Kumquat pickle (instant kind)

Hello everyone, this was a while ago......one of my friends gave me a bunch of kumquats from her garden. For those of you who don't know, kumquat is a kind of citrus fruit. Looks like a mini orange. You can eat the skin and seeds too. It is rich in vitamin C and fiber. So coming back to my story; after my friend dropped of a batch, we ate as much as we could but still had a bunch of them lying around. So decided to make a pickle out of them. Turned out to be a hit and everyone loved it. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients: Kumquats: 15-20 halved or whole (you can de-seed but I prefer to eat the seeds - sometimes they might be a bit bitter), Red chilly powder - 5-6 tsp, cumin powder - 1 tsp, coriander powder - 1 tsp, pickle masala - 3 tsp, apple cider vinegar - 5-6 tsp, sugar - 4-5 tsp (adjust per taste), salt to taste. Tempering: oil - 3 tbsp, mustard seeds - 1 tsp, cumin seeds - 1 tsp, asofoetida - 1/2 tsp, turmeric powder -1 tsp.

Method: Cut the kumquats into halves and add 1/4th cup water and pressure cook them for 1 whistle till soft (you can also cover and microwave them in microwave cooker - add 1/4th cup water). Once done, add red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, pickle masala and apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt and keep it aside for a while. Meanwhile take a pan and add oil for tempering. Once hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seed and a little turmeric for color. Pour the tempering over the pickle and mix thoroughly. 

Enjoy with paratha, rice or roti. Tastes heavenly!!! blend of sweet, sour and spicy flavors to tickle your taste buds :) Till my next post, take care everyone!

Hirvi Mirchi Thecha or Kharda (Rustic Green chilly chutney)

Today I am sharing recipe for a traditional rustic Maharashtrian condiment Mirchi cha thecha also known as Mirchi cha Kharda in some parts of Maharashtra. It is typically consumed with Pithala (made with chickpea flour) and Bhakri (made out of Jowar or Bajri flour). It is extremely spicy, so use with caution. It is really simple to make. 

Ingredients: Green chillies (Hirvi Mirchi): 20-25, roasted peanuts (raw or roasted as per your preference) - 1/4th cup, Garlic: 8-10 pods, Cilantro: 4-5 tsp chopped, Oil to saute - 3 tsp, Cumin: 1 tsp, Lemon juice: 1/2 tsp, salt to taste. 

Method: Wash green chillies, wash and chop cilantro, peel garlic. Saute the green chillies, garlic and cilantro in oil till soft. Add peanuts and saute for 2 mins. Cool and grind the green chillies, peanuts, cilantro, garlic with cumin seeds, lemon juice with salt in a grinder to a coarse paste. Do not add water. Keep pulsing the mixer till you have achieve desired level of coarseness. Remove the coarse paste into a bowl. 

Note: I like to add tempering at the end for added flavor. Heat oil in a pan and heat 4-5 tsp oil, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds. When they crackle, add 1/4th tsp asafoetida and add it to the ground thecha.

Enjoy the spicylicious mirchi cha thecha or kharda with Jowar or Bajri bhakri or even as a part of your everyday meal with roti and rice.

Till my next post, take care everyone.

PS: I am contributing this to #tasteofindianstates on Insta.
It is a cool initiative by 8 ladies of insta @kitchenmai @lakshmiscookbook @nandini_shivraj @dine_with_danika @sanoberbansal @happytummybyritumbhara @gastronomicbong and @mycurryvedaCook where you some favorite dish from any Indian state cuisine and Use #tasteofindianstates to contribute and don’t forget to mention all 8 ladies.

Dahi Vada (Dahi Wada) or Dahi Bhalla

Dahi Vada is my family favorite. We just can't get enough of the cool and refreshing vadas that simply melt into your mouth. The sweet and tangy tamarind and date chutney adds to the burst of flavors in the mouth. So today I am sharing the recipe for this amazing dish, that is especially popular around the colorful Holi festival in Northern India just as Puran poli is ever so popularly made for Holi in Maharashtra.

Ingredients: 

For Vadas: Urad dal - 2 cups, Moong dal - 1/2 cup, green chillies - 2-3 (optional), Cumin seeds - 1&1/2 tsp, asofoetida - 1/4th tsp. Salt to taste, Oil for frying.

