Greek Salad

Forgot where I found this.

Ingredients
. Cos Lettuce/Iceberg Lettuce. 300 gms. Tear into small pieces
. Tomatoes: 200 gms. Cut into eight wedges
. Cucumber: 1- deseeded, cut into small cubes
. Small red onions: 2
. Black Olives: 40 gms - Pitted and halved
. Feta Cheese - 80 gms- CrumbledCan also use soya chunks instead

For the dressing
. Extra Virgin Olive oil - 60 ml
. Dijon Mustard - 15 gms
. Fresh lemon juice - 25 ml
. Seasoning - as required

Method
. Mix lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onions and black olives
. To make the dressing, whisk together the mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and then season it with salt and pepper.
. Pour the dressing over the salad
. Toss gently until ingredients are coated with dressing, serve soon.

Goan Red Masala - for Shrimp and Fish and Chicken

From Christabel/Sundari:

This masala can be made in bulk and stored away. It's a typical Goan red masala. Apply it as a marinade to fish or shrimp as needed and fry. Can also be used with chicken but then you need to add some garam masala as well.

Red chilli powder - 8 tsp if using Catch brand or 10 tsp if using Kashmiri
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 3/4 tsp
Haldi - 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Mix the above with malt vinegar (as much as is required to make a thick paste that can be rubbed over the fish or shrimp). Marinate the seafood for minimum 30 mins and fry.

Fish Cutlets

From Christabel/Sundari:
Makes about 12 cutlets.

Fish - 400 grams. Boil this in 1/2 tsp salt + 3 tsp vinegar + 1/4 cup water for about 7 mins (till it cooks and becomes whitish). Mash this and keep aside.

Heat oil and fry the following till soft (don't cook too much)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion + 1 heaped tsp of finely chopped green chilli + 1 heaped tsp of finely chopped ginger + 2 heaped tsp of finely chopped garlic. Add in mashed fish and some freshly chopped coriander. Beat an egg and add to this along with one slice of bread broken up. Mix all this together. Make into balls. Roll each ball in breadcrmbs and flatten. Fry in oil.

Variations:
1. You can use half quantity boiled potato and only half the amount of fish to make it more balanced and get your dose of veggies and carbs
2. You can also experiment with brinjal instead of potato. Its innovative but not always appealing to all palates!!

Potato palya + Lime rice/Tomato rice

A combo meal from Christabel/Sundari :)

Karipatta=Curry Leaf
Haldi=Turmeric powder

Potato Palya
Heat oil and throw in some mustard seeds + karipatta + 1 clove garlic chopped. When they (mustard seeds) begin to crackle throw in fine chopped onions and green chillies and fry till well-cooked. Add very little tomato and cook well till onions start browning and tomato is well cooked. Add the chopped potato a dash of haldi + salt and a little bit of water (to provide steam for potatoes to cook in but not so much as to make a curry!!). Cover and let it cook for 15 mins to 30 mins depending on how much potato you got in there. Add green coriander at the end and mix well.

Lime Rice
Heat oil. Add mustard seeds and when they crackle add karipatta + onions + green chillies + jeera seeds. Fry till onions are brown. Add a dash of haldi + juice of half a lime + green coriander leaves + salt. Fry for a few seconds. Now add cooked white rice and mix well. Can add more lime if needed and some roasted peanuts (optional).

Tomato Rice
Fry onion and green chillies. Add tomatoes + chilli powder + haldi + karipatta (Curry leaf). Cook these well. Then add raw rice and enough water and cook. Can add a dash of butter for added flavour.

Aloo Capsicum (Potato and Bell Peppers)

Ingredients
• 4 Capsicums
• 2 Potatoes
• 1 Large chopped onion
• 1 Large chopped tomato
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 2 tbsp Oil
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves

How to make Aloo Capsicum
• Wash capsicum and potatoes and cut into pieces.
• Heat the oil and fry chopped onion till it turns brown.
• Add capsicum and potato and fry it for few minutes.
• Add chopped tomato, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt.
• Mix it well and cook it till it turns tender.
• Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves. (And maybe lime?)
• Serve hot with rotis.

http://www.indobase.com/recipes/details/aloo-capsicum.php

Mushroom and Capsicum Subji

Ingredients
• 450 gm Fresh Mushroom
• 1 Capsicum (medium sized)
• 2 tsp Red Chill Powder
• 2 tsp Dry Coriander Powder
• 1 medium Onion
• 1 medium Tomato
• 1 Green Chilli (cut into small pieces)
• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Cumin-Mustard Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• Salt to taste

