Christmas Foooooooooooooooooooooood

I miss having a 'proper' Christmas. I've been missing the Christmas of my childhood. The weather should be cold, but with a couple of hours of bright, wintery sun that hurts your eyes. You should need to wrap up warm against the biting wind - a padded coat and matching hat, scarf and gloves. You should need the fire on to keep the drafts at bay. You should have an oven, stuffed full of yummy food...

You should not be sat wearing shorts and vest as you type, sipping on iced water. You should not be in a country where having an oven in your kitchen is virtually unheard of. You should not be in a country where people decorate just 3 or 4 days before Christmas day. You should not be in a country where most people don't celebrate Christmas!

So I didn't have anything that faintly resembled a 'normal' Christmas (although I do have some very cute decorations). I did have a good Christmas though, even though I was longing for roast spuds and parsnips, yorkie puds and sprouts! Therefore I looked up a lot of food that I fancied whilst I ate some nice veggie pasta the I made (without an oven!)

So today's post is a bunch of good-looking food to tempt you with links to the recipes - coz I can take no credit at all for any of this food! Most of the credit goes to everyone's favourite Jamie Oliver. I love Nigella's food too, but couldn't find most of the recipes I was looking for on her website. So here it is - my Christmas food wishlist:

Jamie's Baked Camembert

Jamie's Roast Potatoes, parsnips and carrots


Nigella's Butternut Squash with Pecans and Blue Cheese


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Sprouts made the best way

Jamie's Winter Pudding Bombe


Jamie's incredible mulled cider

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2010

Channa Masala - Comfort food for hard times

Well, the NOC certificate from the police to aid my application for a visa extension never happened because my landlord decided to be extremely unhelpful and refused to co-operate..."I've given you everything I need to, I don't have to do anything else." Ggggrrrrr, some people just make life more difficult!

On top of that, I need to go to Delhi to sort out my visa (long and complicated story here) which is easier said than done, as all the trains are fully booked, with waitlists of at least 40. I think paying an agent a small fee may help. Don't think I'll get to see much whilst I'm there - it'll be all business and paying large "fees" for fast processing so I can get there and back quickly.

It's still cool in Mumbai. Breezy, perfect kite flying weather (I can see one out of my window right now). So at 3pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I'm sat here in my standard shorts and vest, but the fan's switched off. In a few hours when the sun sets, I'll have to change into my t-shirt and joggers. Most of the northern hemisphere seems to be going through a cold spell right now... so I'm a little worried about the trip to Delhi, as it's cold there and I really don't have suitable clothes for cold weather anymore.

I am looking forward to some good food whilst I'm there though, and now that I'm on holiday for a couple of weeks I'm looking forward to hunting down and trying out some new recipes. One that I've made a few times recently is Channa Masala, and it's come out pretty good each time. Channa masala is made from chickpeas and is quite filling - the only problem is you have to plan ahead if you're using dried channa, coz they need to be soaked for at least 8 hours. And I'd also suggest using a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time. If you're using tinned chickpeas, then it's a quick dish to make.

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Channa Masala:

1 cup kabuli channa (dried chickpeas)
4 cups water
1 black cardamom
1 bay leaf
1 inch stick cinammon
1 teabag
salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil
pinch hing
3-4 tomatoes, skinned and pureed
2 teaspoons channa (chole) masala powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon chaat masala
1/4 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango) powder

1. Soak the channa overnight in plenty of water
2. Put the channa in the pressure cooker with 4 cups water, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, teabag and salt. Mix well.
3. Cook for three whistles, then reduce heat and continue to cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, then turn off heat and let pressure go down.
4. Once cooled, separate channa and cooking water - don't discard the water.
5. Heat oil on a medium heat and add tomatoes. Cook until oil separates.
6. Add channa masala, chaat masala, chilli and amchoor powders. Cook through for a minute or two.
7. Add channa and mix well.
8. Add water a little at a time.
9. Cover and cook, mixing occasionally, until thickened.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with chappati or rice and sliced onions.

Let's hope I get to enjoy some of my time off over the next few weeks - keeping my fingers crossed! I can't believe it's nearly Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone :D

Misal Madness

Last Sunday I predicted calamity for this upcoming week and I was right! I've been doing crazy long shifts at work; been given half an hour's notice that we're rolling out the training material 2 days early; I've been informed that before I can apply for my visa extension this year I need to get a special document from the police called an NOC (haven't got yet, but do have form to fill in triplicate, which is written in Marathi); and the list goes on...

But it's not all been crazy... the weather is beautiful and cool (27 degrees Celsius - and I think this is cool? I think I'm finally acclimatizing to the heat of Mumbai!). There's definitely a nip in the air, a cool breeze, though it's still quite warm in the sun... makes me think of an early autumn day!

Yesterday I received my first two Christmas cards (cards don't really happen in Mumbai) and it prompted me to start decorating for Christmas. Unfortunately I can't find some of the Christmas stuff - misplaced when we moved earlier in the year. I'll find the rest of the stuff when I go on leave. In the meantime, I have my mini tree with tinsel, lights, silver bows and ornaments and stripy candy canes. I've also hung some red ribbon for my cards and I made a few other decorations from cards and wedding invites (which can be quite ornate in India).

And on our long walk this morning, Coco met another chocolate Lab called Bruno - they got along really well which it not surprising coz Labs are the friendliest dogs of all time.

Amongst all the chaos this week I can't really remember what I've had to eat, except for Thursday night when I had some lovely Dal Dhokli (a Gujarati dish which I'll have to learn to make) so I'll tell you about the lovely Misal Pav I made a few weeks back.

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Misal is a Marathi (Maharastian) dish which is fantastic street food. It's a spicy mix of sprouted pulses, tomato, onion, potato and farsan, served with pav (bread rolls) and it's yummy! I was surprised that mine came out so well, but that's thanks to the fantastic recipe I followed - Tarla Dalal's Misal recipe from her book "Mumbai's Roadside Snacks".



In the instructions for plating up it refers to a 'potato mixture' but doesn't give the link. Well this mysterious potato mixture is just an Aloo Bhaji.

Aloo Bhaji:

1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon rai (mustard seeds)
A few curry leaves
2 green chillies, sliced and deseeded
2 medium onions, finely sliced
3-4 potatoes, peeled, chopped and boiled
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
salt to taste
handful of chopped coriander leaves

1. Heat the oil over a low heat, add rai
2. When seeds crackle add the curry leaves, chillies and onion. Saute until translucent.
3. Add aloo, haldi, salt and coriander. Mix well and heat for a few minutes more.

