Navratan Kurma

Navratan Kurma

The list of ingredients is long but you can add or leave out some veggies. This yummy vegetable is enjoyed by young and old. Serve it with rotis, naan or even pao!!

This is my today’s post under Kid’s anniversary special for blogging marathon.

Navratan Kurma

Ingredients:

• 100 grms carrots
• 100 grms peas
• 100 grms French beans
• 100 grms cauliflower
• 100 grms potatoes
• 100 grms paneer
• 1 tblspn+ 4 tblspn cashew nuts
• 1 tblspn pineapple
• ½ capsicum
• 1 large onion, crushed
• ½ cup oil
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tblspn of cream (approx)
•  2 tblspn curds
• 3 tomatoes, crushed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp haldi/turmeric powder
• ½ tsp garam masala

Method:

• Chop the vegetables in cubes.
• Boil the peas, steam and blanch the carrots, French beans and cauliflower.
• Grind 4 tblspn cashew nuts with the milk to a smooth paste.
• Heat oil and fry the cashew nuts, potatoes and paneer individually. Drain on a tissue and set aside.
• Fry the onion till golden.
• Add the tomatoes and ginger garlic paste. Cook till the oil separates.
• Add the cashew nut paste and fry for 5 minutes.
• Add the chilli powder, salt, haldi/turmeric, garam masala and curds.
• Cook till oil separates. Add the vegetables and paneer add ½ cup water and cook till the gravy thickens.
• Serve hot garnished with dhania/ coriander leaves.
• Serves good with rotis, naan we all love it with Goan Pao or Unne.

Navratan Kurma

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 45

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

 

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice with Vegetables)

Nasi Goreng

Today we in our “Trip around the World in 30 Days” we stop at Indonesia for the alphabet I.

What can represent Indonesia better than Nasi Goreng?

Nasi Goreng is often described as Indonesia's twist on fried rice.

According to Wikipedia   Nasi Goreng has been called the national dish of Indonesia though there are many other contenders for the title.

The beginnings of Nasi Goreng are simple---- avoid wasting rice, just like fried rice.  The name suggests Nasi Goreng is literally meaning "fried rice" in Indonesian and Malay. In the pre refrigeration times frying the rice could prevent the propagation of dangerous microbes.

Vegetarian Wonton Soup

Vegetarian Wonton Soup

Hong Kong cuisine is mainly influenced by Cantonese cuisine, non-Cantonese Chinese cuisine (especially Teochew, Hakka, Hokkien and the Jiangsu & Zhejiang), the Western world, Japan, and Southeast Asia, due to Hong Kong's past as a British colony and long history of being an international city of commerce. From the roadside stalls to the most upscale restaurants, Hong Kong provides an unlimited variety of food in every class. Complex combinations and international gourmet expertise have given Hong Kong the reputable labels of "Gourmet Paradise" and "World's Fair of Food".

Most As Hong Kong is Cantonese in origin and most Hong Kong Chinese are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Cantonese-speaking parts of China, the food is a variant of Cantonese cuisine – almost all home cooking and much of the dine-out fares, from restaurant to bakery, are Cantonese or heavily Cantonese-influenced. As in the parent cuisine, the Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine accepts a wide variety of ingredients, a lighted seasoned taste. Unlike Guangzhou, the uninterrupted contacts Hong Kong has with the West has made it more susceptible to Western influences, and has produced favourites such as egg tarts and Hong Kong-style milk tea.

In addition, other foreign styles of cuisines are also popular in the territory, although almost all offer one of generic Western (authentic, international, or Hong Kong-style), Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Malaysian and Singaporean cuisines.

With this varied background cooking for my chosen country in “Around the World in 30 days” should have been easy but believe me it was not. I was tempted to change countries!!

I first decided in my chosen theme of Street Food to make Hong Kong-style milk tea and I made it too. Check here but I did not like the tea; it did not taste any different from my regular tea only it was sweeter.

Next I decided to on bubble tea in place of the tapioca sago used our regular sago. the girls did not like it so I decided to make” Wonton Soup” another delicious street food.

