Chocolate Shira

Chocolate Shira

It is the same story everyday, I tell myself I need to make some kind of beginning for Akanksha’s breakfast in the morning at least plan it and  every evening after office I forget (?) about it. So in the morning the questions are “what? And how long will it take?”

On Friday  I had planned to give her “Phodni Cha Bhat” or “Vagarni Anna” but in the end I made “Chocolate Shira “which I introduced to her as  Chocolate. Not that I want to hoodwink her but shira the easiest of breakfasts she does not eat/like.  Being a chocoholic is an advantage you see, you should only know to use it to your advantage.

Ingredients:

Use the same cup for measurement.

1 small cup rava

2 small cups sugar

1 small cup ghee

½ cup cocoa

½ cup drinking chocolate

2 cups hot milk

Nuts of your choice(Optional)

Method:

1.       In a thick Kadhai add the rava and ½ the ghee and roast till reddish on low flame.

2.         Add the very hot milk. Mix well breaking all the lumps.

3.       Now add the sugar and cocoa ,drinking chocolate and  nuts mix well.

4.       The whole mixture becomes watery once the sugar melts. This is okay.

5.       Add the rest of the ghee and mix well till all the ghee is incorporated in the mixture.

6.       Your chocolate Shira  is ready.

7.       Serve it hot or pack it up.

This Picture I took after the kid decided that she has to see if chocolate is really packed in her tiffin hence the mess.

  

Dhavi Bhaji

DHAVI BHAJI

  Here in Goa this leafy vegetable is called “Dhavi Bhaji” I googled a bit and found  and found this a list of Goa’s top ten nutritious monsoon vegetables by Dr. Nandakumar Kamat as eminent Goan Personality. He has listed “Dhavi Bhaji” as   “Fifth is the white amaranthus locally known as ‘dhavi bhaji’.”

The only problem with it has a lot of sand and needs to be washed in lots of running water.

After picking, chopping and washing the leaves (the tender stalks I have preserved to make a salad) only. I panicked a bit as I had not planned on any other vegetable and if this was rejected I would have s crisis. But I was needlessly worried it got an enthusiastic response.

Traditionally it is made in a phodni of little ginger, onions, toor daal and coconut but I twisted it a bit made it like my Granny made it and a little like my MIL

Ingredients:

For 3 bunches of leaves  

2 onions

1 tomato

2 cloves garlic

2 green chillies

A tsp rava

Salt

Oil

Mustard

Haldi/turmeric

Red chilli powder

Method:

1.       Heat oil in a kadhai ,splutter the mustard

2.        Add haldi/turmeric, chilli powder and green chillies and garlic crushed.

3.       Immediately add the onions stir and add the leafy vegetables.

4.       Let it reduce a bit then add the tomatoes and salt.

5.       Stir again sprinkle the rave mix and steam for 2 minutes under cover.

6.       Generally I do not remove the lid immediately I let the vegetable cool under the cover and then transfer to the serving bowl.

Bread Dosa

BREAD DOSA

Every time I churn the cream that I collect for butter I end up with buttermilk.  Sometimes I make dhokla out of it sometimes it gets converted into bread dosa.

Bread Dosa that I used to make used Eno’s fruit salt but nowadays I use methi/fenugreek seeds.

The ingredients are:

1 cup rice

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds or

1 tsp fruit salt

Salt

Method:

1.       Wash and soak the rice in the buttermilk for 4 hours. If you are using methi/fenugreek seeds soak them too.

2.       Next grind fine to a smooth paste.

3.       Let it ferment for 4 hours. 

4.       In case you are not using methi/fenugreek seeds mix well the fruit salt make dosas immediately.

5.       In the initial recipe we used to ladle one spoonful batter in a heated kadhai, drizzle about a tsp of oil at the sides then cover, cook and serve. The whole dosa used to fluff up like an idli.

6.       In the present refined version taking into account that we have to control fats I just ladle it on the non-stick tava, cover and cook.

7.       Serve hot with chutney.

Bhopla che Bharit or Pumpkin Salad or Raita

Pumpkin Salad

Many times my MIL made "Bhopla che Baharit" which is red pumpkin mashed salad. There are no fixed proportions that make this simple yet tasty salad.  You can boil the peeled pumpkin in the cooker with your rice and daal.

Today I added grated carrots since I like the colour of these carrots known locally as Delhi gajar.

Ingredients:

1 Cup boiled pumpkin

½ cup curds

A little cream (optional)

Oil

 Mustard

Jeera/cumin seeds/jeerigi  seeds

 Hing/asafoetida

1 green chilli (adjust as per taste)

Curry leaves

Coriander

Method:

1.       Mash the boiled pumpkin.

2.       Beat the curds and cream mix, add salt with the pumpkin.

3.       Heat oil and crackle mustard, Jeera/cumin seeds/jeerigi  seeds, hing/asafoetida, curry leaves and green chillies.

