Beloved Bengaluru & Mysuru, cooking Rainbow Red Chard and a long Summer break!

Hello everybody, hope life and warm Summer has been great to all of you so far.
Well....for me it was wonderful. I had been in India, to super HOT, humid Summery Bangalore and Mysore to be precise for few weeks and now back home to reality ie dog tired after 19hrs of flying, sniffling with cold and exhaustion, not wanting to start cooking and cleaning again. But I did come back to my beautifully flourished veggie patch, my little "happy to see you" family with not so clean kitchen at home. Although I enjoyed visiting India fully, I am so very glad to be back in clean, cooler and less populated America! :D

Kids have coped well while I was in India. My husband worked, came home as usual and took kids out on weekends as I hear from my kids. Thank God for Trisha, she has been a great "little mommy" to her brother while I was gone! Apparently my son almost had set my brand new kitchen on fire trying to warm a canned food with the lid on in the Microwave! :P

Visiting India, family and friends after many many years (almost 18tyrs!), I had an eye opening experience about life there. Mostly good things with most beautiful visual treats, whether they are clothes, Temples, Artifacts or food and some facts really makes me sad like how kids are pushed relentlessly by most parents there to achieve academically whether kids are capable or not, along with a ridiculous amount of school and college fees as "donation", shocking to hear first hand of blatantly asking us for bribe by most officials without a trace of shame for even a small thing they do which is supposed to be their regular work and not to mention the smells (good and bad!), shoulder rubbing mass of (mostly smiling!) crowd everywhere, deafening noise of honking vehicles every second, death defying traffic and pollution you can almost touch!! I am sure I have partial black lungs now! HeHe!!

I bought back a lot of Indian style "Kurtis" for us, some gold and brought back some of my wedding jewelry and Sarees too which were sitting in India for years. Of course, bought loads of Kannada cookbooks and books written by author BeeChi! Also enjoyed meeting my 6yr old nephew whom I hadn't met before, my beautiful SIL and of course my parents, few aunts and my only brother.

Anyway, now that I am trying to recover slowly from exhaustion, Flu and Allergy, we have a fully engaging Summer this year. Starting with both Kids' graduation in June, a Hawaii vacation in July, a college orientation and daughter's's move to college dorm in August, we are very busy this Summer. I will not be able to blog surf or blog until Fall. I will see you all again soon, starting with my 2009 Summer garden post.

Here are few photos from Bangalore and Mysore:(Click on all the images to enlarge)

Food I ate!! Yes, I need to walk and lose lot of lbs too this Summer! :D
I met Latha of "The YUM Blog" there. She has been a wonderful friend, cooked lunch for me, took me around to meet her friends near her home and took me around to show me places there as well. She has a beautiful house, filled with antique "Thippalai" and "Jhola" etc., loved them all. The first photo you see in the collage is her lunch for me the first day I met her of Adai, Avial, Payasam etc on a solid silver plate!! She also made her popular Rava Idli platter and Pani Puri next time but I was so eager to eat, forgot to take pics! :D
I also talked to Lakshmi, Latha's daughter and SRA on the phone as well, met my college friends and sampled some of the south and North Indian food in B'lore and Mysore.
We sampled Jolada rotti oota, Holige oota, Masale dose in "Nalapaka", "Janata", "Adyar Ananda Bhavan", "Halli Mane", "MTR", "Iravata", chaats at "Thindi Beedi" in V.V.Puram, Gobi and babycorn Manchurian, Gulkan Kulfi and "Siddhartha" in Mysore, Maddur vades, Bisibele Bhath, Poori Saagu, MTR Rava Idli and many many more. I don't like to eat sweets much, didn't sample those really but I gifted many boxes of sweets to friends and family including that delicious Mysore Pak.

Here are some beautiful images which represents Bangalore and Mysore. Temples, Palaces, Veg market, Flower market, colorful powders, Bangles and exotic fruits and artifacts!

I do have more than 250 photos but tried to post some of them just to show you. That was a great trip to India all in all and hope I can make it there in about 4yrs again when my son starts college and stay longer than few weeks! :)

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My veggie garden has grown so much in just few weeks I had been gone!
I had spread some Rainbow Red chard seeds before I left US and now they are grown like a jungle! You can see the Red chard leaves on your left corner on the bottom of the photo.
As soon as I came back home, I ran to the backyard, took this photo and then cooked a simple but tasty dal with a whole bunch of red chard and chana dal, a Red Chard stir fry, right after 2-3 days of sleeping at odd hrs to catch up the time difference betn India and US!

Red Chard dal, Red Chard stir fry, Eggplant Pachadi/Bajji and Rice rottis:
I am sending this platter to Indosungod's event "The Chard Challenge-Calling all Gardeners". Thanks for hosting Indo, enjoy! :)
Well.. it doesn't take much work or preparation to grow Swiss Chard or Rainbow Chard in your backyard at all. All you need is a well prepared pot or ground with loose soil with Miracle grow or good fertilizer added and Chard seeds to sprinkle. Water occasionally and there you have it! They grow profusely, just snip only the leaves as you need them, don't pull the whole plant. They grow very well with minimal effort, very nutritious and beautiful to look at too.

