Haryanvi Cuisine: Pakodi di Kadhi, Jeera Chawal, Mooli de Paranthe, Gajar da Achar, Aloo Raita, Besan Pinni and Chhas!

Look who is wandering into the wonderful state of Haryana today!
Yes! It's that time for my favorite RCI event again and this month we are going to tour and taste Haryana, which geographically surrounds Delhi (India's Capital) on three sides, forming the northern, western and southern borders. I am not from Haryana and what I gather from reading about this state from various online websites is that it's cuisine and culture are similar to Punjab. So I am trying to do my best here to bring you few dishes from that region, so bear with me if you think they are not very authentic Haryanvi! :)

Here is what WIKIPEDIA says about Haryana:
"The name Haryana means "The Abode of God" from Sanskrit. Hari (the Hindu God Vishnu) and ayana (home), although it may also refer to the lush green landscape of the state (from Sanskrit harit meaning green).
Chandigarh is the capital of Haryana and the state of Punjab as well. Haryana was the cradle of Indus Valley and Vedic Civilizations, both flourishing on the banks of the now lost Saraswati river. Haryana contributed heavily to the Green Revolution that made India self-sufficient in food production in the 1960s. The state of Haryana has the 3rd highest Per Capita income in the country. It is one of the leading industrialized states of India and is considered to be the current major hub for the information technology and automobile industries."

About Haryanvi cuisine:
"Haryanvi cuisine is like the people of Haryana, simple, robust. The 'Land of Rotis' is an apt title for Haryana as people are fond of eating different kinds of rotis. Haryana is well known for it's agriculture and cattle wealth, so there is a abundance of milk, butter, ghee, Lassi, Thandai, Buttermilk and vegetables, which are similar to Punjab." These infos are from a Haryana tourism website. Here is my RCI Punjab post.

Regional Cuisine of India aka RCI event is started by LakshmiK and this month EC of "Simple Indian Food" is guest hosting and she has chosen Haryana (vegetarian dishes) as the state for February. Thanks for hosting EC. With all those wonderful information about Haryana, let's celebrate and cook something Haryanvi, shall we? :)


Haryanvi Thali:
(I had to get my "big gun" thali for this Haryanvi cuisine menu, smaller thali won't do! :D)
Besan (chickpea flour) Kadhi with Pakodi, Jeera (Cumin flavored) rice, Mooli (Radish) Paratha, Potato Raita, Carrot-ginger-garlic pickle, Besan Pinni and Chhas (a lightly spiced Buttermilk). Some salt sits in the middle of the thali and lemon slices and a green chilly just in case if you feel the urge to take a bite! :D


Let me type in how I made these first:
You see Kadhi Pakodi, Jeera Rice and Carrot pickle below, you enlarge this by clicking on the collage. Recipes follows.
Pakodi di Kadhi:
For making Kadhi:
1. Beat 1 cup fat free or light Sour cream with 3 cups of water and add 4 tbsp Besan (Chickpeas flour) with a whisk to avoid lumps. Add 1-2 sliced green chillies, 1 tsp or more salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chilli pd, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp each of cumin seeds pd and Coriander seeds pd, 2 tsp ground ginger and keep stirring often, simmer gently until it bubbles and thickens slightly, may be for 1/2 to 1 hour. Do not heat on medium heat, sour cream might separate.
2. Add Besan pakodis, let them soak and simmer for a while and turn off the heat.
To make Besan Pakodis:
1. Mix 1 cup Besan, 1/2 cup minced onion, 1 potato peeled and chopped fine, 1/2" ginger grated, 1/2 tsp dry chilli flakes, salt, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/4 tsp of baking pd, 1/4 tsp ajwain and add enough water to make a thick batter.
2. Deep fry small balls of these batter until golden and add to the above Kadhi.
Seasoning for Kadhi:
Heat 2 tsp ghee+1 tsp oil, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 2 dry chillies. When they splutter, add to the Kadhi and mix.

Jeera Chawal:
This is an easy ghee and cumin flavored rice to make for Kadhi, of course you can also serve Kadhi with plain rice.
1. Cook 2 cups of Basmati or long grain rice with 3 1/2 cups water, 1 tsp oil or ghee and pinch of salt or as you cook rice usually. Cool the rice a bit.
2. Heat 1-2 tbsp ghee, add 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp cumin seeds. When they are slightly golden, add to the cooked rice and mix well.

