in love with food

September 17, 2007

SAY YES TO SPROUTS!

They are bursting with vitamins, extremely light and easy to digest and great as an all time snack, yes! I am talking about sprouts, any kind of sprouts, chana, mung-dal, or any bean.

Method of making sprouts-There are two different methods one is the traditional method ,in which you just tie up the dal/bean in a clean muslin cloth and keep sprinkling water every few hours,within 2-3 days the sprouts will be ready, a relatively new way is using the sprout maker(see pic below), this is a steel dibbi (container) with several small holes in it on the top,sides as well as the bottom ,you put the dal/beans in it and just keep dipping it in water or putting under running water so that water seeps into the holes ,in two days sprouts are ready, any way you make them do try and include this source of vitamin C in your diet.

the sprout-maker

light and crunchy- sprouts salad

THINGS I DO WITH SPROUTS-

Add chopped tomato,onion and cucumber,sprinkle lemon juice and chaat masala ,saute lightly ,makes a refreshing salad (see pic above).
Serve this salad on top of fried papad, cut into triangles, serve immediately
Toss a handful into fried rice/noodles/soup
Add it to yogurt with tomato, onion, salt and pepper- delicious raita is ready
Make regular onion-tomato masala add sprouts ,garam masala and salt, serve with chapatis and yogurt for a complete meal
Grind alongwith dosa batter for an extremely nutritious dosa
Combine with any leafy green vegetable like amaranth OR
Just enjoy them raw and crunchy as shown below

mung-dal sprouts

September 16, 2007

HAKKA NOODLES let's eat Chinese...

I think Chinese food is perfect!. It's such a harmony of sweet and sour and that little bit of chilli, whenever we go out for dinner ,my first choice is a good Chinese restaurant, in fact I have such an irresistible fascination for chinese food since childhood that my mom used to say that I should have been born in China!

Well I think it is very healthy too ,given the large amount of vegetables that are put into it as well as the method of cooking used- that is a quick stir-fry perfectly retaining all the nutrients as well as the juiciness of the vegetables, this method is followed for chicken or pork too to seal-in the juices , this dish is ready in a jiffy with a little bit of pre-preparation.Here is my recipe for hakka noodles, fresh, flavorful and delicious with that slight crunch to it!

delicious hakka-noodles

Ingredients-

noodles- 1 pkt (250 gms)
french-beans-1/2 cup sliced into long strips
carrots-1/2 cup sliced into rounds
cabbage-1/2 cup chopped into squares
capsicum-1/4 cup chopped into squares
onion- 1 large chopped into squares
omelette made out of 2 eggs- cut into strips
shredded boiled chicken-1/2 cup
ginger-garlic paste-1 tbsp.
oil-2 tbsp.
aji-no-moto(chinese salt)- a pinch(optional)
vinegar-2 tbsp. or acc. to taste
soya sauce- a dash
salt to taste
pinch of sugar
pepper to taste

Method-

Take a large saucepan ,put noodles and lots of water to completely submerge them , add a little salt and put on fire, boil for 15 mins or till al-dente (tender to the bite ),be very careful ,we dont want overcooked noodles, in fact slightly undercooked would be just fine.

Drain in a colander ,immediately sprinkle little oil ,so that they dont stick together, spread out on kitchen towels/paper for at least 2-3 hrs.

Heat oil in a wok , add ginger-garlic paste saute till lightly brown add rest of vegetables and cook briefly, add noodles and all the seasonings as well as chicken and the omelette strips and stir fry for further 5 minutes, dish out and serve hot with tomato ketchup-out of the world taste!

PUNJABI KADHI-PAKODA

13092007369

kadhi-pakoda with rice

In North Indian Cuisine -kadhi-pakoda occupies a special and important place ,and is one of those dishes made very regularly in every household ,as a kid I remember it was my absolute favorite, and my mom would be pressurised to make it again and again for me.

