Asian Coleslaw Salad

I tried this recipe at P' uncle's place in Atlanta. One of their friends found this amazing recipe online- They did give me the recipe but i misplaced it someplace and never found it again. Racking my brains to remember the ingredients and taste of this salad and by trial and error i finally recreated the dish. Its one of P's and my cousin's favorite.

Ingredients

1 packet maggi noodles (you can use top ramen too)
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup grated or shredded cabbage or ( 2 cups of ready-made coleslaw-fresh)
1/2 cup green onions chopped
3 tbsp sliced almonds
2 tbsp sunflower kernels
salt to taste
2 tsp sugar or as per taste
1/3 cup plain white vinegar

1. Semi-crush the maggi noodles. Keep aside the masala.
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients, mix well and set aside for 5-6 hours. When the noodles turn soft the salad is ready- garnish with almonds, green onions and serve.

Phodnicha Varan

This is my mom's way of using up the leftover varan from the previous day or morning and transforming it from a baby's comfort food to an adult's. If in mood for a quick fix- this dal can be made in under 30 minutes.


Varan is the marathi equivalent of the Gujarati moli dal.


Serves 4


Ingredients

2 cups toor dal- boiled
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4th tsp asafoetida
2 tbsp jaggery
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp lime juice or as per taste
2 tbsp coriander-chopped


For the tempering

3 tbsp oil
1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 small green chilies chopped
6-8 curry leaves
2 small cloves garlic finely chopped


1. Blend the toor dal with a blender, add the turmeric, asafoetida, salt and jaggery and enough water to keep it thick instead of a very thin watery dal.
2. Boil this mixture for 15-20 minutes- This is the marathi Sadha Varan ("Plain Dal")- The Gujarati maharashtrians add jaggery- others dont.
3. Heat 3 tbsp oil, add in the mustard seeds and when they pop add the chili powder, garlic, green chili and curry leaves and add this tempering to the sadha varan.
4. Let boil for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let simmer.
5. Add in the lime juice and coriander and serve hot with rice and rotis.

Pizza Party

The reason for my absence from the blogosphere for the past two-three weeks is that my aai-baba are visiting us. And last week we were visiting my in-laws in Seattle. If you get the chance to visit Seattle around April, do try and visit the Tulip festival that is celebrated around this time every year. Its a sight you should never miss.





Now getting back to the recipe. I first became a fan of Wolfgang Puck when i had his four cheese pizza while waiting for a flight connection at the vegas airport. Thats when i learned what a difference fresh herbs can make to a fast food like a simple cheese pizza (sans the tomato sauce). So last weekend i made pizza from scratch- an adapted version of the four cheese pizza (since Mr. Puck is all for adaptation and improvisation) and our own desi-style indian pizza. The first day i made a thick crust pizza and the next day the thin crust one. Everyone at home just loved the pizzas. Hope you enjoy the pizzas- believe me -just give the pesto sauce-six cheese pizza a try and you will be hooked forever like me.




Ingredients



For the pizza dough (Makes 12 thin crust pizzas and 7-8 thick crust pizzas)
1 tsp sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water (105-110 degree)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil and more for brushing



For the pesto sauce (Makes 1/4th cup)
2 tbsp pine nuts
3 tbsp olive oil
12-14 medium fresh basil leaves
a pinch of salt



For the tomato sauce (Makes 3/4th cup)
3 boiled and peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh oregano
salt to taste



For the pizza toppings
Fresh basil
Fresh thyme
Fresh oregano
Chopped Roma tomatoes (oven dried)
E.V.O.O (extra-virgin olive oil)
finely chopped garlic
Sundried tomatoes
finely chopped onions
chopped green peppers
1 packet shredded Italian six-cheese topping





1. For the pesto sauce, first put the olive oil and garlic in a blender and blend it, next add the pine nuts and blend some more and finally add the basil and blend. Makes 1/4th cup pesto sauce.


