Mustard microgreens and egg sandwich

I must have been six or seven when I read an Enid Blyton story where a young girl grows mustard and cress for her sandwiches. I never quite knew what that was, but when I tasted mustard microgreens, I realised they were perfect for an egg sandwich. One boiled egg, a pinch of salt, a smattering of microgreens. Divine. 

Jhal moori

Anybody who's grown up in Calcutta will swear that jhal is the best dish you can make out of puffed rice. Make no mistake, I do love the Bambaiya bhel with its notes of tamarind and mint, but offer me a choice between that and jhal moori, and I'll pick the comforting taste of mustard oil any day. So though I am trying to go easy on milk and sugar, I pile on the MO when I snack on this dish.

1 cup puffed rice

Onions, chopped fine

Green chillies, chopped fine

Tomatoes, chopped fine

Boiled potatoes, chopped fine

Peanuts

Salt, to taste

Red chilli powder, to taste

1 tsp mustard oil, for ever cup of moori*

Method:

Roast the peanuts, cool

Add peanuts, onions, chillies, tomatoes, potatoes to the moori and mix well

Add salt and red chilli powder, mix

Add mustard oil, cover the container, and shake vigorously to mix well

Serve, preferable in a paper cone

*- you can substitute the MO with the oil floating on top of pickle

Tuttie fruity cake

There is nothing special about this cake. But in its very simplicity is it's charm. And it's also the first cake I've baked at the new place.

A basic sponge cake, to which I added tutti-fruity rolled in flour.

Bread bombs

After making the bread pakoras, I had some stuffing left over and decided to make something that my mother often made for me when I was a child.

6 slices bread

1 medium potatoes

1 beetroot

1 big carrot

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Boil the potatoes. Peel, mash and keep aside. 

Peel and chop the beetroots and carrots. Steam till just cooked. Keep aside. 

Mix the potatoes, vegetables, spices, and salt. Divide into six equal parts. 

Start heating the oil. 

Cut the crusts of the bread, and moisten slightly. Put the stuffing in the middle, and fold the bread around it. Seal the edges by pressing lightly. 

Slide two balls at a time into the oil and fry till well browned and crisp. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve with ketchup or green chutney. 

Ragi cookies

In Bangalore you have these Iyengar Bakeries, where you get a variety of baked goods. Of all the varieties on offer, one that I remember most fondly is the Ragi cookies, because that is the only place I have ever tasted them. So when I ended up with a packet of ragi flour, I had to attempt some cookies. The recipe is entirely mine, and had I been more careful with the oven, I would have got a much nicer batch.

1/2 cup ragi/ nachani flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar, powdered (I used a bit less)
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
Powder the sugar and keep aside.
Sieve the flour and baking powder a few times till well mixed.
Add the sugar, and sesame seeds and mix well.
Add the oil, and vanilla essence, and knead to a firm dough.
Grease a baking tray, and place balls of dough on it (I got 16 balls)
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees, and bake for 12- 15 minutes.

Cheesy Simple Eggplant Casserole

I wanted to make my  mother's chessy eggplant casserole, but wanted something slightly lighter as a concession to the heat. I replaced the tomato paste with sliced tomatoes, and it got polished off in no time at all.

1 egg plant, sliced into thin circles

2 tbsp besan
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Cooking oil for shallow frying

2 tomatoes diced
3 tbsp grated cheese

Method:
Coat the eggplant slices with salt, keep aside for a few minutes, and squeeze out the juice.
Cover with a mixture of besan, red chilli powder, and shallow fry on a low flame till done.
Place a layer of eggplant slices on a baking tray. Place a layer to tomato slices over the eggplant, and drizzle with olive oil and cheese. Keep layering till all the eggplant slices are used up, and finish with a thick layer of cheese.
Bake for 5 minutes, till the cheese is well melted.

Aloo tikki with Channa masala

When I was young, aloo tikki with chana was a classic combination which I had almost every time I accompanied my mother to a "party" at her friends' place. Going through the archives, I was surprised to find I haven't yet written about it. So here it is.

For channa masala
250 gms kabuli chana
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium tomato chopped fine
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
Oil
1 tsp rai
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Cooking oil

Method:
Soak the kabuli chana overnight, or at least for 6 hours. Cook in a pressure cooker, till done (about 20 minutes on low flame after the first whistle)
Heat 1 tbsp oil, add onions and saute till transparent. Add the tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste and cook till tomatoes turn mushy. Blend and keep aside.
Heat 1 tsp oil and splutter mustard seeds. Once they stop spluttering, add onion-tomato paste and the spice powders, and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the cooked kabuli chana and sufficient water. Mix well, bring to boil, cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Garnish with finely chopped onions and green chutney, and serve hot with aloo tikkis

For aloo tikkis

4 large potatoes

1 tbsp besan

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp jeera powder

1 small onion, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the potatoes, cut into eighths and pressure cook till soft (about 10 minutes after the first whistle). Peel, mash and keep aside.

