Egg Masala Rice

For many years, I cooked for just one person. I ate my meals by myself. No television, no radio, just myself for company. Many a weeknight, I would skip dinner entirely and have a glass of milk or some fruit. On some days, I would make a little extra lunch so that I would have food if I didn’t feel up to cooking. I would always come back not wanting to eat the same food. Sometimes, when I look back, I think I really hadn’t gotten used to the idea of eating alone. I didn’t enjoy it that much. I had no problems living alone and, come to think of it, I did enjoy my company. But the meals were a big problem. So year after year, for most part of the 9 years, I struggled with meal times. S has a job that requires him to travel a lot. I thought all those years of training would come in handy. But each time he is out on work, I struggle with meals. I have near zero interest in cooking for myself. Breakfast and lunch are fine. But dinners I can’t seem to have by myself. Of course, more often than not, it is just that there is no dinner for me to have as I can’t drag myself into the kitchen. Then it comes down to popcorn and apple milkshake. When my enthusiasm gets the better of me, I try to make a little something for myself. This egg masala rice is one such attempt to feed myself on a busy weeknight when there was just one mouth to feed. All it took was an egg, some leftover rice and an onion.



1 Egg, hard boiled, peeled and cut in two
1 Onion, sliced
1 cup cooked Rice
1 tsp Chilli Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (optional)
2 tsp Oil
Salt to taste



In a frying pan, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the onion slices. Fry for a minute or two and add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, Kitchen King masala, if using, and the cumin-coriander powder. Fry for 2 minutes and add the salt. Add the egg halves and fry until they are coated with the spices. Allow the egg to roast to a golden colour and then take the pieces out. Add the rice to the onion mixture and cover and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and enjoy it hot with a bowl of curd on the side.

Capsicum Semia Upma

I have talked often about my undying love for upma. It is funny how I don’t make it very often anymore. I think that’s what blogging does to me. I want to make newer stuff so that I can update my blog and thanks to that, I forget about my favourite foods. Because I’ve already blogged about them, I don’t bother to make them. Have you faced this too?

Anyway, here’s a simple breakfast number that doubles up as a lunch or dinner number when you’re rushed for time. It combines two of my favourites, capsicum and upma, in one dish.

1 cup Roasted Vermicelli

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Capsicum, finely chopped

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Oil

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard, asafoetida and cumin seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped capsicum and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Add the roasted vermicelli along with a cup of hot water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

This is off to me for the WBB: Express Breakfasts.

Mor Kazhi and Menthi Kuzhambu

There are favourites and then there are favourites... and then there's mor kazhi. While we were kids, lunch was always rice, sambar, rasam, curd and a vegetable. Sometimes the sambar became dali saar and we had a konkani meal complete with a masla randeyi. And at other times, we had plain dal and avial or mor kuzhambu. On other days we had menthi kuzhambu.

Known as Vathal Kuzhambu (or Vatha Kuzhambu) in many households, I think that Menthi Kuzhambu or Vendhaya Kuzhambu is one of those dishes that leaves you licking your fingers. At our home, this is traditionally made with brinjal, lady's finger or yam. My Iyer friends make it with shallots, pumpkin and even radish. I make it with just about anything I can lay my hands on. I have even made a version of this with garlic. My father had once told me, "If you want to make me happy, learn to make menthi kuzhambu for me" and I (thinking it was too much trouble) said, "It's OK with me if you're not that happy... let's have paruppu kuzhambu". Now, I know better!

On days when we had Menthi Kuzhambu for lunch, we tried to have mor kazhi for dinner. The combination is simply superb. I made this for dinner last week and I'd also made some rice just in case S doesn't like this mor kazhi of mine. But the rice was eaten about two days later.

Menthi Kuzhambu



Ingredients:


1 Radish, sliced
1 tbsp Vathal (Sundaikkai, Cluster Beans or Manathakkali - optional)
1-2 Red Chillies
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
1 tbsp Toor Dal
2 tbsp Tamarind Paste
1 tsp Oil
7-8 Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Sambar Powder
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a vessel and add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, toor dal, vathal and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves and the chillies. Add the radish and fry for a minute. Add the sambar powder and fry for another minute. Add the tamarind paste, salt and a cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the radish is cooked.

My friend Preeti suggested that I cook the vegetable in the sambar itself. She also suggested that I use gingelly or sesame oil while making this type of sambar. So, while a lot of how I cook comes from Amma, these are two things I remember while making this.

Mor Kazhi is probably one of my favourite snacks. I don't know how many things I am allowed to count as favourites. Instead of waiting for leftover Menthi Kuzhambu, I decided to make both items fresh. My very first attempt at making mor kazhi was a success. I think I'll experiment with different flours from now on too.

