Peetha : Steamed Lentil Dumplings

So am back again with some delectable Banarasi Khana. Wondering why so much Banarasi touch into me these days ? Well,  am just coming back from a visit to India which evidently included my visit to Banaras as well to meet my in laws. So, here it goes all the bragging about the city’s Chatpata Food and how much did  I like it. And am cussing me for not having to get to know it before. Not only is it rich in flavours ( and Fat !! ), its also unique in its cooking methods as well.

Now, we all know Momos are considered to be from East Asia. But did we know that we do have something similar to boast upon in our own UP/Bihar. At least I was not aware of it. This unique dish is called Peetha or Faraa in some of the areas depending upon the language used. Just that instead of the vegetable or meat filling we have used Lentils. So it would be considered a total package of Carbs ( flour covering ), Proteins ( Lentil stuffing ), flavours ( spices used ) and fiber. Its a very filling dish which is traditionally eaten along with eggplant gravy but could be had on its own too.

 

 Ingredients:
For the dough :

• 1/2 cup fine semolina
• ½ cup rice flour
• 1 cup Whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• Water for kneading

For the stuffing:

• 1 cup Chana daal  ( soaked for 3-4 hours )
• ¼ cup Urad daal  ( soaked for 3-4 hours )
• 1 medium size ginger piece
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 2-3 Green chilies
• 4-5 Garlic cloves
• 1 tsp Black pepper powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• Salt to taste

 Method:

• Mix all the things listed for dough and knead it well. Keep it aside for almost 30 min.
• Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing: Grind the two Daals together with minimum water to a course paste and mix together. I usually give a last pulse with both the lentils togther for mixing them good. Please only use water quantity barely to  keep the lentil tigether and not dry up. Make sure you add water spoon by spoon to get a  thick consistency, not like a batter.
• Again in the grinder, blend together green chilies, ginger and garlic in a paste. Add this paste along with all the spices to the lentil mix and combine everything together.
• When the stuffing is cool enough to be handled by bare hands, start with the main process:
• Take a ball of dough in palm, roll it into a small and thin circle, like the size of a puri or luchi. Fill one tbsp. of filling inside it and just roll back from one end to another leaving the corners slit open which helps in cooking the mix inside faster. Fold them just like in the shape we make Gujhiya or Karanji. Keep it aside till you prepare all of them in the same way.

• Now, we can cook them with three different processes, Boiling, Steaming and Baking. Out of which I personally love steaming. Since its less messy and gives the best texture. S likes to have baked ones more as he finds them crisp and not mushy. choose your pick or just try all of them to get your favourite.
• Boiling:  For the process of boiling, just boil the water in a large pan with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of oil and slip the Peethas into it. Let it boil uncovered for next 10 minutes on medium flame. Take them out and drain.
•  Steaming: For the steaming process, steam the Peethas in an Idli  or Dhokla maker or in a steamer. I did that in my new Dhokla steamer. I also tried the same in my Microwave steamer and it worked equally well. 
• Baking: For baking, I added a bit of baking soda in the dough separately. And just filled the stuffing in the same fashion as the above two and baked them for around 25 minutes turning them once in between.
•  All the above methods of cooking gave me tasty and perfectly cooked Peethas but I shall prefer Steaming from next time onwards. If you are also making them first time, you can try all three and then pick your bit. 

  NOTES:

• I shallow fried them with 2 tbsp oil and mild spices for a quick snack the other evening. It was a crunchy bite with tea.
• You can keep the Peethas for upto 2 days. Dont keep them in fridge, or they might get soggy. Just keep them covered in an Air tight container and they should be fine for the next two days.
• I am wondering what will it taste if I dip them in any sauce after steaming. You  know, just like Ravioli !! I shall try that and post very soon.
• Addition of semolina and rice flour results in a more pliable and grainy texture of the Peethas and also help in retaining the moisture. You can skip it though and make it completely with Wheat Flour.
• Another methods could be to use Rice flour and semolina only and skip Wheat flour, this is more authentic recipe but since I dont use rice flour so much hence did not cook it that way.

