Sarso ka Saag - punjab ki jaan

Sarso ka saag... the green magic of Punjab. I have always been a fan of punjabi food.Sarso which is also known as mustard green is rich is nutrients. Mustard greens are an excellent source of vitamins C and E, fiber, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and B6. The calcium in mustard greens ranks high in its bioavailability. It is best to choose mustard greens that are young and tender, no longer than eight inches, and use them as quickly as possible. All young mustard greens deteriorate faster than the mature leaves. They can be wrapped in paper towels and put in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator for a short period of time. Mustard greens can be steamed, boiled, sautéed, or braised for ten to twenty minutes. The longer they are cooked, the softer the flavour becomes. If cooked just until just tender, they will have a spicy flavour. Baby mustard greens, on the other hand, can be eaten raw in salads or sandwiches.

The above facts are taken from wikipedia.

To make sarso ka saag You will need :

Sarso patta / mustard greens - 2 bunch
Spinach leaves - 1 bunch
Onions - 1 small, chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
Jeera (cumin) - 1 tsp
Ajwain - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1tsp
garam masala - 1tsp
green chillies - 2 slit
oil
milk - 1/2 cup
corn starch - 1/s tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice- 2-3 tsp

Method:

Firstly in a big pan mix both the chopped spinach and the chopped mustard greens, add a glass of water and cook covered until tender.Mash the greens with a hand blender and keep it aside.

In another pan, pour some oil and add the jeera and ajwain. once the jeera is light brown... add the onions and saute for 5- 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and saute once again. Put one by one add all the masalas and keep stiring till thr raw smell of tomato is gone and the tomato is cooked well.

Now pour in the greens mixture and mix well... keep the gas on medium and cook. when the mixture reduces a bit add the milk to it and mix well and cook again. finally add the cornstarch mixed in some water to it and... off the gas after 5-6 minutes.

Top it with lemon juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chapati, naan or rice. Enjoy!!

Mumbai street Food - Vada Paav

Tempting and tasty Mumbai street food Vada paav. It is rare of any person who has stayed/ visited mumbai or mumbai suburbs, to not to know about vada paav.It the life line of mumbai and lunch of many office goers in mumbai. economy filling and tasty is what sums up to vada paav. After i got married and came to US I long for it. And one day finally decided to try it at home. Here is my recipe for the tasty and evergreen vada paav

You will need :

For the filling: or vada
Potatoes - 6 medium (boiled and mashed)
Garlic cloves - 5-6
ginger (chopped) - ginger 4 tsp
Green chillies - 3 chopped
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
turmeric powder
oil
salt to taste

For the batter of vada :

Gramflour - 2 cups
red chilli powder - 1tsp
salt to taste
maida - 1/3 cup

Others:
Buns or paav or bread slices
chopped onions
Dry garlic chutney
and / or Tamarind chutney
Oil for deep frying


Method :

In a kadhai take some oil and put in the mustard seeds. Once it splutters add in the green chillies, ginger and chopped and mashed garlic. Mix well. Now add the turmeric powder and mix for 2 more minutes. Add the potatoes, salt and stir well till the potatoes and the masal mix in well and a nice smell erupts. Now, after the mixture cools a bit... make small balls out of it and keep it aside.





Now mix all the given ingredients for the batter in a big bowl. Add water and make a batter of dipping consistency. This batter shouldn't be very liquidy.You may add a pinch of soda to the batter to make it more crispy... but its just optional.

Now In a big kadhai heat some oil for deep frying. Dip the vadas into the batter and drop them into the oil. once it turns golden in colour... remove them from the oil onto a paper napkin.Your vadas are ready.





Now for serving them. Take a paav or bun. Put some chutney (whichever u like.. garlic chutney, tamarind chutney or even mint chutney. Traditionally its eaten with spicy garlic chutney.) inside the paav. put some onions inside it too.Now place the vada in between the paav . Serve hot. your yummy tasty vada paav is ready



Serve hot. Eat it along with masala chai. Enjoy!!

Brussel sprout roast

This is one vegetable iIhad never tired before this. I got introduced to Brussel only after I came to US.This cute looking green little thing looked like small cabbage to me. At first I thought maybe it is cabbage's smaller version...(sometihing like bonzai plants hehehe). I had no idea how to cook this and I was shocked to see that very few people have actually tried making this veggie and many actually hate it. Thats when curiosity got into me and I wanted to try this thing that many hate. Did you know that Brussels are packed with nutrients and vitamins.

Some facts about Brussel :

The Brussels (or brussels or brussel) sprout (Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group) of the Brassicaceae family, is a cultivar group of Wild Cabbage cultivated for its small (typically 2.5 - 4cm, 1 - 1.5 inches diameter) leafy green heads, which resemble miniature cabbages. The name stems from the original place of cultivation, not because of the vegetable's popularity in Brussels.

Brussels sprouts are among the same family that includes cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi. They contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fibre. Moreover, they are believed to protect against colon cancer, due to their containing sinigrin. Brussels sprouts are cruciferous







Now my recipe of making Brussel sprout roast.
You will need:

Petite Brussel sprout (frozen) - 1 pack
( I used frozen as its easy to cook you may also use fresh ones.... check the method of cooking when using fresh Brussel)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Fresh coconut (optional) - for garnish
Oil
Salt to taste



Method:

If you are using fresh Brussel sprout, Firstly cut of the stem (if there) at the base..and cut a small x on the stem with the knife and remove any loose leaves at the base.This is done for even cooking of the brussel. now boil some water and drop the brussels into it.Its very important to cook the brussel evenly and for a limited time. Dont over cook it orelse it will become mushy. It emits a strong smell when it cooking.Once its cooked and is tender (check it by poking with a fork.) remove it drain the water and keep aside.