Ingredients:

1 cup Flour

1/2 cup Rice Flour

4 cups Buttermilk

1 tsp Chilli Paste

1 tsp Ginger Paste

1/4 cup Coriander, chopped

1 tbsp Lime Juice

2 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Urad Dal

1/4 tsp Chana Dal (optional)

2 Red Chillies

7-8 Curry Leaves

Salt to taste

Mix the flours with the buttermilk and add the coriander leaves along with the ginger and chilli pastes. Add the salt and the lime juice and mix until well blended.

In a kadhai, heat the oil and add the urad and chana dals, mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the red chillies and the curry leaves. After a minute, add the buttermilk-flour mixture and mix well and remove any lumps. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Serve hot with menthi kuzhambu. I am told that there are several ways in which mor kazhi is served. Cut into squares, made into balls. I would love to try this out in all the different ways it is made. I have only eaten this at home and only in this manner. And I love it.

Spaghetti with Tomato Cheese Sauce

A meal that is about as simple as can be: Spaghetti. I sometimes tend to think of Spaghetti as being more American than Italian. Quite the same way as I think of Pizza.

While I was introduced to Macaroni in the comfort of my own home, Spaghetti was a whole new experience. The first time I saw it was on the supermarket shelves in upstate NY. But I didn't pay much attention to it. Think about it: an 8 year old from India in the US for a very first time, despite the fact that her parents spent a lot of time there, in fact met there and decided to get married, walking through the aisles of the supermarket, taking in everything from Mars to Juicy Fruit to more cheese and vegetable varieties than she even knew existed. Spaghetti would hardly have been the thing to draw her attention.

But when Amma brought home a can of Spaghetti and cooked it on a day when only H and I were having lunch (my parents skip one weekday meal as a way of giving thanks - they belong to very opposite cultures and married at a time when marrying on your own was taboo enough, let alone marrying someone outside your homestate, culture and clan.) I think I was hooked since then.

Here is the simplest way to make Spaghetti at home. (Apart from buying readymade sauces!!)

150g Spaghetti

2 tsp + 1 tsp Olive Oil

2 Onions, ground to a paste

1 tbsp Garlic Paste

200g Tomato Puree

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Basil

1 tsp Parsley

1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes

1-2 slices Low Fat Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cheese Powder for serving

Heat the 2 tsp Oil. Add the onion and garlic pastes and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the chilli flakes, parsley, basil and oregano and fry for a minute. Add the tomato puree and allow the mixture to boil.

Boil 2 litres of water with a little salt and 1 tsp oil. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Drain.

Add the cheese slices to the sauce and stir briskly till it blends well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve:





Serve some spaghetti on a plate. Pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle with cheese powder and enjoy.



We were watching "The Pursuit of Happyness" and I actually made this in fifteen minutes between parts one and two. I like the fact that with stuff like tomato puree so readily available, even an "exotic" dish takes little effort.

I am sending this to Paige from Chef Girl will be hosting the Weekend Cookbook Challenge for August. Paige has chosen a super theme - Dinner and a DVD.

Drumstick Sambar and Raw Banana Curry

So many things that I have posted are one dish meals. But Mallugirl’s post made me think. Amma always made a full breakfast and a full lunch before leaving for work. In fact, at dinner time, all we had to do was make fresh rice. Nothing is as difficult as we make it out to be. We live in better times to some extent than our mothers did. We have access to hygienically packed, processed foods. Although we had a food processor and a cooking range at home, a microwave came only ten years ago into Amma's kitchen. I remember Amma making paruppu usli by grinding the soaked dal on an ammi made of stone. I have trouble bringing my Ultra Grind out and Amma made Idli and Dosa batter on a stone kal oral. Then she got a wet grinder. For all its automation, it was still what I'd consider cumbersome.


A lot of people ask me why I don't hire a cook or just eat out. A friend asked me about a month ago, "Why are you so bullish about cooking your own food? I leave all that to my maid. Stop being so adamant and finicky about cooking. You're a working woman. Learn to enjoy life."




Enjoy. The word can convey so many feelings at once. I don't like dancing and I've been told I don't know how to enjoy life. What is this thing about doing a particular thing in order to enjoy life? Should it not be about doing what I want? I've been a full time working woman for 8 years now. Eight complete years as of today. And in all this time I've cooked my own meals. I have a LOT of support from Amma. I get ready made sambar and rasam powders, tamarind paste, scraped coconut, vangi bhat masala, bisi bele bhat masala, ginger, chilli and garlic pastes, paruppu podi, thengai podi, yellu podi, karuveppilai podi, milagai podi, yennai katrikkai podi, pitti chitni and loads of other things from her. No kidding! And with so much that she untiringly does for me, what I do with the things she lovingly makes for me is almost nothing. But what is more important to me is the fact that I enjoy cooking.

