Revival

 It is 2023, a good 8 years after a post last went up on this blog.

Where did the time go? It converted to memories, I say :)

I have thought many a times about this neglected blog  which was started with so much enthu but fizzled out. But well, I was doing it to journal our thoughts, so I daresay its okay.

While we are not so broke anymore, we still cook. And more than ever - given our knowledge, skill and our repertoire in the kitchen, all have increased (or so we'd like to think).

Personally there has been a sea change from our life circumstances from back in 2015 to 2023. What still remains is I like to have fun every day and go through life joyously and kindly with others as well as ourselves - and I'd still like this blog to reflect that! Well thats on me aint it.

So here's to this being an occasional journal for random scribblings and thoughts. Welcome back to this space :)

Minimalist Tuesdays 4.0: Moong Daal Cheela (Split Green Gram Crepes)

Did February fly away in 5 minutes or what ?!? I hope I am not the only one who feels like this :o

February, apart from being the month of love, is also my birthday month! However, birthdays now do not hold as much importance as they used to, at one point of time. The razzmatazz, hoopla and the general air around birthdays seems to have mellowed down - I even hid it from facebook because I really did not want wishes of 300 unknown people, only preferring to be wished by the select few family and special friends who remember it for me :-)

It has been a strange last few weeks. I have had tonnes to share on the blog, but just could not bring myself to write anything! Did I just encounter my first writer's block ?!? Isn't it too early in my blogging journey for that! However, I cooked up a storm this last month, so recipes will be up slowly and steadily on here.

Without much ado, I present the Minimalist recipe of the week - Moong Daal Cheela. Full of proteins, light on the stomach, kid-friendly and a portable snack; all in one.

Ingredients

Moong Daal: 1 cup

Water (to soak the daal)

Salt: To taste

Ginger: 1 inch piece

Green Chillies: 4-5 (or as per hotness desired)

Heeng (Asafoetida): A pinch

Directions

1. Soak the moong daal (split green gram) in water for about 4-5 hours. I usually soak it overnight.

2. After 4 hours, drain the water from the daal and add ginger, green chillies, heeng and salt. Grind these together to a smooth batter.

3. Heat a frying pan and brush a little bit of oil on it.

4. Put a ladle of batter on the hot pan, and in quick circular motion, spread it around as you would for a dosa.

The pan should not be very hot; since the batter will stick and not spread properly. Keep it medium hot. 

5. Let the crepe cook for 2-3 minutes. If you have spread it thin enough, you will be able to see the browning of the lower surface.

You can add some oil at the edges for an easier dislodging of the crepe.

6. Flip it and cook it on the other side for merely a minute.

7. Roll up, and serve hot with chutney / ketchup of your choice! I had it with the green grapes chutney I had made earlier!

Notes

I have not used toppings for my cheela here -- you can use any you desire. The most common addition is grated paneer, which is also served in marriages and functions.

You can also add grated carrots for increasing the nutritive value. I, for one, prefer to eat it as it is.

This is an absolutely finger-licking dish when served with tamarind chutney and coriander chutney.

Kids love this dish. My nephew who is usually very finicky about food approves of this wholeheartedly!

This is a very good way of taking in enough proteins for us vegetarians. This batter stays for a good 2-3 days in the fridge, so this is another of those snack recipes that I am always on the prowl for. Ready at any time.

Do you enjoy eating moong daal cheela? Let us know in the comments!

Sending this recipe to Srivalli's event: Come join us for breakfast February!

Minimalist Tuesdays 3.0: Mutter Mushroom (Peas Mushroom Curry)

Minimalist tuesdays are an ode to yummy and healthy food, without too much time in the kitchen or ingredients on hand. They are meant for "minimum time in kitchen, maximum results". Mutter mushroom fits the bill, hands down :) 

Time is a premium commodity for everyone and cooking often takes a back seat. However, feeding oneself should not seem as a burden. SS and I are of the opinion that healthy, wholesome food is at the very bottom of Maslow's hierarchy; hence non-negotiable, essential for survival. Barring some special occasions, we believe food should be down to earth, entering the mouth and reaching the soul. That doesn't have to cost an arm and leg, and neither a large chunk out of your day.

As is the trend with all recipes (so far) on the blog, this recipe is effortless, quick, made with ingredients found in your home almost all the time, when in season!

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms (chopped) - 250 gms

Peas - 200 gms

To be blended into a paste:
Tomatoes - 2
Onion - 1
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green chillies - 5 (adjust as per hotness desired)
Garlic - 5 cloves

Ghee - 2 tsp
Khoya - 2 tsp (Completely Optional)

Cumin - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 0.5 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (or according to taste, can omit too)
Salt - as per taste
Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves to garnish.

