Coming Back after a Short Break

I have been MIA for quite sometime now. This year started off with a runny nose & coughing child passing off his germs onto to me. I ended up with an ear infection and the antibiotics I took for that caused severe intestinal infection (stomach cramps & bloody diarrhea). I was so sick to my stomach that I was eating about a katori of rice for almost half an hour. A healthier me would have wiped out at least 5 times at amount of rice in 5 minutes (yes.. I'm a rather quick eater).

I can’t imagine myself not thinking about food and that 1 week was like hell to me. My poor husband was doing all the cooking, but I didn’t have the energy or the appetite to eat. I knew I was getting better only when I started craving for khichdi and thinking about what to make for my next post. Right now I’m healthy enough to cook AND eat, but not ready to take pictures and post. But I’ll be back with a dish pretty soon.

Until then read about this interesting article about a Mother of 2 who planned meals for a WHOLE YEAR. I wish I could be that organized, let me know how you guys organize your meal calendars.

Moong Dal Halwa (Burfi) for ICC

For this month's Indian Cooking Challenge (ICC), Srivalli chose this super yummy Moong dal Halwa, recipe courtesy Simran's mom. I started to drool the minute I read the recipe and wanted to make it asap. But the little one hot sick and then passed some germs on to me, so couldn't make it until the last minute.

So on Sankranthi day and with a partially impaired ear (due to infection), I finally made it. I'm sooooo happy with how it turned out. Simran's mom's recipe was perfect and it tasted awesome. I poured the halwa onto a lightly greased plate and when cool enough to handle, cut into squares. My son loved them too.

Here's the recipe from Valli:
Ingredients:
Split Moong dal - 1/2 cup
Khowa - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cashews & Raisins - for garnish

Method:

• Lightly roast moong dal and soak in water overnight. In the morning, grind dal with little water to make a smooth paste.
• In a heavy bottom pan; melt ghee and add the paste. Cook until dal turns slightly brownish and ghee starts to separate.
• Next add khowa and sugar and cook until sugar is melted and everything is completely incorporated.
• Once the mixture starts to pull away from the sides, remove onto a lightly greased plate and smooth the top with a spoon.
• When cool enough to handle, cut into squares and enjoy...
  

Curd Vermicelli

This is a very simple dish that is a little different and when you have rice overload then it is a great go-to dish. Vermicelli (I use bambino or MTR brands found in Indian stores) is cooked and the standard tadka used for curd rice is added, how simple can it get.

Ingredients:
Vermicelli – ½ cup
Yogurt – 1cup
Milk – ¼ cup
Zucchini – ¼ cup, grated
Carrot – 1 small, grated
Green chilies – 2, slit
Ginger – 1’ piece
Salt – to taste

For tempering:
Urad dal – 1tsp
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Cumin seeds – 1tsp
Red chilies – 2
Asafoetida (Hing) – ¼tsp
Curry leaves – 6-8

Method:

• Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to boil. Add 1tsp salt and ½tsp oil and the vermicelli. Boil for 2 minutes, drain into a colander and rinse with cold water. Keep aside.
  
• In a small saucepan, heat 1tsp oil, add the tempering ingredients and once the seeds start spluttering add ginger and green chilies. Sauté for 30 seconds.
  
• Next add the grated veggies and cook until they don’t smell raw anymore.
  
• Add this mixture to vermicelli along with a pinch of turmeric, yogurt, milk and salt. Mix well and serve cold garnished with coriander leaves.

Tofu-Udon Noodle Stir fry

Have you tried freezing tofu? I did when I had a package which was reaching its prime and I really liked the texture of frozen tofu. It turned out to be slightly chewier than regular tofu and what I realized was that frozen tofu marinates very well as it gets very spongy and sucks in any liquidy marinade you put it in.

I stir fried the marinated tofu with veggies & udon noodles and it made for a great lunch this weekend.

Ingredients:
Extra firm Tofu – 1pkg (regular or frozen), well drained and cubed
Carrot – 1 medium, cut into thin half moons
Broccoli – 1 cup, cut into small florets
Onion – 1 small, thinly sliced
Green onions – 4, chopped
Ginger – 1” piece, grated
Garlic – 2cloves, minced
Udon Noodles – 1 pkg
Tamari (or soy sauce) – 2tbsp
Asian chili sauce – 1tsp

For the Marinade:
Low sodium tamari - ¼ cup
Asian Chili sauce – 2tsp (as per taste)
Rice vinegar – 2tbsp

Method:

• Mix the ingredients for marinade in a shallow dish and add the tofu cubes. Frozen tofu absorbs the marinade in practically no time. But if using regular tofu marinate for at least 1 hour.
  
• Cook udon noodles according to package directions and set aside.
  
• Heat 2tbsp oil on medium-high heat in a large pan; add ginger & garlic and stir fry for 30sec or until fragrant (but not burnt).
  
• Add the veggies & tofu; stir fry until crisp tender and lightly browned around the edges. Add soy sauce, chili sauce & salt.
  
• Mix in cooked noodles & stir to combine everything. Serve hot.

New Year Wishes with Carrot-Sooji Halwa

Wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year 2010. Hope the new year brings you lots of happiness & luck in all ways always.

I want to end this year on a sweet note. This recipe is from my mom. It is quick and simple to make, but looks rich and tastes awesome.

