Meal Times

Joy of giving week – Sep 26 to Oct 2, 2010

2010-09-24T02:33:00.000-07:00

Did you ever experience something like this:

You walk down the same road to work every day. There are some school-going kids that meet you on the way and they pass an occasional, timid smile. Mere acquaintances. That’s what you are. Then one day you have a few candies on you and on a whim you offer it to the kids.
The smile that you get in return!!
Lights up your whole day!!!
And that is the beginning of your smile-friend-ship!!! :)

Magic!

I know because I’ve done that myself. Yes, that was a long time ago and that was in another place (Goa), but I can still feel that moment of joy.

Here’s another chance for all of us to experience this joy, to participate in this magic all across the nation.

We are celebrating “Joy of Giving week” from Sep 26 to Oct 2, this year. This is an event organized by NGO Goonj, which is based out of Sarita Vihar, New Delhi.

Goonj....
a voice,an effort
Contact information –
J- 93 Sarita Vihar,
New Delhi - 110076.
Tel. - 2697 2351, 4140-1216
E- Mail :- anshugoonj24@gmail.com
Website or Map: http://www.goonj.org

The idea here is to recycle or reuse anything lying around in our homes or offices or schools to help out people who do not have enough. What a noble thing to do!

They are mainly focusing on the following items which people can donate, deliver to various Goonj offices and collection centers, which they will then spread out to people across India.

Here are the items they recommend:

Large quantities of surplus/waste cotton & hosiery cloth for making sanitary napkins & undergarments for initiative- 'Not Just a piece of cloth'

Old newspapers & magazines- to be used in packing of sanitary napkins & also for raising resources to make GOONJ.. self sufficient.

CLOTHES- Old / New but in wearable condition - Woolens/ Sarees / Salwar Suits/ Kurta-Pajamas /Trousers /Shirts / children clothes / Bed sheets / Blankets

FOOTWEAR - Of all size, in pairs (if possible, left and right tied together)

UTENSILS - Old/ New- Pans, Plates, Bowls, Glasses, Tawa, Spoons & Ladles, Cooker, Cups, Tongs etc

STATIONERY - Old/new school bags, lunch boxes, water bottles, Pen, pencil, sharpener, eraser, scale etc.

PAPER - Newspapers, magazines, one side used paper.

DRY RATION - Pulses, Spices, sugar, tealeaf, rice etc.

CASH DONATIONS - For Communication, Collection camps, storage, sorting, packing, travel, Transportation and local distribution expenses. Cash donations can be made at the collection centers or you can send an account payee Cheque / Draft in the name of GOONJ to J-93, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi- 76 (All donations are tax exempted u/s- 80 G of IT act.)

TIME DONATIONS- VOLUNTEERS, who can spare a few hours to be with Goonj for door to door campaigns, and who can help in sorting, packing etc.

SPACE DONATIONS - GOONJ.. needs many more collection centers to ensure easy accessibility for everyone who wishes to make a donation. So if you can spare a corner in your house/office please inform them. Also check with your friends/relatives if they would allow the use of a small place in their premises as collection center.

Here is how you can participate as an individual or as an institution:

Come, let us join hands to give. Let us give to receive “The Joy Of Giving”!

Add a task to your weekend TODO list to collect and sort out stuff that you would like to give. Find your nearest location of Goonj collection center and go drop your stuff.

And don’t forget to come back here and let us know your achievements on this task! :)

Olya Khobryache Modak Recipe – Deep Fried Dumplings with Sweet Stuffing

2010-09-11T01:47:00.000-07:00

It’s Ganesh Chaturthi today.

One of the most auspicious days where we welcome Lord Ganesh into our home with lots of pomp and show.

In Goa, Maharashtra and some other states on the west coast of India, this festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Ganesh is said to be the God of knowledge and wisdom. His very form is intended to inspire people and teach them ways to lead a happier life.

Lord Ganesh is also famous for his love of modak – delicious little deep fried dumplings with sweet and juicy filling of coconut, jaggery and nuts.

