Channa Salad

Ingredients

1cup boiled Bengal gram/black channa
1medium sized onion chopped fine
1 small tomato chopped
2" piece of cucumber chopped
1 small carrot chopped fine
1/2 t spoon of finely chopped ginger
1 chopped green chilli
fresh corriander/ cilantro chopped, mint leaves
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 t spoon whole jeera/cumin seeds
1/4 t spoon chilli powder
1/2 t spoon corriander powder
11/2 t spoon of olive oil


Method

• If using raw channa/ gram, wash and soak it in water for atleast4-5 hours. Boil in a pressure cooker with salt and 3cups of water. When high pressure is reached lower heat and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the steam escape naurally. Open the cooker and drain out excess water if any.,this can be added later to the channa . If using canned channa/gram drain and wash under running water.
• Heat oil in a frypan ,add whole jeera(cumin) and let it splutter. Lower heat ,add the corriander and chilli powder and quickly add the channa without letting the masalas burn.Mix well  so that the channa  is well coated with the masalas. The excess water can be added at this stage and dried out.Remove from heat and let it cool a bit.
• Mix all the chopped vegetables and the channa in a salad bowl , add the lime juice and toss well.
• Enjoy it as a snack or a meal with bread or rotis of your choice.

Note: A simpler version is to mix all the ingredients except the dry masalas and toss it well with the lime juice and olive oil. Chaat masala can be added to spike it.

If not using a pressure cooker, soak the channa overnight in hot water, its best to use a pressure cooker for legumes and lentils though.

Roma's Kadhi

 INGREDIENTS
1cup (200ml) sour yoghurt
2tb sps. besan (gram flour)
4 cups water
salt to taste
chilli powder to taste
a good pinch of haldi/ turmeric
curry leaves optional



For  Pakoras (10-12)
3tb sps besan
1 small onion chopped
1t sp chopped ginger
1 t sp chopped garlic
1-2 green chillies chopped
dhania / coriander/ cilantro chopped
salt
1/2 t sp ajwain
pinch of turmeric
chilli powder to taste
oil for frying
1 tb sp ghee /butter for tarka/tempering


Method

• Mix or beat yoghurt and besan till no lumps are left
• Add salt, chilli powder, haldi, 1cup water and mix well
• Pour the mixture into a large saucepan and put on heat stirring constantly.Lower heat as it begins to thicken and do not stop stirring otherwise the mixture will split.
• Add the rest of the water, mix well and bring to a boil on high flame. Once boiling, lower flame and let it cook for at least 30 minutes strring off and on
• Meanwhile mix besan for the pakoras with just enough water to get a dropping consistancy, add salt  and beat it vigourously till it lightens in colour.Now add the rest of the masalas and the chopped ingredients
• Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry the pakoras till it begins to smoke, lower heat
• With a spoon gently drop small balls of the pakora batter into the hot oil and let them fry to a nice golden brown, turning once or twice with a ladle
• Take out the pakoras and drain on a kitchen towel
• Add pakoras to the kadhi and let it boil for 5-7 minutes
• Pour the kadhi into a serving bowl
• Heat the ghee in a small fry pan ,add 1/2 t sp chilli powder and curry leaves and just let it come to smoke.Pour evenly over the kadhi and stir it gently.
• Serve with boiled rice and mango pickle

Note: you can try adding methi (fenugreek)seeds and mustard seeds in the tempering.
You can adjust the amounts of yoghurt, besan anand water according to the consistency you like.

Busy Bees????

                      





                          NOT  A   SINGLE  VESSEL  MAKING  ANY  NOISE!!!!










    Roma's bored :((

Hungry "kya"??? Stir Fry Greens

    Ingredients

1medium zuccini sliced medium thick
1/2 red pepper cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 green pepper cut into 1/2"pieces
1/2 yellow pepper cut ito 1/2"pieces
2-3 baby corns halved length wise and cut into 3
1/2 carrot sliced medium thick
4-5 small florets broccoli
a few spinach/lettuce leaves or any other green of your choice
3-4 tiny shallots
1tb sp chopped onions
10 cloves of garlic chopped
11/2 t sp chopped ginger
1dry red chilli
green/ black pepper corns
2 tb sps chilli garlic sauce
2 tb sps light soya sauce
salt to taste
11/2 tb sp oil


Method

• heat oil in a kadai or fry pan
• add dry red chilli broken into half
• add chopped onions and fry a bit
• add ginger garlic and fry without browning
• add zuccini and stir fry for 2 minutes....should be crunchy
• add carrots and broccoli and stir fry a minute
• add the soya sauce and chilli garlic sauce and mix well
• add the pepper corns and very little salt as both sauces are high on salt
• now add the peppers and shallots
• add 1/2 cup water and let it boil for a minute
• add the green leaves just before taking off from heat
• serve on noodles/spaghetti/or pasta of your choice

Note: the entire cooking process should not be more than 8-10 minutes to retain the crunch in the vegetables.While this is good as a quick snack, you will need to add some protein if you want to make a meal of it.
Vegetarians can add tofu/ paneer just before adding the greens.
Non vegetarians can add cooked chunks of chicken/ham/sausage.
Let your imagination run in the choice of ingredients.

chow!!

