Kacchi Haldi Sabzi

I know winters are on their way out, but there is still time to make the most of the abundant produce. While summers are for light, fresh flavours, winters are for decadent indulgence. Eat seasonal all the nutritionists say. So when you gather all those vibrant veggies and dollop everything with fresh ghee, you are basically doing your health a service!

There is truth in it. Indian cooking has always been influenced by the change of seasons and local produce. We have our aamras and jaljeeras in summer. And our til, jaggery and saags in winter. When the veggies are fresh and the body needs extra calories to fight against the harsh weather.

Fresh turmeric or kacchi haldi is a winter essential up north, though relatively unknown as you move to warm and milder south. You will find my entire fam sipping turmeric steeped warm water as the weather gets progressively colder. Or snacking on this delicious Turmeric pickle as the weather oscillates with the onset of spring. 
Another fabulous dish to introduce more of this miracle spice is this lip smacking stir fry. The Kacchi Haldi Sabzi or Fresh Turmeric Stirfry is a little known dish from the state of Rajasthan. It is a fairly traditional preparation that is hard to find in restaurants. And though it involves some laborious prep, I can wholeheartedly say it is worth every second of the effort. 

Ingredients:

Fresh Turmeric                    250 gm

Carrots                                 80 gm

Peas                                     50 gm

Cauliflower                         50 gm

Ghee                                    150 gm

Curds                                   250 gm

Red chilli powder                1 teaspoon

Coriander powder                1 teaspoon

Green Chillies                      2, chopped

Ginger, grated                      1 teaspoon

Heeng                                   a pinch

Cumin seeds                         1 teaspoon

Black Cardamom                 4

Bay leaf                                1

Method: Peel the turmeric and carrots. Chop finely into small pieces. You can also choose to grate them, but I personally like the slight crunch from the whole pieces. Chop your cauliflower florets into small pieces as well. Add the spice powders and salt to the curds, whip lightly and keep aside. Heat the ghee in a heavy bottom pan. When hot, add the turmeric and lightly fry till golden. Drain and keep aside. Repeat for the rest of the vegetables, frying each separately. Lower the flame, add the heeng, bayleaf, cumin and cardamom to the ghee. Once it sizzles, add the curds. Mix well and add the ginger and green chillies. Once the curd thickens and the ghee starts to separate, add the fried turmeric and vegetables. Mix well, adding a splash of milk if the masala starts to stick to the pan. Continue to cook on low heat till the vegetables are cooked and the starts to leave the sides of the pan. Serve warm, garnished with fresh coriander leaves. Tastes best with Bajre ki rotis!

    

 

Upside Down Caramelized Orange Cake

 People romance Chocolate, but I need a zing! A citrus zing, to be precise. If you ever wondered why restaurants feature lemon or orange desserts on their menu... Well, for people like me! Lemon in the summer and oranges in winter!! Aaah! There is something simply divine in that!

My love for oranges is evident in my previous posts. I've made a marmalade , a cake and even a Kheer! Each one delicious in it's own way. I even made a very potent Orange Wine, but more on that later. This morning as the heady aroma of oranges greeted me from the fruit bowl, my heart craved cake. Now, I could go back to any of the previous cake recipes, but where's the fun in that?! 

I wanted to try something new. Something that had not just that citrus hit, but also celebrated the gorgeousness of the fruit. The fact that I've been dying to try a caramelized upside down cake, may or may not have influenced my decision. I used the French Yogurt Cake as my starting point. The flavours in that are just so fresh and citrusy! But i wanted the cake more crumbier and dense, to hold against the orange slices. So a few changes and to my luck, I got an absolutely perfect Upside Down Caramelized Orange Cake. 

