Pseudo Ragda Patties

I love quick and easy recipes. Not that I don’t love cooking elaborate meals, but its just that most times I am very pressed for time and whipping something up in ½ hour has just become a norm for me. Gone are the good old days of making tedious dishes step by step, relaxing and watching the idiot box while the curry or the sauce simmers on the stove. Now I am the queen of Parallel Processing in the kitchen! I can get 3 dishes going at the same time and have all 4 burners up at the same time, with my kids yelling for me (or at me) in the background.
So anyways, the other day one of my friends called me to tell me that she was going to visit with a guest of hers who had come here on a visit from Moscow. I said that would be lovely! But then I started to panic.... What was I going to serve! I had some fresh Kaju Katlis – Cashew Burfis from India (my mom sent them through a friend). And then I had to think up something else. Luckily I had a big batch of soaked yellow vatana (dried peas). I thought why not Ragda patties. The only problem, no time now to make patties or cutlets! So here’s what I did… and to my surprise it was delicious !
I don’t think I am ever going to make the patties for this dish any more. Whats the point really! You make the patties and then mash them up and serve the ragda on top! Why go through the pain…

Pseudo Ragda Patties
To make the Ragda:
Soak about 4 cups of dry peas (yellow vatana) in enough water overnight. After it is soaked for about 8 hours, drain the water. Add fresh water and cook in a pressure cooker for about 2 whistles.
Then add the boiled vatana, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder, 2 tsp chole or Pav bhaji masala, 1 tsp chaat masala and salt to taste. Mix well. Put this mixture in a slow cooker and cook in medium for about 5 hours. I put it in the slow cooker before I left for work in the morning. When I came back home in the evening it was sizzling hot, well blended and tasted delicious.
If you are pressed for time just put the mixture in an open pan and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes.

For the Pseudo Patties:
Boil about 5 to 6 big potatoes. Peel and Mash. In a pan, add about 4 tbsp oil. Add the mashed potato, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder and salt to taste. Roast on a low flame for about 20 minutes stirring in between. In the end, add about 1 cup of bread crumbs (I use pillsbury brand). If u do not have store bought bread crumbs, just powder about 15 rusks in a mixer until powdered. Add this crumbs to the potatoes and stir fry for another 5 minutes.

To Assemble:
In a plate, spoon about 2 tbsp of potato mixture. Top with 1 ladle full of Peas mixture. Top with green chutney and Tamarind chutney according to taste. Top with 1 tbsp of beaten curds, finely chopped onions, fine sev and chopped cilantro. Serve hot.

Enjoy with Tea!

Weekend Cooking Spree

This weekend my brother visited us from Dallas! And I decided to experiment on him a few of my lately acquired recipes from my lovely fellow bloggers!

I first tried Ashwini of Food for Thought's Masale Bhaat. I made a small variation. I added ginger-garlic paste and ½ a chopped onion to the recipe. Nevertheless, it was delicious and my family loved it!

Masale Bhaat - Waiting to be cooked!


Masale Bhaat - Hot and Spicy!

Then I tried Nandita of Saffron Trail's Lasuni Dal Palak. It was yummy! My kids just slurped it off their plates. I made Doodhi Parathas with it and also served some with rice the next day!

Lasuni Dal Palak


Doodhi (Sorakai) Parathas with Lasuni Dal Palak

What did I ever do without all these wonderful bloggers and their delicious recipes!
Will keep trying more recipes. Thank you friends.

A South Indian staple breakfast - Soft Spongy Idlis

When I first landed here in the US, I was awful at making idlis. No matter what recipe I used it seemed like my idlis turned out horrible! If u were mad at your husband, my rock hard idlis would have been great to throw at him! So anyways, I did not care either way because Idlis were not one of my favorites. But come my first pregnancy everything changed! I had the weirdest craving for idlis! I would crave for hot steaming idlis at all odd times. And I would remember all those Sunday mornings at home in India where my Dad would diligently make a trip to the neighbourhood café called ‘Veena Idli Stores’ to buy hot steaming idlis, chutney and Medhu vada for breakfast for all of us at home, because on Sunday mornings the kitchen at our home was closed!
And that’s when I decided that I have to learn to make soft spongy idlis. I believe in the saying 'Where there’s a will, there’s a way!’ Now I can proudly say that my idlis are mouthwateringly soft and will just melt away in your mouth. Care to look !


