Some like it Hot..!

I don't have a sweet tooth at all..so when everybody around me is trying hard to keep away from all the cookies and candies and cakes this holiday season, It's no problem for me..:) - that means no post Christmas diets and workouts..;P

I am the other extreme - the fiery-spicy food lover. "teekha khana teekhi ladkiyo ke liye"(Hot food is for hot girls ;P) a dialogue from the Bollywood Hit- Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam very rightfully applies to me..giggles..:) There is no dearth of spicy food in India, specially the quick- light on the pockets spicy street food. From the pani puri water, the wada pav with the red hot chutney to mirchi bhajia, I have had my fair share of all :).  And one of my all time favourite snack is misal pav- the healthy goodness of sprouts in a spicy hot curry. The spicier the Misal the better..:) - it is no fun to eat misal without the red runny nose and watery eyes...:)

I had my first taste of  misal pav in Nashik, during my days in architecture school. And after that first time I couldn't get enough :). There was this place we used to frequent a lot in Satpur industrial area- "shyam Sunder" which has the best Misal Pav in town. The authentic misal pav is an elaborate affair- misal(cooked sprouts) is served with separate cutta(the spicy curry), boiled potatoes, yogurt, onions and slices of pav/bread. Shyam Sunder is an "eat as much as u can" joint, as most misal places are. That means you keep getting several rounds of the misal drowned in the spicy "cutta". I remember not leaving that place once, till our faces were all red..:)

My version of Misal is very quick and easy - by no way authentic but after several experiments, I have  managed to get the end product pretty close to the original. Here it goes:

Misal- Pav Ingredients:

3/4th cup moth

1/4th cup- kala chana and whole moong

1 onion finely chopped

1 small tomato cubed

1 potato diced in small cubes

1-2 hot peppers

2-3 garlic pods crushed

cumin seeds

mustard seeds

salt to taste

chilli powder

turmeric powder

garam masala

goda masala

vada pav masala

The beans- to be sprouted

1.) Soak the moth, moong and kala chana overnight and then wrap it in wet cloth for a day or two till the beans are sprout well.

2.) Pressure cook the sprouts with potatoes and tomatoes.

3.) In a pan heat some oil, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds, once the seeds start spluttering add the chopped onions and garlic. Once the onions are cooked and translucent, add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, goda masala and roast for a few minutes.

4.) Add the cooked sprouts to the masala mixture with enough water. Let it come to a boil and then add salt and a pinch of the dry garlic chutney. Add some lemon juice and mix well.

The Fiery Hot Cauldron

The fixings

In a separate bowl mix curds into a smooth paste.

Keep Chopped red onions, lemon wedges and farsaan (hot mix) ready  for garnishing

To serve

In a deep bowl pour the hot misal and garnish with curds, onions and hot mix. Serve with pav or dinner rolls.

The Bowl that doesn't last more than a few minutes..

I am sending this as my entry to My Legume Love affair- Hot and Spicy event on Suganya's blog- Tasty Palettes. 

My Legume Love affair is a fantastic monthly blog event started by Susan- The Well Seasoned Cook.  Do visit the past entries for tons of wonderful recipes with lentils and legumes.

Thanks Suganya for hosting the Sixth Helping!

And on en ending note -Wishing you all a Sweet and Spicy New Year! :)

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An Autumn Tale

Yellow and withered..I wander aimlessly with the gentle breeze..I hate to fall on the dusty road amongst those others..discolored crumpled leaves.. I  prefer the grass which is still fresh and green..

I wait for you to come and gently pick me up , blow the dust off me, and place me amongst those white crisp pages of your diary....No wind to blow me away, No feet to walk over me..

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From the streets of New York

Chocolate dipped bananas, strawberries and marshmellows...

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Rajashtan on a platter

"kesariya balam, aao ni padharo mhare des..."

My bestest friend S hails from Rajashtan :). She is a marawari jain and though her family has been residing in Mumbai for the past many years, her love for "Marwar" is more than intact. Nobody can miss the passion and excitement with which she talks about everything that is Rajasthan - colorful turbans and the kalidar ghagras in bandhani and leheriya prints, traditional silver jewellery, the havelis of jodhpur, pretty princesses and the valor of rajputana....so exotic!

I did get a taste of this exotic land and its myriad cuisine during my college study tour. Its been more than 8 years, yet it all seems so fresh in my mind. Dal Bati dinner in the middle of the desert, lunch thalis with 5-6 varieties of vegetables, moong wadas and delicious thick rabdis for breakfast ...mmmmm I loved it all. And the two things which always made Rajasthani food experience extra special : Lots of Ghee and manuhar or manvar. :)

So here I present my entry fro RCI Rajasthan- A simple platter consisting of two Rajasthani Jain favorites - Panchmela Dal and Sev Tamatar ki Tari.