Gajar Achar:
Freshly made Carrot pickle lasts in the fridge about a week. You can also add pickle masala like SWAD brand if you have it or you can add freshly ground spices. I added some garlic and ginger slices to this too, tastes great with Mooli parathas.
Here it is:
1. Dry fry 2 tbsp reddish Mustard seeds, 1 tbsp (or 1/2 tbsp, if you don't like it too bitter) Fenugreek seeds and 2-4 (or more for spicy) dry red chillies and pound these coarsely. Keep aside.
2. Take 1 large Carrot, wash, dry, cut into 2" sticks, 1 tsp paprika for color, slice 3 garlic and 2" ginger, mix with 2-4 tbsp Lemon juice and enough salt.
3. Add ground pickle masala to Carrot etc and mix well. Tempering the pickle is optional, I didn't do it. Adjust the spices and salt, keep it in the fridge. You can use it immediately.

Alrighty, second batch now!
This part has Aloo raita, Mooli (Radish stuffed ) Paratha, Besan Pinni (a delicious dessert like Burfi) and Chhas, a lightly spiced Buttermilk to wash it all down, Haryanvi style! :)

Mooli de Paranthe:
Mooli stuffing:
1. Thickly grate Daikon or white Radish until you get about 2 cups or so, sprinkle some salt and let it rest for a while to draw out the water. Squeeze out the water to get dry Radish.
2. Mix with a bit of chilli pd or minced green chilles, tsp of grated ginger, few pinches of turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin pd, enough salt, little Amchoor (Mango pd), 1 tsp besan or cornstarch to make it all come together.Divide into equal sized portions.
Paratha: Mix 2 cups wheat flour (Atta), salt, 2 tbsp oil or veg shortening, 1/2 tsp of baking powder(optional but makes it very flaky) and enough water to make a firm dough, make into equal sized balls and let it rest for an hour or so.
To make Mooli stuffed Parathas;
Roll out dough to 4" circle, place a Mooli stuffing, cover and carefully roll out to 5-6" circles and roast on Tava with a bit of oil until both sides are golden. Check this "Aloo parathas" post to see step by step photos of stuffing.

Aloo Raita:
1. Boil 1 or 2 Potatoes, peel and cube them, keep aside to cool them.
2. Beat 1 cup of plain thick yogurt, add salt, pepper, cumin seeds powder, pinch of Kala Namak, pinches of Chaat masala and few chopped mint and coriander leaves. Add Potato cubes and mix to chiil and serve.

Besan Pinni:
A typical Haryanvi dessert, we loved these. Tastes like Besan Laddoos we always make at home but better with Pistachios and easy to make too. They say that Pinni is the way they make these sweets squeezed in the fist of your palm. I made few of both shapes.
Here is how:
1. Sift 1/2 cup Besan well to avoid lumps.
2. Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tbsp ghee and add besan to it on low heat and keep stirring until it's roasted or until you smell the aroma. Do not burn it.
3. Add 1/2 cup powdered Sugar,1/4 tsp Saffron, 1 tsp ground cardamom, 1 tbsp toasted chopped Pistachios, mix everything very well and cook for 2 mins or until sugar is incorporated.
4. Take off the heat, add 1 or 2 tbsp of milk to it just until it's little wet but liquidy. Just enough milk so you should be able to pick up the dough and make shapes with your hand.
5. Traditionally, you take a lump of Besan mix, squeeze it gently to make a fist in your plam to get the finger prints on it like Gujarati Muthias. I made some of those until my palms started to get red and then put some in a small cup and inverted them to make the other shape.
6. Cover to keep. This recipe makes about 7-8 small pieces which is enough for us.

Finally, a Chhas:
A simple but tasty Buttermilk drink to accompany these thali dishes, somewhat like south Indian spiced buttermilk but lot less spicy! Here is my very tasty Karnataka style Majjige!
To make Chhas:
1. Beat 2-3 cups of thin Buttermilk with salt, taosted and ground cumin seeds powder, coarse pepper pd well until frothy. Few chopped mint and Cilantro on top to garnish and flavor would complete the picture! Serve with Lemon slices.
One more look without the Chhas there. This thali was delicious!! Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!


