Vegan Gumbo

Gumbo... I read somewhere that in western Africa it is used to refer Okra. It is a very smoky, tangy, soupy broth served with a little rice. I heard it's first reference in the movie Forrest Gump. I Actually tasted it recently when I visited New Orleans. Gumbo is usually non-vegetarian, We got lucky as we found this wonderful place in New Orleans which served Vegan Gumbo and to our good luck, it was introduced just three days before we visited the beautiful city.

I have a perfect and natural substitute for liquid smoke in this recipe. Try it, you will be surprised. 

It is a very simple recipe. So let me get to it fast.

Prep time: 10-15 mins.

Cook time: 40 mins.

Servings: 3 - 4.

Ingredients:

1. Onions - 1 cup, finely chopped.
2. Tomatoes - 1 cup finely chopped or 1 to 2 tbsp paste.
3. Garlic -  5 cloves minced or grated
4. Okra/ladies finger -  4 cups cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5. Red Beans - 1/2 cup cooked. 
6. Rice - Cooked, about 1/4 cup per serving
7. Dried Thyme - 1/2 tsp.
8. Dried Rosemary - 1/2 tsp.
9. Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp
10. Dried Red Chilli -  1, choose the heat level for the chilli you are comfortable with. 
11. Nutmeg - grate a little powder.
12. Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 tbsp
13. Dijon Mustard - 1 to 2 tbsp based on the flavor you may like.
14. Ground Pepper - To taste
15. Chilli powder - To taste
16. Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp or a little more, adjust according to how it tastes after the broth cooks
17. Salt - To taste
18. Oil - 2 tbsp.
19. Water - add enough to cover all the ingredients in the vessel and a little more to make good broth. Ready to eat broth must be around lentil soup consistency.
20. Soya nuggets - a few cooked  (optional)
21. Vegan Balls -  a few (optional)

Procedure:

• Heat oil in a medium sized vessel which can fit all the above ingredients and fit water as well.
•  Add garlic and all dried herbs except dried chilli. Saute for a few seconds.
• Add onions, a pinch of salt and saute for a few minutes till it starts to turn slightly brown. Add nutmeg powder, mix well.
• Add tomatoes and cook till it softens.
• Add okra, beans and add water and let it cook. If you use soya nuggets, now is the time to add.
• Now mix vinegar, soya sauce and dijon mustard in a bowl and add it to the vessel.
• Take the red chilli and on an open stove hold it on the fire. Let it smoke a little bit (be careful not to burn it completely). In a mortar now make a coarse powder of this chilli and add it to the mixture. If you do not have a mortar, you can chop the chilli finely and drop it in the broth.
• Add enough salt pepper and chilli powder and let the broth cook till okra is well done. Be careful with salt, you also add soya sauce , hence add salt, only if necessary 
• After gumbo is cooked, serve it in a bowl with a dollop of rice over it. If you are using vegan balls, now just drop them in the broth. You can garnish it with scallions or parsley or cilantro.

Tip:

Burning the chilli and adding the powder to the broth gives it a very nice smokey flavor. This a great substitute for liquid smoke. 

Masal Puri

Masal Puri!! Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Hmm! what do I say about this chat item? World famous in Bangalore - Mysore region and i should say, you haven't eaten chat untill you have had a taste of the delicious spicy-tangy medley! So behold the fantastic recipe of this much loved recipe, make and enjoy! By the way, this chat is supposed to be eaten hot, hotter, hottest!!! cold masal puri wont give you the kick! and be sure to have a nice desi chai after. for those who do not know desi chai... have a chai latte.

Note: Please do not use fresh or frozen peas or canned peas. It does not give the right texture or flavour. My sister in-law (inspirer of this recipe) said dry yellow peas work better than dry green peas. I could not find the yellow version, so used green.

Prep Time: 1 hr

Cook time: 2 hrs (includes peas cooking time)

Servings: around 6 small plates

Ingredients:

1 bag of store bought pani puri or papdi. pani puri is the best match. if you cant get that, get plain papdi.

For the base:

1. Dry Peas - 1 cup, soaked overnight.
2. Carrots - 2 medium, peeled and roughly chopped. If you use baby carrots, use upto 6 of them.
3. Potato - 1 medium.
4. Salt - 1 tsp or to taste.

cook all the ingredients above thoroughly and let it cool. then take the potato, carrots and about 1/2 cup of peas to grind with the masala.