The thing to keep in mind here is that the curd being used should be very sour to get the proper taste of the kadhi, and the kadhi should be cooked for at least 20-30 minutes.Enjoy it with hot rice as we do in most punjabi households.

Ingredients-

chickpea flour(besan)- 1/2 cup
onion-1 large,chopped
sour curd-1 cup
garlic-12 cloves
desi ghee- 2 tbsp
deggi mirch(cayenne pepper)-1/ tsp
refined oil- 2 tbsp.
turmeric powder- 1 tsp.
asafetida(hing)-1/4 tsp
curry leaves- 4-5
garam masala-1 tsp.
chilli powder-1/2 tsp.
cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
oil for deep frying the pakodas

Method-

In a large bowl mix together the besan, chopped onions, garam masala 1/2 tsp, turmeric pwdr-1/2 tsp and the chilli powder as well as salt to taste, add water to make a batter-

preparing batter for the pakodas

Drop teaspoonfuls into hot oil , just the same as frying pakodas , remove when golden brown and keep aside REMEMBER TO USE ONLY HALF OF THE BATTER.

the ready pakodas

In the leftover half of the batter mix in the curd ,the turmeric, and hing as well as 1 cup water. Heat 2 tbsp.oil in a kadhai or wok ,add cumin seeds and let crackle, add curry leaves and 6 cloves of chopped garlic, let the garlic brown and then tip in the curd mixture,add the rest of garam masala(1/2 tsp), let cook on slow heat for 20-30 minutes, it will get thick ,the consistency of thick cream soup. Add salt and some slit and deseeded green chillies if desired ,add the pakodas and let cook for another2-3 mins.

for the tempering(tadka)-

Heat the desi ghee in a small saucepan, add 6 cloves of crushed garlic, let the garlic brown nicely, it will give off a heavenly aroma, remove from heat ,add 1/2 tsp deggi mirch. Add on top of kadhi just before serving. Enjoy HOT!

kadhi-pakoda with rice

September 15, 2007

BREAKFAST AMBROSIA

Wishing You all a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!

Puris, Masaledaar- chane and Suji-halwa- food fit for the Gods!

puris,chane and halwa

Today I woke up in the morning with a warm, festival feeling and thought why not celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi by starting with a traditional breakfast, so here we are, why don't you too get into the mood??

Recipe for poories/puris-(makes 8-10 puris)

Ingredients-

Wholewheat flour(atta)-1 cup .
Warm water- 1/2 cup .
Salt- 1/4 tsp.
Oil for deep frying .

Menu:

Take a large bowl and combine all the above ingredients, adjusting the amount of water, added slowly ,whilst kneading into a tight dough.Roll and shape out into poories,deep fry to a peachy brown .Drain on paper towels and keep aside.

Recipe for masaledaar- chane- (serves 4)

masaledaar kale-chane

Ingredients-

kale chane-1 cup soaked overnight
onion- 1 small (very finely chopped)
tomato- 1 large
cumin seeds- 1 tsp
amchur(dry mango pwdr)- 2 tsp
garam- masala- 1 tsp
ginger- thinly sliced 2' piece
green chillies- 2 sliced
oil- 2 tbsp
salt to taste

Method-

Boil kale channe in pressure cooker till tender, heat oil add cumin seeds and the onions ,fry onions till golden then add tomato ,let cook for 5 mins.,or till oil separates from the masala add kale chane and rest of ingredients and continue cooking for at least 10-15 mins. more, it should be absolutely dry. Serve with the hot poories and halwa.

Recipe for suji-ka-halwa- (serves 3-4)

suji-ka-halwa

I am following a slightly different method here ,one which is quick and easy ,yet tastes extremely good!