Here’s how you can make and enjoy these yourself!
For the filling:

- Grate one coconut and grind it coarsely. This should come out to be about 1 cup.

- Grate jaggery into small chunks. As for quantity, if the grated coconut comes out to be 1 cup, take about 3/4 cup of jaggery. This loosely works for most sweets including laddus. When you take 1 cup of the main ingredient, you can take about half or three fourth of the measure of sweetener. In our case we are using jaggery, you can substitute it with powdered sugar if you prefer that taste.

- Coarsely grind about half a cup of of assorted unsalted nuts. I used almonds, cashew, pistachios and some peanuts. Leave some rather large pieces intact for the lovely crunch.

- Take a handful of dry chana daal (Bengal gram daal)
- 2 tsps of white til (sesame)
- 2 tsp of khaskhas (poppy seeds)
- 1/2 tsp of ilaichi (cardamom) powder or you can use jaiphal (nutmeg) powder
- ghee about 1/2 tbsp

In a dry pan, roast chana daal, sesame and poppy seeds. Remove and keep aside. In the same pan, add some ghee. Once it melts, add coconut and jaggery. Keep stirring. Once jaggery melts, the color of coconut will change from white to golden brown. Now add roasted sesame, poppy seeds, nuts mixture, ilaichi powder and cook some more, stirring continuously.

Some households also add milk to this mixture. Have never tried that myself, though.

Take the cooked stuffing out of the pan and leave aside for cooling.

While it cools, knead your dough.
You’ll need
- Two cups wheat flour or maida (plain flour)
- 1/4 cup sooji (rawa / semolina)
- 1 tbsp ghee
- salt to taste and
- water as required
- Ghee or oil for deep drying

Knead together all ingredients making sure the dough is soft. Not too sticky, nor too dry.

Divide into lemon sized balls and roll each of them into a small sized chapati or poori.

Now is a little tricky part. Take this poori on your palm and pinch the sides about 5 to 6 times. In the middle hollow add the stuffing you prepared above.

With a delicate hand, collect pinched edges and stick them together at the center.

Take ghee or oil for deep frying into a pan and heat it. Once it is sufficiently hot, add prepared modaks, about 3-4 at a time and fry till they turn golden.

Never keep the modaks around before frying for a long time. The covering will start cracking if it gets dry. If you do need to leave aside for some reason, cover them with a clean damp cloth.

Offer these yummy golden smallies to Lord Ganesh and serve to all your family and friends with love.

Enjoy your Ganesh Chaturthi!
May Lord Ganesh bless you all!!

Daal Makhani (Red Kidney Beans in Onion-Tomato gravy)

2010-08-13T02:57:00.000-07:00

My Bhabhi is an awesome cook. You taste her Daal Makhani and lick your fingers. You eat your stomach full and would still want some more.
Here’s her signature recipe. A must try…

Here’s what you’ll need:

Rajma (Red kidney beans) – 1 cup
Urad (Whole black gram) – 1/2 cup
Cream – 1/2 cup
Milk – 1/2 cup
Onions – ground to a paste, 1/2 cup
Tomato – pureed, 1 cup
Jeera (Cumin seeds) – 1/4 tsp.
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp.
Mirch (Chilly) powder – to taste or about 1 tsp
Dhania (Coriander) powder – 2 tsp
Garam Masala powder – 2 tsp
Oil – 1 tsp.
Butter – 1/2 tsp.
Paneer (cottage cheese) – grated, 1/4 cup
Hara Dhania (cilantro / coriander leaves) – finely chopped for garnishing
Water
Salt to taste