Enjoy with Misal or as a sandwich filling or eat with spoon!

Crazy, hectic life? Veggie Burger is the best medicine

So the last two weeks were crazy hectic (challenging workshop that made my brain hurt, creating training material, re-creating material, travelling to Pune and back in one day meaning a 20 hour working day, award ceremony etc)...and I think that the next two will be as well (rolling out the training material, training several hundred people, trying to sort out my visa by talking to nice, helpful government officials etc).

I've been sooooooo tired once I get home after 11 or 12 hours in the office that I've been cooking simple easy food like green or yellow moong dal. And when I haven't had the energy to cook simple stuff, I've had yummy takeaway - chinese and pizza. Last Sunday and Monday were quite creative cooking days though. I made veggie burgers on Sunday and really impressed myself with Misal Pav on Monday.

Today I'll concentrate on the Veggie Burgers and save the Misal Pav for another day (coz who knows when I'll get creative with food again - certainly not before I go on leave at Christmas).

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So last Sunday I looked up loads of recipes for veggie burgers - from Nigella and Jamie to Sanjeev Kapoor and none really seemed to fit what I was looking for. So I understood the basics and got tips from a lot of different sources and made up my own recipe. I'm just sorry I didn't take any photos! So here goes...

Claire's Veggie Burgers

1/2 cup of channa dal, washed and soaked for half hour
1 tablespoon oil
3 onions, finely chopped
1 capsicum, finely chopped
2 carrots, grated
handful of mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon dhaniya (coriander) powder
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
2 large potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
flour
oil for cooking

1. Cook the channa dal until soft, leave to cool then mash
2. Heat the oil and cook the onion and capsicum until onion is translucent
3. Add the garlic and ginger pastes and the carrots and mushrooms, continue to cook until soft
4. Stir in the dhaniya, jeera and chilli powders and cook the veggie mixture for a few more minutes until mixture is quite dry
5. Mix the mashed potatoes, mashed channa dal and the cooked veggie mixture. It should be quite dry, or the burgers will break apart when cooked. If it's not dry enough you can add a little flour.
6. Leave the mix to cool. Beat the egg and put some flour on a plate to coat the burgers.
7. Just before ready to shape and form burgers, add the salt and pepper and mix in really well.
8. Form the burgers, then take each one and dip in the beated egg and then coat with flour.
9. Pop the burgers on a heated frying pan, griddle or tawa. Pour a little oil around the edge of the burgers so they don't stick.
10. Cook for around 4 minutes each side, until golden crust formed on each side.

Eat - I popped mine in a burger bun with tomato and a slice of cheese, but you should eat yours the way you like them!


I hope that I get time to try out some more new recipes in the coming days... I guess I'll have to look up some 'quick and easy' recipes!

Girls nite out - Sangria and great times

The last couple of weeks have been great in all respects - greatly stressful, greatly peaceful (paradoxical, I know), greatly emotional, greatly interesting, greatly rewarding, and the most important - greatly fun.

And it's thanks to the girlies in my life that I can add the last one. A few weeks back, we finally made time to go out together. It was Archana's birthday and we all ended up at Hawaiian Shack, and with a few drinks inside us, we danced and sang the night away to retro numbers. It was a fantastic night as you can see by our smiles:

Nisha, Me, Archana, Akshata and Grazielia

So last night we had the pleasure of visiting Archana's beautiful apartment. I wish I'd taken my camera, I really do. She's decorated the place with fabulous shades of greeny-blue and chocolate brown, and her mum's handpainted bottles decorate the small, but fantastic balcony. Not only does Archana have the perfect place, but she's also the hostess with the most-ess!

As we arrived, we were greeted with Sangria (I know we typically associate Sangria with summer and I know it's freezing cold and snowing across most of the world right now, but it's still warm in Mumbai!) and nibbles... Large, sweet purple grapes with salty green olives and creamy, peppery cheese made a wonderful combination that hit all the right notes...

A few more glasses of Sangria later and Archana stepped it up a notch with a beautifully creamy yet crunchy salad, with a roast chicken version for the non-veggies amongst us (I love that Indian phrase - 'Non-Veg').

After a couple of raucous hands of Uno later, we got down to the main course (yup.. that was after me polishing off most of the grapes & olives and two bowls of salad) of spaghetti with courgette (zucchini) and babycorn topped with a home-made cheese sauce - this woman knows how to entertain & how to cook...I'm now a little worried - if the girlies come to my place, I'll hand them the take out menus!

I'm not gonna try and compete with Archana's wonderful food... I'll get the recipes from her and put them up for the rest of the world to enjoy. In the meantime, I thought we'd have a boozy theme of the day. It's so warm here that Sangria is a wonderful drink to sip on a lazy Sunday afternoon, whereas I know there's been snow back home (England...I do miss the cold sometimes, but not the grey, blustery, miserable days) and that puts me in mind of Mulled Wine - the perfect winter warmer when it's got dark early, and there's snow outside. The best bit is they're both based on a good bottle of red wine :D

Sangria - fruity, red wine punch

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1 bottle of red wine
Splash of OJ
1 large lemon, chopped into wedges and de-seeded (coz nobody likes seeds in their drink!)
1 Orange, cut into slices and/or wedges and again, de-seeded
A tablespoon or two of sugar (to taste)
Some club soda (how much you add will determine how light your drink is)

1. Pop the wine in a big jug with the OJ, fruit and sugar. Stick in the fridge and leave overnight.
2. Just before serving, add the club soda.
3. Serve with ice

There are soooooooooooo many variations of this fruity punch... other fruit can work wonderfully, like grapes and apples, or berries - but add these fruit just before serving, otherwise they'll turn mushy. Many recipes call for a shot or two of brandy, gin or triple sec...If you're using this add it at step 1. Other people swear by adding ginger ale instead of club soda.

Mulled Wine - a nicely, spicy warming drink best enjoyed on a cold, dark evening

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Well, I'm gonna hand this one over to my mate, Jamie.
Jamie's quite adept at this food and drink malarky and his Mulled Wine recipe is wonderful.



The night was sooooo badly needed as I'm currently going through one of those 'Interesting Times' in life - I'll spare you all the details. I just wanted to say one last 'Thank You' to Akshata, Archana, Grazielia and Nisha - for being sooooooo wonderful and making it more manageable to live through this 'Interesting Time'.