Soft and Spongy Idlis with Coconut Chutney

Our simple dinner for tonight - Soft, spongy and hot Idlis with Coconut Chutney.

Method for making and fermenting the batter:
1. Take 3.5 cups of Ponni Boiled Rice and wash it. Keep aside.
2. Take 1/2 cup of Ponni Raw Rice (you may substitute this with 1/2 cup of long grain rice) and wash.
3. Combine both the rices and soak in enough water for atleast 6 hours.
4. Take 1 heaped cup of Washed Whole Urad Gota Dal (the round washed urad). This whole urad gives more fluffiness to the idli than the regular spilt urad dal. Wash and Soak in enough water for atleast 5 hours. Soak 1 tbsp of Methi seeds along with the Urad dal.
5. To grind: Grind the Urad dal by adding little water in intervals and stirring until soft (usually takes about 1/2 hr to 40 min in my ultra grinder). After the urad batter is smooth keep aside.
6. Then grind the rice mixture in the grinder by adding enough water (consistency is usually sligthly thinner than urad batter). Grind almost smooth for about 1/2 hour or 40 mins.
7. Combine both the batters, add enouugh salt and beat well with your hand. As you beat you should air bubbles in the batter.
8. I usually preheat my oven for about 10 minutes. Turn off oven and keep the batter in there for fermenting.
9. After about 6 to 8 hours, use this batter to make soft and spongy idlis. Serve hot with Coconut chutney or Sambar.
Hope this helps.
Friends, please let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them for you :-)

Snippet of Life and The day's Curry

Hi Everybody,

Have you guys ever been amazed at the questions a 4 year old can ask you? The things they talk about can really make your head reel. Not to mention the many lessons you learn from your kids! My 4 year old is a non-stop talker! She can talk from the moment she wakes up until she falls asleep at night (after we threaten her a couple of times that if she does not sleep then she is going to be in trouble).
So anyway, here's a small snippet of conversation that we had the other day.
I had just picked up my kids from school and was driving back home.

Her: Mom?

Me: Not paying attention...

Her: Mom....(more persistently)!

Me: Hmmm...

Her: Mommy! (screaming)

Me: What Isha?

Her: What number will I be when I be all the numbers?

My 2 year old: (she just began talking full sentences a couple of weeks back. She usually does not understand the conversation, but wants to make a point!) Yeah Akka. Thats right!

Me: (Perplexed and smiling!) What do you mean Ishu?

Her: I mean, I am 4 now.. So what number will I be when I be all the numbers? (Giving me a look like.. you are so dumb..you cannot understand a simple question like this!)

Me: Hmmm There are lots and lots of numbers Ish, you'll be all the big numbers!

Her: Hmm ok then will I be 100, then 200 and then 300 and then 400....

Me: Yeah, sure!

Her: When you be 400 I will take care of you ok...

Me: Ok Ishu. Thank you (smiling and touched).

Her: (she was then looking out of the window, thinking up her next question!)

Hope that little snippet of life made you smile.

And to my recipe for today. Simple Cabbage Kobbari Koora. This simple dish is made in most homes. Cabbage an easily available vegetable, nutritious and easy to cook. I like to serve this Koora with Rice and some pappu or Sambar. Hope you guys enjoy this recipe.

Cabbage Kobbari Koora

Ingredients:

1 head Cabbage - Washed and Chopped into cubes or shredded

1/2 cup Fresh Grated Coconut

Salt to taste

Chopped Cilantro or Coriander leaves for garnishing

For Seasoning:

1 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Channa Dal

1/2 tsp Urad dal

2 green chillies - chopped fine

1 dry red chilli - broken into bits

1 pinch Hing or Asafoetida

a few curry leaves

Method:

1. In a pan, heat the oil. Season with Mustard seeds. When the seeds spluttter, add the urad dal, channa dal, curry leaves, hing and green chillies. Saute for 1 minute.

2. Then add the chopped cabbage. Add salt. Mix well. Then add about 1/4 cup water and cook on a medium flame with a lid. Half way through, open the lid and allow all the water to evaporate.

3. I like my cabbage a little crunchy so I usually just sprinkle water and allow the cabbage to cook in its own moisture. If you use this method, make sure you stir the cabbage on and off and dont let it get burnt.

