Tea Off : Drop, stir, enjoy!

I love tea, whether it is Black Lemon Tea, Ginger-Cardamom Milk Tea. Tea is a terrific kick-start to any lousy day...

Black Lemon Tea :
1 TajMahal Lemon Tea Bag
Water
Sugar to taste
Microwave safe tea cup

Heat water in a cup for a minute or a minute + 30 seconds
Add sugar, and drop teabag.
Let it rest for 1 more minute, stir and enjoy!


Ginger Cardmon Milk Tea :
1 TajMahal Ginger Tea Bag
1 Tajmahal Cardamom Tea Bag
1/2 cup Milk + 1/2 cup water
Sugar to taste
Microwave safe tea cup

Heat Milk + water in a cup for a minute or a minute + 30 seconds
Add sugar, and drop teabag.
Let it rest for 1 more minute, stir and enjoy!

:D

Black Eye Beans Curry

Black Eye Beans are another one of my favourite, with huge flavours and absolute easy to make. If you have time to soak the beans overnight, you could have an awesome tiffin lunch or dinner...

Serves 2

1 cup Black Eye Beans (Soaked in water, overnight)
9-10 Garlic pods, bruised
2" pc Ginger, chopped
2 medium sized Onions, chopped finely
3 medium sized Tomatoes, paste
1 1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Red Chilly Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Dhaniya Powder
2 tbsp Sunflower Oil
Chopped Coriander, to garnish

Take a deep, heavy-base pressure cooker, and heat some Oil in it.

Chop Onions and Ginger and bruise Garlic pods.

Add them to hot oil and let it brown. Keep stirring in between, so it doesn't stick.

Now make the tomato puree in a mixer-grinder and add to the browned Onions.

Now add Salt, Turmeric, Red Chilly Powder, Garam Masala and Dhaniya Powder.

Let the mixture leave oil and then add the soaked Beans and 3 times the water. Let it boil once and whistle once. Then simmer the heat and let it be for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off after 15 minutes, open after all the pressure is gone.

Garnish with Fresh Coriander and serve with hot steamed Rice.

Owsome Okra

Ladyfinger or Okra is a very popular vegetable, prepared using various recipes. Crispy fired with tangy-spicy masala, stuffed with gram flours and dry cooked, or even okra curry! Though, curry form doesn't go too well, as the slimy, sticky Okra messes up with the curry!!!

Any how, following recipe is a very simple and quick to make. All you need is a good, deep heavy based wok, and nice hot soft rotis to go with! I found some nice, clean, soft fresh Ladyfingers at a shopkeeper, so just couldn't wait to make them for dinner. Frankly speaking, I haven't met anyone yet, who actually hates Ladyfinger. Many kids who hate greens, leafy veggies, don't make any fuss while eating this. What's in this? Really, that crispy-crunchy sticks, who wouldn't want them!!!

I bought 1/2 kilos of Ladyfingers; A sure way to buy good, fresh firm Okra; while picking it, try breaking the pointed tip of the Ladyfinger. If it breaks cleaning making a snap sound, it's good, if the entire okra just bends, its soggy and probably not fresh.

Serves 2
500 grams Ladyfinger
1 large Onion
2-3 Green Chillies
7-8 Garlic Cloves
Cumin seeds
Salt
Turmeric
Red Chilly Powder
Dried Mango Powder, or Aamchur

1. Wash the Ladyfingers well, in running water and transfer them to a sieve to let the water drip. Pat dry each Ladyfinger well, carefully.

2. Chop the head of the Okra, and cut the body into 1/2" long pieces.

3. Cut the Chillies, lengthwise. Chop Onions and peel and bruise the Garlic.

4. Heat some oil in a deep pan/ Kadahi. Add Cumin seeds, let them crackle.

5. Then add Green Chillies and Garlic. Let them get burnt brown and the garlic vapour teases your olfactory sense. Then lower the heat and add Onions.

6. When the Onions are slight brown, add Salt, Turmeric and Red Chilly powder and fry some more.

7. Turn in the chopped up Okra, mix well and cover. Keep stirring every 5-7 minutes. Cook till Okra is soft.

Serve with the Tur Daal I publish yesterday!