Off to Divya's Showtime- Lunchbox, Sumee's Breakfast Ideas, Charu's Tea Time Snacks

  

Dahi Aalu : Baby potatoes in Yogurt Sauce

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction." — E. F. Schumacker

How wonderfully correct the statement is, fitting smoothly into our daily lives and our kitchens as well. Simple recipes coming back from our roots are the best we value and relish. This recipe coming from my kitty is one of those to which I am stuck with fond and reminiscence. A very simple yet palatable side dish with minimum efforts is bound to fill your heart with warmth and your taste buds with flavour. Although the marinating time takes its toll, but then its effortless and easy so no pointers for that. It was often made in our home during Navratras when usage of onion garlic is restricted. I loved the food during that period, it was kind of a detoxing phenomenon for the body and mind too. All clean and light food with no heavy additions.

This is one such recipe which can be planned ahead and is a nice accomplishment to dal-rice and a perfect side dish for any curry. It is traditionally made with baby potatoes, but you can make it by chopping big potatoes as well. Addition of ginger and Asafoetida gives a nice tang and enhances the digestive traits of the dish.

Ingredients:

• 15-16 baby potatoes
• 1 ½ cup yogurt, whisked
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Red chili flakes
• 1 tsp kasuri methi , dried fenugreek leaves
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp Panch phoran
• 1 tsp Chaat Masala ( optional)
• 1 tsp poppy seeds  ( optional )

For tempering:

• 1 tsp Ghee ( clarified butter )
• A pinch of asafoetida ( hing )
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt as per taste
• Handful of coriander leaves, chopped

Preparation:

• Tender the potatoes in a pressure cooker or steamer. Do not mash them, just almost cooked but firm. Peel them when wool off and keep aside
• Mix everything given under marinate and fold in the boiled potatoes gently. You can also prick them with fork  randomly for better absorption of the flavours.
• Keep marinated for atleast 3-4 hours, or overnight.

Method:

• Heat oil in a wok, splutter cumin seeds and add Asafoetida. Keep the flame low and add the marinated potato mix to the wok. At this stage, yogurt might curdle if the flame is not set on low, so do remember that in mind.
• Cook it on low flame for 5-6 minutes stirring in between so that the yogurt coats the potatoes well. Check the seasoning and turn off
• Garnish with cilantro leaves and  serve hot with chapathis

Off to Vardhini's Healthy Diet - Side Dish started by Priya, Divya's Lunch Box Series,

 

Jal Jeera .. Refresh yourself this summer

This Holi, when I kept the Party for the Gang, I started with the thought of making Chilled Thandayi for the traditional Welcome of the guests. Though it would not be the Bhaang thandai, but still would be better than having nothing. Unfortunately, didnt get the Thandai powder in any of the store. Then, I had already decided to make Shahi Rose Kheer, so it would be too much of dairy combining Dahi Bhalle as well. These thoughts, and I felt reluctant for the welcome drink. But then what ? Its Holi yaar, something should be there. There was no time left for making Kaanji ( since it needs at least a week of Carrot fermentation ). And then like a beam, this refreshing drink struck in my mind. Lets make Jaljeera.. An easy and appetizing drink which would not be heavy on stomach and still will serve the purpose of a Holi Party.

It got prepared in a jiffy saving me lot of time for other preparations. Our friends loved it and hopefully so would you. 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups Chilled Water 
• 2 tbsp Mint Leaves, crushed and chopped v fine
• 2 tbsp Cumin powder 
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice 
• 1 tsp Black Salt 
• 1 tbsp fresh Coriander leaves, chopped v small
•  Pinch of Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt 
• 1 tsp grated and minced ginger
• 2 tbsp Boondi ( optional )

Method:

• Roast the cumin powder and mix with all other spices
• Grind Mint and coriander to make a fine paste 
• Mix all the ingredients together and mix well. Add water, check salt according to you taste
• Sprinkle some Boondi on top before serving :)
• It can be used as a drink for Paani Puri as well.. 

