Plantain stem spiced with mustard

Tender Plantain Stem is cut into disks and then these disks are finely chopped into bite size pieces before cooking.These pieces are added to diluted buttermilk until cooking time to avoid any discoloration.Plantain stem can be used to prepare stir-fries and raita.

Image courtesy:Subbuskitchen

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped plantain stem

1 tbsp thick tamarind juice

1/4 tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

for seasoning,

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp urad Dal

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asfoetida

Method:

• Boil the chopped plantain stem pieces in water just until cooked but not mushy and soft.Drain off any extra water.
• In a wide vessel,heat oil and add the ingredients for seasoning.Add hing/asfoetida after the lentil turns golden brown.
• Add turmeric and cooked plantain stem pieces.
• Add thick tamarind paste and stir.Add salt to taste.
• Serve hot with rice

Paneer Butter Masala

This rich creamy curry is a fave in my house. I made a note of this recipe from Nita Mehta's Paneer book .
Making this is very easy and hardly takes any time.
Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized onion
• small piece of ginger about 1/4 tsp when grated
• 1 flake garlic
• 2 big tomatoes
• 1/2 block paneer(125 gm)
• 4-5 cashew kernels crushed to a coarse powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• pinch of kasuri methi leaves
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala powder
• 1/4 tsp corainder powder
• pinch of cumin powder
• 1/2 big capsicum or 1 small capsicum sliced into rings
• 2 green chillies slit
• 1 small onion sliced into rings

Method:

• Grind onion ginger garlic to a paste without adding water.
• Grind the tomatoes to make puree.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the onion paste till cooked but not brown.
• Add the coarse cashew powder,coriander powder,cumin powder,crushed kasuri methi,garam masala powder,red chilli powder and saute for a minute.
• Add half cup milk and cook till the mixture thickens.
• Add sugar.
• Add the tomato puree/paste.If using canned tomato paste add about 2 tsps.
• Cook till the raw smell disappears and tomato puree is all cooked.Add salt to taste.
• Now keep this gravy off the heat.
• In a separate pan heat about 1 tsp butter or just as needed to fry. Add sliced capsicum/green pepper,onion rings and slit green chillies. Once onions and capsicum are cooked add these to the gravy. In the same pan fry half of the paneer cubes till light brown just so that they dont crumble in the gravy.
• Add the remaining half cubes just as is.

Stir everything gently and keep the gravy on low flame for 10 mins .Now Rich and creamy Paneer Butter Masala is ready to serve .

Pindi Pulihara

Happy new Year to all the readers of my blog!
The recipe I am sharing here today is a classic my mother makes.She usually makes this for any occasions ,picnic,travel and when we have friends over.My mom makes this very often.It is quick and can be made in less than 20 min.To make Pindi Pulihara you need
1 cup ground rice

Wash the rice and let it dry in the sun .Grind to a coarse powder.Alternately even unwashed rice can also be ground to a coarse powder.
1.25 cups water
1 tbsp oil
1 lemon sized tamarind ball
1 fistful of raw peanuts
1 tbsp each Channa Dal and urad Dal
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¾ dry red chillies teared to small pieces or whole
4/5 slit fresh green chillies
2/3 sprigs curry leaves
¼ tsp turmeric
Dash of asfoetida or as desired
Method:
To make pulihara,first take a wide kadai and add 1.25 cups of water.Bring the water to boil and add 1 tsp oil to this water.Now,slowly rice rava with one one hand to the water and use other hand to constantly sir the rava in the water till you finish all the rava.Then stir one more time and cover.Let it cook.In about 5-10 mins the rava will be ready.Make sure the rava looks grainier and not like paste.If not let cook couple more Min's till it looks grainier.Stir and take off the heat.This cooked rava is called pindi.
Meanwhile ,take the lemon sized tamarind and add hot water to it.When cool extract the pulp and cook it to make it thicker.Add this to the cooked rava.
Now in a small pan,add a table spoon oil and fry the raw peanuts.add these without oil to the cooked rava.In the same oil add the remaining ingredients Channa dal,urad dal.Let the dal become light brown.Now add dry red chillies,mustard,cumin seeds and fry till the dals turn red and mustard starts popping.It is now time to add turmeric,asfoetida,slit green chillies and curry leaves.Stir once and add these to the cooked rava.Add salt to taste and mix all the ingredients.Pindi pulihara is now ready to serve and can be stored up to 2 days in cold weather.

