Gulab Jamun (Dough Balls Soaked in Sugar Syrup)

Gulab jamun  is a dessert which is popular throughout the Indian Subcontinent made of a dough consisting mainly of milk solids (often including double cream and flour) in a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom seeds and rosewater or saffron.
I made this on occassion of diwali with GITS ready mix which is available in all Indian stores.
I made them exactly as per the packet instructions and the result was too Yummy !!

Tips n Tricks: The only change I made to the recipe is by adding pancake syrup(butter flavour) to the sugar syrup.This gave a little twist to the regular gulab jamoons and they disappeared into our tummies very quickly.

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Chana Dal Vada (Fried Lentil Patties)

Yaadein.....
   Though I was born in Northern part of India but I feel bangalore as my home town as I got married and settled there. I miss the pleasant weather, Adigas, Brigade Rd and street food (chana dal vada,bonda,bahjji). The convinience of getting them at the corner of the street made me too lazy to try these then. But now with only ingredients at hand I decided to make them after such a long time.
Although this vada tasted best when made with Dill leaves but coriander can be used instead if you can't find them. Dill leaves have a very strong taste when fresh thus minimizing the need to add many ingredients in a recipe.
Since I could not find dill leaves here so I used lots of coriander leaves instead.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Chana dal
• 1 large Onion chopped
• 1 Small bunch of fresh cilantro/coriander
• Green chillies chopped (as required)
• Salt (as per taste)
• Oil for frying

 Method

1. Soak chana dal overnight ( so that the US made blenders/mixies are
2.  able to take the load and grind it easily :) )
3. Remove the water and keep a small fistfull of dal separately. Grind the dal coarsly in as lilwater as possible .
4. In a bowl mix remaining dal( which we kept aside),chopped onion, green chillies,salt and chopped coriander.dill leaves.
5. Take a small portion of the mixture and flatten it on your palm.
6. Release it into oil for frying. Fry until golden brown.
7. Serve with tea or chutney of your choice.

I served them with coconut chutney which was a magic bullet disaster (it became coconut puree )

Chutney Courtsey : Hiren Bhai (My brother-in-law)

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Peas Pulao

The one single recipe that comes to my mind when I feel too lazy to cook is peas pulao.Though it is one of the easiest n simplest of all recipes but still writing it just for my son (his favorite menu item). He asked me to write this recipe on my blog as he wants to cook for his wife and kids when he grows up !! And I want to let you know he is 6 now !
I still remember when my friend kavita first tasted this pulao how excited she was and ga-ga all over the recipe. May be since she is a jain (who do not eat under ground grown veggies), this was perfect dish for her.
Being in US gives the advantage of having frozen vegetables at hand , so I added corns also and my kids eat it for the sake of peas n corns !!

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Basmati Rice
• 2 Cups Water
• 1/2 tbsp Cumin(jeera)
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1/2 Cup peas
• 1/2 Cup Corn kernels (optional)
• 3 tsp Canola oil( or any vegetable oil)
• Salt (as per taste)

Method


1. Wash and soak the rice for atleast 20 minutes in advance.


2. In a pan add oil and when it is hot add cumin and bay leaf. Add the water and let it boil.


 3. As the water boils add rice( drained) ,peas and corns to it.Add the salt , cover it and put it on low for 15  minutes.


 4. Serve with raitha or potato curry ( pulao tastes best with it than any other curry)

Raita: I chopped cucumbers,red onion and red bell pepper (not tomatoes) ,added salt n pepper to the yougurt. Add green chillies if u like hot.


Tips n Tricks:
     Instead of using oil just use one tbsp ghee and see the difference in taste !

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Garden Salad

Last weekend we made a visit to local farms for some maze fun.I was very excited to go there and so was my sister with her 1 yr old daughter.As we started for the farms, her daughter slept in the car forcing them to head back to home.

First we went to Stony hills Farms for some maze fun .We tried our legs at rope maze. My son followed me trying to find the way (as he thought I am the smartest one in the family). But after spending 10 minutes trying to reach to the bell at the center, he decided to use his own brains. Soon his theory (of me being smartest in family) changed as he reached the bell and came out leaving mom n dad struggling to find the way !!

I saw the Big corn maze it seemed "difficult" (or should I say taller :)) and so I decided to go into mini corn maze.Every one followed me and after pushing my daughter's stroller through the rough terrain we realized that all the people are going in opposite direction except us ! I made another decision to change our direction as well and my army followed me.After 10 more minutes we were out of the maze ! Hurray I shouted but soon my joy disappeared and realized we entered through the "Exit" of big corn maze.That was enough to prove my son's belief wrong.

