After a hiatus

Back after a hiatus. Yesterday I cooked some awesome sambar, prepared Uttapams from store bought mix and then cooked some vangyache kaap. It was simple but tasty menu. More to come...

Kachchi Dabeli

I saw pomegranates at the market while doing grocery and immediately my eyes popped. Kachchi Dabeli was on the cards. That is one ingredient that completes a Kachchi Dabeli. So, I got it and here is the recipe.

I replaced the dabeli pav with wheat bread and it tasted great but hubby thinks it tastes 'genuine' with the white pav. So next time, it will be with the white pav then :)

Ingredients:
Siddhi Kachchi Dabeli masala (spice) packet (use 1/2 tbsp masala)
If you don't have the packet, below you will find the recipe to make this spice... its very easy to prepare.
Pomegranate seeds
5-6 Potatoes
Tamarind juice
Green chutney
Peanuts
1 Onion small pieces
Butter
Wheat Bread / pav

Recipe:
Boil and mash potatoes. Heat oil in a pan, add peanuts and roast a bit. Add potatoes and add the dabeli masala. Mix thoroughly. I would taste at this point to see if the mixture has good amount of masala taste to it.
Take a plate and arrange the following around it:
Potato masala mixture
Pomegranates
Cut onions
Green chutney
Tamarind juice

On a pan melt butter and toast the bread / pav on both sides. Place both side open in the plate. On one bread apply the potato masala, green chutney, tamarind juice. Put pomegranate seeds and onions. Put the other slice and press. If required re-heat on the pan or serve as is. Delish!

Dabeli Masala (spice recipe)
Dry Red Chillies - 10-15
Coriander Seeds (dhania): 1 tbsp
Cinnamon Stick (taj): 2 sticks
Cloves (lavang): 10-15
Cumin seeds (jeera): 1 tbsp

Dry roast cinnamon and cloves in a pan until almost done on a medium setting. Add cumin seeds, red chillies & coriander seeds and dry roast together. A nice aroma will be set out and you will know its done.
Crush this all together and your masala (spice) is ready.

Cool Idli Salad

Idli is a savory cake made from rice and lentils. The Indian stores carry fresh batter or instant packets and I almost always take advantage of either. :)

I had this dish at a friends place and loved it. It is easy to prepare and tastes great and healthy too.

Ingredients:
Idli batter (Gits idli packet)
Thin rice noodles (optional)
Shredded Cabbage (1/2 cup)
Shredded Carrots (1/2 cup)
1 Tomato cut length-wise
1 Onion cut length-wise
1 Capsicum cut length-wise
8-10 Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Lemon juice
Oil for tempering
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Recipe:
Make idlis from the batter and let cool. Break them into small bite size pieces.
In a pan heat oil for tempering. Add mohri (mustard seeds), jeera (cumin seeds) and after a few seconds add little hing (asfoetida powder) and very little halad (turmeric powder). Add curry leaves, saute for a few seconds. Add onions and saute for a minute. Add tomatoes and saute. Add capsicum, cabbage and carrot and saute to just tender. Add salt, mix well. Remove this mixture from pan and add the idli pieces. Garnish with coriander leaves.

I really like adding rice noodles to this so you would just cook them per the packet instructions and add these to the above salad.

After a while the flavors merge fabulously and the salad tastes great.

Fish Fry

Fish fry is another easy dish to prepare. I got Tilapia fish from Costco and the fish had no bones :)... so easy to savor.
This recipe involves lot of Indian spices. I have tried and written the subsitutes but have never used them myself since my aai (mother) always makes sure I have her homemade spices in my kitchen, how lucky am I :)

Ingredients:
Korda khobra / Dry coconut powder
Tikhat (mane) masala (substitute with any hot bbq spice)
Goda masala (substitute with any mild spice)
Aala / Ginger
Lasun / Garlic
Mith / Salt
Chincha kol / Tamarind paste
Turmeric and Salt to clean the fish.
Fine Semolina powder (barik rava) or Bread crumbs

Recipe: Mix salt and turmeric with water and wash the fish with this. This will clean it thoroughly (and I feel safe to eat it that way :) ).
Make a paste out of ginger and garlic. Mix it with coconut powder, tamarind paste, goda masala, spicy masala and salt.
Apply the paste to the fish and let sit for half an hour.
Spray pan with Pam or use oil for shallow fry. Dip each fish piece in semolina or bread crumbs and place on the pan. Fry till golden brown.

Serve with green chutney.

You can alternately bake the fish or grill it but it is the frying that gives the best taste :)

Weekend get together dinner

Had guests over this weekend and I cooked up various dishes. Took some pictures and want to post them here with the recipes so that all can enjoy. Trust me the recipes were easy and the final product tasted great.

First up is the easy breezy Green Chutney (hirvi chutney)
Ingredients:
Lasun / Garlic 8-10 cloves

Mirchi/Green Chillies 4-6 (i used the thin tiny green chillies they are really hot)

Kothimbir / Coriander leaves (1 / 1.5 bunch of coriander leaves washed thoroughly)

Dane koot /Peanut powder (1 tbsp)

Mith /Salt (to taste)

Sakhar /Sugar (2 tsp)

Jira / Cumin (1 tbsp)

Limbu ras / Lemon juice (quarter lemon)

Recipe: Put all the ingredients except lemon in a blender and whirl. Take out and stir in the lemon juice and done.

You can have this chutney to make chutney sandwiches, along with idlis, roti/tortillas or as an accompaniment with anything.

Chipotle and a rental car

Breakfast was my regular ginger tea with some biscuits. I then had to drop of my car for repairs (read accident ... rearended :O). So I get this rental car that's an SUV... wow I d never ridden an SUV and I was so excited. For a petite person like me SUVs are boon.. So, it was nice fun to drive the car and what was better was that I picked Chipotle for lunch. Aah the burrito bowl... fresh cilantro rice, topped with black beans, some onions n jalapeno, grilled chicken, fresh salsa, corn, sour cream, cheese and guac.... am so full....
but still thinking what I need to cook for dinner for hubby dear.

Chicken Enchilada

Back after a long hiatus. :)
I will be adding stuff I eat/prepare and will also try to post the recipes for the same. I tried making chicken enchilada for the first time yesterday and it turned out quite good.

I followed the recipe by Iowa Girl Eats with a few additions. Along with the spinach in step 1 I also added some chicken cubes (I used leftover chicken patty from my freezer) and also added some diced green pepper. I think I added a lot of enchilada sauce so I would go easy on it the next time or might just switch to regular tomato sauce or ketchup.