2. For the tomato sauce, blend the boiled and peeled tomatoes with the chopped onion and garlic. Remove in a cooking pan and boil it with the fresh herbs till it becomes thick in consistency- i.e decreases to almost 1/3rd (should be spreadable but not runny). Set aside.


3. For the pizza toppings, chop the herbs, the green peppers, the tomatoes and the onions and keep them handy.


4. For the oven-dried tomatoes- slice the tomatoes thinly, brush them with some olive oil, sprinkle some garlic, and some herbs and put them in the oven for 10 -15 minutes at 250 degrees.


5. For the pizza dough, mix the salt and the all-purpose flour well. Add the olive oil and mix again. Separately in 1/4th cup of warm water, add in the yeast and 1 tsp of sugar. If the water is too hot (more than 110 degrees) it will kill the yeast and if its too cold the yeast wont rise. To make the yeast rise remember to add 1 tsp of sugar. Keep aside for 10 minutes. The yeast should double in size. Add this to the all-purpose flour mixture and add in the remaining 3/4th cup of warm water and knead the flour till it all comes together as a dough. Knead well and brush with some olive oil. Cover with a thin muslin cloth and keep aside for 1 hour. The dough should have doubled in size.


6. Make small balls the size of an orange (for thick crust) or smaller (for thin crust) and pat out and stretch with your hand. Roll out with a rollling pin on a flat surface.Use flour to brush if needed and make 8 inch pizzas.


7. For the pesto-sauce pizza, brush the rolled out pizza crust with the pesto sauce, add some shredded cheese and then top with some freshly chopped basil, thyme and oregano, oven dried tomatoes and some sun-dried tomatoes and then finally top with some more shredded Italian six-cheese. (you can use whatever Italian cheese you have on hand)


8. Place the pizza on the pizza tray and put it in a pre-heated oven (500 degrees) and bake for 15 minutes. Every oven has a different temperature setting- so i baked the pizza at 300 degrees for 10 minutes and then increase the temperature to 500 degrees and bake some more till the bottom and top both have a golden crust.










9. For the indian desi pizza, brush the rolled out pizza crust with the tomato sauce, add some shredded cheese, green peppers, onions and then top it with some more cheese and bake it in the same way as above.

Gawar nu shaak (Cluster bean vegetable)

This is one vegetable dish that i just love. A simple dish to make- can be had with rotis.

Serves 4


Ingredients

Gawar- 500 gm
1/3 tsp chili powder
2 tsp jaggery

For tempering
3 tbs oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1/3 tsp tumeric
a pinch of asafoetida
1/3 tsp chili powder


1. Discard the tail ends of the cluster bean and then chop it with a knife or by hand. When you break of a part of the cluster bean if a fibrous thread comes off from the sides, pull and discard it. Do the same for all the cluster beans. If the fibrous threads are not removed well, it might not taste good while eating. This is the only con for making this dish.
2. Heat oil in a cooking pan, add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the tumeric, asafoetida and the chili powder. Next add the garlic and saute it for 2 minutes.
3. Now add the cluster beans, add some water (1/4th cup) and let cook for 15 minutes stirring once in a while. When the cluster beans are completely cooked, they will change color and turn soft. Add the chili powder and jaggery, give it a stir and cook for 5-10 more minutes.
4. Serve hot with rotis.



Variation- You can also add the marathi lasun chutney (the dry garlic-coconut chutney) to this vegetable to enhance its taste.







P.S.- If you have lots of left over gawar- do not throw it away- you can make gawar dhokli from it.

Dahiwala Khatta Mug/ Mugachi Amti (Mung bean dal)

To put it mildly, I have never been a great fan of mung beans. P on the other hand loves mung beans- but not the sprouted ones. He loves this one version of the mung beans- a slightly sour dal preparation from Gujarat and this one alone. Since P is not into cooking, i kind of wield control over what has to be cooked at home and can get away by cooking only the dishes that i like. Since we got married, i had hardly made dahiwala mug, which P used to miss a lot. So when i came across Sandeepa's version of the healthy mung beans, i finally decided to give in and rolled up the sleeves to make this version of dal that my aai makes.


