Ruchii

I had made pizza over the weekend using eggplant as topping. I had tried this pizza in one of the resturant couple of years ago and really loved it.  So this will be my entry for this months JFI-Eggplant hosted by Sangeetha of Ghar Ka khana.

Making Pizza dough

• Wheat flour- 1 cup
• All purpose flour- 1cup
• Yeast- 1tbsp (disslove in warm water)            
• Salt and sugar to taste.

Vegetables and spices

• Red onion, tomatos – 1 small.
• Eggplant- I used about half of the big eggplant sliced into bit size peices.
• Salt,Pepper, redchilli,powder and olive oil

Method

1. Combine the flours and add yeast dissloved in warm water to the flour, add sugar and salt. 
2. Mix well using anough water to form stiff dough.  Cover and keep it for 1 hour or untill it doubles it size.
3. Pre heat the oven 400 F, when dough is ready hand press it to form like circle shape, bake it for 10 mins.
4. Now add tomato paste or tomato sauce  spread it around and add onion, tomato and eggplant(mixed with salt,pepper,olive oil and red chilli powder)
5. Continue to bake for another 10 min or less untill the veggies are cooked, I added shredded cheese last minute and left it for 1 min.
6. Eggplant pizza is ready. Enjoy.

* I baked just the pizza dough as such before adding toppings, to make the crust crispier.                                                    

I’ll be on a short break, will see you all soon. Happy Blogging……

I have been cooking with Masoor dal for last 2-3 years, first introduced by one of our maharastrian friend.  When we visited them they made this for dinner and me and my husband loved it and later I borrowed ‘goad masala’ from her and strated cooking. After that I knew goad masala was maharastrain speciality and used for making dals.  After it was over, I used to make masoor dal with  garam masala and red chilli powder.

For this months RCI – Maharashtrian Cuisine hosted by Nupur of ‘One hot Stove’ I decided to make Goda masala which is very authentic  maharastrain spice mix used in most of the dal preparations. So followed ‘Tee of Bhaatkuli’s’ recipe and prepared fresh Goad masala. For my first try it turned out good. Thanks Tee for the recipe.

Here is the recipe for Masoor Dal(Amti).

Ingredients

• Masoor Dal – 1 cup
• Vegeetables – Onion 1, Tomato 1, Garlic 2 pods and Tomato paste 2 tbsp.
• Spices- Goda masala, red chilli powder 1-2 tbsp
• Oil 2 tbsp and Salt to taste.

Method.

1. Add 2 cups of water to  Masoor Dal  and pressure cook for 15 mins. (No need to soak ahead).
2. Chop garlic , onion and tomato. Heat oil in pan and add veggie saute till soft and then add goad masala, red chilli powder and salt, adjust to taste.
3. Then add cooked masoor dal add required amout of water and cook for 10 mins. All the flavours of masala and dal are cooked together.
4. Serve with Chapathi with some slice of onion and lime.

Tasty and healthy meal enjoy!

As many of us know Orange peels(Kittale hannu-Orange  sippe-peel  in kannada) in India are sun-dried and powdered and stored. Used as a face scrub or mixed with oil and applied for hair. Besides these uses there is one more use to orange peels, making gojju with it. This time when I visited Mysore(India), in one of the TV shows they showed the recipe. One of my Aunt tried this one and it was delicious.

So last week I had found some nice skin oranges brought home and made some gojju using the peels.Gojju is a kannada name for its tangy,sweet and spicy curry. It tastes good with dosa, chapathi and rotti.

For some of you wondering how would it taste, it like bittergourd gojju but not bitter. Try it friends and let me know.

Peels can be stored in ziplock bags in refrigarator for months.

Here is the Ingredients and recipe.

• Orange peel – Of 1 orange
• Red onion- One small

For tempering:

• Oil – 1tbsp
• Mustard Seeds- 1tsb 

Spices

• Tamarind paste – 1tsp
• Red chilli pwd – 1-2 tbs (I used Sambar powder along with chilli powder. Can add or leave sambar pwd)
• Jaggery – 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste.

1. First peel the orange and chop very finely, remove the white part as much as possible.
2. Put the chopped peels in a hot water for about 10 mins.(Take water in a pot bring it boil and swith off add chopped orange peel leave it for 10 mins).Orange peels become soft after this.
3. Do the tempering in another vessel, heat oil add mustard add soaked orange peels and fry for 5 mins till its soft, add onions and fry for few more mins until its tranlucent.
4. Then add tamarind water, spices , jaggery and salt, adjust to taste. Add enough water bring it to boil. Simmer down and let it cook and peels will soak up all the spices . After 10-15 mins swith off and let it rest for 5 more mins.
5. *Can add roast dalia dal powdered to this gojju, at the very end and mix it for better consisitancy.

Variation :After soaking the peels in hot water, Can used for making sweet jams.

Its ready……Enjoy !

