Officially a desisoccermom again and some accidental chole aloo

If you are wondering what the title means, read on.  It will all be explained in the 900+ words that will follow this paragraph. If you are wondering how the accidental chole aloo are related to me being a desisoccermom, that too will be explained eventually with a recipe at the end of the post. You just have to bear through the 900+ words to get the picture.

You see, when I started this blog my son was three and had just started playing soccer. He was playing in one of those little Y leagues for boys and girls and it was a very tame affair given the kids’ ages. He enjoyed the experience of playing with other kids, kicking the ball around and generally running around. I would drive him to practice on weekdays and games on weekends in my car, not a van but a car, but it still gave me the rights to be called a desisoccermom. Born and brought up in India gave me the rights to ‘desi’ as in from des or country of birth. That, in short, is the blog naming story.

All ready for the game

 

Six months later, the kid had graduated to playing serious soccer which meant the practice games were more disciplined and the matches with other teams were much intense. The kids from the other teams were bigger, aggressive and driven compared to my kid who was in it just for the fun and none of the jostling and pushing. The first day of the match was on a cold winter morning. My son took one look at the opposing team players kicking ball and pushing players out of the way to score a goal and he clung to me with a pincer grip. “I don’t want to go play,” he wailed. “I am cold. I want to go home.”

The husband couldn’t stand his three and a half year old cowering in my arms. He started pacing up and down the field to work off his agitation. The coach sensed the kid’s fear and gently coaxed him to go on the field. He held his hand and ran on the field with him. It was totally against regulation but they allowed him anyways. A few minutes late the kid was back in my arms and the husband back to his pacing. The routine continued for two more weeks before I had had enough. We withdrew our boy from the team (over the phone) and I announced that we were not going back to the soccer fields till both the boys could learn to handle themselves on the field.  

Four years later, the kid said he wanted to play soccer again and promised he would behave. The husband promised to be a better sport on the field. So, I enrolled the kid in the same soccer team his best friend also plays in. The games are played indoors so hopefully the weather won’t be a mood dampener this time. We had our first practice session last week on a cold, windy evening but both the boys were a good sport. The younger one kicked the ball around, went around the cones and ran with his teammates. The older one coached him a bit and cheered him on. I walked the perimeter of the soccer field trying to keep warm.

 Warm up before the match

Two days later, the match went off smoothly as well. The kid’s team, Hawks, won 7 to 3. The kids were happy as were the parents. The kid didn’t too badly on the field even though he incurred two penalty points for his team when he touched the ball in the circle (yeah, I am talking soccer jargon already). The older boy was happy his son didn’t chicken out like four years ago. I was happy I didn’t have to handle two cranky, agitated boys. We came home exhausted and hungry.

This is where the accidental chole aloo come in. I looked in the fridge and found some cooked garbanzo beans from two days ago with a small jar of left over onion-ginger-garlic paste. Now the ginger-garlic paste was no ordinary paste. It had khus-khus (poppy seeds) and cashews in it as well as a small tomato. This was a paste leftover from a special curry I tried to make the day after V-day. It was supposed to be kaju-paneer masala, a rich, decadent dish but it ended up not so good because I over roasted the masala too much, added too much garam masala and used whole milk instead of cream to thicken the gravy. It was a masala paste made in haste, using a combination of ingredients grounded together instead of roasted and ground separately. It was not the best thing I ever made but he ate it without any fuss. I am married to a saint, I tell you.

Anyways, I had some of that raw masala paste leftover from last week’s experiment gone awry and maybe half a cup of garbanzo beans. I added some oil to the karahi and added the raw paste. The paste was sautéed on a medium-low flame for about ten minutes. I don’t care much for ground onion pastes. It tends to get bitter if you roast it too much and has the potential to burn if you take your eyes off even for a minute. It also tends to taste raw if not roasted enough. It is a delicate balance and I don’t do well with delicate. This paste was easier to work with because of the added fat from the ground khus-khus and cashews.

Once the paste was roasted to ‘just the right amount’ and the oil started releasing from the sides, I added some tomato paste and roasted some more. Then, I added the chickpeas, some peeled and chopped potatoes and a generous amount of liquid. The whole mix simmered on the stove for a few minutes till I got tired of the simmer. So, I dumped the whole mix in the 3 ltr Prestige pressure cooker and turned it off after two whistles. The resulting chole were good, just like they would be made in any Maharashtrian home, with a simple rassa (gravy) only this time the rassa had poppy seeds and cashews as an added bonus.

Here is the accidental recipe for chole aloo:

The day before you make this, soak 1 cup dry garbanzo beans (kabuli channa) in plenty of water. By plenty I mean at least 3-4 cups.

Next day, wash the garbanzo in plenty of water or transfer to a colander and let water run over the soaked beans for a few minutes. Transfer to a pressure cooker, cover the beans with water and add two teaspoons of salt and set the lid. Let the pressure build up and then lower the heat to medium. Wait for at least 3 whistles before turning the heat off.

While the beans are cooking in the pressure cooker, and much later when the pressure is subsiding, prepare the masala by grinding the following:

1 cup roughly chopped onions
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
2 small tomatoes or add 1 tbsp of tomato paste later
1 tbsp ea of khus-khus (poppy seeds) and cashew pieces soaked in water

Now, heat a tbsp. of oil in a thick bottom karahi or wide pan of your choice. Turn the heat to med-low and add the masala paste. At this point the water in the onions and tomatoes tends to splatter the oil and the low temperature helps reduce the splatter. Of course, if you have minions to clean up after you, by all means splatter away on med-high.

