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

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. :)

Paneer Jalfrezi...and New York here I come!!!

Paneer - long rectangular pieces
Onions,Green Bell pepper, tomatoes ,Baby corn and green chillies - thin long slices
freshly grated ginger - abt 1 tsp
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
cumin seeds
red chilli powder
turmeric powder
Amchoor powder
salt to taste

Heat some oil in a skillet, add cumin seeds and saute' ginger garlic and onions until they turn brown. Add red chilli powder and turmeric. Add all the vegetables except tomatoes and stir fry for a while. Now mix in paneer pieces. Sprinkle salt and amchoor powder. Lastly add tomatoes when the rest of the vegetables are cooked semi soft. Stir well for a while on a low flame. Serve hot with Paranthas!!

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Going to New York for a vacation! Will return next Tuesday with lots of pictures.:)

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.

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

Lady's Fingers if you please!

Finally I get some time to blog after a busy week at work. The weekend was well spent though watching movies, lazing around and catching up with friends :)

I made Bhindi Fry on Friday and intended to post it as my entry to Nupur's L of Indian vegetables, but never got to doing it on time. Still I am contended with the fact that I actually cooked something on a Friday night. Blogging has its own advantages for lazy bums like me:)

Here is a delicious way of cooking Okra/Lady's Fingers/Bhindi dry. Amchoor powder is the magic ingredient in this recipe, which gives the bhindi a tangy twist. This dish goes very well as a side with Dal and Rice.

You need :
1 onion finely chopped
25-30 Okra sliced length wise
Ginger grated
cumin seeds
amchur powder
garam masala
red chilli powder
salt to taste
oil

To make Bhindi Fry

Heat some oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds and grated ginger. Once the seeds start spluttering add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown.Add the Garam Masala, Amchoor Powder and Salt. Mix the spices well and add the sliced bhindi. Mix lightly and cover the lid. Cook well with occasional stirring. Make sure that the Masala does not stick to the pan. Once fully cooked,let the Bhindi cool for a while. Serve as a side with Dal Chawal.

Kicking off with K..!!

K is for Kumbh Pulao

I never considered Kumbh or Mushroom a 'real' vegetable back in India. I used to love them on the tomato mushroom pizzas at Nirulas. (One of those occasional royal treats out, long before we got Pizza Hut, or any other real Pizza chains.), but that was about it. Clearly Mushrooms were never a part of my aai's or aaji's home cooking. Even living in Delhi, they always stuck to the usual gilki ( ridge gourd), bhopla( pumkin), vange(Eggplants) type of vegetables ( I hated all of these as a kid) apart from the usual aloo gobhi bhindi etc.

I started experimenting with Mushrooms only after coming to the US, after a friend here gave me a recipe for kumbh matar malai. It came out pretty decent actually. Well Mushrooms are still not a part of my weekly grocery list, but I use them more often now .

I got this very easy and quick recipe for Mushroom Pulav at Recipe Junction.I changed it a bit to make use of all the vegetables I had - my entry for K of Indian vegetables on Nupur's blog.



Ingredeients ( For 2 to 4):

Basmati Rice ( 1 cup)
1 Pack of Mushrooms
1 Onion(thin slices)
Grated ginger ( about 1 Tbsp)
Fresh Garlic chopped ( 2 cloves)
1 capsicum sliced into thin strips
1 carrot( small round thin slices)
2 green chillies

fresh tomato puree ( medium sized tomato)

1Tbsp Soy sauce
Pepper powder
Jeera seeds
Red chilly powder
Salt to taste
Olive/vegetable oil

Soak Basmati rice in water for half an hour. Cook the rice and keep it aside.
Heat 1 tsp of oil and add the cumin seeds. After the seeds start spluttering, add the green chilies, ginger and garlic. Fry for some time and add the onions. Add the rest of the vegetables and soy sauce after the onions turn golden brown. Once the vegetables are semi cooked, add the tomato paste, mushrooms, pepper powder and salt. Cover the pan and let everything cook for a while. On a slow flame add the cooked rice and mix well. Kumbh Pulav is ready to serve.

We had it with Boondi Raitha and Lemonade, quite a hearty meal after a busy day at work :)