Temper, the Tur

Tur daal, is probably the simplest of Indian lentil recipes. Of course, it depends all on how you temper the daal. Give it flavor, spice and depth. Onions, Tomatoes, Green Chillies, Coriander, Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds, a plethora of ingredients is used to bring more flavour to this simple recipe. The method shown below is the simplest, fastest and according to me, the yummiest of all...

Boil 1 cup Tur daal, in 3 cups water with some bruised Garlic cloves. Add salt, after it is boiled.

Add some Ghee, or clarified butter in a big serving spoon.

Add to the hot ghee, Cumin seeds, Asafoetida, Red chilly powder and Turmeric.

Slowly and carefully, take the ladle to the pan of dal, and drop in, and stir around.

Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve with hot rotis and steamed rice.

Stuffed Gram Flour Savoury Crepes

Besan ke Cheele, literally, are Savoury Gram/Chickpea Flour Crepes, with stuffing.. Its a very versatile dish and you can make it as rich or as simple you might like. There can be a variety of stuffing, though I have never tried non-vegetarian version yet, but it could be interesting..

Stuffing Ingredients:
Paneer (Crumbled or grated)
Finely Chopped Green Chillies
Chopped Green Coriander
Chopped Green Onions
Cheese Slices (Cut in half, making 2 triangles)
Garam Masala
Red Chilly Powder
Mix well all ingredients. (We have no salt here because Onions leave water when you add salt.. Mixture will become wet, unsuitable for filling.)

Alternatives to Paneer
Mashed Potatoes
Scrambled Eggs
Chopped Chicken Sausages + Chicken Salami

Batter Ingredients:
2 cups Besan (Gram/Chickpea Flour)
1 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Curd
1-1 1/2 cup water to make batter

1. Put all the batter ingredients except Curd and water in a big bowl. Mix well.
2. Add Curd and mix well.. Then slowly add water, avoiding lumps.
3. Batter should be of pouring consistancy (Honey-like). Thinner than Pancake and Cake batter.
4. If any lumps do happen, leave the mixture for 15 minutes and whip again.
5. Heat a non-stick pan/girdle till smoky and then reduce heat to medium.
6. Oil the surface well. Non-stick surfaces are better.
7. Take big serving spoon and drop 2 spoonful on the pan. Tilt it around to evenly spread the batter.
8. Let one side get evenly brown. Then flip and turn the heat to high.
9. Once the other side is brown, flip again and turn the heat to medium.
10. Put half a cheese slice on one side. Put 2 tbsp of stuffing, cover with another cheese slice.
11. Cover it with the other side of the crepes. Brown it alternately, till cheese melts.
12. Take off the heat, cut into 2 and serve with any sauce.

Chhole-Poori (Indian fried bread-chickpeas curry )

This is not a step-by-step post..Very difficult to shoot while making dinner, no light.. The pictures are from the leftovers I had the next day!!! Now Mom-made Chickpea Curry, is very elaborate.. She soaks them first overnight. Then boils them in a pressure-cooker, with Bay Leaves, until tender. Then she makes the base onion-tomato curry and cooks the boiled chickpeas in them for around 1/2 hour. Mine is different, faster, and easier. Obviously, not a copycat in taste, but still..

Chhole (Chickpea Curry)
Curries are not a demon as everyone makes them out to be. All it needs is a good heavy-bottomed pan, good heat and patience.

Ingredients
Serves 3-4

Chickpeas - 1 cup (Soak them overnight)
2 Onions (Cut roughly in food processor, not a paste)
3 Tomatoes (Paste)
10 Garlic Cloves (Smashed)
1.5" Garlic Stub (Chopped finely)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 1/2 tsp
Kitchen King powder - 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi - 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 2 tsp
Bay Leaves
Cloves
Salt
Oil - 2 Tbsp
Coriander leaves- for garnishing

Method:

1. Wash and soak the chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight in water. Soaking in black tea adds to the color and flavor. This step is optional you can soak it in just water too.

2. Heat Oil in a Pressure Cooker with heavy base.

3. Add smashed garlic and chopped garlic. Let it simmer till a nice aroma floats. Then add the Bay Leaves and Cloves. Let them brown.

4. Add Onions and let them brown.. Since it's not a paste, it should brown fairly quickly.

5. Now add Tomatoes and let it cook.. Cook till all the water is gone, and the oil surfaces above the mixture.

6. Now add Salt, Turmeric, Red Chilli, Garam Masala, Coriander Powder, Kasoori Methi, and Kitchen King Powder. Let it fry, till it starts sticking to the bottom..