I had enough of maze fun so we headed for fruit picking.The trees were loaded with varieties of apple .Soon the kids started to fill the bags as much as they could.With bags weighing more than their own weight I decided to intervene.As I said one has to eat all the apples he/she picks ,the bags became lighter and I could see 1-2 apples in the bag!

After that we picked some yellow cherry tomatoes from the vines.



Had a lovely day and then I decided to make a colorful salad with freshly picked tomatoes.

Ingredients

1 Cucumber
Few Cherry Tomatoes
1 Red onion
1 tsp Olive oil
Black Olives
1 tsp Lemon juice
Salt (as per taste)
Pepper
Parsley (1-2 sprigs)

Method
1. Cut the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes into halves, red onion into thick lengths.Cut the olives.
2. Mix all together in a bowl. Add salt, pepper,lemon juice,olive oil.
3. Add the chopped parsley and toss it well. Refrigerate for at least half an hour before serving.

Tips n Tricks : Do not peel the cucumbers to add color n nutrition to the salad.

Chana Masala

Finally I decided to get back into action and do something after spending some lazy days.I arranged a play date for my 6-year old son at a friend's house as the school was off on account of jewish holiday.My friend decided to make lunch for all of us and gave an idea of preparing dinner while kids wud be playing.

But since I have a 2-yr old daughter who is socially under-developed (she has come from Victorian era so gets scared watching genetically transformed humans of 21st century), I decided to make something special for my friend in my kitchen -a take out chana masala.

Chana masala or chole masala is a popular vegetable dish in Indian cuisine. The main ingredient is chickpeas. The dish is particularly popular in India and Pakistan. It is usually cooked dry and spicy.Chola-Kulcha is a very popular street food in North India or otherwise it can be enjoyed with naan (Indian flat-bread), puri or bhature !!




Ingredients:
2 Cup boiled chick peas( white chana)
2 Onions, chopped
1-2 Cloves of garlic
2-3 Whole green chilies
2-3 cm Ginger( cut into julienes)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Chat masala (I used MDH brand )
1/2 tsp Garam masala
3 Tomatoes (chopped )
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tbsp Chana masala (I use MDH brand)
2 tbsp kasoori methi (dry-I use MDH brand)
a little paprika (or red chilli powder)

Method:

1.In a pan heat the oil and then add cumin.Fry the onions until they start turning golden. Then add garlic, chilies and ginger, and continue frying until the onions are brown.

2. Add tomatoes, chana masala, coriander powder,red chilli powder(optional),turmeric to it. Sprinkle a little water and mix all the spices thru.Cover and cook for a few minutes until the oil starts to separate, and then add chickpeas. Cook for a further 10 min.am

3. Add garam masala and chat masala to it.Sprinkle kasoori methi crushing between your palms .

4. Decorate with green chillies,onions or tomatoes as desired.





Tips n Tricks: I always like to add a personal touch to my dishes by adding some green herbs.If you are not a methi fan then you may add fresh coriander which really addes to taste and appeal.

Kadhai Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese with Bell Peppers)

Ingredients

2 Green bell pepper(cut into small lengths)
1 Onion chopped
1 Large tomato pureed

1 pack Paneer (cut into cubes)

1/3 cup Low fat creme (or malai if u do not get creme easily )

1-2 Green chillies chopped (optional)

Dry fruits (5-6 almonds and cashews) optional
3 tbsp Oil

1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Chilli powder (optional)

Salt (as per taste)
Kasoori methi (dry)

Method

1. In a pan stir fry the bell pepper cut into thick juliens in very little oil and keep aside.

2. Add some little oil to it and fry the onions until golden brown. Add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, coriander powder, green chillies, salt, ginger-garlic paste to it and roast till oil starts separating.

3.Then add creme (or malai) to it and mix well.When it is about to heat up add the powdered dry fruits ( believe me it really makes a difference in taste but definitely add up in calories a little !! )

As you continue to stir it the gravy will start to thicken. When it reaches your desired consistency add the sauted bell pepper and raw panner to it.

4. Turn the gas off and add garam masala and kasoori methi to it ,crushing between your palms. Mix well and serve.

Tips n Tricks : Dry fruits are added to give it e restaurant like taste and consistency.However if uyou do not wish to load up calories avoid dry fruits and use tofu instead of paneer.

Soy Kheema

I love soy as this being a very healthy option for vegetarians like me. I often made soy nuggets until i discovered these granules.They are quick n easy to make plus carry loads of protein.My kids love to eat this especially filled in a chapati like a burrito !