For masala:

1. Onions - 3 medium, roughly chopped.
2. Ginger garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
3. Mint - 1 1/2 cups, finely chopped. keep 1/2 cup aside for later use, and set aside 1/4 cup for garnish.
4. Coriander/Cilantro - 1 1/2 cups, finely chopped. keep 1/2 cup aside for later use, and set aside 1/4 cup for garnish.
5. Green chilies - 2.
6. Red chilies - 2.
7. Whole Clove - 2. if you use powder, 1/8 tsp.
8. Whole Cinnamon - 2 inches piece.  if you use powder, 1/8 tsp.
9. Whole Cardamom - 2. if you use powder, 1/8 tsp.
10. Bay leaf - 2 small or 1 big.
11. Turmeric - 1/4 tsp.
12. Mace/javithri - a pinch of the flower or the powder.
13. Tamarind paste - 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp.
14. Chat masala - 2 Tbsp.
15. Garam masala - 1/2 to 1 tsp, use depending on your spice tolerance.
16. Oil - 1 tbsp.

Method:

• Heat oil in a big pot. 
• Add clove, cinnamon, cardamom, mace, red chilies, green chilies and bay leaf and saute for a few seconds.
• Add onion and add salt and turmeric to make it sweat sooner. 
• Once onions are golden brown, add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell is gone. 
• Now add tamarind paste. first add 1 tbsp keep the rest handy so that you can add as and when required.  cook well.
• Now add chat masala and 1/2 cup each of mint and coriander. cook for a minute.
• let it cool and gind this masala with the boiled veggies into a smooth paste.
• Now Transfer this ground masala into the pot and add water as required to thin it. it should be the consistency of dosa batter/(slightly thinner pancake batter) or slightly thinner. 
• Now add the 1/4 cup of mint and coriander and 1/2 cup boiled peas and garam masala and cook well. taste to see if this need more tamarind, salt or any other ingredient. add them if something is missing, cook for a few more minutes and masala is ready to be assembled in to the plate with other ingredients.

Chutney's: 

you can make these at home or use store bought. I used the Tamarind date chutney store bought

Green Chutney:

This chutney is not only good for chats, it is good for sandwiches as a spread. you can saute veggies with this chutney. It's use is versatile, so make some and keep it in the fridge. it will last for 10 days in there. 

1. Mint - 1/2 bunch. roughly chopped.
2. Coriander/Cilantro - 1/2 bunch roughly chopped.
3. Garlic - 1 small or medium pod.
4. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece.
5. Green onion/spring onion/ scallion - 4 roughly chopped.
6. Green Chilies - 2 to 5 use according to your heat tolerance.
7. Roasted Split chick pea/hurkadale/putani - 2 tsp.
8. Lime juice - 1 to 2 tsp.
9. Salt - to taste

Method: 

Grind all the above ingredients into a smooth paste using very little water if required. It would turn out much better if you run the putani once and make it into a powder then add the rest of the ingredients.

Date and Tamarind chutney/Sweet chutney:

1. Date paste - 1/2 cup
2. Tamarind paste - 1/4 cup or a bit less, use according to your taste.
3. Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste.
4. Chili powder - 1/8 tsp or to taste.
5. oil - 1/2 tsp.
6. water - just enough to thin the paste as required

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan which can hold all the ingredients. Roast chili powder for 2 or 3 seconds. then add all the ingredients and a bit of water and let it boil till it coats the spoon evenly and medium thick.

For Garnish:

1. Onion - 1 big or 2 medium finely chopped.
2. Tomato - 1 medium, Finely chopped.
3. Mint and coriander: 1/2 cup finely chopped.
4. Carrot - 1 peeled and grated.
5. Chat masala: 1 tsp.
6. Thin sev - 1 cup.

Mix all of the ingredients above except sev in a bowl and keep aside.

Assembly:

in a plate, puncture 6 of the store bought pani puri and pour the masala on to of it. then drizzle the mixed garnish on to of masala. Add the green and sweet chutney according to taste, top with a drizzle of sev and enjoy this chat hot!

Udon Noodle Soup

Hi friends... It has been a long time since I updated the blog with any recipe. Sorry about that. From now on I will try to be regular. Since it is winter and all I want is a hot bowl of soup, I thought why not put up the recipe of this simple yet delicious soup. It if filling but not heavy. Good for dinner or lunch, just add some tofu to it and it is a complete meal. This soup calls for some sea weed and miso. Miso is fermented barley paste. You can get miso from your local Asian stores or whole foods market. There a a few different kinds of miso, but if you haven't tried it please get the white miso, it is very soft in taste, other types may get a bit over whelming. Sea weed can be omitted from the recipe, but this makes the soup a lot flavourful, try using it if you haven't tried it yet.  I have not used udon noodles in this soup [the picture], I ran out of them and had to have this soup, so managed with what i could get from the store near by. If you do not get udon noodles, you can use any thick noodle for this soup. Enough of me yappi'n...So here goes the recipe.

