Garam Golpapdi

Ek tha Bachpan when Amma used to make Gul Papdi.

In case you do not know what it is then it's a sweet powder make out of wheat flour and jaggery. We used to put a big spoonful in the mouth and say “Fufi” and the powder came out in puffs! Silly I know but fun, just imagine girls in STD VIII, IX &X doing this!!

  

Then I forgot all about it. When I saw this recipe that I had copied from Tarla Dalal it revived all those carefree days. How I miss them now!!

Sabudana Thalippeth

I would first like to thank all of you my friends for the lovely messages, prayers and thought that you have sent when I was feeling depressed.

 I do realize that I am just a small pawn in God's master plan and he will give me strength in the form of you guys. 

From now on I will take care of my health and blogging also for both are food for my life. They uplift me. I realize I cannot function without the other.

Mixed Pulao

 First let me wish all my friends “A Very Happy New Year”! Sorry I have arrived in my usual susegad manner but better late than never!!

For the New Year as it is our practice I ran away from Panaji, Goa. This time we friends met at Pachgani.

 We had a fabulous time first visiting the Raigad fort, where we met a guide who was obsessed with toilets!! He showed us the attached toilets that Chatrapati Shivaji’s six wives who stayed on the fort had. Can you imagine the toilet seat is still intact and you can see how well it was designed for all the exits!  His ministers who ran all the 8 forts that Chatrapati Shivaji reigned over had attached toilets too!  Hmmm I am also talking about toilets now!

Peas and Tofu Pulao

Winter heralds fresh vegetables, cauliflower, carrots, spinach and the freshest of peas.

Pretty and green all in a row!!

We all love peas especially if it means you get to eat them straight from the pods. 

Generally we buy peas just for eating. So the tender ones get eaten and I am left with the others not so tender. This is especially true if Akanksha and her father sit to do the job.

Shahi Ande

From the time Radhika announced her Mughlai Event I know that there is one cuisine that I have not posted as yet the Mughlai cusine. In fact from the time I have become conscious of the middle age spread I have stopped making Mughlai cusine for the food is rich. But there are exceptions and here is one of them.

Respecting my FIL’s sentiments I generally do not cook eggs. But when he is out of station we eat live and drink eggs.

Doodhi Halwa or Bottle Gourd Halwa

I have already talked about my family lack of sweet tooth so many times that you must be all bored. But that does not stop me from trying out new recipes or reinventing the old ones now that I have found appreciative ‘Bakaras  & Bakaris’ at work!! :)

For Duserra I decided to make Doodhi Halwa or as it is known as in Goa “Konkan Doodhi Halwo”! 

Now Doodhi or bottle gourd has a lot of health benefits (check here) as     Ramdev Baba has kept telling us so hubby dear has stopped grumbling when I buy it. Thanks a lot Baba because of you I have tried many ways of including this veggie in our diet masking it many a times.

Believe me I have used it in Thalipeeth, Pav bhaji, Kofta, Paratha, even tried chutney!! Now the girls have stopped guessing what I am upto.

 I have it the day Apeksha will decide that she wants to learn cooking the cat will be out of the bag and I will tumble like nine pins! Guess each dog has its own day and I have had mine.

Black & White Wednesday & Mattar Paneer~Blog Hop# 5

For today's blog hop I am paired with Radhika of Tickling Palates and the brain behind the wonderful Blog Hop.

Radhika has a number of exiting recipes and I have bookmarked quite a few recipes. In fact I made this delicious Mattar Paneer (click here for the link) last Wednesday when it was "Avidhwa Navami".

Kheer/Payasa with Dodhi/Bottle Gourd & Sago

I have brought a bottle gourd. It was the smallest and the tenderest one the bhajiwala had but was still big enough to fill to big Tupperware boxes when cubed. I made bhaji once but then since I wanted a change I decided to make kheer/payasa.

This could also be because the boys in the opposite cubicle at work were discussing how make kheer out of bottle gourd. They, very authoritatively told me 2 methods one the regular with milk and another with coconut milk. They were insiatant that I use sago or sabudana which I never use.  I am sure both don’t even know where the kitchens at home are but their passionate cooking without flame here in office made me make this kheer,  With milk will try the coconut milk one later. I was supposed to carry it to work but I plain forgot. It’s still in the fridge. 

The ingredients used are approximate.

Ingredients:

1 cup bottle gourd, peeled and cubed to fine pieces

1 tblspn ghee

Few cashew nuts

2 tblspn sago or sabudana, soaked in ¼ cup water

½ cup sugar

¾ litre milk

4 elichi/ cardamom

Few strands of saffron (optional)

Method:

1.       Heat a steel bowl on the gas. When it is hot switch off the gas and drop the saffron strands in it. The strands shrivel add a tblspn or two of milk and keep aside.

2.      Heat the ghee and fry the cashew nuts till golden. Drain and keep aside.

3.       In the same ghee add the bottle gourd and stir fry till the cubes are translucent.

4.       Add the milk, soaked sabudana with the water and bring to boil. Boil till the bottle gourd is well cooked.

5.      Add sugar and continue boiling for a few minutes.

6.      Add the cardamom powder, saffron strands, cashew nuts mix well and switch off the gas.

7.      Serve hot or chilled. Plain or with chapatti or poori.

Sending this to  Radhika's Let’s Cook ~ Scrumptious Breakfasts

Mom Chef's event (Vrat ka Khaana) 

MAledi--Chapatti Ladoo

I      love sweets and it was my staple diet till my marriage. Then since my family does not like them much I have started cutting down on them because it is lonely to eat sweets alone. But now I have found a perfect solution. Make them and carry them to work. Satisfying and my colleagues also eat some too!

  

Yesterday I remembered one sweet that Amma used to make and call MAledi. It used to be for our short break but before leaving for school we made it a point to eat some along with milk.

It can be made out of leftover chapatti but here I have made it out of fresh ones.

You will need

 4 Chapattis, broken into fine pieces

1 tsp khus khus or poppy seeds

2 tblspn dry coconut, grated (I used only 1)

1 tblspn puthane

1 tblspn ghee

½ cup jaggery, grated (adjust as per taste)

3 cardamoms, peeled and powdered

Method:

1.   Dry roast the coconut till a bit reddish. Transfer to a plate.

2.   Dry roast the khus khus till bit reddish on low flame. Take care that it does not burn. Transfer to the plate of dry coconut.

3.   Mix the puthane, cardamom powder, roasted khus khus and coconut.

4.   In a kadhai/wok heat the ghee. On low flame add the grated jaggery. Stir gently.

5.   When the jaggery bubbles on the sides of the kadhai/wok switch off the gas and mix all the ingredients.

6.   Stir well till all the chapatti pieces are coated with the mix.

7.    Apply a little water to your hands and make small laddoos of the mixture.

8.   You can roll them in the some more coconut if you feel like it. As I had run out of it I have not.

I got 4  & ½ ladoos out of 4 chapattis well appreciated by my colleagues.

Archana