Mumbai Vegetable Sandwich

This simple and tasteful street food of Mumbai is packed with goodness of vegetables and is a favorite among the people on the go.  For years the sandwich wallas are dishing this out on the streets and people make a beeline for this even today.  The sandwiches near Mahalakshmi Temple is supposed to be the most popular. Recently got to eat this famous sandwich in the Hindu Gymkhana with Raju, Sameer, and Sashank.

The sandwiches can be served either grilled or without grilling.

Ingredients:

bread slices
green chutney
potatoes
tomatoes
cucumber
onions
pepper powder
chaat masala
salt
butter

Preparation:

1. Boil the potatoes.  Remove the butter from the refrigerator and keep it outside so that spreading it on the bread will be easy.
2. Prepare the green chutney with mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies, tamarind (or juice of lemon), roasted jeera powder, and salt.  Keep aside.
3. Slice the vegetables into roundels. Peel the potatoes and slice them too.
4. Trim the edges of the bread slices.
5. Apply butter on the bread slices and spread some chutney over this.  Arrange 2 to 3 pieces of each vegetable over it. Sprinkle chaat masala, pepper, and salt.

6. Cover this with another slice which has butter and chutney on it.
7. Cut into triangles with a sharp knife.
8. For the grilled variety, before cutting them into triangles, grill them in a toaster until golden in color and then cut them into triangles.

9. Serve immediately with chutney and tomato ketchup.

   

CHOCOLATE

I Am Not Addicted To Chocolate

Chocolate Is Addicted To Me

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Mint and Coriander Kulcha

Kulcha is a type of flat bread popular in north India and Pakistan. They are usually prepared with maida, but I have used both maida and wheat flour.  Kulchas can be stuffed with any filling - potatoes, paneer, peas, vegetables or made plain.  The vegetable tray in my refrigerator had plenty of fresh mint and coriander leaves and hence decided to make the stuffing using them.

Ingredients:

1 cup refined flour
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp curd
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
1 finely chopped green chilli
salt and pepper to taste
butter
roasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Take the flours, baking powder, baking soda in a mixing bowl. Add salt, sugar, milk, curd and mix. Add water as necessary to make a soft dough. Knead lightly and keep it covered for 30 minutes.
2. Combine the mint, coriander, chilli, salt, and pepper and keep aside.
3. Knead the rested dough once again and divide into 12 portion.
4. Take one portion, and roll and flatten it and put some mint-coriander filling inside it.

5. Close it and then with help of dusting flour roll them into circles (like in rotis).
6. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and press them into the dough with the help of rolling pin.

7. Heat a tava, place the rolled out dough carefully on the hot tava (with the sesame side on top).
8. When bubbles start forming, turn over on the other side and cook until bubbles start forming on this side too.
9. Remove from tava and directly place the kulcha on the gas flame, turn to the other side.
10. Remove and apply butter immediately on the kulchas.
11. Serve hot with any curry.
 

   

Moong Dal Kachori

Kachori (the khasta ones) is one among the favorite foods of my elder son. He has been reminding me that it is ages since I have cooked this for him. Today I made these kachoris after nearly two years - for snacking in the evening.  

This is specially for you dear Avinash (for Arjun, Lekshmi, and Sundari too).

A spicy Indian snack that originated in UP and Rajasthan, now popular in Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and other states with varied methods of preparation but tasteful all the same, be it as a street food in Delhi or adorning the royal family's dining table in Rajasthan.

Ingredients:

2 cups refined flour
1/4 cup ghee or butter
salt
water for binding dough

for the filling:
1 cup moong dal, soaked for an hour
2 tbsp ginger-green chilli paste
1 tsp jeera powder
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp clove powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp jeera
1 tbsp juice of lemon
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Cook the dal taking care that each grain remain separate but the dal is cooked through. Drain excess water, and keep aside.

2. To prepare the outer covering, take flour in a bowl, add salt and butter. Rub the flour to take a bread crumb texture.  This helps to make the kachori flaky and have a crusty outer case.