To make Swiss Rainbow Chard dal:

1. Wash and then chop a big bunch of Red chard with it's softer stems roughly. If you are not using a pressure cooker, you could precook 1/2 cup Chana dal in the Microwave with 2-3 cups of water until soft but not mashed to paste. Keep aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp ghee and 2 tsp oil in a pressure pan or cooker or a pan. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, let it splutter. Add and fry 1 small onion, chopped, 1 garlic, chopped.
3. Add Chana dal if you are using a pressure cooker, stir, add chopped chard and 2-3 cups of water. Cover and pressure cook this on medium heat just until 1-2 whistles.
If you are using regular pan, add cooked Chana dal and Chard, cover and cook until greens are soft and not much water left.
4. Add enough salt, Chilli powder, 1 tbsp Coriander powder, 1/4 tsp Tamarind paste or 1 tomato and let it cook for 5 mins on medium heat.
5. Serve with Parathas, rotis or Bhakri.

Swiss Chard stir-fry:
1. Chop Chard roughly and keep aside.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan, add 1 tsp each Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, 2 tsp Urad dal, 2 dry red chillies, until they splutter.
3. Add 1/2 cup onion, 1 garlic, fry until reddish. Add chopped greens, stir once and add 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until they are wilted and soft. Open the lid, simmer until just a little water left in the bottom.
4. Add enough salt, mix. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice to serve as a side dish or light lunch.

Recipe for Eggplant Bajji or Pachadi and to make Akki rottis are here in this post.

Thanks to all of you who awarded me and tagged me for MeMe(I have stopped doing MeMes long back, but thanks for tagging!), I will slowly add you to my sidebar when I can. Right now, I have to rest and be ready for graduations this month.

That is all from me until Fall, see you all soon. Have a wonderful Summer, enjoy blogging! :)

Iranian Baghali Polou with Borani-Ye Esfenaj, Moong-Coconut milk Soup, MW Almond Rabri

Did I ask for Sunny days? :D I asked and I got them!! Man! It's so hot here, had a headache running around the town doing chores but my plants are growing fast and furious, it's a joy to watch. All the herbs and Curry leaf plant are on the deck and loving the heat. One drawback of hot and sunny days is you don't feel like standing in front of hot stove now and cook which was a comfort in Winter but have to do at least 3 meals a day anyway! Tushar had his Guitar concert last night, his last concert in middle school, enjoyed that too! :)

You must be wondering why am I so busy these days that I am even missing few posts to comment because of lack of time! Well..I will tell you next Wednesday! :)

I made some slightly familiar sounding Iranian dishes last week, loved the taste of the rice and cooling Spinach salad, mainly influenced by the book "Rosewater and Soda bread" by Marsha Mehran, which is second book. I loved her first book "Pomegranate Soup", so read her second one too curious to know what happened to 3 Iranian sisters who escaped form Iran to Ireland. Moong gravy was yummy and dessert with bread slice made it so easy to thicken faster in the MW. Enjoy the feast!

Iranian Baghali Polou with Borani-Ye Esfenaj, spicy Moong and coconut milk gravy and Almond Rabri for dessert on a platter:
Baghali Polou/Polow/Polo and Borani recipes are mostly adapted from a Iranian cookbook by Najmieh K. Batmanglij with my slight changes, who is also the author of "Silk Road Cooking-A vegetarian Journey". Fava beans are added to this rice dish usually but I didn't find those. I replaced it with green and white baby Lima beans. Moong dish is from Lisa's kitchen and Rabri of course is an easy traditional Indian dessert, I made it easier using Microwave and improvised the recipe too. Enjoy making them, always good to try new tastes! :)

Moong and coconut milk soup from "Lisa's Kitchen":
I know most Indians love green Moong and make various tasty dishes with it for rice dishes or Parathas on the side. I chose this recipe from Lisa's kitchen for "T and T"event which looked so delcious, added 1/4 cup thick coconut milk and some Yogurt but mostly followed the rest of the recipe as same as the original. Soup or bhaji as we say is delicious and spicy. It tasted great with the less spicy Dill and Lima beans rice and very nutritious too and also tastes good with Pooris. Here is the original recipe for Moong soup from Lisa's Kitchen.

Iranian Baghali Polou/Dill, Lima beans (could also use Fava beans) and saffron rice:
Here is a very simple and very flavorful with Polou/Pulao Iranian style. With added Dill and Lima beans (Fava beans) and hardly any strong spices, it makes a wonderful accompaniment for any spicy dal or meat gravies along with a salad. You can also add Gosht/Lamb into it to make a non-veg Polou. Usually, all the the ingrdients are added to a dish, covered and cooked in enough water just like Biryani/Pulao to serve.
But I cooked rice separately and then mixed with seasoned Dill and Lima beans which retains the brilliant color of Dill and beans and they don't get too mushy. I reserved some rice and mixed with saffron and salt to serve on top of Dill rice to make this dish attractive as they do in the restaurants. You can mix all this up with Saffron milk and cook for convenience.

You Need:

2 cups Basmati or long grain rice, 1 tsp butter, salt, Pepper, Pinch of Saffron soaked in 1 tbsp hot milk. 1 Cup frozen Lima beans covered and cooked in the Microwave for 5 mins with 1 tbsp water.

Season:
1 tbsp butter, 1 small onion, finely chopped, 2 garlic, minced, 1/4 red chilli flakes, 2 cups chopped Dill leaves, cooked Lima beans, salt and pepper.
Here is how I made it:
1. Cook 2 cups Basmati or long grain rice with 3 1/2 cups of water or cook as usual you do for yourself with 1 tsp butter and 1/4 tsp salt added. When cooked, take out 1 cup of rice, add a pinch of saffron mixed with 1 tbsp of warm milk and mix well. Let it cool.