Preparation
• Wash mushroom and cut into two pieces.
• Trim onions, capsicum, tomato in square pieces.
• Pour oil in a pan and add cumin and mustard seeds to it.
• Mix green chillies and onions.Saute till golden brown.
• Add capsicum and then add tomato, cook till soft.
• Then add mushroom, turmeric, red chill powder, coriander powder, salt.
• Mix it well, cook until the mushroom became tender and then turn off the flame.

http://www.indobase.com/recipes/category/capsicum-50.php

Aloo Gobi (Potaoes with Cauliflower)

This came out really well.

Ingredients
• 1 Cauliflower
• 4 Potatoes
• 1 Tomato
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• ½ tsp Red chilli
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp Oil

How to make Aloo Gobhi
• Wash cauliflower and potatoes and cut into pieces.
• Heat the oil and add potatoes and cauliflower and leave it on medium flame for 5 minutes.
• Add chopped tomato, turmeric powder, coriander, red chili and salt.
• Cook it for 5 minutes.
• I added some chopped coriander in the end, and a dash of lime.
• Serve it with rotis.

From: http://www.indobase.com/recipes

Prawn Chilly Fry

From Christabel/Sundari:

Take 250 gm prawns.
Heat oil and fry 2 medium and finely chopped onions till brown.
Add 1/2 tsp red chilli powder + 1/2 tsp haldi + 1 tsp roasted coriander powder.
Stir for 5 seconds. Add 3 green chillies (chopped) + 1 small piece of chopped ginger + 1/2 tsp pepper corns that have been pounded coarsely. Stir well.
Add prawns and cook on medium heat till cooked and dry.
Adjust seasoning as per preferences.

Chicken Cafreyal

From Christabel/Sundari:

Marinate 800 gm chicken in 2 tbsp lime juice and salt for 20 mins (remember to make slits in chicken).

Grind to a paste : 8 green chillies = 1 cup coriander leaves + 50 gm ginger + 25 gm garlic + 1 tsp pepper corns + 1 stick of cinamon + 4 cloves + 3tbsp malt vinegar. MArinate the chicken in this paste for minimum 2 hrs and then bake or fry.

Easy Bhendi!

This wins the award for Easy Recipe!!

From my friend Christabel - will post more of her recipes here, and she says to acknowledge her mother-in-law's cook, who's the source for most of them - so here's to you, Sundari! Thank you!

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Buy bhendi (ladies finger/okra)
Cut off the ends.
Make a slit along the length of each bhindi and stuff it with "MDH Bharwan Tava Fry" masala. Shallow fry till cooked. It tastes awesome with chapati and dal.

Banana Pancakes!

This is a recipe I got from the Net. I just added the additional banana slices to make it tastier - it worked :) Very simple and high-energy breakfast.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour (I use atta)
1 tablespoon white sugar (good if you can powder it in mixie)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (You could do away with this. Or just use 1 spoon of healthy olive oil)
2 ripe bananas, nicely mashed
2 more bananas, make very thin round slices

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and bananas.

# Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; try to reduce lumps as much as possible.
# Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Spread it like dosa, though not too thin.
# Now put those thin round slices of banana all over.
# Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides. Yes, turn over to cook the side with the banana slices too.
# Serve hot - spread honey on it to make it even tastier! Maybe kids may like jam with it too.

Tender Coconut Dessert/Fresh Orange Kheer

My friend Aditi's recipe, she's a super-innovative cook. A perfect summer dessert! There's also a variation, - fresh orange kheer - adding it at the end.

Ingredients

Milk - half litre
Condensed milk - half a tin
Coconut milk - you can buy that small packet of Hommade coconut milk (I think it is around 200 ml)
The white stuff inside the tender coconut (ask the tender coconut man for the really tender ones, so that this is almost translucent) Leechis or any other soft sweet translucent fruit will also do - thatti nungu?

Preparation

Take half a litre of boiled milk.
Add half a tin of condensed milk to it, keep on fire, and keep stirring until the condensed milk is well-blended with milk. Does not have to boil.
Take it off the fire and allow it to cool completely.