May you live in Interesting Times...

See in the dark... Carrots galore (and the kitchen adventures of Coco the Chor)

Eat your carrots...They'll help you see in the dark

Eat your spinach...You'll grow big and strong, just like Popeye

Eat your crusts...Or your hair won't curl (I always eat my crusts and have a mop to show for it!)

Eat your tomato...Before Coco steals it (A new saying - not one that you might've heard before, coz as I just writing the last line, Coco skidded to a halt under the sofa. This is her sign for "I've got something that wasn't given to me so I'm not sure if I'm meant to have it, so I'll hide just in case..." When I looked from one angle I couldn't see anything. This doesn't mean that she's innocent, it just means I should look from another angle...lo-and-behold, my tomato that was sitting on the side in the kitchen, warming up to room temperature and destined to become the filling in a sandwich along with a cheese slice, now has a whole bunch of doggie teeth marks and is Coco's companion below the sofa.)


Tomatoes, onions and carrots always seem to be present in my kitchen, even when there's little else. So bored of tomatoey-oniony things I thought I'd try out a carroty recipe. This is one adapted from a pumpkin/squash recipe that I found over at Mamta's Kitchen, and it turned out quite tasty.

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Carroty Bhaji:

1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) seeds
A pinch of Hing (asafoetida) powder
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
4-5 carrots (use the yummy red variety if you can get them...regular orangy ones are ok too), peeled and chopped into thin-ish rounds
1/2 teaspoon haldi (turmeric) powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
Salt to taste
A little sugar to taste
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango) powder
Coriander leaves, to garnish


1. Heat oil over medium heat and add jeera seeds and hing once hot. Allow to splutter or turn light brown.
2. Add ginger and chilli, fry for a few seconds
3. Add carrots, haldi, chilli powder, salt and sugar. Mix thoroughly and stir fry for a minute or two on high heat.
4. Reduce heat and cook until soft, stirring from time to time. You might need to add a little water to stop the carrots from burning
5. Add garam masala, amchoor powder and coriander leaves. Mix well
6. Eat with roti!

If you can't get amchoor powder, then you can use the juice of 1/2 a lemon instead.

Off to get another tomato out of the fridge... will put this one up high, out of the reach of Coco the Chor (Hindi for 'Tea-Leaf' (Cockney Rhyming slang for 'Thief'))

It's all Greek to me...

It's all sunny and bright and since I've come back from Goa it feels all summery... which is a bit screwed up since it's November and Christmas is round the corner! I've taken to eating Orange ice-lollies and really enjoying them (Both me and Coco had one yesterday, and I fancy another one today!), it's like I'm a kid again. I soooooo wish I'd been able to make a sandcastle when we were in Goa. Or even better, a sand-fort, huge with moats and several huge trenches to keep the sea at bay for a few minutes longer before the waves rush over it and drag the sand back into the rolling surf.

Besides ice creams and lollies, other food memories of my childhood holidays are hot, fresh doughnuts (Yup, they're English and this is how we spell it) covered in sugar; sticky, pink candyfloss, spun right in front of your eyes; Dairylea cheese and salad cream sandwiches, with gritty sand as an added bonus. As I got older, in the evening I might be allowed half a pint of dry cider with a packet of dry roasted peanuts. Wow, I really miss those family summer holidays!

Now summer foods that take my fancy are things like chilled watermelon and fresh salads. One of my favourite salads is Greek Salad, full of ripe tomatoes, crunchy capsicum, tangy red onion and juicy purple olives with the creamy, saltiness of Feta cheese... and that's pretty much the recipe right there!

Greek Salad
Tomato
Cucumber
Capsicum
Red onion
Kalamata olives
Feta cheese
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. chop the tomato, cucumber and capsicum into chunks
2. dice the feta, or crumble it
3. thinly slice the red onion
4. put everything in a bowl and toss with a couple of glugs of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice
5. season with salt and pepper
6. serve with warm, crusty bread

yummy... I love salads with a tomato and cucumber base. I quite often throw in other ingredients too, like sweetcorn, or kidney beans (rajma), or chickpeas (kabuli chana). I'm not too keen on lots of capsicum, so sometimes I substitute this with a bit of carrot for that same crunch. Sweet pickled beetroot or gherkin is an interesting addition - but only in small amounts.

One blog that I love is Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen - she has such good recipes. One that I love is her Chickpea and Tomato Salad with Chat Masala. Her recipe is an Indian take on a Greek salad, with chickpeas rather than feta, and is so tasty. She's got loads of interesting ideas and recipes for pulses, so I'll be going back there quite often!

Well, it's nearly time for Coco's walk now, so I'm off to enjoy the beautiful evening light as the sun sets over Mumbai...

SOUP-ercalifragalistic Ex-PEA-alidocious

I'm feeling very autumnal, even though I live in Mumbai and the temperature is in the 30's (that's Celsius not Fahrenheit). So how come I'm feeling this way? Well, it was Diwali this week, and it fell at the same time as Guy Fawkes Day (or Bonfire Night as we called it when I was little). Diwali is the festival of light, so everyone lets off fireworks and crackers.

On Friday night there were four hours (yes, FOUR- from 8pm to midnight) of uninterrupted bangs, booms and flashes of spectacular colour in every direction I could see from my window. And it didn't end there - the fireworks continued more sporadically for several hours after that. And as I work up thirsty this morning around half-five, I could still here more booms and bangs.

So as I sat at my window watching the fantastic display, the smell of gun-powder transported me back 15 years or so (crickey - I'm old) to my university days, where me and my friends put on the college fireworks display one year. That night will always be with me as one of the most exhilarating times of my life - after the display ended and all the other students made their way to the Autumn dance, me and my friends went to a quiet room to let the adrenaline wear off!

We were later congratulated on holding one of the best fireworks displays in the history of the college - everyone seemed mightily impressed with 'that fantastic firework, you know, the big one that went off at ground level' (otherwise known as 'the huge rocket that should have exploded 20 meters or so up in the air, but got stuck in it's holder and showered us all with sparks' or 'OhmyGod-I'mgonnadieinanastyexplosion').

I'm glad we impressed!

So yes, I'm feeling very autumnal. And to me that means warming, yummy soup.

I have two soups that I love to make, that are both souper easy to make (sorry, couldn't help myself). One is a Pea and Basil soup and the other is Carrot, Squash and Parsnip soup.

