Rice can taste good too...

I've been at home in Bombay and since Amma isn't well, i'm completely incharge of the kitchen. I've been loving it :). Amma needs to eat very very bland food. And dad and I can't deal with bland, almost tasteless food for too long. So, here's what I've been experimenting with---

For Amma:

A cup of diced veggies (carrots, beans, corn  etc.) and 1/2 a measure of rice goes into a cooker. The water is usually a little extra so that the rice becomes soft and easy to swallow / digest. Salt to taste, a spoonful of ghee. Pressure cook for up to 2 / 3 whistles and switch off. The variations i've ben trying with this to ensure that she doesn't get bored with eating the same food:

Rice with chopped spinach leaves, tomatoes and finely chopped onions. In addition to the salt and ghee, a pinch of dhania jeera powder.. to activate the taste buds ;)

Rice, veggies and dal cooked together with the salt and ghee makes a TASTY khichadi which even dad and I couldn't resist. :)

What I do with the leftover rice

And with any rice that's left over from the afternoon, add a few sauteed veggies, some ground spices, a few pods of garlic, a bit of ginger and aquick-fix tasty rice delight is ready!I tried a few options with chopped tomatoes and onions (commonly known as Tomato Rice :); Spinach and corn kernels and Soy chunks and spring onions.

Pudina sandwich marinated in sweetened yoghurt

This was something new that I tasted over the weekend, at a friend's place. This was one of the starters. Apart from this, we had fried rice, rajma, white rice, some amazing rasam and buttermilk. Not to forget the fruit-biscuit custard pudding! Try this one out...It's very simple to make.

If you are inviting people over for a meal, you cna plan this as one of the starters. You can make all the preparations the previous night and just put it together about an hour before you wish to serve.

Here's what you need:

• A loaf of bread (this depends on how many people you want to serve)
• Pudina Chutney (grind fresh pudina, green chillies and some roasted jeera together with a little water to make this fresh-spicy chutney)
• Thick yoghurt
• Powdered sugar
• Some chat masala and a finely chopped fresh coriander for garnishing

Here's how you make it:
First, cut the crumbs off the bread slices. Apply a slightly thick layer (only if the chutney is not too spicy) of chutney on one slice of bread and place  another slice on it.
Make as many such sandwiches as you need. You can cut these sandwiches into any interesting shape you want to amke the presentating attractive- triangles / small squares / circles and other fancy shapes if you have cutters.
Place these mini cute-looking sandwiches neatly in serving dishes.
Now, add the powdered sugar into the yoghurt and blend well. Make sure that it is not too sweet or it'll take away from the actual flavour of the mint chutney.
Pour the sweetened yoghurt on the mini sandwiches with a ladle. Don't drown the sandwiches in yoghurt. Pour just enough to cover the sandwiches.
Refrigerate the preparation for about 20 - 30 mins before you want to serve it.
Just before you serve, sprinkle chat masala all over and garnish with finely chopped coriander. You can also be innovative with the garnishing and use grated carrots almond shavings etc. to add colour and flavour.

Tip:
Prepare this just about an hour before you intend to serve it. You can keep all the ingredients ready well in advance so that your actual preparation time is reduced drastically. If the sandwihes are left too long with the curd marinate, they tend to become soggy and difficult to eat.

Most people will relish this and so it's better to make some extra, so that you don't fall short of it in the last moment. :)

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Acknowledgements: Thanks Pallavika for this new tasty treat!!!

Sabudana Khichadi - Dry disaster :(

Tried the Sabudana Khichadi without my mom's supervision this morning.  It looked good and tasted good. Just that it was not soft enough. The Sabudana was still very hard. I guess I drained out ALL the water when i soaked it last night. Maybe should have left just a bit of water - enough to soften the little white beads overnight. And added enough oil to cook it in as well. :(

Hope it turns out to be better and more edible the next time.

Experiment: Quick fix Peanut Onion chutney

 An experiment. A tasty one.

Late last evening, I was hungry and had to fend for myself. the in-laws had duties relating to their son's wedding which they had to attend to. Expecting them to return and then cook is unfair. Also, it was a chance for me to try out something new. We had some batter for dry rice rotis which my mom-in-law would have for dinner. Made some hot rice for the others. With rice, we had only rasam and no vegetables.

Quick idea: a chutney which can be mixed with rice and will also taste good with the rotis. Checked for the veggies and supplies readily available at home to mae it as simple and quick a preparation as possible.

Took a cup of peanuts and put them in the mocrowave to roast. 3 sessions of 1 min each and put it aside to cool. took about 5 onions and cut them into thich slices. Sauteed them in oil for just a bit, with green chillies and allowed it to cool.

Put the onions, chillies, peanuts, salt and an inch of tamarind into the mixer. After a minute of grinding, added some water. Figured it was tooooooooooooo salty (i can never get the proportions right with rock salt). So, chopped 2 more onions and put it into the mixie (without sauteing, this time, as i was in a hurry). This neautralized the saltiness. Also added a handful of roasted chana dal for taste. Ran all these in the mixie for one more minute till it became a thick fine paste. for those who want it liquidy, just add more water.