Directions

1. In a pressure cooker, heat some ghee

2. Add some cumin seeds. If using khoya, proceed to step 3 else step 4.

3. When they start spluttering, add the khoya and brown for 1 minute.

4. Add the tomato puree and cook it till it becomes grainy in texture.

5. Add the mushrooms, peas, salt, turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli powder.

6. Mix all of them well and add water to the gravy.
Do not add too much water as mushrooms also release water while cooking. Add enough to cover the vegetables.

7. Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Allow it to whistle once on high power on the induction cooktop (or high flame on the stove). Lower the power (flame) to medium and let it whistle 4 more times.

8. When the pressure subsides, open the lid. Add garam masala. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with chapatis or rice!

Notes:

Mushrooms are a powerhouse of nutrition. They are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, low in sodium, high in vitamin-D, potassium and B-complex. Coupling them with protein rich peas makes for a nutrient packed wholesome and absolutely finger-licking dish!

The addition of khoya makes this dish richer as well as a little sweet. Adjust salt and chillies keeping this in mind if you add khoya.

Whenever I make ghee at home, I use the left over browned solids as khoya - they are delicious and also does not waste them!!

This is such a typical winter dish -- do you also make mutter mushroom like this? Do not go away without commenting, o silent one! :D

Winter Wonderland: Subz Miloni (Mixed vegetables in green gravy)

We love winters! The slight (or the not so slight) chill, foggy mornings, ginger tea, hot chocolate, oversized sweaters knit by mom and grandmom, the list goes on... What's not to love!

And I love eating (I hope it is evident by now). Going to a vegetable market for me is like entering a candy shop for a child -- my pupils get dilated and I want to pick up anything and everything I can lay my eyes and hands upon...The colours and freshness makes me go crazy. It's a different matter altogether that on coming back home I curse myself for not being more prudent. But well, food is never wasted in this household and we find ways to use / freeze all things. 

I also don't find spending more on food ever a waste. There is a rule in this household -- we will curb our monthly / weekly outings or clothes shopping, but we will never ever compromise on the quality of food we eat. Whaddya think about it ?! Super rule, no! :D

Greens are plentiful in winters in India. Sarson (mustard greens), palak (spinach), bathua (chenopodium), suva (dill), methi (fenugreek leaves) all make regular appearances in our food shopping at this time of the year; staple foods for us also keep changing depending on the weather. What is in season is eaten, preserved and enjoyed more till it goes out of season, be it fruits or veggies.

So I (again!) found a super delicious way to incorporate all seasonal vegetables with the super-food that are winter greens! This is an extremely easy recipe which can help you include more greens in your diet. Do not get intimidated by the number of ingredients I use; you can totally customise it.

Ingredients

Mixed chopped vegetables (100 gms of each): cauliflower, carrots, beans, capsicum

Sarson (Mustard Leaves): 250 gms

Palak (Spinach Leaves): 250 gms

Bathua (Chenopodium Leaves): 250 gms

Methi (Fenugreek Leaves): 250 gms

Laung (Cloves): 4, Optional

Zeera (Cumin seeds): 1 tsp

Heeng (asafoetida): 1 tsp

Red chilli powder: 0.5 tsp

Turmeric: 1 tsp

Coriander Powder: 2 tsp

Garam Masala: 1 tsp

Directions

1. Clean and chop all the greens well. Rinse them several times so that no grit and dirt remains.

2. In a big vessel enough to accomodate all the chopped leaves, heat some water. Immerse all the greens in it.

3. Put a teaspoon of salt in the vessel and cover it, steam the greens. The greens will reduce drastically in volume.

The salt preserves the bright green colour of the vegetables.

4. After about 5 minutes, switch off the stove and blanch the vegetables by running them under cold water. Let them cool down.

5. Blend them smooth in an immersion blender / hand blender / what have you.

At this point, you can freeze the blended mix if you do not intend to cook this recipe straightaway.

6. In a wok (kadhai), heat some oil. Sizzle some cloves, asafoetida and cumin seeds.

7. Add all the chopped vegetables (NOT the greens) in the wok. Add salt, red chilli powder. turmeric powder and coriander powder.

8. Cover the wok and let the vegetables cook for ~ 8-10 minutes on medium flame.

9. At this point, open the lid and check if the vegetables are done. If not, cook them some more by adding a little water. If they are about 80% cooked, proceed to step 10.

Do not cook them till mushy. We will be cooking them further.

