Quick Microwave Upma

Upma is a great breakfast food - quick to make, filling, and very nutritious too. When I was a child, we had it every weekend for brunch amongst other goodies. But often as a treat it found its way into our school lunch boxes!! Over time I have worked to simplify the recipe so that its microwave ready for a whenever snack!!

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup sooji (cream of wheat)
1 tbsp chana dal
1 tbsp urad dal
1 inch piece ginger, grated fine
2 large dried red chillies, crumbled
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1 tbsp ghee
1/3 cup cashews, chopped

To Make Upma:
Salt to taste
Warm water, as required

Method:

1. Heat the ghee in a large non-stick pan. Add the mustard seeds, and when they begin to pop, lower the heat.
2. Next add the chana and urad dals. when they turn golden brown, add the cashews and red chillies. Fry until the chillies are crisp and the cashews golden brown.
3. Now, add the cilantro and grated ginger and continue to fry for 30 seconds. Finally tip the sooji into the frying pan and roast with all the other ingredients on low heat until it gives off a fragrance. Remove into a heat resistant plate and let cool completely. The upma mix is ready.
4. Store in an airtight box in the refrigerator to shelf for 7-10 day until needed. Alternatively it will stay in the freeze indefinitely.
5. To make Quick Microwave Upma, remove desired amount into a microwave safe bowl (avoid using plastic), pour hot water and add salt to taste. Generally 2 parts water to 1 part upma mix should be enough.
6. Place in the microwave, and cook for 2 minutes per serving in the pan. Enjoy with your favourite chutney or plain yogurt.

All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Gujarati Kadhi

Hey Folks! I'm back after a short hiatus. February was supposed to be our home moving month, with the actual move planned for the end of the last week. However we had some rather unexpected warm and sunny weather on the weekend of 23-24 February. Given the 100 plus inches snow that we have plowed our way through since the start of this year, the ray of sunshine seemed promising, and indeed too good to pass up. At the very last minute we decided to take advantage of this good fortune that nature had sent us and move a week before planned. There was some unfinished maintenance at our new home, yet we decided to chance it :)

Moving is tough work and while I am still unpacking the boxes (does that ever end??), I made sure the kitchen was set up and functioning on 'Day One'. Now where have I hear that phrase lately?? LoL, but seriously - I needed the inspiration and the creativity to survive the sheer tediousness of the move, the packing, and the unpacking. And what better way to unwind at the end of a long day than to bring together cereals, lentils, vegetables, and spices and watch them transform into beautifully creative meals - with mouth-watering appeal....

While I am sure that many a blog here will find its way linked to 'the move', I think enough said about it for the present. Onto a dish that turns up in many an Indian home on cold winter evenings. It is heartwarming, delicious, nutritious, and wholesome - it is Gujarati Kadhi. Golden and creamy, yet amazingly light on the stomach, this Kadhi is best served with fresh steamed Basmati rice, and a dollop of ghee!!


Ingredients:
1/3 cup chickpea flour
1 cup yogurt
2 cups water, warm
1 tbsp sunflower/canola oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
8 black peppercorns
4 cloves
2 dried red chillies
6-8 curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt, to taste

For tempering:
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp coarsely grated red chilli powder

Method:

1. Pour the oil into a deep, heavy bottomed pan. When hot, reduce the heat to medium.
2. Add the cumin, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, peppercorns, cloves, and red chillies to the oil.
3. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, and a fragrance emerges from the pan, add the warm water into the spices. Take care when doing this as the oil can sputter when water is added.
4. Now mix the chickpea flour, turmeric, salt, and the yogurt. Blend well so that the mixture is free of any lumps.
5. Gently pour this mix into the the water and spice mixture.
6. Cook the Kadhi on a medium heat stirring constantly. You will notice the mixture thicken and acquire a deeper yellow colour.
7. The Kadhi is ready when you can no longer taste the rawness of the chickpea flour. set aside.
8. Prepare tempering by heating the ghee in a small shallow pan. When warm, add the red chilli powder. Pour over the Kadhi.

The Kadhi is now ready. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Mumra Wale Kanda Pohe

Pohe is an all-round favourite at breakfast on weekends or for a heavy tea. My current favourite is a recipe that I learnt from a friend but have tweaked to taste. This pohe is made not with Pohe Rice (flattened rice) but with Mumra or Puffed Rice. It has a different and unique flavour and texture. But I found that the puffed rice absorbed the flavours better than the flattened rice. Also it retained a moisture and softness that pohe rice tends to lose if not served immediately. This recipe of Mumra Wale Kanda Pohe is for Jhiva for Ingredients: Onions, which this time has been hosted by Radhika of Radhi's Kitchen.


Ingredients:
6 cups Mumra (Puffed Rice)
1 tbsp oil
2 large onions, sliced finely
2 green chillies, slit
6-8 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Take 2 cups of Mumra in a large bowl. Pour enough tap water over the Mumra tosoak them through. You may have to use your hands to push the Mumra under the water. Allow to soak for 1-2 minutes until they lose their crispness and become soft. Taking one handful at a time, squeeze the water out of the Mumra completely. The Mumra should not retain any water yet hold its shape at this point. Spread out in a large colander.
2. Repeat this until all the Mumra are in the colander.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan. To this, add the mustard seeds, and when they pop add the cumin, curry leaves, sliced onions, and green chillies. Cook on medium heat until the onions become transparent.
4. Now add the prepared Mumra, turmeric, red chilli powder, and salt to taste. Stir in the spices so that all the ingredients are blended well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Remove the cover of the pan, stir, and keep on the heat until the Mumra is completely cooked - about 5 minutes.