Ingredients:

Flour                        1 and 1/2 cups

Semolina                  1/2 cup

Baking Powder        2 tsp      

Baking Soda            1 tsp

Oil                            3/4 cup

Sugar                       1 cup   

Eggs                        2  

Yogurt                     1/4 cup

Oranges                   4 

Brown Sugar          7 Tablespoons

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Sift all the dry ingredients together. Brush a 9 inch springform pan with butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar all over the buttered base. Thinly slice 2 oranges and arrange them over the sugar. Zest the other 2 oranges and rub into the granulated sugar. Once the zest releases it's aroma, beat in the eggs. Once the batter looks thick and creamy, beat in the yogurt. Now add the oil, drizzling a little at a time and beating well with each addition. Gently fold in the dry ingredients. 

Extract 1/4 cup juice from the zested oranges and add it to the batter. Pour the batter over the prepared tin. Bake for 45 minutes. Let it cool before serving it up! 

Notes: You can substitute the Oranges with Kinnows or Mandarins or any other citrus fruits.
 

Kheer Komola

The new year is upon us. A whole 365 days filled with opportunities. And given the blogosphere trend, this post should be about resolutions and hope. But I am perennially optimistic and I really don't do resolutions. If I did I would have long ago vacated my warm couch, and walked out battling the real world. Instead I choose happily to sink further into my warm spot, snuggle my dog and monster munchkin closer and go tap tap on my browser.

Its not that I don't like interacting with the physical world. It is jus that I am plain lazy! I remember when my friends raved about the benefits of retail therapy, all I could think was why anyone would abandon their pajamas and blanket to battle crowds and look at racks and racks of the same boring stuff!

Then online shopping came along and my brain went Aah! This makes more sense. So there I was indulging in some post festive, end of reason sales therapy when I chanced upon Santrawale. They sell, well, oranges! Not just any oranges though. Organic, sustainable, sourced from farm oranges. They had me at Organic! So tappity tap and I had two dozen juicy Nagpur oranges on their way. 

Now if you've browsed my previous orange post you will know that I was suddenly struck with the question again. What the heck do I do with all those oranges. The marmalade batch was still going strong so that option was out. Wine was option two. But that was really a long term project. 

The new year demanded a new approach. (There I've done my bit of following blog trends) I needed something different. Something unexpected. Out came the journals and cookbooks. 

Kheer Komola popped up twice. Milk and Oranges? Sounds like a recipe for disaster right? And yet there were people out there enticing me to give it a swing. It was too cold for a souffle, but a dessert was definitely on my mind. Did I dare to try? 

It wouldn't be my first attempt at Orange Kheer, to be honest. A long time ago I had ignored mum's words of wisdom and experimented for a dinner party I was hosting. The recipe had been tried and tested by Good Housekeeping so what could possibly go wrong? Plenty, as it turned out! Instead of the refreshing, creamy dessert I ended up with a bowlful of dense gloop with a bitter aftertaste. To their credit, my guests actually ate their dessert and assured me it wasn't that bad. That disaster still loomed large in my food memories. And I do have this annoying need to conquer all peaks. So I geared up for round two of Kheer Komola challenge.

This time I was better prepared. I turned to friend Google and read every variation I could find. I said a short prayer. Brushed aside mum's skepticism and dad's ribbing. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Ignoring the monster munchkin's calls I concentrated completely on my kheer karma. And it paid off! I was finally rewarded with a creamy yet light dessert that brought with it the promise of a refreshing spring with its delicate citrus touch. (Yes I can poetically romance food.) This was Kheer Komola the way I had imagined it. And so you can put away your search results. Go on and benefit from my Experiments with Oranges! And be prepared for friends and folk to be wowed by your brave and unusual dessert masterstroke.

Ingredients:

Milk                              2 litres

Oranges                         7

Sugar                             10 tablespoon

Green Cardamoms         5 or 6

Saffron                           a few strands

Method:

Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed pan. Once it boils, reduce the flame to the lowest and let it simmer. Soak the saffron stands in a tablespoon of the warm milk and keep aside. In the meantime, separate the segments of the oranges. Carefully, split the segment and discard the thin outer membrane. The white membrane is what caused the bitterness in my previous attempt. Remove all seeds as well, taking care to preserve only the pulp and juices of the oranges. It is a monotonous and exacting task, but then that's what makes this kheer so special. It is actually a labour of love! Powder the cardamoms, and don't forget to stir the milk every once in a while, scraping the bottom to ensure it doesn't stick and burn. Once the milk has reduced to less than half the quantity, blushing with a creamy hue, stir in the sugar, cardamom powder and the saffron soaked in milk. Let it simmer for another five minutes and then turn off the heat. Let the milk cool to lukewarm and then gently stir in the orange pulp. Allow the milk to be infused with the citrusy goodness overnight or for atleast four hours, If you are in warmer climes, serve this chilled and topped with pistachios. If like me you are freezing and need a reminder of the spring to come, serve the kheer at room temperature. And if like my father you want everything piping hot, just zap a bowlful in the microwave for 30 seconds. Either way, you won't be disappointed. 

Not Just Any Hot Chocolate!

Growing up on a healthy diet of Enid Blytons and Archies, I was besotted by the seemingly exotic Hot Cocoa. Sipped steaming with a tossing of marshmallows, seated on a warm rug in front of a roaring fireplace. A dog cuddled next you and a throw carelessly wrapped around the shoulders. Really, that was the romanticism of winter for me. I dreamt of staring out the window, watching the snow fall softly as I warmed my palms on my very own cup of Hot Cocoa, the aroma of chocolate wafting through my senses. 

Mum didn't laugh off my fantasies. She indulged me with her shorthand version of the Hot Cocoa. But warm milk with drinking chocolate just didn't have the same magical feel. Dad would add a capful of brandy and insist it was the secret ingredient to that elusive taste. But sigh! My literary tastebuds weren't fooled!

Many snowfalls and failed milky cocoas later, I found it! As Nigella beamingly stirred her pot of hot chocolate, I knew it was The One! I could almost inhale the aroma through the telly. And I wasn't wrong. I made it the very next evening. And as we sipped it under the wintry stars, my chocoholic cuz agreed every sip was a trip to heaven. We had found the Hot Cocoa of our literary dreams!

Over the past few years, I've played around with the flavours, tweaking it a lil here and there. Made it truly my own. And as the winter chill nips my toes, I tuck em under my snoring dog, pull my Naga shawl a little closer and revel in that warm, molten chocolate dreamily making its way down my throat. The magic is alive. And this is Not Just Any Hot Chocolate! 

Ingredients:
Milk                            2 cups
Dark Chocolate           100 gms, chopped or shredded
Cinnamon                    1/2 inch stick
Brown Sugar               1 teaspoon
Vanilla Syrup               1 1/2 teaspoon
Peppercorn                 4, crushed coarsely
Rum                            1/4 cup

Method:
Pour the milk, chocolate, peppercorns, sugar and cinnamon into a saucepan. Heat on the lowest flame till the chocolate dissolves completely. Take off the heat and add the rum and vanilla syrup. Whisk well. Strain and get ready to be transported to Chocolate Heaven!

Notes: I used Monin Vanilla syrup but you can easily replace it with vanilla extract mixed with honey. And if you want a more decadent experience, substitute half cup of milk with Amul fresh cream :) 

A Spoonful of Immunity: Turmeric Amla Pickle

" Aah! You can feel the healing goodness travel through your entire being," exclaimed Mads Masi with every bite. That definitely had my attention. I backtracked to the table to get better acquainted with this health bomb I had missed. Never would I have guessed that the bowl of blinding sunshine I had dismissed as just another chutney was the reason for the health hallelujah! 

Turmeric and Amla Pickle. Yet another ingenious method Nani had devised to sneak immunity into our daily food. And its no grandma's tale, really. Science has backed the benefits of the Indian gooseberry for years. And turmeric of course, is already hailed as the super-food of 2016.

Turmeric has proven anti-inflammatory properties. It has been known to reduce the risk of cancer, normalize insulin levels, banish aches and arthritic pain, promote healthy digestion and boost brain function. Now, I could list all the proven benefits in detail, or you could just read them here and here.
As for Amla , the humble and much ignored Indian Gooseberry is loaded with Vitamin C making it ideal to stave off those pesky coughs and colds. The high iron content is great for combating anemia and getting that gorgeous glow. It is also a known agent for stabilizing blood sugar, promoting heart health and also the high fiber content means bye bye constipation.
On their own turmeric and amla are a little strong to munch. But toss them together in this super healthy and you will have the entire family lining up to get their daily dose. Bursting with freshness and flavour, who would have thought great health came in such chatpata form!
And yes, Mads Masi was right! You can truly feel the healing goodness travel through your entire being!