10. Add the blended greens mixture in the vegetables. Mix well, and cover for another 8 minutes.

You can add as much greens as you want in this step. If you want a gravy, add all of it. If you prefer it on the drier side, only add a little greens mix. I prefer it dry and add only a little, freezing the rest.

11. Open the lid and add some garam masala for taste. Also check for salt once more.

Serve this nutritious and delicious gravy hot with phulkas or rice!

Notes

Winter greens are amongst the healthiest vegetables you can eat. They supply you with tonnes of fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin C and proteins. 

Seasonal vegetables also are the most nutritious in their season and also come very cheap due to their abundant supply. So you can eat cheap as well as healthy -- no brainer!

If you want to make it richer, add some cashews to the oil in step 6. You can also garnish with cream if you would want to serve this to guests.

It is a very healthy dish for vegetarians who strength train and would like to include more proteins in their diets. One can only eat so many eggs, you know!

If you try this recipe, let me know! We would love to hear from you :) Drop in!

Grapes and Raisin Chutney

Being a student couple, we have every possible constraint on Earth applied to our lives. Don't believe me? Well, you better do :D I absolutely abhor whining, and I am not going to list out what I feel lacks in my life, coz its MY LIFE! And I wouldn't have wanted it any other way! Mmm maybe a few tweaks here n there, that's all ;)

And it has made me a more conscious human being, for the better. I am extremely grateful for that. I have seen people who have a lot of disposable income and splurge and waste like there is no tomorrow and feel entitled because of their money. Well, to each his own. We are (try to be, at least) extremely thrifty and minimalist, stick to our budgets most months, and try to never waste any foodstuff.

I got a bunch of green grapes last week from the vegetable vendor, and they turned out to be extremely sour! SS is not fond of sour fruits as it is, and I couldn't eat them too. But I didn't want to waste them as well - so I put on my lab coat and experimented with this tangy n sweet green grapes and raisin chutney! 

You will be licking the stirring spoon, I bet! I was ;)

Ingredients

Green grapes, slit in half - 200 grams (or as many as you have)

Chopped Raisins ~ 10-15 

Cumin Seeds (zeera )- 1 tsp

Fennel Seeds (saunf) - 1 tsp

Turmeric (haldi) - 0.5 tsp

Table salt - 0.5 tsp

Rock salt (kala namak) - 0.5 tsp

Sugar / Jaggery - as per taste

Optional:

Red chilli powder (lal mirch) - 0.5 tsp

Dried mint powder - 0.5 tsp

Directions

1. In a pan, heat some oil / ghee.

2. Sizzle fennel seeds and cumin for ~10 seconds.

3. Pour in the grapes and raisins together in the pan.

4. Add salt and turmeric. Cover the pan and let the concoction cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

5. The grapes would have released their juices by now. Uncover the pan, add rock salt and red chilli powder.

6. Cook the mix further for a few more minutes. You will notice it dehydrating and coming together in a jam-like texture.

7. When the grapes and raisins have almost cooked, add sugar in the end. Keep the heat at medium all this while and keep checking if it needs any more water.

8. Give one final stir, add dried mint powder.

Tangy finger licking chutney ready!! Easy peasy!

Notes

If your grapes are very sour, you might need to add more sugar or jaggery. 

Keep an eye on the consistency of the chutney all the time -- we don't want it to burn yet don't want it too watery. It should be like the raw mango chutney made in summers

The inspiration for this chutney comes from the raw mango chutney called "launji" often made in our homes during summers! I figured I can substitute the tartness of raw mangoes with green grapes -- you can follow the exact same procedure with any other fruit too! Tomatoes, kiwis, oranges maybe as well?

Sangeeta from one of my favourite blogs "banaras ka khana" also makes this sans raisins - http://www.banaraskakhana.com/2013/03/angoor-ki-chutney-green-grapes-chutney.html

Tastes best served with theplas, stuffed parathas, pooris!

If you try this, do let me know! I would love to hear from you :)

Savory Oats Porridge

SS is a kid at heart. No, I really mean it! I love it for the most part coz he is a gentle giant, but that also translates to having certain culinary likes and dislikes, sigh. Give him potatoes and rice any day, and he is a happy camper.

