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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Spinach Fry (Palong Shaag Bhaja)

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A full course Bengali spread always starts with a saag (leafy vegetable). As  a child we would just literally swallow it and get it over with. However, my little one loved this particular saag so much that she wanted it more and more. This is a super simple recipe but I am still writing it down because she forced me to.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch if spinach finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic crushed and minced
  • 2 dry red chilies broken
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • Salt
  • Oil

Procedure

Heat 2-3tbsp. oil and add chopped garlic and broken dry chilies to it. Fry till you get a nice aroma. Make sure you put on the chimney and keep the windows open otherwise you will end up in heavy sneezing and coughing.

Add chopped spinach along with just a pinch of salt. Mix well. Soon spinach will release plenty of water. Keep stirring on medium heat till all moisture evaporates. Now depending on this final quantity add salt and sugar. Mix well before you remove and serve with hot rice.

Note:

Do not add more than a pinch of salt at first. The quantity of spinach will reduce to its 1/3rd when done, so you might end up with a too salt dish.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Fresh Tomato and Sweet Chili Sauce

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Summer means that every weekend we get farmers market in our neighborhood. In the world of fertilizers and pesticides, shiny picture perfect vegetables have become the common sight. However, at these farmers market you get to see the real vegetables. Maybe a bit out of shape, but luscious and yummy nonetheless.

My little one loves her ketchup/sauce and uses them graciously. So I pickup those fresh pesticide free veges and make my own ketchup. They don’t look bright red as I don’t use strange numbered dyes. Also I get to avoid high fructose corn syrup and other equally strange stuff you get to read on the labels.

Sauce or ketchup whatever you call them, they rescue any bad meals and enhances the good ones.This can readily be used as a dip or could be added to pasta and make them ready to go straight away in the lunch box without much effort. This particular ketchup contains sweet peppers to impart a hot and spicy taste to otherwise sweet ketchup.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. fresh ripe red tomato cut into halves
  • 8 – 10 yellow and red sweet pepper cored, seeded and chopped
  • 3 – 4 Thai green chili
  • 1 small red onion chopped
  • 1’ ginger peeled and chopped
  • 2 fat cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
  • 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. paprika powder (Instead you can use Kashmiri red chili powder)
  • 10 black pepper corns
  • 1” cinnamon stick
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • salt to taste

Procedure

Place tomatoes along with all other ingredients over medium heat. Simmer for 1hour.  Skim off any foam floating on the  top. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Remove from heat and let it cool down. Now blend the mixture in a blender. Careful  don’t blend the hot liquid unless you want an explosion.

Strain the mixture through a strainer and discard the residues. Now transfer the strained ketchup in a heavy bottom pan and turn on the heat. Let it simmer on medium heat for another 15 minutes till it thickens.

Pour the ketchup when still warm in the hot sterilized bottle leaving 1/4 inch headroom.

NOTE:

We need to sterilize the bottle which we will use for storing the sauce since we are not adding any artificial preservatives. You want this bottle hot when you pour the ready sauce into it so do this process after you strain the sauce.  Wash the bottle in soap water and thoroughly rinse it. Take water in a sauce pan and bring it to a rolling boil. Place the bottle so that it is completely submerged in water. Don’t forget to put the lid as well.

Boil the jar for 10 to 15minutes and then remove it by using a clean tong. Dry thoroughly.

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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Homemade Tomato Ketchup

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Summer means that every weekend we get farmers market in our neighborhood. In the world of fertilizers and pesticides, shiny picture perfect vegetables have become the common sight. However, at these farmers market you get to see the real vegetables. Maybe a bit out of shape, but luscious and yummy nonetheless.

My little one loves her ketchup and uses them graciously. So I pickup those fresh pesticide free veges and make my own ketchup. They don’t look bright red as I don’t use strange numbered dyes. Also I get to avoid high fructose corn syrup and other equally strange stuff you get to read on the labels.