3.  Add water little at a time, just enough to bind into a soft dough. Cover with moist kitchen towel and let is rest for 20 minutes.
4. Take 2 tbsp of oil in a kadai, add jeera and asafoetida to this. Once the jeera starts browning, add the ginger-chilli paste and saute for one minute.
5. Add to this the cooked and drained dal, all the spices, sugar, salt and saute for few minutes on low heat.
6. Remove from stove and transfer to another bowl, add lemon juice and mix. Keep aside.

7. Knead the resting dough once again and divide them into small rounds.
8. Take one round and flatten it with help of your fingers and make a hollow cup.

9. Place some filling in this and bring the edges towards the center and seal the filling. Roll between both the palms and flatten it slightly. Prepare the rest of the kachoris the same way.

10. Heat oil. When it becomes hot, reduce the flame and then add the kachoris in batches and fry them slowly, then turn over and continue frying on low heat until golden brown.

11. Serve hot with coriander-mint chutney (dip).

  


   

Baingan Ka Bharta - The Eggplant Dip

Baingan Ka Bharta or Wangyacha Bharit (as called in Maharashtra) is a smoky-flavored, tasty side dish made from brinjal or eggplant.  In the middle-eastern countries a similar preparation is called Baba Ganoush.

Ingredients:

1 large brinjal (bharta baingan)
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Apply some oil around the brinjal and roast it directly over the flame, turning it around until all the sides turn black and the flesh becomes tender.

2. Peel off the outer blackened skin, and mash the insides. Keep this aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and saute until they turn light brownish in color.
4. Next add the ginger, garlic, green chilli and saute for a minute.
5. Add the tomatoes and saute until they become mushy.
6. Then add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder and let the spices cook until well blended.
7. Now add the mashed brinjal, garam masala and salt and continue sauteing for few minutes.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.

How hot are your chillies?

How hot are your chillies?

The hotness in a chilli is rated in Scoville units.  The bell peppers (capsicum) and pimento have a Scoville unit ranging between 0-100 while the Scoville scale for habanero and Scotch bonnet is 1,00,000-3,50,000.  

The hottest chili in the world is the Naga jolokia which is approximately 10,55,000 in the Scoville Scale. The Naga jolokia or the ghost pepper is found in Tezpur town of Assam, India. 

Jolokia or Ghost Pepper

Chilli was used in Mexico as early as 7000 BC. The chilli was brought to rest of the world by Christopher Columbus.

Chilli was introduced in India around 1498 by Vasco-da-Gama and since then it has become an important part of Indian cuisine.    

 Chillies are an excellent source of vitamin C, and also helps relieve nasal congestion and prevent blood clots.

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Curd Rice

The most soothing and comfort food for any hard core South Indian foodie.  

I call it simple and cool – because only the very basic ingredients goes into it but transforms this dish into a creamy delight! My children love it and that makes my cooking easier too. 

No South Indian meal is complete without the curd rice.  The ‘Thayir Sadam’ can be given a tadka and suitable garnishing to cater to one’s taste buds.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

2 cups thick curd

¼ cup milk

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp urad dal

½ tsp asofoetida

2 green chillies, chopped

1 tsbp finely chopped ginger

few curry leaves

finely chopped coriander leaves

salt to taste

Method:

1. Cook the rice in a pressure cooker.
2. Put the rice in a wide bowl, slightly mash the cooked rice when it is hot itself and then allow it to cool.
3.  Add the curd, milk and salt to the rice.
4. In a kadai heat the oil, add the mustard, urad dal, asafoetida, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and saute until urad dal browns.
5. Toss the hot seasoning into the rice and curd.
6. Sprinkle coriander leaves and mix.
7. Serve cold with pickle.  Though tastes great even without the pickle. 

1. 

Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips

We Indians relate festivals with food (goodies and snacks), it does not matter whether it is Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Krishna Jayanthi, Holi, Karthikai Deepam, Id, Diwali, or Christmas - all festivals are a time to rejoice and also share the food prepared with others. 

