Sabudana (Tapioca/Sago) Khichdi recipe- a popular Indian breakfast dish!

Pre-Preparation Time: Soak overnight    
 Preparation Time: 25 minutes     Serves: 4

A very versatile ingredient- Sabudana or Sago, is considered to be a delicate, easy to digest and easily prepared food item in India. As is often seen, in a vast country like India, there are of course, regional variations in its preparation/ recipes. I am mentioning here a variant which has been my eternal favourite. This is a mix of the Gujarati style and the Maharashtrian style.

Ingredients:
Sabudana/Sago/ Tapioca- 400 grams ( Soak it overnight or for 6-7 hours in water)
Boiled potatoes- 2 (peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch each)
Roasted peanuts- 150 grams (coarsely crushed)Alternatively you can soak the peanuts overnight.
Salt- 1 teaspoon/ as per taste
Cooking oil- 2 tablespoons- to be sprinkled in a non-stick cookware
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves- 4 (chopped)
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger- 1 teaspoon (grated)
Asafoetida / Hing- 1 pinch
Green chillies- 3 ( sliced longitudinally)
Lemon juice- 1 teaspoon (or as per taste)
Coconut (optional)- grated 2 tablespoon
Sugar- 1 teaspoon
Green Coriander- chopped 1 table spoon

Method:
After soaking the Sabudana/Sago in water overnight , rinse and drain out the water, with the help of a colander. Add salt, sugar and crushed peanuts to the Sago and cover and  keep aside for about 8-10 minutes ( mainly for the sago and peanuts to absorb the salt and sugar).
Heat the cooking oil, in a non-stick cookware and then add mustard seeds to it. As they start spluttering add the cumin seeds too. Now add the curry leaves, green chillies and grated ginger and allow this to cook on a low flame, till the ginger turns light brown.Sprinkle Asafoetida powder too. To this add the potato cubes and Sago/ Sabudana and lightly stir until the potato cubes and Sago are evenly coated with the masalas/ spices. Sprinkle some water on this and cover completely with a lid, reduce the flame to minimum/ simmer and cook this way for about 5 minutes or until the Sabudana pearls look translucent. Remember to stir in-between, otherwise the Sago has a tendency to stick to the base of the vessel.
Once cooked garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander. Serve piping hot and if you like curds/ yoghurt, then have it with a bowlful of curd!

Happy feasting!

Kaanji :The ultimate fermented cool drink!

As soon as summer comes knocking at our doors and pushes winter behind, we start craving for a different kind of food and drink. With soaring temperatures, one prefers less spicy food and cool, pungent drinks. In my earlier blog I wrote about the raw mango drink called Aam ka pana and I hope you all enjoyed it tremendously!  (http://asianveget.blogspot.in/2012/05/raw-mango-drink-ya-kairie-ka-pana-beat.html )

 As kids, I remember this special drink- Kaanji, which was made by my Mom and I am sure it was an integral part of any Punjabi family. But the sheer aroma and tongue-tickling taste of each sip of kaanji, was worth remembering. Hope I can do the same justice to it in this recipe which my Mom did to it then!

Ingredients:

First of all you need an airtight jar, preferably a glass one for the fermentation part.(It should have a capacity of slightly more than 2 litres)

Carrots- 3 medium sized - peeled and sliced into 1 inch long pieces ( as you have in French-fries)

Beet root- 1 ( it should be the sweet variety and not bitter or brackish)- cut as above

Salt- 1.5 tablespoon

Rai or mustard seeds- 3 tablespoons (powdered)

Water- 2 litres

Besan ki boondi (optional) - 5 tablespoons

Method:

 Pour the water in the jar, add all of the above ingredients in it. Shut the lid firmly. Place the jar daily in the sunlight for about two hours. Let it ferment this way for 3-4 days.

Once the vegetables in it are soft, the drink is ready and is best had when cooled in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy!!

Cauliflower - Carrots-Baby Corn in Tomato base.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower florets - 2 cups
Orange Carrots diced- 1 cup
Baby corn - 6 ( cut into rings or thin slices)
Onion thickly sliced - 1 large onion
Tomato purée - 2 cups
Mustard oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1/4 th teaspoon or as desired.
Green coriander sprigs for garnishing.

Method:
In a heavy- bottom pan ( kadhai), heat the mustard oil and then add the onion slices. Cook the onions on a high flame for a couple of minutes, then reduce the flame and let the onion slices turn a darkish brown (not black!). Now add the cauliflower florets, baby corn and carrots and sauté them for a few minutes.Sprinkle salt on the vegetables and then add the tomato purée to it. Allow this to simmer on a low flame till the gravy thickens and the vegetables are coated with the gravy.
Chop the green coriander and sprinkle on the veggies.

Can be served with steaming hot plain rice!