2. Heat 1 tbsp butter, saute 1 small onion finely chopped, 2 garlic chopped fine, 1/4 tsp red Chilli flakes for a minute. Add cups of fresh Dill leaves with a pinch of salt, saute.
3. Add cooked Lima beans and enough pepper to taste.
4. Add this to cooked white rice and mix well, adjust the salt and pepper. To serve, spoon the Dill rice first and then top with Saffron rice or you can mix both these and serve with spicy gravy and cool Spinach-Yogurt salad.

Iranian Borani-Ye Esfenaj/Spinach, onion and Yogurt salad:
A popular Spinach and Yogurt salad from Iran, this is served with Baghali Polou on the side. Borani is salad and Esfenaj means Spinach. Very simple and quick salad to make, tastes great with any knid of Indian Pulavs too.

You Need:
1 cup thick plain Yogurt, salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 tsp Cumin pd (my addition),
For seasoning:
1 tsp oil, 1/3 cup well packed chopped Spinach, fresh or frozen (sqeeze it dry and chop finely), 4 tbsp finely chopped onion, 1 plump Garlic, finely chopped.
To make the salad:
1. Beat Yogurt, salt, Pepper, and Cumin powder well and keep aside.
2. Heat oil, add onion and garlic, saute for 1 minute until soft. Add the chopped Spinach, pinch of salt and stir fry for 2 mins. Take off the heat and cool this down.
3. Add cooled Spinach to Yogurt. Mix well and serve.

Moong and Coconut milk Bhaji:
Same as the above Moong recipe but I made it thicker than the soup consistency and added 3 tbsp thick plain Yogurt at the end of cooking to give it a little tang instead of adding lemon juice and simmered it down on low heat until the sauce is thick. Other than that, I followed the same recipe as it is at Lisa's Kitchen.

Microwaved Almond Rabri:
Rabri or Rabdi, traditionally is a thick concentrated milk with sugar, Cardamom and nuts added. I made an unusual and non-traditional Rabri in the Microwave with fat free Evaporated milk, Almonds, lot less sugar (you can add as much as you want) and a surprise ingredient!! Enjoy.

You need:

1 1/2 cup or 12oz canned Fat-free Evaporated Milk, 1/2 cup Almond, skinless and chopped, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 slice crustless bread (I added a slice of Cinnamon and Raisin bread, didn't add Cardamom pd in this Rabri), 1/2 tsp ghee, few strands of saffron and 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder.
To make it:
1. Grind Almonds, sugar and bread slice with 1/2 cup of Evaporated milk until smooth, add rest of the milk and process until mixed.
2. Add this to a deep tall microwavable bowl or glass bowl along with ghee and Saffron, heat for 5 mins making sure it's not spilling over. Stir and heat again for 2 more minutes.
3. It thicken faster because of the Almonds and bread, so be careful not to cook it for too long. Add Cardamom pd and mix well.
4. Exactly how mins to cook depends on your Microwave. Just MW until you get the thick sauce of Rabri. Adjust sugar as well to your taste.
Serve Rabri garnished with Almonds or Pistachios if you like. You can serve this warm or chilled.

Logos, Hosts and events, my thanks to all of you guest hosts and hosts, enjoy! :)

Iranian Baghali Polou, goes to Smitha's "Colors of Taste-Flavored Rice(World)" event.
Almond Rabri, goes to Mythreyee who is guest hosting "MEC-Nuts", an event stated by Srivalli.
Moong in coconut milk soup, chosen from "Lisa's Kitchen", goes to Aparna who is guest hosting "T and T-Lisa's Kitchen", an event initiated by Zlamushka.
Borani-Ye Esfenaj, goes to Mahimaa's "15 minute cooking" event.

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My own tried and tasted recipes from other blogs. Thanks to all of you for posting these delicious dishes, loved them! :)

Vangya cha Rassa, from Anjali.
Spicy Carrot Chutney, from Arch.
Varutharacha Sambhar, from Divya Kudua.
Peanut Chutney, from Sowjanya.

Movies I watched:

Frost/Nixon!
YAY! I was waiting to get my hands on this movie for a week now, I got it y'day at last! :)

You will love this movie if you are into politics, know about Watergate and 37th president Richard Nixon scandal, only president who resigned from "office" in his second term in the history of USA. It's amazing how a president can be so blatant, in denial, arrogant (drunk too sometimes but doesn't remember what he said next day!) and shameless, NEVER really apologized to people for his involvement at all when he resigned but reluctantly admits guilt only when cornered by David Frost at the end of this interview after rambling about everything else for hrs and hrs, even blaming others for all that too! Well... reminds me of another "somebody" we all know who didn't resign from the office or apologized for his mistakes!!:P

Nixon gets paid $600000 in 1977 for this now widely watched interview, which made British journalist David Frost a household name, who is also the only journalist who has interviewed many leaders of the World including Shah of Iran. It makes you angry when Nixon says to David Frost "when the President does it, it's not illegal!" regarding the cover up etc., in this interview.

Very well acted by Frank Langella and Michael Sheen in the lead roles, Kevin Bacon is great as usual. Fascinating movie to watch, I can imagine how stressful it must have been to both Frost and Nixon to get thru' this one at that time! You also feel sorry for Nixon when he says to Frost when they meet privately, "I am just not suited to be liked, I don't have that kind of charm. Do you know how fortunate you are?". Ex President Richard Nixon died in 1994.

Bride Wars
One of those Chick flicks which I usually don't like to watch but watched this one for kookie Kate Hudson and my new fave actress Anne Hathaway. It's very funny and entertaining movie!
Two "best friends" who dream about their "perfect weddings" since they were little girls, grow up, fall in love and get engaged. When they hire a wedding planner for their "perfect" weddings, she accidentally books the same date for both weddings! Best friends then get competitive "best enemies", even try to destroy eachother's wedding plans, not willing to give up on anything which is hilarious to watch. Now it's war, girly style!! After all that drama, what happens in the end is for you to watch, I don't want to spoil the fun!! :D

Have a great weekend, see you all later! :)

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.