Baked these cookies during Christmas but the incomplete recipe was sitting in the 'draft' folder until now. 

Ingredients:

2 cups refined flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. In a wide bowl, mix sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla.
3. Beat the egg and add to the above and mix well. Keep aside.
4. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the sifted flour to the sugar and butter mixture.
6. Bind into a stiff dough.

7. Add the chocolate chips and bind until evenly mixed.
8. Divide dough into small balls and shape them as desired or use a cookie cutter.
9. Place them in a greased tray leaving enough space in between.
10. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the middle rack of the oven.

Pav Bhaji

The famous street food of Mumbai and a favorite of the Mumbaikars which had a very humble beginning - food vendors used to combine together all the vegetable dishes with some spices and serve it with bread to the short-of-time factory and mill workers years ago. The tasty preparation later found a rightful place in the restaurant menus.  Gradually spread to other regions of India and traversed across seas to other nations too. 

Special bread called 'ladi pav' is toasted in butter and served along with the spicy bhaji, finely chopped onions and coriander leaves and lemon wedges.  

Ingredients:

for bhaji
250 gm boiled and mashed potatoes
1 cup finely chopped onions
250 gm chopped tomatoes
1 cup boiled peas
2 tbsp pav bhaji masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp garlic paste
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

for pav
ladi pav
butter

Method:

1. In a kadai, heat the butter and oil together.
2. Add the garlic paste and saute for a minute.
3. Add the chopped onions and saute until it changes colour.
4. Next put in the tomatoes and stir and mash to soften it.
5.Add pav bhaji masala, chilli powder, salt.
6. To this add the peas and potatoes, mix and mash well.

7. Add approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup water and cook on medium flame, mash continuously. 
8. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from fire. Add coriander leaves and some more butter (optional).
9. Slit each pav, apply butter on both sides and toast on a girdle.
10. Serve the pav along with the bhaji, some chopped onions and lemon wedges.   

RICE – the widely consumed cereal grain

"Rice is a beautiful food. It is beautiful when it grows, precision rows of sparkling green stalks shooting up to reach the hot summer sun. It is beautiful when harvested, autumn gold sheaves piled on diked, patchwork paddies. It is beautiful when, once threshed, it enters granary bins like a (flood) of tiny seed-pearls. It is beautiful when cooked by a practiced hand, pure white and sweetly fragrant.”-Shizuo Tsuji, Japanese chef

                                                          

While the world debates which is healthier - the polished White Rice or the unpolished Brown Rice, let us get to know more on the different varieties of this super grain – the aromatic basmati; nutritious parboiled rice;  iron-loaded black rice; the healthy whole grain brown rice; the Thai jasmine rice, samba red rice from Tamil Nadu; and the parboiled red matta rice from Kerala.    

The grain is boiled or cooked to give us an endless list of rice dishes - from the humble gruel (kanji) to the sumptuous biryani – and the in betweeners - fried rice, pulao, lemon rice, curd rice, payasam, kheer etc, etc, etc   

The powdered form of this grain is also used in many cuisine.  More on this later.

How did the use of Chopsticks come about

Sauteed Bhindi (Ladyfingers/Okra)

Ladyfingers - a favorite among the ladies (though a sticky vegetable) because of its ease in chopping and cooking.  Here I share a very easy version that can be done in a jiffy.

Ingredients:

200 gm ladyfingers/bhindi
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Method:

1. Cut the ladyfingers into 1.5 inches and then cut each piece lengthwise, keep aside.

2. Take oil in a tawa, add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
3. Add the ginger and green chillies and stir for a minute.
4. Add the ladyfingers and saute for 1 to 2 minutes on medium flame.
5. Put the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt, and cook for few minutes.
6. Sprinkle some water so that all the spices mix well with the bhindi.
7. Cook until the ladyfingers are soft and cooked.
8. Remove from stove, transfer to serving bowl.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves.
10. Serve with hot phulkas, parathas.