Ingredients:
Raw Turmeric Root        250 gm
Amla                              250 gm
Lemons                          3
Kala Namak                  to taste
Sugar                             3 teaspoon
Oil                                 2 tablespoon
Asafoetida                     a pinch
Red chilli powder          1/4 teaspoon

Method:
Grate the turmeric and amla as finely or coarsely as you like. Toss in the sugar and kala namak or black rock salt. Squeeze the juice of the lemons on top and mix well. Heat the oil in a small pan till it starts smoking. Add the asafoetida and turn off the heat. Let the oil cool a little and then add the red chilli powder to it. Once the oil is completely cool, mix in with the rest of the ingredients. Spoon into  a sterilized bottle and let it rest in the fridge. After three days, the pickle is ready to eat. It keeps well for a month if refrigerated. Just a spoonful with your lunch and let the pickle work its magic!
 

Bottle Gourd (Lauki) Soup

There are only three people I know who relish the humble lauki. Baba Ramdev, my grandmother and my lil toddler. Though in all fairness, lil toddler will eat just about anything. What is it about this veggie that puts off people? The blandness say some, the seeds say others. Well, the seeds can be discarded. And as for the blandness, well, that is exactly what makes the veggie so versatile! It happily adapts to any flavour and cuisine.
This recipe is my mum's brainchild. You will never catch her eating lauki, she hates it with such passion! But in an effort to introduce the family to healthy eating, she adapted it to soup and the result was simply delicious! So as you flounder around the market looking for veggies to break your soup monotony, bring home a bottle gourd. I promise you will soon be a convert!

Ingredients:
Bottle Gourd (Lauki)       1, medium
Butter                               1 tsp
Onion                               1, chopped
Milk                                 1
Peppercorns                     6
Chana Dal                        2 tablespoon
Water                               3 cups

Method:
 Peel and cut the lauki in cubes. In a pressure cooker, heat the butter. Saute the onion till just golden. Add the rest of the ingredients. Add some salt to taste. Pressure cook for 7 whistles. Once the cooker cools, remove the solids with a slotted spoon and grind in the mixie. Pour the puree back into the liquid and bring to boil, stirring a couple of times. Serve hot and revel in your latest health choice :)

Mom's Onion Soup

Onion soup? I know the name doesn't conjure visions of heartwarming, delicious, soul stirring food. But contrary to what most people think, the humble kitchen staple morphs into a flavourful gourmet extravanganza for the taste buds. The French Onion soup is sought after across the world, and features on the menu of some of the best chefs. 

The original Onion Soup calls for beef stock and cream, and is topped with generous amounts of grilled cheese croutons. Not too healthy for the heart or waist, i agree! Thus, presenting, Mom's Onion Soup. Her version still retains those gorgeous golden caramelized onions, but the rest of it is simple, light and infinitely more healthy. I warn you though, this soup is super addictive. Just ask hubby. He's put in a permanent request that mum make two extra mugfuls for him each time! Coz as they say, " No one can drink just one!!"

Ingredients:

Onions            4, large

Butter              2 tsp

Milk                2 cups

Water              2 cups

Peppercorn     10

Salt                 to taste

Method:

Heat butter in a pressure cooker. Add chopped onions, Saute till the onions are golden. Add the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook for 4 whistles. Cool. With a slotted spoon remove the onions and peppercorns and grind them in a mixer. Add the paste back to the liquid and heat on low flame, just before serving. Yes, it is that simple! And if you are feeling particularly indulgent, serve up with a side of grilled cheese toast ;)