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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! :)

Shivaratri Thali: Togari Bele Obbattu, Kayi Payasa, Obbattina thili Saaru,Tenginakayi Saaru, Kadale bele Kosumbari, anna,Tuppa, Uppinakayi, Happala!

I know that above long title is all "Greek" to you if you don't speak Kannada but I wanted to keep it authentic, will explain it all below! ;D

I am sure most of you all had a wonderful time celebrating Shivaratri last Monday. We don't fast or do any religious rituals much in our home but do a quick "Namaste" to Shiva, will definitely cook up a pure vegetarian feast as you can see! I know! I know! We are a sorry excuse for a Lingayat/Shaiva family but hey! Something is better than nothing!! :D

What's Shivaratri? Navita's blog post has beautiful explanation and stories about Shivaratri festival, do read if you are interested! Here is another of my Shivaratri platter I posted before.

Anyway; for this year's Shivaratri, I decided to make my paternal Mysore grandmother's (sweet, quiet and kind lady whom I LOVED, who is no longer with us) style Tuar dal Obbattu (which most south Indians are familiar with of course) with coconut-Cashews Payasa/porridge/dip and Obbattu saaru which I haven't posted at all in my blogs until now and I also made an authentic Coconut saaru which my ajji used to make which I don't make often here. Chana dal-Cucumber Kosumbari/salad is another one of my ajji's recipe as well. I miss her always and this is my tribute to her. My kids were not thrilled to see yet another vegetarian thali but they were understanding and ate without a fuss because they know it's ShivaRatri day! :)

Here is my Shivaratri thali: (Habbada Oota!)
Obbattu (Kanaka/pastry stuffed with Hoorana/sweet Toor dal dumpling), Coconut-Cashews-Saffron Payasa (porridge/dip), Obbattina thili saaru (dal broth or Rasam), Coconut Saaru, Basmati rice, Chana dal-Cucumber-red onion Kosambari (salad), Happala/papad, Nimbe Uppinakayi/Lemon pickle and Tuppa/Ghee.
Obbattu with Coconut-Cashews-Saffron Payasa as a dip first:
To make the Kanaka/pastry covering:
1. Take 1 1/2 cup of plain flour, 1 tbsp sugar powder, 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder,1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 3 tbsp oil and enough water to make a firm non-sticky dough and knead well for 5 minutes. Brush the dough with oil and cover it to rest the dough for an hour. I use KitchenAid to make the dough and traditionally, lot of oil is the added to this dough which you don't need to but we never ever add flour to roll out Obbattus, always use a bit of oil if needed!!

I am sending this photo to Gayatri of "Just Urs" blog's "Magnificent click contest" event! Thanks for hosting Gayatri! :)

How to make Obbattu stuffing/Hoorana:
1. Cook 1 cup of Tuar dal with 3-4 cups water, 1/2 tsp oil in a pressure cooker until just cooked, dal should be soft, still somewhat whole but not mashed up or cook in the microwave for better control over how much to cook without getting the dal in a mush. Drain the cooked dal thru' a sieve and save all the water for making Rasam/thili saaru later, let the cooked dal cool.
2. Add 3/4 cup more Jaggary or dark brown sugar to dal, 1 tsp Cardamom powder and run thru' a blender without adding a drop of water, keep pushing the dal down until you get a sweet and aromatic mass of thick dal. In India, they pound or grind all these in a stone mortar and pestle called "Oralu Kallu" until they are thick and well mixed. Divide into equal (Golg ball) sized portions and keep aside.
3. Divide the dough into equal pasrts as well, roll out each to 4" circle (can use a bit of oil but NEVER use flour to roll!), place a sweet dumpling in the middle, cover as shown, flatten and roll out again gently to 5-6" circle.
4. Heat a tava/henchu,pan, cook these both sides until golden adding a bit oil again.

Serve hot or warm with plain ghee or coconut Payasa to dip.

Coconut and Cashews Payasa:

I made this traditional Payasa a bit thicker than the usual Payasa, so my kids can dip a piece of Obbattu in it to make it easy to eat since they don't or never learnt to eat with their hands like we Indians do. Traditionally, Payasa is thinner so we can pour some on the Obbattu to smother it and eat that literally finger licking good dessert! :)
This is how I made it:
1. Take 1/2 fresh coconut, separate the shell, scrape out the brown skin, cut the white flesh/pulp into small pieces about a cup or more, add it to blender (Sumeet makes the best smooth texture for Payasa) along with (as much as you like) Jaggary or dark brown sugar, 1 tsp Cardamom powder, 2 tsp rice grains, about 8-10 Cashewnuts. Blend all these to smooth paste with 1 cup (or more if you like thinner Payasa) of Milk.
2. Adjust the sugar and milk as sweet, thin or thick you want. Heat this mixture on low heat for 1/2 an hour. Coconut will split and separate if you cook it on a medium or high heat! I Microwaved it on 30% power for about 6-8 mins, got to be very careful. It thickens as it cooks and cools.
3. I just sprinkled some Saffron threads on top, it will dissolve in the heat. This Payasa should be white or creamish, so don't add too much Saffron, just few just for that festive aroma!