Pea and Basil soup

Peas & Basil

4-5 handfuls of peas
Enough Vegetable stock to cover the peas and a little bit more
Couple of handfuls of fresh basil

1. Cook the peas in the vegetable stock.
2. Remove the peas from the stock to let them cool for a few minutes. Keep the stock warm.
3. Blend the peas and basil with a splash of stock, until smooth.
4. Add stock until until you get the desired consistency.
5. Season to taste and serve.

This soup is a gorgeous, bright-green colour, with a delicate flavour. It doesn't matter whether you use fresh or frozen peas, it's still yummy. If you can't get your hands on basil, then you can do a more decadent version using a couple of spoonfuls of pesto and you'll get much bigger flavours.


Carrot, Squash and Parsnip soup

Carrots, Squash & Parsnips

2 carrots
2 parsnips
small squash
Enough Vegetable stock to cover the veg and a little bit more
cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon dhaniya (coriander) powder
1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder

1. Peel the carrots, parsnips and squash and cut into chunks.
2. Cook the veggies in the stock along with the spices until tender - this will take a good 15 mins or so.
3. Separate the veggies and stock and remove the cinnamon stick. Keep the stock warm.
4. Once the veggies have cooled for a few minutes, pop them into a blender with a splash of water and blend to a fine puree.
5. Add the stock slowly to get the desired consistency.
6. Season to taste and serve.

A proper warming soup. If you prefer a chunkier soup, then don't blend all the veggies - keep a few aside to add back in later. Sometimes I also add cooked chickpeas (kabuli channa) to the soup after it's blended, or I use other combinations of root vegetables.

Well, the booms and bangs of crackers are still sounding in my neighbourhood - so I wish a Happy Diwali to everyone :D

Have a great week!

Off to Goa... KhatKhate (AKA Veggie Stew with Kick)

I've just realised that for the first time since I started blogging, Next Sunday I won't be posting. I've done a total of 20 weeks in a row, and I'm gonna break that streak next week. Because I'm going to Goa!

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It's my first weekend away in ages. Just wish I could take my doggie with me; I'd love to see her on the beach and in the sea, she's such a water-babe. And I'll really miss her, but I'm soooooooo looking forward to this trip, with some of my friends from work. We leave on Thursday evening and we'll get back late night Sunday.

Have I mentioned how excited I am?

So I've been looking up Goan recipes. The problem is, Goa is extremely Catholic, which means lots of Chicken, Pork and Fish and very little vegetables. What I found is a great sounding left-overs dish from the Goan Hindus, called KhatKhate. Also, as I'm trying to use up my stock of dried pulses, I decided to combine two recipes I found from Mahek and Ashwini. So here's my version - not sure how 'Goan' it really is now!

KhatKhate (Claire's Version)

1/4 cup Tur Dal
1/4 cup Peanuts
1/2 cup Vatana (dried peas), soaked overnight
2-3 cups of Veggies, chunked (Veggies like pumpkin, radish, carrot, potato, yam, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, sweetcorn)
1/2 cup grated coconut
2 dried red chillies
1/2 teaspoon haldi (turmeric) powder
2 Tirphal/Peppercorns, crushed
A marble of Jaggery
1 teaspoon Tamarind paste
Salt to taste


1. Soak the Tur Dal and Peanuts for 2 hours
2. Take the Vatana, add water and cook in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles. Drain and keep aside.
3. Using a large pan, bring some water to the boil, and add the veggies to cook - don't just dump them all in together, first put the veggies that take longest to cook. Use very little water to cook the veggies.
4. Grind the coconut, red chillies and haldi to a fine paste with a little water to help.
5. Take a little of the cooking water in a bowl and add the jaggery and tamarind paste. stir until smooth.
6. Once veggies are cooked, add the crushed tirphal/peppercorns, the ground coconut paste, the cooked vatana, the tur dal and peanuts. Add a little water if necessary.
7. Add the jaggery and tamarind water and salt to taste.
8. Simmer until done.

EAT!

It should look something like this...made by
Sheetal

Well, I may be back sometime early next week with another post...If not, then catch you in two weeks :)

Finger on the Pulse - Rajma Masala

I've been really busy this week being 'crafty'. I'm now into all sorts of stuff and re-learning to knit is next on my list! To check out all the crafty stuff I've been up to them take a sneek peek at my other website... see there's a link just over there on the right-hand side of my page... ok, if you're too lazy for that, then here's a special link to my other website for lazy people :D


So I'm still trying to deplete my stock of pulses, so Rajma Masala is next on my list. There's loads of fab recipes out there on the internet for Rajma Masala, and I know I found this somewhere out there, but it was one of the first recipes I wrote down in my recipe book, and now I have no idea at all where it came from. It's tasty though! If you recognise the recipe, please let me know where you've seen it before (although I'm guessing that most recipes for Rajma will be quite similar!).

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Rajma Masala:

1/2 cup Rajma (red kidney beans), soaked overnight
1 tablespoon oil
1 bay leaf
2 black cardamom
2 onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 green chilli, slit and de-seeded
2 large tomatoes, pureed
1/2 teaspoon dhaniya
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon haldi
1/4 teaspoon jeera
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon rajma masala powder
salt to taste
fresh coriander to garnish

1. In the pressure cooker, cook the Rajma using a couple of cups of fresh water - takes 6/7 whistles. Keep aside to cool.
2. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the bay leaf and cardamom. Stir briefly then add the onions. Saute until golden.
3. Add the ginger and garlic paste and green chilli and continue to saute for a few minutes.
4. Add the tomato puree and cook down for around 8 mins or so.
5. Add all the spices (dhaniya, chilli, haldi, jeera, garam masala and rajma masala) and salt. Stir well and allow to cook through for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add the rajma and the water they were cooked in. You don't have to use it all, or you can add more fresh water if you need to!
7. Cook covered for around 15 minutes - the rajma should be soft and easily mashed with the back of a spoon - and do just that to some of them, as this helps to thicken the gravy.
8. Serve garnished with coriander.

If you're feeling decedent you can also add a swirl of cream!

Eat with fresh, plain rice... yummy Rajma-Chawal :P (that's me licking my lips!)

I wonder what other dishes I can find to make with dal or pulses.... hhhhmmmmmm, looks like I'll spend sometime searching the web today!

Lentils and Pulses... are they breeding? (Chana Dal)

One thing about living in India is the amazing range of vegetarian dishes that are on offer. For many families all over India many meals consist of rice, dal, chappati and a vegetable sabzi. Lentils and pulses feature in many dishes so I've bought them as needed for a dish.