Off to Radhika's Chilled Delights, Tomato Blues Summer Spirits, Preeti's Jump n Jive, Surabhi's EP SEries - Mint n Coriander started by Erivum Puliyum. 

   

   

Chena Poda : Burnt Cottage Cheese cake

I really want to try new regional cuisines of India before moving ahead with International ones. We have so much  of a variety that almost every cuisine in the world seems to be inspired by us somehow. You can find Indian version of almost every known dish in this world. Yes, even Lasagna and Ravioli ! they all have similar Indian dishes to compare to. I love this fact and am willing to go deeper into the regional Indian cuisines. 

Srivalli has done a commendable task to start the Indian Cooking Challenge based on the similar theme and get us together to try at least one such recipe every month. This month it was Chhena Poda which literally means ''Burnt Paneer''. Its taken from the state of Orissa and is the first truly Oriyan recipe I have tried. While surfing through the Oriyan desserts, I realised that fresh Paneer ( Cottage Cheese ) plays an important part in sweets of the state like its neighbour state West Bengal. I had tried a Bengali recipe made up of Paneer before, which is called Bhapa Sandesh and that was a fusion recipe tried with Cranberry sauce. Lovely dish it was too.. 

Coming back to this one, instead of baking it in a bread pan, I have used small ramekins, since I used less quantity of Paneer and it was just for the two of us. The caremalization in one came out wonderfully well and I understood the reason why it is most recommended. The actual taste was enhanced multiple times with the proper sugar caremelised. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup Fresh Paneer ( made from 2 kg Milk ) 
• 1/2 cup Sugar 
• 2 tbsp Semolina 
• A pinch of cardamom
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• Handful of raisins and cashews 

Method:

• Make fresh paneer and keep aside for 10-15 min. Do not squeeze it very hard, spongy testure with little moisture is  good enough.
• Heat a little ghee in a pan, roast cashews and keep aside. I didnt roast raisins, since I like them as it is.
• Now, take the Paneer in a bowl and mix with semolina and cardamom. Start kneading it till you get a very mashed quality, this will take approx 3-4 minutes. 
• Add sugar and nuts and again mix with Paneer thoroughly to get a crumbly mixture finally. 
• Now, in the ramekins, spread a little ghee and keep them on the low flame to melt it properly. Add sugar to it and let it caramelise for apporx  a minute.
• Pour in the Chhena Mix over the caramelised sugar. Press it with fingers to get the even surface. 
• Cover it with foil paper and Bake the ramekins for 25-30 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check if its cooked, it will come out clean. 
• Cool it for a while, and take it out from the ramekin. Serve it warm. 

Notes:

• For the original recipe, see here 
• Caramelisation of sugar is extremely important to impart it the flavour its famous for. So dont skip that step.
• I loved to do it in the ramekin but if you want a larger quantity, do it in a baking tin. 

Off to srivalli's this month's Indian Cooking Challenge, Bake Fest hosted by Sumee and started by Vardhini, Radhika' s I love Baking 

 

Kids Delight ~~ Fruits

Making kids eat fruits can be real tricky job. I remember my time, Mum used to run around for those slices of Apples and guava. The only fruits I loved were Mango and Melons. Other than that, nada.. Surprisingly, now I love almost all the fruits. So, may be its just the childhood when your likes and dislikes keep on changing. I have no kids yet, hence I cant understand how much of work it must be to relive that scene playing your part of being a mother. So, when Srivalli asked me my choice of theme for the Kids Delight challenge for this month, ‘’Fruits’’ was the first one to come up in my mind. I may be trying to get on my toes for the future ahead or its just my curiosity, I want to try and see some better recipes with fruits.