My lunchbox during my school days used to be an elaborate 4 container tiffin carrier. Top most for the vegetable, then sambar-rice, rasam-rice and curd-rice. Amma was a working woman. Yet, she didn't make the kind of stuff that I do (put everything in a cooker and forget it!) She didn't have the luxury of frozen cut vegetables or ready made ginger-garlic pastes. Yet she dished out one healthy meal after another for as long as I've known her. And she continues to do so.

This morning's meal, I owe entirely to her (as I do almost everything.) It is during such rushed mornings that I am especially thankful for the 5 cookers I have received as gifts from her over the years. There is no waiting for the pressure to release so you can cook the next item.

A trip to the I.N.A. market allows you to not only buy exotic ingredients, but ordinary things that you crave. Drumsticks, raw bananas, shallots, sweet potatoes, amaranth leaves, taro leaves... the list is endless. Our trip on Sunday was successful. We brought back a lot of much missed vegetables.


Today being a working day, our meal had to be ready in 30 minutes. And it was. So, this is a totally unplanned entry to Mallugirl’s Express Cooking challenge. The picture was taken just when I sat down to lunch. (I am working from home for the moment.)


The meal comprised:


Drumstick Sambar (Murungakkai Sambar)
Raw Banana Curry (Vazhaikkai Karumadhu)
Rice
Curd
Papad


Ingredients:


Drumstick Sambar:




1/2 cup Toor Dal
1 tbsp Sambar Powder
1 Drumstick, cut into 3-inch long pieces
3 Onions, sliced
2 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 Green Chilli, slit
1 Red Chilli
4 tbsp Tamarind Paste
Salt to Taste


Rice:

1 cup Ponni Rice
3 cups Water


Raw Banana Curry (Vazhaikkai Karumadhu):



4 large or 6 medium Raw Bananas, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
1/2 tsp Urad Dal
1/2 tsp Chana Dal
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Sambar Powder
Salt to taste


How do you put it all together in 30 minutes?

Get the bananas out and peel and chop them.

Cook the rice and dal in a pressure cooker using 2 vessels. Add 3 cups of water to the rice and 1 cup of water to the dal.



When the rice and dal are getting cooked, proceed with the sambar.



Heat oil in a pressure pan. Add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, red and green chillies and fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry for a minute and then add the drumstick pieces. Add the sambar powder and fry for a couple of minutes more. Add a little water and cover and cook with the weight for 1 whistle. When the pressure is released, add the tamarind paste and salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the cooked dal and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

When the drumstick is getting cooked, you can get the raw banana curry going.

Heat the oil in a kadhai. Add the urad and chana dals. When the urad dal begins to change colour, add the mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves and the raw banana pieces. Add the chilli, turmeric and sambar powders. Mix well and cover. Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes. Remove the lid and allow the pieces to crispen on all sides.

To proceed, place 2 appalams (papads) in the microwave on high for 40 seconds. Bring out the curd from the fridge. Set everything on the counter or the table. Then bring the appalams out. Eat like there is no tomorrow. Just kidding.

So, this goes to Mallugirl’s Express Cooking challenge as my final entry. My earlier entries to this event have been

Taro-Rice Balls and Yogurt Dip

Kabuli Pulao and Raita

Achari Aloo

Usal Pav

Among my 100+ entries so far, a significant number would be quick meals. Maybe it is a sign of the times we live in, maybe it is a sign of my laziness. Here's a list of quick meals on The Singing Chef that didn't become a part of Mallugirl’s Express Cooking challenge:

Macaroni and Vegetables in White Sauce

Kothu Roti

French Bread Pizza

Muttai Dosai

Mixed Vegetable Semia Upma

Mixed Vegetable Upma

Paneer Paratha

Aloo Paratha

Macaroni in Tomato Basil Sauce

Conchiglie Mushroom Saute

Fusilli with stir fried Vegetables

Eggless Masala French Toast

Corn Vegetable Salad

Kabuli Pulao and Raita

Chhole Chawal and Rajma Chawal are staples across Delhi. Some of the best places where I’ve eaten these would be Nehru Place and Connaught Place. I’ve probably made Rajma once in my life. And after an overnight soak and 15 whistles in the cooker, my rajma was hard as ever. Since I was only cooking for myself back then, I endured it. Chhole, however, is another saga altogether. I have made it many times and in several different ways. Amma even has a zero oil recipe which I shall post soon.

