norwegian cooking

Green Tamarind Thokku – MIL’s Recipe

Hi Friends.

It’s my privilege that I am posting my MIL’s preparation today. When I told her I will post the recipe in your name, she asked me why I would want to do that? My answer was as simple, who ever makes it should get the recognition.

I have mentioned several times earlier that my MIL is an excellent cook. I am extremely fortunate to have learnt many recipes from her and I still keep bugging her for more… When ever I ask her she says very sweetly..TUMKO KO TO SAB AATA HAI, to which I tell her..NO, NO I STILL HAVE TO LEARN A LOT FROM YOU. Then she will say I MAKE EVERYTHING BY APPROX MEASUREMENTS..to which I would reply TELL ME THOSE, THEY ARE PERFECT. Believe me friends this is no exaggeration but our conversation is exactly like this whenever I ask her a recipe. She is a very affectionate lady (though she will always portray her stern side) and am glad to have her as my MIL.

The thokku is extremely simple to make (I realised that when she explained me the procedure) but it’s very very tasty. I have not been able to stop eating this ever since I have received it. Yes, do not turn green, I got a pack full of this amazing stuff!!! It’s spicy, tangy and absolutely yummmm. Do I really need to ask for anything else to pamper my taste buds….. another packet of this is perfectly okay with me, MIL. Open-mouthed

Ingredients

1/2 kg raw green tamarind/ kacchi imli

salt

400 gm green chilies

1-1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

3-4 whole turmeric/ 4 tsp turmeric pwd (halkunda)

filtered groundnut oil

mustard seeds

Method

Cut tamarind into 1” pieces and remove the threads / de-string them.
Mash the tamarind with a stone, rub some salt and keep aside (this helps tamarind release it’s own water).
Leave it overnight like this. Next day with the help of hands remove the seeds.
Roast the fenugreek seeds in a pan without oil.
In a grinder take the deseeded and mashed tamarind, green chilies, turmeric, fenugreek seed and salt to taste. Grind the mix.
Store this in an airtight container in a refrigerator. This can stay for an year if it’s untouched by water.
Whenever the thokku is to be used, remove a portion into a bowl, heat some groundnut oil (use the filtered and not the refined oil, this adds to the flavor) and splutter some mustard seeds in it, put this baghar on the thokku and it’s ready to serve. It can also be eaten without the baghar also.
Serve it as a chutney or mix it with hot steamed rice and eat.

Did I forgot to mention that S had asked that filtered oil to be parcelled here from BLR…. One can surely understand that we are all gluttons in the family.

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Winter Special- Makke Di Roti Aur Sarson da Saag (Corn Meal Bread and Mustard Leaf Curry)

Hello!

When we say winter the first thought of food that comes to any ones mind here in North India is surely Makke di Roti and Sarson da Saag. Punjabis love to eat this and it frequents their kitchen quite regularly in this season.

Traditionally in villages it is made on ‘chulha’ which adds a different flavor and takes the recipe to another level which surely can not be achieved on a gas stove, but living in an apartment Chulha can not be thought of…

Talking about Mustard leaf, it is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family. It shares the same cancer-preventing benefits of broccoli, cabbage and kale. Mustard is a pungent winter vegetable, abundantly available in this season. It contains large amounts of beta carotene and vitamin C that are important antioxidants. Mustard greens are also a source of calcium that can be important to lactose intolerant individuals. Mustard greens also contain a significant amount of iron.

Mustard greens can be eaten raw or cooked. The whole plant can be cut at once or individual outer leaves can be picked for a cut-and-come-again harvest. The young leaves, four to five inches long , are mild-flavored and can be eaten raw in salads. The older leaves taste better when prepared as cooked greens.

Makke di Roti can be made in various variations…like the plain, methi (fenugreek) and mooli (radish) and can be eaten with green chutney and butter also.

Ingredients For Sarson Ka Saag

5 cups chopped Mustard greens

1-1/2 cups chopped Spinach Leaves

2 onions chopped

5-6 garlic pods

1-1/2” ginger piece

8-10 green chilies chopped (check the spiciness)

2-1/2 tbsp corn meal

2 tsp coriander pwd

1 tsp red chili pwd (optional)

2-3 dry red chilies

clarified butter for cooking

Method

Wash the greens with plenty of water to remove the dirt and soil and then chop finely.

Chop finely the ginger, garlic, onion and green chilies.

Take a deep pan and take 7-8 cups of water in it, put some salt. Once the water starts boiling first add the mustard greens let it cook for a minute and then add the spinach and cook for another minute. Remove the greens and put them immediately in cold water, this stops further cooking of the greens and keeps the green colour intact. Another precaution that should be taken is never close the vessel in which the greens are either boiled or cooked.

Grind the greens.

Heat 5-6 tbsp of ghee in a pan. Add chopped onions and saute, when it turns translucent add ginger-garlic and saute for a minute and then add green chilies. Add salt to taste and coriander powder, saute till the onions are nicely brown in colour now add the corn meal and let the meal get nicely roasted for a few minutes till a nice aroma is produced. The corn meal acts as a binder.