4.       Serve chilled.
I am sending this to Taste of Pearl City's event Any One Can Cook

hh

Cucumber Paneer Salad

      

      When Pia announced her event of Innovative Salads I was really in a fix. Most salads that I make are the in the lines of Koshambri or Koshimbir always a side dish to be eaten either with chapatis or rice this had to be the main dish.

How does one innovate salad? And that too with cucumber?

So I started Googling for ideas I saw a few salads but rejected them , as  they  needed exotic  vegetables that meant it had to be planned and ordered with the Bhajiwala definitely not the best of situation ( what if we do not like the taste of the vegetable I ordered)!

So I went to my best friend and worst critic, my Better Half( who has   great suggestions  and I generally do not heed)    who suggested I make a plain salad that  I had made some time ago when we wanted to eat salad only and nothing else.  

 Ingredients:

1 red capsicum

1 cucumber

¼ kg paneer

4-5 olives

A handful of green peas

1 tsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt

 Sugar

2 tsp Pepper powder

Method:

1.       Mix the lime juice, oil, salt, sugar and pepper till the sugar dissolves.

2.       Cut the paneer into pieces.

3.       Pour the lime juice mixture on the paneer and toss well. Marinate for   10-15 minutes.

4.       Cut the deseeded capsicum in to pieces.

5.       Peel and make pieces of the cucumber.

6.       Toss all the ingredients just before serving.

Will taste great chilled but since I generally avoid cucumber and that to chilled I did not.

I am sending this salad to Pia's Innovative Salads,

This salad is going to participate in the 'Only' Salads event hosted by me,which is started by Pari of Foodelicious.

  

Tiranga Chitranna

 Wishing all a Happy Republic Day!!

Chitraanna

 Being Republic Day in a patriotic mood I made what my kids called "Tiranga Chitranna".

Ingredients:

2 cups rice

2 onions, chopped fine

1 cup peas

1 carrot, grated

1 green chilli,slit

1 tbsp oil

Mustard

Urid daal

Curry leaves

salt

Coriander

Lemon juice (adjust as per taste)

Method:

1.       Wash, drain and cook the rice with 3 ½ cups water. Cool.

2.       Heat oil in a Kadhai. Add mustard, when they splutter add the urid daal.

3.       When the urid daal reddens add curry leaves and green chillies. Stir

4.       Add the peas with a little salt. Stir fry for about a minute. Now add the onions and cook till the onions are translucent.

5.       Now add the rice, salt and mix well. Add carrots and remove the pan from fire.

6.        Add the lime juice. Mix well.

7.       Serve hot.

Cauliflower Rava Fry

CAULIFLOWER RAVA FRY

I woke up late today and was in a fix as to what I should send for Akanksha's breakfast. I wanted something filling and vegetable that went down without complaint.


 It was then that  I  remembered  the last of the cauliflower that I had washed by mistake and hence salted, added chilli powder and haldi . Since I had done it yesterday morning I kenew it was well marinated and so will taste better. I rolled it in rava and shallow fried them.


This is something done traditionally in Goa. We have batata che kapa, Suran or Elephant's foot kapa, madi che kapa,karati or bitter gourd che kapa, bhindi kapa.


Tasty and filling. No complaints snack, side dish which we all enjoy. I am posting the cauliflower kapa picture  today maybe some day I will post some pictures of the rest of the kapas I have listed!!


I am linking this to Bookmarked Recipes here this place I always wanted to send my recipe but in th eGoan Susegad manner am always late. 

 

Futi Kadi

Futi Kadi

There is nothing like coming to a glass of “Futi Kadi” after the humid heat that we have here in Goa. It is a must have with food as Sheet Kadi or rice and Kadi as generally Goans do not like curds.

The Kadi  is made from Sola which comes from Binna, the sour fruit. Binnas used  to make the very famous Sola, sherbet even the seed  is used  to makeBinnel or what my mom used to call “Solmaana” a very oily wax ,solid at room temperature. (For more on this fruit look here).We used it to soothe chapping feet in winter but my boss tells me they used to make it at home and used it to grease the tava before making “poole” or dosa. I believe it is still used as the base for most of our creams today.

Anyway Futi Kadi is simple and has no recipe just mix sola, crushed garlic, green chilli,coriander salt and water. At times even hing/asafoetida and ginger is added.

The best futi kadi I have had is at my friend's in-laws place where they grind jeera/cumin seeds/jeerigi and squeeze lime too.

So just sit back and enjoy!!

 P.S. I apologise for the fingerprints on the glass as I could not resist  drinking some before clicking this snap. 