I soaked chick peas to make chhole but ended up making yet another rice dish. It is almost like chhole chawal, except that the masala is slightly different and the rice is cooked along with the chhole.

200g Chick peas, soaked overnight
2 Onions, sliced
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 tbsp Oil
½ tsp Cumin Seeds
½ tsp Asafoetida
1 tsp Chilli paste
½ tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 tsp Green Chilli paste
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala
Salt to taste
1 cup Basmati rice

Heat the oil in a pressure pan. Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the cumin crackles, add the onions and fry for 2 minutes. Add the chilli paste and the ginger garlic paste and fry for another minute. Add the chilli and turmeric powders along with the pav bhaji masala and fry for a minute. Add the tomato puree and salt. When the mixture bubbles, add the chickpeas and rice. Stir well. Add 2 cups of hot water and cook for 2 whistles.

When done, garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy it with some raita.

This raita is ready within minutes.

Chop an onion and a tomato finely. Add a finely chopped green chilli to a bowl of curd. Add salt and beat well. Add the onion and tomato pieces. Garnish with coriander.

If you have soaked chick peas on hand, this meal is ready in 25 minutes flat. And it has a good mix of carbohydrates, proteins, fat and a share of vegetables too. So, this goes to Mallugirl’s Express Cooking challenge.

Rice being the main ingredient here, I am also sending this entry to Jihva for ingredients started by Indira of Mahanandi and hosted by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

Tayir Saadam (Curd Rice)

Tayir Saadam. Comfort food to many, health food for some. To me, it’s just an integral part of every meal at home.

I had a Parsi boss in Bombay who loved Curd Rice. One day, my stomach was badly upset and my aunt made curd rice and packed it in my box. My boss wanted to exchange dabbas with me. I was surprised that someone actually wanted to eat Curd Rice. She then told me that she asked her cook to make curd rice and he kept rice and curd in front of her and asked her to mix the two. I told her that’s the way we eat it at home. And she said, “Not with Basmati Rice and Sweet Curd, right?”

Right!

This version of curd rice is also called Bagala Bhaat and is served at weddings. The caterer at my wedding, Pattappa, dishes out the creamiest tayir saadam on the planet.

I, as always, picked this recipe up from Amma. In summers, this is the best thing to eat at lunch time. Very cooling, very easy on the system.

Ingredients:

1 cup Ponni/Sona Masoori Rice

1/2 tsp Green Chilli paste

1/2 tsp Ginger Paste

1 cup Curd

3/4 cup Milk

Salt to taste

For the tempering:
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves

Coriander leaves for garnish

Cook the rice with 4 cups of water and a little salt in a pressure cooker. (I usually cook this for 5-6 whistles). Mash it with a spoon or a masher. Add the ginger and chilli pastes and mix well. Add the curd and mix well. Fold in the milk and mix again.

In a small kadhai, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves. Pour this over the curd-rice mixture. Chill for an hour before serving. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Macaroni and Vegetables in White Sauce

Given the number of times in a month we eat pasta at home, it is difficult to believe that at one time I actually hated the stuff. Rewind to about 23-24 years ago. A time when macaroni wasn't even easily available in India. I always looked at the bottle on the top shelf that had some small twisted straws. I couldn't reach it. But I'd ask her each time I looked up at it, "Amma, taen kallen?" (Amma, what is that?) And she'd tell me, "Macaroni". "Macaroni mhalar kallen?" (What does Macaroni mean?) And she'd try to explain in the best way she could to a 6 year old. Then one day she made it because I was so enthusiastic about it. And I hated it. I ate it, but almost swore never to touch it again.

Almost, but not quite! Many years later, Amma decided to make the dish again. Macaroni and vegetables in white sauce. Suddenly, the same dish, made quite the same way, was yummy to say the least. I make it very often. I have modified the dish greatly from the time I learnt it. At times, my sauce is so creamy that I don't even bother adding cheese to it.

But the recipe is a keeper. Filling, nutritious and tasty. What more can one ask for in a meal?

Ingredients:

1 cup Macaroni (Cooked/Boiled with a little oil and salt)

1 cup Mixed Boiled Vegetables (Carrot, Beans, Peas, Cauliflower, Potato), chopped

1/4 cup Mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup, Mixed Capsicum, chopped

1 tbsp Butter/Olive Oil

1 tbsp Flour

1 cup Milk

1/2 tsp Parsley

1/2 tsp Basil

1 tsp Chilli flakes

1/2 tsp Garlic Paste

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 slice Low Fat Cheese (optional)

Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the capsicum and fry for a minute. Add the garlic paste, parsley, basil and chilli flakes and fry for another minute. Add the flour and fry without browning the flour. Add the mushrooms and fry for about 30 seconds. (Do not fry the mushrooms for too long as the water in them gets released.) Add the milk and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring continuously. If adding cheese, add it at this point and stir the sauce well. As the sauce thickens, add the salt and pepper. Add the boiled vegetables and the macaroni to the sauce.