And I swear they're now breeding. They seem to have taken over so many tubs in my kitchen that I find it difficult to find a tub to put anything else in. In fact, I've bought two extra sets of tubs, still not to have any spare when I really need one!

I have rajma, chana dal, kabuli chana, vatana, urad dal, tur dal, moong dal, moong beans, chawli and others... The thing with dried pulses is that quite often you have to soak them overnight... which means being organised and prepared. Even when I really fancy a pulse-y dish and don't have any soaked, I still don't soak them so I can make the dish tomorrow - I'm useless!

So in an attempt to use up some of my pulse collection, I've been looking up recipes. One I've come across is Spicy Chana Dal, cooked by a really sweet woman on YouTube! Added bonus - it seems pretty simple to cook. Her name's Madhura and you can see her video here.

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Her written recipe doesn't match the video, so I've replicated the recipe here. I hope it's good, coz it's gonna be my dinner tonight!

Madhura's Spicy Chana Dal:

1 cup chana dal
2 cups water
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon rai (mustard seeds)
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
a few cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chilli powder
salt to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
coriander leaves to garnish

1. Wash the chana dal then soak in 2 cups of water for 2 hours. Do not discard the water, it will be used to cook the dal.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil. Once hot add the rai and jeera and allow to crackle.
3. Add onions and garlic and saute until golden
4. Add garam masala and chilli powder and saute until oil separates. This will take a few minutes.
5. Add chana dal, soaking water and salt. Mix then pressure cook for 4 whistles.
6. Reduce the heat and continue to cook for 10 minutes (to make sure the chana dal is properly cooked).
7. Turn off the heat and allow to cool, so no pressure remains.
8. Add sugar and stir through allowing to dissolve.
9. Serve with chopped coriander to garnish.


I'm looking forward to trying Madhura's recipe :)

***Edit: I tried it, and it was YUMMY! But mine turned completely to mush. When I make this again, I'll just cook for 4 whistles and then check it out before deciding whether to cook further... you live and learn! :D

I don't just spend my time cooking, I'm also learing to crochet, which I'm loving! You can check out my crocheting exploits at Claire' Crochet Quest. I do spend a little time every Sunday putting together my posts for my blogs.

I'm also into journalling - I always liked the idea of keeping a diary when I was younger, but journalling is more me and Janel has kickstarted my journalling through her 30 day challenge and Leigh-Ann has some great journalling tips.

I also spend time out walking my dog, enjoying the world go by. Let me interest you with a few photos of my morning...

Well, here's to a fab week ahead! LML

A quick Veg Pulao - coz I'm too busy learning to crochet!

So this week I finally went and got the stuff I need to learn to crochet (hook, yarn - not a very long list!) and spent hours on-line watching videos and downloading 'how-to' guides. So with my new-found desire to crochet and going to work everyday, I haven't had much time for cooking.

I've still had time to take Coco for walks, and sit quietly in the garden watching her explore. I've seen 6 different types of butterfly all brightly coloured like someone splashed paint all over them. I've seen the owl, swooping low, silently flying along my road in the wee hours. I've had time to read sections of the 3 different books I've got on the go at the minute. I've also had time to start my new blog - Claire's Crochet Quest! :)

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Recently I've definitely been in a rice mood, which is quite unusual for me. So several times this week I've resorted to variations on this dish - Vegetable Pulao. It's really simple to make in the pressure cooker. So here goes...

Vegetable Pulao

1 tablespoon Oil / Ghee
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) seeds
1" piece cinnamon stick
2 laung (cloves)
2 elaichi (cardamom) pods
2 black peppercorns
a few curry leaves
1 carrot, finely chopped, length-ways
1 handful french beans, chopped into 1.5cm pieces
1 potato, copped into small cubes
1 handful peas (fresh or frozen - I prefer to use fresh, but can't get any at the moment)
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 green chilli, halved and deseeded
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
salt to taste
1 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for an hour
360 ml water
fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

1. heat oil / ghee in the pressure cooker. Add jeera, cinnamon, laung, elaichi, peppercorns & curry leaves. Fry until jeera splutters.
2. Add carrot, french beans, potato and peas and cook for a few mins, stirring every now and then.
3. Add ginger paste and green chilli and cook for a few minutes more.
4. Add haldi, chilli powder, salt, rice and water. Mix well.
5. Pop the lid on the pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool until the pressure releases.
6. Open and serve with coriander

And it smells soooooo good when you open the lid - especially if you use ghee.
You can make this without a pressure cooker, but it'll need more water and more cooking time. Obviously you can put different veggies in too. It's good with cauliflower, and onion comes out suprisingly good - sweet and soft. If you're extra lazy, you can use pre-cut veg too!

Must dash... got more crochet to do :)

Beautiful food for a beautiful day - Paneer Mutter

Sunny, beautiful mornings make for a very contented Claire... Even when I have to work crazy hours and I'm suffering from a nasty cold and cough, a beautiful morning sets me up for the day.

I'm truly lucky to have a dog. Coco forces me to get up in the morning and go for a nice, slow stroll. Whilst she sniffs at every nook and cranny, I get to see life happening all around me. I meet so many random people who want to know how old Coco is, what breed she is, will she bite, can I stroke her, is she imported, where are you from...(15 months, Labrador - yes they come in chocolate brown colour too, no - but she will lick you to death if I let her, yes - if you don't mind getting licked, no - she's from Panvel, England - a little town called Nuneaton which is near Leicester and Birmingham) and they too become part of my daily routine.

And it's not just the people, now I'm the leader of a stray doggy pack which includes Brownie who accompanies on all our walks (unless the milk man cycles by, at which point Brownie descends into a mad panic and runs off in front of the milk man, barking all the way back to the compound where he barks and barks until the milk man leaves); white, butch looking doggy (Butch) who comes to greet us most days; skinny, little scared doggy (Lil) who desperately wants to be part of the gang but will only dare to follow at a distance until the end of the road; crazy, bouncy, white doggy (Springy) who bounces Tigger-like because he's sooooooooo excited; Flappy, who barks at us from his 1st floor window and even though this has happened every day for the last 6 months, Coco still can't work out where the barking is coming from (stupid dog!); Shadow, a gorgous Golden Retriever (wrong name for a golden dog!); Lester, the crazy, fluffy, white and brown dog who lives on the balcony and barks from a distance; Smokey, the grey and white spaniel, who tries to jump all over Coco, but is too small; and the little white and brown doggy, with droopy eyes that lives outside the docs surgery (Droopy).