Roast the masala till the oil starts to separate. Keep a close eye on the roasting masala while you peel and chop two potatoes.

My beat up but still functioning 3ltr Hawkins

Once the potatoes are chopped, soak them in some water and then pay some more attention to the roasting masala. Stir it if it looks like it is sticking to the bottom of the pan and add a little bit of water if it needs coaxing to separate from the bottom of the pan.

At this point add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp chole masala (recipe to come later) and 1/2 red chili powder.

Let the spices roast in the masala for a few minutes before adding the chopped potatoes. Add some salt to taste and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and let the potatoes cook.

Meanwhile, check if the pressure cooker has cooled down. Take the lid off carefully making sure your face is away from all the trapped steam under that lid. Check if the garbanzos are tender and then carefully tip them or use a ladle to add them to the simmering potato masala. Add some more water and let the chole-aloo simmer till the potatoes are tender and the gravy thickens.

I, of little patience, dumped the whole mix back into the pressure cooker and cooked it under pressure for two whistles. In ten minutes I had the softest garbanzo and the tenderest potatoes simmering in the delicious gravy.

We had the chole aloo that day with store bought wheat tortillas and some leftover rice. More importantly, I cooked my chole aloo in an Indian pressure cooker and it didn’t blow up in my face!

We had the chole aloo that day with store bought wheat tortillas and some leftover rice. More importantly, I cooked my chole aloo in an Indian pressure cooker and it didn’t blow up in my face!
 

Of quiet husbands and risotto surprises

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction (except for the recipe) and may or may not have some resemblence to persons living.

“You are going to be late for class,” he said as she dunked her toast and sipped her tea at a leisurely pace.

“Don’t worry, I have plenty of time. It takes 25 minutes to reach school, 35 max if there is traffic,” she replied in her nonchalant way.

He just shrugged and went back to reading his book. He knew it wouldn’t do any good to point out that the traffic increased at this time of the day.

She had always been like this, relaxed and completely out of sync with time; he sometimes wondered how she got anything done at all.

Earlier in their marriage, he used to get exasperated. “I am so glad you are not a doctor. Your patients would have died waiting for you on the operating table.” She would just laugh and walk away.

In time, he had learnt to relax around her laid back attitude but there were times when he still bristled when she went about her business as if time was infinite. Most of the time, he just shrugged and let go. It was easier that way, less stressful.

“Ok, I am ready. How do I look?” she asked with that twinkle in her eyes he had grown to love so much.

“Good,” he said. He wasn’t the loquacious one in this union. She pecked him on his cheek, got into the car and sped off.

“I hope she reaches school in time,” he muttered under his breath as he headed back into the house.

He was glad she was finally doing something with her life. The ten years they had been married he had stood by her as she squandered away her life on trivial pursuits instead of doing something productive with her talent.

“At least she woke up before she turned 50,” he thought as he went back to the book he was reading. He had picked it up at a garage sale for a dollar. It was called Risotto, Polenta and Pasta, a Taste of Italy.

He decided he would try his hand at making risotto. He knew she didn’t like him cooking without her present.

“You make too much mess and you are not very efficient with the chopping and the pots and pans. Let me help you,” she would insist.

He hated being told how to cook or her interfering “help”. He had his own ideas and even if he was wrong, he wanted to find it out for himself.

Today was the perfect chance. She won’t be back for another four hours. He can drive down to the grocery store for the supplies; cook to his heart’s content and even clean up the kitchen decently before she came home.

He set about in his meticulous way writing down the ingredients he needed for the risotto. The list was a big point of contention between the two. He believed in them, she didn’t. Today, he gets to do things his own way.

Tibetan bread in a skillet

This and the posts that will follow have been a long time coming. Call it blog fatigue or my tendency to bite more than I can chew, DSM took a back seat to other chores equally important, like going to school and trying to stay updated on my other blog, 359 Days of DSM. So, to all those who wondered and expressed concern at the absence of activity on this blog, Thank You. I appreciate the love and support of my virtual friends, which I find sometimes lacking in my real life friends.

A couple of weeks ago imprisoned in our own house by 6 inches of snow and too thin blooded to go out and play, we turned to culinary games. Fortunately for us, the day before the white flurries descended on our Tx homeland, I had scored a couple of cookbooks from our library, one of which was his favorite chef Jacques Pepin’s More Fast Food My Way. If you thought French cooks were snooty just watch Jacques in action and you will think your favorite uncle was showing you magic tricks with food. He can be found with his culinary magic tricks here or on PBS every Sunday.

As with all things, he is never happy with a first attempt and the long internment gave him ample time to
experiment till he came up with something he liked. It goes without saying that unlike me, he perfected the original recipe first, which is as simple as bread cooked in a skillet can get.
The original calls for flour, salt, baking powder, water, a few tablespoons of oil and a 12 inch skillet. It does, like all things instant, need to be consumed within a couple of hours, preferably right out of the skillet. The modified version is also easy, fast and tastes best right out of the skillet but you can use the leftovers next day. If you are watching your carb intake, this recipe is not for you. Go eat some moong dal dosas, recipe can be found here.