If you like, you could transfer this to a baking dish, sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake for 10 minutes at 450 F. I go through the trouble only if I am making it at dinner time and can enjoy it with Garlic Bread. This is something S and I have enjoyed at Ten Downing Street. This is my third feature on Eating out while eating in. The earlier ones being Kothu Roti and French Bread Pizza.

This is my entry to Waiter There's Something in My...Sauce, and hosted by Andrew of Spittoon Extra.

Kothu Roti

I blame this all on Nupur. She made this post a few days ago about "Eating out while eating in". And that is why I am craving restaurant food.

S broke his leg on Sunday and that rules out eating out for a while. (He actually tore a ligament and I am told that it is worse than having a bone fractured.) We're going to be eating out a lot for the next few days, at home that is! We started with French Bread Pizza and this is my next venture.

I have, very often, come home from a restaurant itching to recreate the dish I've just devoured. One of those has been the Kothu Parotta that I've had at Komala's in Madras. My last trip there was when we'd gone to book accommodation for the groom's party before my wedding. I ordered Kothu Parotta again and was so disappointed. The chef just dumped chilli powder over the parottas and I had to eat the dish with about 10 glasses of water. (Finally, Appa said to order a plate of idlis to undo the damage!)

Someday I'll be able to make parotta all by myself. These are best savoured at roadside shacks and Puru's opposite the Pondicherry University campus will go down in my books as one of the best Parotta Kurma joints. My dear readers may note that a parotta is very different from a paratha and the two are not the same bread. The parotta has saved me on many an occasion from the "the-mess-food-is-lousy-hence-I-will-go-to-bed-hungry" syndrome.

I had some rotis in the fridge. They were made on Saturday morning and we were fully expecting to eat them for lunch. But S went to work and when he came back it was already 4 p.m. I was busy blogging all day and didn't get up to make anything to go with the rotis. When S got home, he quickly made 2 egg rolls and we ate them before heading out. Our rotis usually have no fat in them and that makes eating them any day after they're made, rather difficult.

But then again, I am not given to wasting food or randomly giving it away. So, when I was working from home on Monday, to help S at home, I decided to use rotis instead of parottas and make Kothu Roti instead of Kothu Parotta! I was making this purely from my memory of the taste.

6 Rotis, torn into bits

1 large Onion, sliced

2-3 medium Tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Green Chilli paste

1/2 tsp Ginger paste

1 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala (I used MDH)

Salt to Taste

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, ginger and chilli pastes, and onions. Fry the onions for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chilli, turmeric, cumin and coriander powders and fry for a minute. Add the pav bhaji masala and fry for another minute or two. Add the salt and the roti bits. Mix well. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes and then cook without the lid for a couple of minutes more.

Enjoy this piping hot. Wash my roti version of Kothu Parotta down with a glass of buttermilk. It'll be a treat, I promise.

French Bread Pizza

Until a few years ago, there was a quaint little restaurant in Bangalore, near the junction of Residency Road and Brigade Road, that kindled my curiosity enough to walk in and the experience there made me go back. Again and again. This restaurant was French Bread Pizza.

All items on their menu were pizzas. Only they were made using the famous baguette as a base. Think of this as a large, really large piece of garlic bread with all the toppings. They served these little wonders on wooden holders specially designed to hold the baguette. When I finally moved back to Bangalore 2 years ago, the place, much to my utter disappointment, had shut down and given way to a Chettinad restaurant. Maybe it wasn't viable enough a business. I hope they come back into business because they've given me several moments of satiated happiness. The kind that only comes from having eaten a good meal.

Last evening, we went to Galleria, a shopping complex close by and walked in to the Grand Plaza bakery. There we found some fresh baguettes. I remembered that I had everything at home to recreate the French Bread Pizza magic at home. Ever since my trip home last month, I've been preparing to make Amma's signature pizza at home. But the incidents of the past 2 weeks didn't allow me to make anything so elaborate. This seemed perfect.