Wow, as you can see, there's a very complicated doggy society going on around my neighbourhood. When a few of the owned dogs are out for a walk it's kind of like a family gethering. You know the ones, where all your extended family come together to celebrate an anniversary or something. There's lots of gossip and catching up, lots of snide remarks and nasty words, there's mad, old Uncle so-and-so who everyone avoids at all costs because he smells nasty and is likely to pee on you later when he's had one too many. Well my daily walk is a bit like this, and I love it!

Besides the dogs and people there's plenty of other life that I get to see. I've seen owls, bats, lizards, dragonflies, butterflies, moths, pigeons, sparrows, cats, cows and even an elephant (and although I can't see them - the teeny-tiny mosquitoes that bite me). Sitting, quietly in the garden, watching life flitter by leaves me extremely happy.

On top of that, I'm impressing myself with my cooking! One website that's been a great help in my quest is Show me the Curry. It has fab videos to make things easy to understand, and has a fab, unusual version of Paneer Mutter. It uses coriander and mint to make a gravy, rather than tomato, but I've tried it and it's really yummy. So here's my 'normal' tomato-ey version...

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Paneer Mutter (adapted from Show me the Curry)
1 tablespoon oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
3-4 tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) seeds
1" cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 elaichi (green cardamom)
2 laung (cloves)
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric) powder
200 grams peas (fresh or frozen)
water
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon dhaniya (coriander) powder
salt to taste
500 grams paneer, cubed
1/2 cup dahi (curd, plain yoghurt)
3 tablespoons cream (optional)
1 teaspoon garam masala
handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped, to garnish

1. Heat the oil, add the onions and green chilli. Cook until onions turn translucent.
2. Add the garlic and ginger paste and continue to cook for a minute or two further.
3. Take off the heat, allow to cool and then grind to a paste with the tomatoes.
4. Using the same oil, fry the jeera until popping, then add the cinnamon, bay leaf, elaichi and laung. Stir well for a minute or so.
5. Add the haldi and ground paste, mix well.
6. Add the peas and a touch of water, just enough to cook the peas.
7. Add the red chilli and dhaniya powder and salt. Mix well then cover and cook until the peas are done.
8. Lower the heat then add the paneer, dahi and cream (if using). Stir in the garam masala and cook for 5 minutes or so. Add extra water if required.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with rice or chappati

If your paneer is really fresh there's no need to fry it first, but if you're using packed paneer, it's probably best to fry it until its golden, then soak it in water like suggested by the ladies at SMTC.

Skinning tomatoes is pretty easy - score the skin from the top to the bottom at least four times (like you were going to quarter the tomato), but more if it's a really big tomato. Cover with boiling water and leave to soak for a while. The skins come off pretty easily then, especially if your tomatoes are properly ripe.

Anyway, enough talk of food - need to go eat now and enjoy the rest of this gorgeous day! Oh and laugh at my dog who's decided to sleep in her cage, upside down and all twisty...

Beautiful day - Zumba-Rumba - Carrot and Cabbage subzi

It's been a beautiful day today, and days like this make me really want a large, shady balcony to sit out on. A place where I can write my blog, update my journal, surf the web, eat my lunch, enjoy a glass of fine wine, tend to my plants and watch the sunset. And I will make it happen. I don't know how yet, but I know I will.

So whilst I've been making both mine and Coco's food this afternoon, the tv's been playing away to itself, and I've now discovered 'Zumba'... No, not a new TV program... It's Guthy Renker's latest 'Product'! I love Guthy Renker and their tv advertising shows.


I'd never actually buy from one of these shows, but they really appeal to me - the mix of normal people and random z-list celebs coming together to sell a skin-care 'systeme' (that's pronounced 'sist - em', so it must be good, right?) or dance their way to losing half their body weight. Yes, Zumba is not an exercise routine, it's a fun dance 'systeme' that targets all three regions at once, using 'rhythm progression'.


So back to the food I've been making. I decided to use the rest of the cabbage I had, and mix it with carrot. It makes a yummy subzi, which is fab with chappati, or eaten alone.

Carrot & Cabbage subzi:

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2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon rai (mustard seeds)
a pinch hing (asafoetida)
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 small cabbage, chopped into quite small pieces
1 large carrot, use a veg peeler to peel into small ribbons, or chop into thin wafers
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric) powder
1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
1/4 teaspoon dhaniya (coriander) powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
Salt to taste
splash of water

1. Heat oil, add rai and hing, cook until spluttering
2. Add ginger paste and stir
3. Add carrot and cabbage, mix well and cook for a minute or so
4. Add haldi, jeera, dhaniya, chilli and salt, stir well
5. Cook until tender, covered, over a low flame. Add a splash of water if required.

Serve with chopped fresh coriander leaves, a spoon or two of fresh dahi/curd/yoghurt and eat with chapatti.

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I think I need to try out a few more adventurous dishes, but simple cooking is good when you're short of time, which I am quite often!

Now I fancy going to the beach...may be next weekend. Instead I'm going to see if I can find some new recipes to try on this site I found whilst looking for pics - the kitchn :D

Duuuuuuude... it's a huge green vegetable thing - AKA Dudhi, Lauki, Bottle Gourd...

So it's been a busy few days of festivalling in India - Mother Mary's birthday, Eid and then finally Ganesh Chaturthi yesterday. Festivals in India tend to come with a lot of colour, noise, drums, fire crackers and fireworks, and men running around in matching jerseys like they're competing in some big Festival Worshipping tournament.

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And in all that busyness I forgot to get vegetables.

Which left me with two tomatoes, an onion, a potato that's sprouting, and some Dudhi, which is usually a component of Coco's Chicken & Veg... So on to the internet I went. There's loads of recipes out there for Dudhi, Doodhi, Lauki, Lau, Sorakaya, Opo, or whatever you want to call it, and many of them add quite a few other stuff for texture and flavour, as Dudhi has neither!

Besides the wide range of names for this vegetable, I also discovered that it is 96.1% water, aids digestion, there are just 12 calories in 100 grams of Dudhi, it's cooling and calming, and it's important in the treatment of urinary infections!

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So the one I went for was a Dudhi-Tomato Sabzi, as Tomato is one of my favourite veggies. The original recipe is here, but I used less oil and a smidge of water at the end and made it in a regular pan rather than in a pressure cooker.