Send in your entries for the event, with any fruit in it. Bake or cook, your choice. Link your favourite or your kids' :) hmm.. now thats a dilemna .. Here are the general rules of the event:

• The date of sending your posts is from 16^th April – 15^thMay 2012.
• You can make any course and method of cooking. So main courses, appetizers, cakes, puddings, desserts, smoothies.. everything is welcome. I would appreciate if you go ahead and try something unusual to tickle your imagination and taste buds.
• Multiple entries, archived entries all are invited. No boundaries on this.
• Linking back to this page and Srivalli’s Kids Delight announcement page is mandatory.
• Usage of logo is optional but appreciable.
• Non bloggers can also participate, please send in your entries at nupurs.kitchen@gmail.comin the following format:
• Your Name:
• Blog Name:
• Recipe:
• URL:
• Picture not exceeding 400 pixels.
• Only Vegetarian recipes are permitted, usage of eggs is allowed both in baking and otherwise.

I have arranged this linky tool here for your convinience, but I shall post a proper roundup later when its done along with the pics. For any questions, please mail me at nupurs.kitchen@gmail.com

Stuffed Tomatoes with Cottage Cheese

Whenever I go to any trip, nonavailability of good vegetarian food brings my energy levels down. When  in France, I literally survived on Stale Tomato n Cheese Sandwiches and Nutella Crepes ( I dont like French Fries which were in abundance btw ). There was ACTUALLY nothing to eat, although I admit I didnt search in posh restaurants and high end cafes which might have good range to offer. But nothing that good in road side shops and small sized cafes. After that trip, I have got very careful in doing my  bit of research before entering any new Country for a trip.

Anyways, the usuals I get mostly everywhere specially in Europe are Roasted vegetables, baby potatoes and stuffed tomatoes. And although I have got bored of having them many times, I love making stuffed vegetables at home. Usually I do mashed potatoes and cheese for stuffings, this time I adopted a different recipe. While surfing through Vaishali's blog ''Ribbons to Pasta'' ( Love the name ! ), I got this Tomato Paneer Salad recipe which I loved instantly. And though I keep on bookmarking her recipes quite a lot, I chose this one for Blog Hop due to its simplicity and again , my love for stuffed veggies. I had never stuffed Paneer into any of my ventures before. This was a perfect opportunity for trial, which came out wonderfully. Vaishali had not baked her dish, but I did. simply because S doesnt like the raw tomatoes. It was good either ways though .. 

I didnt have bell peppers at home so havent used them, but adding them will make this recipe more flavourful and colorful too off course.

Ingredients:

• 6-7 large tomatoes
• 1 cup freshly made Paneer  ( cottage Cheese )
• 1/2 cup chopped Spring onions
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
•  A pinch of Asafoetida 
• 1 small onion, chopped small ( optional )
• 1 tsp Lemon juice 
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes 
• Salt to taste 
• 1 tsp Black pepper 
• few sprigs of coriander, chopped

Method:

• Mix all the above except tomatoes and mash together to form a smooth mixture
• Scoop all the tomatoes and fill with the stuffing. 
• Cut from the bottom too, just a bit. This will help in let them stand firm. 
• Bake on 180 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Serve hot as a side dish or appetiser. 

Notes:

• Do not forget the cut the tomatoes from bottom. Else they will keep on toppling over while baking. 
• You can add bell peppers, chopped onion into this.
• I included the scooped tomato part also in the mixture, which gave it sour taste and moist texture.
• You can also add 1/2 cup of mashed potato to this. 

Off to this month's Blog Hop Wednesday by Radhika.

Zarda ~~ Sweet Rice Pulao

Am back !! After a long and refreshing break from Turkey.. It was soo good there, warm and sunny , all green and blue. And now here we are again, winding against the so unpredictable weather of England J No complaints, I love England too. And since Spring is on the door, the scene is quite shiny here as well. But these despicable patches of rain .. Ughh !!

