Methi de Parathe

Finally back after a break and lemme confess here "the actual break is yet not over!!". But as I've already mentioned cooking is my passion and I can't hold myself for long time... And I'm back to my blog world...

Couple of months back, my mom asked me to have soaked methi seeds before going to bed. As we all know, methi seeds have lots of medicinal and culinary properties. One day I forgot to have them and as they were soaked, the seeds got sprouted and I was in no mood to have them any more. Atlast, there was no other option, except, spreading them in my kitchen garden.. I firmly believe, it wasn't a bad decision.. coz now I had yummilicious methi de parthe, with methi leaves right from my garden... isn't it Wowy??

I love methi in my paratha for the beautiful aroma and slight bitterness they add to it. We can even use kasoori methi or dried methi leaves for making paratha. You just need to soak them in water for few minutes and mix it in the flour.. But I like to have fresh leaves, add it to any dish and the dish becomes so delectable and tasty.. I know many of you guys will agree with me...

Ingredients:

A bunch of tender methi (fenugreek) leaves (chopped)
3 cups wheat flour
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
1-2 tsp Oil or ghee

Method:

Heat oil and saute cumin seeds. In another bowl, add some salt to the chopped methi leaves and keep it aside for 5-10 mins. Squeeze water out of it. Add it to the remaining ingredients (except oil) and prepare the dough. Apply oil over the dough to make it soft and keep it aside for another 1 hr.
Make golf sized balls out of the dough. Roll out each and heat it on tawa or griddle until both sides are golden brown. Spread oil or ghee while this process. Keep it covered to keep it soft. Serve hot.

There you go!! Serve it as breakfast with some raita or just curd or lemon pickle.

This entry goes to event Global Kadai : Flat breads hosted by Sandhya and started by Cilantro and also to Think Spice - Think Fenugreek hosted by Priya and started by Sunitha.

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Lots & lots of hardwork..but with awards!!!

This month is really very special for me.. Firstly, it is the second month of my foodie adventures through blogging. Secondly, I've participated in many events organised by enthusiastic fellow bloggers...

Also, I've made so many friends here who share the same taste and passion, as I do.
But these days I'm into another quest of settling my career and journey begins with my higher studies.. Exams, tensions, sleepless nights and lots more.

uaaaaaaaaaa... eeee!!!

So, I thought to give a break from my blogging world. But guys I'll be back soon, very soon.

Also, I'm dying to prepare something great in my kitchen.. I've so many bookmarked recipes from my blogger friends... Gosh!!! I love my blog, I love everyone here...

Hmmm... !! Award Time........

So before I go for a short break it is time to share my first award!!! I got this Loving Blogger Award by Tasty Appetitie for participating in  "I love my dad" event. Thank you Jay for this award and the lovely round up. This is my first award and so it is very special.

This award has a rule, it has to be shared with three of my fellow bloggers. But I believe, all of my friends deserve this award. I wish I could've shared with everyone but I've to choose just three... !! So here are my three best blogger friends with whom I'm going to share my award....

Sanyukta of Creative Sanyukta - Sana is a guru of creativity.. If you visit her blog you'll find a varieties of presentation that will leave you amazed.. Her spirit for art and cooking is really appreciating. Do visit her blog!!

Nivedita of Nivedita's Kitchen - I've a special reason to share this award with her. She was the first to visit my blog and follow me. I still remember the moment when i saw the first comment in my blog and that was quite motivating. Thank you so much Nivedita. Guys do visit her wonderful space...

Priya of Mharo Rajasthan - The speciality of Priya is that she is a wonderful blogger, visit her blog and u'll understand. She has a huge collection of yummilicious recipes and much more yummy pictures.. She is very encouraging friend.. Hugs!!

Sana, Nivedita and Priya, please collect this Loving Blog Award. 

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Apple Halwa

Well it was not planned to make this sweet dish but suddenly Sree's friends came home for dinner... And I was not able to decide what to make for dinner... Somehow I managed with starters and main course but the big trouble was "Dessert"... At the corner of kitchen I found 3 red apples in my fruit basket and there I go "Bingo!!"... So, at last my cutie red apples saved me and I was able to surprise my unexpected guests with this unexpected sweet dish... ;)
I've mashed apples into fine paste as I was running out of time but I guess some people prefer grated ones... But I feel, it hardly makes any difference (except appearance... :D) coz at last it tastes "Super"....!!!