Unlike regular breads, this is a wait-till-the-last-minute to make a bread kind of recipe. So, plan and keep ready the rest of the meal before you make this. I made chole-palak (garbanzo beans and spinach curry) to go with it. Pair it with your choice of spicy curry.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 ½ Cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 Tsp salt
1 Tsp baking powder
1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup water, plus about 2 tbsp more for steaming the bread

His additions: (also see note)
1 Tsp ajwain/ carom seeds
1/4 cups finely chopped cilantro

Method:
Whisk all the dry ingredients together and add water to make a thick, gooey batter. It should be thinner than a dosa batter but thicker than buttermilk.
Spread the oil in a 12 inch skillet, preferably non-stick and add a swirl of olive oil to it. Pour the batter in the skillet and spread it evenly on the floor of the skillet with the back of a spatula.
Add some water along the edges and cover with a tight fitting lid and get the bread cooking. Place on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. The water steams the bread and helps it cook. At the end of 10 minutes the water should be gone and the dough frying.
Reduce the heat and, using a fork, flip the bread. Cook the other side, covered, for another five minutes. Turn off the heat, uncover and cool a little in the skillet before cutting it into wedges. Serve with chole palak or curry of your choice.

Note: We have tried this with a 1:2 combination of APF and whole wheat flour too. I liked it, he didn’t. So try the original version first and then experiment with the flour combination.

You can use any combination or assortment of herbs to make the batter.

The year errr… nine months in review

In an ideal world my last post of the year would have also been my 100^th post. But my world is anything but ideal so even though I was reaching hard for a century, I fell short by four posts.

As I write this post, there has been a second helping of snow in Texas. Technically, this is the third time it has snowed but the first time it was just for a few hours. The second time we had snow flurries the whole day and when it stopped the snow stayed on the next day. We had enough to make a snowman and have a snowball fight. Of course, we didn’t do it cause it was cozy and warm inside.

But I digress. Coming back to my eight months in review that starts in the month of April. I remember it was the beginning of spring and I felt it was a good day to start a blog. Of course, like all things I do in my life, I did not give it much thought but jumped right in.

Sabudana Khichdi

I was on a high after having mastered the art of making sabudana khichdi from a friend just days ago. I was making it every weekend and felt like sharing the secret to a non-sticky sabudana khichdi with the world. The picture was taken as an afterthought on the dining table, with my son’s toys scattered around.
A few other random recipes followed, some with pictures, some without. I was yet unaware of all the other amazing food blogs out there.  I just went exploring through the ‘Next Blog’ button. That is how I chanced on Dips’ Centaur Cooks. Through her, I found Vaishali’s wonderful, passionately vegan blog, Holy Cow, Recipes from a Vegan Kitchen.

Following few comments led to Supriya’s tasteful Red Chillis and the Holy Grail of Indie blogs, Jai and Bee’s Jugalbandi. Jugalbandi's monthly photo event was one highlight of my monthly posts as I tried to take better pictures every month. I am most proud of this one:

My aaji's teapots

Of course, RC’s Food World blog aggregator introduced me to a whole new world of blogging. One blog led to another and soon I was chasing blogs like one tries to count the stars. In the end, I had to curb my enthusiasm and detox myself of the wonderful but addictive world of blogging.

Mint Chai and a book review

By then I had also found the world of food events and there came a time when everything I posted was with the intent of entering in an event. I become obsessed with it to the point of exhaustion. You just have to look at the months of June and July. I was in full swing, with every post geared towards an event.

Batata Ros

Thankfully, I got out of that phase quickly. Now, I do enter a few events but I don’t stress myself out.

August was the result of my putting on a few pounds and logging my eating habits for the whole world to see.
By the end of that month, I was spent and two pounds lighter. I was also learning to relax with my posts and not try to force myself to write.
September was the month to brew some old memories and long forgotten recipes, not to mention two cathartic rants.

Sevainya Kheer

October saw fewer posts but by then I was no longer worried about posting something every couple of days and was taking my time with each post.

I had discovered Sra’s witty blog When my soup came alive and Manisha’s Indian Food Rocks the previous month. It was Diwali time by then and a total of my seven posts had either Diwali recipes or an entry for Sra’s unique The Write Taste event. Rock on Sra!

I would have completed the 100 post mark in mid December if I had been more active in November (only 4 posts!). But I was busy with going back to school (College for non USA reader), my final papers and presentation.

Moong dal dosas

I even missed my monthly book club review, This Book Makes Me Cook, that I had been religiously doing every month since July. It is a wonderful group of bloggers, headed by Simran of Bombay Foodie, who choose and review a book at the end of each month. We also try to create a recipe based on the book. If you would like to join our book club, drop a line to Simran or any of the other members and we will welcome you with open arms.

Gingered tomato soup

December started with only 10 posts to go and a steely resolve to hit the century.  Of course, the gods of fate conspired with a fun filled family holiday spent visiting children’s science and history museum and planning for my son’s fourth birthday.

So here I am, at the end of December, with four more posts to go but no more days left in the month.

It was still worth it though, making friends over the blog and meeting them on FB. Finding out about networked blogs (Thank you Vaishali) and trying to take better pictures of the food.

I will be remiss if I don’t mention a very witty blogger and now a good friend, Ann of Split Pear Personality. I met her through the book club (correct me if I am wrong Ann) a few months ago. If any one can make a recipe read funny it is Ann. Check out her left over Shepherd's Pie or the Counterfeit Appams.
Last but not the least, a special mention goes to Sangeeta of Banaras ka khanna, who despite personal adversity cooks delicious, regional foods from her kitchen in Delhi and puts it on her blog for the world to benefit from. You are a hero Sangeeta. Keep on blogging and smiling.

This brings us to the end of my post which is being shipped off hurriedly to Srivalli’s Best of the Year, just before the deadline ends.
Hopefully, the next two weeks will see me hit the century post.
Here's wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous 2010.