Salted Crackers

These crackers will be great for a tea time snack or just to munch on.I made these for my daughter.

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp butter or ghee

salt as per taste

ajwain seeds or cumin seeds(optional)

Method:

Take all purpose flour in a bowl and add ajwain or cumin seeds and salt.Also add melted butter or ghee. Knead to a dough using little water or as needed.Take out small balls of the dough roll them out like a chapati. Cut out circles using a milk can lid or use any desired cookie cutters.Make holes with a fork and bake them in the oven at 350F for 20 Min's or till golden brown.

Home made Amchur Powder

When right mangoes are in season my Mom makes this amchur powder and stores it for us.when ever we visit her during the rest of the year we bring back a big packet of this with us.
We use this in just about anything and everything that needs mango and things that need a tangy taste.This is one very useful ways that worked out for us to use the mango crop every year in my parent's house.

To make this,it takes some time but it is really worth it.

• 
  When u have right ,firm,sour mangoes in season, take a few,wash,dry and peel them after cutting the stalk.
• Grate the mango and dry it in the hot sun for 3-4 days or till you feel it very dry and no moisture left out.
• Store it just as it is or grind it once for a more finer constituency.It can be stored for more than a year.

We use it to make many things like mango rice or mamidikaya pulihara,mango dal or mamidikaya pappu,coconut-mango chutney,moong dal-mango chutney to name a few.I also use this a substitute for tamarind in many recipes.

Green Peas Masala sans Onion & Garlic

I made this green peas masala curry for lunch to along with rotis .With the fresh ripe tomatoes and very little spices used it was just prefect with very minimal ingredients.

Ingredients:

3 medium tomatoes

2 cups fresh or frozen green peas

2 cloves or a pinch of clove powder

1 pinch of dried fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi (optional)
salt ,sugar and red chilly powder as desired to taste

1 pinch of garam masala powder(optional)

1/4 tsp of cumin seeds

1 tbsp of oil

1 tsp of almond powder

Method:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan.Add 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds,let them splutter.
• Add 2 cloves or a pinch of clove powder.
• Add finely chopped tomatoes.
• Add salt according to taste and about 1/4tsp of sugar.
• Let the tomatoes cook.
• Once the tomatoes are cooked,add a pinch of kasuri methi leaves crushed between palm of your hand.
• Also add a pinch of garam masala and red chilly powder according to your taste.Stir everything together.
• Stir in green peas.
• Add a cup of milk and let the gravy cook till it thickens.
• Stir in almond powder to enhance the taste.

Oatmeal Carrot Cookies

I made this cookies with my daughter today.They turned out great and she liked them,the best part of our effort.

To make these cookies I used,

1 cup of oatmeal( I pulsed some quick cooking oats in blender)

1 tbsp of all purpose flour

1/4 cup of softened butter

1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of baking soda

2 carrots grated

1 large egg

1 cup of sugar

Method:

Heat oven to 350F.

In a bowl,add oatmeal,flour,baking powder,and baking soda.Stir and keep aside.

In another bowl,cream together butter and sugar.Beat egg till fluffy n another bowl and add to the creamed butter and sugar.Now add grated carrots and all the dry ingredients.Stir to form dough.

Grease cookie sheets and drop batter by spoonfuls about two inches apart.

Bake at 350F for 7 -8 minutes or till the cookies turn golden brown.Take out of oven and enjoy warm soft cookies.