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

1. Udon noodles - 1 bundle, cooked as per the instructions on the bag.
2. spring onions - 1 bunch, finely chopped
3. carrots - 1, peeled and finely chopped
4. Garlic - 3 pods well minced
5. Bell peppers - 1/2 a cup of any or all colours mixed, finely chopped 
6. Sea weed - 1 sheet
7. Miso - 2 to 3 tsp
8. Tofu - 1/2 cup cubes [optional]
9. Oil - 2 tsp
10. White or Rice vinegar - 2 to 3 tsp
11. Soy Sauce - 3 tsp
12. Salt and pepper - to taste
13. Water - enough to make a thin borth of all the ingredients and boil noodles

Method:

• Put the noodles to cook as per instructions on the bag it came in. Make sure to add adequate salt to the water to slat the noodles.
• Heat oil in a pot which can fit in all the ingredients.
• Add garlic, carrots, spring onions, bell peppers one after the other sauteing each for a few seconds till the sweat.
• Add a pinch of salt to let them cook faster.
• Add enough water to make a broth it has to be watery. Let the water come to a boil.
• Now add vinegar and soy sauce and let it cook for a few minutes.
• Now mix miso with a bit of water to make the paste easily soluble in the broth so that it does not form lumps. Make sure you do not make it very watery. Add miso to the broth and let it cook for a few seconds.
• Now tear the sea weed sheet into a few pieces and add to the soup. stir well.
• Add the cooked and drained noodles to the broth stir ... turn the stove off. Taste it if you need salt and pepper.. if you do, this is the time to add it. Miso and soy sauce are pretty salty, you have to be careful with salt when you use both of these ingredients together. let it sit for a few minutes and serve.

Lemon Coriander Soup

I am sure you all must have tasted this delicious soup in some Indo-Chinese restaurants. It is a very simple soup to make it will get ready in about 20 minutes. Add some quinoa/barley into the soup it will become a one pot meal. I tasted this for the first time when our friends Venu and Usha took us to a restaurant near their house. So, without further adieu, i give you the recipe for this light yet satisfying soup.

Perp time: 15 Minutes

Cook time: upto 20 minutes

Serving: upto 3

Ingredients:

1. Lemon Juice - 1/4 cup
2. Coriander - a handful, not too much though.
3. Green chili - 2 to 3 (more if you like it  very hot)
4. Vinegar - upto 3 tsp
5. Garlic - 4 pods grated/minced or upto 3 tsp paste
6. Water - upto 6 cups
7. Tofu - 1 cup diced (optional)
8. Mushroom - 1/2 cup finely chopped
9. Spring onions - 1 bunch, finely chopped
10. quinoa/barley - 1/4 cup (optional) [if you choose to use barley, soak it for 4 hours prior to use]
11. Corn Starch - 2 tsp (use only if not using quinoa or barley)
12. Salt - to taste
13. Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

• Heat oil in a pot which can hold all the ingredients.
• Saute garlic and spring onions for a minute.
• Add Mushroom and saute for a minute.
• Add water and 2 tsp vinegar and add quinoa or barley if you are using them and let it boil. 
• In the mean while, take the coriander, green chili, 1 tsp vinegar and two pinches of salt and make a paste of it.
• Add tofu and the paste to the soup and stir to mix well.
• Now add the paste, salt and boil for 5 minutes.
• If you are not using quinoa or barley, mix the corn starch in cold water and mix it in the soup while adding water in the beginning. 
• Add half of the lemon juice, stir and give it a taste, if it is not sour enough, add more till you get your desired taste. Add salt mix and enjoy this soup hot.

Tip:

If you do not eat green chili, you can eliminate it and use pepper powder instead. just add some cracked pepper in to the soup after it cooks and stir well.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Hmm... Yes, I know, I know... have been lazy again. So to compensate that, I am going to post a mouthwatering, easy recipe which will make good use of left over rice. You can make fresh rice as well, however, this will taste better with a day's old rice. My friend Nivedita told me that she ate this is in KL when she went to visit her brother, since then I had only been dreaming of it's taste, I can make it now :)... to make it more interesting, you can serve it in a cored pineapple half, not only will the presentations look splendid, rice will absorb more flavour. Also you can add soy nuggets or tofu to make it a complete one pot meal.