Green Chutney

Last year in the month of October about 20 of us had been to Delhi to visit our very good friends Shubhangiand Vinay. Shubhangi and Vinay are excellent hosts and saw to it that we had a very enjoyable trip. On the penultimate day we all decided to go for Delhi sightseeing. Lunch and dinner we were to have out but we all need breakfast and so not wanting to waste time we carried sandwiches.

Jam sandwich for the children and chutney sandwiches for the adults.

Jam sandwich mixed fruit jam of course!

 The discussion heated up  how to make chutney for the sandwiches as there was very little coconut left, it was late hence no shops were open and we were to leave very early in the morning. One of my friend mentioned that she used onions, it was a great idea but we wondered if the chutney will last as the raw onion may cause the chutney's untimely demise. So she and I decided to fry the onion and make the chutney.

The men made both the sandwiches admirably. The sandwiches we ate in the queue at the Bahai Temple.   

The older three kids were given the jam sandwiches packets to share with their younger siblings. The other packet of chutney sandwiches I passed around among the adults.

Then one of the men turned around that one sandwich of jam was enough for him he would rather have the chutney sandwich.  So I passed around the second packet then  one of the younger kids, Yuvraj came round and told my friend that the sandwich was very tasty and during the course of conversation with him it transpired that we had passed over the chutney sandwich to the kids and they had enjoyed every bit of it. 

We were stuck with the jam sandwiches as chutney ones were all over.

 This chutney we tried out many times again and it tastes good. This chutney is christened as "Delhi Chutney".

For Delhi Chutney the ingredients are:

1 cup coconut,grated

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp of oil

2 green chillies

Coriander a big bunch

½ tsp lime juice or a small marble sized ball of tamarind

Salt

Sugar  to taste.

½ tbsp Amul butter

Method:

1.       Heat oil in a kadhai and add the onion fry till translucent.

2.       Switch off the gas and add the coconut stir a bit.

3.       When the mix cools grind with rest of the ingredients to a fine paste in the mixer.

4.       In the last spin before you remove the chutney from the mixer add the butter and run for about ½ a minute. This way I find that the chutney not only tastes good but also the amount of butter you need to spread on the bread slices is less.

Masoor Biryani

The Biryani as decorated by kid number 2

My SIL had come over for a short stay during the Christmas vacation and she showed me this biryani.

It is mild and most importantly includes a whole grain, a pulse. You can add or remove vegetable as you like.

The other day I made it again and I used carrots & paneer you can use French beans, peas, carrots, corn.

For this biryani you will need

Ingredients:

 1 cup masoor

2 cups rice

1 bay leaf

1 cup vegetables of you choice. (I used more than one cup it is generally 2 cups)

½ cup curds

Some strands of saffron

½ cup milk

2 tbsp oil (i needed about 3 tbsp)

For grinding:

1 Onion, coarsely chopped

1 bunch Coriander

A handful of pudina/mint leaves

1 inch Ginger

10-15 cloves garlic

2 inch piece Dalchini/cinnamon

4 Cloves

½ tsp Sahajeera/cumin seeds

2 Green chillies (adjust as per taste)

Salt

For garnishing:

3 onions chopped fine lengthwise

Cashew nut

Raisins

Method:

1.        T o the onion cut lengthwise apply a salt and set aside. Soak the saffron in milk.

Salted Onions

2.       Wash and drain the masoor add 1 cup water and some salt.

Masoor salted and ready for the cooker

        Transfer to the pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle. Let the pressure come down naturally. The masoor should be half cooked.

The cooked masoor

3.       Wash the rice, add salt, bay leaf 2 cups water and cook the rice. The rice should not be fully cooked. Let it cool and then fluff it up with a fork.

4.       In a kadhai  heat oil and then fry the cashew nut remove, fry the raisins remove now add the onions and fry till the onions are brown in colour transfer on an absorbent paper.

5.        While these are cooking grind all the ingredients listed under for grinding  to a fine paste.

6.       In the oil( I needed about a tablespoon more oil) that you have fried the onions add the ground paste and fry till the oil comes out. Add the curd and fry well.

The masala frying

7.       Add the masoor stir fry till a little soft (takes about 5-10 minutes), add the vegetable. If you are using paneer it will be a good idea not to fry them. Cook till done.

The fried masala

To Assemble the Biryani:

8.         Grease a thick bottomed pan (I used the cooker) with ghee.

9.       Add a layer of the rice, top up with the fried masala, paneer, layer rice

10.    Continue layering the top most layer has to be rice.

11.   Now pour the saffron and milk mixture all around the biryani.

Assembled Biryani

12.   Close the lid and steam on low flame without the whistle till the steam rises from the vent in the cooker.

13.   Let it stand for about 10 minutes before opening.

14.   Serve with raita, dahi boondi. Here I have served with Vad morka and dahi boondi.