To make the rest of these thali dishes:

Obbattina thili saaru:
Title literally means "thin Dal broth", a Rasam as Tamilians would call it. After we drain the cooked dal, we save the nutritious broth and make a simple thin dal to top the rice it or to drink as it is in a cup.
Here is how:
1. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan, add 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, few curry leaves. 1 dry red chilly, pinch of Hing. Add 2-3 chopped garlic, stir it until soft.
2. Add 1/2 tsp thick Tamarind paste mixed with 1/2 cup water, 2 tsp any Saaru/Sambhar/Rasam powder you have at home, 1/4 tsp chilli pd, 2 tbsp chopped Cilantro, salt, 1 tbsp grated dry or fresh coconut, boil for 2 minutes. You can add 1/4 cup Tomato sauce to it, but it's optional.
3. Add dal water/broth, adjust the salt and heat, simmer for few minutes and it's ready!

Tenginakayi Saaru/spicy Coconut gravy:

This recipe comes straight from my ajji's home. Since my late grandparents and Uncles live in a coconut and Sugarcane farm few miles from Mysore, coconut and homemade sugarcane Jaggary is used almost everyday in every dish they cook. here I use the coconut, may be twice a week in dishes and I use Jaggary whenever I cook traditional Indian desserts which gives a unique taste, aroma and golden color to Indian desserts which always reminds me of home and Indian festivals! :)
You need:
1/2 fresh coconut, grated or cut into very small pieces, 1/4 onion, 1 garlic, 1/2 tsp turmeric, few curry leaves and few cilantro, 1/2 to 1 tsp thick tamarind paste, enough salt.
Roast each of these spices sepaarately without oil and cool before grinding:
2 or more red chillies, 1 tbsp Poppy seeds, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp Cumin seeds, 2 tsp Chana dal, 2 tsp Urad dal, 1 tbsp yellow roasted chana/Dalia/chutney dal until they are all crisp and cool these.
To grind: Add these spices to a blender along with all the "you need" ingredients given above and grind to a very smooth paste adding enough water. You are making a thickish gravy, so you can always add more water later.
Temper to make the Saaru first:
1. Heat 1 tsp ghee and 2 tsp oil in a pan, add 1 tsp Mustard seeds, few curry leaves, 1-2 red chillies, let them get a some color. Add 1/2 cup minced onion, 2-3 garlic, minced, let it get some color.
2. Turn down the heat to simmer, add 1/2 cup cold water and then add the ground coconut masala. Simmer on low heat for 1/2 an hour, stirring often. Never let it boil on medium or high heat, it might separate.
3. Adjust the salt, tamarind and chilli pd to your taste. Once it's cooked, you will smell the aroma and you can reheat in the microwave easitly too. Tastes better the next day, you can make in a day advance and keep it in the fridge.

Chana dal-Cucumber-red onion Kosumbari:
I always loved this salad, it's simple to make and delicious to eat, not to mention nutritious too. You can replace the Chana dal with Moong dal, rest of the ingredients are the same.

1. Wash and soak 1/2 cup Chana dal for 4 hrs in hot water, drain all the water until dal is dry and add to a bowl. Peel and chop 1/2 a Cucumber into small cubes, chop 1/2 of small red onion to small cubes, add to dal.
2. Squeeze 2 tbsp or more fresh lemon juice, enough salt, 1 green chilly chopped roughly, 1 tbsp minced cilantro and mix well. over and keep it aside to marinate for an hour. It's ready to serve!

Another look!
Serve all the above with fragrant Basmati rice, South Indian style Lemon Pickle. Papad which we call Happala in Kannada and of course with Tuppa/ghee which makes everything tasty!! My son loves ghee in everything while my daughter will not touch it with barge pole! :P

That's all for this year's Shivaratri!
Last year, I completely forgot the Shivaratri date and didn't make anything for us or post here because it was too late by the time I realized it's Shivaratri day! This year, I marked it on the calender so I can remind myself!! :P

Now, I really really want to post a non-veg post after three vegetarian posts in a row!!!!! :D

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Tried and tasted from other blogs, thanks to all of you for posting these delicious dishes:

Kollu Rasam, from Indosungod.

Eggplant pickle, from Ranji.

Brinjal cooked shallot coconut sauce, from Nagu.

Movies I watched:
The visitor
Changeling
W.

Here is my post on ULTRA Grind and Pride if you are interested in buying one of those. YES!! I bought both, call me crazy! :D

Oh, one more thing before I go!
I am having a hard time commenting in few blogs, either because of too many widgets flashing which don't let me load properly or the "Word verification" words don't show up even after several attempts or some other reason! I keep trying, get frustrated and after sometime I just give up! Except on the weekends and holidays, I do want to say hello to you in your latest posts whenever I can! Help me comment easily and quickly in your blogs please or else you won't see me there in your blog homes and you can't blame me!!

Have a great weekend! :)

French Bread and Italian Panzanella!

Hiya folks!! :)
Well....Father's day went well for us last Sunday. "Da daddy" was on call but took some time off until lunch time. We went out to his favorite restaurant and then we gave a quick visit to a Indian store nearby. Quick because I buy 1/4 of the what they have in the store if somebody doesn't drag me out of there quickly, I get pre-warnings! ;D
Sometimes Indian store lady shakes her head and says I buy too many packs of savory snacks!! :P
The minute she sees me, she says "oh, so nice to see you again" and starts talking to me about her kids and their education which I don't mind at all! Her son is in Medical school, so I get some great pointers my own kids could use! :)

We loved the barn color so much that we asked the guy if he could paint our deck with the same color too and he did! Here it is, updated! Do you remember the old photo of the same deck when that Bottle Gourd plant took over last Summer?

