THAI RED CURRY (feeds 4-5 approx.)

Thai red curry with thai rice 

Ingredients :-


1 medium stalk of broccolli, cut into florets
1 medium sized zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes  
5-6 white mushrooms, cut into one-sixths
1 medium sized green bell pepper, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
1 medium sized Japanese eggplant, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
10 oz. packet of boiled mixed vegetables (bracken, bamboo shoots, enoki mushroom,    nameko mushroom, wood ear) (you can buy them separate if you want)
3-4 sprigs of Thai basil (for garnish)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 package firm tofu, sliced into 1-inch cubes (For frying, firm tofu works well)
4 oz. can  of red curry paste (you can buy it from any asian supermarket)
1 can (400 ml)  coconut milk 
3-4 tbsp oil
red pepper flakes (optional)
salt (to taste)

Procedure :-

1. Pat dry the tofu on a paper towel. This step is necessary because tofu is always preserved in liquid and when you put that tofu in hot oil, oil drops will coming flying off on your face. 

Thai red curry

2. Stir fry tofu in batches on medium heat turning on all sides until it is brownish everywhere. If you need more oil, add 1 more tbsp. oil for the new batch of tofu.


3. Now take it out on a paper towel to remove excess oil if any. Now to the hot oil, add eggplants, stir them for 2-3 mins, then add zucchini and stir for 2  mins,  now add brocolli and mushrooms and stir for 2-3 mins. At last add the sprouts.


4. Remove the liquid from the packet of boiled vegetables using a sieve. Once the above veggies are half cooked, add the packet of boiled vegetables. 


5. Now add the  red curry paste to the coconut milk and mix it nicely to form a smooth paste. Add it to the above veggies, add salt according to taste (there is salt present in the red curry paste, read ingredients) and let it simmer for 2-3 mins. Red curry paste is already hot but you can add red pepper flakes for more heat. Now add the fried tofu and mix everything properly. Tear off some basil with your hands and garnish the curry.


Variations :-  You can add summer squash and french beans. Also you can substitute shitake mushrooms for white mushrooms.


This curry tastes good with THAI RICE. You can get thai rice in any grocery store. Cooking instructions are given on it or else you can follow these.


1 cup rice washed with cold water
2 cups water


In a microwaveable bowl, add water to the rice and let it cook for 15-20 mins. Fluff them with a fork after 10 mins.  

FRESH MAVA / KHOYA GULAB JAMUN

Fresh Mava / Khoya Gulab jamuns

Today let's talk about my favorite topic - desserts !! I adore sweets, I would say desserts make my meals "complete" :) The recipe I am making today is from the Indian cuisine - these are deep fried mava (khoya) balls immersed in sweet rose syrup. You can get ready to make packets in Indian grocery stores or buy them pre-made in cans. But when I was a kid, my mom used to make it from scratch and I bet nothing can beat that taste !!  When I tasted one of this gulab jamun, it took me back instantly to my childhood days - to that old house and that fragrant kitchen ! In India, fresh mava is readily available and that's how they come out perfect. After a lot of searching, I found frozen mava here. I know that cannot be compared to the fresh taste but it is a thousand times better than the ready to make packets or the ready cans of gulab jamun. And if you happen to find fresh mava then I recommend to use that.

For those who are new to this cuisine, let me tell you that mava / khoya is the base of numerous recipes in India. Mava / Khoya is basically whole milk boiled down till the solids remain. It is somewhat like ricotta cheese but low in moisture. You can find frozen mava / khoya in the freezer section of an Indian grocery store. So, let's get started ! This recipe makes 10-15 gulab jamuns depending on the size of the mava / khoya balls.

Ingredients :-

1 cup frozen mava / khoya
1 pinch baking soda
3-4 tsp all purpose flour / maida
3 tbsp milk +  more if required
oil / ghee for frying

For sugar syrup :

1 cup sugar
3/4 - 1 cup water (so sugar gets immersed)
1 tsp freshly ground cardamom powder
5-6 strings of saffron (optional)
6-7 fresh rose petals / 1/4 tsp rose essence

Process :-

1.  Thaw mava for 3-4 hrs. or as per package instructions.

2.  Grate it with a fine grater / grinder / chopper so as to make a fine powder.

3.  Add soda, 3 tsp all purpose flour & milk. Knead constantly to make a soft, pliable dough - add milk if required. The final form should have no lumps at all. If you are using fresh mava, omit the milk as it already has the required moisture.