Mix the mashed potatoes with finely chopped onions and green chilli. Add salt, red chilli powder and jeera powder, and mix well.

Heat a tawa, and spread a thin film of oil. Take lemon sized balls of potato mix, flatten, and shallow fry on a low flame till browned. Flip and fry the other side till brown.

Add additional oil/ butter, if required.

Serve hot with chana masala.

Green chutney:
1 bunch mint leaves
1 bunch coriander leaves
1/2 large lemon
Rock Salt to taste

Method:
Blend the mint leaves and coriander leaves till smooth. Add rock salt, and squeeze the lemon and mix well.

Hot Cross Buns

"Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns.
One a Penny, Two a Penny.
Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns."
On a lazy Sunday a few weeks back, I sought to find the origin of the nursery rhyme, and learnt that there was indeed something called Hot Cross Buns that were traditionally baked on  Good Friday. I decided right then to make it this year, and then promptly forgot all about it. Till two days back when I remembered my resolution, and took stock of my ingredients. My active dry yeast had been lying unused for so long, the bottle was covered in mould. I no longer remembered the provenience of either the baking powder or the baking soda. And the last of the raisins had been consumed by me awhile back.
All of yesterday went in collecting the ingredients, and making the dough, and despite not having a day off today, I baked the Hot Cross Buns.
The icing was an unmitigated disaster, but the Hot Cross Buns are divine!

2 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
4 cups maida/ flour
1/2 cup (additional) Flour
1/2 tsp (heaping) Baking Powder
1/2 tsp (scant) Baking Soda
2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom, nutmeg, allspice (optional)
1/2 cup raisins

Glaze1 whole Egg White
Splash Of Milk

Icing1 whole Egg White
Powdered Sugar
Splash Of Milk


Method:Combine milk, oil and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to nearly boiling, then turn off the flame, and let it stand for 30 minutes
Sprinkle yeast over the milk. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour.
Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use.
Lightly flour surface. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is "plain" again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. (You won't use all the sugar/cinnamon mixture.)
Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes...an hour-plus is better.
Preheat to 180 degrees
Mix 1 egg white with a splash of milk. Brush onto each roll.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown.
Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

IcingMix 1 egg white with enough powdered sugar for icing to be very thick. Splash in milk as needed for consistency.
Add icing to a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner. Make icing crosses on each roll, making sure they're completely cooled first.

Bisi bele bhaat- revisited

I make bisi bele bhaat quite often, but most of the time, I just use my instincts while cooking. Today, I followed the recipe perfectly, and loved the result.
The only diveation from the original recipe was the fact that I fried the small onions with the peanuts and added them to the dish while cooking.

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Cheesy Eggplant Casserole

My mother was a great one for trying out recipes that she read in magazines, and one of my favourite was an eggplant casserole that she got from a Thanksgiving special feature where an American lady cooks for the Indian family she married into. By trial and error, I figured out what went into the recipe, and this is the first time I have made it for my family.

1 egg plant, sliced into thin circles

2 tbsp besan
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste
Cooking oil for shallow frying

2 tomatoes, chopped into coarse pieces
6 pods garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chilli flakes
salt to taste
sugar to taste

3 tbsp grated cheese

Method:
Coat the eggplant slices with salt, keep aside for a few minutes, and squeeze out the juice.
Cover with a mixture of besan, red chilli powder, and shallow fry on a low flame till done.
Heat the oil, add garlic and saute till it starts browning.
Add chopped tomatoes, oregano, chilli flakes, salt and sugar, and saute till the tomatoes turn mushy.
Place a layer of eggplant slices on a baking tray. Pour some of the tomato paste over it, and sprinkle a layer of cheese. Keep layering till all the eggplant slices are used up, and finish with a layer of tomato paste and a thick layer of cheese.
Bake for 5 minutes, till the cheese is well melted.

Mishti doi

It is impossible for someone to have grown up in Calcutta, and not love mishti doi. And I am no exception. Which is why I was in heaven, when a leading milk producer started making mishti doi. It was so popular that it would disappear almost as soon as it came on the shelves, but I learnt the art of hoaring it whenever I saw it. And then, it disappeared from the store, and I was returned to a Universe without mishti doi- one made even more unlivable because I had experienced it for an entire year!
So, when I saw a recipe for mishti doi, I decided to try it out, and it tastes pretty good.