Now add the green leaf paste, mix thoroughly and bring it to a boil. Adjust the consistency by adding some water.

Heat a spoon of ghee in a separate small pan and add dry chilies and red chili pwd. Pour the baghar immediately on the saag.

Serve hot with some home made butter on top.

Ingredients For Makke di Roti
2 cups Corn meal
1/2 cup grated radish
2 green chilies chopped
salt to taste
hot water for kneading the dough
Method

As I have explained earlier that this roti can be made in various variations. Here I am making with radish. Take the cornmeal in a large plate, add radish, green chilies and salt to taste and mix thoroughly. The radish releases it’s water. Now add hot water (hot enough that your hands can handle) and make a dough. Every time we start making the roti take a small portion of the dough (small orange size) and knead it again properly. This helps in making soft rotis with smooth edges.

Traditionally the roti is made using hands and that surely needs expertise, I make in a simpler way by patting and moving it using flour and this method can be further simplified by patting it on a plastic sheet and then lifting the plastic sheet away from the roti. This method is good for beginners.

After lifting the roti put it on a hot tava/girdle and cook from both the sides and then put a spoon of ghee and shallow fry the roti.

Cut it into quarter pieces and serve it with the saag along with some jaggery, radish, a piece of lemon and green chili.

Here’s how the platter looks like

Sending this to Monthly Mingle:Winter fruits and vegetables hosted by Cook like a bong and started by Meeta.

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Soybean and Rice Adai

Hi Friends.

Now that I felt rejuvenated after enjoying a fun filled long weekend with my family, I decided to clean my pantry and to take a stock check of what all I have in there and clean up the mess if any (a part of my resolution for this year..not to let the grocery go waste).

While doing the stock check I found that I have very good quality Soybeans which were completely neglected by me. This packet of beans looked at me very angrily and castigated me to overlook it’s presence, not fair, not fair it said. So in the urge to finish these extremely healthy and nutritious beans I soaked them all overnight without thinking what I will do with them (did I decide that I will plan out things well in advance as a part of my new year resolution?). I just told myself I will make something interesting.

Just before I decided to retire to bed I was attacked by another thought… I have not thought about breakfast. These days I plan and keep my veggies and other ingredients ready for morning as I feel too lazy to come out of the comforter…so cold it is!!!!! Instantly with no second thoughts I decided to soak some rice….Yes, you guessed it right! I surely had Adai in my mind. I did think wisely, right!!! Smile

Adai are Indian pancakes made from rice and legumes. It’s a kind of Dosa and very popular in Tamilnadu. These pancakes have a crisp outer texture and are soft inside. Served with Chutney or Podi they make a filling breakfast/ lunch/ dinner.

Health facts

Soybeans are extremely nutritious, it contains carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals like calcium, folic acid and iron. The protein in soybean has all the essential amino acids that is adequate for human health. It has high lecithin content and is therefore excellent for mental fatigue and for protection against cholesterol deposits. Lecithin is a brain food, a tonic and energizer.

I found this as a good way to provide a PROTEIN PACKED MEAL for the kids, an ideal way to add soybean to our diet.

As I have mentioned that I soaked things without any measurements so I am providing you with approx quantities.

Ingredients to grind

1 1/2 cups of soaked soybeans (approx)

2 cups soaked rice (approx)

5-6 green chilies

1-tsp cumin seeds

1-1/2 inch piece ginger

to add to the batter

2 chopped onions

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp pounded fennel seeds

chopped cilantro (optional)

salt to taste and

oil for cooking

Method

Grind together soybeans, ginger, green chilies to a paste ( keep it a little coarse).

Grind rice separately to a not so fine paste.

Mix the two and add all the other ingredients. I would definitely recommend the addition of fennel seeds which imparts excellent taste to this Adai. Add water to adjust the consistency of a dosa batter.

Heat the girdle and smear it with some oil. Take a ladle full of batter and spread it in concentric circles. These are not made very thin and are slightly thicker than the normal dosa.

With the help of an oil dropper spread some oil in the centre and the sides. When one side is done and is nicely golden brown in colour flip and cook the other side. The edges of Adai are not as even and smooth as that of a Dosa, so do not panic..

When both the sides are done, serve it hot with with coconut or any other tangy, spicy chutney of your choice.

Do I really need to tell you that these are very very tasty and quite filling too…. Thumbs-up

. I am surely ready to make them again!!
Sending this as my entry to EC’s MLLA-19 the brainchild of Susan

, to CFK-creative food for picky/fussy eater’s Hosted by Sara and is the brainchild of Sharmi of Neivedyam and to Srivalli’s Kid’s Delight – Wholesome Breakfast.

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Welcome 2010 with Coffee-less Coffee Cake

Hi Friends. Wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.

In my first post of 2010 I wanted to post a sweet …so what better than a cake to celebrate the NEW. I have been wanting to make a coffee flavored cake since some time. While hunting for a recipe I came across this recipe and I just got stuck there. I have modified the recipe to a large extent and during the entire procedure while I was taking all the step by step pics I was praying Praying

and hoping that it turns out well… On second thoughts I decided to send it to Malar’s event.. Kitchen Mishaps if it failed. Surely I had my own doubts till it was done and we tasted it. My one kid’s reaction was- it’s different, the other said it’s nice, S said hmmmm it’s too good, very tasty…superb. Sorry Malar this cake is not making to your event and I am very happy about it!!!