Ingredients

  • 2lb. red ripe tomatoes
  • 1/2 onion chopped 
  • 1 tsp. chopped garlic  
  • 1 stick cinnamon broken
  • 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1tsp. black pepper corn
  • 1/2tsp. paprika powder (Kashmiri red chili powder)
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 2tbsp. olive oil (Sunflower or Canola oil can be used instead)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • Salt to taste

Procedure

Take a heavy bottom pan and add oil to it. Throw bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and pepper corn into it. Allow them to crackle. Next to go in is chopped onion and garlic. Sauté for a while.

Now tomato halves to it. Add salt and mix well. Bring it to a boil. cook for 15 minutes stirring frequently. When the tomatoes are soft and mushy add sugar and vinegar. Cook till sugar melts. Turn off the heat and let it cool. Put this tomato mixture through a food strainer to discard skin and seeds.

Transfer the strained mixture to a pan and again bring it to a boil. Simmer on medium heat for 30 – 45 minutes until it is reduced by half. Pour in the hot bottle till the sauce is warm. Wait to cool down completely before you seal it. Keep it in the refrigerator.

NOTE:

We need to sterilize the bottle which we will use for storing the sauce since we are not adding any artificial preservatives. You want this bottle hot when you pour the ready sauce into it so do this process after you strain the sauce.  Wash the bottle in soap water and thoroughly rinse it. Take water in a sauce pan and bring it to a rolling boil. Place the bottle so that it is completely submerged in water. Don’t forget to put the lid as well.

Boil the jar for 10 to 15minutes and then remove it by using a clean tong. Dry thoroughly. 

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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Bread Upma

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I learned to make this when I used to live in Hyderabad from a neighbor. It makes good use of bread when the expiry date comes knocking. We make it sometimes for breakfast and also for my daughter’s school lunchbox.

Ingredients

  • 6 slices brown bread cut into small cubes (preferably stale bread) 
  • 1 large onion chopped roughly
  • 1/2 cup green peas 
  • 1 tsp. finely chopped ginger
  • 1 tomato finely chopped
  • 2 green chilies finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup coriander greens finely chopped
  • 5-6 curry leaves 
  • 1 tsp. Black gram
  • 1 tsp. chaana dal  (Bengal gram)
  • 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 tsp. oil
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • Salt to taste

Procedure

Add oil in a pan. Temper it with 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, mustard seeds, black gram and chaana dal. Allow them to splutter. Add chopped onion, green chilies and ginger. Fry till onion turns translucent. Add tomato and green peas followed by all dry spice powders, sugar and salt. Mix well.

Pour half a cup of water to it and add bread pieces. Toss them. Sprinkle chopped coriander and serve hot.

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Red Snapper with Pyajkoli

IMG_5857Traditionally we make Maacher Jhol with sweet water fishes. Since here in US we have limited access to rui, katla in their frozen forms, I keep trying with various local fish. When I first found Red Snapper, instead of attempting light jhol I tried to put it into a tomato garlic based gravy with pyajkoli which I bought from the same Asian store. I was quite satisfied with the result.

Next time I am going to try this with cauliflower and bori.

IMG_5856 Ingredients

  • 4 pieces of red snapper cut into steaks
  • 2 ripe red tomatoes
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup pyajkoli or green shallot cut into 2” pieces
  • 1 medium potato cut into thick wedges
  • 2-3 green chilies
  • Few coriander greens chopped
  • 1 tsp. kalonji seeds (Nigella)
  • 1 tsp. red chili powder
  • 1 tsp. + 1tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • Salt to taste

Procedure

Clean the fish steaks and pat them dry. Rub them with 1tsp. turmeric powder and salt and keep aside.

Make a paste of garlic and tomatoes.

Heat oil in a wok and shallow fry the fishes till they are golden yellow. Remove and keep aside.

If the oil turned black discard them and use fresh oil. Temper with kalonji and green chilies. Once they stop sputtering add tomato garlic paste. Sprinkle turmeric and red chili powder. Add potato wedges to it. Sauté on medium heat till oil separates out.