4.  Heat oil / ghee in a deep pan on a low medium heat. Use oil which has no scent like light vegetable oil / olive oil.  

5.  Now here comes the tricky part. First of all form balls about the size little bigger than marbles. Make sure they have no cracks or lumps. 

Mava balls with no lumps / cracks

Put one ball in the fryer, if it starts to fall apart, quickly take it out and add little more flour to it, repeat the process. Note that fresh mava and frozen mava act in different ways.

6.  Fry gulab jamuns on low medium heat for about 2-3 mins. till they turn golden brown in color and are cooked through. If you fry them on high heat, their color will change quickly but they will be hard from the center, we want soft gulab jamuns.

Golden brown gulab jamuns

7.  Alongside make sugar syrup in a wide deep pan by adding just as much water so that sugar is immersed. Heat the mixture till sugar melts for about 3-4 mins, don't let it boil. (If the syrup boils, it will thicken and it won't penetrate the gulab jamuns) Thin syrup will be soaked nicely by the jamuns and they will swell in size. Turn off the stove top and set the pan aside.

8.  Add fried gulab jamuns to the hot syrup. After an hour garnish them with cardamom powder, saffron and rose essence / rose petals. Mix gently and let them sit for 4-5 hrs. till they absorb the syrup and turn fluffy and soft like sweet cotton balls.  When you add saffron, the color of the syrup changes to a beautiful golden orange.

9.  Gulab jamuns can be served warm or cold along with the sweet rose syrup. Enjoy this mouth watering sweet dish and make your life sweeter !!!

Soft and spongy gulab jamuns

KRACKJACK SHANKARPALE

Krackjack Shankarpale

Hi All !! Today is Dhanatrayodashi (Marathi) or Dhanteras (Gujarati) - is the first day of the 5-day Diwali festival. So today Diwali has officially begun ! Today I am posting one of the most traditional recipes made in almost every household during Diwali, Shankarpale (Marathi) or Sakkarpara (Gujarati) - I am not sure what this is called in other languages :) They are diamond shaped, deep fried crackers. They are made from whole wheat / all purpose flour and a combination of spices.  But the special thing about these is I am making them with a twist ! All those who are from India know the famous "Krackjack" biscuits, every once in a while kids had them in their lunch boxes :)  I remember an ad about these biscuits from my childhood which said "Thode meethe, thode namkeen - krackjack !!" means "Little sweet, little salty - Krackjack !!".

Again this is one of my Aai's inventions ! Normally shankarpale are either salty or sweet but my Aai decided to try these as a combo like the sweet and salty biscuits. And voila ! they came out delicious. As I have told you earlier my Aai is a great cook !  I decided to remember and re-create them this Diwali, they came out superb so decided to share with you.  So enjoy this easy to make sweet 'n' salty shankarpale.

Ingredients :-

1 - 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour/maida
1/4 cup sugar
Salt to taste
1 tsp cumin seeds
15 whole black peppercorns
5-6 whole cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp oil + more for frying
water

Process :-

1.  Make a fine dry powder of cumin seeds, peppercorns and cloves. You can leave the cumin seeds whole if you like and powder the rest.

2.  Take sugar in a small pan and add as much water so the sugar gets immersed. Now turn on the heat and let it boil for 2-3 mins. till the sugar is melted. Let it cool.

Soft pliable dough

3.  Add oil, salt, cinnamon pwd. and the dry mix of spices which we prepared to the sugar syrup, remove all  lumps.  Now add the flour little by little to make a soft, pliable dough. Cover and let it rest for 15 mins.

4.  Heat oil in a deep pan on medium heat. Divide the dough into 5-6 balls, roll them thin and cut into diamonds.

Diamonds ready to be fried

5.  Drop them gently into hot oil and fry them for  2-3 mins. till they turn golden and are cooked through. 

Golden brown shankarpale

6. Serve them once cooled completely (if you eat them hot, they won't have the crunch). Store them in an airtight container, they stay fresh outside for 10-15 days in moderate temp. Eat, drink and enjoy !!!

Sweet and Salty shankarpale

GHUGHRA

Scrumptious Ghughra !!

The biggest and most important festival of India - Diwali / Deepawali (meaning : row of lamps) will arrive in a couple of days and I am sure you all will be busy preparing for the big day ! "Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year !!!" to all my readers in advance. For all those who don't know about Diwali, here's some info. for them.  Diwali is also known as "festival of lights" and is a 5-day long festival celebrated by Hindus all over the world. Diwali involves lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. To celebrate Diwali, people clean their houses, make sweets and savory dishes, wear new clothes, burst firecrackers and share sweets, snacks and good wishes with family and friends.