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Tried and tasted dishes from other blogs:
Thanks to all of you for posting these yummy dishes! :)

Potato Muruku, from Vijaya.
Zucchini chutney, from Laavanya. (Added 1" ginger and 1 garlic to grind and tempered with mustard seeds)
Crowder peas Usal, from Meera. (Made this with some gravy to go with soft Idlis!)
Kollu Pongal, from Jayasree.

Thank you Yasmeen for "You are a sweetheart" award, photo is in the side bar. I think you are the SWEETEST gal! :)

Book I am currently reading is:
"Q and A" by Vikas swarup, which is available at Amazon. He is a Indian diplomat serving in South Africa, the book says. This is also his first novel which is converted in to 34 languages so far! This is THE book which inspired the movie "Slumdog Millionaire".
The main character here in this book is a waiter in Mumbai who won a billion rupees in a contest and his name is Ram Mohammad Thomas!! When they arrest him, police mocks him "What kind of name is that? Your mother couldn't decide who your father is?"
Intriguing enough for ya? I am still reading it, has 12 chapters which takes to every question of that contest and his life experiences in every stage and it's very enjoyable, much more interesting than the movie! :))

Have a wonderful Shivaratri celebration on the 23rd, see you all next week with what I made for Shivaratri, a smaller thali than this for sure! No fasting in my house for any reason! ;D

BENGALI CUISINE/BANGLA RANNA

Crocuses, early Spring flowers in my yard at last! YAAY!!:))




Yes, Sandeepa did announce the RCI-Bengal finally! :D
This post promptly goes to RCI-Bengal and to RCI event's host this month, Sandeepa of "Bong Mom's cookbook". Thank you for hosting Sandeepa!:)
This is my last post here until May, will be on much needed Spring break. Enjoy, will see you all then! :)



About Bengal:
A beautiful Bengali woman doll in her traditional Bengali style saree, you can buy this in any good Indian art store.

According to a scripture called "Pithamala's Nigamatantra", the vast bow shaped land stretching from Dakshineshwer to Bahulapur i.e. Behala (Bengal or Bangla) is the Kalikhetra or realm of Kali, the Goddess. Read more here.
Bengal or "Shonar Bangla"(Golden Bengal), as it is affectionately referred to by Bengalis, who speak Bangla or Bengali, is an Indian state situated in the North-east of India. It's capital city is Kolkata/Calcutta, Bengal is also home for Sundarbans—the world's largest mangrove forest and Bengal tigers. Culturally rich, Bengal is the home of Bengal Renaissance, Baul, a folk music and many revolutionary activities during the Indian independence movement.
The most famous son of Bengal is Rabindranath Tagore, a poet (Gitanjali),a philosopher,visual artist, playwright,novelist,composer and also a winner of Asia's first Nobel laureate in 1913 in Literature. He is also the author of national anthems of Bangladesh and India: "Amar Shonar Bangla" and "Jana Gana Mana". Most acclaimed directors like Satyajit Ray hails from Bengal as well.
Bengali cuisine is well-known for the vast range of rice dishes, desserts and various preparations of freshwater fish. Bengali cuisine is rich and with many spices,flavors with varied influences of many cultures like Islam, British and South east Asian. Great lover of sweets, they occupy an important place in the diet of Bengalis and at their social ceremonies. Isn't Bengal sounds beautifully wonderful? Here is my humble contribution to Shonar Bangla, enjoy!:)

Bangla Ranna/Bengali Thali:
I chose a few dishes for RCI-Bengal from a beautiful cookbook called "Bangla Ranna-The Bengal cookbook" by Minakshie DasGupta, with few of my own changes for my convenience. Bangla Ranna means "Bengali cuisine" in Bengali.


Alu-Potoler Dalna (Potato Parwal gravy), Maacher Sorse Jhol (Fish in Mustard gravy), Ghee Bhat (sweetish Bengali rice Pulao), Porota (Flatbread), Lankar Achar (Green chillies pickle)and Patishapta (sweet flour crepe with sweet aromatic coconut filling and topped with Saffron cream).