Mulled Wine

Christmas has just passed and already the new year is upon us! Seems like yesterday that we were ushering in 2015, and now its time to bid it adieu! But there is no sorrow in that. The year has been fair and the new one just offers more to look forward to. For now, I sit back and enjoy the festive air that warms the chill in the wind. I love the happy, carefree feel that comes this time of the year. When we all shed our baggage and Ho Ho Ho our thoughts and speech. It is also the time of year when the vodkas and martinis and sangrias gave way to the more traditional. Tis the season to be jolly... with mulled wine warming my belly! The warm spiced wine gently making its way down my throat. Clearing that lingering cough and cold. Enveloping me in the warm, fuzzy Santa hug. And of course, the best way to use up all that cheap wine languishing at the back of the cupboard! So mull yourself some wine. Pour one for you and yours and wish everyone with all the cheer. Happy New Year guys! Make every moment count!

Ingredients:

Water                             2 cups

Sugar                              1/2 cup

Cloves                            12

Cinnamon                       2 inches

Nutmeg powder              1/2 tsp

Dry Ginger Powder         1/2 tsp

Lemon                             1/2

Red wine                         750 ml

Brandy                            1/4 cup

Method:

Heat water in a pan. Add sugar, spices and lemon. Reduce heat before it comes to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add wine and heat till just below boiling point. Now add the brandy. Turn off the flame. Serve warm in goblets and inhale the festive spirit!

Super Simple Pumpkin Soup

Winter is Coming! No, Wait! Winter is here! Not in the Stark way. But more of the 'dilli ki sardi' kinds. And how do I know winter's here? Well, the nip in the air and the extra layer of clothes, sure. But what positively heralds the onset of winters at my place is Soup Dinners!
It is another ritual that harks back to my childhood. The moment the weather turned, Mum would chop up those pesky veggies and dish out some awesome soup. Teamed with hot buttered toast and a baked casserole, this was the perfect weekday comfort food. Luckily, hubby dear is also quite the soup fan. Or maybe mum's soups have converted him! Either way, Soup Dinners live on in my household as well. With the toddler yum yumming every warm sip!
Mum's soups were always made fresh, light and flavourful. No gloopy cornflour from a packet for us. Infact soups are so quick and easy to make that it never ceases to amaze me that people choose the pricey preservatives to the fresh route! So, this winter here's my request. Give my soups a try. I promise to convert you! And come summers, your bikini bod will thank you ;)

Ingredients:
Pumpkin, chopped                1 cup
Onion                                     1
Peppercorns                         8
Nutmeg powder                   1/4 tsp
Ginger, chopped                   1 inch
Water                                    4 cups
Salt                                        to taste
Butter                                    2 tsp

Method:
In a pressure cooker, heat the butter. Add the onions and saute till translucent. Add the pumpkin and saute for another minute. Now add the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook for 4 whistles. Cool. Run in the blender till well mixed. Heat on low flame just before serving. Super Simple, didn't I say?!

Hara Bhara Chicken

The weekend is here, finally! And after all the Diwali madness, it is time for some comfort food. Now don't get me wrong. As far as food goes, it is all comfort to me! But right now I feel like some warm brothy chicken with a no fuss attitude and tankards of taste. Light on the masala and heavy on flavour. The kind of soul chicken that you can dip a  couple of slice of bread in (if you are me), or drown your rice in (if you are hubby). The kind of Chicken, that on a nippy November evening reminds you of a warm fireplace and home. Oh, and the kind of chicken that does not require me spending hours chopping, frying, cleaning!

Now this chicken doesn't look the lurid green required of a hara bhara, but there are some greens in there I promise!

Ingredients:

Chicken                      1 kg

Coriander                    1 bunch

Green Chillies             7

Cloves                         4

Black Cardamom        3

Ginger                         1 inch

Garlic                          5 cloves

Mustard oil                 4 tablespoons 

Curds                          2 cups

Kasuri Methi              1/4 cup

Water                          350 ml

Method: Grind together the coriander, cloves, ginger, garlic, cardamom and chillies. Heat oil in a deep pan and add the ground masala. Once the masala browns, and the fat separates, add the curds. Cook for five minutes. Add the chicken and salt. Stir till all the pieces are well coated. Add the water. Reduce the flame to sim. Cover and cook till done. Stir in the kasuri methi. And you are done! Simple, isn't it? 