Then add a small packet of coconut milk. Or make the coconut milk fresh if you can :)
Add thinly chopped pieces of the white stuff you get inside tender coconut - ganji or whatever you call it. Or the lichee or the water chestnut or whatever other fruit you choose.
Check taste - if you want it sweeter, add more condensed milk.

Now chill it nice and proper in the fridge/freezer! The chilling is what adds a lot of the flavor.
Serve chilled.

Variation: Fresh Orange Kheer

"the same milk and condensed milk recipe can be adapted to make fresh orange kheer.... yummm!
leave out the coconut milk, though....
allow the mixture to cool down, then chill.....
once really cold, plonk in peeled orange segments without the pith and pips....
i like this one even better than the tender coconut variant...:-)"

Super Simple Prawn Recipe!

The quickest prawn recipe I've seen - and very tasty too. Learnt from my mother.
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Boil prawns with a little turmeric and sufficient salt. Do not add any water - the prawn will release lots of water. Prawn cooks pretty fast.

Slice some sambar onions (shallots) in thin rounds, and fry. The thinner you slice, the faster it fries and the nicer it tastes. And the more you onions you have, the nicer it tastes.

Add some chilly powder and fry a few seconds.

Then add the prawn - it may still have some water, so stir until dry or semi-dry as you want, some people also fry the cooked prawn first and then add to the onions.

That's it! Tastes really good. If you want it spicier, add some chilly powder when you are boiling the prawn itself.

Goes with chapathis and rice. And possibly with bread too.

Gujarathi Khadi

Super simple and tasty. Got it from a site, lost the link. Goes well with kichdi.

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Ingrediants
1 tablespoons gram flour/besan/channa dal flour
1 cup yogurt
¼ teaspoon hing/asofoetida
1 tablespoon jaggery or sugar
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 green chilli sliced
5 leaves of curry leaves
2 cloves
1 tablespoon ghee
Salt to taste

Method
Whisk yogurt, besan, hing, jiggery, salt and 3 cups water, bring it to boil and simmer the heat to low for about 5 minutes.
In the mean while in a smaller frying pan/sauce pan, heat ghee with heat in medium, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Allow it to crackle, then add chopped ginger, sliced green chilli, cloves and curry leaves. Sauté in ghee for a few minutes
Add the above seasoning to the boiled yogurt mixture and simmer for a few more minutes. The consistency of the kadhi should be of pouring consistency.

Serve it with hot rice, phulka’s and a subzi. On a lazy day just kadhi and vegetable pulav will taste just as great.

Tasty Tip
You can add Pakoda’s to the kadhi to make it extra delicious.

Nut Triangles [German Cake]

This is the recipe of a very delicious crunchy jammy cake, taught to me by a German friend. The instructions are detailed and will possibly sound silly to you, because it was for someone who's never cooked or baked before and is perfectly capable of getting himself electrocuted and/or burn down his entire neighborhood trying to bake cake. But it's actually quite simple. :) :)
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Nut Triangles [German Cake]

Choose a square baking tray for this, if you have. Apply thin layer of butter in baking tray and sprinkle some maida and spread lightly. This is to prevent cake from sticking onto tray. To be done for all cakes.

• 100 gms Sugar
• 300 gms Wheat Flour (Maida)
• 130 gms Butter
• 1 Tea spoon Baking Powder
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tea Spoon of Vanilla Essence

Mix everything in a bowl. Start with eggs and sugar - beat nicely and melt sugar. Then vanilla essence. Then butter. You can melt butter and add if it is too hard. Then maida and baking powder. Beat well until all blends. Spread on a baking tray (preferably square).

Tip: Baking powder should spread well so that it doesn't stay in just some parts of cake. To do this most clever people add it to the maida, and then pass the maida through a sieve directly into the bowl. You can just sprinkle it evenly too and mix well.

Spread around 7 tea spoons of Apricot jam (if not available you can also use any other jam) on top of it.

Now mix of all the items below and and spread it on top of the jam layer.

• 200 gms Melted Butter
• 150 gms Sugar
• 200 gms Hazelnuts in small pieces (or Walnuts) [put in mixie, do a quick turn - or just crush them to small pieces - don't make it completely powdery, this layer should be crunchy]
• 200 gms Almonds in small pieces [same here]

Pre-heat oven for 10 mins at around 150 degrees. You must never put cake in cold oven and then bake. Pre-heat, switch off just before keeping cake. Keep cake tray inside on the rack, and then switch on again.