Watching Weight: Day Ten

Simple Chicken Curry
I have come to the end of my weight watching series. Not because I won’t be watching and logging my food intake but because it has become repetitive for the purpose of this blog. Also, I have lost about 2 lbs without doing any high intensity exercise and just watching what I eat. I am going to continue doing that and gradually move on to some cardio workouts.
Now for the daily food log:
Breakfast: Cereal - 1/4 cup of raisin bran and 1/2 cup of cheerios with one cup of milk.
Lunch: Khichdi and a bowl of yogurt with a teaspoon of sugar.
Afternoon: A cup of tea with a couple of store bought dhokla.
Dinner: Chicken curry with two rotis and sliced cucumber for salad.
Dessert: A piece of dark Scharffenberger chocolate and a nectarine.

*******

Simple chicken curry
Serves 2
I do not cook meats often in my kitchen for a few reasons. For one, Tushar and I do not crave meat and are happy to consume lentils and veggies on a regular basis. I also do not like the cleaning up and the disinfecting involved with the knife, chopping board and the sink after handling meat. The only occasion I will make it is for guests who are carnivores or for a large party. Today was an exception. My friend in Atlanta had made a chicken curry when I was staying with her and it was delicious. She had cooked the marinated chicken in a toaster oven for 10 minutes and then added it to the simple curry. Of course I had to try it and of course it didn’t turn out exactly like her. But I was happy with the overall result.
Ingredients:
4—5 chicken tenders, chopped into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped in big chunks
5-6 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger
1/2 cup of crushed tomatoes in a can or 2 large tomatoes pureed
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander-cumin powder (dhana jeera)

For marinade:
1/4 cup thick yogurt
1 tsp chicken tikka masala or garam masala
1 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste

Method:
Combine the marinade ingredients and add the chicken pieces to it. Keep it covered for a few hours in the fridge. *Heat the toaster oven to 350 degrees and put the marinated chicken pieces in a foil lined tray. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes, turning over half way through.
In a mini food chopper, combine the onion, ginger and garlic and pulse to form a coarse paste. In a karahi or thick bottom pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and fry the onions till they begin to turn brown and leave oil on the sides. Add the spices and roast for a minute before adding the crushed tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes start releasing the oil. Add water if the curry is too thick. Slide the cooked chicken pieces and bring the curry to a rapid boil before turning it off. Garnish with cilantro and transfer to a serving dish. Sever with rotis and rice.
*Note: If you would rather skip the toaster oven step, just slide the marinated chicken pieces in the curry and boil for ten minutes before turning the heat off. Chicken tends to get rubbery and hard if boiled too long.

Watching Weight: Day Six

As you can see today was leftovers day.
Breakfast: Cereal, same as the day before.
Lunch: A bowl of rice with toor dal and chori gravy. A bowl of yogurt with a teaspoon of sugar.
Snack in between: 1/4 cup mix of roasted walnuts and almonds. A Newman’s Own mini chocolate chip cookie (40 cal).
Dinner: Two rotis with left over chori curry. A couple of pieces of watermelon.
Exercise: No exercise for today.

Watching Weight: Day Seven
Pav Bhaji with Broccoli

A clarification for the contents of the daily food log today: For lunch I ate my three year old’s left over PB&J sandwich because I can’t bear to throw away good food.
I had guests coming over for dinner and I had deep fried some store bought frozen samosas. I was not planning to eat more than a couple but our guests were later than the usual desi late time (it’s a long story, set for a rant post) and I was so hungry by the time one half of the couple arrived I ate quite a few of those. For dessert I had ice cream which at 110 calories wasn’t too bad but since I had resolved in my first post not to eat ice cream I was feeling a little conscious but happy. I figure it is ok to indulge once in a while otherwise you end up binging on it eventually.
Breakfast: One egg omelette over a piece of toasted artisan garlic Gilroy bread with a slice of pepper jack cheese melted on top.
Lunch: A bowl of leftover chori curry and a piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter and strawberry jam. Half a cup of yogurt with a teaspoon of sugar.
Dinner: 8-10 deep fried petite samosas and a slice of toasted bun with 1 cup of pavbhaji.
Dessert: 1/4 cup of Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino Ice Cream (110 cal).
Exercise: 30 minutes of brisk walk around the neighborhood (yes, I was in my flip flops again).

Honest Pav Bhaji with Broccoli (Vegetarien Sloppy Joe)

I’d never heard of sloppy joe till I came to US eight years ago. I have never made it but as far as I know SJ is made by cooking a lot of loose meat and then eaten by stuffing it between two pieces of bun or bread slices. To me that sounds like Pav Bhaji which is nothing more than a lot veggies cooked together (Bhaji) in a sloppy mess and eaten with buns (pav).
Like all Indian recipes, there are lots of variations to making Pav Bhaji. However, potatoes, green bell pepper and cauliflower are a few of the must have ingredients. The amount and kind of spices used, the ratio of different veggies used and the consistency of the bhaji all vary according to the cook’s discretion. So when I started making it with left over broccoli instead of cauliflower, I felt I was breaking a cardinal rule of PavBhaji. But the end result was just as delicious as the original.
Note: In the past I have tried various combinations of store bought pav bhaji masala and other spices. I find sticking to any one brand of PavBhaji masala gives the best results. I used Honest brand which is a local, Ahmadabad pav bhaji joint of the same name and they sell the masala in their restaurants.