Coming to this week's menu, I baked some "French" bread last week and made a delicious "Italian" bread salad called Panzanella , with my extra non-traditional additions like Avocado and Jicama using the French bread cubes. It's so very hot these days, I don't feel like cooking infront of the hot stove but I have no choice, somebody got to feed the family! Baking and making salads are lot easier! Hope you like these.

French Bread:
A good French bread should have crunchy crust outside and soft and chewy inside. To achieve crispier crust than the normal like you see here, you spray the French bread with water before baking and put a bowl of water next to the bread in the oven while it's baking. This recipe is adapted from Betty Crocker's baking book.

Inside Twister story! :D
Rolling the dough like Swiss roll while shaping the French loaves gives twisted soft insides like this with a perfect crunchy crust outside, beautiful!
A quick tip: Always better to bake a little less than more, even though baking time says 30mins to avoid over baking. Each oven is different in terms of maintaining the temperature. If I say bake for 25-30 mins, keep the timer for 20 mins and then watch the bread to get a golden color without opening the oven door. After 25 mins, open the door, tap on the bread. If it sounds hollow, time to get them out even if it's not 30 mins! Good luck! :)

How to bake French Bread, You need:
3 to 3 1/2 cups of plain flour or Bread flour,
1 tbsp Sugar,
1 tsp Salt,
1 pack of regular active dry Yeast or quick active dry Yeast,
1 cup very warm water (115F to 120F),
2 tbsp Vegetable oil,
2 tbsp corn meal or Semolina,
1 Egg White,
1 tbsp cold water.
One French bread baking pan if you have it or a regular rectangular baking pan.
(Click on the collage to enlarge it)
To bake French bread:
1. In a large stand mixer bowl, add 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix gently. Add warm water and oil. Beat for 1 minute on low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl.
2. Now beat it for 1 minute at medium speed. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour from the rest of 1 1/2 cups of flour at a time until you get a soft dough.
(Use as much flour as you need, don't have to use all 3 1/2 cups of flour. How much flour to add depends on what kind of flour you have, use your judgment to make soft dough.)
3. Knead for 5 mins until the dough is smooth and elastic. Grease the oil all over the dough , cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until it's double in size.
(French bread needs to rest longer than the other breads to get that typical texture, so be patient! I put the bowl in the oven with oven light on, gives it a right amount of warmth.)
4. Grease a cookie sheet, sprinkle Cornmeal or Semolina on the sheet or just spray no-stick oil on the French bread baking pan.
5. Punch down the dough, divide into two equal portions. Roll out each to 15" by 8" rectangle. Roll from the longer edge like swiss roll tightly, seal the ends by pinching the edges.
6. Now, roll the whole thing back and forth gently to make the French bread even in the middle and tapered at the ends. Place the loaves on the sheet gently.
7. Cut 1/4" deep across the top as shown at 2" apart with a sharp knife. Brush or spray loaves with water. Cover with clean Towel and let it rise again for an hour or until double.
8. Preheat the oven to 375F. For the golden crust, mix egg white and 1 tbsp water and brush on the loaves.
(If you want crispier crust, this is time you spray some more water on the loaves and place a bowl of water in the oven)
9. Bake for 25 to 30 mins or until golden. Cool them on the rack. Best eaten these on the same day. Wrap in Saran wrap or cling film if you need to to store. Stiff bread is aways good for salad! Voila!! :)

Panzanella:
Panzanella is Italian Bread salad made with day old hard crusted bread, originating in the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and Lazio, specially eaten in Summer months, according to WIKI. You can practically add as many vegs as you like including Lettuce, Celery, Carrots, boiled eggs, Tuna etc. I used my French bread for this, had a good crunch in salad!

How to make Panzanella:
Take about 4 cups of French bread or any hard crusted bread or even chunky ready made package of Croutons, cut into 1" cubes. Add some salt and saute the cubes in about 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan in batches until golden outside.Cool and set aside.

Chop these or any salad veggies you like:
1 Cucumber, peeled and chopped,
1 large Tomato,chopped,
1 cup mixed bell pepper or roasted bottled red pepper, chopped,
1 small red onion,
1 Avocado, chopped my style (not Traditional Italian)
1/4 cup Jicama, thinly sliced,
1 tbsp drained Capers (bottled),
1 tsp dry Basil and Oregano, 2 tbsp each if using fresh herbs,
1 tsp Parsley and 1 tsp finely chopped Mint leaves, dry or fresh.
To make salad oil, whisk these together:
4 tbsp Olive oil,
2 tbsp of good quality White Wine Vinegar or to taste,
1 tsp of Lemon juice,
1 tsp Dijon Mustard,
1 large Garlic, finely chopped,
salt and pepper. Few chili flakes, optional.
Get ready to toss!
In a big bowl, add vegetables and salad oil, mix well. Add bread cubes, toss everything together, season well. Cover and let it sit for 30mins before eating it. Tastes wonderful!
I even kept the left over chilled overnight and ate it for next day's lunch. Avocado gives it a creaminess and beautiful color!

Bon Appetit! :)

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Book I read: Tamarind Woman by Anita Rau Badami.
It's a story of a woman called Saroja, who is a young housewife, married to a much older Railway officer and has two daughters. She is called as "Tamarind woman" by people who know because of her acid tongue or the way she speaks to people with resentment and using hurtful words, just as sour as Tamarind.
As her story unravels by the memory of her older daughter Kamini, now all grown up, lives and works in Canada, you will start to resent Saroja but at the end of the story, as Saroja "the Tamarind woman" herself recalls her own life story, you will understand why she was so angry all her life and the secret she was hiding form her husband who is now dead.
Finally, she sells her home and all her belonging and wants "to see the World" alone by train as she always wanted but never could while her husband was alive, much to the surprise and concern of her daughters, who just think that she has gone crazy!
As you read you feel sorry for Saroja, sympathize, admire her guts and you will also understand what she has gone thru' her life and how she had to cope. When her daughters starts pestering her to go home and stay there, without trying to understand why she needs to do the things she is doing, Saroja unplugs her phone!! At last, she will do what SHE wants!!
That's where the story ends! It's very compelling story that could be any woman's story in India, even in today's World!