Panchmela Dal, Basmati Rice,Sev Tamatar ki Tari, Mirchi Pickle and Papad

Panchmela Dal

1/3 cup Toovar dal
1/3 cup Chana dal
1/3 cup Split Moong dal (green)
1/3 cup Split Urad dal with chilka
1/3 cup Whole Moong dal
Chilly powder
Turmeric powder (haldi)
Dhania jeera powder
Garam masala
3 cloves
2 bay leaves
Cumin seeds
Amchur powder
Tamarind pulp
A pinch of asafetida (hing)
Salt
2 green chilies slit
Ghee

1.) Wash the dals and pressure cook them in 4 cups of water till completely cooked

2.) In a bowl combine the chilly powder, haldi, dhania jeera and garam masala and some water to make a paste

3.) Heat ghee in a kadhai and add jeera seeds, bay leaves, cloves. When the jeera starts to splutter add hing and cur green chilies. Now add the masala paste and fry for 1-2 minutes

4.) Add the cooked dals, amchur powder, tamarind pulp and salt and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add water as needed.

4.)Garnish with cilantro and dry red chilies. Add a drizzle of ghee before serving..

Sev Tamatar ki Tari

2-3 Tomatoes chopped
Green chilies
Jeera (cumin seeds)
Red chilly powder
Turmeric
Dhania jeera powder
Asafetida
Sev (a thicker kind)
Ghee

1.) Heat some ghee in a pan, add jeers seeds. When the jeera starts to splutter add the hing, green chilies, turmeric and red chilly powder and chopped tomatoes

2.)Once the tomatoes are semi cooked and soft add salt and dhania jeera. Mix well and cook till the tomatoes are completely cooked.

3.)Mix the sev to the curry right before serving.

This is for S and her wonderful family - thanks for everything. Love you..:D

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Simple Comforts

Dahi Bhaat

(Yogurt mixed with Rice, tempered with mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves and Urad Dal )

Serve at room temperature, topped with lots of fresh cilantro

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Kachi Dabeli

Dabheli! One of my most favorite street food. Living away from home during my student days I literally survived on Dabeli, Vada Pav, Ragda pattis and all sorts of (not so) junk food. There is a street in Nashik ( Sharanpur road ) which used to turn into an ultimate street side food bazaar after 6.00 in the evening. (Now they have stopped allowing vendors..:( ), bustling with activity with Carts selling everything from Bhurji pav to Indian Chinese and the oh so delicious Pista kulfi!

There were two carts which we frequented the most. A sandwich cart selling desi style grilled sandwich loaded with veggies (Boiled Potatoes, capsicum, cucumbers), Green chutney,cheese and topped with thin sev and cut onions. Ah! always so tasty and satisfying. The other was the Dabeli stall. Both these were owned by a group of Marwari brothers who knew us so well that many a times they allowed us to eat at their stalls on credit! An Amul Dabheli would cost 5 rupees. But whenever we had some extra money on hand, we loved indulging in the Rs. 7.5 Cheese Dabheli! And I remember always asking for more grated cheese on mine...

Those were the days..:)

So basically I had to had to make Dabeli to satisfy my street food cravings here in the US. And Here is the quick recipe I used:

Boil potatoes and mash them fine. Add Salt, red pepper ,finely cut cilantro and green chillies to the potatoes. Heat some oil in a kadhai and add the potato mixture and Kachi Dabeli masala to the potato mixture . I used "Rajesh Dabeli Masala" (available in larger Indian stores) . Set aside.

Cut Pavs (dinner rolls) in halves. On a girdle, heat some butter and heat the rolls till they turn brown on both sides. Apply Tamarind sauce (I used Maggi Tamarina) on one side of the pav. Fill in the potato mixture. Add some chopped onions, peanuts and pomegranate seeds. Top it all with a generous amount of grated cheese. Eat hot!

One bite, and everything came back to me- the glorious days of architecture school, the submission nightmares, late night movies, 2.00 AM bhurji pav, triples on Kinetic, chai ki tapri and yes! the twice a week Dabeli Dinners..

And the best part, I did not have to check my pockets to eat more than One.:)

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Click Au Naturel : Earthly Delight

"Vakda tikda hathi pai nakha,

vedya aala re aala"

As a kid I remember my grandpa asking us to solve this riddle (in marathi), the answer to which is hidden in the riddle itself. :D. Here is my best shot at translating it in English:

"crooked n twisted,with nails on it's numerous hands and feet,
oh! fool it's here, it's here"

The answer ofcourse is Ginger

"Ala" or "Aalay" in Marathi has 2 meanings One: "(something's) here" and two: "ginger". :D

The above picture is my entry to the click it (Au Naturel) event hosted by Jugalbandi. Thanks Bee and Jai for such a wonderful event, I had fun writing this post..:D

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And here is a picture of Honey Ginger Tofu I made few weeks back taking tips from this recipe and one of those little recipe cards avalibale in the Publix vegetables section. Enjoy. :)

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Home made Hummus with warm pita bread

I used This simple recipe for Hummus from Happy Foody. Tasted yummy!

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April Atlanta

Gush of morning wind,
dogwood flowers in white and pink...

Day Lily's , Daisies and tulips in red,
swaths of yellow pollen on the lovely green spreads...

Beautiful days, the fresh in the air,
open windows, bright patio chairs...

Art festivals, concerts and lively parades,
floral dresses, flip-flops, the coolest of shades...

Delighted I am, merrily I sing,
Ah! the city is prettiest in spring...

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April Fool's Day

"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."
- Mark Twain

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