So let’s enjoy “Wonton Soup” I do not know how the wontons tasted as they had long disappeared and Hubby and I had to be content with just soup!

Wonton Soup

Recipe Source: Vegetarian Chinese Cooking by Kaushi Bhatia

Preparation time: 30 minutes.

Vegetarian Wonton Soup

Cooking time: 20 minutes.

Serves 4 (approx 16 wontons)

For the wonton wrappings:

• 1 cup refined flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• A little water

For wonton filling:

• ½ carrot, cut in juliennes
• 8 French beans, chopped fine
• ½ cup cabbage, minced
• ¼ cup onions, minced
•  ½ cup capsicum (I used red, yellow)
• A pinch ajinomoto (I did not use)
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp soya sauce
• 1½ tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

For the soup:

• 9 cups water
• 4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp ginger, crushed
• ½ tsp oil
• ½ cup onions, minced
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp ajinomoto( I did not use)
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup minced carrots
• ¼ cup cabbage, minced
• ¼ cup finely chopped spring onion tops

Method:

To prepare wonton wrappings without eggs:

• Sift flour and salt.
•  Rub oil until flour resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add water little by little and prepare a stiff dough, kneading thoroughly.
• Cover with moist napkin and set aside for 10 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll out as thinly as possible on a floured board.
• Sprinkle a little flour on both sides of the rolled out portions.
• Cut them into 4 inch squares with a sharp knife.
• Keep covered under the moist napkin till needed.

To prepare the filling:

•  Heat the oil and add the carrot, French beans, cabbage, capsicum, onions, ajinomoto(if using), sugar, pepper, soya sauce and salt.
• Stir fry over a high flame for about 3 minutes.
•  Remove to a dish and cool.
• Divide into 16 portions.

To assemble the wontons:

• You can make any shape you want but here is what I did
• Place a portion of filling on  corner of each wrapping.
• Fold the wrapper so that the filling in and the wonton looks like a triangle.
• Fold it so that the filling is sealed but maintain the triangle shape.
• Wet one edge and stick the sides. Like a chef’s hat!! Set aside again under the moist napkin.

Now prepare the soup:

• Heat oil and fry the ginger and garlic add onions and stir . Your onions will stick to the bottom of the pan  so stir and you need not fry them completely.
• Add  water , soya sauce, pepper, sugar, ajinomoto (if using), salt and the prepared wontons. 
• Cook, uncovered over flame for 5 minutes, by which time the wontons will float to the surface.
• Add the carrots, cabbage and simmer for 1 min.
• Sprinkle with spring onion tops.
• Serve hot!!

Vegetarian Wonton Soup

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

An InLinkz Link-up

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Vegetable Thupka ~ A Delicious Vegetarian Noodle Soup

Vegetable Thupka ~ A DeliciousVegetarian Noodle Soup

For the recent mega marathon, for the benefit of those who land here for the first time I have participated in 2 marathons. One is the Alphabet marathon the second was the Indian Food Odyssey where we have taken up the challenge of various Indian states and the food there. The NE states gave is a lot of problems not only there are very few documented online but most of the dishes are non vegetarian.

For Sikkim I was to make Momos and Thupka. I made them twice now but not together as my girls went gaga the first time and I had none left to take pictures. The second time they told me they want a Momos feast. Which translates as” nothing else acceptable” they will just eat Momos. By the time I made the mountain of Momos needed plus the regular cooking for the rest of the family members I was in no mood to make Thupka. My excuse was anyway no one will eat it.

Thukpa is a famous noodle soup recipe from the north-east region of India it was something that we enjoyed so I made it again.

This time I made one bowl of  soup on Saturday and took some pictures in the afternoon so in the evening when the hungry hordes descended I had absolutely no reservations of serving this delicious soup.

 

Thanks Valli for sharing this soup on the group id had it not been for you I would be trying to remake a non-veg recipe in veggie one. To make this soup I used my own adaptations. Some ingredients because they are not much appreciated I have left out.