Dishes I tried last week:

Lasooni dal palak from Swati's blog.
Badanekayi pudi Kuttida palya from Ramya's blog.
Greens Paratha from TC's blog. (I added Red chard and fresh Rosemary, yum!)
Sprouted Moong Idli from smn's blog.
Brinjal Mooru Kootan from Prav's blog.
Udupi Sambhar from Sia's blog.
Vandana, Ranji, Kamala, Asankhana, Sukanya and Nanditha Prabhu, thank you for your awards.
Neema from "recipe swap" gave me two awards last week. Thank you so much Neema, I appreciate it!:))
One of them, you can see the "Blogging with a Purpose" award on the sidebar. I am passing this award on to Ramya, Srivalli , Meera and Ranji. Enjoy girls!:)

See you all next week!:)

Chiles Rellenos on salsa, Arroz con Frijoles Negros, Jicama-Avocado salad and Arroz Con Leche!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there, enjoy this Sunday. Sit tight, relax and make others serve you for a change! You all deserve a Nobel Peace prize each for being very very patient and very very loving, even when kids throw their very very fickle mood swings in your face everyday and you still love them to death!!:D

Last weekend, we did lot of yard work, gardening and some veggie planting at almost 80F temp and survived somehow to blog today. Sneak a peek here to see what's up in my backyard! :)

Let me start with a yummy light dessert for all moms today and then a delicious vegetarian Mexican meal!

Arroz Con Leche, with Raspberries:
Arroz Con Leche (Rice with milk in Spanish) is nothing but Rice Pudding which is flavored with nutmeg and Cinnamon and mixed with Raspberries (my addition, frozen will do fine too). I have made it light for moms but traditionally made with heavy cream or whipped cream folded in and even with egg yolks, which gives it a nice creamy texture and taste. Did you know that Raspberries have the highest fiber content of any fruit?! You could add any fruit or chocolate sauce or garnish with sweetened coconut on top if you like.


A delicious low-fat Mexican dessert cinnamon-Nutmeg flavored Arroz Con Leche with Raspberries is my contribution to AFAM-Raspberries, hosted by Dee of "Ammalu's Kitchen" blog this month. Thanks Dee, great choice of fruit!!:)


You need: 1/2 cup quick cooking or medium grain rice, 1 cup water, 2 cups 2% milk or fat free Half and half, 3-4 tbsp white sugar or more to your taste, 1/2 tsp sweet Cinnamon powder, few grating of Nutmeg, 1 tsp Vanilla essence, 1/4 cup Chopped Raspberries, save a few for garnishing and curly Cinnamon sticks for garnish.
To make it:
1. Add rice, water in a glass bowl and microwave for 6 mins, uncovered or you can cook on stove top stirring all the time, which takes a long time.
2. Add all the milk and sugar, mix and MW again at 50% for another 6-8 mins or stir slowly on the stove top until rice is cooked soft and creamy with thickish sauce.
3. Take it out, mix well. Adjust the sugar and if it's too thick, you could thin it out with more milk, must heat again gently.
4. Add nutmeg, vanilla essence, Cinnamon pd, fold in. Let it cool covered in the fridge for an hour. 5. Add Raspberries pieces to rice and milk, mix in gently, chill again. Serve in a individual bowl, garnished with few Raspberries and Cinnamon sticks.

Now a yummy vegetarian Mexican meal:

Chiles Rellenos in salsa or spicy Tomato sauce, Arroz Con Frijoles Negro with Avocado-Jicama salad and serve this meal with Arroz Con Leche with Raspberries for dessert:
Chiles Rellenos means stuffed Pobalno chillies, could be stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese and re-fried beans in salsa or any meat fillings as well. Arroz Con Frijoles Negro means rice with black beans in Spanish, a Mexican style dish which makes a great accompaniment with any side dish. All served with very Mexican salad which includes fresh sliced Jicama, Avocado, lemon juice on a bed of ice burg lettuce or thinly sliced fresh Cabbage as sometimes they do in Mexico! You also don't have to fry the Poblanos, can serve it stuffed and sauteed! But fried tastes better with gooey cheese inside!:)



A Mexican platter of Chiles Rellenos in salsa, Arroz Con Frijoles Negro with a Avocado and Jicama salad on the side is my offer to "A.W.E.D.-Mexico" event which is launched by DK of "Culinary Bazaar" blog. Thanks for hosting DK, enjoy!:)



Step by step photos, click on it to enlarge:
You need: 4 large Poblano chillies, 4 pieces of 3-4" long rectangle 1" thick Monterey Jack cheese sticks, about 1/4 cup of Re-fried beans to stuff, 1 tbsp of Queso Fresco or Mexican fresh cheese to garnish.
For coating batter: Traditionally, they use beaten egg white to coat but since this is a vegetarian meal, I used 1/2 cup Plain flour, salt, pinch of baking powder with enough water to make thick batter, somewhat like this snack.
Salsa or sauce: Store bought Salsa or home made as the recipe given below.