Add half cup of water and bring it to a boil. Season with salt and sugar. Mix everything well. Cook it covered on medium heat till potato wedges are 3/4th done. Now add the fried fish pieces and pyajkoli to it. It will now stop boiling. Increase the heat and wait for it to come to a boil again. Add chopped coriander greens and turn off the heat.

Serve with white rice.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Goalondo steamer Curry

IMG_9364-EditI see a lot of stories online around the origin of this famous Bangladeshi dish. I do not know which is the real story but I heard the same first hand version from both my mother and father who lived in Bangladesh.

Apparently a common route to come to India (Kolkata) from Bangladesh  at that time was to take a train from Goalondo. To reach Goalondo most folks relied on steamers and other modes of river travel. This chicken curry used to be made by the boatmen on these river routes. Since obviously there are limited resources on a boat/streamer this chicken curry is made with fresh basic un-ground spices. If you make it, you will see the amazing difference that comes with just the fact that the spices are used whole.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sized whole chicken cut on bones
  • 4 big onions coarsely chopped
  • 6-7 fat cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
  • 1” ginger coarsely chopped
  • 2 – 3 dry red chilies coarsely pound
  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 5 – 6 tbsp. mustard oil
  • 1 tsp. sugar (Optional)
  • Salt to taste

Procedure

Mix the chicken with all above ingredients and keep it for an hour.

Transfer it into a heavy bottom pan and sauté over medium heat for 5 – 7 minutes. Cook it covered till the chicken is tender. The moisture of all the ingredients will be sufficient for cooking, so you really don’t have to add any.

Serve with fresh hot rice.

A similar recipe you might like is Dakbungalow Chicken

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Cauliflower Pot Roast

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I tend to trust scientists with caution. They summersault in their recommendations every couple of decades. One of our physicians used to tell us to never eat cauliflower because apparently it has zero nutritional value. Now I hear the exact opposite and they are touted to be a super food with cancer fighting abilities.

Whatever confusion science has, I am not in the least bit confused in calling out that cauliflower pot-roast is indeed yummy just as it was a decade back.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium cauliflower cut into big florets
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 tomato
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2” ginger
  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp. red chili powder
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2tsp. Bengali garam masala
  • 1tsp. ghee (Clarified butter)
  • 5 – 6 tbsp. oil
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp. whole garam masala (Cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves)

Procedure

Make a fine paste of onion, ginger and garlic. Add turmeric and chili powder to it and mix well. Rub this paste on cauliflower florets so that they are well coated. Sprinkle salt over it and keep it marinated for 3-4 hours.

In a pan heat oil on medium heat and temper it with bay leaves and whole garam masala. Wait till it stops sizzling. If you want a vibrant red color you can add sugar at this point. The caramelized sugar will give it a gorgeous red color.

Add marinated cauliflower to it and sauté on medium heat for a minute. Cook it covered on medium heat for about ten minutes. The marinated cauliflower and the wet spices will release enough water for cooking so you really don’t have to add any.

Remove the lid and do the rest of cooking uncovered. This will help to retain the shape of the cauliflower florets. Once the cooking is done you will see the oil gets separated from the rest.

Add a spoonful of ghee and a pinch of Bengali garam masala over it and keep it covered till you serve.

It goes well with any kind of Indian bread. 

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Sobji diye Chingri-r Jhal (Shrimp and Vegetable Medley)

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This is made with prawns and a medley of vegetables. Based on individual choices, many of those vegetables could be replaced with others. For example traditionally, this is made with egg-plant, but since I do not like it so much, I used pumpkin instead.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. tiger prawns
  • 1 large onion thinly sliced
  • 3-4 green chilies slit lengthwise
  • 1 ridge gourd (Jhinge) cut into medium cubes
  • 6-7 ladies finger (Okra)
  • 4 medium sized potatoes cut into quarters
  • 4-5 big chunks of pumpkin
  • 1 tbsp. kalonji (Nigella seeds)
  • 1 tbsp. Kashmiri chili powder
  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1/2tsp. red chili powder
  • 5 tbsp. mustard oil
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • Salt to taste

Procedure

In a microwave safe bowl take potatoes and add quarter cup of water to it. Cook it in microwave for 2-3 minutes and remove.