This is my recipe to AFAM hosted by Sharmi of Neivedyam

Godhi is wheat in Kannada.  This sweet is made of cracked wheat/broken wheat and makes up for a very healthy dessert.

Ingredints

• Cracked/broken wheat – 1/2 cup(serves 2)
• Jaggery – 1/4 cup (powdered)
• Almond and cashew – 1/4 cup powdered
• Cardamom/Elichi- 2 pods crushed
• Ghee- 1 tsp (for roasting of cashews and raisins)
• Milk- 2 tbsp Optional( for my kid I add milk)

Method :

1. Pressure cook broken wheat with enough water up to 2 whistel or 10 mins. Let it cool.
2. Take a heavy bottom pan add 3 cups water or milk (or half milk and water). To that add powdered  jaggery,almond-cashew, cardamom(Adjust sweet as per your taste). Let it boil and then add cooked wheat.  Leave it for 10 mins or so stirring inbetween, add more milk or water to desired consistancy.
3. Lastly add ghee roasted cashews and raisins.

*Note: Once it cools it becomes bit thick in consistancy, so while making it make it bit thinusing water or milk.

Enjoy it when its warm. 

At my kitchen for our lunch its mostly rice, sambar and  one dry curry with vegetables.  Some days when I am not  in a mood to make sambar its one pot meal. So today being one of those days, for our mid-day lunch I had made a very simple tomato rice.

I usualy make tomato rice by adding chopped tomatos and onion with some spices. Today for the first time I tried making tomato pulav by pureering/juicing  tomatoes and added fennel seeds while tempering. It was delicious with mild tomato taste with sweet smell  of fennel.

Ingredients:

• Tomato – 1 big Puree it using blender
• Onion – 1 medium( thinly chopped)
• Green chillies – 1 to 2

For tempering :

• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds – 1tsp
• Cloves and cinammon – 2 each

For Garnishing:

• 1 tsp – ghee
• 2 tbsp- cashew nuts
• 2 tbsp – corriender leaves chopped.

Method.

• Wash and soak rice (Basmati rice) for about 10 mins . This will allow rice to cook fastly when making on stove top. If using pressure cooker skip this step.
• Heat oil  in a thick bottemed pan. When its hot add mustard and fennel seeds, cinammon – cloves. Then add chopped green chilles and onion, fry for few mins.
• Then add purrred tomotoes and add salt. Bring it to a boil  then add enough water required for rice to cook ( I used 1 cup rice so added 2 cups of water + 1/2 cup of tomato  puree) .
• When it starts to boil add rice, mix well adjust salt and spice ( want more spice add red chilli powder) and cover and simmer and cook for 10 – 12 mins.
• Now do the garnishing, add chopped corriender leaves and cashew nuts, roasted in ghee. Let  the rice cool for 5 mins or so the add the roasted nuts and mix well

To go with it I made onion, cucumber, carrot pachadi/raitha. To make the taste bit different I added a pinch or Black salt (which is slightly tangy and salty in taste). Mixed along with salt and pepper. Simple and yet delicious lunch.

Enjoy!

Eversince I saw Trupthi’s post on  WBB-Spice it up event I can’t stop my self. Trying to spice up  dishes or drinks which I never made  before.  Experiments are going on in my kitchen and this one really turned out well for me.

Whenever I get Cantalope from store if its sweet and juice will eat half of the fruit as such or eat it with little salt and pepper. And the other half I make juice or shake(using sugar and milk) . This is the first time I am making  cantolpe juice with black pepper and ginger.

Here is how I made it

• Cantalope(peeled and cubed) – about 2 cups (for 2 glasses)
• Ginger – 1″ peice
• Black peppercorns – about 10
• Lime or Lemon juice-1 tbsp
• Honey- 2 tbsp or more.
• Salt – 2 pinch (it enhances the taste).

Take the above ingredients in a blender and blend it to smooth consistency (no water required).

After blending I strained (using medium holed strainer) it to remove if there are any big lumps.

Adjust the taste at this point and one can add water to desired consitancy.

Add it ready. We had this with simple bread toast .

Enjoy !

*My entry for WBB#12 – Spice it up! hosted by Trupti of Spice who loved Me.

Hello everyone,

    It feels good to be back after a long break and blogging again.

 For our evening snack  yesterday I had made a quick, tasty and healthy chaat with some leftover spourted moong dal and cheerio.

Sprouting : Soak Moong dal or any dal for 6-8 hrs then drain water and keep in close container for 3-4 hrs. 

I wanted to spice up the moong dal so here is what I added to it

• About 2 tbsp each Chopped red onion, tomatoes, corriander leaves.
• Grated carrot, ginger, green chillies(1).
• Juice of half a lime.

Now mix everthing together and add salt and red chilli powder adjust the taste.

Lastly add cheerios and roasted nuts. Mix well and eat.

*No oil required.