On the occassion of Diwali, many different sweets are made. Today I am showing the process of making Ghughra so you can try them out this Diwali !  "Ghughra" is a traditional sweet recipe from the state of Gujarat - located in western part of India. It is a sweet dumpling shaped like an empanada made with flour and stuffed with a combination of ingredients like mava (khoya),  sooji , dried fruits and nuts. Mava / khoya is used as a base in many Indian sweets. It is made by heating whole milk in an iron pan till it turns solid. It is similar to ricotta cheese but with less moisture. It is available in the freezer section of any Indian grocery store.

Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside 

Now similar kind of sweets are made in different states of India. Say, "Karanji" is a similar kind of sweet from the state of Maharashtra - the difference is that it is stuffed with fresh coconut, dried fruits and rose petals. The North Indians make a similar sweet called "Gujia"  stuffed with fresh mava. This is one beautiful thing I adore about India - when you travel from one state to another, you will get to taste their traditional recipes, get to know their culture, even the language changes and still we all live together in harmony as ONE GREAT INDIA !!!

The following recipe makes around 18 ghughras.

Ingredients :-

For the cover :

1 cup all purpose flour / maida
1 tbsp rava/semolina
1 tbsp oil
salt, a pinch
water for kneading

For the filling :

3/4 cup grated mava/khoya
1/2 cup dried coconut powder
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom powder
1/4 cup raisins, broken cashew nuts
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Oil for frying
all-purpose flour for rolling
Water for sealing


Process :-

1.  For the outer cover, mix all the ingredients except water. Add water slowly and knead into a smooth pliable dough. Keep it covered and let it sit aside for 15-20 mins.

 2.  Gently mix all the ingredients for the filling in a separate bowl.

3.  Heat oil in a deep pan on medium heat. Divide the dough into 17-18 balls. Take a dough ball, flatten it into a disk, dust it with flour and roll it into a circle of about 4 inches in diameter.

4.   Take a tbsp of filling and place it on half side leaving about 1/2 inches on the edges. Apply water with your finger or a brush on edges and cover the filling side with the other half. Remove any air and press gently until sealed.

Ghughra ready to be sealed 

5.   Use the back of the fork to seal the ghughra properly, it will also create a nice impression on the edges of your ghughra.

Fork creates a nice impression on the edges

6.  Drop 2-3 ghughras in hot oil and fry them on medium heat for 2-3 mins. turning once until golden in color and  crispy from outside. Make sure you don't overcrowd your frying pan with too many ghughras else they will turn soggy.

Deep fried golden ghughra

7.  Once cooled, store them on the shelf in an airtight container. As they are made of mava and coconut, they will stay fresh for around 5 days. Make them this Diwali and impress your guests with this traditional scrumptious ghughras !!  Happy Diwali !!!

Nice and crispy ghughra

MANGO LASSI

Creamy, frothy mango lassi

Lassi is a popular, traditional yogurt-based summer drink from northern part of India. Lassi is a blend of yogurt, water, spices and sometimes fruit. Lassi can be sweet or savory. 

"Salted lassi" or "lassi" is a savory drink sometimes flavored with ground and roasted cumin. "Sweet lassi", however contains sugar or fruits instead of spices. Today I am showing the process of making mango lassi - a kind of sweet lassi. You can even make plain sweet lassi by omitting mangoes. Other famous variety of sweet lassi is 'rose lassi'. 

Ingredients :-

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 ripe mango, diced

salt,  just a pinch

1-2 tbsp sugar 

2-3 tbsp milk

Blender 

Rich mango lassi

Process :-

1.  The quantity of sugar really depends on the tanginess of yogurt, you can adjust it accordingly. Keep aside a spoonful of mango cubes for garnish. We have added a pinch of salt just to bring out the flavor of the fruit.

2.  Blend all the above ingredients into a blender till a rich frothy, thick, smooth mixture is formed. When the mango gets crushed with the yogurt, a nice orangish golden colored lassi is formed.

3.  Pour it into a tall glass and garnish the lassi with remaining mango cubes. Enjoy the taste of heaven !!

CABBAGE PAKODA/ SPICY CABBAGE FRITTERS

Cabbage pakodas/Spicy cabbage fritters

This recipe came to me when I was experimenting fritters with different vegetables. I wanted to create an appetizer which is quick, tasty and can be made when your friends/acquaintances show up suddenly at your house. It uses ingredients which are easily available in your house.  This recipe is unique as it uses cabbage, your guests won't be able to think about this ingredient in their wildest dreams. But they are super yummy !! They go very well with fried green chilies and ketchup on the side. 