Serve Mumra Wale Kanda Pohe hot with a squeeze of fresh lime and your favourite pickle!

All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Rasedaar Aloo-Gobhi (Fragrant Potato-Cauliflower Curry)

Aloo-Gobhi sabzi (Potato-Cauliflower Vegetable) happens to be one of my favourite vegetable combinations. There are so very many ways in which this vegetable combination is cooked and dished out. Yet it is only in winter that one gets the opportunity of enjoying it in this fragrant curry form. Primarily because this recipe uses loads of Dalchini or Cinnamon. Cinnamon which is an essential spice in Indian cooking, is regarded by Ayurveda as a warming spice. It is, in general, used in combination with other spices that complement its flavour and often in its bark form. Also it is used to flavour savoury vegetables and meats from the main course rather than sweets and desserts! Cauliflower curry with cinnamon is a perfect example of this. I find it to be a comfort food - tasty, warming, and utterly delicious once served on a bed of Basmati rice.

Ingredients:
1 medium-size cauliflower
4 small red potatoes
2 medium onions
1 tin tomato puree
1 tsp tamarind extract
8 Curry leaves
4 tbsp dried unsweetened coconut
1" cinnamon stick
4 black peppercorns
2-4 dried red chillies
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp ghee
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash, clean, and divide the cauliflower into florets. Quarter the potatoes, and slice the onions.
2. In a saucepan, roast the cinnamon, peppercorns, red chillies, and cumin. Set aside to cool.
3. Pour the oil in the pan, heat, then add the onions and dried coconut and fry till brownish in colour.
4. Meanwhile, dry grind the cooled spices to a powder. To this powder, add the fried onions and coconut. Grind further till well blended.
5. Heat the ghee in the saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
6. Once the mustard seeds begin to pop add the freshly prepared spice paste and fry till the ghee begins to separate.
7. Now add the potatoes, cauliflower florets, salt, and just enough water to make up a curry. Cook till the vegetable is tender. Add the tomato puree and tamarind extract and cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Serve hot with Basmati rice.

I am sending this Winter Warmer in to Sunita's Think Spice.... think Cinnamon .

All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Fasting & Feasting: Sabudana Khichiri

In India, feasting very often follows fasting. It is customary to observe fasts on numerous days throughout the year. Indeed, people fast on particular days of a week, month, and year to please and honour particular Gods and Goddesses, to give thanks for blessings received, or to pray for that their wishes be granted.

A fast usually begins at dawn and broken at dusk. During this time those undertaking the fast tend to partake of only water, fruits, nuts and milk. Yet, the entire day is often filled with the joy and camaraderie that accompanies a shared kitchen. Family members regardless of age come together to prepare for the feast that inevitably accompanies the successful completion of a fast. Some feasts are humble and traditional meals where only certain categories of foods permitted on fasts are prepared. And others are grand meals where the host's largess is shared with friends and neighbours.

Sabudana Khichiri or Sago Kedgeree is a traditional dish that is most commonly prepared to end a fast with. This simple yet delicious dish is viewed as a complete meal and oftentimes as the ultimate treat at the end of a day characterised by abstinence from carbohydrates and salt. I developed a taste for Sabudana Khichiri early in life and though it was prepared in several different ways by my Mum and my Grandmum, I choose to make it the traditional way.



Sago itself is tricky to cook. A little over soaking, a little overcooking and it has a tendency to dissolve into a gelatinous, gluey, and sadly inedible mass. My experience with sago has seen all these phases, and after numerous misses (considerably more) and hits, I have this recipe down to a T! Trial and error are a great methodology, yet in the end I have come to believe that it turns out best whenever I trust my instinct.

Ingredients:
2 cups sago
3/4 cup raw peanuts
2 medium sized potatoes
6-8 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp oil
2 green chillies
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 level tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Clean the sago, and soak it in cold water overnight in a deep bowl. The water should cover all the sago in the bowl and should be at least 1 inch over the level of the dry sago. In the morning the sago should be plump and soft. If you see any excess water, drain it completely. Alternatively if the sago is still hard, sprinkle with more water and let sit for a few minutes longer.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan.
3. When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and curry leafs. Stir them till they begin to pop.
4. Chop the green chillies; peel and cube the potatoes. Stir them into the seasoning in the pan. Cover the pan and and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.
5. Coarsely grind the raw peanuts.
6. Mix the ground peanuts, red chilli powder, and salt into the soaked sago.
7. Turn this mixture into the frying pan.
8. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Then remove the cover, add 1 tbsp oil and cook another 10 minutes on medium heat. Stir occasionally. The sago will acquire a translucent appearance once it is fully cooked.
9. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro. Serve with freshly set yogurt.

My husband adores Sabudana Khichiri, and so I do make it with a comforting regularity every weekend and usually during the Navratras. But it will always remain for me a childhood memory where this simple fare would become the feast after the fast. And as I am new to the world of Food Blogging, I am dedicating this entry to all you fabulous food bloggers out there who have inspired me to create my own food blog. As a part of this dedication I am sending this recipe out as an entry to Meeta's Monthly Mingle - Traditional Feasts, 3 December 2007.


All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.