For Dahi mixture: 5 to 6 cups, yogurt, 1 teaspoon, roasted cumin powder, salt to taste, sugar - adjust as per sourness of dahi or yogurt, Cilantro - for garnish, red chilli powder - to garnish (optional) and some boondi to garnish (optional), Chaat masala (optional) - few sprinkles to garnish and add chatpata taste.

Procedure: Soak Urad dal and moong dal in 8 to 10 cups of warm water for 6-10 hours - preferably overnight. Next morning, drain the dal and add green chilies, cumin seeds, asofoetida, little salt and and blend it until smooth.  The batter should not be too runny. You should be able to form vadas. Add water accordingly while blending. Whisk the batter and set it aside for 30-40 mins in a refrigerator.

Heat enough oil in a pan or a kadhai. Slide the batter balls into the hot oil as per desired size of vadas. Fry them on medium heat till golden brown on both sides to ensure that they are well cooked. Drain them on an absorbent towel and then soak them in water for 1-2 mins. Give them a gentle squeeze and remove the oil and them put them in yogurt mixture.

Procedure to make yogurt/dahi mixture: Take yogurt/dahi in a bowl , add water depending upon the thickness of the dahi you desire to make. Add sugar, cumin powder and salt to taste and whisk well.

Garnish with chopped cilantro, red chilli powder, boondi and chaat masala and serve.

Serve with Tamarind Date chutney. 

Procedure to make chutney: Soak 15-20 dates in warm water for 20 mins, grind with 1 tsp tamarind pulp, 2 tsp jaggery, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/4th tsp chaat masala and salt to taste.

Enjoy!! Happy Holi to all my friends.Till my next post, take care everyone. 

Rava Idli with Mint Chutney

Whenever my kids desire to eat idlis and there is not enough time to go through the whole fermentation process associated with making the traditional idlies, rava idli saves the day. My kids love to feast on the soft, spongy idlis that are ready in a jiffy. They are definitely more flavorful than the traditional idlis and are diabetic friendly too since we do not have to use rice to make them.

Rava Idli Recipe:

Ingredients: Coarse Rava - 2 cup, Yogurt - 3/4 cup, Water 1&1/2 cup (adjust as needed), Salt to taste Eno Fruit Salt - 1 tsp (or baking soda - 1/2 tsp),Cilantro chopped - 2 tbsp (optional), Oil for greasing idli maker.

For Tempering: Oil - 2 tsp, Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp, Urad dal - 1 tsp, Chana Dal - 1 tsp, Asofoetida- 1/4 tsp, Green Chillies - 1 or 2 finely chopped (completely optional), Broken cashews - 2-3 tsp (completely optional)

Method: Heat a pan and add 2 tsp Oil, then add mustard seeds when hot till they splutter. Add rest of the tempering ingredients. Then add the rava and roast everything till light golden brown. Let it cool. After it cools, add yogurt, salt, water, cilantro and mix everything. Now add in yogurt and water and mix well till it is of the right consistency. The batter should not be too thick or thin. At the end add the eno fruit salt or baking soda and mix. Fill in the greased idli moulds and steam it for 10 to 12 mins on medium high heat.

Remove the idli stand and let it cool for 5 mins. Now dip a thin spoon in water and gently unmould the rava idlies.

Serve with mint or any other chutney of your choice.

Mint Chutney recipe:

Ingredients: Mint leaves - handful , Cilantro - handful, shredded coconut - 3-4 tbsp, Dalia (orroasted chana dal) - 5-6 tbsp, green chillies - 3-4 (adjust as per desired level of spiciness), salt to taste, few drops of lemon juice.

For Tempering: Oil - 2 tsp, Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp, Asofoetida- 1/4 tsp

Method: Grind all the above ingredients in a mixer and pour tempering over it.

Serve with Rava Idli.

Enjoy!!!

Till my next post, take care everyone.

Pesarattu (Lentils dosa) with Tomato Onion Chutney

This dish brings back nostalgic memories of breakfast in Hyderabad when we used to visit our grandparents for summer vacation. It is a very filling and popular traditional Andhra dish.