Carrot Rice ~A Blog Hop

For Blog Hop this time Radhika has paired me with Santosh Bangar of Santosh’s Kitchen. I was amazed at her versatile creativity. Simple to the exotic dishes with a wide range of ingredients that is Santosh’s Kitchen!

I wanted to try out brinjals or eggplant especially the fusion variety. I even brought the ingredients needed but I find myself short of time. I was supposed to make it on Sunday but then I had forgotten that we were supposed to have a party for our friends. So my Sunday was spent in a shack at the Banastri River. What a lovely time we had!!

So the lovely brinjals were back in the fridge!! 

Sandwich

Before I begin I would like to thank the Earl of Sandwich for popularizing sandwich.

 I had read in the Reader’s Digest that he had done quite a few experiments much to the discomfort of his family and no doubt after spending a lot of time and money when his experiments were discarded. The recent version that I read was that invented sandwich for practical purposes which was play cards not waste time eating.

 I tried searching for the article in RD, but could not find it, however here is one of the many that you can google for the history of sandwich. 

Whatever had it not been for him one of us would have had to reinvent the age old method of eating bread and meat/veggies in our case.

  

Sandwiches are served in different forms with meat or without meat, with veggies or a mix of both.

My kids love chutney sandwiches so when I tried this different filling in their sandwich I was unsure of the reactions, but when I did not get any complaints it is taken for granted that the sandwiches were enjoyed. I did not ask them “Aa Bail Mujhe MAar”! No thanks.

Black and White Wednesday Godi Kutid Payasa~ A Blog Hop

Blog Hop one schedule that I thoroughly enjoy.

 Though I am taking care not to tax my fingers a lot this one piece is typed out in bits and pieces and over a long period. Hopefully by the end of the next month my fingers will be better.  Okay enough of this Old Woman cry baby story let’s get down to today’s post.

I was eager to try out some payasa/payasam/kheer dishes as I had performed the “Vaibhav Laxmi Varat” and the last day I was to invite some friends over and the nevidya was payasa. To add to the pleasure of cooking some sweet, that I love, was the fact that my father had come for his health check up and was given a clean chit. So this was celebration all the way!!J

Coconut Barfi/Khobri Vadi/Khobre Cha Vadaya

F or Diwali I made my patent Khobri Vadi or Kobre chay vadya.

Made no change in the original recipe just added the lone carrot grated.  Next time will try more.

I loved the taste.

Sending it to my event Back to Roots.

Archana

Masoor Salad

I love massor its always in my fall back plan when there are no veggies in at home, because you can soak it up at the last possible moment but still you get a delicious Tonak out of it. So I had the other day.  At the last possible moment I decided that the quantity of masoor that I have soaked is too much and I let it remain in the sieve. Too late to put it in the fridge I went to work.

Tomato Soup

Every time Srivalli announced her blogging marathon my schedule was arranged such that it was impossible to join the gang. But this time I was determined to join it come what may and so I did and boy and I am thrilled!

So for the next 7 days The Mad Scientist is open to only salads or soups! Luckily the kids agreed. So today is day#1 of the Blogging Marathon#9 do check out the others.

Diwali is round the corner which means now there will be a nip in the air. You will want something hot to warm  up. There will be lovely fresh red tomatoes in the market inviting you to try some delicious soup.

Yes Tomato Soup!

Carrot Salad

This is a simple salad that we all make easy & delicious. I love to carry this to work as it goes well with both chapatti and rice.

Ingredients:

2 carrots, grated

1 green chilli, chopped fine

½ cup milk

1 tblspn curd

Salt

Coriander

Method:

1.     Mix all the ingredients in the container that you will be carrying to work.

2.     The curd will set by the time its 1 O’ clock time for lunch.

3.     Enjoy!!

 I generally make it like this as my family does not like sour curds. You can make it directly in curds if you like.

Sending this to the  event The Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

Event Life is Green

 

Archana

Chapatti Sandwich Titbits

Chapatti Sandwich Titbits

My elder daughter Apeksha is in Std. XII and has her prelims right now. It is testing time for me to feed her. Getting new exciting dishes out of everyday food is giving me nightmares.

