12 baby potatoes, boiled in 6-8 cups of water
About 3 cups chopped saag/spinach
2-3 table spoon oil
1/2 tea spoon of chopped green chili
1/4 tea spoon of grated ginger
1/2 tea spoon coriander powder
1/4 tea spoon cumin powder
1/2 tea spoon garam masala
1/4 tea spoon red chili powder
3/4  cup sour yoghurt, whisked
About a tea spoon of Salt,  1/4 tea spoon turmeric, a pinch of hing

1. Boil or steam cook potatoes in a pressure cooker
2. In a pan heat oil and add 1/2 tea spoon of cumin seeds and hing.
3. Add chopped spinach, ginger, chili, and turmeric.
4. Saute on medium heat until spinach is coooked.  About 10 minutes.
5.  Add all the spices/masalas, mix well and cook further for about 5 minutes.
6. Add whisked yoghurt, salt  and 1/2 cup of water.
7.  Simmer the gravy on low heat for a few mintue and taste and adjust salt and other masalas to your taste. 5 minutes.
8. Add baby potatoes  and stir gently to coat them with the gravy. 8  minutes.

Note:
1. Sour yoghurt will give this curry a nice tangy and spicy taste.  If yoghurt is not sour, you can add 1/4 tea spoon of amchoor powder along with the other spices/masalas.

2. If potatoes are not too smalll, first steam them as usual and then cut each in half before adding to the gravy.

This very tasty Moong dal with amaranth leaves  was a result  my of spur of the moment culinary instincts. As the leaves were getting gently sauteed in the pan, it just made sense to add sliced red onions and then some tomatoes for a slightly tangy taste. And Voila!  a wonderful, delicious Moong dal was ready for dinner.

3/4 cup Moong Dal
2 cups, loosely packed amaranth leaves/dantina soppu/thotakura/Chinese spinach
1 medium size onion, sliced
1 large tomato cut into big chunks
2 green chilies
1/2 tea spoon grated ginger
1/2 tea spoon red chili powder (use less if you prefer a mild dal)
1 table spoon ghee/oil
1/4 tea spoon turmeric/haldi
1/2 tea spoon each of mustard seeds and cumin seeds
salt

1. Wash Moong dal 2-3 times with water.
2. Add 3 cups of water and cook until almost soft. (Take care to not make it mushy)
3. In a big pan add 1 table spoon of ghee/oil and do a veghar/tadka with mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
4. Add chopped thotakura, green chilies, ginger, and onions. Cook for 8-10 minutes stirring now and then.
5. Add chopped tomatoes, 1/2 tea spoon red chili powder, 1/4 tea spoon turmeric, and 1 tea spoon salt. Mix well.
6. Cook for 5 more minutes and add cooked Moong dal.
7. Taste, adjust salt, add some more water, if required, to make a dal of medium thick consistency.
8. Bring the dal to a boil and take it off the stove.

Dinner today was Roti, Bhindi subzi, Moong dal, yoghurt,  and rice. And yes, Gulab jamoon made last week to celebrate a birthday.

For Mango Ras, select a few good quality, sweet, ripe mangoes. The traditional way is to kind of press and massage the mango softly (an art in itself)  for a few minutes and then squeeze the juice out but you can just blend the cut mango pieces in a blender and strain the pulp to get a smooth Mango pulp.  Add cardamom powder, if you like. Chill the smooth pulp in the fridge for a few  hours. Eat with pooris or soft rotis.

Pooris:

2 Cups wheat flour

2 tea spoon oil

1/2 tea spoon salt

1/2 cup COLD water

Mix the first three ingredients and then add water to the flour. Knead into a smooth dough such that you can roll pooris  without using flour. Deep fry the pooris.

Enjoy!

Today is a great day for India. A billion people are celebrating the Indian victory in the 2011 Cricket World Cup Finals.

CONGRATULATIONS!

तो चलो, इस मीठे अवसर पर बनाते हैं मीठे चावल!

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice cooked in 2 + 1/2  cups water
• 1 + 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh, grated coconut
• 1/3 cup ghee
• 1 big, very generous pinch of kesar/saffron soaked in 1/8 cup warm water
• 1/2 tea spoon powdered cardamom
• 6 cloves, 1/4 cup each cashews and raisins  fried in 1 table spoon ghee

Method

• Soak rice in water for about 15 minutes and then cook with 2 1/4 cup water. I cook it covered, on low heat. It takes about 20 minutes. As soon as all the water is absorbed. shut the stove off.
• Keep the rice aside, covered,  for about 10 minutes. Then gently stir it to get the air out.
• In a big pan, bring 3/4 cup water to boil.
• Add sugar and coconut to the boiling water and cook on low heat for about 12 minutes until nice aroma emanates from the mixture.
• Add Cooked rice to this mixture and add 1/3 cup ghee.
• Mix well, and add saffron water and cardamom.
• On low heat, cook the mixture for about 15 minutes stirring every 10-15 seconds.
• By this time rice will have soaked all the sweet liquid.
• Add raisins, cashews and cloves.