I make it with a slightly different twist to the traditional recipe. I mix various dals (lentils) to pack a punch of protein and put a mix of brown and wild rice (1:1 ratio) to make it healthier and diabetes friendly.

Ingredients for Pesarattu Dosa:
Yellow Moong dal - 1 cup, Green Moong Dal - 1/4 cup, Chana dal - 1/4 th cup, Urad dal - 1/4 cup, Brown rice - 1/2 cup, Wild rice - 1/2 cup, Ginger - 1/2 tsp, Garlic - 5-6 pcs, Curry leaves - 8-10, Green chillies - 2-3 (depending on your taste), cilantro - 3-4 tbsp, cumin - 1 tsp, salt to taste, oil for making the pesarattu dosa. Onions - chopped, green chillies - chopped, cilantro chopped - for garnish.

Procedure to make Pesarattu dosa:
Soak all the lentils and rice (preferably overnight, or at least fpt 6 hrs), Finely grind the mixture along with the other ingredients like ginger, garlic, green chillies, cilantro, cumin and salt in a mixer. There is no need to ferment this mixture unlike traditional dosa. Heat a pan, add few drops of oil, put a big ladle of batter and spread it evenly. Cover and cook for 2 mins till it is brownish on the bottom, add a layer of onions and some chopped green chillies (optional) on top, flip and cook for a minute. Pesarattu is ready for stuffing (see stuffing recipe below).

Upma stuffing for Pesarattu dosa:

Ingredients for Upma: 
1 cup rava (preferably fine semolina, sooji, cream of wheat), Water -  2 cups, Urad dal - 1 tsp, Chana Dal - 1 tsp, Tempering - 1tsp spoon mustard seeds, Asofoetida - 1/2 tsp, green chillies (as per desired spice level), ginger - grated 1/2 tsp,  5-6 curry leaves, oil - 3 tsp. I do not add onions to the upma I use for stuffing. I like to keep it simple.

Procedure for making Upma stuffing:
Dry roast the upma rava for 5-6 minutes till light brown and keep it aside. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Now add asofoetida, urad dal, chana dal, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute for 1/2 minute and add 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Then  add the upma rava slowly and stir continuously to avoid lumps.Cover and cook for 3-4 mins. It should be nice and soft Cook for 2-3 additional minutes and set aside. Use this to stuff the above pesarattu dosa.

Serve with Tomato Onion Chutney.

Tomato Onion Chutney:

Ingredients for Chutney:
Onion - 1 chopped, Tomato - 2 medium chopped, Urad dal - 1 tbsp, Chana Dal - 1 tbsp, Cilantro - 3-4 tbsp, Green chillies - 3-4, Ginger - 1 tsp, Garlic - 4-5 pods, Dry shredded coconut - 2 tsp (optional), oil - 2 tsp, salt to taste. Tempering - 1 tsp spoon mustard seeds, Asofoetida - 1/2 tsp, turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp, red ciilli powder - 1/2 tsp,  5-6 curry leaves, oil - 2 tsp.

Procedure for Chutney:
Dry roast urad dal, chana dal and shredded coconut (each separately) till light browna and put aside. Put 2 tsp oil in a pan and roast onions till brown. Add ginger, garlic, cilantro, green chillies and saute for 3-4 mins, then add tomatoes and saute for 5-6 mins till everything is cooked. Add the previously roasted dals and coconut. Cool and grind in a mixer. Add the tempering (For tempering: Heat the pan and add oil. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Now add asofoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and curry leaves.) Mix and serve with Pesarattu.

Here is another version without Upma filling........... we ate this with coconut/peanut chutney.

Enjoy this protein packed delicacy for breakfast, lunch or dinner :), Till my next post, take care everyone!

Corn Bhel (Sweet Corn Chaat)

Today I am sharing a very healthy and delicious twist on the traditional bhel recipe - Corn Bhel. If you are craving chaats and chatpata things, this is a quick and easy way to appease your tastebuds :)

Ingredients: Sweet Corn - 2 cups (frozen or fresh), Tomatoes- 2 chopped, Cucumber - Chopped 1, Onion - 1 small chopped, Cilantro for garnish, Sev - 4 tbsp.