Prep time: 10 Mins 

Cook time: 10 Mins, (If the rice is ready)
Servings: upto 3

Ingredients:

1. Cooked rice -  2 cups
2. Spring onions - 1 bunch, finely chopped
3. Garlic - 4 pods, minced/grated, or 2 tsp paste
4. Ginger - 1 tsp grated/minced or 1/2 tsp paste
5. Pineapple - Fresh 1 cup coarsely chopped or 1 14oz can pieces
6. Tofu - diced, 1 cup (Optional)
7. Soy sauce - 2 tsp if dark if a lighter use a bit more
8. Red chili flakes - 1/2 tsp or to taste
9. Salt - to taste
10. Sugar - 1 tsp (optional)
11. oil - 1 tbsp
12. Turmeric - 1 pinch

Method:

• Heat oil in a wok or a vessel which can fit all the ingredients.
• Add ginger and garlic and saute for a few seconds and add finely chopped spring onions, keep sauteing for a minute.
• Mix soy sauce, chili flakes, salt, turmeric and sugar in a small cup and set aside.
• Add pineapple and saute for a minute. Saute Tofu for a minute as well.
• Add rice and mix all the ingredients together
• Add the sauce mixture to the wok and mix till everything is well blended.
• Serve and eat hot. 

Suggestions:

As I suggested earlier, you can serve this rice in a cored pineapple half..yummm!! 

Tips:

You can add 1/8 tsp of pineapple essence to the dish, it will make the entire preparation smell more pineappily :)

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

Roasted bell pepper soup needless to say is very tasty. One sip and you will be a fan of this delicious sweet, sour and peppery soup. It takes few ingredients and is also very easy to make. You can either roast all of your vegetables and make a smooth puree of them or just roast the bell peppers and saute the rest of the ingredients. Either way, this soup will taste good. If roasting all the vegetables, you will reduce cook time to a large extent. 

This soup can make a good starter, it is not too heavy. To make it more tasty, use a little sour cream or cream. 

So, let us see what it takes to make this soup.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 10 to 40 mins depending on the method you choose.

Servings: about 4

Ingredients:

1. Red bell pepper - 2 big ones
2. Tomato - 4 medium
3. Onion - 1 small
4. Celery - 1 stalk
5. Garlic - 2 pods or 2 tsp paste
6. Salt - to taste
7. Parsley - 1 tsp dry or finely chopped fresh leaves
8. Basil - 1 tsp dry or finely chopped fresh leaves
9. Black pepper powder - to taste
10. Sour cream or cream - upto 2 tsp per cup (optional)
11. Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

• You can roast bell peppers or all the vegetables 4 ways, 1. on the stove top, 2. In the oven, 3. Grill and 4. In the broiler. Whatever method be, you have to put the roasted bell peppers and vegetables in a container after roasting and cover the lid, let it cool and then peel off the skin from bell peppers and tomatoes.
• If you choose 1., then just roast pepper on the flame. If you choose to do it in the oven, rub oil on the bell peppers, wrap them in an aluminium foil, place them on a cookie sheet or a oven safe container and roast them at 450F for about 30 minutes in the mid rack of the oven. If you grill them, make sure to drizzle a little oil over them to retain moisture. If you choose to broil them, rub them with oil, line a broiler safe sheet with foil and broil for 10 to 12 minutes.
• For roasting vegetables in oven or broiler, chop them into rough chunks, apply oil, put them on a sheet lined with foil and roast in the oven for 25 mins at the same temperature as bell peppers. To Broil them, do it all just the same except you will be roasting all the vegetables including bell peppers all at once for 10 - 12 minutes. For garlic in both the cases, do not peel the skin off, just rub some oil and put them with the rest of the ingredients to roast. After it is done, garlic will slide out when you gently squeeze it.
• After peeling tomatoes and bell peppers, blend them all in the blender and follow the rest of the instruction after blending from below.
• If you do not roast all the vegetables, then saute all the rest of the vegetables one after the other in the following order. Heat oil in a pot which will hold all of the ingredients plus some more water. Now saute, grated/paste garlic, coarsely chopped onion, coarsely chopped celery and coarsely chopped tomatoes. 
• To the above ingredients, add peeled roasted bell peppers, salt, black pepper and saute for  2 minutes, turn the stove off and let it cool for a 10 minutes.
• Blend all the ingredients in a blender and transfer it to the pot in which you have cooked them. add a little water to thin the soup if it is too thick. Turn the stove back on. Add parsley and basil, cook for 5 more minutes.
• Garnish with croutons or parsely and basil or cream or all of them and serve hot to enjoy.

Tip:

• While using broiler in apartments, please open the oven door and turn the exhaust fan on at full speed. Otherwise, it will get too hot to stand anywhere in the kitchen.
• Fire roasting vegetables gives a smoky flavour, so try roasting them for this soup and see if you like the flavour.