The other day when she once again told me she was not eating I was at my wits end.  Then I remembered the stuffing that was leftover after making Aalu  Parathas about which she had been raving, there where chapattis in the casserole beckoning me . 

So The Mad Scientist went in full mode and dinner accomplished!!

Name was Chapatti Sandwich Titbits

Not only was dinner accomplished I was given a repeat order for today!

For 

Ingredients:

4 boiled potatoes, grated

¼ cup Carrots, grated

½ Capsicum, cut fine

3 cloves garlic, crushed

½ tsp Haldi/turmeric

1 tsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp Jeera/cumin seeds/jeergi powder

½ tsp Dhania/coriander seeds/haviza powder

2 tblspn Oil

Chapatti

Cheese

Ketchup or Green chutney

Butter to fry

Method:

For the stuffing:

1.       Heat the oil and fry the garlic.

2.       Add the dry ingredients and stir quickly so that they do not burn.

3.       Add the boiled potatoes and stir.

4.       Adjust salt. As my people do not like cooked carrots and capsicum in these kinds of dishes I mixed then in the last.

5.       Cool completely.

Assembling the chapatti:

1.       Take 1 chapatti and spread cheese generously. You can use cheese spread.

2.       Smear (for want of better word) the potato stuffing on the chapatti. If you are using ketchup spread that too. If not spread green chutney on the second chapatti.

3.        Lay the second chapatti on the first one so that the whole chapatti is covered. Press down.

4.       Heat a non stick tava put a blob of butter and lightly fry the chapatti both sides.

5.       Cut in pieces and serve hot.

Grilled Sandwich

My younger daughter, Akanksha, carries breakfast to school. So everyday is a big problem if I give her something like jam toast she does not like it. Cheese toast is also a no-no but she loves grilled sandwiches.

At home she is willing to eat it as open toast but in school she carries it as grilled sandwich.

Ingredients:

To make the filling

½ cup rava

½ green capsicum

½ red capsicum

1 cup cabbage, grated

¼ cup Cauliflower, grated

1 carrot

1 cube of cheese, grated
1/2  cup cream

Salt

sugar(optional)

 I tblspn tomato sauce

Coriander

Sliced bread

Method:

1.       Mix all the ingredients except the bread slices.

2.       Stand the mixture for at least ½ an hour.

3.       Spread on the bread slice if you are making a sandwich put another slice and grill for a open sandwich put on a lightly greased tava and fry only one side.

4.       Serve hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Paneer Pav Bhaji

We all love Pav Bhaji and I make it quite often, generally because there is too little of all the vegetables to be cooked individually or I am short of time.

Today I made Paneer Pav Bhaji it as I had to leave early and finish the few cubes of paneer left over in the fridge. Need I say more?

Ingredients:

2 cup mixed vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, French beans

2-3 potatoes

3 onions

2 tomatoes

1 cup peas

1 capsicum, chopped fine

2 tblspn garlic paste

1 tblspn ginger paste

Pav bhaji masala

Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Butter/oil for frying vegetables

Butter for frying the pav

Coriander, onions chopped fine and lime for garnishing

Method:

1.       Pressure cook the vegetables and potatoes for at least 2 whistles.

2.       Make big pieces of the onion and blend in the mixer. Keep aside.

3.       Do the same with the tomatoes and vegetables. Mash the potatoes.

4.       In a kadhai heat butter (I used butter for frying the onions in the past now I use oil) and add the ginger garlic pastes.

5.       When they are done add the onions and fry on low heat till the oil comes out.

6.       Add the tomatoes and cook till the oil comes out.

7.       Add the Pav bhaji masala and the chilli powder till you get a fragrance.

8.       Add the vegetables, mashed potatoes, peas, paneer and salt.

9.       Adjust the consistency of the gravy adding the water.

10.   When the bhaji starts to boil add the capsicum.

11.   Put off the flame. Garnish with coriander.

To Serve:

On a non stick tava heat a big blob of butter. Put the pav cut in half and soak the butter, quickly turn the pav over and let the other side cook a little. When this side is done cook the other side.