Alu-Potoler Dalna:
Potol/Parwal is a kind of vegetable available in India. I had a pack of frozen Parwal which I used in this dalna/gravy. I am sure fresh Parwal tatses lot better than the frozen ones.This dalna is really tasty served with Parathas.

To make Dalna:
1. Heat 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tbsp oil in a deep pan, add 2 bay leaves,1 tsp Cumin seeds, 2 red dry chillies, 1 onion finely chopped until reddish.
2. Add 3 large potatoes, cubed, 2 cups sliced Parwal (a kind of vegetable but you can any other veg too), fry these for 5 mins.
3. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp coriander seeds powder, 1/2 tbsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp Garam masala, 1/2 tsp chilli powder,salt, 1 tsp sugar. Mix well.
4. Add 2 cups or more water, 1 large Tomato, cover and let it cook until potatoes are cooked soft.Add chopped cilantro and adjust the spices to serve with Porota.

Maacher Sorse Jhol:
Sorse is Mustard seeds in Bengali, Maacher is Fish. A typical Bengali blend of Mustard seeds, turmeric and green chillies, you can add chicken, Eggs, round baby potatoes or any white fish to the gravy. Sour cream is also optional. This Cod fish is the last of my fish basket from my freezer!:D

To make Jhol/gravy:
1. Cut 2 fillets of Cod or any kind of white fish into chunky cubes. Keep aside.
2. Roast 4 tbsp Mustard seeds, 2 red chillies, 2 green chillies and grind with 1/2 turneric, 1/4 tsp salt, to a paste. Keep it aside.
3. Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a pan, add fish pieces and fry for a minute. Add masala paste, 2 cups of water.Bring it to boil, turn the heat down.
4. Add 2 tbsp beaten sour cream to the pan, mix and simmer for 10 mins.(Adding sour cream is not in the book but I thought it's good idea since it didn't have any sourness in it, you can skip sour cream if you like)
5. When fish is cooked, Jhol is ready! Tastes great with Pulao.

Porota:
Paratha or Bengali Porota are a kind of flatbread, made of plain flour, rolled out into layers and baked on griddle smeared with ghee, tastes wonderful with any side dish. Making layers for this Porota is little hard to explain without photos. Click on the collage to see the bigger photos. If using just plain flour making you work a little harder to do the layers, you could add 1/2 cup of wheat flour to make it easier to roll. But plain flour parathas are tastier!

To make Porota:
1. Mix 2 cups plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda,mix well.
2. Add in 2 tbsp plain yogurt, 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter), 1 cup or enough hot water to the flour, knead to a stiff dough.Brush some oil on top of the dough. Let it rest for 1/2 an hour, covered.
3. Divide into slightly bigger than golf ball sized rounds, roll out each into 4"circles, brush some oil, sprinkle some flour.


4. Roll them like cigars from the wider end and stretch the ends to elongate it.
5. Now curl both ends in opposite direction as shown in the collage in the shape of "S". Place one curl on the other to make a round ball.
6. Press them down, roll out again to 5-6" circles gently, bake on a griddle or tawa brushing some oil on both sides until crisp and golden.
7. Store in an airtight container like Tortilla warmer.Reheat when needed.
Hope you got all that. Although it sounds complicated, once you get it, it's easy to make the layered Porota. Using just plain flour makes them very tasty, just make sure dough is firm like you do for pooris, not soft, which makes it harder to roll..

Ghee Bhat and Lankar Achar:
Bengali pulao is sweetish rice seasoned with ghee (clarified butter), nut and raisins. I made this ghee bhat my way by cooking the rice separately (rather than cooking with everything in one pot) and then adding the ghee seasoning.