It was hard for me to get myself together for blogging again. I looked for some drafts but everything was just unfinished L I really wanted to cuss my laziness. Had I kept few drafts fully done, I could have posted few more recipes while being busy in unpacking and catching up with Office. Its almost mid-month and many challenges are coming closer to their deadlines. So, here I am back with a simple yet very very tasty dish. It’s the Zarda Pulao.

For those who are confused by the name, it’s the sweet pulao. A very popular dish made for special occasions at my home and around. When I thought of this month’s Magic –Mingle ( which unfortunately I got to know after getting back from Holiday ) this was the first thing to come in my mind. Since I have already tried Carrot Kheer, I  did not want to repeat that. Other reason of making this was, obviously I didn’t have much time remaining for the posting. So, I just combined the basic recipe of Modar Pulao with the carrots and raisins and result was “A better Modar Pulao ” A.K.A. Carrot sweet pulao with lesser sugar than the usual. Since half of the sweetness came from adding carrots and raisins.

There can be many ways of making this recipe, but I used the quickest and fool proof one. A special and exciting dish for kids specially and a good way to make them eat carrot and nuts.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmati rice ( soaked for an hour )
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• ¼ cup Raisins
• ¼ assorted nuts
• 3 tbsp Sugar ( see… its that less )
• ½ cup milk
• Few strands of Saffron
• 2 cups of water

Method:

• Soak saffron in the milk and keep aside.
• Heat ghee in the pan, fry the nuts and take them out. Keep aside.
• In the remaining ghee, fry the grated carrots on medium flame for 4-5 minutes. Add drained rice and fry for 2-3 minutes on slow flame.
• Now add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil keeping on medium-high flame. Lower the flame and mix sugar, stir just once and cook for a minute.
• Now, when the water has stopped boiling since we have lowered the flame, add milk with saffron and all the nuts and raisins. Just one gentle stir here.
• Cook covered for 5-6 minutes on low flame without stirring till rice gets cooked completely. If there is any water left in rice, you could leave it uncovered for next 2-3 minutes and it will dry up.
• Sprinkle some more raisins on top and serve hot..

Going off to Kalyani's Magic-Mingle for this month with Carrot and Raisins:

Chandrani's Spotlight - Lunch Box Ideas , Srivalli's Kids Delight hosted by Rujuta - Easy to Make snacks, Divya's Lunchbox Ideas,  Geetha's Picnic Desserts  - Cook Eat Delicious,  Wholesome Lunch box by Coffee and Vanilla , 

Low Fat Carrot Beet Bottle Guard halwa

Low fat things have sped high in the race for a while now. There was a time when I also started looking for the labels with ''Fat free '' or ''Low fat'' notions. Fortunately, I am into reading a lot which made me understand that Low fat things are not always healthier. Infact they might be even worse due to presence of high Salt/sugar content or artificial preservatives in them. I do a very extensive research on whatever I buy now and see that mostly Full fat versions work best for me. 


Off course I do a mix of Lo fat and Full fat dairy products, cheese, desserts and Oils once in a while. That really depends on the food I am preparing. Like in a cake where recipe calls for Milk/ yoghurt, its probably not the best idea to go for low fat versions. Trust me, I am burnt on this and now swears to never use low fat dairy in bakes. Apart from that, I use skimmed milk for making almost any Indian Dessert, it does take more time to cook but works for me. I am also adamant to all baked versions of the ''not-so-unhealthy'' chips or fries. They are loaded with salt and preservatives to make them equally in texture in comparison to their fried counterparts. 

