...

ENU THINL ENU BIDALI.... antha stithi nannadaagide.... Aha!!!! Enenu ide ondu postalli..... Hotte biridu hoguvashtu untu..... Ellavu thumba rasamaya vaagide.... kooda.... Aah! Holige, sabsige soppu anna, paayasa, how could I forget the chaat & the chole masala..... EVERYTHING is so EXOTIC!!!!

I am kinda short of saliva to drool over & kinda DEAD too..... EXHAUSTED & DEAD..... INNENU HELALI.... Thatteyinda kannu aacheye hogudilla... alle duruguttikondu nodtha untu.... Thatteyinda ella nanna baayige baruva haage......

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........

Ash...
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

Homecooked said...

Wow Asha....I dont know what to praise first :) Everything looks superb! I'll take ur advice and buy the oraganic chole from now on. The gravy looks rich and yummy :) I loved 3 idiots too. Watched it on the big screen. It was fun!

Saritha said...

Loved the thali asha.Combination of dosa with okra is new to me

FH said...

My thanks to all of you girls, I appreciate your words and friendships.

Ash, took me full 5 mins to read the Kannada words in English! hahaha!! Loved your comment, thanks! :)

Mahek said...

seems to be a yummy dish will try...
But we do not get baked so i will have to use fried stuff....
I will try...

vidhas said...

mouthwatering dishes! eveything is so tempting.

FH said...

Mahek, any Samosa will do to do this Chaat. It's just easy for us to buy frozen than making it here. In India, you just to go to a bakery and buy those yummy samosas, you are so lucky!

Thanks Vidhas, good to see you again, keep blogging! :)

Preety said...

love the samosa chaat recipe, and its great idea to use frozen ones for quick chaat

FH said...

Samosas are great with Chole Preety, do try this weekend!:)

ruchikacooks said...

I cant even move my hand now a days due to blogging and writing..Are you sure you havent got any ? Ashaka,

FH said...

R, believe me when I say this.In 2008, I had so much in pain in my right hand because I used to post more than 3 posts a week and surf 60+ blogs non-stop everyday, that I gave up blogging for a while.
That's when I decided to post just once a week and take it easy on surfing too. I bought a bigger mouse for my laptop and now pain is gone. I also don't blog at all in weekends and after 5pm weekdays, surf only when I have time. I used to feel guilty when I missed one single post of everybody! Not any more, learnt the hard way.
I know what you mean, go easy! Make fists, hold it and relax for several mins often in a day. Helps. Have a relaxing weekend, hugs to you! :))

Yasmeen said...

Delicious spread of food.I love the bitter gourd gujju,I'm gonna try it this week for sure.
You did get luck with the free DVDs.Good review,hope I get a chance to see the movies :D

shankari said...

Yeah I thought that they stretched that movie a bit too much. orelse it was fine.

Divya Kudua said...

Yum..I just love Samosa-chole chat.I always end up ordering channa-samosa[thats what its called here].Love the tangy and sweet and salt taste all together!!The Shivrathri thali looks amazing,as always.

Pravs said...

yum..samosa chole chaat.. even i was planning to make some..long overdue. Love the thali dishes and what a lovely bunch of roses you got there.. love the color.

Shionge said...

Hiya Asha...come here for my 'fix'..hunger pang fix hehehehehe...

Siri said...

Wow, whenever I stop by your blog, I feel like - was taken on a food-ride or something Ashaji. Loved all the dishes, esp the simple Dill rice. I have a bunch of dill leaves sitting in my fridge now and I know what to do with them. and making samosa chole chat with frozen samosas was so easy-breezy! thanks so much.

Hugs,
Siri

Creativecook said...

Samosa Chat Idea is novel! Thanks for sharing!

FH said...

Thank you everyone. Glad I got atleast few Hindi movie DVDs to watch this month including "Blue" orelse I won't get to watch any at all! Not that I go and watch every Hindi movie they release even if I could but few movies are really worth watching! :)

shahana said...

Your thali meal is really tempting!!!!

Spice said...