Ghee Bhat: 1. Cook 1 1/2 cups of rice with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ghee, 1/2 cup of milk and enough water as you cook usually until done and spread on a wide mouthed plate, cover to let it dry a little. Slice 1 onion thinly.
2. Heat a pan, add 3 tbsp ghee, 2 tsp oil. Fry onion slices, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of sugar until reddish. Take out the onion onto a plate keeping as much ghee as you can in the pan.
3. To the remaining ghee, 2 bay leaves, add 3 cloves, 1" cinnamon, 2 green whole slightly crushed Cardamom pods, 2 tbsp red and golden raisins, few Almonds, few Pistachios. When the raisins are plump, pour this and onions to rice. Mix well. It's ready to serve with any gravy dishes.
Green chillies pickle in the above photo is store bought, it's Priya brand which is my favorite.
Here is the recipe as it is in the book to make green chillies pickle. I haven't tried this pickle, so I am just giving you the recipe. I will post the photo when I do try. I have lessened the proportions to make just 2 cups of chopped green chillies pickle since the book has the recipe for 1kg of green chillies! Add more sugar if you like sweet and hot pickle.
To make it:
1. Add 2 tbsp salt to 2 cups green chillies, cut into 1/4 " rounds, 2 tbsp fresh ginger strips, mix leave it overnight.
2. Grind 2 tbsp ginger, 2 tbsp garlic, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 3 tbsp mustard seeds, 1 cup vinegar,1 tbsp sugar, salt to taste and keep aside.
3. Heat 1/2 cup mustard oil, fry the green chillies for 10 mins, take them out of the oil. Add 1 cup more mustard oil to the pan, add 1 tsp mustard seeds and all the vinegar masala paste.
4. Cook this mixture until it changes color, then add fried chillies, fry for 10 more mins. Adjust the seasoning. Cool and store.

Patishapta:
This recipe is not exactly as in the above book although basic idea is came for this dessert from that book, here my version of Patishapta. A pancake made of flour and rice flour, stuffed with nuts and sweetened coconut,garnished with saffron cream! What's not to like, eh?!:D

To make Patishapta:
1. In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup plain flour, 3 tbsps of rice flour,1/8 tsp Baking soda, 2 tbsp powdered sugar,1/2 tsp Cardamom pd, 1/4 cup milk and enough water to make a thinnish dosa/crepe/pancake like batter.Cover and let it rest for 15mins.
2. In a pan, add few Almonds, raisins, 1 cup fresh grated coconut, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/8 cup cream, heat and mix until thickish mass. Add 1 tsp Cardamom powder, mix and let it cool.(I just mixed ready made sweetened coconut and cardamom pd)
3. Heat 1/4 cup of cream, pinch of Saffron, 1 tbsp of powdered sugar until hot and cool the mixture.
4. Heat a non-stick pan, add 1 tsp ghee. Pour in a small ladle of batter,swirl it to make a circle, cook, flip and cook the other until golden on both sides.
5. Add few tbsps of coconut mix in the center, fold over the pancake and place it on the plate. Drizzle the saffron cream on top and serve immediately.

One more look:

Done! LOVED the Bengali thali!! :D

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Book I read:
Two plays written by our own famous son of Karnataka, a Rhode scholar at Oxford U Girish Karnad. He is an acclaimed director, actor, dramatist and a playwriter in Kannada and English, Chairman of Sangeeta nataka academy, a visiting professor in the U of Chicago, also honored by Padma Bhushana and Jnanapitha awards by India.

The dreams of Tipu Sultan, which was first played in YMCA, Chennai and then commissioned by BBC and broadcasted in Britain on the 50th anniversary of Indian independence.
Play is about "Tiger of Mysore" Tipu Sultan, about his last days of fighting with the British army and his tragic end, as one of his ministers remembers Tipu's dreams and records his memories of those last traumatic days. Tipu Sultan's two young sons were said to have taken by the British to Calcutta, which was the capital then and they were left to live in utter poverty in Calcutta slums as the British refused to give them any princely compensation after their father Tipu Sultan died and as a punishment for Tipu's decision to fight against the British instead of accepting defeat,making deals and giving up Mysore to them like other kings and sultans did with their provinces!
I read that Tipu Sultan's blood relatives are still living in Kolkata in poverty, not being helped in anyway to this day, I sincerely hope it isn't so but sad isn't it, if it's true?

