The Spice Who Loved Me

Dhoklas can be made from a variety of ingredients- Chana Daal, moong daal, Besan to name a few. This time around, I made them from Chora daal.
This is fairly easy, and is perfect for weekend lunches.

Ingredients-

1.5 cups Chora Daal
1/2 cup yellow moong daal
1 bunch- fresh or frozen Methi or Fenugreek leaves
2-3 large - chili peppers ( for heat)
1 large piece - ginger
4-5 cloves garlic
1 small bunch cilantro
1 heaping tbsp - besan flour
1 tsp- jeera (cumin) seeds
salt, sugar to taste
1 tsp- Eno or Fruit Salt

Soak Chora Daal and the yellow moong daal together for at least a few hours. When ready to make the dhokla, grind the daals together with the jeera seeds and some salt. The mixture should resemble an Idli batter and should not be too thick or too thin. Grind the peppers, ginger , garlic and cilantro. Add this to the batter along with the sugar and some more salt. Adjust to your taste. Leave the batter aside for 15 minutes, and then add the methi leaves and besan to it. Stir well.
When ready to steam the dhoklas, add the eno to it. This will make them fluffier.
Pour the dhokla batter into a sprayed cake pan. Steam on medium high for at least 15-20 minutes. You may temper them with some mustard seeds and curry leaves. I left them just as they were. Serve with Cilantro-Mint chutney and some hot tea or coffee for a perfectly healthy lunch!

Variation- Add some spinach leaves to the batter instead of Fenugreek leaves.

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Posted by TS | 18 comments    

Labels: Gujarati, Kathiawadi, Weekend Lunches

Bell peppers are such a delight, their vibrant colors are enough to make you want to grab and munch on them. This is one of my favorite ways to have peppers, in a fajita....try it and see.

Ingredients:

8-Bell Peppers - red, green, yellow and red - sliced in slivers
1- Large White/Red Onion- sliced
1- Large Zucchini- sliced
1- Large Squash - sliced
1- Large carrot- sliced
1/2 cup- fresh/frozen corn
1 Package- Taco/Fajita Seasoning
Salt - to taste
1 tbsp- Olive Oil
Red Chili Flakes, Garlic Powder- to taste


In a wide pan, heat some oil and add the onions and carrots first. Saute for 5 mins. Add the rest of the veggies and add the seasonings. Cook until semi-soft or soft.

Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, olives, salsa and taco sauce and mexican rice on the side. Roll up the tortilla and enjoy.

This is going to Pooja for VOW-JFI- Peppers. Thanks, Pooja for hosting this wonderful event.

Posted by TS | 9 comments    

Labels: Mexican Food

Perfect for weekend lunches or brunches.....this Spinach and Zucchini Handvoh really hits the spot. This is one of my favorites for weekend and this time, I added Spinach and Zucchini. Spinach and the zucchini will make this handvoh extra soft. You can add fenugreek, Opo squash, grated potatoes, onions, corn for a variation.

I made this out of the ready made Handvoh mix, which is available at most Indian grocery stores.

Here are the rest of the ingredients.

3 cups - store bought handvoh flour

A container of plain, preferably sour, yogurt,

Salt and Sugar to taste,¾ tsp. asafetida

2-3 tbsp. ginger-garlic-chili paste, 1 tbsp Ajwain Seeds,
1-1.5 tsp. turmeric,
3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 handfuls + 1 tbsp. white sesame seeds
juice from 1 lime
1 tbsp. peanut oil (can substitute with safflower or vegetable oil)
2 heaped teaspoons black mustard seeds, 2tbsp - Semolina,
handful of curry leaves
½ tsp. baking soda or ENO

Mix 3 cups handvo flour with the yogurt, and ajwain seeds in a large steel bowl; leave out overnight to ferment. You may leave it in the oven with the pilot light on.

Preheat the oven to 350F when ready to bake.

The next day, add the salt, sugar, turmeric, ginger-garlic-chili-onion paste, chopped spinach, grated zucchini, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, semolina,and the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. The batter should be of a medium consistency, not too thick and not too thin.

Grease a 15x10 baking dish with some cooking spray. Pour the batter in the dish. Now, here's a tricky part. In the middle of the batter, add the Eno or baking soda, then add the juice of the lemon. Let it bubble up and the mix the batter lightly. Let it rest while you add the tempering.

Meanwhile, heat the oil, when hot,add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and some sesame seeds and the asafoetida. Pour over the batter and mix it in. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Towards the end, turn the grill feature in your oven on and let it brown a bit.

Serve hot with some masala tea, pickles, yogurt or however you like. Enjoy.

Posted by TS | 21 comments    

Labels: Gujarati, Weekend Lunches

Every spring, we are lucky enough to witness some of nature's wonders - the Icebergs. Here are some pictures from the weekend. I am supposed to be packing to move into a new home, but these icebergs beckoned and we just had to heed the call of the mighty giants. Enjoy the pictures.






Have a wonderful day ahead.

