Tangy and Tasty

What sets Indian cuisine apart from a lot of others is the spices. In fact, it is for these spices, the traders from all over the world came to India. Spices is what makes the Indian cuisine special. All the same you just don’t douse the food with spices. Which spice to add and how much is the essence of Indian cooking.

For the poor souls like me who don’t know all the spice proportions or don’t have time to prepare fresh spices every time, there is still hope. Unlike Vasco da Gama or those European traders we don’t have to cross the seven seas. Just go around the corner to the nearby store. In my case I simply had to reply to a review request for spice mixes by Eastern Condiments. And the spices landed at my door step.

Spices

Puliyogare/ಪುಳಿಯೋಗರೆ/tamarind rice is a traditional South-Indian recipe. The mixture can be prepared and stored for a long time and mixed with rice while eating. And if you don’t know how to prepare the mixture. Here is a super-quick way to make it.

• Heat about 2 & 1/2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
• Add 4 tablespoons of Eastern Puliogare.
• Stir for about 2 mins.
• Add about 600 gms of rice and mix thoroughly.

Puliogare/Tamarind Rice

You may or may not relish brinjal but Vangi Bhath/Brinjal Rice is surely a dish you will relish. Again the method is simple.

• Fry Brinjal and other vegetables of your choice with a pinch of turmeric in cooking oil and keep aside.
• For the tempering, to heated cooking oil add mustard seeds, gram dal, green chilli, hing and cashew nuts.
• To this add and stir fry about 3 & 1/2 teaspoons of Eastern Vangi Bhath powder, tamarind extract, shredded coconut(optional) , salt and jaggery.
• Add the veggies and brinjal.
• Add uncooked rice and mix them well.
• Now add required amount of water for rice and let the rice cook.

Vangi Bhath/ Brinjal Rice

While neither of these need any side-dishes, you can eat it with some nice hot papad or pickle. My mom prefers it with thin Majjige Saaru and I like it with thin coconut chutney.

Hope you try them out and love the dishes too 🙂 Thanks to Eastern Condiments for the spices. Made my long weekend at home a tasty one!

Ragi Malt/Ambali

Summer has just started and we are already seeing the Sun shine in full glory. Air-conditioner is no respite in a small town India where power cuts everyday are a norm and not an exception. The best way to beat the heat then is summer foods. The one that tops the list in our family is “Ragi Ambali/ರಾಗಿ ಅಂಬಲಿ” or what is more popularly known as ragi malt. I won’t go into the health benefits of ragi. This gluten-free millet is now known widely among the health freaks and rightly so.

Ragi Malt/Ambali

This can be served as breakfast or after lunch/dinner or can even act as a meal substitute esp in the afternoons when you don’t feel like eating anything.

Ingredients:

• Ragi flour/ರಾಗಿ ಹಿಟ್ಟು – 2 tablespoons
• Water – 1 – 1/2 cups(varies according to how thick or thin you want it to be)
• Buttermilk – 1 cup(you can even use curd in place of buttermilk)
• Salt – as required
• Cilantro – for garnishing
• Garlic – 3-4 pods
• Onion – 1/2 small finely chopped
• Jeera – powdered/crushed

Method:

• Mix ragi flour in water ensuring no lumps are formed.
• Simmer the mixture for about 5-7 mins/Till you see the mixture boil. Keep stirring continuously. Also ensure you boil it properly else it tastes like flour while having the drink.
• Once you see it start boiling, add the salt, garlic and jeera. And take it off the stove once the mixture boils properly.
• Don’t worry if it is too thick/thin. It can be adjusted to your taste while serving.
• Once the mixture cools down put it in a refrigerator(optional step but preferred as this is best served when chilled).
• While serving add the buttermilk/curd and garnish it with cilantro and finely chopped onions. Omit the onions if you don’t like the raw onions.

Ragi Malt_2

Optional – you can also add some Jowar flour along with ragi flour. Although in this recipe I haven’t added, it is commonly added in North-Karnataka recipes.

Whenever I try introducing ragi to my friends(esp the ones from the North), they run away from it on seeing the colour. But guys trust me, it tastes great and this is one occasion where you need to see content over colour. It isn’t fair but lovely for sure. 🙂

Rava Dosa – Recipe

Onion Rava Dosa with Coconut chutney

If you are craving for dosa and if you have forgotten to soak the rice and dal the previous day and keep the batter overnight then you are in for a disappointment. That is when instant dosa comes to your rescue. This is one of the instant dosas and a yummy one at that . Here are the ingredients you’ll need

• Rava/Semolina – 1 cup
• Rice Flour – 1 cup
• Maida/All purpose flour – 1/2 cup
• Green chillies(finely chopped) – 3 medium
• Onion(finely chopped) – 1 large
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Hing/ Asafoetida – a pinch
• Ginger(grated) – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Water – to make the batter
• Oil – for making the dosas

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, mix rava, rice flour, maida, chopped green chillies, cumin seeds, ginger, hing and salt.

Dry ingredients

• Then add water to this dry mixture. The consistency should be that of buttermilk. I tried getting a pic not sure if you can make out from the pic.

Batter consistency

• Keep it aside for 10 mins. Now heat the dosa-tawa, apply some oil and sprinkle a bit the finely shopped onion

Sprinkle Onion

• You cannot spread this dosa batter with a ladle like the other dosas because the batter is very thin. You need to pour the batter and swirl the tawa or sprinkle the batter starting from outside and finishing in the centre and filling the gaps later. In this pic I have sprinkled the dosa but the gaps need to be filled.