Ingredients:
1 big onion, chopped fine
2 tomatoes, chopped fine
1/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
4 tsp Pav Bhaji masala (vary according to taste)
1/2 tsp red chili powder
Vegetables:
3 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 green bell pepper, chopped in small cubes
1 -2 cups of broccoli, chopped fine
1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas
Cilantro and chopped onion for garnish

Method:

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a flat pan and sauté the onions for about a minute. Add the ginger garlic paste and a tablespoon of pav bhaji masala. Roast for a minute till the raw smell of spices turns fragrant. Add the broccoli and bell pepper and cook for a few minutes before adding chopped tomatoes and some more masala. Cover and cook till the tomatoes soften and give off their juices, maybe 5—7 minutes.
Add the mashed potatoes and remaining masala powder. Stir to mix all the veggies together. Add the pea and the crushed tomatoes. Adjust salt and add some water. Cover and cook on low for about 15 minutes before mashing the veggies with the back of a ladle or a potato masher. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving dish.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and finely chopped onion and serve with toasted pav or bun.
To make this richer and creamier, add a tablespoon of butter (preferably Amul). I being on calorie watch skipped it.

Recently, Vaishali of Holy Cow posted the recipe not only for Bombay Pav Bhaji but also for the pav* (buns) that traditionally are eaten with them. Vaishali's experience of Pav Bhaji stalls and the other eating joints of Bombay are so close to mine, I can relive them through her post.

*I did try making the pavs but must have messed something up in my measurements because though mine tasted delicious they came out crusty on top.

Watching weight: Day Five

Red Chori Beans Curry
My toe is still sore and I am walking around the neighborhood in my flip flops, getting used to puzzled looks. Yesterday, I walked an extra few minutes and increased calorie burn to about 200. Calorie watch of the day:

1/4 cup of M&Ms = 210 calories

Reason for highlighting M&M:
For the longest time, I would grab a handful at least three four times a day whenever sugar rush hit me. I realized recently that by the end of the day I was eating almost 1/2 cup of these colorful drops of sweetness or about 420 empty calories. If I was running on the treadmill for 40 minutes and burning 400 calories, I was negating that calorie burn by consuming the M&Ms!

Now for the daily food log:
Breakfast: I know it is getting repetitive but what can I say, I like my cereal mix. 1/4 cup of raisin bran and 1/2 cup of Cheerios with a cup of milk.
Lunch: A bowl of Khichdi with some watermelon slices for dessert.
Evening Tea: One cup of tea with 2 teaspoon of sugar.
Dinner: Two rotis with red chori beans curry. A bowl of yogurt with one teaspoon of sugar and a nectarine for after dinner dessert.
Exercise: Brisk walk around the neighborhood for about 30 minutes.

Wishing all my desi brothers and sisters a very happy Independence Day.

Jai Hind!

Red Chori Beans Curry (Red cow peas or Adzuki (azuki) beans curry)

I had never eaten chori till about six months ago when a friend made it for dinner at her house. I fell in love with this petite looking version of red kidney beans or rajma. They are much sweater and as full of protein as rajma. The best part is they cook quicker. Soak them in plenty of water the night before or at least 6-8 hours before cooking.
Also check out RedChillies delicious and nutritious Red Chori with cabbage recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup of chori beans, soaked in plenty of water overnight
1 medium onion, chopped thin
1 tomato, chopped thin
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp asafetida
1/2 tsp coriander cumin powder
1 tsp cumin seeds

Method:
Heat a tablespoon of oil in the pressure cooker and add the cumin seeds and asafetida. As the seeds start to crackle add the onions and cook till they turn translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste, garam masala and the coriander cumin powder. Roast for a few minutes till the raw smell of the spices turns aromatic.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cover. Once the tomatoes are softened add the chori and salt. Adjust water and put the lid on. Turn off the heat after three whistles. Once the pressure is cool, open the cooker, transfer to a serving dish and serve with rice or rotis.

This red chori curry goes to My Legume Love Affair hosted by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook.

I am a Virgo and since the curry turns out brownish in color (color of my Zodiac) I am sending this to FIC Zodiac event hosted by Ashwini for Sunshinemom who gave birth to this wonderful event.

Weight Watching: Day Four

Click here for Day Three

I was never much for reading calorie information on labels but it is a well known fact that writing down the calorie intake also helps reduce calorie intake. So from now on i'll try to write down as much information as I can about the total calories I am consuming. Or at least do a calorie watch like this:
1 tbsp of tomato ketchup = 60 cal

Breakfast: 1/4 cup of raisin bran (50 cal) and 1/2 cup (50 cal) of cheerios with a cup of 1% milk(100 cal). Total cal: 210 cal.
Lunch: Grilled potato sandwich (300 cal) with half a cucumber cup up in slices. Just a small dollop of ketchup. Couple of pieces of watermelon for dessert.
Tea: One cup of tea with two small pieces of cranberry artisan bread smeared with peanut butter. (approx 50 cal)
Dinner: Two rotis with left over potato broccoli sabzi and a bowl of yogurt with a teaspoon of sugar. (approx 350 - 400 cal)
Exercise: 20 minute brisk walk around the neighborhood (about 150 cal burnt).
Total Calorie Consumed: 960 - 150 = 810 cal.