Sugar 8-10 tbsp
Whole Milk - 1 ltr
2 -3 tbsp fresh curd
Butter- 1 tbsp
 
Method:
Heat the butter, and caramelize 7 tbsp sugar till the sugar turns dark brown but not black.
Add the milk and stir till all the caramel melts. Add 3 tbsp of sugar.
Boil the milk for 10-15 min till it thickens to 75% of it's original volume. Cool.
When the milk cools down, but while it is still lukewarm, add 2-3 tbsp of plain curd. Strain. Pour in a ceramic bowl and set overnight.
If the weather is cool, preheat oven for 2-3 mins, put the bowl in, and cover tightly with a lid. After 2-3 hrs, again preheat oven for a minute.(essentially, this wil set well only when kept in a v warm place).take out after 6 -8 hours.

Aloo subji- Mum style

At our place, Sunday Lunch was always Puri-Aloo subji. My father and I would be sitting at the table, and my mother would make puris for us, garam-garam. We'd vie with each other to grab the plumpest one- a fruitless endeavour because they were all really plump. And finally, she'd join us and have the last few puris that she made for herself.

So, on her last night at our place, I wanted to return the compliment, and serve her garam-garam Puri-Aloo. But since it was a surprise, I had to invent the recipe myself, and I did a fairly good job, I think. Based partially on my recipe for aloo palya.

5 large potatoes boiled
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 green chillie
1 inch piece ginger, chopped fine

1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp channa dal
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp haldi powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat the oil, and temper mustard seeds, ginger, channa dal, green chillies and curry leaves.
Once the mustard stops spluttering, add chopped onions and saute till they turn transparent. Add salt and haldi and stir for about a minute.
In the meantime, cut half the potatoes into eighth's and mash the rest of the potatoes.
Add the potatoes, and about 1/2 cup water. Once the water boils, lower the heat, cover and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
Serve with piping hot puris.

Parupu shadam with Vatha Kuzhambu

Parupu shadam with Vatha Kuzhambu used to be a classic combination at my grandmother's place. Since she made the vatha kuzhambu with dried vegetables, it would be accompanied by cucumber pachadi. I used fresh drumsticks, so did without!

Vendekai mor kozumbu

Vendekai mor kozumbu is one of my favourite Tam Bram dishes, and I like it to be just the way my grandmother and mother made it. Unfortunately, when I asked my mother for the recipe, she could not give me detailed quantities, so while making it, I had to wing it. It came out just the way I wanted it to, so not complaining at all.

200 gms ladyfinger/ bhindi
Gingerly oil

2 tbsp rice
2 tbsp chana dal
2 tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp dhania
1 tsp jeera
1 green chilli (or to taste)

2 cups sour buttermilk
Salt to taste

For tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp methi seeds
1 red chillli
1 sprig curry leaves
Gingerly oil

Method
Soak the rice and chana dal for about 30 minutes
Grind to paste soaked rice and dal, coconut, green chillli, dhania and jeera
Mix the ground masala with the buttermilk, add salt to taste
Meanwhile, cut the ladyfinger into halfs, and sauté till cooked. Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, add some more oil, if required, and temper mustard seeds. Once it stops spluttering, add the methi seeds, red chilli and curry leaves and fry on low heat till the raw smell goes (do not over fry, or the methi seeds will turn black). Add the ladyfingers and remove from the flame.
Add the buttermilk with ground masala, mix well, return to the flame and gradually bring to a boil.
Serve hot with rice

Cucumber pachadi

Like any other Tam Bram girl, I've grown up on cucumber pachadi, and never even knew about the existence of  'raitas' till I was in college. Cucumber pachadi is my favourite.

1 cup curds
1 cucumber grated
salt to taste

For Tempering:
Mustard seeds
Urad dal
Green chilli
Curry leaves
Til oil

Method:
Beat the curds with some water and salt to taste till smooth.
Grate the cucumber, and squeeze the juice out (you can either throw it away, or slather it on your face, or drink it like I do).
Mix cucumber with the curds.
Heat oil, temper with mustard seeds, urad dal, green chillis and curry leaves, and pour over the pachadi.
Mix well before serving.

Urulaikizhangu Podimas

Urulaikizhungu Podimas. I had even forgotten the dish existed, but when I saw the vengaya sambar staring at me from the fridge, the memories flooded my tastebuds. Memories of podimas eaten at my Patti's bright and airy Besant Nagar dining room, vague memories of her dining room in Deonar, and wonderful memories of eating with her in Malleshwaram. She might have moved houses every few years, but the podimas remained constant, as did her vengaya sambhar.