4. Once all the water evaporates, garnish with fresh grated coconut and chopped cilantro.

5. Serve hot with Rice and Dal or Pappu.

Cabbage Kobbari Koora

Vegetable Saagu

Saagu is a traditional Karnataka dish that is usually made with a mix of vegetables. Like Aviyal is to Tamilian cuisine, Saagu is to the Kannadigas. The nutritious combination of vegetables and lentils, the blend of freshly ground spices and the aroma of the whole mixture boiling wafting through the air bring back childhood memories for me. This dish is passed on from generations. My grandmother used to make it for my mom and now my mom makes it for me!
I know of several recipes for Saagu. But my favorite ones that are part of my recipe collection are – my mother in law’s Vegetable Saagu and my mom’s Vegetable Saagu. This is my mom’s version of this dish. This dish can be served with Chapathi, Poori or even Rice.

Mixed Vegetable Saagu

Ingredients:
2 cups Mixed Vegetables (Chopped green beans, Chopped Carrots, Peas, Lima Beans, Peeled and Cubed Potatoes)
2 Medium sized Tomatoes – Chopped into cubes
1 big tbsp Moong Dal (spilt green gram dal)

For the Masala Paste:
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds or Dhania
1 tsp Channa Dal
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 tsp Black Peppercorns
6 Dry Red Chillies
a pinch of Hing or Asafoetida
2 tbsp Grated fresh Coconut

For Seasoning:
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
a few curry leaves
1 dry red chilli

Method:
1. Combine all the chopped vegetables, the Moong dal and the Tomatoes in a pressure cooker or a pressure pan. Add about 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Cool.
2. Meanwhile combine all the ingredients for Masala paste, except the fresh coconut, in a sauté pan, add ½ tsp Oil and roast on a medium flame for about 5 minutes.
3. Grind the roasted ingredients with the fresh coconut and about ½ cup of water into a smooth paste.
4. Add the cooked vegetables, the ground Masala paste, salt and the curry leaves and boil for about 10 minutes on a medium flame. Add water to the gravy to thin it if needed.
5. Season with Mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chillies and a pinch of hing.
6. Serve hot with Chapathis, Puri or Rice.

Mixed Vegetable Saagu

Madhu's Veg Sandwich

Dear Friends,
Have you guys gone through that phase where absolutely no matter what you do, when you are trying to loose weight, the scale never moves down any further?
I seem to be in that rut now. Overall, I try to cook and eat a well balanced meal, exercise regularly and hope that my weight will go down a couple more pounds. But God must be thinking, Fat chance!
So anyways, I try to do something drastic every now and then, like eat no rice for a whole week or maybe eat cereal for lunch for 2 or 3 days consecutively etc. etc. And my husband gives me all the more opportunity ... Ask me how? He's out of town again, which really sucks, because I'm usually bored and lethargic when he's not around. And guess what, I hardly cook... So for lunch today I was looking for a quick fix. I am not overly fond of sandwiches because as a vegetarian my choices for fillers are limited. I am so bored of the usual Cucumber, Tomato, Lettuce and cheese!
So when I saw Madhu of Ruchi'srecipe for Veg Sandwiches I was thrilled. Anyone from Bangalore or Mysore, knows these. They are ever so popular in the bakeries there and they are so delicious. I had forgotten all about them and thanks to Madhu, my school and college day memories came flooding back. Hope you guys enjoy the pictures and give Madhu's sandwich a try. Cheers!

Veg Sandwich

Jhihva for Dal - Hosted by Sailaja of Sailu's Food

Hello Friends,

Sailaja of Sailu's Food graciously hosted July's Jhihva for Dal event - an offspring of Indira of
Mahanandi's brainchild Jhihva for Ingredients.

Hope you guys enjoy the roundup of all the delicious recipes.

Cheers.