To make these: 1. Bake or grill Poblanos in the oven with 400F for 20 mins or so until you see the skin starts to get reddish. Take them out on a plate, cover with a bowl to make it sweat for a minute or two.
2. Peel the skin gently, slit one side to make a pocket with a knife or scissors. With a spoon, take out the seeds and the veins without tearing the chillies.Wash gently under the water in the sink, pat them dry.
3. Using a spoon, spread the re-fried beans inside the Poblano, place a cheese stick on top, place some more beans paste, cover it gently and seal it with a toothpick.Repeat with others, chill in the fridge for 1/2 hour to firm the beans paste.
Make sauce: Use fresh Salsa, heat it for 1 minute or blend fresh 3 Tomatoes, 1/2 onion, few cilantro sprigs, salt, 1 garlic, 1/2 tsp Cumin pd. Put it in a bowl, heat in the microwave until you get a sauce.
Coating to fry: Mix flour, salt,enough water and baking pd to make a thick mixture and let it rest for 5 minutes.
To fry: Heat oil to 375F. Dip stuffed Poblanos in batter, fry until crisp, drain on paper towel. When cool, remove the toothpicks.
To serve; place few spoonfuls of salsa or sauce on the plate, put one Chile Relleno on it, sprinkle some Queso Fresco. Serve with Mexican black beans rice and salad on the side.

Mexican rice with Black beans: (my easy way)

1. Cook 1 cup rice and pinch of salt in the microwave as usual until cooked soft and cool. Fluff to make the grains loose and separate.
2. Heat a pan with 1/2 tbsp butter, add 1/4 cup finely chopped onion, 1/4 cup red bell pepper or green bell pepper, 1 Tomato, 1-2 garlic chopped, pinch of salt and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp dry Oregano, add drained and washed canned Black beans (one can) to the pan and mix well.
4. Add all the rice, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, bit more salt and mix everything well, it will take a darker color because of the black beans. That's it!:)

For salad:
In Mexico, they sometimes use very thinly shredded cabbage instead of Iceberg lettuce. I had lettuce at hand, so I used that. Add thinly sliced fresh Jicama, 1 Avocado pulp, coarsely chopped, 1/2 tsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix and chill until serving time.
Variations to to serve Poblanos: After you make the sauce in the pan, fried Poblanos are added and simmered in the sauce before serving. I just kept them separate to retain the crunch rather soggy Chiles Rellenos. Your choice!


One more look:

Enjoy and check out another Mexican platter I made last year!! :)

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Book: I am still reading the book "Daughters of Kerala", which you can see on the sidebar right now. I will review this beautiful book next week.
Movie? Saw none this week but eagerly waiting for new Indiana Jones movie release and looking forward to this weekend too!! YAY!

I tried these dishes last week, thanks for posting all these yummies girls. Haunting your blogs continues!! :D

Arachuvitta Katrikai kuzhambu from Nirmala's blog.
Aloo(Baingan)Kurma from Anjali's blog.
Paneer Parathas from Dhivya Vikram's blog.
Toaster Tandoori Roti from Hetal & Anuja's blog.
Vatana Bateta Tameta nu Shaak from Richa's blog.
Red chilly chutney from Sumitha's blog.
Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta from Deeba's blog.
Rava Idli from Latha and Lakshmi's blog.
Radish Kootu from tbc's blog.
Moong dal with cucumber from Pravs's blog.
Gowdru Pulao from Namratha's blog.
Tomato-Carrot Dosa from Laavanya's blog.
Aloo-white peas bhaji for Pooris from Padmaja's blog.
Kerala Potato stew/Eshtu from shn's blog.
Kerikku dosa/Coconut Aapam from Bharathy's blog.
Chole-Bhatura from Pooja's blog.

A word about shn's Potato Eshtu: I was reheating the Eshtu for dinner y'day. My son came home from school, took a deep breath and says "something smells so GOOD! Mother, what culinary delight are you bestowing upon us today?" ;D
(Btw, the word "mother" comes out of his mouth only when I make butter chicken and Tikka masala, not for anything vegetarian until now! Hahaha! They ate this stew with toast. Thanks shn!)

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Lastly, I received few lovely surprises one Sunday morning two week's ago, a YUMMY BLOG AWARD (award pic attached in my side bar) from my blog buddies Dee, Dhivya Vikram and Meera. Thank you both so very much dear Dee, DV and Meera, very cute award for my blog which I proudly accept, appreciate and display!
I also thank Latha N of "The YUM blog" for giving me the "Forever Friends" globe. I am your friend forever Latha, thank you sweetie, hugs to you! Blog more please, twice a week sounds great too! :)

"The YUM blog" award has been crated by Roopa of "My Kitchen treats":
"Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos", I thank you as well Roopa! :)
As per the rules, I have to "list four of my favorite desserts that I have prepared or eaten and pass the award to four of my fellow bloggers".
Here are four of my most favorite desserts I have blogged so far......
1. Mango Cobbler,
2. Ricotta Cheese Rasmalai,
3. Texas Sheet Cake,
4. Strawberry yogurt Pie, also called "Mustikkaiiras" in Finland.

I am forwarding this award to four more yummy blogs. If you have received it already, enjoy it again! :) I hope you follow the same award rules as listed at Roopa's blog ie to display the award, list 4 of your favorite desserts and forward the award to 4 more yummy deserving blogs! It's very hard to choose among hundreds of yummy blogs but here are 4 of them.
Yummy blogs:
Maheswari's "Beyond the usual",
Lakshmi G 's "Taste of Mysore",
Ramya 's "Mane Adige",
Pooja 's "My creative ideas".
Enjoy and I will see you all again next week!:))