Add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to the prawns and rub it well.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the prawns till they turn pink. Remove and set aside.

In the same oil fry all other vegetables (Including the steamed potatoes) except ridge gourd. Remove and keep them aside.

Add nigella seeds to the same oil and allow them to sizzle. Add onion slices to it and fry them till they turn golden brown. Add Kashmiri chili powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder to it. Mix well and pour a cup of water to it. Add fried vegetables other than the okra. Season with salt and sugar. Cook them covered till they are 3/4th done and now this is the time to add fried prawns, ridge gourd and okra followed by some green chilies. Remove the lid and cook it for another 3-4 minutes.

Serve with plain hot rice.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Saffron Rice

IMG_9690 I commonly make saffron rice with various meat dishes. I keep referring to it and putting them in various pictures but never got down to write it’s recipe. It’s super easy to make and at the same time colorful and adds a nice vibrance to the dinner spread.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of basmati rice washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
  • 1 tbsp. saffron strands
  • 1/4 cup warm milk
  • 1 tsp. cumin seeds2tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • Salt to taste

Procedure

Soak saffron strands in warm milk and keep aside.

In a sauce pan heat butter on medium heat till it melts. Temper with whole cumin seeds. Add drained rice to it and fry until rice begins to absorb ghee and turns opaque. Do not brown the rice.

Add salt, sugar and 4 cups of water and cook till the water is absorbed and rice is done. Pour saffron infused milk over the cooked rice and cover. Let it stand for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with your favorite curry. Some good options are Morich Mutton, Chaap, Rogan Josh

Monday, June 17, 2013

Icebox Cookies

IMG_9361This lovely cookies dotted with red candied cherries are ideal for Christmas. The good thing about these cookies is that you can make the cookie dough in advance and store it in the refrigerator for upto a week and bake it fresh when needed.

My husband really liked them and wanted a batch for his office, so some of my readers who work with him as well can look forward to these soon :)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp.baking powder
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup candied red cherries
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Procedure

In a big bowl beat butter and sugar till they are light and fluffy. It takes almost 3 – 4 minutes with a electric hand mixer. Add egg and vanilla extract to it and beat well until incorporated.

In another bowl mix all dry ingredients and sift them. Gradually add this dry mixture to the butter until a dough forms. At the end add the cherries and stir in until distributed evenly in the dough.

Divide the dough into three equal portions and shape each of them into logs and wrap in wax paper. Tap each of the wrapped log on the counter to create a square log. Chill in the refrigerator until firm.

Heat oven to 350F. Take the logs 15 minutes before you bake them and slice with a sharp knife.Bake for 14 – 15 minutes, and your icebox cookies are ready..  

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Chicken Lollipop

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Long time back when I went to Goa on our honeymoon we went to a small restaurant by the beach called Why Knot. We befriended the waiter there who would serve us these amazing chicken lollipops with endless supply of port wine on the house. The waiter was very interesting. He used to work in a hotel in Leh (Kashmir) in the summers and in Goa in the winters. He even showed us the pictures of his Ladakhi girlfriend. It was a wonderful carefree time in our life. Even though the yearning to go back to those simpler times will not be satisfied, I can always satisfy the palate with some yummy chicken lollipop.

Ingredients For Marination

  • 16 pieces chicken drummettes
  • 1tbsp. ginger paste
  • 1 tbsp. garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp. soya sauce
  • 1 tbsp. vinegar
  • 1 tsp. salt

Procedure For Marination

Take the drummettes and trim the skin off from one end of the bone and give them a shape of lollipops. Wash and pat them really dry.

Marinate chicken with all ingredients listed above and keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. By the mean time prepare the batter.

Ingredients For Frying

  • 2 tbsp. corn starch
  • 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. red chili powder
  • 1/2tsp. salt
  • Enough oil for deep frying

Procedure

In a dry bowl take all the ingredients other than oil and whisk it with a fork to make a smooth batter. Ensure that the batter is lump free.