Ingredients-

suji(semolina)-1/2 cup
powdered sugar- 1/2 cup
green cardamom(powdered)- 1/2 tsp
desi ghee- 2 large tbsp.
water - 2 cups
dry fruit (chopped)-2 tbsp
coconut - (dry )- 2 tbsp chopped

Method-

Heat ghee in a heavy bottom kadhai, add the suji and dry roast for few minutes, add the dry fruits and coconut and continue stirring and roasting till it takes on a light brownish-creamish colour and the rawness of the suji disappears(this requires total attention and dedication!), next add sugar and water,let cook for another 10 mins. till suji absorbs water and swells up and the mixture turns thick and creamy.Serve piping hot,yum!

Dig into a great-tasting weekend breakfast!

Sending this over to Latha for her event

September 13, 2007

HOT TOMATO PICKLE ...and my cookbook

juicy-red tomatoes

Summer bounty- farm fresh tomatoes , most of the dishes I cook are based around it and I love adding it in ample amounts, so why not make something which is there in my fridge all the time to add an extra zing to my food, a hot tomato pickle based on a Nepali recipe from my cookbook featured below , this pickle or chutney is unbelievably marvellous with fresh, hot rice, chapatis , paranthas ,I even love it on my toast, have it anytime you want to tickle your taste buds.This pickle keeps well for over a week ,stored in the fridge.

Ingredients-

Oil- 2 tbsp.
Garlic- 6 cloves
fresh ginger- 2' piece
Sliced tomatoes- 3 large
Green/dried red chillies(sliced)- 6-8 (adjust acc. to taste)
Ajwain seeds-1/4 tsp.(lovage seeds)
Juice of half a lemon
salt to taste

Method-

Put oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and sprinkle with salt.Add garlic and ginger ,cooking until they are light golden brown. Add tomatoes,sliced chillies and ajwain. Cover and cook slowly until tomato becomes a thick sauce, turn off heat and add lemon juice,mix well.

Hot tomato pickle

Nags of -The Cook in Me is hosting an event-"show me you cookbooks"-(http://cookingandme.blogspot.com/2007/09/announcing-show-me-your-cook-books.html)-show , the book below is my entry , it holds a special place in my heart since it was gifted to me by my brother whom I havent seen in well over three years since he moved to Florida,US.

book by- Association of NEPALIS in the Americas

The first page of the book- in my brothers kiddish handwriting (10th Nov. 2000)

GANESHA- REMOVER OF ALL OBSTACLES (pic from the book)

Remembering -the loved one's of all of us ,who are far away ,yet always in our hearts, may Ganesha always be with them.

September 12, 2007

FLAVORS OF MANALI

pics of chandratal lake

Manali(Himachal Pradesh) rightly known as paradise on earth ,the place is really beautiful- the river Beas flowing en route the fruit orchards and conifer slopes climbing upto the snow capped Himalayan peaks....

It was on a recent trip that I came across several new and exciting flavors that this place has to offer ! , as all of you who have been to Manali would know that the place is dotted with German bakeries that sell delicious goodies- brownies, cheesecakes, tarts and most unforgettable of all- Cinnamon rolls,-mouthwatering, soft , sweet rolls of bread sprinkled with raisins, cinnamon and sugar, these are available in almost all the bakeries.

Another must try is the thin-crust pizza at Shiva's Cafe in old Manali ,for its authentic taste as well as the romantic ambience of the place or the thick soups at Moon dance cafe.The influence of Israelis ,Germans ,in fact that of people from all over the world bringing their respective cuisines with them is evident -relish the Chicken schnitzels, hummus, pitta bread all of which I enjoyed at the World peace cafe in Vashist along with the awesome view(its a terrace cafe),Manali is also famous for fresh trout ,available freely at all local restaurants.

The above two pics are of Chandratal lake,14,500 feet above and those below are of main Manali, as i look at them and close my eyes I am back in Manali and savouring every moment of it......(if this is not enticing enough for you there's always the fresh mountain produce -peaches,bursting with flavor and juice, the fresh cherries, locally grown sweet strawberries ......).