Bali-The sacrifice. (Bali means sacrifice in Kannada, but both plays are in English)
This play was commissioned and played in Haymarket Theatre in Leicester, UK. It's a bizzare tragic and comedic story of a supposedly pregnant young queen who has an affair with a Mahout or Elephant keeper(played by Naseeruddin Shah) one night! Play unfurls as the king and the Queen mother's strange understanding of the grave situation and trying to find a solution by thinking of sacrificing an image of Cockerel made of dough to God to right the wrong! It's made of dough because they are Jains ie against any violence to "live" animals. Story ends up in a surprising twist and tragedy, which makes Queen mother a very happy woman , who plots and gets exactly what she wanted out of that situation without saying so much in words!
Clever MIL, huh? ;D
Beautiful read. Wish I had watched both of these plays!

Another book of Girish Karnad which I am going to read on my break is;
Three plays; Naga-Mandala, Hayavadana, Tughlaq , which you can buy here.

That's it for this post at FH. I have got two more posts to go at Aroma next week. After that I will be off blogging from March 20th to end of April or so, to enjoy the Spring break keeping with one my New year's resolution of taking frequent breaks. I will catch up with you all with a post on RCI-Rajasthan when I come back. Take care of yourselves until then!:))

SOUPS, SALADS AND SLOPPY JOE!

Happy 60th Independence day to India!!



Saffron represents "courage and sacrifice",
White represents "peace, unity and truth",
Green represents "fertile land",
The Blue wheel in the center represents "Dharma Chakra"(the wheel of Law).





Mother India has come a long way, here is her brief history:
The Indus Valley is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, dating back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier inhabitants created the unique Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control all over India. Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism under Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru (first Prime Minister of India) led to India's independence on August 15th, 1947.Info from here.

"Nice Matters" award with the cutest logo ever!:))

Cyber Kitty from "That's how it really works!!" blog gave me the "Nice matters" award. So nice of you CK! Thanks, Love ya!!:)
You are ALL nice bloggers to me, the best foodies around! I don't dare choose!:))
But who is the nicest of all bloggers I can think of to pass on this award? Anali from "Anali's First Amendment" comes to my mind immediately! This is for you Anali.You are the nicest blogger! Enjoy:)


Now on to the blogging business!!
As unbearably hot as it is right now, what a great time to make some cool salads ,Ice Creams and enjoy them! My Tomato, Eggplant ,Gourd and Okra plants are thriving in this heat and you know what that means at FH and Aroma!!;P Here are some cool salads, Soups and a Sandwich I made last week!

Tasty Tomato soup with a flavor of India!
You know what they say? "Keep it simple stupid?!" :D
I will start with a simple and tasty Tomato soup this week. I have too many Plum or Roma Tomatoes at home right now out of just two plants.I am practically throwing them in EVERY dish! Here is a soup for you with a little touch of spices!:)

You need: 8-10 Plum Tomatoes which are sweeter,pulpy and lot less seeds than regular Tomatoes or you can use canned Tomato sauce,1 small finely grated carrot,1 tsp olive oil or butter, Salt, pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional),2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp Cumin powder,1/2 tsp Garlic pd, 1 tbsp heavy Cream or Coconut milk, a sprig of Cilantro or fresh Basil for garnish.
To make it:
1. Cut a little X on each and blanch the Tomatoes with water in the microwave for 2 mins,drain,rinse them under cold water,peel the skins,slice and discard the seeds or open the can!:)
2. Heat a tsp of Olive oil or butter,add Carrot,saute for a while until it softens.Add Tomato sauce,cook for 3 mins on low to medium heat,taking care not boil the soup to avoid separating the pulp and water.
3. Add all the ingredients except cream when the raw smell goes, simmer for a minute or two.Take off the heat, add cream or coconut milk,stir gently to mix.
4. Garnish with Cilantro and serve warm or chilled with Croutons or crusty roll and a salad. Enjoy!:)

Roasted Red Bell peppers(Capsicums),Pear and Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber salad with sweet yogurt:
A beautiful looking and tasting cool salad,makes a great accompaniment for a hot and spicy sandwiches or soups.You can use Plum tomatoes,fresh red bell peppers but bottled roasted,peeled and soaked in Olive oil red peppers taste wonderful.