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Soy granules (Nutrela)


• 1/4 cup Finely chopped carrots


• 1/4 cup Finely chopped green beans


• 1/4 cup Green peas


• 1 Onion chopped


• 1 Tomato chopped


• 1-2 Green chillies chopped (optional)


• 3-4 tbsp Oil


• 1/4 tsp Turmeric


• 1/2 tsp Coriander powder


• 1/4 tsp Garam Masala


• 1/4 tsp Chilli powder (optional)


• 1/2 tsp Chat Masala


• Few sprigs of fresh Cilantro/Coriander


• Salt (as per taste)

Method

1. Soak soy granules in lukewarm water and keep them aside.Do not ude too much of water, just enough that they absorb.Put the green peas in the microwave for 2-3 minutes on HIGH and keep aside.

2. In a pan add oil and let it heat.Then add onions, stir them for 1-2 minutes and add chopped carrots and beans.Stir the vegetables for 4-5 minutes.Do not fry much as they tend to loose their color and crunch. To this add all the dry spices except for chat masala and garam masala.If it seems too dry u can add few drops of water.

3. Without sqeezing the water out of soy granules, add them to the pan along with chopped tomatoes and peas.Add salt ,mix it well and cover it for 4-5 minutes on low.

4. All the water from the soy wud be gone now and now u can add chat masala and garam masala.

5. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with chapati.

Tips and Tricks:

• Squeezing the water out of soy washes away all its nutrients .
• You can even use this as filling in chapati roll/burrito for a healthy kids lunch pack.
• Adding peas in the last helps retain their color and prevents them from becoming dry n hard.

Banana Bread

This recipe is for all those people who do not want to spend money on cake mixers and still want to try one.This is an all time favourite cake in my home and a quick one too without messing with too many dishes.

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup All purpose flour
• 2 large Over riped bananas
• 3/4 cup Castor sugar(or powdered sugar)
• 1 tbsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 3/4 cup Canola oil (or melted butter)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence/vanilla imitation
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 Walnuts or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Pre heat the oven at 325 F ( or 170C) .Grease the loaf pan (or any pan of ur choice) with little oil/butter and keep aside. Mash the bananas and keep aside.

2.Mix the baking sugar and baking powder in the flour.Sieve the flour so that the flour becomes airy and fluffy.

3. Take a large mixing bowl and mash bananas in it until smooth.Beat the eggs with hand and add to it.Add the vanilla essence to it.

4. Add the flour, sugar and oil to it. Fold the flour nicely till all lumps are gone.

5. In the end add walnuts (or chocolate chips for a kid friendly version) and mix gently.

6. Bake for 30-35 mins or until the cake surface turns golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

7.Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Let cool completely before taking out.To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the pan . Release the cake and run the knife along the base of the pan to remove the cake.

Tips n Tricks:

Bring the eggs to room temperature before hand.

Egg Kheema

This is my very first recipe since i started blogging.The reason I choose this recipe as my first post is I wanted to thank my special friend Manju who made this dish popular back home in India.I sent this recipe for her daughter's birthday party and it was an instant hit( as told by her). She posted the party pics along with food pics in her profile and people kept asking for recipe. This recipe is good for 4 people.So here it goes..

Ingredients

• 4 Hard boiled eggs
• 1 large Onion finely chopped
• 2 large Tomato into paste/puree
• 1/2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
• 3 tbsp Oil
• 1/8 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp MDH chicken masala/Kheema masala OR any garam masala you have
• 1/2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/4 Red chilli powder(optional)
• 2-3 Green chillies (optional)
• Fresh cilantro/coriander chopped
• Salt (according to taste)

Method

1. Grate all the boiled eggs and keep aside. Now in a deep pan/wok put the oil .When the oil is heated up add chopped onions to it. Fry the onions till they shrink.

2. Now add the tomato paste/puree to it and add all the dry spices along with the salt. Add the ginger-garlic paste and chopped/whole green chillies( if u like spicy).Add 2-3 tsp of water, mix well and cover it on low for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and see if the oil starts separating. If it does that means all the spices are blended well.

3. Now add 1/8 cup of milk to it just enough to make a gravy. Add the grated egg and mix well.Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.Enjoy with ur chapatis as a meal or with pav as a snack.

Serving suggestion: Serve egg kheema with toasted pavs, coriander chutney and chopped onions on the side.

Tips n Tricks: If u do not wish to add milk u can add water.Adding milk/water prevents kheema from becoming too dry and gives it consistency.