Anyways, enough of the ''gyan'', I am here to share an actual Low fat and healthy recipe with you. It's the Gajar halwa with Beet, coconut and Bottle Guard in it. I have used very less sugar and ghee in the recipe and it turned out really well. Just an outcome of the leftovers, this was a weekend treat for us. Just to give it a fusion touch, I served it with a dollop of Double Cream and added a tiny bit of Vanilla essence too. A different taste and real indulgence. It was also quicker since I didn't use any liquid form of milk rather skimmed milk powder, which worked as if I added Khoya into it and got cook faster. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grated Beetroot
• 2 cups Grated Carrots
• 1 cup grated Bottle guard
• 1/2 cup grated coconut ( shredded )
• 1/4 cup Sugar 
• 1/2 cup skimmed milk powder
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 1 tsp Cardamom powder 
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

Garnishing

• 2 tbsp Double Cream
• Few saffron strands

Method:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker , combine grated carrot, beetroot and bottle guard together and sauté for a min. Cook with pressure till two whistles. No need to add water here since bottle guard will release enough water to get it cooked. 
• Heat another tbsp. or ghee in a wide pan, sauté coconut for a min on low flame.
• Add cooked mixture of carrot, beet and bottle guard and stir well to combine everything. Add sugar and milk powder and cook on low flame stirring in between for almost 10 min. Turn it off, when the mixture absorbs all the liquid and get a but dry. 
• Add vanilla essence and cardamom powder, give a nice stir and keep it covered for a minutes. 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This post has been lying in my drafts for a long time now and I feel so guilty of not posting it any sooner. I wanted to include this one in the round up of the event – ‘’Soup it up’’, which in fact was very good with all colourful recipes contributed. But again, call it my laziness, I just couldn’t get myself up for writing it down. Finally, here it is out of my kitty.. A very refreshing and luxurious Soup.. Well, rich in fiber and fats both . 

Soups have never been regular in my home. Hubby is not so fond of them and its boring to cook only for myself. But this one, I had to make it. With that big packet of Cheddar staring at me from my Fridge ( reflex shopping, they call it ) and a bunch of fresh broccoli I bought last weekend but couldn’t use it.. I just had to make it.. I had tried broccoli soup in the past but not with the potato and cheddar combination which in itself is sinful enough. Adding broccoli to it just enhances the  nutritional value and also imparts a wonderful colour to it. Off course high fat content is something you need to look for..

Being an avid blogger it’s very difficult to avoid having things which you cook. How much can you run from the fate :)

Although I have used Cheddar Cheese in this recipe, am sure Blue Cheese would stand even better for this. I did read a lot of recipe for the combination of the two. So, am sure I will try it next time with Blue Cheese and notice the difference. Anyways, Cheddar worked just fine for me and I really loved this soup for Dinner and Lunch next day.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 ½ cup Broccoli florets, washed
• 2/3 cup Cheddar Cheese ( grated or squares )
• 4 cups Vegetable Stock
• ½ cup Milk
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic pods, chopped
• 1 tbsp Oil
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper
• ½ cup water ( you may need more )

For garnishing :

• Cilantro leaves, handful, chopped
• ¼ cup Mozzarella Cheese
• Dried herbs of your choice ( I used Basil and Parsley )

Method:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, sauté onions till brown. Add in garlic pods and fry just for a min.
• Add potato and broccoli and combine well. Pour in water and cook the mixture till one whistle. Open when pressure eases off.
• When the mixture gets cool down, puree in a blender. Careful not to use hot mix else the blender might cause small explosion ( happened with me before )
• Strain the mixture again in the same pan and add vegetable stock.. Now simmer for 5 min.
• Add milk and cheese and keep simmering for next 5-6 min stirring frequently in between.
• When the soup has reached your desired consistency, turn off the flame.
• Add spices and herbs, give a churn and garnish with Mozzarella Cheese and cilantro leaves.

Notes:

• Don’t add milk on a high flame else it might curdle up.
• I actually added a little bit of Spinach to the puree since I  used the same blender in which I pureed Spinach a few moments back so its actually looking greener that it would otherwise be.
• You can use any other cheese of your choice.
• I have added fresh bread croutons on top, you can skip that.

Off to Daily Cuppa's Say Cheese, Ayeesha's Healthy Morsels- Pregnancy,