Ingredients:

1 Baguette

For the sauce:

1 Onion, chopped finely

2-3 medium Tomatoes, chopped finely

1 Capsicum, chopped finely (I used small portions of all 3 colours)

4 Button Mushrooms, chopped finely

2 tbsp Tomato Puree

1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

2-3 Olives

100g Grated Cheese

Some oil/butter for glazing the bread

Slice the baguette in two and chop in half. You will be left with 4 quarters. Apply some butter or olive oil to the flat surface of each piece and grill for 3 minutes.

In a pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Fry for a minute or two. Add the capsicum and mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the oregano, chilli flakes, salt, sugar and pepper and fry for another minute. Add the tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the puree and ketchup and cook the mixture for a couple of minutes.




Spread the sauce over the grilled bread pieces and add the olives on top.

Sprinkle grated cheese over the slices and bake in an oven at 220 C for 7-8 minutes and then on grill for 3-4 minutes.




Enjoy this when hot with a glass of milk, coke, beer or breezer. I am sure that a glass of iced tea will go very well with this too.

This sauce is Amma's signature sauce and I will soon be putting up the recipe for her pizza as well. Initially, her sauce used to be only onions and tomatoes and any other toppings, we'd put over the sauce and then sprinkle cheese on it. I suggested to her that if she adds them in the sauce, they would imbibe the flavours of the sauce. The addition of ketchup was also my idea. Last night, I went ahead and added some puree and some chilli flakes to the sauce. No one was complaining!

This is my entry to Waiter There's Something in My...Sauce, and hosted by Andrew of Spittoon Extra.

Muttai Dosai (Egg Dosa)

My brother ate a lot of street food in Madras. I have suffered from a host of allergies and illnesses that put loads of restrictions on my eating. As an adult, I know how to balance my diet and not suffer endlessly because I ate something I shouldn't have. When I was younger, I don't think my parents trusted me enough to judiciously choose.

When H started college, our exposure, as a family, to Madras beyond the IIT campus increased a great deal. He'd come back and tell us about what he ate at the college canteen or at the tea stall opposite Anna University. One day he told me that he ate a Muttai Dosai. I thought that was the Tamil name for an omelette and I thought, "Big deal!"

Years later, when I went to University, I visited a friend's uncle and aunt. When you're a hosteler, everyone is always thinking of feeding you. As soon as I landed up at their place, the lady asked me what I'd like to eat. The poor eater that I am, I always say no to food offered to me at odd times. But she insisted and asked me if I eat eggs. I said yes. She said, "Appo unakku muttai dosai tharen" (Then I'll give you an egg dosa.). I thought I knew what I was getting. After 5 minutes, I got something that looked like a dosa . Wait, it was a dosa. And while the dosa was being made, an egg had been broken over it. So, this was the muttai dosai that H talked so highly of. One bite and I was hooked.

I taught Amma how to make this and she did. But she added her own touch. Read on and you'll find out what she did to make her signature muttai dosai.

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter

2 eggs, beaten lightly

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Chilli Paste

1/2 tsp Ginger Paste

Salt to Taste

Oil for frying

Mix the onions, coriander, chilli paste, ginger paste and salt with the beaten eggs and keep aside.

Heat a tawa and proceed to make a dosa as illustrated here. When the dosa begins to brown at the bottom, spoon some of the egg mixture on to it and spread it over the dosa. Pour a little oil around the dosa. When the egg begins to cook, turn the dosa around.

When the egg is cooked, flip the dosa and enjoy it with sauce or chutney or anything you like.

A Date with Maggi

I still remember the day when Nestle came to our school to launch Maggi. I was in Class 2. They distributed free packets to all the children. It was on that very day, that my lifelong affair with Maggi took its very first baby step.


There was a time when the flavours of Maggi were numerous. Masala, Egg, Chicken, Capsika, Sweet & Sour, Sambar Spice, Lasagna... I relished most of these (my regular readers would know by now which one I hadn't tasted) when I was growing up.


Hostel changed my life in more ways than one. It was then that I started stocking Maggi packets, both noodles and soup, in my cupboard. I had a room heater and we've cooked full fledged meals when our classes would start and the mess would still be closed. But Maggi was the fallback option. ALWAYS.

In the late 90s, the Tastemaker for Maggi Masala changed considerably. It had a combination of garlic and coriander. I wasn't complaining, but I sure did miss the taste of good ol' Maggi. A few years later, they reverted to the original flavour. Good sense must have prevailed.

Over the years, I have modified the instructions on the packet and have had several successes. With the introduction of Maggi Vegetable Atta Noodles, the feeling that this may be junk food has also slipped into some dark corner. I haven't taken to the Dal Atta Noodles which is supposed to taste like Sambar. To a non native eater maybe, not to a seasoned tongue such as mine.

Here's a simple variation of Maggi Vegetable Atta Noodles.

