Tawa Pulao

Happy Diwali and Happy New Year to my readers! Wishing you all another year of love, happiness, good health and lots of wealth!

So diwali kept me busy.. With cleaning, shopping, helping mom with diwali snacks and sweets! And I did not really make anything worth posting. And some times I was busy eating out! Haha! Once I made green cabbage soup, but it was not so great! I will try it with some herbs next time.

I made an adapted version of Tawa Pulao from here. A simple and quick recipe with lots of spiciness. A good alternative to the regular pulao that goes well with plain youghurt/curd to balance the hotness.

So here it is:

Serves: 2-3 Preparation Time: 5-10 mins. Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup rice, raw, washed
2 tomatoes, roughly quartered
5-6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp ginger paste/crushed/grated
2-3 kashmiri red chillies, soaked in hot water for ½ hr at least
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped (½ cup)
3 tbsp green capsicum, finely chopped
3 tbsp carrots, finely chopped
2 -3 tbsp peas
1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
1 tbsp pav bhaji masala
1 tbsp cumin seeds/jeera
2-3 tbsp oil
salt as per taste

For Garnish
Freshly chopped Coriander

Method:

1. Thoroughly wash the rice and boil with peas, adequate water and salt till the grains are separate and 90% cooked.

2. Simultaneously chop the veggies - carrots, onions, capsicum. Crush the garlic and grate the ginger.

3. Next, take the red chillies (discard soaked water) and tomatoes and blend it into a smooth puree.

4. In a pan, heat oil and add jeera. Once it crackles, add onions and sauté till soft.

5. Now add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Then add the carrots and capsicum and cook for about 2 mins.

6. The rice which should be done by now should be strained and left aside.

7. We now add in the purée to this mix. Also add salt, pav bhaji masala and red chilli powder. Let this mixture cook until it is dry and the oil starts separating. This will take about 5-6 mins.

8. Now simply toss in the rice with fork and garnish with coriander.

Our spicy Tawa Pulao is ready to eat with some cool yoghurt!

Notes & Tips:

1. It is ok if you do not have enough time for soaking the red chillies.

2. My Tawa Pulao turned out to be rather spicy than my usual taste (oops!) so you can skip the red chilli powder entirely if you want it less spicy.

3. We do not cook the vegetables entirely so that they lend a slight crunchiness by the time Tawa Pulao is ready.

4. For Jains:
Follow Step 1 and 2 as above skipping onions and garlic.
Heat oil, add jeera and bay leaf. Next, add ginger and some finely chopped cabbage (3 tbsp) instead.
Sauté for about 1 min and add the vegetables and cook for 2 mins.
Follow as it is step 6 onwards.

Enjoy!

PS: The pics are from my mobile.. My camera is travelling! ;)

Pahadi Rajma

Pahadi Rajma.. a simple, mouth watering & authentic recipe of Rajma from the region of Nainital. This recipe is a secret recipe given to me by a friend hailing from Nainital. Its a recipe her family and forefathers have been following for ages.. so yes its an original recipe and hence the name.
Compared to all other recipes for our Rajma Chawal, this is much easier and can be eaten more often.
I love red kidney beans.. so Rajma is one of my favourite pulses to go with rice.
As against the traditional Punjabi recipe of Rajma this one has much fewer ingredients and yet maintaining the  delicious taste.. thus making it convenient to replicate.

Serves 3. Preparation Time: 10 mins. Cooking Time: 20 -30 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup long or big Red Kidney Beans (Rajma), soaked overnight (12 hrs or more) in hot water
1 small onion (½ cup), thinly sliced
2 medium onions (1 cup), finely chopped
1½ tbsp garlic, crushed (6-7 cloves)
2 medium tomatoes (1½ cup), finely chopped
2-3 tbsp clarified butter/ ghee
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder/ haldi
1 tbsp coriander-cumin seed powder/ dhania jeera
Salt as per taste

For Garnish

Coriander finely chopped

Method:

1. Drain out the soaking water from the rajma and transfer to a pressure cooking safe vessel. Thinly slice 1 small onion and add it to the rajma. Also add some salt to it. Pressure cook the rajma until tender. (About 10-15 whistles depending upon your cooker.) You may also add 1 tsp soda bi carb to fasten the pressure cooking. Since it kills a lot of nutrients, I skipped it.