Ingredients:

3 red apples, big one (use red apples as green ones can make halwa bit sour)
4 tbsp Sugar ( or add as per taste)
1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
few Almonds for garnishing
Ghee (clarified butter) - 4 - 5 tbsp

Method :

Peel and cut apples into cubes. Mash them into fine paste. Do not add water.
Heat ghee in a pan and pour the apple paste. Keep stiring until all water gets evaporated. For me, it took 15 mins (approx) as I was working with med-high flame... But if you keep stiring in med-low flame, it will take atleast 30 mins to get cooked.

By this time, the paste will be thick and almost cooked. Now add cardamon powder, sugar and mix well. Keep stiring for some more time until desired consistency is attained. Garnish with almonds.

Tasty and yummy halwa is ready to serve!!

This entry is on the way to the event Celebrate Sweets ~ Halwa hosted by Nivedita.

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Egg Roast (Kerala Style)

My hubby loves to have egg roast with dosa which I too agree as a great combination. Every weekend, this is a staple dish at our home. Also, it is very easy to prepare, spicy, less time taking and more than that Sree loves it.. ;)

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 large onion (chopped)

3 green chillies (chopped)

1 medium tomato (cubed)

4 garlic cloves

1 inch ginger

1/4 turmeric pwd

1 tsp red chilli pwd

2 tsp coriander pwd

1/2 tsp cumin pwd

1/4 tsp black pepper pwd

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Cilantro (to garnish) - optional

Method:

Hard boil eggs, shell, slice and keep aside. Sprinkle little pepper pwd over it.

Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and saute onions, green chillies and garlic, until onion turns translucent. Add masalas and curry leaves, saute for sometime. Add tomato and ginger, saute till it blends well with the curry. Add salt and one cup of water and bring it to boil. Add sliced eggs into the curry. Cover and cook for 5 mins/ until the gravy becomes thick. Turn off the heat.

Garnish with cilantro. Serve with roti, paratha, rice, dosa, puttu.

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Potato with methi seeds

I'm always quite eager about 2nd wednesday of a month and the reason is "My mom's kitty party". This is the day when my mom comes with some very new and amazing recipes and thanks to her sweet kitty friends... Believe me guys, it's almost 10 yrs over and still they have something new in their kitchen..And this recipe of "Potato with methi seeds" is one among them... I think this is "Baba Ramdev's" era and eating healthy meal is the default theme at my mom's kitty party... And we all know the wonders of Methi/ Fenugreek... It's a herb, spice, famous for its culinary and medicinal properties, a perfect digestive aid and the list goes on.. I've had many dishes made of methi leaves but with seeds was quite unusal for me.. I thought of giving it a try and the curry was delicious...
For this, I've soaked the methi seeds overnight and the advantage of soaking is that it takes away the bitterness (some of the bitterness ;) ) and also the seeds become plump... And when combined with potato, it tastes great!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup methi seeds (soaked overnight)
2 medium sized potato (peeled and cubed)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 tomato (cubed)
4-5 garlic cloves
3 green chillies (chopped)
1 inch ginger
pinch of mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
2 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Cilantro (to garnish)
          
Method:

Heat oil & fry the cubed potatoes until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon, sprinkle little salt and keep aside. In the same pan, splutter mustard seeds and add onion, green chillies and garlic. Saute till onion turns translucent. Add masalas and saute for few mins. Now add tomato and ginger, saute till tomato turns soft and oil separates from the sides of pan. Add methi seeds and potatoes into the gravy. Mix well. Cover and cook till the potatoes are tender. Add milk into the gravy and simmer uncovered for another 10 mins.
Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with roti, puri or any Indian bread.

This entry goes to event Think Spice Think Fenugreek hosted by Priya and started by Sunita.

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Banana Trifle

Last night I found few ripe bananas in my kitchen and no desire to eat them. As luck would have it, I also happened to have pudding mix with me. Then I got a wonderful idea of pudding trifle to use up those bananas.

A very simple concept of sponge cake with pudding, banana layer and topped with chocolate sauce, came together with a surprising ease. Believe me guys, this is one of the simplest "complex" desserts I've ever made. And lemme tell you, my dolly is also drooling over my cute banana trifle... :)

This was served as a surprise dessert for lunch. And I love to see my hubby's expression when he said "Honey! I'm loving it"....