Here’s how you make it:
Clean, wash and soak the whole of Urad and Rajma overnight. It is important to wash before you soak, so you can use the same water for cooking. This locks the taste and nutrients into this dish making it rich. Next day add some salt (plus some more water, if needed) and cook till the beans are soft.
Heat some oil in a pan. Add onion paste, ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw uncooked smell is gone.
Add tomato puree, garam masala powder, jeera, dhania powder, mirch powder and sauté till oil begins to separate from edges of the pan.
Fold in the cream and keep stirring all the while.
Once it begins to simmer, add the cooked beans and milk. Let it cook nicely with occasional stirring.
Turn off the heat and let this dish stand for about an hour.
Just before serving, re-heat, add butter and grated paneer and chopped hara dhania for garnishing.
You can serve this with tandoor roti or tawa roti or naan or kulcha or bread or even plain boiled rice.
Add a touch of Punjabi pickle on the side and ‘balle balle’! Prepare to get raving compliments!!
To get an interesting twist, you can turn this curry thingy into a snack. Add some spicy potato noodles (namkeen), chopped cucumber (kheera) plus tomato plus onion. Team it with some toast or bread sticks and a nice hot cup of chai!!!
Enjoy!!!

Batatyachi Kapa (shallow fried potato rings)

2010-08-09T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is one of my brother's favorite dish. We always had a square meal at home. It was Rice, Daal (various lentil curries), Sabzi (Veggies) and Chhas (Curd / Yogurt), with a variety of pickles and/or papads. Sometimes we just got bored with it. Especially my brother who is not too fond of food that is not spicy or oily. So he would ask mom to make these tasty little potato rings instead of a veggie side dish. Typically on a rainy evening, this was what we all loved to munch on.

You can team this up with rice + daal or pulao or even make it as an evening snack with tea or eat it just like that with some ketchup / chutney. This has lot less oil compared to its deep fried cousin, so is healthier too.

You’ll need:

Potatoes – 4 to 5, washed and skinned
Semolina (or rice flour) – about 2 cups
Oil for shallow frying
Chilly powder to taste
Salt to taste
Water

Preparation:

Chop potatoes in little round shapes and put them in a bowl of salted water. This will make sure the potato rings do absorb salt but do not turn brown. Let them soak for about 15-20 mins.
Sieve together some semolina (sooji) or rice flour with salt and red chilly powder. Leave this mixture dry.
Heat a skillet (tawa or fry pan) and coat it lightly with some oil.
Pat the potato rings into the dry mixture of semolina (or rice flour) and arrange on the skillet.
Add about two teaspoons of oil and cook till done.

You can substitute some other veggies like the sweet potatoes, raw banana or even eggplant instead of potatoes.

Enjoy hot!!!

Mugachya Gathi (Goan recipe for a spicy and healthy green-gram-sprouts curry)

2010-07-22T01:57:00.000-07:00

This is another one from my mother's kitchen. With all the goodness of green gram sprouts (moong sprouts) and coconut gravy this is one of my favorite goan recipes.

My mom worked (and still does) really hard on getting the sprouts ready ( I'll share with you how she does it right in this post!), but in most big places like Mumbai / Delhi / Bangalore or in places where you do have good sabzi-mandis (vegetable markets), you'll get packets of sprouted moong. It's perfectly alright to use these if you can't do the whole procedure to take moong from hard dry to soft sprouted version.

Here's how mom does it.
Day 1. Wash about a cup of dry moong in cold water, rinse and soak overnight.
Day 2. During the day, let the soaked moong rest on a strainer so all the water gets drained. During the night soak them again.
Day 3. By now the moong must have sprouted nicely. Wash them well so the green cover gets removed.
This is how it is done in the original recipe. For those of you who are more health conscious and do not want to lose out on the fiber that the green cover provides, I think you can just leave it there. No harm.

Or simply go to the vegetable store and buy a packet of sprouted moong instead.