Joy OF baking explains…Coffee cake is an informal cake. The name more often refers to how the cake is eaten - in the morning with a cup of coffee. They differ from a regular cake in that they are not multi-layered and are not filled and frosted with an icing.This Coffee Cake is rich and buttery with a nice tender crumb. What sets this Coffee Cake apart from other types of cakes is it’s vein of streusel running through the center, as well as on top, of the cake. The streusel, when baked, becomes slightly crunchy with a nice grainy texture which contrasts so well with the softness of the cake. The cake tastes best while it is still warm from the oven with a dollop of softly whipped cream. We loved this combination surely. Cool

I must accept my inner streusel layer did not come that perfectly but the outer was absolutely perfect and the cake is amazingly moist. Next time when I bake this cake I will spread less batter at the base then a thicker inner streusel layer followed by more batter, this will help spreading it easily on the inner streusel layer.

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour

2 eggs

10 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Vanilla essence

1/4 cup+3tbsp fresh regular yogurt

6 oz/ 3/4cup granulated sugar

For streusel

1 cup chopped walnut

3/4 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tbsp APF

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Method

Mix all the ingredients of the streusel and keep aside.

Sift together self raising flour and baking soda and keep aside.

In a bowl take oil and sugar and beat it. Then add eggs one by one and beat it. Add the vanilla essence. Add alternatively self raising flour and yogurt in two to three times. Beat very lightly while adding them.

Grease a 9 inch spring form tin and put half the batter and spread it evenly. Spread half of the streusel over it. Now put the remaining batter on the streusel layer and top it with a final layer of the streusel.

Bake it in preheated oven at 180 C for 45-50 mins. Insert a toothpick in the centre to check whether the cake’s done.

Let it cool for 10 mins after baking before running the knife along the sides of the tin to free the sides.

Serve warm with freshly whipped cream.
Sending this to the following events:
Show Me Your Cake being hosted by Dil Se.
Cakes and Cookies hosted by Mahimaa
Its time to jingle again hosted by Priyanka
Food for 7 stages of Life – In love with DDPI (15-24 yrs)’ hosted by RV and Sudeshna

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Spinach and Potato soup with Roasted Oats

Hi Friends! First of all many thanks for all the wishes that were sent to me on my birthday, I am truly blessed with so many cheerful people around me in the blogosphere. Thumbs-up

I had a great day with S and kids.

This is a very simple soup with the creaminess of potatoes and health benefits of Spinach and Oats. As we know spinach is considered very healthy. Spinach contains an impressive range of active substances which are indispensable to the body.The magnesium contained in spinach helps prevent diabetes; iodine helps treat skin diseases and strengthens the immune system; vitamin K contributes to bone resistance; vitamin B improves cerebral activity, helps in maintaining the firmness of the skin and controls insomnia; potassium stimulates the cardiac muscle; beta-carotene prevents sight problems and sulfur increases hair attractiveness. Alimentary fibers, vitamins and minerals contained make spinach a good depurative and detoxifier. The toxins originating in nourishments that are rich in fat and proteins of animal origin are thus eliminated quickly. At the same time, alimentary fibers prevent constipation and colon cancer. They interact with the absorption of fat and adjust the level of cholesterol in the body. Moreover, spinach can help eliminate intestinal parasites.(source-www.liveand life.com)

The potatoes makes a nice thickening agent and adds to the creamy texture of the soup. The potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates.They are nutrient-dense, meaning you receive many nutrients for the amount of calories they have. The fiber half soluble, half insoluble, so it helps to keep you regular and helps to lower cholesterol. And slowing down digestion helps to keep you full longer. Phytochemicals in potatoes include flavanoids and a recently identified compound called kukoamine that appears to help lower blood pressure. (source-www.howstuffworks.com)

Oatmeal and oat bran are significant sources of dietary fiber. This fiber contains a mixture of about half soluble and half insoluble fibers. One component of the soluble fiber found in oats is beta-glucans, a soluble fiber which has proven effective in lowering blood cholesterol.

After reading the health benefits of the Spinach, oats and potatoes one can surely say this soup is loaded with good health. Lets read how it’s made..

Ingredients

One onion chopped

2 potatoes peeled and chopped/cubed

25 spinach leaves

1 tbsp pepper corn

7-8 cloves

4 green cardamoms

2 tsp clarified butter/butter

1 tbsp roasted cumin powder

roasted rolled Oats a handful

salt to taste

Method

In a pan heat clarified butter and add cardamoms, peppercorns and cloves. Once they crackle add the onions and saute.

Add the potatoes, some water and bring to a boil, cover and cook till tender.

Then add the spinach leaves and salt to taste, cook for a minute.

Cool and grind to a paste.

Take the spinach-potato paste in a pan and add water to bring to a soup like consistency and put it on flame. Bring it to a boil and add roasted cumin powder. Taste the soup to check for salt and other spices.