In a pan heat enough oil for deep frying. Dip each marinated drummette in the batter and gently slide it into the medium hot oil. Fry till the chicken is cooked and then turn the heat  high to give it a brownish crispy exterior.

Remove and keep them on an absorbent paper.

Ingredients For sauce

  • 2 fat cloves of garlic chopped
  • 2-3 tsp. chili garlic sauce
  • 1/4 cup spring onion finely chopped
  • 2 tsp. oil
  • Salt if needed

Procedure

In a pan heat oil and add chopped garlic. Sauté for a few minutes and then add chili garlic sauce. Mix well and check whether to add salt or not. Add chopped spring onion and fried lollipops to this sauce and stir over high flame to coat each wings with sauce. Remove and wrap the bony end with aluminum foil and arrange them on a tray to serve.

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Friday, June 7, 2013

Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil

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Leavenworth_003This is by far my favorite pasta. I had it while on a trip to the Bavarian village of Leavenworth in Washington state. We were there in December of 2012 to enjoy the heavy snowfall up in the cascade mountains.

Just after having this great pasta at an Italian restaurant in Leavenworth we started heading back towards Seattle. This is when things started going South. Due to heavy snowfall trees started falling down all around us in Stevens Pass. Falling trees while driving in 0 visibility at 60 mph is not a pleasant experience. However, we managed to get through the pass and just after that US2 closed for over 2 weeks, the longest in 30 years. Thankfully we didn’t get stuck in Leavenworth. However, looking back it wouldn’t been such a bad thing as I could’ve had the pasta every day :).

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. spaghetti
  • 6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
  • 8 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
  • 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley (I used the dried one)
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper powder
  • 6-8 mushroom thinly sliced
  • 100 gms chicken breast cut into cubes
  • Few leaves of baby spinach
  • Salt to taste

Procedure

Cook spaghetti according to the package direction. Lightly drain spaghetti, don’t shake it dry in the colander, as you need to retain a little of the cooking water.

Take olive oil in a pan and add garlic slices to that cold oil. Put the heat on to medium and as soon as it starts bubbling immediately lower the heat. Keep sautéing for another five minutes. It helps infusing the garlic flavor in olive oil without turning it much brown. Add chili flakes to it and mix well. Turn the heat off.

In another pan take 2tbsp. olive oil and add chicken cubes to it. sprinkle salt and black pepper powder. Cook it on low heat till the meat is tender. Add mushroom slices and baby spinach leaves to it and sauté everything together for another two minutes. Transfer this content to the garlic flavored olive oil and give them a nice mix. Return this pan to the heat, add boiled spaghetti and parsley and toss to coat. This garlic flavored oil should coat each strands of spaghetti.

Taste for seasoning and serve. 

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Kancha Pepe-r Ghonto (Raw Papaya Curry)

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This is a common summer food in Bengal and is very yummy.

I had a real hard time making it because my husband was gobbling down the dumplings and complaining about wasting them because he doesn’t eat papaya. However, next day unknowingly he actually ate this without realizing it’s papaya and was very happy with it.

Ingredients

  • For Bora or dumplings
    • 1/2 cup motor dal  (Yellow split peas) soaked in water for 3-4hours.
    • 1/2tsp. kalonji (Nigella seeds)
    • 1 pinch turmeric powder
    • Salt to taste
    • Oil for frying
  • For Ghonto
    • 1 medium sized raw papaya grated
    • 3-4 green chilies slit lengthwise
    • 2 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
    • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
    • 2-3 bay leaves
    • 1tsp. sugar
    • Salt to taste
    • 2tbsp. oil

Procedure

Grind dal into a coarse paste by adding very little water. In a mixing bowl take the paste and add turmeric powder, salt and kalonji. Mix really well.

Heat oil in a wok and add small balls of lentil mixture to it. Fry on medium heat till they turn crispy and golden brown. Remove from oil and keep them on an absorbent paper.

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and temper it with whole cumin seeds, bay leaves and green chilies. Wait till they stop sizzling. Now add grated raw papaya followed by turmeric powder, sugar and salt. Mix well. Cook it covered on low heat till the vegetable is 3/4th done.