Do not make the dal too thin. You can use the leftover mung dal to make chaat the next day.


Serves 4


1-1/2 cup mung beans
5-7 curry leaves
2 green chilies-diced
4 tbsp yogurt
salt to taste
sugar to taste


For tempering
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/3 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
1 green chili -chopped
1 big clove garlic-finely chopped


1. Presoak the mung beans for 2-3 hours in warm water, Pressure cook the mung beans in 3-1/2 to 4 cups of water.
2. Do not throw away the water. Semi mash the mung beans (if you like).
3. Add salt, sugar, chili and curry leaves and blend in the yogurt. let boil for 20 minutes.
4. Heat oil for tempering and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the turmeric, asafoetida, chili and garlic and pour this over the dal.
5. Boil the dal for 15 more minutes, garnish with coriander and serve hot with chapati and rice.

Stuffed Bell Pepper in Tomato Gravy

I used to make this dish a lot when i was entertaining in New York. But since i moved to Florida, i never got around to making it until a couple of days ago. What prodded me into cooking this dish were a couple of red bell peppers sitting in the back of my fridge, a couple of potatoes left in my pantry and a can of tomato sauce. This is definitely an excellent way of cleaning up your fridge and pantry.


Serves 4

2 red bell peppers


For the stuffing
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
1/4th tsp chili powder or (2 small green chilies chopped)
1/3 tsp garam masala
2 potatoes- boiled and mashed


For the gravy
2 small tomatoes- pureed
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup cashews-crushed
1 bay leaf
2 cloves- crushed
1 stick cinnamon-crushed
1 clove garlic-crushed
1 small piece ginger-crushed
2 tsp oil
1/3 tsp chili powder
salt to taste


1. For the stuffing, heat the oil, add the cumin seeds and when they pop, add the turmeric, asafoetida and the mashed potatoes. Stir well and add in the rest of the ingredients and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the stove and set aside.
2. Core the center of the bell peppers.
3. Make two equal portions from the stuffing and stuff the cored bell peppers. Bake for 45 minutes or till the bell peppers are completely baked.
4. Heat oil, add the crushed cloves, cinnamon, garlic, ginger and bay leaf. Saute for 5-7 minutes.
5. Next add in the tomato sauce and pureed fresh tomatoes. Saute till the oil separates. Add 1 cup water and cook for 15-20 more minutes. Add in the chili powder and salt and the crushed cashews. Saute for 10-15 more minutes.
6. Just before serving, place the baked peppers in the tomato gravy and bake for 15 minutes.





Variations- Add onions, corn to the potato stuffing for added flavor.

Gujarati Dal- second version

Here's another simplified version of the Gujarati Dal- this ones slightly different from the one that is usually made at the weddings and about which i wrote earlier. I make this dal on a regular basis with roti, chawal and sabzi.


Serves 4


1 cup toor dal (boiled)
2 green chilies
1 inch piece of ginger crushed
1/2 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/4th tsp chili powder (optional- as per taste)
2-3 kokum/amsul pieces
salt to taste
2-3 tsp jaggery
5-6 curry leaves
3 tbsp coriander leaves chopped


For tempering
3-4 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/3 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/3 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
1/3 tsp chili powder



1. Boil the toor dal. Blend the boiled dal with 2-1/2 cups water.
2. Heat oil in a cooking pan, add in the mustard and fenugreek seeds and when they pop, add the turmeric, asafoetida and chili powder in that specific order.
3. Add the dal and add salt, cumin coriander and chili powder, curry leaves, ginger, coriander and green chilies and kokum and let boil for 30-40 minutes.
4. Finally add the jaggery and let simmer for 10 more minutes.
5. Garnish with some coriander and serve hot.