Alasande kalu palya (lobia/cow peas curry)

Alasande Kalu Palya

Hi there everyone, hope all of you who visit my blog are doing well. I have been away from blogging a very long time and after being nudged by a few friends to write more, I am back again. I had a perfect excuse for my laziness all these days, "My comp is not working"... it was not. We got it fixed a few weeks ago, however I was feeling so comfortably lethargic not do anything. After mentally posting quite a few recipes, I am now making an attempt to put my thoughts into actions (hopefully). It is like me against my lethargy... let me see who wins. 

This recipe of alasande, lobia, in Hindi and cow peas, in English, is fairly simple to make, not to mention very nutritious and exceptionally tasty. It is a good match with chapati and rice. Make a paste of this and you can spread it on bread and also use as a dip for your chips. A very versatile thick curry not only to satisfy your sense of smell, it will keep your body happy. Very high in protein, low in carbs and fat. 

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins (if using ready cooked alasande or about 45 mins)

Servings: About 3

Ingredients:

1. Alasande Kaalu/ lobia / cow peas - 1 cup soaked over night and cooked well. (use the small red variety if you can find, that gives the best taste)
2. Salt - to taste
3. Coriander/Cilantro - finely chopped

For tempering:

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Turmeric - a pinch
4. Asafoetida - 2 pinches
5. Curry leaves - 1/2 the string 

For Masala:

1. Green Chilies - 3 to 5 (depending on your taste)
2. Whole pepper corns - 5 
3. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
4. Fresh/ Frozen Coconut - 1/2 cup (grated or pieces) 
5. Ginger - 1 inch piece or 1 tsp paste

Method:

• To cook the cow peas/lobia/alasande, soak it over night and pressure cook it with a little salt till it is well done but not mushy. If you do not have a pressure cooker, take a lot of water in a big pot, add the cow peas and enough salt and cook for about an hour or till well done on the stove top. After it is done, drain the peas and set aside. Keep a cups' worth water to dilute the curry as and when required otherwise we will not be using the water in this recipe. Please check the tips part of this recipe for suggestions on using the drained water.
• Grind all the ingredients of masala and set aside.
• Make the tempering in a pot or pan which can fit all the ingredients by heating oil on medium. Add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter. Add turmeric, asafoetida. Add the cooked and drained alasande/cow peas/ lobia and saute for a few minutes. Add the curry leaves and a little water, close the lid and let it cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the ground masala and salt as required to the cooking alasande/cow peas/lobia and mix well. Add a little water from the drained beans if it is getting too thick too soon. Cover the pot/pan and cook for a 2 to 4 minutes.
• Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and serve with steaming hot rice or chapati. Or let it cool and then grind it in to a fine paste to use as a dip.

Tips:

You can make Saru/Rasam from the drained water or use the water in making soups. Just store it in the refrigerator, it will keep upto seven days.

Gome, ethiopian collard greens

One more item in the Ethiopian restaurant i was talking about... It is very nutritious, so make it as much and chomp away. This recipe is made many ways, this is just one of the ways to make it. This recipe uses a spice infused clarified butter called Netir Khebbe. In case you can not make netir khebbe, i have given an alternative in tips of this recipe... check it out. Kids may eat their greens this way, try it out, you never know this could be their next favorite.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1. Collard/spinach or both - 1 big bunch, washed and chopped
2. Garlic - 2 pods, grated or 1 tsp paste
3. Ginger - 1 inch piece grated or 1 tsp paste
4. Onion - 1 medium sized, diced
5. Hot pepper of your choice - 1 to 2 [depending on the heat you want]
6. Netir Khebbe / oil - 2 tsp [follow the link and scroll down for recipe]
7. Salt - to taste
8. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

• On medium heat, heat a huge pot which can fit in all the ingredients. 
• Make netir khebbe and add onions, saute for a minute, add some salt and saute till it gets slightly golden brown.
• Add ginger and garlic, saute for a few seconds.
• Add the hot peppers and saute for a few seconds.
• Now add the chopped greens and saute till the wilt a little.
• Add enough salt and pepper powder and saute till it is well cooked. Gome is ready to be served on Injera

Tips:

Instead of netir khebbe, you can use 1/4 tsp of garam masala powder when the oil heats up. 

Aloo Parantha [Stuffed Indian Flat bread with spicy potatoes and herbs]

Aloo Parantha is one of the most filling and tasty breads I have every eaten. There are a gazillion ways to make it and every north Indian household will have a special family recipe of their own. I think I learnt to make it from my friend Bhavna's mom, I do not know the exact recipe as I am used to the one of my own. I have to say what ever my friends' mom made was like heaven... I still remember, whenever i fell sick, she would take me to her place ask her mom to make some thing tangy and spicy. It is a privilege and good luck to have a friend like Bhavs... love ya!! and thanks for all the yummy food... It makes a very heavy breakfast and good lunch and dinner item.. If your kids are a lot into sports, this may be one item which will provide them with whole lot of carbs.