Ipsy Tipsy Khowsuey

Khowsuey is essentially a non veg. soup had with noodles. I have cooked it often with a combination of vegetables and tofu or paneer with favouable results.Its great for impromptu get togethers and can turn an otherwise ordinary evening into one filled with fun and excitement. You can ask your friends to join in to prepare the garnishings and  The wilder your imaginations, the yummier your results will be.

This is an authentic Burmese recipe from a friend's ma in law who happened to be a Burmese.Have fun!!


  Ingredients
1kg. chicken or (mutton)
milk extract of 2 coconuts or 4 tb sps of Maggi coconut milk powder mixed with 4 cups(600ml.) of water
2 tb. sps of besan(gram flour)
2 medium sized onions sliced fine
2 t sps ginger garlic paste
11/2 t sp corriander powder
chilli powder to taste
salt to taste
1 1/2 tb sps cooking oil

Garnishing
1 small bowl of finely chopped onions
1 small bowl of finely chopped spring onions with the greens
1small  bowl of finely chopped garlic fried golden brown
1small  bowl of crisp fried noodles
green chillies
chilli paste made with red chilli flakes/powder fried in oil
lime/lemon quarters
hard boiled eggs chopped if preferred
cubed or grated cheese if preferred

      Method

• heat oil in a large pan
• add  sliced onions, fry till golden brown
• add ginger garlic paste and fry well
• add the chicken pieces and fry well for atleast 10 minutes till golden brown
• add salt  corriander powder and chilli powder
• add 4 cups of water and cook till chicken is tender
• dry roast the besan till the raw smell goes and blend it with 1 cup of water , make sure there are no lumps
• pour the besan paste in a thin stream into the chiken soup, stirring all the time till the soup thickens
• if using fresh coconut, add the 2nd extract and let it cook till its well blended..Or add the cocnut milk powder mixed with water and cook on a medium flame. Taste and adjust the seasoning or add more coconut if required
• add the 1st extract of fresh coconut just before serving. Keep the flame low and let it heat well gently.
• Boil noodles of your choice
• serve noodles in deep bowls, add chicken and lots of soup topped with the garnishing of your choice
• give it a squeeze of lemon for that added zing

For the vegetarian version you can use any strong vegetable stock like onion and garlic.Add mushrooms, broccoli, baby corn,zuccini or any other vegetable of your choice. Add tofu/ paneer/cooked soya chunks for the protein. Follow the same procedure as the non veg version.
Enjoy!!!

Mushrooms in Spring

  Ingredients
  12-15 button mshrooms
  6-8 spring onions with long green stems
  1tb sp chilli garlic sauce
  4-5 cloves of garlic chopped fine
  salt to taste
  coarsely ground black pepper to taste
  1 tb sp cooking oil

• wash and dry mushrooms.
• wash, trim and dry spring onions.cut the stems into1" bits and slit the bulbs into halves.
• Heat oil in a fry pan,add the spring onions and stir fry on a high flame till no liquid remains.
• Add garlic and mushrooms and stir fry for 2 minutes.
• add the chilli garlic sauce along with pepper and stir fry . Do not add salt till the liquid from the mushrooms has dried up.
• Take off from heat ,sprinkle a bit of salt and mix well.
• The entire cooking time should not be more than 5-6 minutes so that the mushrooms do not shrink and the greens retain their colour.
• Garnish with spring onion greens and parsley.
• Enjoy with noodles or  on toasted bread.

Shru's Mushrooms

Ingredients

10-12 tiny button mushrooms
11/2 cups wiltted spinach
1tb sp finely chopped onions
1 small tomato chopped fine
1/2 tsp grated  ginger
4-5 cloves of garlic smashed
salt to taste
chilli powder to taste
3t sps  oil
2 t sps butter
2 tb sps of milk

• Wash and trim mushrooms
• Wash  and drain spinach leaves,put in a pan on the heat without adding any water and cover for a minute.Open the lid reduce the heat and let it wilt for a minute or two. Take it off the heat and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a fry pan and  gently fry the onions to a light golden brown
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry a bit,
• Add ginger garlic and fry till tomatos are soft
• Add salt and chilli powder
• Roughly chop the wilted spinach and add to the masala, cook for two three minute till  most of the liquid has dried up.Add the milk  and cook till its well blended. Should not be too dry.Keep aside.
• Heat 2t sps of butter in a fry pan , add mushrooms and gently fry for three minutes.
• Add the mushrooms to the spinach mixture and cook  on low heat for a further two minutes.Remove from heat before the mushrooms shrink.
• Dig out a t spoon of the spinach, blow hard , close your eyes and taste........not good enough??Hmmmmm, add a blob of cream to the spinach.Taste the difference without adding  a single mm to your waist line.