Ingredients:

1 Packet Maggi Vegetable Atta Noodles

1 small Onion, chopped finely

1/4 of a Capsicum, chopped finely.

1/4 cup Mixed boiled vegetables (Peas, beans, corn, carrots)

1 tbsp Butter

1 slice Low Fat Cheese

1/4 cup Milk

1/4 tsp Garlic Paste

1 tsp Mayonnaise (optional)

Heat the butter in a saucepan and fry the onions and garlic. Add the chopped capsicum and fry for a minute. Add the contents of the tastemaker after 1-2 minutes and fry for a minute. Break the noodles into pieces and add to the mixture and fry for another minute. Add the boiled vegetables.

To this add 1.5 to 2 teacups (225 to 300 ml) of water and bring to a boil. Cook on high till the noodles are soft. Add the milk and cheese and blend in till the dish has a cheesy appearance. Add the mayo if you wish at this point.

Enjoy this as it is, or with toast. You'll begin to see Maggi in a different light after this experience.

Tomato Rice

Yet another of my one dish lunch box wonders. Amma's tried and tested recipe. Handed down, modified, and made very very often.

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati Rice, cooked

2 Onions, sliced
4 Tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Green Chilli Paste

1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tbsp Oil
1tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard, asafoetida and cumin seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and fry for a minute or two more. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, green chilli paste, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Add the cooked rice, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves if you like.

Paneer Paratha

Another very simple stuffed paratha that makes for a light meal. Breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, I can eat these at any time of the day.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 cup Whole wheat flour
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

For the stuffing:
100g Paneer, crumbled
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Green Chilli paste
1/4 cup Coriander Leaves, chopped
Salt to Taste

Oil for frying

Flour for rolling

Take a little water in a bowl. Add the salt, sugar and oil. Mix well until the sugar crystals dissolve. Add the flour and mix well. Knead the dough, adding a little water at a time as needed. Keep aside.

Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing.

Roll out small portions of the dough. Place a little bit of the stuffing in the centre and bring the edges together and seal. Roll these using a little flour taking care to ensure that the filling doesn't spill out.

Toast on a tawa on medium flame using a little oil for each paratha. Enjoy with tomato sauce or curd and pickle.

This is one of my entries to the RCI: Punjabi Cuisine which is being guest hosted by Richa of As Dear As Salt.

Also, since W is for Whole Wheat Paneer Parathas, this is my fourth W entry to Nupur's A-Z of Indian Vegetables.

Mixed Vegetable Semia Upma

I must be the biggest upma fan there ever was. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I can make upma out of anything and eat it. I am itching to make upma out of corn next. I hope to find corn dalia in the market shelves some day and I shall try to make that.

This, however, is a pretty standard upma. But it looks and tastes so good that I can make this every week and not tire of it.

Ingredients:

1 cup Roasted Vermicelli (Semia)
1 Onion, chopped
1 cup Mixed vegetables, chopped and cooked (I used carrots and beans)
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Urad Dal
1/2 tsp Chana Dal
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
½ tsp Chilli Powder
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Green Chilli paste
1 tsp Ginger Paste
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a kadhai. Add the urad and chana dals. When the urad dal begins to brown a little, add the mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, onions, ginger and chilli pastes and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the chilli and turmeric powders and fry for a minute more. Add the mixed vegetables and the vermicelli and fry the entire mixture for 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup of boiling hot water and salt to this. Mix well, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on a low flame.

Mix well, garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy it as a snack or a light meal.

Conchiglie Mushroom Saute

Would an Amchigele (Konkani) con artist be called Conchiglie? Nice thought! But, as I just discovered, this is just the Italian name for shell pasta. Pasta is something I make pretty often. It fits in very well with my concept of 'one dish wonders'. This particular dish is a must try for all mushroom lovers.

Ingredients:

200g Button Mushrooms, chopped

200g Oyster Mushrooms, chopped

200g Shell Pasta, boiled/cooked

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Garlic pod, finely chopped

1 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tsp Chilli flakes

1/2 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Parsley

Salt and Lime juice to taste

Heat the oil in a pan. Add onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the thyme, parsley and chilli flakes and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the oyster mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes and then add the button mushrooms. Saute the entire mixture for 2-3 minutes. Add the pasta and salt and cover and cook for a two minutes. Remove from the fire and mix in the lime juice. Enjoy this with Garlic Toast on the side.

This is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn and hosted by Anna of Anna's Cool Finds.

Corn Vegetable Salad

The heat has reduced a great deal and Delhi's weather oscillates between heavy rain and sultry hot. Whether it is either extreme or somewhere in between, the last thing I'd want to do is toil over the stove. So, meals these days have simple sautes or even salads instead of a full fledged subzi.