  

2. While the beans are being pressure cooked, chop the onions, tomatoes and crush garlic.

 

3. In a deep pan, heat ghee. Add the chopped onions and crushed garlic and sauté until tender. Add a pinch of salt and cook until they look pale brown. This will take about 2-3 mins. 

4. Now add the chopped tomatoes and some more salt and mix well. Add the haldi, red chilli & dhania jeera powders and mix well. Let this mixture cook until the tomatoes are soft and the ghee starts separating. This will take about 5 -7 mins. 

 

5. The rajmas should be cooked by now. Take about 2-3 tbsp or 1/3 cup cooked rajma and mash it nicely. Like a coarse purée. 

6. The tomatoes and onion mixture should start oozing the ghee by now. Add the mashed rajma to it and mix well. Cook for another 2 mins. 

 

                                      

7. Now mix in the balance rajma along with the boiled liquid. *Do not discard the liquid* 

Mix it well and add more water if required. Check for salt and season accordingly. Cover & let it all simmer for 15 minutes at least stirring at regular intervals.

My camera lens got fogged due to the heat but nonetheless it should look something like this.

8. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rice or chapati or paratha or just like that! Enjoy..!!

Notes & Tips:

1. Jains can skip onions and garlic. Instead, after heating ghee, add 1 heaped tsp of asafoetida/ hing and 1 bay leaf/ tej patta. Add ginger and proceed. Please note, while pressure cooking rajma, instead of onions, add ginger and bay leaf. Proceed as per step 4 onwards. 

2. This is Pahadi recipe, alternatively, to make it more Punjabi style you can add whole garam masalas (bay leaf, cloves, cinamon) and jeera. Add garam masala and or rajma masala with other spices. To make it richer you may also add some cream. Though with all these changes it will taste a lot spicier and not Pahadi.

3. You may also use the small red kidney beans. They take lesser time to pressure cook. This makes no difference to the taste.

4. Rajma usually tastes better the next day! 

Broccoli Soup

By now you would be having an idea that I love soups..! So here's another one full of iron..! A very comforting soup for upcoming winters. Though I personally love them at any time of the year!

The luscious green colour is so inviting and believe me this recipe is so simple that you have to try it!
Good for people of all ages and with all kinds of eating habits!
Healthy, Low Fat, Low Calorie, Oil Free, Fat Free, etc.!

Serves 4. Preparation Time: 5 mins. Cooking Time: 8 mins.

Ingredients

1 medium sized broccoli
3-4 garlic cloves, (Optional)
3 to 4 cups water ( as per required consistency)
Salt & Pepper as per taste

For Garnish

Grated Cheddar Cheese
Olive Oil or Butter (Optional)

Method:

1. Thoroughly wash the broccoli before chopping. Now proceed to cutting them into florets. You may wash them again to be doubly sure of any dirt or bugs. Peel the garlic cloves.

2. In a deep vessel/pot get the 3 cups water to a rolling boil whilst add some salt.

3. Once the bubbles are visible, drop in our washed broccoli florets. Top it with the peeled garlic and some more salt. Cover and let it cook for 4 to 4½ mins until tender. Check with a knife if required.
 This will ensure a bright & deep green colour to our soup.

4. Now strain them and leave aside our broccoli stock. In a blender add the lovely green broccoli florets, garlic cloves and water (enough to fill ¾ of the jar). Blend it into a smooth velvety purée.
If consistency is too thick you may add the broccoli stock accordingly.

5. Check for salt and season with pepper. Transfer to serving bowls!
The easy broccoli soup is ready!! Serve hot garnished with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil!