Variation: Zest of a lemon or half an orange adds a wonderful aroma to this sweet dish. Add it at the very end, just before adding raisins and cashews.

Recipe:

2 medium size bell peppers chopped into 1 inch squares (I used 1 green and 1 red)

2 small onions chopped into 1 inch squares

1 tomato chopped or 1 table spoon tomato paste

1/2 tea spoon grated ginger

1/4 tea spoon turmeric

Approx. 1 1/2 tea spoon salt

1 table spoon oil

For peanut sauce:

1 tea spoon oil

1/4 cup peanuts

6-8 dry red chilies

2 tea spoon coriander seeds

1 tea spoon cumin seeds

1/2 tea spoon urad dal

1/2 tea spoon chana dal

1/2 tea spoon sesame seeds

2 cloves

Note: If you want to skip tamarind, use 2 table spoon of tomato paste or 3 chopped tomatoes instead.

Method:

1. Fry the ingredients for the peanut sauce in 1 tea spoon oil for about 5-7 minutes. When cool, grind into a smooth paste by adding a small lemon size jaggery piece and seedless tamarind piece. You will need to add about 1/3 cup of water to grind. Keep aside.

2. In a pan, fry chopped bell peppers and onions in 1 table spoon of oil for about 10 minutes.

3. Add tomato pieces or tomato paste. stir well and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Add the peanut sauce, salt and about 1 cup of water.

5. Stir well and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

This recipe has south indian sambar masala but you can easily substitute north indian masalas such as garam masala or dhaniya-jeera powder or a combination of both.

10-12 eggplant (thin, light green variety) chopped into 2 inch long pieces
1-2 sprig curry leaves
1/4 tea spoon turmeric
1/2 tea spoon crumbled jaggery or 1/2 tea spoon sugar
1 table spoon sambar powder
1/2 tea spoon red chili powder
1/4 tea spoon aamchoor powder
For tadka; 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds, 1/8 tea spoon hing and 4-5 table spoon oil
Salt

In a wide pan, heat oil and do a tadka with mustard seeds and hing.
Add Chopped eggplant and stir in turmeric and curry leaves.
After 5 minutes of cooking, add all the masalas except salt and aamchoor powder.
Once the eggplant is nicely cooked (about 8 more minutes), add tamarind and salt.
Stir well and cook for 3 more minutes.

રુડે ગરબે રમે છે દેવી અંબિકા રે…

Ingredients

Paneer made from 4 cups of full fat or low fat milk (2%)

3/4 cup powdered sugar

7-8 strands of good quality saffron mixed with 1 table spoon of hot milk

1/2 a drop of rose essence (optional)

1. Drain the freshly made paneer of all water by wringing it in a cheese cloth.

2. Knead the paneer with soft hand for 8-10 minutes until it’s very soft. This is an important step.

2. Cook the paneer and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan for ONLY 3-4 minutes. NO MORE THAN THAT.

3. When cool, mix in the rose essence.

4. Make 2 inch balls and  dot them at the top with the saffron milk.

5. Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

1/3 cup almonds, soaked for 4-5 hours, and peeled

5 cups low fat or regular milk + another 1/2 cup to blend with almonds

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tea spoon powdered cardamom

1/2 drop of rose essence

1. Bring milk to boil and continue to simmer it on low heat for 1/2 hour. Stir a few times in between.

2. Grind peeled almonds along with sugar and 1/2 cup milk. until very smooth. (approx. 5 minutes) Adding sugar along with the almonds helps to get a smoother almond paste.

3. Add the hot milk to the almond paste and blend further for 30 seconds.

4. Taste and add more sugar if required.

5. Add cardamom powder. If using saffron add a pinch at this time. If using rose essence, skip saffron.

6. Chill the milk in refrigerator. Add 1/2 a drop of rose essence.

Makes about 6 cups.

1/2 cup poha/avalakki, washed and then soaked in 1/4 cup water for at least an hour
2 cups yogurt
1/4 tea spoon salt
1/4 tea spoon sugar
2 green chilies, chopped into big pieces
1/2 tea spoon urad dal
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
1 sprig curry leaves
1/4 tea spoon grated ginger
1/4 tea spoon cumin seeds
1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds

When ready to make:
1. Heat 2 tea spoon of oil in a small pan.
2. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. After they splutter, reduce the heat to
low and add cumin seeds, ginger paste, green chilies, urad dal and curry leaves.
3. Stir fry for about a minute and add this oil-spice mixture (vaghar) to poha.
4. Add salt, sugar, coconut, and yoghurt to poha and mix well. Adjust salt to your taste.

I had delicious Panna Cotta at Crusco’s in Angels camp. The owner, a lively gentleman, entertained us with interesting stories from his childhood and Italian heritage. I always like to pick up souvenirs and shop for interesting local stuff when I travel. What can I say, I did discover gold…. A set of silver plated antique cups, Ironstone Merlot (it’s good!), Williams Sonoma dessert book, and the Gold medal winner SkyHawk Olive oil. Here are some pictures.

My next dessert is going to be Panna Cotta… from the newly purchased dessert book…