Prep time: 40 mins [including the potato cook time]

Cook time: 7 mins each parantha, approx

Servings: 4 or 8 pieces

Ingredients:

For spicy Potatoes:

1. Potatoes - Medium sized, 4 boiled and mashed
2. Onion - 1 medium sized, finely chopped or made into a paste
3. Coriander/cilantro - a handful, finely chopped
4. Green chilly - 4 finely chopped
5. Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
7. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
8. Amchur [dry mango powder] - 2 to 3 tsp [substitute with 2 tsp lime juice, depends on how tangy you like it]
9. Turmeric - a pinch
10. Ajwain [celery seeds] - 1 tsp
11. Kalanamak/black slat - 1 tsp
12. Salt - to taste
13. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp [optional, I have not added it in this recipe]

To make bread crust:

1. Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
2. Maida/all purpose flour - 1 cup
3. Salt - 1/2 tsp
4. Water - enough to make dough 
5. Oil - to roast paranthas, about 1/4 cup

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients for the spicy potatoes together and keep aside.
• Mix the ingredients for the bread crust. the consistency of the dough has to be like the bread dough. not too soggy, not too dry. The idea behind mixing both whole wheat and all purpose flours is to give enough elasticity to the the dough as just the whole wheat makes the crust pretty thick as it does not stretch like all purpose flour and just all purpose flour would make the dough very elastic and chewy. Mixing these two will give the dough the right amount of elasticity.
• Take dough out and make a tangerine sized ball and roll it out as shown in the video below:

   

• Heat a pan on medium high place the rolled out parantha on it. let it roast for a minute turn it over, add a tsp full of oil all around the top of the parantha and spread. Flip to the other side and repeat the same. Let both the sides roast to a nice golden brown colour and till you know it is well cooked. Aloo parantha is read to eat, Enjoy!

Serving suggestion:

Goes well with a wide array of sides like baingan bartha and etc. Also can be served just some lime pickle and yogurt... yumm!! Parantha has a lot of flavour by itself, so it can just be had as it is.

Onion tomato Upittu/Upma

Uppittu in Karnataka and upma for the rest of India is a healthy breakfast/snack item. It is easy to make and very filling. There are a thousand ways one can make upma in... I will try to give a few variation here, you can add or delete a few ingredients and make an upma that you love... I must say this is one of the most versatile items you will ever learn to make. Can be a good snack for kids after school or sports.

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Servings: about 3

Ingredients:

1. Semolina - 1 cup, dry roasted
2. Onion - 1 medium, diced
3. Tomato - 1 medium, diced
4. Green chillies - 4 to 5 (add according to taste), finely chopped
5. Curry Leaves - 1 String, finely chopped
6. Coriander/Cilantro - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
7. Chana Dal (split chick pea) - 2 tsp
8. Urad Dal (split black gram) - 2 tsp
9. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
10. Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
11. Oil - 2 tbsp
12. Salt - to taste
13. Turmeric - a pinch
14. Water - 1 1/2 to 2 cups
15. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece grated or 1/2 tsp paste

Method:

• To dry roast semolina, heat a pan [which can hold all the upma ingredients] on medium heat, pour semolina into it and keep sauteing continuously till it get fragrant and slightly brown, remove from pan and set it aside for later use. You can also buy pre-roasted semolina in the market, then you can skip this step.
• In the same pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin and let it splutter. Add both urad dal and chana dal and roast till they get red. Add green chillies, curry leaves and ginger and saute for a few seconds.
• Add Onions and saute till the get slightly transparent. Now add turmeric and saute for a few more seconds.
• Add tomatoes and enough salt for the entire dish and saute for a few seconds.
• Add water, put a lid on the pan and let the water boil.
• Now slowly stir the water in the pan in a circular motion, once it starts going round slowly and steadily add roasted semolina into the water. Once all of it is added, simmer the stove, put a lid on the pan and let it cook well about 5 minutes. You will know when all the semolina has turned transparent, if semolina is not cooked and all the water has evaporated, add a little more water and close the lid for 3 more minutes. Check if it is done, put the lid back on and let it sit for 5 more minutes.
• Now add cilantro and mix well serve...

Variation 1: [Follow the same cooking method for all variation, just substitute ingredients]

Instead of tomatoes, add surati papdi lilva and also add some crushed black pepper.. this is called kaal uppittu. Very tasty. You can also eliminate onion and add 1/4 cup grated coconut.. even tastier.

