राखी पूरणीमा की शुभ कामनायें

My loving family and friends in India..to you all! Hope you had a colorful and flavorful Raksha Bandhan.
Wish we could celebrate it all together.
Best wishes
Vani and Chirayu

Both Chirayu and I were fasting on Monday (Narali Poornima and Shravani Somvar). We celebrated the auspicious day by savoring this simple yet very special "Sing Batata ni Khichdi" with Yogurt and a side of fresh fruits. This is a Gujrati recipe similar to upaaschi batata bhaji made in Marathi households.

Sing Batata ni Khichdi

Here is the quick recipe - Courtesy my Mom-in-law:)

Boil Potatoes and cut them in small cubes. Heat some Ghee in a pan and add jeera seeds. Once the Jeera starts to splutter, add finely cut green chillies and grated ginger. Mix well.Now add the boiled potatoes and red chili powder. Grind roasted peanuts in a blender with a tsp of sugar. Let the Daanya cha Koot - (ground peanut powder) remain a little coarse. Add this to the potatoes along with some salt. Cook the potato-peanut mixture some more uncovered till the potatoes start turning brown and a little crispy. Turn off the flame and add fresh lemon juice. Serve hot with dahi or chaas.

Read more...

Royal Rajma Masala

Rajma Masala (Adapted from this recipe posted by Asha on Foodieshope)

Sundays are special!

Sunday is one day of the week when I love to indulge in some elaborate cooking:). After a busy work week and a Saturday designated for Groceries-Cleaning-Laundry and all other big-small errands comes the Super-Sunday:). Waking up every Sunday to a bright clean house and a kitchen full of fresh supplies, is one of the most awaited and cherished part of my week, and hence calls for a special meal :)

The menu for this Sunday was the classic combination of Rajma - Chawal. I added a few shahi spices suggested by Asha to my usual rajma recipe, and wow! that did make our meal royal:)

The basics:

1/2 cup rajma (red kidney beans) soaked overnight and cooked in plenty of water
1/2 cup of tomato puree
1 small onion finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves minced
Grated Ginger
2 small green chillies
Fresh cilantro
Salt
Chilli powder
Turmeric

The works:










Jeera (Cumin seeds)
Meere (Black peppercorns)
Saunf (Fennel seeds)
Dalchini( Cinnamon)
Tejpatta (Mace)
Elaichi (Cardamom)
Amcoor powder( Dry mango powder)
Garam Masala
Laung (Cloves)

Heat some oil in a Kadhai. Add 1/2 tsp of Jeera , when the seeds start to splutter add the green chillies, ginger garlic and onions. Fry for a minute or two and add all the masalas. Saute' some more till the onions turn reddish brown. Now add the tomato puree and mix well. Cover the pan for some time , so that the tomato onion paste retains the aroma of all the spices. Now add salt and fry till you see some oil separate out and smell the fresh aroma. Add the cooked kidney beans to this paste along with the left over water in the cooker. Mash some beans with a wooden laddle , this makes the Gravy thick and creamy.Cover and let cook for 5-10 minutes.,add more water as needed.Slow down the flame and add 1-2 spoonsfull whole milk. Mix well. Garnish with cream and Cilantro.Serve with fresh Basmati rice. Enjoy!

Rajma Chawal with a side of Aloo matar and a glass of spiced buttermilk- Our Sunday Lunch

Read more...

Khichadi che Thalipeeth

End of a week and I came home to an empty fridge. hmm..apart from the usual drinks and preserves,the only other thing in there was a bowl full of left over moong dal Khichdi which we had the day before. I had almost made up my mind to reheat it, add some fresh tempering, and serve it with some raita, but on closer inspection, the khichadi seemed too sticky n lumpy to recook. Thats when I decided to give it a complete makeover, and was born the"Khichadi thalipeeth":). It turned out something like a cross of missi roti and thalipeeth. Delicious and satisfying.

Here is the quick recipe :

1) Knead left over khichadi with some wheat flour (atta), gram flour (besan), salt, turmeric , chiili powder and oil. For the extra zing I added some amchoor powder, ajwain and saunf to the mix.You could use any mix ox masalas. ( add water as needed)

2) Divide the dough into small balls. Roll out the balls on a plastic sheet.

3.) Heat a pan and slowly turn the thalipeeth on to the pan. Allow it to properly cook on both sides, it will turn brown and slightly crispy ( add little oil on the sides as needed).

4.) Take it off the pan and enjoy hot with dahi n chutney of your choice:)

Read more...

Veggie Fajita Quesadilla with spinach and corn rice

Quick fix Mexican - My entry for the "Summer Express cooking event"


Things you will need:

Wheat/Flour Tortillas
Can of fried beans ( I used a mix of Black beans, Pinto beans and Red kidney beans)
Kraft mexican grated cheese mix
One small onion
1/2 Bell pepper
Olive oil
Butter
Black pepper
Salt

Procedure:

1.) Prepare the Fajita mix ( 5-8 minutes)

In a skillet heat 1/2 tbsp o olive oil and 1/2 tbsp of butter. Saute' onions and green bell peppers ( sliced in thin long strips). Heat until the onions become translucent. Sprinkle freshly grounded black pepper and salt. Mix well and keep aside.Meanwhile also slightly warm the beans(1-2 mins) in the microwave.

Fajita mix - saute'd onions and bell peppers

2.) Assemble the Quesadilla( 5 minutes)

heat a little butter on a flat pan. place the tortilla and heat it till it starts getting a bit crisp. sprinkle cheese generously on one half of the tortilla, then spread the beans and the fajita mix. Add some more cheese and then fold the Tortilla in half. Heat the Tortilla on both sides till the cheese melts. Place carefully in a plate and cut into wedges using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.

Cheeeezyyy huh??

3. ) Relish the cheesy delight with a side of chips and salsa.
I also stir fried left over rice with spinach and corn to complete the meal. (8-10 mins). It took me close to 20 mins. to prepare the meal, but believe me we ate it all in less than 10!Enjoy...:)

Veggie Quesadilla and spinach fried rice

Read more...

I share my birthday with....

Release of the IBM PC or Personal Computer

Read more...

Craving for fresh ???

Quick tossed salad

Toss together tomatoes, cumumbers, bell peppers, black olives, cilantro and some peanuts in a large bowl with some olive oil, dash of lemon , salt and pepper. Serve chilled. tastes Delightful

Read more...