Garnished it with the regular seasoning (oil, mustard seeds, jeera, and asafoetida and a few curry leaves). This took me less than 10 minutes to make. My dad-in-law and sathys thoroughly enjoyed the chutney.

It's quite tasty when eaten with piping hot rice. Am thinking it'll also serve as a tasty dip with crudites / crackers.  

Sabudana Khichadi

Sabudana = Sago (Eng) = sabakki / seeme akki (Kan)

The Sabudana Khichadi is a typical Maharashtrian dish prepared either for breakfast or evening snacks. Considering that my family has a very strong Maharashtrian influence anf also that I've lived in Mumbai for most of my life, i've been feasting on this ever since I remember. It takes some planning and preparation but otherwise, it's a simple and easy to make breakfast.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Sabudana - soaked overnight / for 12 hours (would serve 3 people)
• 1 cup diced potatoes (you can leave the skin on but make sure that the potatoes have been washed very well before cutting)
• 3-4 green chillies - finely chopped
• 2 tbsb roasted and coarsely ground peanuts (roast and grind with the skin)For the seasoning - Curry leaves (whole or chopped), Jeera / cumin seeds, Finely chopped coriander 
• Oil for cooking
• Salt to taste.

Method  

Put Sabudana in a large vessel and fill with water. Just mix gently once and drain out the excess water. Leave the moistened sabudana in the vessel (covered) for 12 hours.

Heat enough cooking oil in a  deep pan. Add jeera and finely chopped green chillies. Once the chillies are done with spluttering, add the curry leaves. Put in the diced potatoes and allow them to cook well. Then, add the sabudana into the pan and mix well. Close the pan and allow it to cook till the sabudana becomes transluscent. Ensure that the sabudana is not sticky or it'll make the khichadi rubbery. Once cooked, add the peanut powder (roasted and coarsely ground) and mix well. Allow to cook for one or 2 mins more.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot. One of my favourite accompaniments for this khichadi is curd with sugar!

Simple Salads

Beetroot Green Apple Salad: just enough for 2 generous helpings

Take a cup of grated beetroot, half a cup of Pomegranate, and half a cup of peeled and diced crunchy green Apples. Mix all of these well, add salt and a pinch of chat masala powder for taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Tastes great when served cold.

Carrot Raisin Salad:

A fer carrots, peeled and grated. A handful of raisins, roasted sesame seeds and a dash of fresh lime juice for seasoning.

Mix the grated carrots and raising, add salt to taste and the seasoning. If you plan to refrigerate, then add the seasoning just before you serve. 

Another tasty seasoning with this one is roasted and coarsely ground peanuts.

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Thanks Maa for this healthy treat!!

Masala Majjige

'Masala Majjige' - Kannada for spiced buttermilk- is an all-time favourite with my family. Especially post-dinner. Try out these different varieties of the simple buttermilk and let me know how you liked it. Any more variations are welcome!

To make buttermilk: Blend thick curd (make sure the curd is fresh and hasn't turned sour. If slightly sour, add some milk to neutralise) with water (1 cup of curd : 2.5 to 3 cups of water) and stir well. If you want it to be thick and creamy, you can reduce the amount of water and run it in the mixer once.

Just buttermilk with salt tastes great. The flavours are good if you want to try out some variety.

The Simplest flavouring
Add salt, dry mango - amchur powder (if you like it tangy) and a teaspoon of fresh seasoning (tadka - a drop of ghee with mustard seeds, cumin seeds-jeera and asafoetida-hing ). Mix well and serve in a tall, clear glass. You can use chopped fresh coriander (hara dhaniya) / fresh mint (Pudina) leaves for seasoning.


Spicy buttermilk
Slit a few green chillies (2 chillies are good for 4-5 cups) vertically and crush an inch of ginger well.  Put it into the vessel containing buttermilk, add salt and stir well. Leave this for at least an hour. Strain out the chillies and ginger before you serve. Garnish either with fresh coriander or mint leaves. This tastes better without the mustard - jeera- hing seasoning.

Fresh Mint Lassi
Crush a handful of fresh Mint leaves and roasted jeera in a mortar and pistle (the flavour is better when done this way) / run it in the mixie if it is more convenient. Add the paste to the buttermilk, andd salt to taste. Garnish with mint leaves. You may add half a chilli while grinding, if you want it to be spicy.

Jaljeera flavour
Add readymade Jaljeera powder to buttermilk and stir well. Garnish with crisp boondi and mint leaves.

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You can also try out the sweeter version of buttermilk - Lassi by substituting salt with sugar

and use flavours such as fresh mango pulp  / rose syrup / Cardomom - elaichi etc.

Mango Lassi:

Rose Lassi

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