Here is how to make it:
1. Take a glass bowl, add chopped Pear,Cherry or plum tomatoes, cubed cucumber, 1/2 cup plain Yogurt,1/2 red or white Videlia onion cubed/sliced, 1/4 tsp Garlic pd, 1/2 tsp Cumin pd, Chaat masala (optional)and pepper coarsely ground.
2. Fresh herbs like Parsley, mint or Cilantro can be added, your choice.
3. Now take 3 roasted bell peppers slices out of the bottle,drain the excess oil and slice into thin strips and add to the bowl.
4. Add little salt,mix everything and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Chinese style Spicy Zucchini Ribbon Salad:
I love this so salad much,I could eat a bowl on it's own without any soup or Sandwich!! A wonderful mix of Sesame oil,seeds, and a touch of chilli heat, YUM!

You need:
2 zucchinis,sliced into ribbons, 1/8 tsp salt.
For spicy dressing 1/2 tbsp sesame oil (a must have ingredient!), 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds toasted, 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes or 2 dried chili peppers sliced into strips, 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger, 2 minced garlic, 1 tbsp rice vinegar or malt vinegar and 1/2 tsp sugar.
To make it:
1. Heat sesame oil until it smokes, take off the heat, add chili pepper flakes and sesame seeds.Keep aside.
2. Trim both sides of the zucchinis slice lengthwise to ribbons with a potato peeler as shown in the picture. Put them in a bowl, add salt and all other ingredients including the seasoning and toss well.Chill before you serve.

Chinese style Egg Drop Soup!
My favorite and quick Chinese style soup with Eggs streamed in to it and tastes great on it's own or with crusty rolls.I make this usually for a quick Sunday dinner after a elaborate meal for lunch and no leftovers!

You need:3 tbsp cornstarch, 6 tbsp water, 1 tsp canola oil, 2 tbsp minced Green onions/scallions, 1 tbsp soy sauce.
Soup Base 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup frozen green peas,1 grated or cubed Carrot, 2 eggs lightly beaten with 2 tbsp water,and 1 tsp sesame oil(Important!).
How to Make it:
1. Combine cornstarch and water well.
2. Heat Canola oil, add scallions, and stir fry. Add in soy sauce and all the soup base ingredients until it boils.
3. Turn down the heat, slowly add cornstarch mix stirring constantly until slightly thickened.
4. Add the peas and remove the pan from the heat.
5. Slowly add beaten eggs in a thin stream around the edge of the pot and carefully stir once or twice so the eggs form into thin streamers.
6. Add in sesame oil, adjust seasoning,garnish with chopped Chives and serve with zucchini salad.

Sweet and delicious KFC style Coleslaw!
Although I don't like any of the other KFC food because of the greasy chicken etc, I LOVE their sweetish Coleslaw. Sometimes we just buy that and get Sandwiches from somewhere else! Here is how I make my Coleslaw which "almost" tastes like KFC's. Tastes excellent with BBQ Ribs and rolls too.

You need: 1/2 small cabbage, 2 carrots, 1/4 cup sweet onion like Videlia, 4 tbsp sugar or more if you like,1/2 tsp salt,4 tbsp milk,1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tbsp minced bottled Roasted Bell pepper (optional),1 tsp white vinegar,pepper pd.
To make it:
1. Slice Cabbage to thin shreds,grate carrots and mince onion.Add to a bowl.
2. Add rest of the ingredients to it and mix well.Taste for seasoning,adjust and chill in the fridge for an hr. before you serve.
3. KFC Coleslaw is sweet and crunchy which sets it apart from all other Coleslaws, my personal favorite.Enjoy with any burgers,BBQ and of course fried or baked Chicken!:)

My favorite hotchpotch Potato salad:
I say hotchpotch because I just add whatever I can think of and find in my fridge to this salad except boiled Eggs.It's yummy and I make it usually with Burgers and Coleslaw.