Notes & Tips:

1. Jains can skip the garlic and proceed. The soup cannot get more simpler!

2. If you have some fresh goats cheese at hand, chop them into pieces or slice them and use for garnish.

3. You may entirely skip the olive oil and butter, it tastes absolutely delicious even then. The key is the water we boil it in i.e. our broccoli stock.

PS: I did not have my camera handy then, but the next time I make it, I'll take some and update here! 

Red Bellpepper & Tomato Soup

One of the classic soups with a twist that tastes absolutely delicious!

I am sorry I forgot to take pictures while making this soup! So I just have the final dish for you!

So here's the recipe:

Serves 4. Preparation Time: 10 mins. Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

1½ cups tomatoes, chopped.
1 cup red bell-pepper/capsicum, chopped
½ cup onion/shallots, chopped
2 tbsp garlic, crushed
2 to 3 cups veg. stock/water
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Oregano

For Garnish:

Grated Cheese

Method:

1. Chop the onions, tomatoes, bell-pepper and keep aside. Crush the garlic.

2. Heat the oil in a deep vessel. Add onions & garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins.

3. Once soft, add the bell-peppers and some salt and let it cook for another 3 mins.

4. The bell-peppers should now be softer. Then add in the tomatoes and oregano. Cook for 5-7 mins till they are absolutely soft and smashable.

5. Now remove it off heat and blend it all into a smooth purée. Use some water (½ cup) for blending.

6. Sieve the blended purée. Add the water, salt & pepper as required and simmer for 1 min. Serve hot with some grated cheese. Enjoy!!

Notes & Tips:

1. If you have parsley at hand, you may use that for garnish.

2. My Jain readers may skip onions & garlic altogether. Instead, heat oil and add 1-2 bay leaves and then add the capsicum. And proceed step 3 onwards. 

Creamy Mushroom Soup

I have tried variety of mushroom soups at all sorts of restaurants but I haven't come across a single recipe that I wanna go back and try! Most often they are thin or watery, milky, oily or just okayish giving that incomplete feeling.

I love mushrooms! It had been a while having made or had mushroom soup.. So after a lot of surfing, reading and trying various recipes, I made this delicious creamy mushroom soup for all the mushroom lovers like me! 

The cooking time is longer than most methods but it is simple and well worth the taste!

Serves 4. Preparation Time: 10 mins. Cooking Time: 20-30 mins

Ingredients:

For Soup:
300 - 400gms (3 cups) button mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot or onion small, thinly sliced
2 tbsp chopped garlic
3-4 tbsp butter
½ cup cream or milk
1 heaped spoon of wheat flour 
4 cups vegetable stock or water
Salt & Pepper as per taste

For Garnish:
Grated Cheese as required

Method:

1. Firstly, thoroughly clean the mushrooms of all the dirt, mud etc under running water. Now thinly slice them all. I also finely chopped some mushrooms and kept it aside.

2. Thinly slice the shallot and finely chop the garlic. 

3. In a pan, melt all the butter. Once melted, add the sliced mushrooms to it and mix well. 

The pot may look full, but in a few seconds the mushrooms will start oozing out the moisture and reduce in size. 

3. Let it sit on heat for about 10-15 mins. It will leave out all the water and we need to wait until all the water is dried out. Please note that this needs to be done on a slow flame.

4. Once all the water is dried out and the mushrooms are darker, we now add the onions & garlic and let them cook with some salt for about 2-3 mins until soft. 

5. Once sautéed, we now mix in the wheat flour and mix it well and cook it for 2 mins to make sure the flour is not raw. 

6. The flour will get slightly brownish - a sign that it has cooked. We now mix in ½ to ¾ cup stock or water. It should look something like this:

7. Get it off heat and blend this mixture into a smooth purée. 

     

8. Now get it back on the stove and mix in the balance stock/water. Add cream or milk, salt, pepper and the chopped mushrooms. Let it simmer for 2 mins and its ready to serve!

 

Garnish with grated cheese & serve hot! Enjoy!