So, ingredient wise you need to have
1. Two cups of sprouted green gram (moong)
2. Green chillies - 2
3. Asafetida (Hing) - 2-3 pinches. This is the main flavoring agent here. So, use the best quality one you have. Mom took special Shankar Chhap Hing with its whole chunks of Asafetida and ground it freshly instead of using the ready-made powder. Again, your call.
4. Coconut - grated and ground with some water to the consistency of wet chutney. About 1/2 a cup.
5. Garam masala - 1/4 tsp.
6. Jaggery (Gud / GuL) - little less than 1 tsp
7. Tamarind pulp - little less than 1/4 cup
8. Red chilly powder - to taste
9. Haldi - 1/4 tsp.
10. Salt to taste

First cook moong with pieces of green chillies and asafetida and haldi. Do not pressure cook over medium flame stirring occasionally. The moong should not become soggy.
Once it is almost cooked add ground coconut, garam masala, jaggery, tamarind pulp, red chilly powder and salt.
Let simmer and then turn the heat off.

You can eat it just like that with fresh bread or steamed rice with some pickle as a side.

Or

Just before serving, you can put some tadka (spluttering) on it. To do this, simply heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let splutter and add it over the moong curry.

Or

This is something I do to turn most curries into a quick snack ;) Take some curry in a bowl. Add whatever chips / namkeen / even pretzels crushed with your hands. Add some chopped cilantro and tomato pieces. Basically add some crunchiness and some un-cooked-ness ( you get it, right?) to it. Mix well. Gobble!

I am sending this entry off to two events planned by two fellow foodie bloggers

Iftar Moment Hijri 1431	Let’s Sprout

Tasty weaning food ideas for new eaters

2010-07-19T00:30:00.001-07:00

My second little Princess Akshara is 5 months old now. Her doc says it’s time to introduce semi-solid food for her. Here are some of the varieties of weaning foods I plan to try out. You can also choose to check these out… :)

Week 1: Our Indian cooking is rarely complete without spices. Let your baby feel the flavor of being born in India. :) At the same time be careful not to over do things. Start with mostly starchy things, sweet or with little salt. You can introduce her to some flavors like cardamom (ilaichi) or cumin (jeera). Just a tiny miny pinch of it, so she knows what it’s like ;)

Sooji kheer (semolina porridge): Simply heat 1/4 spoon of ghee(or butter) in a pan and roast a spoonful of sooji(semolina) with it. Add water, a pinch of ilaichi powder (cardamom) and sugar to taste.
- Cardamom is a cooling spice and is very good for fighting the heat. (Oh, Delhi summers!!!)
- If the place where you live has cold climate, you can try a tiny string of kesar (saffron). This is a warm spice and is also thought to be very good for skin and complexion.
- I am avoiding milk for now. Since my baby has had formula feed before and not the regular milk. So I am playing safe. For those of you who are already used to giving cow’s / buffalo’s milk to babies can even add milk to the kheer.
Semi-solid Rice: Clean and grind some rice to the consistency of sooji . Do not add water. Store it dry. Use this just like sooji above.
- If you wish to make a salty version, substitute salt for sugar, cumin or black pepper for cardamom and avoid milk. You can cool it a little and add some curd (dahi) or butter-milk (chhanch).

2. Second and third week onwards you can start introducing fruits and veggies. Here are some varieties:

Mashed banana. Simple.
Mashed boiled potato with slight salt and just a touch of red chilly powder.

Make the soft semi-solid rice as above but add a veggie piece to it. Carrot or beat root or few peas would be good choices. Even a leaf of spinach or some other leafy veg can go in.
Once fully cooked you can either mash the veg piece or simply remove it out. The rice would have absorbed most of the nutrition from it.

If you are a non-vegetarian you can try adding a piece of some meat or fish. (Warning: Since I am a vegetarian myself I cannot personally vouch for this tip. Do consult your baby’s doctor.)

3. Fourth week onwards start giving same food that you eat at home. To make things easier for your baby. do continue with at least one of the recipes from above. Some new things you can introduce

Daal + Rice. Just the way we elders eat. But the pieces of tomato etc mashed well or ground in a mixer.
Mashed mango pulp. Or apple.
Soup: Simply cook few pieces of veggies together. Either strain the stew or purée when fully done. In a pan heat some butter, add a pinch of black pepper powder, salt and the stew. Bring it to one boil. Cool it sufficiently and let your baby savor it.

Happy food-times to you and your little bundle of joy. :)

Like this post?