Apart from this you also need these 2 chutneys essential for any chaat:

1. Sweet Jaggery/Date and Tamarind Chutney:  Soaked dates: 10-12,  Jaggery - 1/4th cup, Tamarind pulp -  1tbsp, Coriander powder-  1 tsp, red chilli powder -  1 tsp, salt to taste. Soak dates for at least 20 mins and then grind all the ingredients in a mixer. Cook for 5-8 mins till chutney is thick.

2. Spicy Green Chutney: Cilantro - 1/2 bunch, Mint - few leaves, green chilli - 4-5 (as per desired level of spiciness), lemon juice - 1/2 lemon, salt to taste. Grind all these ingredients in a mixer and pour into a container.

Method for making Corn Bhel:Microwave sweet corn for 5-8 mins till soft (not mushy). Then mix all the ingredients along with both the chutneys. Garnish with cilantro and sev and serve chilled or at room temperature. 

This is also makes a great item to carry for picnics or camping because unlike the traditional puffed rice (churmura), the sweet corn does not get soggy!

Classic Home Made Guacamole

Hello everyone, in case you are wondering, why I have not been posting new recipes, visiting and commenting on your blogs..... i am extremely busy with an assignment and not able to devote time for blogging. Hopefully things should be back to normal sometime next month....

Today I am sharing a very easy way to make guacamole. The advantage of making it homemade is that you get to control the ingredients and taste according to your family needs.

Ingredients: 3 Haas Avocados, 1/2 onion - chopped, 1 tomato seeded and chopped (optional), 3 jalapenos seeded, 1 garlic clove, 1 Lime juiced, salt to taste.

Procedure: Cut the avocados and remove the seed. scoop the flesh out with a spoon. Pour lime juice over it to prevent it from oxidizing. Mash it finely with a fork (alternately you could puree it in a food processor along with garlic and jalapeno). Keep aside. Grind together the jalapeno and garlic. Add this to the avocado along with chopped onion and tomato (i have not added tomato today). Add salt and mix thoroughly.

Serve with tortilla chips of your choice. Here, I served them with multi-grain tortilla chips.

Pineapple Tomato Chutney

This chutney is a product of my successful kitchen experiments, a very rare phenomenon I should add :)

Its really simple to make and versatile to use. The sweet and sour flavors of tomato and pineapple blend really well in this chutney and result in an exotic flavor!

Cut 3-4 ripe tomatoes. Heat oil in a pan and cook them for 3-4 mins on medium heat. Add 8oz crushed pineapples from a can, or use 1/4th fresh pineapple. Cook for 3 mins till everything is soft. Add 2 tsp of white sesame seeds and 2 tbsp of roasted peanuts. Continue cooking for 4 more mins. Add 2 tsp red chilly powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp sugar (optional) and salt to taste.

When the mixture cools, grind to a paste. After this point, you can enjoy as is or add tempering, depends on your taste. For the tempering (optional) - heat 2 tsp oil and add 1 tsp mustard seeds and 1/4 tsp asofoetida. Pour over the chutney. Enjoy with dosa, paratha, bread, ie pretty much anything.

This is my second entry to the guest event on Recipegrabbag A Fruit/Veggie a Month - Pineapple originally started by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes.

Apple Raisin Pickle/Chutney

I had some apples left over at the end of the week. Normally I make apple raisin chutney, but this time I decided to try something different and make this chutney into a pickle :) Just added an Indian touch to the normal recipe and I must say the experiment turned out really nice!  

Procedure to make this pickle: Cut an apple into pieces and cook them with raisins and a cinnamon stick in 1/4th cup water till they are soft. Mash the apples and raisins lightly when done. Add 1 tbsp light brown sugar, 1 tbsp vinegar, salt to taste and 2 tsp red chilli powder and mix. Take 2 tsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and whole black pepper. Pour it over the apple raisin mixture. Stir it in. Apple raisin pickle is ready!! It lasts for a week in the refrigerator, maybe longer, but my kids finish it off before that ;))

I am sending this as an entry to Nithu's Kitchen: "Think Beyond the Usual - Fruits"