Raw Tomato Kosambri

My grandmother had made this salad I faintly remember it when I see raw tomatoes in the market, today I decided to make it. Ajji made it quite pungent but since no one can eat pungent stuff at home I made a milder version. Hats off to my memory it was the same stuff, milder, but same.

This is what I used

2 raw tomatoes
2 green chillies
2 tblspn puthana/futane
½ tblspn oil
½ Mustard seeds
½ tsp hing
Salt to taste
Coriander for garnishing


1. Cut the tomatoes in to fine pieces.
2. Add salt.
3. Grind green chillies, futana coarsely in the chutney pot. Add to tomatoes.
4. Heat oil, add mustard when it splutters add hing.
5. Mix with the tomatoes.
6. Garnish and serve.

Sambar Masala

This is my mother’s sambhar masala. I try out new masalas that I get from my friends but I seem to always come back to this one. Please note that the dagadphool is not star aniseed which has a pungent aroma, this is more like black and white stands, smells mild.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dhania(coriander seeds)

1 1/2 tbsps chanadal

1 1/2 tsps urid dal

1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)

1 1/2 tsps jeera

8 seeds methi(fenugreek)

1/4 cup dry grated coconut

8 byadgi red chillies (you can use any kind but then adjust the number for pungent you need)

3 sticks of dalchini (cinnamon) 1 inch each

dagadfool 1 tbsp (optional)

Method:

1) Roast grated coconut

2) Roast dhania and red chillies with a liitle oil

3) Roast rest of the ingredients individually with a liitle oil

4) Cool and dry grind

PS Roast on low flame till you get a fragrance.

Gobi Fry

My better half like cauliflower a lot, so we buy it religiously every week. When all avenues of cauliflower vegetables are over I make this one. The reason is its very oily. I tried shallow frying the cauliflower but the end result was not as nice. The only concession it allows is parboiling it like I have mentioned below. Addition of Kasuri methi and coriander also gives the vegetable nice flavours add with the dry masalas say, ½ tsp each.

So indulge once in a while.

Ingredients:

1 medium cauliflower (300-350 grms)

Oil for frying +2 tblspns.

1 medium onion grated

3 cloves garlic, crushed.

½ inch ginger, crushed

1 large tomato, pureed

½ tsp turmeric,

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp dry mango powder

½ tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Sugar as per taste

Method:

1. Cut cauliflower into medium sized florets in a utensil, add about ½ cup water cover and boil till you can smell the cauliflower. Strain and plunge in cold water. Dry on a clean napkin. (This is an optional step).
2. Deep fry till golden and tender over medium heat.
3. Drain and keep aside.
4. Heat 2 tblspn oil and put in the onion. Fry till oil separates.
5. Add garlic, ginger. Fry lightly.
6. Add tomato puree and the dry masala powders, salt and sugar. Fry till you get a nice fragrance.
7. Add cauliflower. Mix well.

Dark Chocolate Cake

This is a cake I had tried from the magazine Woman’s Era and it is superb. We just cannot have enough of it. Here the recipe was with plain flour i.e. Maida. However, since now I don’t have the time to bake as often, I have started using self-raising flour. Save the bother of keeping a track of the freshness of the baking powder.

The ingredients are:

1 ¾ cup plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

6 tblspn cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tblspn + ¼ cup ghee

¼ cup butter

¼ cup hot water

4 eggs separated

½ cup milk

1 ½ cup castor sugar

Method:

1. Grease and flour 10” square pan or two 8” round pans.
2. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, salt.
4. Mix together cocoa powder, 2 tblspn ghee, hot water. Keep aside.
5. Cream till light and fluffy ghee, butter and sugar.
6. separate egg yolks in the mix
7. Mix in coco paste and vanilla essence.
8. Mix a little milk, blend, and add some flour blend, repeat till flour is over. End with flour.
9. In this sticky dough fold gently stiffly beaten egg whites.
10. Spoon the batter gently.
11. Bake till done.