Notes & Tips:

1. I like it thick, so the quantity of stock/water can be used accordingly. 

2. You may also add some fresh thyme sprigs with step 3. But make sure to remove them before adding flour. 

3. I have used wheat flour for nutritional reasons, you may very well use all purpose flour/maida. It doesn't make much difference to the taste.

4. If you have fresh parsley, you can use that for garnish and add some chopped bits to the soup for additional flavour.

5. I had access to button mushrooms only, but you can add other types - portabella, shitake etc. and adjust the quantity. Just make sure button mushrooms are more in quantity than others to balance the other types. 

If using shitake, soak them before hand and use the soaked water for stock!

Sesame & Flax Seed Mukhwas/Snack

This mukhwas (digestive aid) is a calcium, magnesium & phosphorous rich mix, if had 2 tsp daily will really contribute to overall health of bones, hair, and heart amongst other benefits. It will also substantially contribute to daily requirements.

Due to lack of availability of a healhty digestive aid, if available just too expensive.. I thought let me just make my own mix. Also I am averse to taking tablets and prefer natural sources and dietary changes as a means of healing and precaution. My sister being a dietician & nutritionist, she supervises and guides most of my cooking. So this recipe is definitely a keeper!

Makes 300 gms. Preparation Time: 10 mins. Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

100 gms (½ cup) white sesame seeds

100 gms (½ cup) black sesame seeds

100 gms (½ cup) flax seeds

2-3 tbsp rock salt

1 tbsp salt

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi) [opitonal]

½ cup water

Method:

1. Firstly clean all the seeds of dust or any other particles by sifting them. Leave them each in separate bowls.

2. In a small bowl, take water and mix in the lemon juice, rock salt and salt and leave aside. Let it sit for 5-7 mins or until the salts have dissolved. 

3. In these 3 bowls with seeds, equally distribute the liquid and mix well. Let this mixture sit for 6-7 hrs. 

By the end of which will look a little lumpy or wet. 

4. After 6-7 hrs, take a pan, SLOW ROAST each of them on LOW flame. This will take about 7-10 mins each. After roasting each of them, they will be dry and the seeds will be separated. White Sesame will get slightly darker in colour and flax seeds too will get darker. They should be crunchy. You can taste them and accordingly put of the heat if unsure. Though make sure not to over roast or under roast them.

5. Let each of them cool. Once cooled, mix in all and store in an air- tight container.

It can be consumed daily 1 tbsp each time after lunch and dinner. In addition to its health benefits, it aids digestion too. 

Make sure you chew it well or else it will be pointless consuming it!

PS: Please do not consume in excess as it has a laxative effect.


Nutritional Value & Benefits:

Sesame Seeds:

1. Rich source of minerals like Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorous, Iron &  Zinc amongst others. It also supplies Vitamin A, B along with others.
2. It is comprised of unsaturated fats which means it is good for the heart.
3. Helps reduce hypertension, high blood pressure, & type 2 diabetes.
4. Helps in combating against gingivitis & maintain healthy teeth & bones.
5. Women above the age of 40 pose the risk of osteoporosis, instead of taking calcium supplements, this is a natural substitute.
6. Helps in maintenance of healthy skin (anti ageing)& hair.
7. Antioxidant rich helps prevent Cancer & Stress relieving.
8. Being a laxative, obviously helps solve constipation problems.

Flax Seeds:

1. Rich source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids & lignins (type of anti-oxidant) which help in prevention of  heart diseases.
2. Like sesame they also greatly contribute in prevention of diabetes, high blood pressure, hyper tension, cancer. 
3. Besides, they help in obesity and asthma.
4. Excellent source of vitamin E, hence great for skin!
5.They help stabilise the hormone oestrogen in women, hence women with hormonal disorders, menstruation problems, menopause, depression etc. feel better with regular consumption. Pregnant women must consume under medical guidance.
6. Helps in lowering cholesterol crucial for a healthy heart!
7. This too helps in relieving constipation issues.

