Sunday, December 2, 2007

Eye Donation

Another issue I am very passionate about:
http://www.sgrh.com/dept/oph/carnio/adddon.asp
Please pledge to donate your eyes.

Missing Children in India

I got an email relating to this:
http://www.missingindiankids.com/help/

I thought this was just another spam email - but when i went thru it - it touched my heart. Result?? - look at the banner on the right side.
Also planning to become their volunteer.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Shame Shame - India

The recent violence in Assam was really a sad thing - bu what was sadder that in the guise of poilitical aspirations, people dont hesitate to fulfil thier leery primal instincts. The stripping of a girl during the riots is one such example. Read the story here.

This is not a shame for the girl - but for the whole of India. Not only for hte people who stripped her - but also for the people who did not do anything to stop it and instead stood there clicking pictures of the whole incident. Sad - really sad...

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Chocolate Walnut Cake - microwave

Heres the recipe of choco walnut cake - to be made in a microwave

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup maida
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup curd
vanilla essence - 2-3 drops
chopped walnuts - as per ur wish

Method:
Mix a sieve together the maida, cocoa powder and the soda.
Break the eggs in a bowl and beat it. Now add sugar to it and beat it again for 2-3 minutes. Now add small portions of the seived powders - beating with each addition. Repeat till all dry things are mixed in. Add vinegar and curd as well to the mix. If the curd is a bit dry - you can add a bit of milk to the batter.
Now add the vanilla essence and the chopped walnuts.
Put this in a greased microwavable utensil - and nuke it for 6 1/2 minutes. Leave this in the microwave for 2 minutes more after the microwave is switched off (to complete the cooking) Now put a toothpick in the centre of the cake to check the doneness of the cake. If it comes out clean - good enuff - else nuke it for a minute or so more.
Once the cake cools off compeletely, invert it on a plate and tap the edges of the utensil so that the cak slides off the utensil easily.
Cut into pieces and server.
This can be served with vanilla icecream as well - tastes yummy.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Vegetable Idli

Hi - long time no blogging. Anyway - i am back now.
Vegetable Idli is a very light snack - and quick too.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sooji
1 cup curd (preferably sour)
1 sachet Eno
1 cup Chopped vegetables (carrots, onions, cabbage, beans etc - all chopped very finely.)
salt - as per taste

Method:
Mix the sooji, curd and salt and keep aside for 10 minutes. Now add the vegetables and mix. Add Eno now and mix it quickly (dont over mix it)
Pur this in moulds and stem for 5 minutes as in the recipe below.
Hot vegetable Idlis are ready - eat with chutney or sauce.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Recipe - Idli

Heres a recipe for really quick idli.

Ingredients:
1 cup sooji (rawa/ wheat germ)
1+ cup sour curd (u can keep it out of the refrigerator overnight)
1/2 sachet Eno
1/4 tsp salt

Water

Method:
Mix the curd with sooji and salt. Vary the quantity of curd so that the batter is neither too thick nor too runny. It shud resemble the consistency of pancakes batter.
Also add salt. Keep this for abt 15-20 mins. Just when u r ready to cook the idlis - add eno. Mix it quickly - but dont over beat the batter. Pour this into the idli moulds and microwave it for 5 minutes. (make sure that the moulds are just a bit more than half full - idlis need space to become fluffy) (dont forget to add water to the base of the mould)
After 5 mins - cool the idlis a bit - and take off the moulds - they'll just slide off easily - hot idlis - ready to eat with sambhar/ chutney etc.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Dal - arhar

Hey Vivek - this one is for u.

Ingredients:
1 katori - dal (arhar - yellow)
3 tomotoes
1 onion (optional)
1 green chilli
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1 tbsp ghee

1 pinch hing (asoefitedia)
1/2 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp haldi
1/2 tsp dhania ppowder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder

salt - as per taste
Water - 2 katori

1/4 tsp - Amchoor
2 pinches - garam masala
Chopped coriander - for garnish.

Method:
wash and soak the dal for abt 15 minutes.
Meanwhile - puree the tomatoes and chop the onions, chillies and ginger.
In a pressure cooker, take a tbsp of ghee, when it heats up, add the hing in it. now add jeera. when the jeera splutters, add the onions, green chilli and ginger to it.Fry it for some time till the onions are translucent. Now add the pureed tomatoes. Also add all the other dry masalas (except amchoor and garam masala) and salt now, and cook this on low heat for abt 4-5 minutes. The mixture will soon start leaving the sides. Now add the soaked dal and water, and put the lid of the cooker. Put the gas stove at max temperature.
When the cooker gives out one whistle, lower the gas stove temperature - and shut off the gas after 3-4 minutes.
After the cooker cools down - open it, add the amchoor, garam masala and chopped coriander - and u r done. You can now adjust the quantity of water, salt and chillies if needed.
Enjoy this daal with steamed rice or chapattis.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Recipe - Vegetable Dalia

This is something I make when I am not in a mood to make something elaborate. This one dish suffices for the whole meal - for the whole family. And everybody loves it.