Ingredients:

1 slice Sponge Cake
1 ripe banana
2 tbsp vanilla custard pudding
1 tsp chocolate sauce
2 tbsp sweetened fresh cream

Method:

Prepare custard pudding according to the instruction mentioned in the pack. Refrigerate it for few hours. Custard pudding should be of thick consistency.

Take a parfait glass or any glass tumbler and line it with cake slices. Now layer it with banana slices. Pour spoonful of pudding over it. Repeat this procedure 2-3 times but make sure it ends up with a cake layer on top.

Drizzle with chocolate sauce and fresh cream on top and garnish with banana slice. Serve immediately or chill until needed.

Enjoy this yummy dessert!!

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Poori with Tomato Chutney

I know you guys might be wondering.. What a combo? But yeah! this is my dad's favourite dish for breakfast. Every Sunday, poori with tomato chutney will be the weekend special. And surprisingly, for the past twenty-five years it seems to be the greatest hit in my mom's kitchen. He still enjoy this dish as if he is having it for the first time. But the main reason for posting this uncommon recipe here is the event I Love My Dad hosted by Jay.

Also, when I called him to wish on Father's Day and asked "What's Special There Daddy??" He said (filled with joy) "Lajawab poori aur tamathar ki chutney".  And this left me thinking, "What's so special about this dish?". But yeah! it is still my dad's "The Favourite Dish".
So, when I came across this event at Jay's blog, I've decided that I'll definitely post this simple recipe for her event. It's just a small attempt to spread my dad's simple taste among others.  

Ingredients:

For Poori -
1 cup Wheat Flour
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste
Warm water as required

For Tomato Chutney -
4 ripe tomatoes, cubed
1 large onion, diced
3 green chilli, chopped
1 (1 inch) ginger root
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Red Chilli (dry)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Pwd
1/4 tsp Turmeric Pwd
2 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Cilantro, to garnish

Method:

For Poori -

Put the wheat flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center of the flour and add salt.
Add little water at a time and start to mix to prepare the dough. Instead of water, we can add yogurt to make soft and chewy pooris. Knead the dough until it is medium-soft. Add 1 tsp oil and knead again for few minutes. Cover the dough with damp cloth and keep aside for 15 mins.
Now divide the dough into golf-sized portions and roll these portions into balls between your hands till they become soft and without any cracks. Using rolling pin, roll each ball into a 5" circle.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan on a medium flame. Deep fry the pooris one at a time, pressing gently over both sides with a slotted spoon. This will help the pooris to puff up. Fry until it turns golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.

For Tomato Chutney -

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds and dry red chilli. Add onion, green chillies and garlic clove, saute till onion turns translucent. Add red chilli pwd and turmeric pwd, saute for a minute. Add tomato pieces and ginger. Cover and cook till all masalas are mixed completely and tomatoes are tender. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro.

Avoid using the same oil for frying pooris. Use left-over oil, after frying, for regular cooking purpose.

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Indiano Pasta

I'm not much crazy about pasta and the reason is the repetitive bland pasta taste. I was craving for a spicy, a desi version of pasta and the result is this recipe. This dish has no particular recipe to follow, I add anything that comes on my way through the kitchen racks. But it came out so well, "Truly Desi"!!!

Ingredients:
1/2 pack (8 oz) - Pasta, cooked as per instructions
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, cubed
1 green chilli, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1-2 garlic pods, chopped
1 tsp red chilli powder
a hint of garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp oil
1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
Salt to taste

Method:
Cook pasta as per instructions. Heat oil in a pan and splutter cumin seeds. Add chopped garlic, onions and green chilli. Saute till onions are translucent. Add chopped bell pepper and saute until it becomes soft. Add chopped tomato and masalas, cook covered till the tomatoes are tender. Add salt to taste.
Toss in the pasta and stir to coat it well with the sauce. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Garnish with cilantro.
You can also use tomato ketchup, if required.

This is the best dish for snacking.. I'm loving it!!!

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Zebra Cake

Here is this week's cake of choice and lemme tell you guys, this is not my invention!! I saw this in Farida's AZ Cookbook and I've been promising myself that one day I'll give it a try.. And atlast I did it and it came out "Wowy!!". Just two batter used alternately, such a simple thing to do and you are ready to impress your guests.