Grilled Potato Sandwich

I was going to eat the left overs from previous night for lunch. But making this sandwich for my 3 year old made me realize how long the potato sabzi had been in the fridge (6 days) and if I didn’t use it up, I would have to throw it in a day or two. This is same sabzi I use for stuffing Aloo Paranthas.
I used two slices of sourdough bread and two slices of pepperjack cheese. It also tastes good with green chutney either spread on the slice or as a side or both.
With the crusts cut off the bread slices are about 100 cal each. The two slices of pepperjack cheese are about 80 cal and the potato sabzi about 20 cal. I figured a 300 cal lunch was pretty healthy. Not to mention the fiber provided by the cucumber slices. Normally, I would have eaten the sandwich with store bought potato chips. Additional calories not consumed – 140 calories.

Ingredients:
2 slices of sourdough or any white bread
2 tablespoon of potato sabzi
2 slices of pepperjack cheese or cheese of your choice
Olive oil to drizzle

Method:
Plug in the sandwich grill. Spread the potato sabzi evenly on one bread slice. Add the cheese slices on top. Cover with the other bread slice. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Put it OO side down on the grill and drizzle some more on the top side. Close the grill and cook till the sandwich is crispy and golden. Serve with ketchup or for a healthier version with green chutney.

The sandwich is so easy to make, especially if you have the sabzi ready and in my family this is eaten not only for lunch but also for breakfast, brunch and dinner, depending on what the mood strikes. For this reason the sandwich is going to EC's WYF:Breakfast. This sandwich also goes to Cooking for Kids: Evening Snacks event started by Sharmi of Neiyedyam and hosted this month by Diyva of Dil Se.

This also goes to Priy'a Sunday Snacks:Snacks with Bread event.

Weight Watching: Day Two

Click here for Day One

Batata Ros (Potatoes in onion tomato gravy)
I have to mention that as I start on my weight loss regimen, I have increased my water intake from 8 glasses to 10-12 glasses a day. Also, I do not drink any kind of soda or store bought juice.
Breakfast: One cup of tea and a hardboiled egg.
Lunch: Two rotis with left over methi dal and palak paneer (cottage cheese in spinach gravy). A fresh fig for dessert.
Evening Tea: One cup of tea with a slice of artisan cranberry raisin bread smeared with 1/2tbsp of peanut butter.
Dinner: Two rotis with batata ros and a glass of lassi.
Exercise: Brisk 15 minute walk around the neighborhood, in my flip flops, since I still can't wear my sneakers.

Batata Ros (Potatoes in onion tomato gravy)

Serves: 2 - 3

This is a favorite of Tushar’s because, well, his "mom makes the best batata ros in the world.” (Ros in Konkani means gravy). He called up his mom and wrote down the recipe. It was fairly easy to make. Tushar ate it with some “maida poli” which is nothing but basic crepes made from flour, eggs and milk. Since they don’t fit with my diet plan, I stuck to rotis.

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 large tomato, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cut into small cubes/tiangles/ rectangles

For Tadka:
4-5 curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander-cumin powder
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat 1/2tbsp oil in a pan and add the tadka ingredients, except salt, one by one in the order listed. As the roasting spices begin to give off their aromas, add the onions. Sauté till transparent and add the potatoes. Cover and cook for ten minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes. Cook for another five minutes.
Add salt and water to cover the potatoes. Close the lid and cook till the tomatoes are mushy and the potatoes are done.

Watching weight and a craving

Dal Methi (Lentils with fenugreek leaves)

As relaxing as my vacation in Atlanta was the side effect of uninterrupted reading and gorging on delicious cooked food was bound to result in my gaining two pounds in five days. As some of you know from my earlier post I had put on a few pounds while in India and had managed to shed, well, exactly two pounds before gaining them back. Now, I am up four pounds since I lost two pounds and up six before I went to India. Confused? Let me break it down.

Before India trip: 114 lbs
After India trip: 118 lbs
Lost in two months: 2 lbs
Gained in two month: 2 lbs
Before Atlanta trip: 118 lbs
After Atlanta trip: 120 lbs
Need to lose: 120 lbs – 114 lbs = 6 lbs
Now, I know six pounds may not seem like a lot to blog about but when you are 5ft1” and approaching 36 in a matter of weeks, the scales move slowly and the clothes either hang too lose or too tight for comfort.
It doesn’t help that I have stubbed my little pinky on my foot not once but three times in the last four weeks. That means no closed shoes or sneakers and no gym. Tushar has come to the rescue again and suggested I take up spinning instead of running on the treadmill. I will attempt it tomorrow and let you know how it goes.
This week’s Time magazine cover story is about how it is eating the right foods that help you lose weight and not high intensity exercise. In the event of my not being able to handle the spinning class, I will have to resort to watching what I eat. So, here are some of the rules I am going to try and stick to:

1. No sugar except my two cups of tea in the day.
2. No ice cream or chocolate.
3. No chips or store bought snacks of any kind.
4. Eat three wholesome meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
5. No snacking between meals except on dry, roasted nuts like almonds, pecans and raisins.
6. Try to include all or at least one of these -- daal(lentil) or beans, leafy and root vegetables, fiber (in the form of cereal and salads) and dairy in each meal.
7. Eat at least one fruit for dessert.