Steaming hot cabbage pakodas

                    I will like to mention one important thing - while grating cabbage, use a thick or a coarse blade grater.  If you opt to use a knife, chop them coarse and not fine. The reason is when the cabbage is coarsely chopped, the fritters turn out crunchy and firm. In the latter case, they turn out lumpy. Let's have a look at the ingredients :

Ingredients :-

~~~~~~~~~~

1 1/2 cup cabbage grated/chopped coarse

1/2 cup gram flour or chickpea flour

3 tbsp rava or semolina

2 tbsp rice flour (optional)

1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 1/2 tsp red chili powder (or acc. to taste)

Olive oil for frying

Salt to taste

water for thinning the batter

handful of coriander chopped fine (optional)

3-4 green chilies for frying

Process :-

~~~~~~

1.  Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl to make a semi-thick batter. Make sure there are no lumps.

Semi-thick batter

2. Heat oil to medium high. Using a spoon, gently drop 2-3 fritters in hot oil and fry them turning once until golden brown. When frying, don't over crowd the pan with fritters, else they don't cook properly and turn soggy. It really depends on the size of your pan, but when using a medium sized pan allow 3-4 fritters max. for frying.

Golden brown fritters

3. For frying green chilies, you need to be extremely careful as when the chili hits the hot oil, it tends to pop spluttering the seeds out of the pan and turning your kitchen top into a mess. So what I do is, make a horizontal slit into the green chili, lower the temp. of oil and then drop it in oil. This way the chili doesn't pop as it is open  but still it will splutter some seeds. Here, the mess will be less :) I am not trying to scare you here,  just helping :)

The most safest way to fry a green chili is to take a tsp of oil on a flat griddle, let it heat to medium high then drop the chili on the griddle and cover it. Once the spluttering noise stops, you can open it and dish it out ! After going through so much pain, take my word on this - if you like spicy food then fried chilies are worth dying for !!!

4.  Season the fried green chilies with salt. Serve the steaming hot pakodas/fritters with fried chilies and tomato ketchup. Enjoy !!!

Cabbage fritters - ready to dig in !!

SUKHADI / GUL-PAPDI with a twist !

Sukhadi or Gul-papdi

Sukhadi - as in Gujarati or Gul-papdi - as in Marathi is a  traditional sweet dish made from all the healthy ingredients. Kids love it and adults adore this rich sweet dish. Even the ingredients are easy to find in an Indian pantry and are easily available in any Indian grocery store.

White specks of poha can be seen

When I was a kid, this was one of the many recipes which my aai used to make for us and we absolutely loved it. Because it is made with ghee, it has a very rich taste and it is quite satisfying and filling ! I remember when I used to come back from school and as I entered the house, a nice aroma used to pull me towards the kitchen and there it was, a big batch of  hot sukhadi sitting on the counter top !! My mother is very innovative and tries to bring a nice twist to the traditional recipes. Traditionally, sukhadi is made with just 3 ingredients - wheat flour, jaggery and ghee. My mom used to add a special ingredient to it, this gave sukhadi a nice crunch in every bite. Today I am revealing that secret ingredient !! It is called poha or flattened rice, it might sound weird but you should try this and trust me it tastes amazing !!! It adds an unusually nice crunch to it.

Also you can make one more variety by adding roasted sesame seeds. I tried them and they came out really nice ! 

Sesame seeds can be seen

Ingredients :-

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup jaggery, grated 
1 cup ghee/clarified butter plus couple more tsp.
Handful of poha or flattened rice  (secret ingredient !!)
OR  3 tbsp of roasted sesame seeds


Process :-

1.  Grease a 2-inch deep pan with ghee. Keep aside.

2.  Heat ghee in a heavy bottom deep pan, once it starts to melt - add wheat flour to it and keep it sauteing on low heat with a spatula. 

Ghee and flour mixture

3. This process might take upto 10-15 mins. till your kitchen fills with a nice aroma and the wheat flour starts turning golden in color. You need to keep moving the flour and ghee mixture constantly, keep a close eye on it. 

Poha - my aai's secret ingredient !

4.  Now add the secret ingredient - poha/flattened rice to it, saute for a about 2 mins. and add jaggery to it. (make sure there are no lumps in the jaggery) Now the jaggery starts to melt, mix properly and dump the whole mixture on the greased pan. Level it with a spatula or back of a flat-bottom bowl. 