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 Cup of  Oil
1/2 tsp (15 g) vanilla powder
3 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp dark chocolate syrup / cocoa powder ( I've used Hershey's genuine chocolate syrup)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). In a large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar. Beat until the mixture is light and creamy. Stir in milk, oil and vanilla powder.
In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder. Add it to the wet ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth.

 
Divide the mixture into two halves. Add chocolate syrup/ cocoa powder to one half and mix well.
Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with oil. Now comes the assembling of the cake. Put 3 tbsp of vanilla batter into center of the pan. Then put 3 tbsp of chocolate batter in the middle of vanilla batter. Do not stop and wait until the previous batter spreads. Continue alternating spoonful of two batters until all the batter has been used up.
Bake in the oven for about 40 mins. Let the cake cool for 10-15 mins. Remove from the oven. Turn out the cake, reinvert on to a wire rack and let it cool.

This is a very plain cake and goes well with a cup of hot tea or coffee.

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Dudhi Halwa (Bottle Gourd/Calabash halwa)

Two days back I was in a mood to have something sweet, something light, as well. Then I thought, why not "Dudhi Halwa". This dessert is very easy to prepare, refreshing and tastes yummy!!

Although dudhi is used to make variety of dishes like curry, dal, raita and list goes on.. But when it comes to dudhi halwa, many of you guys will agree with me "it tastes awesome". Also, this recipe is healthy as I use low fat milk instead of khoya.

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded dudhi (wash, peel & grate it)

1 cup low-fat milk (I've used 1%)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

10-12 unsalted roasted cashew

20-25 raisins

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1 tbsp ghee

Method:

In a large pan heat ghee, add shredded dudhi, milk, cashews and raisins. Cover and cook on medium heat for about ten mins. Add powdered sugar and stir a few times. Uncover the pan, add ghee and stir for another 5 mins. Add cardamom powder and remove from heat.

Refrigerate if you like it cold or serve it hot.

This entry goes to Celebrate sweets~Halwa by Nivedita.

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Spicy Chicken Curry

We had a trip to Las Vegas, as it was a long weekend here. "The Sin City" is the most populous city in Nevada. I would rather call it "The Entertainment Capital of the world"..

We did gambling, shopping, dining and walking along the "Strip". When it comes to gambling and casinos, we were not fortunate enough to hit some jackpot.. But yeah! we gained nothing and lost nothing, as well. All together it was a great trip and weary too..

So for this wonderful trip, I thought of treating my dear husband with a spicy chicken dish, as he loves it.. This dish is authentic with a spicy kick and the use of divine spices makes it truly awesome...!!

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, cubed
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
8 green cardamom pods
4 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
3 tbsp oil
Cilantro, to garnish
Salt to taste

Method:
Marinate chicken (for atleast 30 mins) with all the masalas and salt. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and saute whole spices until the aroma has infused into the oil. Saute the ginger-garlic paste till the raw smell goes. Add chopped onion and saute till translucent. Now add tomato and saute till it becomes soft. Add the marinated chicken, mix and saute for few mins. Close the pressure cooker and cook for a whistle and simmer it.
Heat oil in a kadai. Transfer the whole thing to kadai and dry it till the desired consistency is attained.

Serve with steamed rice/roti/naan.

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Mutter Pulao

After a long weekend, I'm back with today's recipe... "Mutter Pulao"/ "Pilaf".. A very simple, yet delicious n aromatic dish.. I have few memories linked with Pulao.. One of them is during late fall this used to be one of the most commonly prepared dish by my mom.. But no one in family would get tired of eating.. Everytime she will make some variations in the spices and so the taste also varies as such.. When compared with Biryani, Pulao is quite forgiving, very easy to cook and yes yummy as well...

Ingredients
2 cups Basmati rice (soaked in water for atleast an hour)
1 cup green peas
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 green chilli (chopped)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
1 small cinnamon stick
A couple of cloves
2 Bay leaves
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Cilantro (to garnish)
1/2 tsp lime juice

Method:
Cook rice with excess water. Once cooked, drain the water and let it cool. Now, heat oil and splutter cumin seeds. Add cloves and cinnamon sticks, saute until the aroma of the spices has infused through the oil. Add green peas and chopped green chillies. Saute them for few minutes. Now add turmeric powder and if required, red chilli powder too. Once the peas are cooked, add salt and turn off the heat.
Add rice to the peas mixture and mix it gently. Add lime juice and garnish with cilantro

Yummy pulao is ready to serve with some raita..!!

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