Date and Nut Balls

My parents are not traditional. This is a shocker in a country like India. As a result I grew up quite oblivious to the varied customs, rituals and festivities that colour the Hindu calendar. The only exception was Diwali. Every year the house would be lit up with pretty fairly lights and traditional clay diyas would make also make an appearance. The highlight undoubtedly were the array of goodies mum would conjure. A week prior to Diwali she would painstakingly spend hours making sweets and savouries. These included mathri, chakli, namkeen paras, gujiyas and gulab jamuns. She would then decorate a plate with these goodies, add a pretty diya or candle and gift one to each of our neighbours.
When I got married, this was the only tradition I brought with me. Though store bought sweets and attractive edible hampers are now the norm, I still prefer making atleast one sweet and savoury at home. They may not be the traditional ones, but they are made with just as much love.
This year though, I wanted to combine the traditional and the healthy. With a little munchkin added to our crazy bunch, I had to ensure the sweets were not just delicious but also healthy. No more empty calories! When I came across Sonal Chowdhury's Bliss Ball in Good Housekeeping, I knew I had found just the thing. I have tweaked and adapted the recipe a little but these are still nutritious nuggets from heaven! Utterly blissful!!

Ingredients:

Dates                                1 cup

Broken Cashews              1 cup

Almond powder               2 tablespoons

Dessicated Coconut         1/2 cup

Method:

Soak the dates in hot water for 15 minutes. Run the cashews in the mixie for a coarse powder. De-seed the dates and drain the water. Mix the cashews and dates and run them in the mixie together till they form a sticky paste. Turn into a bowl and mix in the almond powder. With wet palms, form into small balls. Roll the balls in dessicated coconut. Store in the refrigerator and serve with a joyous cheer of Happy Diwali!!

Note: The original recipe called for 2 tbsp of cocoa powder but i substituted that with almonds for a kid friendly treat. However, you may choose the chocolate for a twist on taste!

BEETROOT PULAO

Winters bring the best of everything... celebrations and food. The garden is just overflowing with fresh colourful veggies, begging to be picked! And one of the best ways is to make this very warm winter special one-pot pulao! Colourful and favour- full, its perfect when the sun in the garden beckons and you want something quick and easy!!

The Ingredients for Beetroot Pulao are

1 cup rice
1 medium sized beetroot, cut into bite sized cubes
1 1/2 cup mixed veggies, chopped roughly 
2 sprigs curry leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
3-4 green cardamom, crushed lightly
4-5 cloves
1 green chilli, slit
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
a pinch red chilli
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 cup water
2 tbsp coconut milk

Method: Soak the rice in water and coconut milk. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pressure cooker. sizzle all the whole spices and curry leaves. add the chilli and onion. saute till translucent. add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a couple of seconds. add the rest of the ingredients and salt to taste. Cook for two whistles (approx 5-10 mins). garnish with coriander and serve with curds and poppadums!!

Rasam

With winters just round the corner, sniffles are fast beginning to make an appearance. And the best way to combat this is with a hot glass of spicy South Indian Rasam. Besides warming your body and clearing your nasals, this drink is probably one of the most appetizing digestives. So what are you waiting for? Lets starting making our TOMATO RASAM.

Ing: 3 large tomatoes

       2 tbsp tamarind pulp

      1/4 tsp turmeric pd

       1/2 tsp chilli pd

     1/4 tsp asafoetida

       3 cups boiling water

      salt to taste

Rasam Powder: 1 tsp Cumin seeds

                           1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

                          8 peppercorns

Method: Combine all the ingredients for the rasam powder and microwave at 70% power for 2 minutes. Cool and grind. Pierce the tomatoes with a fork and Microwave at full power 4 minutes. Peel and discard the skin and run in the blender till coarsely mashed. Combine the hot water and tomatoes. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the rasam powder. Microwave at full power for 4 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice or slurp like a soup :)