You need: 4 medium red waxy potatoes (DO NOT use baking potatoes),1/4 cup sweet chopped onion,1/4 cup chopped green or red bell pepper, 1 stick celery sliced thin,2 tbsp Hot Dog relish, 1 tbsp chunky stone ground brown Mustard or Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup sour cream,1/2 cup or less Mayonnaise,1 tbsp Chopped chives,1 tbsp Dill leaves, 1 tsp minced mint leaves,salt and pepper.
How to make it:
1. Boil red potatoes with skin on but make holes to prevent bursting until soft to touch.Cool under the cold water,peel the skin and cube into chunks.Cool completely.
2. Once cooled,add in a bowl.Add all the ingredients mentioned up there and mix gently,do not break the Potatoes.
3. Taste for seasoning,adjust salt etc adding more if you need.Cover and put it in the fridge for at least for an hr and serve.
4. It should be moist, thickish but not runny with thin liquid.Add a little milk,it's too thick.Enjoy.

Yummy Sloppy Joe!
The name Sloppy Joe comes from making a mess spilling stuff out of the buns while eating these sandwiches with a slop like ground beef filling which is neither like burgers or like a runny gravy but somewhere in between but very delicious with it's own way of cooking! They also say that Sloppy was cooked by a guy called Joe, hence the name Sloppy Joe. Sloppy Tom is made of Turkey meat!:D
Vegetarians can use Soya granules in the same way.

You need: 1 tbsp butter, 1 pound ground beef , 1 small chopped onions, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, salt, 1/4 tsp chilli flakes,1/2 tsp cayenne or Paprika pd, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup or tomato sauce,Tabasco,1 tsp seasoning or dry rub of your choice, 1 tbsp parsley, 1/2 cup or more water, 4 split and toasted sandwich rolls.
How to make it:
1. Heat butter, cook onion, add ground beef with salt ,any seasoning you like 1 tsp BBQ dry rub and coarse pepper until beef is no longer red, stirring often to break up the lumps.
2. Sprinkle flour over beef, stir to blend thoroughly. Let it cook for a minute.
3. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, spices and water. Simmer, stir often until the sloppy Joe is thickened.Texture should be thick like sauce.
4. Serve on the toasted rolls with Potato salad and chilled Coleslaw.YUM!

Sloppy Joe with Coleslaw and Potato salad:
My kids are in 7th Heaven after this meal,somebody please get them back to Earth!:D



Last week, I tried these from other foodies;

Hema of "Vegetarian concoctions" blog's Morkootu with my homegrown Bottle/bird house Gourd and fat-free Sour cream instead of yogurt!! YUM! Thanks Hema :)



Lemon pickle with Anusha of "Talimpu" blog's Urad dal powder recipe! I added thinly cut lemon pieces instead of juice,seasoned with oil and mustard seeds. Simple and delicious!! Thank you Anusha :)

To make it:
Lemon 5-6
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Dried red chillies 5
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tsp
Heat oil, add broken red chillies.Add urad dal and fry until reddish, cool and powder coarsely.
Add to chopped lemon pieces and store.
That's "all" this week folks!!

BAMBOO SHOOT PICKLE

Bamboo Shoot as it grows:

This is how a Bamboo shoot looks like. When it's just about one foot, we cut it,peel the outer layers and chop into slices.Soak in water for 24hrs and drain and then use it in our cooking.Fortunately,we don't have to all that.Canned Bamboo shoots slices are available in US.Still the flavor of fresh Bamboo shoots are very different from the canned ones,lot stronger than canned ones.

Some of you mentioned Bamboo Shoots pickle, and when I asked Arvind (my husband), he said "of course we pickle Bamboo shoots in the estates (meaning coffee plantations around Sakeleshpura where he is from) , didn't you know?!" GREAT!! now I HAD TO make this pickle!!:D


I vouch for it, this looks & tastes divine!! How did I miss out all this time!!





How to make Bamboo Shoot Pickle:
I used 2 small cans of sliced Bamboo Shoots or two cups of sliced Bamboo Shoots, 4 tbsp Swad Ready Pickle mix , juice form 2 limes and seasoned it.
Season: Heat 1/4 cup oil,add 6-8 whole peeled Garlic,1tsp mustard seeds, few fresh curry leaves,3-4 dry red chillies.Cool and add to the pickle.



If you don't have ready pickle mix; grind 4 tbsp mustard seeds,2 tbsp Methi seeds and 10 or more dry red chillies ,salt coarsely and add to Bamboo shoots and season as above.

Another dish made with Bamboo shoot is here.

Enjoy!!