Serve with finely chopped onions, and lemon wedge.

Hakka Noodles

For a packet of noodles (180 grams) boiled and drained as per the instructions add 1-2 tsp. Oil and toss the noodles till well mixed. (This prevents the noodles from sticking).

Since my hubby insists that I use a lot of vegetables the quantity of vegetables I use is more than the normal usages please adjust them as per your requirements.

2 small or 1 big carrots, peeled and made into longish baton about ½ inch long
10 french beans cut to match the carrots
1 capsicum (I use green ones but you could also use the red and yellow ones) again cut like the carrots
½ cup cabbage cut fine but lengthwise (use the Anjali grater)
½ cup green peas (I used frozen so I did not boil them)
3-4 onions chopped lengthwise
Shoots of one spring onion (You can use the onions for decorations or chop them up and fry them with rest of the onions)
2 maggi cubes (veg) crumbled
1 tblsps soya sauce (dark)
1 tsp chilli sauce
1tsp tomato sauce
2-3 tblsps oil

Method
1. Heat oil the onions add a pinch of the maggi cube any fry till the onions become translucent.
2. Add the carrots again a pinch of maggi cube and fry till the carrot change colour.
3. Repeat with the French beans, peas.
4. Add the sauces and the capsicum, cabbage, noodles adjust the salt.
5. Remove from the flame mix in the spring onion shoots and serve.

BIRYANI

I made Biryani!!

You may wonder what is so big about it, every woman makes it sometime or other but you see it was something everyone has liked. That is something!! Yes!! No complaints only questions as to why I made so little.

So how did I hit on the right mix?

It began with the tomatoes which were ripening and spoilt by the end of the day. So I decided that I will make an onion tomato paste and stick it in the freezer.

1) I made a crush of 4 large onions in the mixer.

2) In between I decided to add some

a) green elichi rinds that I have been hoarding for God knows what say about 10 skins,

b) 2 green elichi/cardamom (optional),

c) 1 inch piece of cinnamon/dalchani,

d) 2 cloves/laung,

e) 5-6 peppercorns/miri,

f) 2 teaspoons of kacha masala,

g) 1/2 tsp of Goan masala (optional),

h) 3-4 green chilies,

i)3 tblspn ginger garlic paste

i) A large teacup heaped coriander leaves, a handful mint leaves 3-4 holy basil/tulsi leaves and grind away.

3) Now add 3 tblsps of oil add all the crush above and

microwave for 3 minutes.

4) In the meanwhile crush 4 tomatoes in the mixer.

Since I had some ½ cup of very old cashew nuts pieces I added them and crushed them.

5) Add this to the onion paste stir well and microwave for another 2-3 minutes. Cool and freeze. This paste you can use in any of your Punjabi gravy dish or a quick fix for any vegetable depending on your taste.

6) In another bowl mix chopped vegetables like cauliflower , carrots, green peas with 1 ½ cup of curd, turmeric, 1 tsp chilli powder,2 onions sliced lengthwise and fried in oil golden brown, salt to taste. Keep aside for 2-3 hours. (I used only green peas as vegetables, because of the girl's mutiny and threat, that they will not eat if I use the cauliflower etc. and left it in the fridge overnight).

7) Next day cook 1 cup rice with only 1 cup of water.

8) While the rice is cooking add to 1 cup of the onion paste mixture that you have marinated and cook for 1 minute in the microwave. (As I was feeling quite disappointed with the amount of vegetable I decided to add paneer cut fine. So I mixed the paneer and microwaved for 1 minute).

9) Then arrange one layer of rice then add one layer of vegetables gravy repeat with rice in a thick bottomed pan. Since my quantity was small and pressure pan quite big I was done in 3 layers.

10) Add 1/2 cup of milk in which you have soaked saffron on top of the rice layer. Cover.

11) Return the pan on the stove on low flame. Since I use the pressure pan I use the gasket and do not use the weight /whistle on top. My test of the biryani done is when it starts gently steaming on the top.

12) Serve with tomato, cucumber, boondi raita.