Now add fried lentil dumplings to it and finish rest of the cooking on low heat. By the end of the cooking all the moisture should dry up.

Add chopped fresh cilantro and green chilies to garnish and serve with plain hot rice.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Semiya Upma or Chow Chow Bath

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When we first moved to Bangalore, we discovered that it’s brimming with many Sagars (seas) in it, and you can get different kind of baths in it.

If this astounds the geographically inclined (who knows that there aren’t any large water bodies within 100s of kms of Bangalore), rest assured that these are different kinds of Sagars. They are named Sukh Sagar, Shanti Sagar, Sukh Shanti Sagar and even sometimes just Sagar and are darned good food joints. They serve various kinds of bath (which is the name for cooked rice) like tamarind bath, tomato bath and weirdly chow chow bath. Obviously the name comes from Chinese chowmein due to the visual similarity.

It is made with Indian vermicelli and free of egg. Fortified with vegetables this complete meal can be done in minutes and is great for lunch boxes.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups semiya or vermicelli
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 2 green chilies finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 1/4 cup carrots cut into very small cubes
  • 1/4 up finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup roasted peanuts or cashew nuts
  • 2 tsp. canola oil
  • Salt to taste
  • For Tempering
    • 10 curry leaves
    • 2 dry red chilies broken
    • 1pinch asafetida (hing)
    • 1/4tsp. each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and chana dal

 

Procedure

Take a wide pan and add vermicelli. Dry roast it by turning over and over till it takes a light brown hue. Transfer it immediately to a plate. This step prevent the upma from being sticky, hence very important.

Now heat oil in a pan and add all the ingredients listed under tempering. Sauté till they become fragrant. If you are making for the kids then remove the red chilies and keep aside.

Add chopped onion and green chilies. Sauté on low heat till they turn soft and the onions turn pink. Add carrot and peas and mix everything together.

pour 3 cups of water and sprinkle salt. Mix well and turn the heat to high. When it comes to a rolling boil add roasted vermicelli while constantly stirring it.Cook till water is all absorbed. Turn off the heat.

Add chopped cilantro, fried red chilies and roasted nuts. Gently mix and give it a 5 minutes standing time.

Serve hot for breakfast or you can pack for lunchbox as well.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Lebu–Lonka Murgi (Chicken with Lime and Green Chili)

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This is a light preparation of chicken which is perfectly suitable for a very hot day. This deviates considerably from traditional Indian cooking and I learnt the recipe from a TV show by the chef of the famous http://bhojohorimanna.com/ restaurant in Kolkata where this used to be served. The combination of lime and fresh green chilies gives it a very refreshing taste.

Ingredients

  • 500 gms chicken on bone
  • 2 tbsp. onion juice (Make a paste of onion and squeeze out the juice)
  • 2 tsp. ginger juice
  • 2 tsp. garlic juice
  • 2 tsp. green chili paste
  • 1 pinch coriander powder
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt (Curd)
  • 1 big lime (preferably Gondhoraj lebu + 1 pati lebu)
  • 1 tbsp. refined oil (Canola or Sunflower oil)
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 2-3 lime leaf
  • 2-3 green chilies slit lengthwise
  • 4 tbsp. ghee (Clarified Butter)
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • Salt to taste

Procedure

In a bowl take half of the yogurt and add onion juice, ginger garlic juice, green chili paste, coriander powder, refined oil and lime juice. Mix it really well to make the marinade. Check to adjust the sourness, if you want you can add some more lime juice.

Add chicken pieces to it and keep it marinated for about an hour.

Heat ghee in a pan. Temper it with cardamom pods. Allow them to crackle. Shake off the excess marinade from the chicken pieces and add them to ghee. Fry the chicken pieces on medium high heat till all sides turn light brown.

Add the marinade along with salt, sugar and the rest of the yogurt. Mix well.Through  lime leaves and green chilies in and cook it covered on medium heat till meat is done.

If you want your gravy to be thick, crank up the heat to high and let the excess water dry up.

Serve with plain paratha.