Variation 2:

Use Brinjal/Indian eggplant instead of tomatoes and add 1 tbsp vangibath powder it makes yummier upma..

Serving suggestion:

Goes well with any chutney or pickle.

Tips:

If you want to use coconut, don't use onion and vice-verse.. somehow spoils the taste.

Just before you serve, a squeeze of lime gives it more taste and a dash of sugar makes it much more better.

Raw pasta and sauce

Have you ever tried eating raw food diet, not salads but trying to eat salads with a twist. I love raw vegetables in any form... with a little dressing I wont complain if I have to eat it all the time. Throwing a twist on it by making pasta and a sauce gives it much more oomph. I saw this recipe while browsing somewhere and made it the same day. I just love this recipe for the ease of making and and the taste it packs. If you hate eating vegetables, try this recipe, you may just change your mind about them. This is a raw vegan recipe, if you want you can add a bit of Parmesan cheese to it. 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1. Zucchini: 2 medium sized
2. Plum Tomato: 2
3. Red bell pepper: 1 medium sized
4. Sun dried tomatoes -4
5. Garlic - a small clove, peeled or 1/4 tsp paste
6. Red wine vinegar/plain vinegar - 2 tsp
7. Salt - 1/4 tsp or 2 pinches
8. Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
9. Olive oil/any oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Chop the tips of zucchini and peel the skin off and dispose it. Continue peeling the flesh of the zucchini into strips till you end up at the seeds.. do not use it, dispose. Put the peeled strips in a bowl and refrigerate till you make the sauce.
• If you do not have pre-marinated sun dried tomatoes either in oil or water. Boil water and soak them for about 1/2 hour before you would use them.
• To make the sauce, chop all the vegetables into big chunks and make a smooth paste in the blender by adding all the ingredients together. Sauce is ready.
• Take the peeled zucchini pasta, arrange it on a plate and pour some sauce on top and chomp it down.. :) .Make sure to put the sauce right before you would eat, other wise it gets soggy and you wont like it much. 

Tips:

Kids can help you peel zucchini, so let them do it if they want to.. parents and kids can certainly have fun in the kitchen while making this recipe.

If you do not have zucchini try using cucumber... it will be slightly more watery, but is a good substitute. Since Zucchini and cucumber do not have much of taste on their own, they absorb the taste of the sauce well.

Saaru/Rasam

As per request of dear Dhan uncle i am posting the recipe of Saaru. Called saaru in Karnataka and rasam for the rest of India is a thin broth which is mixed with rice. Like spaghetti and meat balls are comfort food for many people, saaru anna (rice and rasam) is comfort food for may south Indians. What makes saaru or rasam tasty is the masala powder, I will give the recipe to make it. You can also cut it short and use store bought rasam powder...it is totally upto you. I will give a few variations of rasam here today, however, the masala powder remains the same. Make and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1. Toor dal [split lentils] - 1 cup, cooked well
2. Rasam Powder - 1 1/2 tsp, [recipe follows]
3. Tamarind - 1 tsp
4. Tomato - 1 cooked with toor dal
5. Jaggery - 1 small block
6. Salt - to taste
7. Coriander - finely chopped
8. Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbsp [optional]

For tempering:

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Asafoetida  - a pinch
5. Turmeric - a pinch
6. Curry leaves - 1 string

Ramsam Powder:

Ingredients:

1. Coriander seeds - 1/2 cup
2. Cumin seeds -  2  tbsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
4. Whole black pepper - 2 tsp
5. Red chilly - 1/2 cup [use according to taste]
6. Dry coconut - 1/4 cup [grated or cut into strips]

Method:

• Dry roast all the above given Ingredients one after the other till the raw smell goes away and they start smelling fragrant. Let it cool completely make a powder and use it as and when required.

Method to make rasam:

• Heat oil in a vessel to make tempering. add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Add cumin and let them splutter. add the rest of the tempering ingredients and saute for 2 seconds.
• Now add the water from the cooked lentils. Mash the lentils and tomato to a paste and add them to the vessel. Thin it out further if it seems thick. The consistency should be of butter milk.
• Add tamarind, rasam powder, salt and jaggery and let it boil for 10 minutes.
• Add coriander and coconut, cook for 2 more minutes and rasam is ready to eat.

Variation 2

• Follow the above method. except for cooking lentils. This is plain tomato rasam.
• Make the tempering, add 2 finely chopped tomatoes, saute for a few seconds.
• Add salt and let them cook well. 
• Add enough water and the rest of the ingredients and cook the same way as above... this cooks in 10 minutes and is a quick fix when u need dinner fast.