To that end I made methi daal yesterday not only because it covered clause 5 but also because I was craving the bitter taste of methi that I have come to love over the years. Also, I had two cubes left over from two months ago in the freezer and needed to finish them off before making my monthly run to the Indian grocery store.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup toor dal
1/2 cup masoor dal (split red lentils)
2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
2 cubes of frozen methi leaves or a bunch of fresh methi leaves

For tadka:
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine (optional)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
1 tsp asafetida powder

Method:
Combine and wash the daal under cold water two to three times. Soak in some water and keep it aside. Thaw the methi leaves in the microwave or wash and chop the fresh methi leaves.
Heat 1/2tbsp oil in the cooker and add the mustard seeds. As they pop, add the cumin, turmeric, asafetida, red chili powder and garam masala. Roast for a minute before adding the garlic cloves. Turn the heat on med low at this point or the garlic will burn quickly.
Add the tomatoes and let them soften before adding the methi leaves. Cook for a few minutes before adding the dal. Add salt and water before putting the lid on. Cook for two to three whistles before turning the gas off.
Note: I ate two rotis and some cucumber slices with the dal. For dessert I had a nectarine.

This delicious Dal Methi goes to My Legume Love Affair hosted by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

Adding on to the recipe box

Vaishali’s Baghare Baingan


I am not a big fan of baingan (eggplants) but when Vaishali of Holy Cow! posted her recipe for Baghare Baingan , I had to try it. It had sesame seeds, coconut milk and peanuts which I love. Eggplant is also something Tushar likes a lot and I don’t cook often enough for him. Since I also love Tushar a lot, I decided to make the baingan Vaishali--style and find out if I liked them as much as my better half does. Well, I wasn’t surprised when not only did Tushar and I like it but our friends visiting from Houston for the weekend also couldn’t have enough of it. I just made three modifications and one omission to Vaishali’s recipe.
Modification No. 1: I used 1 tbsp of coriander cumin powder instead of 1 tbsp each of coriander powder and cumin powder.
Modification No 2: I added a whole can (14 oz) of coconut milk instead of ¼ cup. Hey, I like coconut, what can I say.
Modification No 3: Instead of tamarind pulp, I added 2 tbsp of tomato puree.
Omission: I omitted poppy seeds (khus khus) because I ran out of it.

Thanks to you Vaishali this finger licking recipe is now an integral part of my recipe box.

Do the Matki dance (Moth/ Matki Usal)

A couple of days ago when I was soaking the moth/matki beans my three year old asked me, “What’s that?” When I told him he asked me wide eyed, “Matki dance?” I burst out laughing because the name does sound like a dance name. The name wasn’t enough to get him to try and eat the usal but I have always loved usal because my mom would make it so much fun to eat it. She would keep bowls of chopped onions, boiled mashed potatoes, yogurt and sev for garnish. My siblings and I were allowed to choose our own toppings and we usually went with everything. It was my mom’s way of turning a nutritious sprouts dish into a fun eating adventure. Sadly, those tactics don’t work on my savvy but picky son.

Sprouting the beans:

It usually takes one to two days to sprout these beans. So plan in advance. Soak the beans in a lot of water for 6-8 hours. The beans soak up a lot of water and double in size. Drain the remaining water and wash them to remove any dirt or grit. Tie them in a damp cotton fabric and leave them covered in a dark, warm place. I usually leave them in a cabinet under my stove. The beans will start sprouting by next day. The ingredients for the usal are very few and I usually cook everything in my 3ltr pressure cooker. These beans are easy to cook and you can always follow the same method in a pot. Just cook the beans till they are tender.

Ingredients:

1 cup sprouted moth/matki beans
1 onion, chopped fine
1 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp coconut powder
1/8 cup of peanuts, soaked in water (optional)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp of oil and add cumin seeds, turmeric and garam masala. Once the cumin starts to crackle add the onions and peanuts.
Let the onions turn translucent before adding the tomatoes and red chili powder. Cover and let cook for a few minutes.
Add the sprouted beans, cover the lid and cook till the beans are tender and cooked through.
Garnish with cilantro, chopped onions and sev or farsan of your choice.
This recipe goes to Susan's My Legume Love Affair hosted this month by Apu of Annarasa . The matki dance also goes to Spill the beans Sunday snack event hosted this month by Priya of Akshaypaatram .

Treading Deep Waters

The month of June has been exciting and exhausting. As I get more involved with my blog and explore the wonderful world of food blogging, I am getting deeper and deeper into entering various events hosted by gracious blog hosts. It is exciting to find out about an event whose theme excites and inspires you to create new recipes and improve the ones in your repertoire. Blogs like Meena’s Hooked on Heat make me realize how far I still have to go towards building a great blog. It has inspired me to pay more attention to the little details in writing my recipes and try to take better food pictures.

It is exciting to see my post getting accepted in an event and appear on the host blog (so far just one – My entry to the CLICKS event). But it is also exhausting to keep track of different themes, deadlines and photo specifications. I have also realized that it takes more time to write, photograph, upload and link a recipe than it does to make the food, eat it and load the dishwasher.
So, for my second entry for Tried and Tested: Hooked on Heat event hosted by Kits Chow , I picked the Sauted spinach with potatoes recipe which is not only easy to cook and delicious to taste but is also nutritious and takes very little time to make or to write. Also, I had some leftover baby spinach in the fridge begging to cook it with potatoes.

Aloo Palak (Potato Spinach) stir fry



Ingredients:

6 cups of spinach, washed and chopped roughly
2 medium potatoes, sliced thin
1 small onion, diced fine
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped or mashed fine
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder (dhania powder)
1 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds. As they start to crackle, add cumin seeds, turmeric, onions and garlic. Sauté on medium heat till onions turn translucent and garlic starts giving off its aroma.
Slide in the potatoes and cook covered till almost tender. Add salt and spinach and cook till the potatoes are done and the spinach is wilted.
Serve warm with rotis and dal.