Ingredients:
1 cup dalia (broken wheat)
1/2 cup moong dal (green - with chilka)
Seasonal Mixed Vegetables -Cut into small pieces/shredded - About 3 cups
(I use carrots, capsicum, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, potatoes, peas - whatever is available in the season )
Salt - as per taste
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Garam Masala - optional
Chopped Coriander Leaves - for garnish.
Water - 4 cups

Method:
Dry roast the Dalia. Wash and soak the dal in water.
In a pressure cooker - add the ghee and when it is hot - add the vegetables. Now cook the vegetables lightly for a minute or two. Add the dalia, drained dal, water and salt and put the lid of the cooker.
When the cooker whistles once, put the gas on slow, and let the dalia cook for about 15 more minutes.
After the cooker cools down enough, open the cooker and mix the garam masala and the coriander leaves to the dalia. Serve immediately.

Tip:
1. I just put all the vegetables (except potatoes) in my food processor - and chop them roughly instead of cutting each of them separately.
2. The dalia can be served with chutney, pickles, papad etc.

This is a very healthy and low calorie dish - especially good for kids and elders.

Recipe - Peanuts and Chana chutney

Hi again - Today I am giving u the recipe for a chutney I made on Sunday. It was not from a specific recipe - and I had never made it earlier - still I decided to go ahead with my gut feel.

Ingredients:
Shelled Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Roasted Chana (Bengal Gram) - 1/2 cup
Whole red chillies - 3
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Jaggery (Gur) - size of a ping-pong ball
Tamarind - size of a ping-pong ball - soaked in water
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water

Method:
In a non stick pan - dry roast the peanuts on a low flame - till the aroma fills the air. Now in the same pan roast the chanas till golden in color. Follow this by dry roasting the red chillies (after breaking them into pieces)
Now put all this in a mixie, add salt, chopped green chillies and ginger. Also add the water extracted from tamarind paste. Process it till the chutney becomes very fine. If it is a bit dry - u can add a bit of water.
In a small kadhai, take the vegetable oil, add the mustard seeds till they start splattering. Now add the processed chutney and jaggery - and cook for 5 minutes or until the jaggery melts completely. If at any point of time u find that the chutney is dry - add more water.
The chutney is now ready - keep it in the refrigerator after it cools down.
The taste of this chutney is best the day after as masalas get some time to get absorbed.

PS: You can also add a tomato to ths chutney while grinding. In case u want the chutney to be a bit more sour - add 1/2 tsp on amchoor to it.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Aaloo Mutter

This is a simple recipe for potato+peas.

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes - washed and cut into squares
1 cup fresh peas - washed and shelled (u can used frozen thawed peas as well)
3 medium tomatoes - pureed
2 green chillies - chopped finely (optional)
1/2 inch ginger root - chopped finely
2 cups water
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 pinch asaefotedia
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dhania (coriander) powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric) powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

Coriander leaves - chopped finely for garnish

Method:
In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and add asaefotedia. After 2-3 seconds, add cumin seeds. When they start spluttering, add the green chillies, ginger and tomato puree. Along with that, add all the dry spices (except garam masala and amchoor). Now roast this a bit on low heat - till it starts leaving oil. Now add the cut potatoes and the peas along with the water. Put the lid on the pressure cooker, and cook it for abt 3 whistles (~10 minutes)
When the cooker cools a bit, open it up, mash 2-3 pieces of potatoes , add the garam masala and the amchoor powder.
Garnish with the coriander leaves when serving with rotis.

PS: the quantities of red and green chillies are variable - based on how spicy u want the subzi to be

Recipe - Shahi Paneer

Since mine is a joint household, I stay with my in-laws.
My MIL doesnt eat oniios - hence most of the dishes i make dont generally have onions in them.
This recipe is for Shahi Paneer - without onions. this is especially for my friend Sudeshna, who used to love it.

Ingredients:
250 gm paneer - cubed
5 tomotoes
2 green chillies (optional)
1/2 inch ginger
1 cup milk (hot)
Water - abt 2 cups
Salt - to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch asoefitedia
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder (adjustable)
2 pinches garam masala
1/2 tbsp sugar
little oil - for tempering

For garnish -

handful of nuts (cashews and raisins)

Method:
Roast the nuts a bit (can be done in a microwave)
Puree tomatoes, green chillies and ginger.
Heat oil in a kadhai , add asoefitedia and cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle - add the tomato puree. Cook it for some time till it starts leaving sides. Now add the hot milk slowly and keep on stirring the mixture. The milk needs to be hot - otherwose it will curdle. Also - do this step on low flame (or remove the kadhai from the fire).
Now cook this for abt 4-5 mins. add all the dry spices and cook for another 2 mins.
Now add the water and sugar and bring it to a boil. The amount of water will depend on the consistency you want.
Once water boils - add the cubed paneer pieces and cook for just 2 minutes more. Do not over cook - as the paneer pieces might break.
Garnish with coriander and nuts and serve hot.

Tip: Around Diwali - there are a lot of leftover sweets. 1 pc of Barfi can be used in this. To use the barfi, crush it and add when you add milk and drop the sugar out of the recipe.
PS: Onion lovers can add 2 onions - and grind it with tomatoes in the second step.

OMG

You just wont believe it - I had completely forgotten that I had signed up with blogspot some time back.
I am ashamed (blush)
Well - i promise myself that I will be a bit more regular with my blog from now on.