You’ll also like:

Introducing “F” for “Food” to your baby

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Marathi “Fast” food

2010-07-16T01:46:00.000-07:00

Indian culture is famous for celebrations, festivals, poojas and vrats. Like we have “Karwachauth” in north India, where a married woman will pray for the long life of her husband, down in Maharashtra and Goa we have several such festivals which are meant for married couples.

Some sacred days where you forget everyday differences and look forward to your togetherness as a blessing from heaven. Some rituals where you put your hands together and pray for your loved one’s happiness.

I was at my mom’s place last month (yeah, Goa!!!) and on 25th June we celebrated Vat Savitri vrat – one such festival where married women will worship the banyan tree and ask blessings for their husband’s long life. (Wanna know the story? Go here. :))

This is also a day for fasting. And obviously for making “fast” food (and you thought I was talking about vada-pao? :P)

When I was a kid, I looked forward to such days, when mom would make Sabudanyachi Khichadi (Tapioca Pulao). Here’s her recipe for this yummy snack or main course.

Soak a cup full of sabudana (tapioca) for 30 minutes. Drain excess water and set aside for a few hours. (*** This dish can turn powdery for lack of water or rubbery for excess of water. This soaking, draining and setting aside is the deciding step that avoids such failures and gives you the perfect round little pearls of tapioca. Hush now… That’s a secret! :) ***)

Chop some potatoes and green chilly. Handful of green coriander leaves (hara dhania) is also welcome, but if you do not eat it during a fast, it’s ok to leave it out too.

Roast few peanuts, remove skins and grind to a very coarse powder. Just a nice little whooosh of your grinder should be sufficient. You should feel the crunch of nuts while you eat khichadi.

Grate some coconut, if you like it. Although khichadi tastes great “with” coconut, it’s not a strict must-have per se.

In a bowl add together the tapioca, ground peanuts, coconut and chopped green coriander. Mix with salt to taste and about 1/4 tsp of sugar.

All set? Now add ghee to a hot pan. You’ll need more than your usual amount of ghee, because this dish does not have any water in it while cooking. Add some jeera (cumin seeds to it). Once they splutter, add the potato pieces and roast well. Cover and leave for 2-3 min if needed. Add green chilly pieces when potato pieces are done nicely. Add the tapioca mixture prepared above and stir for 5-7 minutes. Take care not to burn the mixture.

Cover and leave for 2 minutes.

Serve hot with a slice of lemon and tons of love.

Enjoy!!!

Introducing “F” for “Food” to your baby

2010-07-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard many moms complain how fussy their babies are when it comes to food. Often meal times become a nightmare for parents when babies or toddlers refuse to open their mouth at all. It need not be that way always.

Here are some tips and tricks I learnt while introducing food to my older princess Diya:

Plan for introductory foods – specially made for babies, often sweet or bland – for about a month or a little over a month. Not too long.
Once you feel that your baby is able to digest most stuff and is not allergic to most items, simply take a few things like rice, daal, veggies that you prepare for everyone else at home, process it in food processor to soften it and feed it to your baby. This way your little one and you do not need to have two cycles – first for getting used to bland food and then to get used to usual food that your family eats.
If at times you feel some dish is too spicy for your little one, you can simply add water / dahi (curd) / butter-milk (chhanch) to tone it down.
Allow your little one to play with the food. Babies are explorers. They like to experiment with things by taking it in their own hands, feel the texture, look at the colors etc. Make sure you take care not to let your baby put fingers dipped in spicy curry to their eyes etc. Otherwise if your baby is safe, it’s ok to become messy. Babies will love food times and it’ll be less fussy for you too.
Give enough time between two meals. Let your baby feel the need to eat. Don’t force feed.
It’s never too early to start learning good habits. Wash your baby’s hands and mouth or wipe clean before and after eating.
Avoid getting into the habit of watching TV while eating food. You can spend time talking to your child, making stories, telling names of the dishes etc instead. You can even play games. Diya’s favorite one is where she is the dinosaur and is going to gulp down the naughty kid (that is the food). She even plays this to this day (she is 4!) when does not particularly like the meal we have prepared.
If you child does not like some fruit / vegetable, don’t give up on it. Try a different dish with the same thing. Change the way you cook it and introduce again after a few days. Babies and kids will often surprise you.
Start reducing intake of milk (specially the feeding bottles) when you start giving food to your baby.
Avoid junk food. Specially with toddlers, you’ll have to be strict, but it will be worth it.