Bake it for 30 minutes at 180 degrees. Nice smell will start coming! To see if it is baked poke a fork into it - if cake still sticks to it, then bake for more time - say another 10 mins. Usually it takes more than 30 mins. But keep a watch - it should not become too dry. After you take it out leave it open to cool - then it will harden some more.

You can cut this cake into squares and then triangles.
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Guten Appetit!

Sweet & Hot Green Mango Chutney, North Karnataka Style!

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very simple and addictive, needs very little preparation time, no cooking involved.

You can eat this with just about anything - rice, chapathi, pooris, dosas, bread, uppittu, as a dip. Kids will eat just about anything if you serve this chutney with it!

 

Ingredients

1. Green Mangoes (2 Thothapuris (they are not very sour) with one sour green mango would give an ideal taste)
2. Jaggery (Bella)
3. Red Chilly Powder (Byadagi chilly gives the best color, if not add Kashmiri Lal)
4. Salt
5. Scraped Dry Coconut (Kobri) – Optional. Add if the mango is very sour. Usually not required for Thothapuri. We don't add this.

 For seasoning

1. Mustard
2. Hing (asafoetida powder)

Preparation

1. Scrape or cut green mango into small pieces (same taste but different consistency – my mother-in-law used to scrape it)
2. Add to mixie jar.
3. Add red chilly powder. Add a little, you can always add later if you want it hotter. Jaggery should be the stronger taste in here, so go easy on the chilly.
4. Now scrape/powder jaggery and add to this. This again, add a little, you can always add more later if you want it sweeter. Everything in this recipe is by and large repairable, since there’s no cooking involved. :)
5. Add the dry coconut, if you are using it.
6. Add salt.
7. Grind it all, and check taste. Keep adding whatever you want for adjustment, until it is both sweet and hot. It should be sweet enough to be eaten on its own – that’s the test - the chilly should not be too prominent.
8. Transfer to a bowl.
9. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add some hing powder. Keep it until the hing smell comes out, then add to chutney and mix well.

That's it!
Keep this chutney in the fridge, not sure how many days it will last outside.

Abundance

“…..For life ought to be rich and abundant and full of love.

A piece of bread and butter should have a thick, carefully-spread layer of yellow butter, smoothed on top and trimmed at the sides so that none overlaps; that is the correct and heartening yellow bed on which your cheese ought to be laid. And that cheese must be thick-you must never use a cheese-plane, only a knife. White cheese should be an inch thick and preferably just slightly over the edge of the bread, like a solid, flat roof.

That achieved, you must regard your handiwork with reverence and consider whether or not to top it with a sprig of parsley, a drop pf tomato purée, a little chutney or a radish. Perhaps you will decide to let the cheese grace the bread alone, in solitary majesty-as you always must when it is Gruyère-but the idea of adding an extra, decorative love token must have been considered.

A piece of bread and butter must overflow with joy and enthusiasm, with generosity and love. People who save on food, who scrape their butter and plane their cheese, show thereby that they have killed their own sense of life and its exuberance. They are the usurers, clerks and debt-collectors; they have thin hair and meager souls, hollow eyes and chests, barren loins; you will not find hope among those who scrape their butter and you will search in vain for romance and adventure among people who have a cheese-plane in their kitchen.

Every time he (Ash Burlefoot) encountered this painful niggardliness in people, Ash was filled with two conflicting emotions: one was compassion for their poverty and profound understanding for the mentality of those who for years have had to fight to make the housekeeping money go round. But the other emotion was one of violent fury, a red-hot anger at seeing the wonder of life so fraudulently profaned.

And he knew that were he ever to fall so low that he had only one crown left for himself, his wife and twelve starving children, he would not buy a large piece of cheap cheese and eke it out with the aid of a cheese-plane. He would buy a chunk of the best cheese to be got, cut it into cubes the size of a match-box and hand them round with a generous, liberal hand. After that they would die. But they would die remembering that the last thing they ate was a thick piece of good cheese: good and thick.

He was fully and firmly convinced of the enormous importance of food and love for human happiness. He was twenty years old and did not know how right he was, and it was strange to think what would have happened if he had been appointed head of the official health service.

Much would have been different in Norway if he had. And much would have been different in his own life."

'Lasso Round the Moon' by Agnar Mykle