Carrot & Corn Parathas

Some weeks back I made carrot & corn parathas. A leftover of sorts, so thought lets try! And it turned out to be quite tasty!

I paired it with Phudina Raita which went well with the parathas. This dish is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner! 

So here's the recipe of the quick & yummy parathas:

Makes 10-12 parathas. Preparation Time: 15 mins. Cooking Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

For Parathas Filling:
1½ cup carrots, grated
1 cup sweet corn, boiled, half crushed
1 medium sized potato, boiled
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp green chilli paste or finely chopped
1 tsp ginger paste or grated ginger
a pinch of sugar
salt as per taste

For Dough:
1½ cup sifted wheat flour
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt

For Roasting:
Ghee or Oil

For Garnish:
Few sprigs of Coriander or Cilantro

For Raita:
1½ cup Yoghurt/Curd
10-12 mint leaves (phudina), finely chopped
salt as per taste

Method:

1. Grate the carrots & half crush the boiled corn. Boil the potato. 

  

2. Mix in all the ingredients under 'For Parathas Filling'. We use the potatoes for binding so use accordingly.
Divide into equal sized balls. 

3. Now make the dough for parathas using the ingredients under 'For Dough'. 

4. Roll out rotis and make parathas as usual with the stuffing.

5. Roast it with ghee or oil as preferred. 

6. For the raita, beat the curd, add the chopped mint leaves and salt.

7. Serve the parathas hot with cold raita.

Notes & Tips:

1. For Jains: Substitute the boiled potatoes for mashed boiled bananas and proceed. 


PS: Excuse the pictures as they are from my cellphone. 

Thai Fried Rice

To accompany the Thai Green Curry I made the Thai Fried Rice. A very simple & quick recipe. A very versatile dish for South Asian cuisines.

Serves: 4-6 Preparation Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup basmati rice, washed thoroughly and soaked for about half an hour
1-2 stalks lemon grass
3 tbsp Red bell peppers/capsicum, julienned
3 tbsp Yellow bell peppers/capsicum, julienned
3 tbsp Green bell peppers/capsicum, julienned
3 tbsp carrots, julienned
3 tbsp green or purple cabbage, julienned
1 small spring onion (3 tbsp), white, chopped
3 tbsp spring onion greens, chopped
1 tbsp ( 2-3 cloves) garlic, crushed
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
1 tbsp white or black pepper powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt as per taste

Method:

1. Firstly, take twice the quantity of water for rice and let it boil. Now add some salt, oil and lemon grass stalks roughly chopped. Now add the soaked rice let it simmer until 85% cooked. Each grain should be separate. You may pass it through cold water to arrest cooking.
Once strained, you now remove the lemon grass stalks.

2. While the rice is being cooked, chop the spring onions, carrots, bell peppers, cabbage and leave aside. 

2. In a wok, or a deep & wide kadai heat some oil. Add the spring onion whites & greens along with garlic and sauté for 2 mins. 

3. Now add the bell peppers & carrots and stir fry for about 2-3 mins. 

4. Now add salt, the capsico sauce, oyster sauce, pepper powder, lemon juice and mix well. Mix in the cabbage and cook for 2 mins. The entire mixture will reduce in size by now. We do not cook the vegetables until entirely soft. Slight crunchiness will add a nice texture to the rice.

5. Now toss in the rice taking care that it they do not break or mash. Let it cook for a minute and serve warm!

Enjoy your rice with the mouth watering Thai Green Curry!

Notes & Tips:

1. For my Jain Friends:

Omit onion & garlic. Stir fry bell peppers, carrots (if using) and add cabbage towards the end. Add capsico sauce, pepper, lemon juice and 1 tbsp soya sauce. And proceed.

2. The purple cabbage looks colourful and is in fact a healthier option to our green cabbage. 

3. I do not like the taste of oyster sauce, hence omitted. You can either add 1 tbsp soya sauce or skip it entirely like I did. It tastes equally good. 

Pls. note if you're adding soya sauce, reduce salt accordingly.