Above all, make sure the older kids at home or even elders, do practice what you are trying to teach your baby or toddler.

Do you have some interesting tips for our readers? Do share your experiences with us.

My special pasta recipe

2010-07-07T01:09:00.000-07:00

When I was expecting my second baby, I had this unusual craving for pastas. I used to come home each day from work. Stop at the local veggie seller and ask him to give me any combination of items worth 10/- rupees. He usually put together one tomato, one capsicum, occasionally one brinjal (egg plant), one zucchini (tori/turai), some peas etc. I would then come home, make steaming soupy pasta with all these items and sit and relish. (You have to experience PGcy to understand how it feels to eat what you want ;) Sorry guys...) The pasta I used was the colorful fusilli - small colorful spirals that you get in "Big Bazaar" stores. I also picked some random herbs from the same store.

Here's one of the recipes that I happened to create just-like-that but it grew to be my favorite.

Looks yummy, does it not? It's really simple to cook, too.

Simply chop all the veggies (yeah, just toss those tori, laukis also, you won't regret it...). Heat some olive oil directly in a pressure cooker. Its slightly sour and adds the perfect tangy taste. Add all the veggies (starting with onion and garlic, if you are adding them). Add pasta (no need to pre-cook) and sauté for a minute. Once olive oil has coated each piece nicely, add water so that the mixture drowns in it. Add basil, oregano, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt. Close the cooker lid and cook till 2 whistles.

Enjoy along with the evening rain.... :)

Edible art: littlefoodjunction

2010-07-06T00:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Shikha who introduced me to the “Little food junction”.

Smita Srivastava is a real creative person. Her blog is full of creative ideas for presenting food as works of art. May it be plain fruits to salads, sandwiches to pizza, she can turn food from “good to eat” to “great to look”…

I had to share these with you all….

(All images are works of Smita Srivastava from Little Food Junction…)

Mouth watering….. Simply Awesome!!! What do you think?

Mini Pizza

2010-07-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

Here’s how you can make quick and delicious mini pizza:
Mix a cup of sooji (semolina) with about half cup of dahi (curd).
Add finely chopped pieces of onion, tomato and capsicum, salt and red chilly powder per taste.
Adjust water to the consistency of idli batter.
Spread this mix on a sliced white bread.
Roast both sides on a hot tawa with some oil.
Enjoy with tomato sauce or chutney.
Tip: You can premix the batter the night before and store it in the refrigerator to make these a quick tiffin item on Monday mornings.

Upma / Sanja / Upeeth

2010-05-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Upma also called as Upeeth or Sanja in Maharashtra is an easy-to-cook, healthy-to-eat dish. This is a typical breakfast or tiffin item. Are mornings busiest times for you? Grab this recipe. You can complete most of the procedure the night before and store the ingredients as a ready to eat item. :)

Ingredients:

Sooji (Rawa / Semolina) - 1 cup
Water – 2 cups
Assorted veggies – 1/2 cup. Beans, carrot, cabbage, onion, tomato, capsicum – finely chopped, peas peeled
Peanuts - 1 tablespoon (not roasted)
Salt – per taste
Sugar – 1/2 tsp (optional)

For spluttering:

Chana daal (Bengal gram daal) - 1/2 tsp.
Dhuli urad daal (Split black gram daal) - 1/2 tsp.
Mustard seeds (Sarson or Rai) – 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds (Jeera) – 1/2 tsp.
Asafetida (Hing) – per taste
Turmeric (Haldi) powder - per taste
Green chilies / red chilies – finely chopped. Per taste
Oil (refined vegetable oil / Canola oil) – 1 tbsp.