Spicy Vegetable Pulav

Spicy Vegetable Pulav

Vegetable Pulav – a fragrant combination of spices, vegetables and rice. The perfect, easy dish to make for a special occasion or even when you are in the mood for a quick jaunt in the kitchen.
I am blogging this recipe as a request from a couple of my friends. Last week, we had a picnic at a Lake and as part of the Potluck menu, they had asked me to make Vegetable Pulav. I have made this so much that I almost go through the whole thing as if it was second nature to me !
But before I start with the recipe I have a small story to tell you guys. Back when I first came to the US, I and a group of friends went to the Local Farmer’s Market on a brisk and summery Saturday morning. I think it was one of the first few days of summer. We bought a whole bunch of fresh produce, including Green beans, Carrots, Cauliflower, Fresh Mint, Cucumbers etc. On the ride back home, we were discussing about how fresh the veggies looked and how and what we were all going to cook with them. And then someone came up with a brilliant idea “Why don’t we all just go to someone’s place and make Vegetable Pulav – we have everything we need…?” So we all went over to my home, made a huge batch of Vegetable Pulav – literally huge batch and invited all the respective spouses and kids for lunch and ate like there was no tomorrow! The whole episode is still fresh in all our minds. We reminisce at how spontaneous we were and how uncomplicated our lives were. In this busy world and busy life, it is fun to be spontaneous and do things without a care in the world, however little that might be. Now, we are all so busy with kids and their activities and it takes a whole lot of planning to even meet, let alone make Vegetable Pulav together… Anyways, no regrets! Just fun memories and fun times :-) Hope you guys enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients:
4 cups Basmati Rice
1 big Onion – Chopped Lengthwise
1 Carrot – Peeled and Chopped Lengthwise
1 cup Green beans (broken into inch long bits)
½ Cauliflower – Broken into Florettes and washed in hot water
¼ cup green peas
½ cup Lima beans or Soaked Double beans
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
A few Bay leaves (optional)
½ Cup Oil
½ stick Butter or about 2 tbsp Butter or Ghee


Mixed Vegetables for Pulav

To be ground into a Masala Paste:
1 cup grated fresh coconut
A few sprigs Cilantro (Coriander Leaves)
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp Dhaniya powder (coriander powder)
1 small bunch Mint leaves - Washed
15 Green chillies
¼ medium onion – Chopped into cubes
4 pieces of marati moggu
5 to 6 small pieces Cinnamon (Dal Chini)
5 to 6 Cloves
2 small pieces Elaichi or Cardamom
1 small piece Fresh Ginger – Peeled and chopped into small pieces


Ingredients for Masala Paste

Method:
1: Combine all the ingredients for the Masala paste and grind into a smooth paste by adding some water.

2: Wash the Basmati Rice, Drain and keep aside. In a pan, heat about 1 tbsp Oil. Add the bay leaves and the Basmati Rice and sauté for about 5 minutes. Keep aside.

3: In a pan, heat the Oil and the butter. Add the chopped onions and sauté for about 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown. Then add the chopped vegetables and sauté for about 10 minutes. Then add the Masala paste from mix well. Sauté for about 10 minutes on a medium flame, stirring in between. Combine the already sautéed rice and mix well.

4: Transfer the above sautéed rice and vegetable mixture to a rice cooker or a heavy bottomed pan. Add salt and water and cook. For 4 cups of Rice I usually add 6 ½ cups of water. (About 1 cup Rice to 1 ¾ cup water ratio). In a rice cooker, you don’t have to worry about it – everything will just cook evenly. In a heavy bottomed pan on the stove, cook over medium to low flame, by stirring gently in between until all the water is evaporated.

5: Serve hot with traditional Onion and Tomato Raita.

Spicy Vegetable Pulav

Carrot Poriyal

Delicious and Nutritious Carrot Poriyal

Like any other busy parent, my days are filled with the routine and mundane chores of life. But I have no complaints. I love being busy even though some days I wish I could slow down a little. Today was one of those hectic days. Like I have mentioned before, I usually plan ahead for meals. With this in mind I had boiled a few extra potatoes yesterday when I made potato curry and saved them in the fridge so that I could make some Aloo Parathas for dinner tonight. Not to mention that nowadays all my food planning revolves around what I want to blog about next. I am so addicted to this blog thing! I am always thinking about what to blog next, how to make my blog better, take better pictures etc. etc.
So anyways, I had all this planned when I got a phone call from a friend of mine S. S called to tell me that another good friend M and her family were on their way back from India, after a month long vacation, today and plans were in place to have them picked up from the airport etc. etc. And then we discussed about how tired and hungry they might be. S was busy this evening with a dinner invitation she had to attend and I thought about how I could be useful at this time. I decided that I am going to make dinner for M and her family.
So in the evening I came back home and looked at how much Aloo I had saved. Just enough to probably make 6 parathas – not good enough! Ok so what next ? I rummaged through my fridge and dished out a Daikon Radish (Mooli) and a 2 lb bag of carrots. Ok, I would have to change my plans. I am not cooking 2 separate meals!
So I decided, it was going to be a night of comfort food – my comfort food ! Mulangi Sambar with Hot Rice and Carrot Koora or Carrot Poriyal on the side. Sounds appetizing? Hope you guys try this combination and enjoy the recipes.
Ingredients:
6 Carrots – Chopped into Cubes
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Fresh Grated Coconut for garnishing