Gradually, he has changed to a considerably flexible eater though still not as easy-going as I am. Some of it has been by force, some by choice !! Though it has made me more relaxed, but has also forced me to be more innovative to find new ways to present stuff which will appeal to his eyes and taste buds. Hence, the loaded-with-veggies dishes that I make often to incorporate all the variety that I can for him! No complaints though, I am indulgent about it -- slow progress is still progress! :P

I often tell people I already have 2 kids -- SS and my brother AG, and these two I pamper the most. This recipe is the culmination of one such experiment; to try something non-sweet for breakfast, hoping it will appeal to both of them :)

Ingredients

Quick cooking oats - 1 cup (I used Saffola quick oats)

Onion - 1 medium

Tomatoes - 1 medium

Carrots - 0.25 cup

Peas - 0.25 cup

Green chilli - 1, finely diced

Water - 2.5 cup

Cumin Seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp

Turmeric - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Recipe

1. In a frying pan, heat some ghee. Fry some cumin seeds for a while.

2. Add onions and saute them till translucent. Do not turn them pink.

3. Add tomatoes, and fry them together till a little mushy. Add some salt to expedite the process.

4. Add peas, carrots and any other seasonal vegetables you would like to incorporate.

Fresh green peas are a delight to cook with :)

5. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes till the vegetables turn soft.

6. Add oats, water, salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil.

7. Cover and cook for about 4 minutes or till oats cook. Make sure they do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

8. Add some more water and boil further if you would like a thinner consistency, else keep it as it is.

9. Voila! Savoury oats porridge ready!

Notes

Put in each and every vegetable you can lay your hands on -- with winters going on in India, it is a veritable wonderland of vegetables. It also makes for an extremely healthy and filling dish.

You can choose seasonings as per taste - oregano, thyme, Italian herbs, whatevers appeal to you and your family.

Oats are known to reduce cholesterol and are an extremely good source of slow digesting complex carbohydrates, which keep you fuller for longer. Combine them with vegetables and you have a power-packed meal - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber!

This is also a very quick meal to prepare; as you would notice are most of the recipes on our blog!

How do you like your porridge? Savoury, sweet or both? Would you like to see more oats recipes? I would be very happy to hear from you!

Sending this recipe to Srivalli's event Come, join us for Breakfast ~ January Event Announcement! | Cooking 4 all Seasons. This will be my first blogging event!

Minimalist Tuesdays 2.0: Rustic Baingan Bharta (spicy eggplant mash)

Some recipes are like old friends; you don't bother about them for aeons but when you need reassurance and the feeling of security that all is well in the world, they come to your rescue. Simple, rustic, fuss-free, always there. Every. single. time.

This baingan bharta is one such unassuming dish. One can even wonder as to why should it have a place of pride on the blog. To me, this brings the comforting scent of childhood, the feeling of sitting with my parents around our small dining table, my mom and my amma (grandmom) making this for us. 

As such, there is no "one" recipe for any dish. Heck, what we often know as a "recipe" is more often than not one's own way of making their dish, which pleases their palette the most. Cooking a dish is intuitive, you make what you want to and like to eat -- and there is no formula. 

SS is not fond of aubergines/ eggplants. But then there are some things you need to do for yourself. For the days when nostalgia hits hard, this recipe can carry your through your day.

Deliciousness guaranteed! Minimal ingredients, maximum taste!

Ingredients:

Eggplants: 2 medium

Onions: 2 medium

Tomatoes: 3 large

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Turmeric: 0.5 tsp

Coriander Powder: 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Recipe:

1. Wash the eggplants and pat them dry. Apply a little oil on their outside, and poke several holes in them with a fork.

2. In a microwave safe container, put them in the microwave on its highest power setting (microwave mode). Time it for 8 minutes.

3. After 4 minutes, take out the container and rotate the eggplants a little for even roasting.

4. Take out after the next 4 minutes, and let them cool. They should be soft to touch, a knife will be able to go inside them easily. 

5. Peel them and mash them well.

6. In a frying pan, heat some oil.

7. Sizzle cumin seeds.

8. Add onions and fry them till pink. 

9. Add the tomatoes. Fry the mixture till soft and mushy.

10. Add the mashed eggplant.

11. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt as per taste.

12. Mix everything well and let it cook on medium flame for another 5-7 mins in the pan, with its lid covered.

Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve hot with chapatis!

Notes:

DO NOT forget to poke holes! You don't want a burst eggplant inside your oven now, do you ?!

You can also add garam masala and a little lemon juice in the end for a different taste.

Reduce/ increase the number of onions and tomatoes depending on your palette. I like mine tangy hence more tomatoes.

Traditionally, eggplants are charred over an open flame for that smoky flavour. I don't have an open flame, hence microwave roasting is the next best option.

To mash, some people also churn the peeled eggplant in a blender for a smooth texture. Your pick! Smooth or chunky, whatever floats your boat. As I said, no formulae :)

This is one of my favourite recipes. Simple and super easy. How do you like yours? We would love to hear from you! Please drop in a line in the comments below :)