7. Pour in the soaked channa to this and mix well.

8. Put the lid to the pressure cooker and high heat. Once it whistles, lower the heat and let it be for 25-30 minutes.

9. Don't open immediately. Wait till all the pressure has cooled. Sprinkle chopped coriander before serving.

FOR BEST RESULTS, MAKE A DAY IN ADVANCE AND KEEP. THE FLAVOUR JUST BLASTS ON THE 2ND DAY!!!

Poori is a fried rolled out dough, noted for the savoury flavour. Goes well with spicy curry or Indian Veggie side dishes.
Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 2 cup
Gram Flour - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Chilled Curd/Yogurt/Milk - 1 tbsp
Water

Method:

1. Mix wheat flour, gram flour and salt in a mixing bowl.

2. Add the curd/milk, it keeps the dough soft, gives a unique taste.

3. Knead into a hard dough, and cover it for 1/2 hour.

4. Heat the oil for frying on medium to medium high.

5. Make small balls of dough and roll out using a rolling pin. The size to aim is your palm. Use a bit of wheat flour to prevent them for sticking.

6. Once the oil is hot enough slide in the poori in oil and fry. For that swelling up, let one side get light brown and then turn over. Press lightly with a slotted spoon. It'll immediately swell up.

7. When it starts turning slightly golden brown, take out and keep in a plate that has kitchen towels/tissues to remove excess oil.

8.Serve with Chhole or any side dish of your choice.

Methi Parantha (Fenugreek Indian Flat-Bread)

Methi Parantha, served with Butter and Curd

 There was a time when Peas, Spinach and Methi were winter delights; I remember we used to wait for winters to arrive, so that we could gorge on salted-radishes, and gorgeous home-made Potato-Peas Curry, and Sarson ka Saag-Makke ki roti.. Sadly, now, rains are barely over and one can see these veggies in the market, lifeless, existing but ceasing to live. The flavor, the aroma is just missing. Any ways, I grabbed a bunch of Methi leaves (Fenugreek) last evening, because the Spinach was just so pathetic-looking..

Now. cleaning the Methi leaves is an arduous task, requiring immense concentration and equal amount of patience. Taking only the fresh-looking leaves and discarding the stem, say about 500 times.. Don't even get to that... Anyways, make sure to wash the leaves in ample amount of running water, removing any mud/dirt and let it rinse till moderately dry.

Now, put the leaves along with 3-4 green chillies into the food processor with chopping blade. You could do it by hand also; That requires a chopping knife, sturdy chopping table and quick working hands; I have them , but I was just feeling lazy.. ;-) BTW, Hand-chopped leaves give better textured paranthas.

Now turn the chopped Methi leaves, into a kneading bowl, add unrefined Wheat flour. Mom used to add 1 part Maize Flour, 1 part Barley flour and 4 parts Wheat flour. Makes it really nutritious and healthy. Any ways, I used just Wheat flour. Then add Salt, Red Chili Powder and Garam Masala, by taste. Remember we have added Green Chillies, while chopping the Methi leaves.

Chopped Methi leaves, Wheat flour, Salt, Red Chilli powder, Garam masala

Then start kneading like normal dough with cold water. Try not to knead a very soft dough, as you would be required to leave it for some time. That makes it really workable.

Leave the dough to be softened for 20 minutes-1/2 hour. Then heat a Tawa/Non-Stick Pan on stove. Start making small balls of dough, using the palms of your hand and plain Wheat flour, to prevent it from sticking.

Put the floured dough on a flat surface to roll.

Using a rolling pin, flatten it a little.

Using a flat spoon, oil the top of the flattened dough, or use a oil brush or oil-spray.

Fold the dough, into thirds, oiled side inside. You can get the idea from the photograph.

Then fold into thirds again to form a little, stocky, stub of folded dough.

Use some flour again to roll out the dough, to make paranthas.

Put the paranthas on the heated Tawa/Non-stick pan/Griddle to cook. Let one side get brown. Then flip. Put some oil on the done side, flip again and oil again and flip.

Let both sides get a beautiful crisp and yellow-green gives way to brown spots.

Take off from heat and serve hot with dollops of butter, curd, pickle and a cup of hot Ginger-Cardamom tea.. Perfect for a damp cloudy rainy morning.