Dudhi-Tomato Sabzi:

2 teaspoons oil
A pich of hing (asafoetida)
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
2-3 tez patta (bay leaves)
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 kg dudhi, peeled and cut into small cubes
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder)
1 teaspoon dhaniya (coriander) powder
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
salt to taste
coriander leaves, finely chopped for garnishing

1. Heat oil over a medium heat. Add hing,jeera & tez patta. Stir well for a few seconds.
2. When jeera crackles add tomato and fry until soft.
3. Add dudhi, mix well.
4. Add haldi, dhaniya, jeera, chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
5. Turn heat down, put a lid on the pot and cook until dudhi is soft. You may need to add a little water, but both dudhi and tomato contain lots of water, so watch and see.
6. Garnish with coriander

Serve with chapatti.

I may try out a few other Dudhi recipes sometime soon, maybe try some Dudhi Koftas... watch this space!

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Brain like a sieve - Aloo Bhaji

So last week I said that I'd probably make aloo bhaji for dinner. It didn't happen, and for the life of me, I can't remember why I didn't make it or what I did make in the end. This is not unusual for me. There are people that can remember every word that you ever said (this should be banned - it makes it really difficult to change your mind about anything, especially those things you say in your most irrational moments), then there are people like me, who can't can't remember anything a few minutes after it happened.

Not only do I have a sieve instead of a brain, but I'm also stupidly clumsy. I walk into corners of tables and desks; I trip over my own feet; I drop marker pens. Not only that, but like a four-year old kid I attract dirt, grazes, scrapes, cuts and bruises. I'll chop chilli then manage to rub it into my eye; I'll forget the rice on the stove (that reminds me...); I'll burn myself on the iron.

One of the best examples of my inner four-year old happened earlier this week, all I can say is that I'm lucky I travel to work in my own car, by myself. So I'm waiting at the traffic lights just before the turning I need to take to get to work when I look down. "Where are my buttons? Who's stolen my buttons?" What such silly thoughts go through our minds when we're confused! And then I realise, I've managed to pull my top on this morning inside out; it's the label that's been tickling my right arm.

How can this happen to a grown woman? Well I'm too lazy to undo my buttons on this blouse (why bother when you can pull it on and off over your head), and I got dressed in the dark. Anyway, I had a good laugh out loud at myself, causing the people in the next car to stare at me like I'm a maniac, which just made me laugh more. Luckily there were very few people around when I got to work...

Finally, mid-week I remembered my hankering for aloo bhaji, so tried out a recipe that I've got written in my book. Not sure where this recipe came from, I think from one of my friend's recipe books, but it's really quite tasty. I didn't make the puri to go with it, as I seem to be unable to make bread of any form, but really this is best eaten with puri, so I'll give you the recipe too, but be aware that it's untested! Instead I ate mine with chapatti, which I buy from the shop in the market because mine turn out like cardboard every time.


Puri Bhaji

Puri:
1 cup atta
salt to taste
1 tsp ghee
~1/4 cup water
oil for frying

1. Sift atta (flour) and add salt
2. Mix ghee into flour until it blends well
3. Add water and mix to form a dough
4. Knead with a greased hand to make it smooth
5. Cover and keep aside for 1/2 hour
6. Take a small ball of dough and roll out into a small circle - repeat
7. Deep fry in oil until golden
8. Remove and drain


Aloo Bhaji:
1 tablespoon oil
pinch of hing (asafoteida)
1/2 teaspoon rai (mustard seeds)
1 teaspoon urad dal
1 dried red chilli, broken (optional)
2 onions, chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger paste
4 potatoes, boiled, chopped and mushed a bit
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
salt to taste
few curry leaves
1 cup water
coriander leaves for garnishing

1. Heat oil and fry hing, rai, urad dal and red chilli
2. When spluttering add onion, green chilli and ginger
3. When the onion is golden, add the potato, tomato, haldi, salt and curry leaves
4. Add some water (up to a cup), mix well and boil until all is cooked well
5. Serve topped with coriander

<3 Yummy!

I'm not so keen on lots of chilli, which is why I don't use the dried red chilli in this recipe.
I know the puris don't sound too difficult to make either, but neither do chapatti and I suck at them. Please can I borrow an indian mummy for a day or two? I promise I'll give her back!

Looking forward to more of my four-year old adventures this week... :D

Mellow Yellow... aka Yellow Mung Dal

Yellow is a lovely colour for food. When the weather is dull and grey, cold and rainy, a splash of yellow is like sunshine on your plate - guaranteed to brighten your day and bring a smile to your face. Banana and custard, Scrambled eggs, Yellow Mung Dal... all favourite comfort foods of mine.

This weekend has been mentally, physically and spiritually fulfilling, but the weather has been a little grey and rainy, so yellow food was needed to make my weekend complete. Scrambled eggs for breakfast and Yellow mung dal and rice for lunch. I'm thinking about bananas and custard for later, but I'll need to go out in the rain for supplies, and find a recipe to make proper custard from scratch... I think I'm enjoying my lazy Sunday too much for all this. Instead I'll probably make Alu Bhaji for dinner...it's also yellow!

I'm not sure where I got this recipe from, but it's become one of my favourites as it's so easy to make, and uses just a few ingredients. I usually eat this with rice, but it's also really yummy with warm, buttered pav (bread rolls).

Yellow Mung Dal:


1/2 cup yellow mung dal, washed
2 cups water
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
a pinch of hing (asafoteida)
1 teaspoon garlic paste or 4 roughly chopped/crushed cloves of garlic
5-6 curry leaves
1 green chili - slit and deseeded
1 medium tomato, finely sliced
a squeeze of lemon juice
a handful of coriander, chopped for garnishing

1. Put the mung dal, water, salt and haldi in to a pressure cooker and cook until soft - I usually do 4-5 whistles, then leave it to cool and release the pressure naturally. Leave this water and dal mixture in the pressure cooker.
2. In a small, heavy based pan heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the jeera and hing.
3. When spluttering, add the garlic, curry leaves and chilli and stir for 30 seconds or so.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute or two then add this to the dal.
5. Bring the dal to the boil and simmer for a few minutes.
6. Add the lemon juice and coriander. Stir through and serve.




As an alternative to the jeera, garlic and tomato you can use rai (mustard seeds) and ginger instead.