For Seasoning:
2 tsp Oil
1 pinch of Asafoetida or Hing
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
2 Green chillies – Finely Chopped
a few curry leaves


Method:
1. In a pan, heat the oil. Season with mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the urad dal, hing, curry leaves and green chillies.
2. Then add the chopped carrots and mix well.
3. Stir in the salt and mix well.
4. Add about ¾ cup water, cover with a lid and cook until all the water evaporates.
5. Open and sauté until the curry is dry.
6. Garnish with fresh grated coconut and serve hot as a side to rice and sambar.

Hot Rice with Radish Sambar and Carrot Poriyal

Recipe for Radish or Mulangi or Mooli Sambar coming up soon!

Bottle Gourd Kootu

Channa Dal or Gram Dal as it is called is one of the popular dals in Indian cuisine, second to Toor Dal. This orange colored dal has a sligthly sweet almost nutty flavor to it. As the name suggests it is the split form of Whole channa - the smaller whole channa - a cousin of the garbanzo beans family.
In South Indian cooking, channa dal is most times used in seasoning - Popu or Tiragmaata as it is called in Telugu. And many south Indian homes use it in several sweet dishes, curries and kootus. A kootu - a special Tamilian dish that is made with a dal and a mix of a vegetable. Kootu's are made mainly with Moong Dal or with Channa dal. The dal is combined with a particular vegetable, cooked with coconut and other spices, tempered with seasonings and served hot with Rice.
My bottle gourd or Sorakai Kootu is a slightly improvised Kootu. It is more inviting for the taste buds and has a slight touch of Karanataka flavor to it. I like to serve this special kootu with rice and raita on the side. This can however also be served with Chapathis.
This is my contribution to Sailu's Jhihva for Dals event (even though I did not make the deadline). ;-)


Channa Dal

Ingredients:
1 Medium Sized Bottle Gourd (Sorakai or Lauki)
1 Cup Channa Dal (Soaked in water for 1/2 hour)
1/2 tsp Tumeric Powder
Salt to taste

To be ground into Paste:
1 cup Grated Fresh Coconut
8 Green Chillies
2 tsp Dhaniya Powder
1/2 small Onion -Chopped into cubes or lengthwise
1 small piece Cinnamon
2 cloves
1 small Tomato (missing in my picture of ingredients)
a few sprigs cilantro (missing in my picture of ingredients)

For Seasoning:
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
a few curry leaves
a pinch of Asafoetida or Hing
1/2 Small Onion - Chopped fine

For Garnishing:
A few sprigs Cilantro - Chopped fine.

Method:
1. Peel and Chop the Sorakai into cubes.
2. Drain the soaked dal. Place the sorakai, soaked dal and turmeric powder in a pressure pan. Add enough water to cover the ingredients and pressure cook for 1 whistle in the cooker.

3. Meanwhile, grind the ingredients listed above for masala paste. Add enough water and grind to a smooth paste.
4. Once the sorakai and dal mixture is cooked, cool. Add the ground masala paste and mix gently. Add salt and cook for about 10 minutes on a medium flame in a open pan.
5. Prepare another small pan for seasoning. Add the mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Afetr the mustard splutters, add the chopped onions and saute until light brown.
6. Add to the kootu and mix well.

7. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with Rice.

Sorakai Kootu with Rice

Oceans Of Fun

Hi Everyone,
Sorry for my short blogging break. A sudden plan to visit Kansas City and the Oceans of Fun Water park there threw my blogging plans off track!
The JFI for Dals event coincided with this and unfortunately I was not able to meet the deadline. However, I will still go ahead and blog my dal related recipe today just for fun!
Meanwhile I will leave you guys with a Picture of Oceans of Fun for viewing pleasure!
A very Happy 4th to my US readers! And for the rest of the world best wishes!

Oceans of Fun, Kansas City