Ingredients:
Sooji – ¼ cup
Carrot – 2 small, grated
Dry fruits & nuts – ¼ cup all together ( I used cashews, almonds & raisins)
Sugar – 1/3 cup (or more as per taste)
Milk – 2 cups (I used 1 cup each of whole & 1%)
Ground Cardamom – ¼ tsp
Saffron – pinch, mixed in 2tbsp warm milk

Method:

• Heat 1tbsp ghee in a pan; fry the nuts & raisins until golden and keep aside.
  
• In the same pan; add 1tbsp ghee and sooji; cook till sooji changes color and smells fragrant. Remove and set aside.
  
• In the same pan; sauté carrot till it doesn’t smell raw anymore. Set aside.
  
• Bring milk to a simmer and add sugar. After sugar dissolves, add sooji & carrot and cook on low flame until slightly thick, about 5-7 minutes. Finally add elaichi & saffron. Serve hot, cold or at room temp.

This recipe is off to Nupur's Recipe Marathon - Day 7 series. I thoroughly enjoyed posting everyday for the past one week and going through the yummy dishes fellow marathoners have been making. Thanks Nupur for coming up with this idea and doing a fantastic job of compiling the recipes everyday.
I've bookmarked a ton of them already, I made Sheetal's Vangi-Pohe for lunch and I absolutely loved it. Thanks Sheetal for sharing such a yummy dish.

Whole Wheat Walnut Bread

Recipe Marathon - Day 6

This is yet another bread that I made from Whole Grains baking book by King Arthur Flour. I borrowed the book from the library and I’m totally in love with it. There are a ton of recipes that I’ve already bookmarked to make. I’m planning to buy it from Amazon because there’s no way I can make all my bookmarked dishes before the time runs out on the book.

This is probably the first yeast bread that I baked, not including pizza crusts & naan breads. We really liked the soft bread with the slightly crunchy crust. It is not too sweet nor too savory which makes it ideal for both sweet & savory additions. We had it for breakfast with nutella, butter & jelly and for lunch with egg salad.

Recipe from Whole Grains Baking Book.
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat flour – 3 cups (Recipe called for traditional, I used white ww)
Instant Yeast – 2½ tsp
Walnuts – ¾ cup
Light or Dark Brown sugar – 2tbsp, firmly packed
Vegetable Oil – 2tbsp
Orange Juice - 3tbsp
Lukewarm water - 1 cup

Method:

• Combine all the ingredients, and mix & knead them until you have a soft, smooth dough. I used by hands, but you can use a stand mixer or bread machine to do this. Cover and allow the dough to rise until its puffy and nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
• Lightly grease an 8½ x 4½ inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough, and shape into a 8" log. Place in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise till it's crowned about 1" over the rim of the pan, 1½ to 2½ hours.
  
• Near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
• Uncover and bake the bread for about 40 minutes., tenting it with foil after 15minutes.
  
• The bread is done when it is golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190ºF. (I don't have any such fancy equipment in my kitcehn but the bread was definitely done and delicious.)
• Remove it from the oven, after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack.
  
• Brush with melted butter (I brushed some earth balance), if desired; to keep the crust soft.
• Cool the bread 30 minutes before slicing.
  

Kaddu ki Dalcha (Sorakaya Masala Kura)

Recipe Marathon - Day 5

I saw the recipe for this dalcha in Eenadu which is a telugu newspaper. Recipe was actually for a pumpkin dalcha, but I used regular kaddu (sorakaya/ bottle gourd) instead. Also I have to admit that I didn’t know dalcha is a Hyderabadi dish (I AM from Hyderabad.. just so you know) and I thought it could be either a Bengali or Rajasthani dish until I googled and found out.

Dalcha has cooked & liquidized chana dal base which is seasoned with spices and the main ingredient could either be a veggie or meat.

Ingredients:
Kaddu (Sorakaya/ Bottle gourd) – 1 medium, diced (about 3-4 cups)
Chana dal – 2/3 cup
Onion – 1 medium, chopped
Tomato – 2 medium, chopped
Tamarind paste – 2tsp
Ginger + garlic paste – 1tsp
Mustard & Cumin seeds – 1tsp
Red chili powder – 1tsp
Turmeric – a pinch
Ground cinnamon – ½ tsp
Ground Cardamom (Elaichi powder) – ½ tsp
Jaggery (Bellam) or Brown Sugar – 2tsp
Green chilies – 4, slit vertically

Method:

• Pressure cook dal until soft (the more the whistles, the better). Blend it with tamarind paste and 1 cup of water. Keep aside.
  
• Heat 2tbsp oil in a large pan; add mustard seeds & cumin seeds and once they start to splutter add onions and sauté till translucent.
  
• Add g+g paste and sauté for another minute. Next add chopped bottle gourd; cover and cook till the veggie is tender, about 12-15minutes.
  
• Then add tomatoes, red chili powder, turmeric, cover and cook till tomatoes turn mushy.
  
• Add the chana dal, ground cinnamon, cardamom (elaichi), jiggery, green chilies, salt and 1 cup water. Simmer the mixture for 5-10 minutes so all the flavors mingle together.
  

Serve with rice or roti. It tasted much better the next day.