5.  Cut the sukhadi into diamonds or any shape you like. Let it cool completely then store the pieces in an air-tight container. In cool weather, it stays fresh on the shelf for around a month. If the weather is too hot, store it in the refrigerator. Microwave it for 10-15 secs. and enjoy !! 

Rich diamonds of Sukhadi !!

               In some temples in Gujarat, they serve sukhadi as a "prasad". They serve it hot and it tastes out of this world !! So it is really up to you  how you want to eat it, it can be eaten hot or cold. Whichever way I choose to eat, one little piece of sukhadi takes me back to my childhood days :)

MEXICAN TORTA !!

My show-stopper Mexican torta !!

I am writing this post after many months but I had lot of stuff going on. Finally I decided to start what I enjoy doing - posting recipes, so here I am with my brand new Mexican Torta Sandwich !! Now when you hear the word "Torta" some kind of cake/pastry comes to your mind but in Mexico, torta is simply a kind of sandwich and that's what I am gonna show you today. 

The other day, we went to an authentic Mexican restaurant and I saw this name listed under the vegetarian section. I had never heard about it so I became curious and ordered it. It turned out to be a very delicious bean sandwich with bold flavors of cilantro and lemon. That's when I decided to try this out in my kitchen. I made a few changes here mainly by adding grilled veggies and using the traditional kind of bread. And voila, it turned out to be my family's favorite !!

Grilled veggies add a nice crunch and give body to the sandwich. I found the Mexican torta bread at Costco. If you don't find that, try using bolillo rolls or some kind of firm, crusty exterior white sandwich rolls with soft interior - that should help. Now torta is a hexagon shaped lightly sweet firm kind of bread. When you slice it into the side at its center, you will see lots of air pockets, which suggests that the bread is extremely light.  If you have never seen a Mexican torta bread, here's how it looks ;

Mexican torta bread

Here's what you will need for a torta, first we will prepare beans. Now you can buy ready-to-eat beans but what I like to do is make my own. That way I can adjust what flavors I want and I am not adding any kind of preservatives to it, they are fresh and trust me that makes all the difference !! This recipe makes 7-8 sandwiches.

Ingredients for sweet-tangy beans :-

3/4 cup pinto/black/red beans

Pinto beans

1 medium red onion, chopped fine
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp honey
salt to taste
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 tsp red chili powder or according to taste
2 tsp tomato ketchup


Process for sweet-tangy beans :-

1.  Soak beans overnight.  Add salt and pressure cook with

4-5 whistles till they turn soft. If using stove top, add salt       and cook for about 30-40 mins. till soft.

2.  Heat olive oil in a deep pan, add onion and let it saute for 3-4 mins. till translucent. Now add garlic and saute for a     minute or so.

Sweet-tangy beans

3.  Add beans and rest of the ingredients, mix properly. Add   salt if required (we have already added salt while               cooking the beans). The beans will taste sweet and tangy,     they go very well with 'beans and rice'. Garnish with             cilantro if you wish.

Ingredients for the sandwich :-

1 packet Torta sandwich rolls
1 pack fiesta cheese blend or mexican cheese blend

Fresh veggies

1 red onion, halved then thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced vertically
1 zucchini, sliced into circles
1 summer squash, sliced into circles
1 avocado, sliced long
3 poblano peppers sliced lengthwise
handful of fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 a lime
olive oil
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste


Process :-

1.  Preheat oven at 450 F. Here we bake all veggies               separately (excluding onion and avocado) so arrange             them on separate baking trays.

Grilled red bell peppers

Grilled poblano peppers

2.  Drizzle a tsp. of olive oil, salt and black pepper on each     sheet and bake the veggies for about 8-10 mins. till they         are cooked but stay firm and crunchy.

Grilled summer squash & zucchini

3.  Slice the torta in half horizontally, drizzle olive oil on         both halves and place them under 'broil' for couple of             seconds till the flesh turns golden.

Golden torta halves

4.  To assemble, layer one half with generous amount of         cheese and broil it for couple of seconds so it melts.

Cheese and sweet-tangy beans

Layered veggies

Topped with freshly sliced avocado 

5.  Spread a big spoonful of sweet-tangy beans on other half. Top it with couple slices of all grilled veggies, onion and         avocado slices. Garnish it with fresh cilantro and a drizzle     of lime juice. Now, top it with other piece of torta and             voila !, your mexican torta is ready to dig in !! Disfrutar !!!

Torta garnished with cilantro and lime juice, yum !!