I took an easier option of buying a petite brussel sprout packet, Which has precooked tender brussels.

Take a big pan. Pour in some oil into it. Now add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Now add the curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds. Add the brussel sprouts and mix it well. Now put in the salt and red chilli powder and mix well again. npow make the heat medium and let the brussel roast, stiring in between.

when u see that brussel is roasted well and brown patches have appeared on it, Off the gas. Garnish with fresh coconut.

Serve hot with rice and sambar. Tasty and healthy. Enjoy!!

aloo matar masala

A very tasty and amazing potato and green peas dish.

You will need :

Potaoes /aloo - 3 (par boiled n cubed)
Matar/ Green peas - 1 1/2 cups
Onions - 1 chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
Ginger - 1 " piece
Yoghurt - 1tbsp
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
red chillie powder - 1tsp
Garam masala - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
oil





Method :

In a mixer jar, put in the onions, tomatoes and the ginger and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

In a pan, take some oil. Put the cumin seeds and let it become light brown. Now add the onion-tomato n ginger paste to the pan. Add the garam masala, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. stir it well. Cook till the raw smell of the onions and the masala goes off. Now add the peas and cook for 5 - 6 minutes. Now finally add the potatoes, some salt and a glass of water and let it cook well. Cook it till the gravy reduces and becomes thick. now add the yooghurt and mix well... for the creamy texture. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Server hot wil Chapati or roti. Enjoy!!

Capsicum rice

Capsicum rice is a simple and easy recipe. Something you can make in minutes. I keep this recipe for the days when I am not in the mood of cooking...(okie so even i get tired of cooking... hehe). I eat this first at a friends place and loved it. I loved it more when i can to know how simple it is to make and tastes so delicious.




So here goes the recipe. You will need :

Capsicum /green bell pepper - 2
Rice - 1 1/2 cup (cooked) You can even use left over rice.
Onions - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 2 tsp
Black pepper powder - 2tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Garam masala (optional) - 1tsp
Salt to taste




Method :
Chop the capsicum and onions and keep them aside.
In a big pan, take some oil and add the cumin seeds and wait till it crackles and you get the nice smell of the jeera. Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute for sometime. Now add the onions and the capsicum. toss it well till the capsicum in tender and cooked. Now put the pepper powder, garam masala and the salt.

Lastly add the rice in and mix well. Cooked it cover for ten minutes. Garnish well with coriander leaves.



Serve hot with Raita. Enjoy!

Sabudana khichidi

YYYYummmmm....... Sabudana Khichidi ( sago khichidi). Just the name is enough to make me feel hungry. When i was a kid i used to love the days when my friend used to keep upvas (fasting)... no no I am not heartless... but i used to love those days for one thing that her tiffin box used to have.... and that is this mamzing khichidi.



In maharashtra, Maharashtrian eat this special khichidi , milk and fruits alone on their fasting days...

Some facts about sago from wikipedia..:

Sago is a powdery starch made from the processed pith found inside the trunks of the Sago Palm Metroxylon sagu. The genus name Metroxylon is derived from Greek and means heartwood, while the species name sagu is from a local name for the food. Sago forms a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas where it is often cooked and eaten as a form of pancake with fish.
Sago looks like tapioca and both are pearly grains of starch, but tapioca is made from the root of the cassava plant. They are similar but are not identical when used in recipes.

In India pearl sago (a form of sago) is called Sabudana, and is used in a variety of dishes including khichdi(not to be confused with the rice and lentils variety), wafers and puddings. The source of this sago is most likely Metroxylon rather than the cycad version.

Intersting isnt it??....so here we go with the tasty recipe...:)

We would need:

Sabudana/ Indian pearl sago - 1 1/2 cup soaked over night in warm water
Potatoes - 2 boiled and cubed
Green chillies - 2 slit lengthwise
Roasted peanuts - 1 cup ground coarsely
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 2 tsp
Ghee / oil - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt to Taste



Method:
Soak the Sabudana overnight. The sabudana should be soaked in such a way that just a layer of water remains on top of it. Dont put EXCESS WATER. After around 2-3 hours all the water should get soaked in and the dana should be moist yet dry to touch. You want the dana to soak in all the water that you put in.... so just keep adding or sprinkling water into it in between, to make it more soft.

Now once the sabudana in ready.... put in the roasted peanuts into the dana and mix it well. Keep aside

Now in a big pan, take some ghee/ oil. Add in the cumin seeds/ jeera, green chillies and toast it well in the oil. Now add in the chopped potatoes and fry them... it it becomes light brown in colour. Next come the sabudana.... add it to the kadai and mixx well. Add the salt and sugar and cook it covered for 10 minutes. You can see the sabudana turns a bit transparent from it natural white colour. Now that the sign which say that the sabudana is cooked well... mix in well in medium flame.. till it becomes a khichidi of nice and transparent balls.





Garnish with fresh corander leaves.





Serve hot with sweetened yoghurt. Enjoy!!