Sprinkle the dosa batter on the tawa

• Now put some more oil on the dosa. Keep the tawa on high heat and remember this one takes a little more time than your normal dosa. Once you see the dosa getting brown on the bottom side, flip it with a spatula.

Dosa on the tawa

• Don’t worry about the shape of the dosa when you sprinkle the batter like water you can’t expect it to take any shape that you can define unless it resembles a country map 🙂
• In case you cannot flip it, that means either you haven’t cooked it properly on the other side or that it is too thick. Don’t worry you can still cook and eat those dosa crumbles if browned properly 🙂
• Anyway if it doesn’t come out properly, don’t despair. For the next one pray to your favorite god and start again from cleaning your tawa, adding some oil and sprinkling some onions on it. Keep repeating the above steps till you get a nice, brown, crispy dosa. You will get it soon. It ain’t no rocket science!
• And once done, take it out on a plate and eat it hot with any of the dosa accompaniments.

Rava Dosa – ready to eat.
Awesomeness \m/

 

Spring Onion and Tomatoes – Recipe

Only those who have patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily – Friedrich Von Schiller 

Spring Onion and Tomato

It’s amazing how, at times, doing the simplest of the things well can salvage a bad day. One such story of mine happens to be associated with this healthy, tasty and simple recipe. Hoping it do the same for someone else too and sharing it here on my blog.

Ingredients required:

Tomato(chopped) – 3 medium size
Spring Onion(chopped) – 2 bunches
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Onion chopped – 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Hing – a pinch
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp ( you can reduce the quantity if you don’t like it spicy)
Garam masala powder – a pinch
Salt – to taste
Oil – for tadka
Fresh Coriander/Cilantro(finely chopped) – for garnishing

Fresh spring onion and tomatoes

Method:

In a deep pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal. When the seeds splutter add a pinch of hing, curry leaves, onion.

Tadka with onion

Saute the onions till they turn translucent add turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilli powder and salt

Tadka with turmeric and chilli powder

Now add the tomato to the mixture

with tomatoes

After the tomatoes are slightly done, add the chopped spring onion. Cover it for about 8-10 mins and let it cook.

with spring onion

Add a little bit of water(about 2 tbsp) and let it cook for a minute. Now take it out in a serving bowl, garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with any Indian bread or rice. This dish is usually prepared spicy but you can reduce the quantity of chilli powder if you don’t want it spicy.

Tasty, hot tomato and spring onion ready to be served

Hope you enjoy making it and eating it! 🙂

Rajni-The God!!!

For all the ignorant mortals, few facts about Rajnikant- The Ultimate

• Rajnikant can race with a bullet and win 🙂
• Rajnikant can divide by zero
• Guns don’t kill people. Rajnikant kills people.
• Rajnikant can lead a horse to water AND make it drink.
• Rajnikant can dwarf a dinosaur
• Aliens do exist. They just know better than to visit a planet Rajnikant is on.
• There is no such thing as global warming.  Rajnikant was cold, so he turned the sun up.
• Rajnikant has counted to infinity. twice !!! 😯
• When Rajnikant falls in water,  Rajnikant doesn’t get wet. Water gets Rajnikant. 😆
• When you say “no one’s perfect”, Rajnikant takes this as a personal insult.
• Rajnikant doesn’t actually write books, the words assemble themselves out of fear. (Wish I could do that for my blog posts)
• The pen is mighter than the sword, but only if the pen is held by Rajnikant.
• Rajnikant can retrieve items deleted from Recycle bin after shredding.
• Rajnikant doesn’t wear a watch. He decides what time it is.
• Rajnikant killed the dead sea.
• Rajnikant can slam a revolving door.
• Rajnikant once ordered a plate of idli in McDonald’s, and got it.
• Rajnikant can strangle you with a cordless phone.
• Rajnikant can make onions cry.
• Rajnikant doesn’t breathe. Air hides in his lungs for protection.
• There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Rajnikant lives in Chennai.
• Rajnikant kills Harry Potter in the eighth book. 🙄
• Rajnikant has already been to Mars, that’s why there are no signs of life there.
• Rajnikant doesn’t move at the speed of light. Light moves at the speed of Rajnikant.
• Rajnikant kills two stones with one bird.
• Rajnikant can handle the truth. 😈
• Rajnikant can teach an old dog new tricks.
• Rajnikant calls Voldemort by his name. 😀
• Chuck Norris once met Rajnikant. The result – He was reduced to a joke on the Internet. 😆
• Rajnikant’s calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd, no one fools Rajnikant. 😮
• Words like awesomeness, brilliance, legendary etc. were added to the dictionary in the year 1949. That was the year Rajnikant was born.
• Time and tide wait for Rajnikant.
• Rajnikant can answer a missed call.
• Once a cobra bit Rajnikant’ leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
• Ghosts are actually caused by Rajnikant killing people faster than death can process them.
• When Rajnikant looks in a mirror it shatters, because the mirror is not stupid enough to get in between the two Rajnikants.
• Rajnikant can drown a fish. 😕
• Rajnikant got his drivers license at the age of 16 Seconds.  😯
• Rajnikant can eat only one Lay’s chips 😀
• Rajnikant does not use spell check. If he happens to misspell a word, Oxford will simply change the actual spelling of it.
• The Bermuda Triangle used to be the Bermuda Square, until Rajnikant kicked one of the corners off.
• 1+0=1, 1-0=1, 1*0=0, 1/0 =? when asked this question, Rajnikant said don’t know thats why till date 1/0  is undefined…
• Walking in Italy one day, Rajnikant decided to take a break by leaning up against a wall; Thanks to him, we now have the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

I am afraid my knowledge is limited too. Pls feel free to add to the list.