Going (a)round memory lane

They say everything comes back full circle and it has never been so clear to me since the birth of my son three and a half years ago. He has the exact sleep pattern as mine, the same picky eating habits of my childhood and the same obsessive and stubborn nature. My son did not let go of his beloved baby bottle till he turned three and just like me he got hooked on Aloo Paranthas at the age of two. His picky eating habit doesn’t give me a lot of options to feed him. So, once a week, I boil some potatoes and keep the sabzi ready to make his favorite aloo parantha at a moment’s notice.


Potato (Aloo) Parantha

This recipe goes to my darling son and to Tried and Tested: Hooked on Heat event guest hosted by Kits Chow. My recipe is very similar to Meena’s (of HoH ) Potato Parantha recipe, except I use fennel seeds and ginger-garlic paste instead of cilantro, green chilies and onions. I am also sending this to BSI:Potatos hosted by Chez What? .

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat flour
5-6 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (optional)
1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp chili powder
Salt to taste

Sprinkle the wheat flour with carom seeds, add a tsp of oil and with some water knead into soft dough. Divide dough into golf sized balls and keep aside.
Mix salt and chili powder in the mashed potatoes.
Heat a tbsp of oil in the karahi and add turmeric and fennel seeds. As they start to crackle, add the ginger garlic paste. Let it cook for a few minutes. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Cook for a few minutes and turn off the heat.
Roll out each dough ball into a small circle and place 1 tbsp of potato mix in the centre. Bring up the edges and press together to form a ball. Make sure the edges are sealed tight.
Flatten the ball with your hands, dredge it in some dry flour and roll out to desired thickness. In the world of paranthas THICK = SOFT and THIN = CRISP.On a hot gridle or tava, fry the rolled out paranthas with oil or ghee or both. Serve hot with pickle and a heaping bowl of yogurt.

Udipi style aloo sabzi (potato sabzi)

As a singe girl living in Mumbai, India, I used to love to eat in Udipis and Madras Coffee Houses. To the uninitiated, these are restaurants that exclusively serve South Indian cuisine and really good coffee. They used to be relatively inexpensive for the quality and quantity of food they served. It was a favorite hangout for writers and young college students.
The Masala Doa would come with a aloo sabzi stuffed inside, sides of coconut and tomato chutneys and a big bowl of sambhar. In all the cooking adventures I have had, I have never been quite able to duplicate any of the tastes except that of the sabzi. Here is my simplified version of the udipi sabzi.

Ingredients:

4 – 5 medium potatoes
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup of peas
½ tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves (optional)
1tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp cumin coriander powder
½ tsp sabzi masala (I use Everest brand)
Salt to taste

Boil the potatoes in the cooker for 2-3 whistles. Once it cools down, peel and chop potatoes in small cubes.
Heat oil in a karahi or wok and add the mustard seeds. As they begin to crackle, add the curry leaves. The leaves have water in them and so they splutter when added to the oil. It is advisable to lower the heat and stand aside while the spluttering subsides.
With the heat still on low add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and chopped onion. Bring up the heat to medium and sauté till onions turn translucent.
Add the remaining spices and stir. The spices should start giving off their aroma in a minute or so. Add the peas and potatoes at this point. Coat the pea and potatoes with the onions and spice mix.
At this point, you can decide to do two things. If you want the sabzi to be dry (sookhi) then just add the salt and mix. Heat it through and serve with a garnish of cilantro.
If on the other hand, you want the sticky, Udipi style sabzi, add salt and ½ cup of water to the karahi. On medium low, let the water bubble and boil while the starch from the potatoes makes delicious, sticky gravy. In about 5-7 minutes you will have the Udipi style aloo sabzi ready. Serve it garnished with chopped corrainder and dosa.

In my household, we eat this sabzi with dosa and toor dal cooked in a cooker.

Everyday dal

In Indian households dal and sabzi are accompanied by rotis (wheat tortillas). But yesterday I wasn’t in the mood to make rotis. Besides, my 3-year old likes his dal with a dosa and my 34-year old hubby doesn’t like dal but likes his dosa with aloo (potato) sabzi. Luckily, I had some store bought dosa batter in my fridge and I had already made dal in the morning. I only had to make aloo sabzi and dinner was ready to be served. The toor dal I use in this recipe is also called tuver dal or split pigeon peas. Here is the recipe which I make in my trusty 3-litre Hawkins Pressure Cooker.

Toor Dal

Ingredients:

½ cup toor dal
1 tomato, chopped
1 slit and chopped green chili or 1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp garam masala powder or any other masala powder at home
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp asafetida
A pinch of sugar or a small lump of jiggery
Salt to taste

Soak the toor dal in 2 cups of water for 3-5 hours.
Heat oil in the pressure cooker and add mustard seeds. Turn the heat to low when they start to crackle and pop.
Add the green chilli, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, asafetida and the garam masala. Roast for one minute till the raw spice smell is replaced by the fragrance of the spices.
Add the chopped tomato and cover the cooker with a lid for five minutes. Bring up the gas flame to medium. The tomatoes will soften and release their liquid.
Add the soaked toor dal and add salt. Stir, add one cup of water and cover the cooker lid.
Turn off the heat after 3 whistles. Let the cooker cool down before opening it and transferring to another vessel. If the dal is too thick, add some water and boil. Garnish with coriander before serving.
Now, the only reason I transfer the dal to another vessel is so I can rinse it out and boil the potatoes for the sabzi. But if you are not going to make the sabzi, keep the dal in the cooker till you are ready to serve.

Aloo sabzi recipe coming up in the next post.