I had a can of corn niblets and decided to use it one evening. This is a very simple salad flavoured with Indian spices. You can change the spices to suit your meal or palate. We'd been to Mussoorie 2 weekends ago and I was inspired by a roadside chana chat salad that we had while waiting in a traffic jam.

Ingredients:

1 can (400g) Corn niblets

1/2 Red Capsicum, finely chopped

1/2 Yellow Capsicum, finely chopped

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Tomato, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Green chilli paste

1/2 tsp Ginger paste

1/4 tsp Coriander Powder

1/4 tsp Cumin Powder

1/4 tsp Chat Masala

Salt and lime juice to taste

Coriander leaves for garnish

Mix all the vegetables with the corn. Add the pastes and powders and mix well. Add salt and lime juice and mix thoroughly. Garnish with coriander and enjoy!

Aloo Paratha

Another of Amma's treasures. The ready boiled potatoes that come in handy when hunger strikes. But Amma's only worry has always been that in our family, hunger rarely ever strikes! But she is a true Girl Guide as she is always prepared for the opportunity that may never arise :-)

This is a simple, time-tested recipe that is filling and tasty all at once.

Also, W is for Whole Wheat parathas stuffed with a spicy potato stuffing. This goes to dear Nupur's A-Z of Indian Vegetables.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 cup Whole wheat flour

1 tsp Oil

1/4 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

For the stuffing:

2 Potatoes, boiled and mashed

1 tsp Ginger paste

1 tsp Green Chilli paste

1/4 cup Coriander Leaves, chopped

Salt to Taste

Oil for frying

Flour for rolling

Take a little water in a bowl. Add the salt, sugar and oil. Mix well until the sugar crystals dissolve. Add the flour and mix well. Knead the dough, adding a little water at a time as needed. Keep aside.

Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing.

Roll out small portions of the dough. Place a little bit of the stuffing in the centre and bring the edges together and seal. Roll these using a little flour taking care to ensure that the filling doesn't spill out. (Actually, the portions where it does spill out are tastier than the rest as the potato stuffing gets toasted directly on the tava. So, don't pay much attention to this one!)

Toast on a tawa on medium flame using a little oil for each paratha. Enjoy with tomato sauce or curd and pickle. I enjoy these parathas with the Gujarati Gorkeri pickle.

This is one of my entries to the RCI: Punjabi Cuisine which is being guest hosted by Richa of As Dear As Salt.

Mixed Vegetable Upma

My guess would be that Upma is the first thing that people learn to cook. At least in south indian homes. But then again, this is one of those dishes that takes years to master. Some people never learn at all and some can make yummy finger licking good upma each time.


I know people who wouldn't touch upma with a ten foot fork. And I know people who love upma. I fit very snugly into the "love" category. I make upma with everything I can find. Rava, Vermicelli, Wheat Dalia, Bajra Dalia, Makka flour, Oats, Rice Rava... I have even gone to the extent of mixing flours to make upma.

I was a Girl Guide and went on to receive the President's Award in 1991. I was chosen over thousands of people to receive it directly from the President of India at a function held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Being a Guide meant that I went to at least one camp a year if not more. And that meant that I ate loads of icky sticky upma. But I loved it. For years I'd come back home from a camp and then crib about Amma's semi dry upma. I told her she didn't know how to make upma and I would teach her. The smart cookie that I was. And the poor lady tried to make squishy upma. I have now outgrown my love for the gooey stuff and would settle for the semi dry version any day!

Finally, I learnt how to make good upma and I make it quite often. (Good here means upma like Amma's!) And the mixed vegetable version is something I love. It kind of makes the meal more nutritious, more filling and more "complete".

Ingredients:

1 cup Rava (Sooji)

1 Onion, chopped

1 Tomato, chopped

1 cup Mixed vegetables, chopped and cooked (I used carrots, beans, potatoes and peas)

2 tbsp Oil

1/2 tsp Urad Dal

1/2 tsp Chana Dal

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

1 Red Chilli, broken into pieces

1 tsp Green Chilli paste

1 tsp Ginger Paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Coriander Leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a kadhai. Add the urad and chana dals. When the urad dal begins to brown a little, add the mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the red chilli, curry leaves, onions, ginger and chilli pastes and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato and fry for a minute more. Add the mixed vegetables and the rava and fry the entire mixture for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of boiling hot water and salt to this. Mix well, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on a low flame.

When done, take it off the heat and pour the ghee on top. Mix well, garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy it with some chivda and/or pickle.