Comments Closed until the move into the new home. See you all later.

Pictures taken by: TS

Posted by TS |    

Labels: Random Musings

I have been on many crash diets in my day....and not one of them have worked..mainly because of my high expectations to lose weight in a really short period of time.Not very smart. This is what I have learned:

Crash.Diets.Don't.Work.

So, what DOES work? for me, success has been adapting an Ayurvedic routine. I decided to really make a 'lifestyle' change many months ago and it has worked for me.

I won't go into complete detail in this post, but for those who are interested, please check out the Ayurvedic links in the sidebar, you'll find a wealth of information there. A separate post on this topic coming soon.

Here is one such recipe that really calms the system, is low fat, and totally healthy for all.


'Moong Daal with Spinach' Curry:

Tip: Use a pressure cooker for quick and best results.

1.5 cups yellow moong daal- rinsed well, and soaked for at least half an hour.
1 bunch baby spinach - chopped
1 tbsp or less - Olive or Canola Oil
2-3 cloves Garlic -minced
1/4 tsp - turmeric
1/4 tsp - Asafoetida
1 tsp - chili powder
1 tsp - garam masala (optional)
1/4 tsp- cumin seeds
Salt - to taste

Rinse the Moong daal well and let it soak for about half an hour. Chop the baby spinach and set aside.

In the pressure pan, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida. Now add the garlic and stir well. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Drain the daal and add it to the pan. Keep stirring and add the rest of the seasonings. Add enough water to cook the daal, if you like it soft and mushy like I do, add 1.5 cups of water, just be sure to adjust the seasonings.
Let it cook until the regulator whistles twice.
Serve hot with some Jowar rotis and some buttermilk for a complete meal.

Posted by TS | 23 comments    

Labels: Comfort Foods, Gujarati, Vegetable Curries

A childhood favorite of mine.....I would eat this to my heart's content on the days that my mother and Baa kept a 'vrat'. Not me though!

Here is the very easy, but a delicious recipe.....

You will need:

½ cup peanuts, roasted and crushed
Lemon Juice, Cilantro and grated coconut to taste

Rinse and drain the saabu-daanaa under cold water in a colander. Add some water, don't add too much, just enough to coat the sabudaana. Let sit for a good 6-8 hours, overnight is ideal.

When ready to make it, mix in salt, roasted and crushed peanuts, & sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot, add the cumin seeds, asafetida, some of the chopped green chilies and curry leaves. After 30 seconds, mix in the potatoes, ginger & the rest of the green chilies. Stir & cook until potatoes are lightly browned. Add the Sabudaana and let it cook until they look translucent. Garnish with cilantro, lemon or coconut.

Serve hot with some cold, mellow yogurt on the side. Enjoy.


Thanks to all for the encouraging comments and emails to keep the blog going....!

Have a great day.

Posted by TS | 23 comments    

Labels: Gujarati, Weekend Lunches

Thank you all for your comments and requests on this blog. Due to many queries, I have decided to make this blog accessible for all. I hope to eventually come back to blogging, though am not too sure when. Thank you all again for your support and emails.

Cheers,
trupti

Posted by TS | 26 comments    

What do you do when you have a lot of leftover bread from the pau-bhaji you made the night before?? You turn it into a delicious lunch, that's what!

An easy, quick lunch that is sure to please, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Half loaf of stale bread-torn into pieces,
1 small- jalapeño- chopped
1 medium onion- chopped
2 tbsp: milk

For the tempering:
1/4 tsp: mustard seeds
1/4 tsp: chili powder (optional)
1/4 tsp: turmeric powder
1 tbsp: Oil, Salt, Sugar to taste, chopped cilantro and lime juice (optional).

In a deep frying pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds and the onions, and jalapeño. Stir well. Add the torn bread pieces and stir until lightly browned. Sprinkle some milk on top and add the seasonings. Stir well and garnish with chopped cilantro and lime juice. Serve hot with some tea and enjoy!

Cheers~ trupti

Posted by TS | 55 comments    

One of the best things about the coming winter months are the warm and comforting foods that go with it......one such favorite is this recipe, peppers and peanuts cooked with coconut and sesame seeds....they just seem to warm you up from the inside out. This recipe keeps for many weeks in the refrigerator. Just heat as much as you need for a nice accompaniment to your meal.

You will need:

• 7-9: Long Chili Peppers....look for the Mild variety
• 1 cup Peanuts - boiled in salted water
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp- Sesame Seeds
• 1 small piece of tamarind with its juice extracted
• 1 tbsp: Oil, 1
• tsp: Cumin seeds
  
• Salt and Jaggery to taste

Posted by TS | 69 comments    

Hi all!

Hope you're all having a terrific summer.....here is the latest article for the Food Network site that I contributed. Enjoy!

I'll be back to blogging recipes next month. See you all soon!

Cheers,
Trupti


Picture: Summer in Newfoundland......

Posted by TS | 40 comments    

Labels: Event