I really do like dal, it's a great vegetarian dish that really fills the tummy. I was also lucky this week to eat some channa ki dal which was delicious. I'm hoping to get the recipe soon, and if I do you'll definitely get a blog post about that!

But enough about me. What about you? What's your favourite dal?

Breakfast Smoothie - but equally good at any time of the day...

I tend to have the same thing for breakfast everyday for weeks or months at a time. Morning is not my optimum functioning period of the day. Last year it was bran flakes with berries or banana. The last few months have been wholenut peanut butter on wholemeal toast. Now I'm on oatmeal with banana. Coco has scrambled eggs and milk.

I found a great Nigella recipe recently, whilst re-reading my Nigella Express book. Simple and sooooooooo easy to make, like many of Nigella recipes, even first thing in the morning.


What also attracted me was that many of the ingredients are staples of my usual morning routine. Oh and the addition of chocolate! So naughty to have first thing in the morning. Actually Nigella's recipe listed chocolate Ovaltine which I don't have, so I substituted regular hot chocolate powder.

I also love the fact that the banana is used straight out of the freezer so you don't need any ice. To freeze the bananas, peel them, chop into four and pop in a freezer bag.


Nigella's original - Go Get 'Em Smoothie

1 peeled banana cut into 4, from the freezer
150ml milk
1 tablespoon honey
4 teaspoons chocolate Ovaltine
1 teaspoon Camp coffee

Nigella also suggests replacing the coffee with a tablespoon of peanut butter... I'm going to try this soon - it sounds delicious.

My version used regular hot chocolate powder and 1/2 a teaspoon of coffee powder. I left out the honey as I don't like things too sweet. It was yummy!

You can check out other Nigella breakfast recipes on her website. Another favourite of mine is Mexican Scrambled Eggs, but I use chapatti instead of tortillas.

Leave a comment and let me know your favourite Nigella recipe.

Aloo Mutter and my crazy, pea-loving Dog

What a week it's been... Coco's boyfriend, Brownie, is becoming a permanent fixture outside my door, even though he's not so taken with her now because she's no longer in heat. He's a good guard dog - so much so that if any delivery boy comes to our floor, they end up hiding in the lift until they can be rescued!

As he hangs out with us all day I've tried to feed him, but it turns out that Brownie is very fussy about his food. He doesn't like Coco's plain chicken, rice and veg - no that's not good enough for him. His food has to be spicy, but not with any of those rubbish veggies in it. Coco, on the other hand, will eat just about anything, as previously documented in my blog.

One food that she always begs for is Aloo Mutter - she'll eat it straight out of the pan given chance, but prefers to be hand-fed Aloo Mutter with Chapatti. I have to be careful that she doesn't try to eat my fingers too!

It's also one of my favourites, and is simple to make too. I use fresh peas as I love to sit and shell them, but you could easily use frozen peas if you prefer. Coco loves helping to shell peas. She steals peapods at every chance. If they're young and fresh she eats them whole, otherwise she opens them up and chases the peas around the floor. Crazy, pea-loving dog!


Aloo Mutter

1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1 teaspoon rai (mustard seeds)
pinch of hing
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 cup of peas
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder)
1 teaspoon dhaniya (coriander powder)
1/2 teaspoon jeera powder (cumin powder)
1 teapoon chilli powder
salt to taste
water
Coriander leaves to garnish

1. Heat oil over medium flame. Add jeera, rai and hing.
2. When seeds start to splutter add potato and peas and stir until well mixed.
3. Add haldi, dhaniya, jeera, chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
4. Add a small amount of water - just enough to cook the potatoes and peas - you can always add more throughout the cooking.
5. Cook on a low heat until potatoes are cooked.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander and eat with chapattis.

This version is a 'dry' dish - not a gravy dish. I need to learn how to make some gravy dishes... So if you have any gravy versions, please let me know!

Soft food required... Mung with Aloo and Tamatar

This weekend I've had a bit of a tongue incident. I bent down to pick up Coco's bone and she jumped up at the same time...You can see it can't you - a chain reaction; I bend down as doggie jumps up; hard dog skull (I'm sure it's steel plated) makes contact with soft chin and jaw; teeth clamp shut on soft, pink tongue; I yell in agony and doggie looks at me like I'm mad and goes back to chewing her bone as I hold my head in my hands until I can see straight again.

Today it feels like I've gone several rounds with a heavy-weight boxer; The right side of my face aches. My shoulder and neck ache. I've got a bruised jaw and a chipped tooth, but the thing that hurts the most is the HUGE gash across my tongue - it's practically hanging off!

Ok, ok, I'm being a little melodramatic here. It's really a teeny cut on the side of my tongue but it really, really hurts. I can't keep my mouth shut coz it hurts. I can't keep my mouth open coz it hurts. I can't eat coz it hurts. I can't have a glass of cold water coz it hurts. I can't have a cup of hot coffee coz it hurts. It hurts.

So as I drink my luke-warm cup of coffee (it hurts), I've decided to write today about a great dish - Mung with Aloo and Tamatar. I'm looking forward to eating this later... I'll make it extra soft coz of my tongue. Plus, even though it's got a few chillies in, it's not spicy at all. In fact the reason I like it so much is that it's actually quite sweet due to the fantastic mung beans (and the pich of sugar I add). I often eat this by itself, but you can eat with chapatti or rice.

Mung with Aloo and Tamatar

1/2 cup mung beans (can be soaked for a couple of hours to reduce cooking time)
2 medium potatoes, cut into small chunks
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1 green chilli, slit and deseeded
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder)
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
A few curry leaves
3-4 tomatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (if you prefer, you can leave a few tomatoes out and add some tomato puree)

1. Cook the mung beans in plenty of fresh water, until soft (30 mins). Keep aside. If you prefer, you can cook them in a pressure cooker - If your beans are soaked, it'll take just a few whistles, plus let the pressure go down naturally.
2. Cook the potato chunks in plenty of boiling water. When just cooked, drain and keep aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan, over a low heat. Add the jeera.
4. Once seeds start to pop, add chilli, garlic and ginger. Stir for a few mins.
5. Add the haldi, chilli powder, salt, sugar and curry leaves and stir for a min more.
6. Add the tomatoes (and/or tomato puree) and cook until soft. This takes about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the cooked mung and aloo and simmer for a few minutes until everything is hot. You may want to add a splash of water at this stage to keep everything from sticking.
8. Eat.

Tonight I'll cook the mung and potatoes till they're mushy so I can eat this more easily!

What about you? What's your favourite beany dish?