Variation 3

• Instead of cooking tomato with the lentils, grind tomato, rasam powder, coconut and salt and add them to tempering... cook for 2 minutes to get the rawness out add lentils and rest of the ingredients and boil till done.

Serving suggestions:

Goes best with steaming hot rice, clarified butter [ghee] and tempered green beans.

Tips:

For just the tomato rasam, you can choose to add a pod of crushed garlic, it makes it much more tastier.

Vegetarian Mayo

As per request of a reader, I am posting the recipe for Vegetarian mayo. Substitute milk with soy milk for vegan recipe. It is simple to make. It also packs a lot of fat in it, if you are diet conscious use less of this mayo or use reduced fat milk and oil like canola to help use less fat. mayo is a good spread for sandwiches and can also make a good salad dressing... So make and enjoy!! [will upload picture soon]

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Servings: about 10

Ingredients:

1. Milk/soy milk - 3/4 cup
2. Lemon juice - 4 tbsp
3. White vinegar - 1 tbsp
4. Oil - 1/2 cup
5. Mustard paste - 1/2 tsp
6. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt - 1/2 tsp
8. Sugar - 1/2 tbsp [depends on how sweet you want it]

Method:

• In a blender jar, pour all the milk and start churning it. You may have to monitor the speed at which the oil and milk blend well together and maintain it till all the oil gets well blended.
• Now, slowly add oil in 4 batches. Add the first batch and wait for it get well incorporated with milk and add the next. Repeat the process till all the oil gets well incorporated with milk.
• Add the rest of the ingredients... give a faster whip for a few seconds and Mayo is ready to enjoy.  

Tips:

To flavour your mayo, you may use, black olives or spring onions and etc... try new things you may find a very interesting recipe. Do post it here so that I can learn from you.

Cabbage Alecha

Mouth watering mildly spiced vegetable dish from Ethiopia. This is generally made with cabbage, carrots and potato. I dropped the potato and put in seeded jalapeno, it tasted better to me. It is slightly buttery creamy vegetable with the fragrance you won't forget. A special clarified butter/ghee called "Netir Khebbe" is used in this recipe. A recipe for which i will give you along with this alecha. I made this once and wanted to eat once more so I made it the next time and the next...:D .. really love it. Hope you love it as much as i do.Alecha is milder than a wat/wot and can compliment the flavor of wot/wat. Since wat/wot is really spicy, this can bring down the pallet a notch. Make this with any of the wot/wats you are making to compliment the pallet. There are a wide array of vegetables with which you can make this Alecha, I liked this particular one a lot. You can add green beans, potatoes, peas and etc... Netir Khebbe can be used in other recipes as well like Mesir alecha and etc. I have read that, in Ethiopia, they make this spiced clarified butter in a large quantity and store it to use for many varieties of dishes. The short cut to make Netir Khebbe would be to use garam masala instead of all the spice list i have given below. I believe in knowing all the recipes, you know like, teach a person fishing, they will eat for life kind of thing. It just gives more flexibility if we learn the basics and we can also improvise when we do not have a few things on hand.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Servings: about 4

Ingredients:

1. Cabbage - 2 cups, roughly chopped
2. Carrots - 3, peeled and roughly chopped
3. Jalapeno - 1 seeded
4. Netir Khebbe - 2 tsp, recipe below
5. Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tsp
6. All purpose flour - 1 tsp
7. water - about 3/4 cup
8. Salt - to taste

Netir khebbe:

Ingredients:

[you can use 1/2 tsp garam masala in lieu of all these spices ]

1. Clarified butter/oil - 2 tsp
2. Clove - 1 or a pinch of powder
3. Cinnamon - 2 pinches powder or a small piece
4. Cardamom - 1 pods crushed or 2 pinches of powder
5. Nutmeg - 1 pinch of ground nut meg

Method:

• Heat clarified butter or oil in a pan which can hold all the vegetables. Add all the above spices and saute for 5 seconds

Method for Cabbage Alecha:

• In the pan of netir khebbe, add ginger garlic paste and saute for a few seconds.
• Add the flour and saute till the raw smell goes away.
• Add Jalapenos and saute for a few seconds.
• Add carrots, saute for a few seconds and all enough salt for the dish, mix in well, sprinkle some water, put the lid on and let it sweat for a few minutes.
• Add cabbage, mix in well and add about 1/2 cup worth water, put the lid on and cook till all the vegetables are well cooked. Cabbage alecha is read to eat.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve it with Injera or any kind of bread. Goes well with any kind of dosa or indian roti.

Tips:

If the alecha is watery, mix 1/2 tsp of flour with 1 tsp water well and mix it into the pan cook for 2 minutes, this should take care of the runny mixture. If it is still watery, add some more flour-water mixture.