For garnishing:

Grated coconut – 1 tbsp.
Coriander leaves (cilantro / hara dhania / kothimbir) – 1 tbsp. Finely chopped.

Procedure:

Heat a pan and add sooji. Saute till it turns golden brown and remove from fire.
Add a tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is hot add chana daal and dhuli urad daal and saute till they turn golden.
Add a pinch of asafetida, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and let it splutter.
Add chilies, turmeric and peanuts. Roast lightly.
Add veggies. Cover and let cook for a couple minutes till the veggies turn soft.
Now add roasted sooji, salt and sugar. Mix well.
If you wish to use this mixture at a later time, simply take it off the heat, cool and refrigerate. Stays good for at least one day.
To proceed with making upma, boil 2 cups of water separately. Make sure the sooji mixture is slightly hot, take off from the heat and add boiling water to it. Stir well so that there are no lumps. Cover for about two minutes.
Garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

Serve and be ready to accept compliments :)

Red Chilly Pickle

2010-05-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

During my vacation last year, one of the things I learned to make was the hot, delectable red chilly pickle. It's that time of the year again. Go make some for your family....

Let me share the recipe with you. This time I am not going to point out the proportions of ingredients. Rather, I’ll simply depict the relative proportions in a picture and let you experiment a little. Ready to have some fun?

Procedure:
1. Clean the red chilies with water and dry in sun.
2. Split them so that each one opens only on one side and is able to hold the stuffing inside.
2. Heat some oil in a pan and keep it aside to cool.
3. Mix ingredients given in the picture below.

4. Add Lemon Juice or dry mango powder (Amchoor) or finely cut mango pieces to the mixture.
Start with the minimum quantity you think will do, after the mixture is ready you can adjust as per your taste.
5. Stuff the chilly pieces as shown below:

6. Store closely in a glass bottle with a tight cap.
7. Add the cooled oil till it covers most of the pickle.
8. Keep the bottle tightly closed in the sun for a couple of days.

Enjoy!

Lemon rind + Curd curry (Nimbu ke chhilke wali kadhi)

2010-05-02T05:44:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1. Curd (Dahi) - sour, about 250 gms.
2. Rice flour - 2 tbsp.
3. Lemon rind (Nimbu ka chhilka) - Take half a lemon and squeeze out the juice and the seeds. You'll need only the skin for this preparation.
4. Grated Coconut - ripe but not dry. 1 tbsp.
5. Green Chilli (hari mirch) - 2
5. Cumin seeds (Jeera) - 2 tsp.
6. Black pepper (Kali Mirch) - 4~5 seeds.
7. Salt to taste
8. Water - 1/2 to 2 cups.

For spluttering (tadka):
1. Mustard (sarson/rai) seeds - 1 tsp.
2. Asaefoetida (hing) - 1/2 tsp.
3. Curry leaves - 4 / 5

Procedure:
1. Add water and churn the curd so that no lumps appear.
2. Cook lemon rind in water till it becomes soft.
3. Grind cooked lemon rind, coconut, cumin seeds (jeera), black pepper (kali mirch), green chilli (hari mirch) with a little water.
4. Mix well - churned curd, ground mixture of coconut, rice flour and salt. Add little more water if needed.
5. Heat oil in a pan and add the ingredients of spluttering one-by-one.
6. Once the contents splutter, add the mixed curd and bring to a single boil.
7. Take off the heat and server hot with plain rice or roti.

Tips:
1. If fresh lemon leaves are available, 2~3 leaves can be substituted for the lemon rind.
2. In case you do not like the tangy flovour it yields to curd, a tsp of sugar can be added to the preparation.
3. A single red chilli addded to the spluttering will give the dish a spicy taste.
4. Optionally dry urad dal (split Black Gram, polished, without cover) + dry chana dal (split Bengal Gram, polished, without cover) can also be added to the spluttering.