Nice recipes & nice reviews....from last two weeks planning to make samosas, but always time crunch...from your profile I first went to your other blog Aroma & seeing that it says u r on break was bit surprised than came to this one & for a moment I thought both are having same post, was confused as Aroma also had post starting with Samosa Chaat & here also it's samosa chaat, went back confirmed & realised it's samosa cholle chaat here....me silly...never knew Aroma is yours too....

Margie said...

Hi Dear Asha
Everthing looks so wonderful.
I do so enjoy my visits here as you are so creative in your posts.
Thank you!

Sounds like you had a wonderful Vday weekend!
That is awesome!

Take care, Asha.
See you soon!

Margie:)

DK said...

samosa and choleeeeeeeeeeeee...samosa and chole.....samosa and chole...I am gng to chant this and sleep (its 1:10am here). Oh knows - I might dream of that luscious bowl u shameless flaunted and might probably eat and feel blessed!!!!!

...lemme start --samose and chole..samose and chole..samose and chole....

Rekha said...

I guess its hard to find ppl fasting on shivarathri these days, in fact most of us end up over indulging. I want to try bendekayin gojju from your menu this week.

FH said...

Thanks girls, hope you all enjoyed the weekend, warmer days are here for us at last!:)

Spice, I know! It's funny, I got confused myself for a second when you read your comment too about Samosa Chaat and double checked! :D

M D said...

Your Shivrathri thali spread looks so tempting, that despite a heavy full stomach I am feeling hungry! Love the somosa chole chat. Thanks for sharing the recipe for Obbattu. I LOVE kai obbattu, but owing to so much work I have never tried it. This one seems simpler. I'll try your recipe sometime and let you know how it was. The review on the movies was good part to read. I too found some parts of the movie too irritating although overall the movie was great. Nice write up on Valentine's Day.

Anonymous said...

A belated Happy Valentine's Day to you!

with a girl in college, WoW!
And Meera's favorite greeting is:
"Aall iZZ Well!" She screams that every time she see any pic of Aamir khan or any bollywood poster in Mumbai - which i everywhere.

and yes, it does make NRIs as uber rich idiots!
Best

Usha said...

Everything looks fantastic Asha ! I especially loved the sound of that okra gojju, definitely something I want to try soon. The rasam soup looks perfect, thanks for sharing it with the Healthy Inspirations event and amazing that you were able to make it entirely in the m/w. I love the idea of using the m/w to make rasam :-)

rajani@eatwritethink said...

wow thats quite a weekend asha! love the thali, love the way you make really complicated looking dishes sound simple :)

J said...

I;m so hungry looking at the samosa chaat! Samosa is a weakness and I am allset to shop for the frozen stuff now! Do watch Paa it is good!

Nina said...

In one word "WOW":)

Soma said...

Ooooof your posts always make me hungry. lunch time is not a good time to come. The samosa chaat looks yum. Naven't bought these in a long time now. I am thinking of entertaining.. now. nice, easy way with the ready made mini ones.

Never made karela this way. That thali is so beautifully done!

FH said...

Thanks girls. We loved Chaat as much as any true blood Indian do! :))

Arun, daughter is in UNC-CH, almost done with Freshman class! :D

ruchikacooks said...

snooowww..boo hoo hooo..tomorrow..

Unknown said...

Lovely entires asha..Everthing looks delicious.. the samosas in the chole chaat look tempting!!delicious to the core!! very yummy!

Bhagyashri said...

oh what a coincidence! We watched 3 idiots on Valentine's day too :), yes 'together', thats something rare these days what with the little one taking all his time during the weekend, I am left to carry on my experiments in the kitchen :)

Will be trying your Hagalkayi gojju very soon..

FH said...

R, snow again? Bummer. Hope Spring comes soon, getting tired of this depressing weather.

Thanks K and Bhagya! 3 Idiots was great, funny!:)

Jayasri said...