2 large potatoes
¾ tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of hing
1/2 inch piece ginger chopped into tiny piecces
1 green chili
10-12 curry leaves
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tbsp gingerly oil
1 tbsp lemon juice or as required
salt to taste

Method
Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker till completely cooked and of mashable consistency.
Peel and mash the potatoes coarsely
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add green chillis, curry leaves, ginger, urad dal, chana dal, and hing. Stir for half a minute
Add potatoes and salt, and saute on a low flame stirring constantly.
Serve with vengaya sambhar and steamed rice.

Patti's meal

My Patti was an excellent cook, but what made her really great was the fact that she cooked not to satisfy her vanity, but to make people happy. She knew the favourite dishes of all the people she was close to, and she always made it for them whenever she could.

This was "my" lunch- vengaya sambar, podimas, cucumber pachadi, rice and ghee- all cooked with love, and served with joy.

This is the first time I have cooked this combination for myself, and I know I will do so again soon.

Vengaya Sambar

If you ask me to choose one dish that I can never have enough of, I would probably choose Vengaya Sambar. Both my grandmothers were experts at making it, as was my mother, so my expectations from the dish are very, very high. But when you take your mother's recipe, and follow it to the letter, it is hard to go wrong. No, I will not say my vengaya sambar compares to their's, but it definitely comes close. And someday, I guess I will get it just right!





1 measure tur dal (soaked overnight)
1/2 tsp haldi powder

250 gms small onions
1 marble sized ball of tamarind

For ground masala:
6 red chillies (I use 2)
1 1/2 tsp dhania
1 tsp chana dal
2 tbsp grated coconut

For tempering: 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp methi seeds
2 red chillis
1 sprig curry leaves
Hing to taste
Til oil- about 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Cook the tur dal with haldi powder and salt till soft. Mash, and keep aside.
Peel the small onions*
Dry roast the ingredients listed under 'ground masala', and grind to a paste with minimal water
Heat the oil, add the ingredients under 'tempering'. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add the small onions and saute till translucent.
Make a paste with the tamarind ball, dilute it. Add tamarind juice along with salt to the fried onions, and bring to a boil.
Add cooked dal, and bring to a boil.
Add ground masala, bring to a boil, and let it cook on a low flame for 3-5 minutes

Though it can be had hot, I prefer to have it the next day, so the flavours seep into the onions.

* rubbing oil on the onions 15 minutes before peeling makes it easier to peel. I prefer to peel the previous night, and keep in an airtight container in the fridge

Patti's Keerai Mashiyal

Nostalgia comes in many forms. One of them takes the form of dreaming about some of the stuff that used to be served at my grandmother's place. All of us sitting around the dining table. Rice piled on the plates in front of us. A big dollop of ghee being dropped on top of the rice - my uncle asking for his to be on the side, so he could lick it- and the food. Parupu and keerai made an appearance very often, and I can't think of those times without the taste lingering on my tongue.
I got this recipe from my mother, even though I don't remember her ever making it for me, and it tasted every bit as good as it I remember it to be.

1 bunch chawli/ amaranth leaves

1/2 tsp jeera

Salt to taste

1 tsp rice flour

For tempering

Oil

1/2 tsp urad dal

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 red chilli

1 sprig curry leaves

A pinch of hing

Method

Wash and finely chop the amaranth leaves.

Cook covered with very little water, salt and jeera, will well done. Mash well with the back of a spoon

Dissolve rice flour in water, add to the cooked greens, and cook a little more.

Temper oil with urad dal, mustard seeds, hing, red chilli and curry leaves, pour over the greens and mix well.

Serve with rice.

Niramish Aloo Dum

Growing up in Calcutta as I did, one of my favourite street snacks had to be aloo dum. Half a dozen pieces of divine goodness, in a leaf 'dona'. I've come a long way since them, and prefer pairing my aloo dum with a roti than with a toothpick, but the desire to drown in the taste still remains. This recipe, like most others, is sourced from the internet.

Ingredients:

Small size potato: 500 gms, boiled and peeled
Tomatoes: 2-3 (large, ripe) or Tomato Puree: 2-3 tbsp
Warm water: 2 cups
Coriander leaves: for decoration
Red chilli powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1 ½ tsp
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar to balance

For tempering:
Oil or ghee: 4-5 tbsp
Cinnamon stick: 2”
Green cardamom: handful
Cloves: handful
Sugar: ½ tsp
Asafetida/ hing: 1 pinch

Method:
Boil and peel the baby potatoes and keep aside.
Heat the oil or ghee, add the ingredients for tempering, and fry on a low fire till the raw smell goes.
Add the potatoes and fry till lightly golden.
Toss in the dry ingredients, and stir till the potatoes are well coated.
Add tomato puree (puree the tomatoes if you don't have puree), and fry on a low flame till well done.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with parathas or puris. It can also be enjoyed as a stand alone snack.