A very beautiful post dear, samosa chat, I never thought of eating it like that!!, Loved those small samosas which I always boought in Adayar Anada Bhavan, in Gandhi Bazar circle!!, My favourite is Okra & bitter Gourd Gojju, keep making it all the time, should I say I love all Gojjus, Dall Rasam looks Gorgeous!!, and of coourse shiva ratri Thali is great too, it is quite some time I made obattus!!, I too did watch 3 idiots, I too felt the same way, sometimes I wonder is it wrong an NRI acting like that, it is of course hard earned money, and you pay a lot when you are outside India!!, isn't it true ? well, if you loose something over somebody, priority is of course the 'Body' not 'Thing' but !?, shouldn't you be sensible enough to be careful, right Asha ?, I feel if people from India lived here at least a few days would know that it is really not a bed of Roses here, Paying lot of Tax for everything, the weather etc., Then they ask you why don't you come back, I do love to go back, but, it is not so easy is it? with children studying, Jobs with Recession, etc., As you said, it did carry good message and allzwell too!!, Even here when I went to a Malayalam stores, he told me to pick up some CD's, which were free!!, but their was only Malayalam and Tamil movies, Hubby picked them up!!, I was quite surprised, The best was your valentine's day Bunch, They look great!, sorry for writing such a big comment, it is ok if you don't post it, just wanted to tell you my feelings. As SRA said, you get everything in India, and most of them are made in India, so everytime when I go back home, I feel stupid and think what shall I buy for the kids!!, A few months back my sister's son who is aged 6 said, when I asked him what do you want, He always used to ask me to buy him a flying aeroplane, even though they sell it here, you need a lot of space to fly those things, so I had told him about it, and he agreed it was no good!!, but now when I ask him thhe same question he says, Come and visit us, no need to get anything, as we can get everything here, come 'safely' and go back 'safely' :), I know it is too much for a 6 year old to talk like that!!, but, we all had a good laugh about it!!. India is really such an amazing country that you can get everything and anything and I feel so stupid to take anything as a gift!!, what SRA said is so true!!, Thanks for the lovely post, My feelings opened up because of your post!!, As everybody out their I love your write ups!! and look forward to it.

Miri said...

Caricatures are just that - an exaggeration of some qualities and a generalization! And I didn't even realize that Kareena's fiance was an NRI in the movie??
Anyway, the movie was fine till the first half - then it became all preachy and sentimental and over the top!

I fast on Shivratri - the only day in the year that I do, and that too no religious reason as such...

The chole looks awesome!

FH said...

Jaya, I agree with you completely! It's hard for us here than people usually think and I appreciate your long comment and for sharing with me. Most of us feel isolated here without family nearby to support us and yeah, even I think hard about what should I take to 6yr old nephew too, they have everything in India including Levi jeans now! :)

Miri, I felt that too that film is a bit of a drag but it was good movie overall.
I must tell you that last time I was in India, I felt that people have lot of resentment towards NRIs. Even TV news,the newspapers and even films were full of negative sentiments. I was really surprised and disappointed that after all we go thru' here, people just think we are just after money and nothing else, which is not true. I feel that it's not fair to show us in that light too much all the time so younger generation in India form a wrong opinion about us. There are always 2 sides to a coin. I sensed that resentment in "3 Idiots" too which shows that NRIs are all rich and shallow! Most of us are not, we are just trying to survive with whatever we have. I even think Indians in India have better life than us here! :)

Urmi said...

I appreciate for your wonderful presentation with delicious and mouth watering dishes. I liked the samosa chat and chhole preparation very much. Thanks for all the lovely recipes.

FH said...

You are welcome Babli, glad you enjoyed my post. I love chaat too. Have a great day.

Simplyfood said...

What a beautiful thali and lovely recipes all mouth watering and lovely.Beautiful photos too.

FH said...

Thanks S, I appreciate it. Have a great day, see you soon! :)

roma said...

mouth watering delicacies , Asha. Pretty V Day flowers too :-)

Unknown said...

Wow Asha, i didnt know masoor al can be cooked in microwave,...i am a big fan of masoor dal, love its taste a lot and its so quick to cook even on stove.