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!

Aloo Panch Phoron - Stir Fried 5 Spices Potatoes recipe 

Recently  a very versatile and  culinary expert friend of mine, Bhavesh Shah, shared this wonderful recipe with me. I have been an all time admirer of anything potato and hence this has become one of my favourite recipes. It is simple yet very yummy!

Aloo Panch Phoron | Stir Fried 5 Spices Potatoes 

Panch Phoron or the 5 spice mix is not very popular down south but it is widely used in East Indian cuisine. This spice mix is a blend of mustard, cumin, fenugreek, nigella & fennel seeds. These spices are mixed in equal quantities & stored in an air tight container & is used to season fish & curries in Bengali cuisine.

You Will Need:
2 large potatoes - washed & scrubbed clean
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds/kalonji
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 Dry Red chillies
Salt as per taste
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Fresh chopped coriander for garnishing

Method:

Slice the potatoes into fairly thick wedges. I prefer keeping the skin on. But you can go ahead & peel the skin before slicing the potatoes. Immerse them in cold water until ready to use.
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil. Add the mustard seeds first, once they crackle, add all the others one by one & allow them to splutter for about 20-25 seconds. Do not burn them.
Add chillies & potato wedges along with turmeric powder & give it a gentle stir. Add salt & sauté on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until the edges are slightly browned. Turn down the heat, sprinkle a little water & cook on low heat with the lid on. Sauté at regular intervals, to avoid the bottom of the pan from getting burnt. At any point of time, if you find the potatoes dry, sprinkle a little water & allow them to cook. See to it that the potatoes are fully cooked yet firm & not mushy. Once done, adjust salt. Garnish with chopped coriander before serving

Serve Warm with Phulkas or along with steamed Rice & Dal!

Dry spices/masaley-stuffed Tindas/Apple gourd/ Indian Baby Pumpkin

Dry spices/masaley-stuffed Tindas/Apple gourd/ Indian Baby Pumpkin

The tinda, also called Indian round gourd or apple gourd or Indian Baby Pumpkin, is a squash-like cucurbit grown for its immature fruit, a vegetable especially popular in South Asia. It is the only member of the genus Praecitrullus. "tinda" is also called "tindsi" in Rajasthan. In Marathi, it is called Dhemase/ ढेमसे.( Wikipedia)

Much as I disliked this vegetable as a kid, I could not escape its frequent appearances at my home, since Tinda is supposed to be a favourite in Punjabi households! Much later, that is after I finished my University level studies, did I discover the joys of consuming tender, stuffed tindas, cooked on a low flame! The trick was to partly steam them before stuffing them- simple!!

Here goes my recipe for you all to try out too. You can take liberties with the stuffing, in the sense that some people enjoy the taste of onion, ginger, garlic paste in it etc., but I have limited myself to using only dry spices.

Ingredients:

Tender tindas- 300 grams

Dry mango powder/ amchoor- 1 tablespoon

Coriander/ dhaniya powder- 2 tablespoon

*Garam masala powder- ½ teaspoon

Salt- ¾ teaspoon

Roasted chickpea powder/ Besan- 1 tablespoon

Red Chilli powder- ½ teaspoon

Cooking oil- 1 tablespoon

Roasted Cumin powder- ½ teaspoon

*Garam masala is a blend of spices like black pepper, black cardamom, cinnamon, clove, green cardamom etc.

Method:

Thoroughly wash and then lightly scrape off the peel/ skin of Tindas. With a fork make a few jabs on the surface of each tinda.

Now, cut off bits of the top and bottom portions of the tindas. Next, make two cuts in a + way from the top,(one vertical and another bisecting horizontal one), but it should stop just before the base of the tinda.

Steam the vegetables for a few minutes or until you can see that they have become semi-soft.

Now, allow the tindas to cool in a tray or big plate. Meanwhile mix all the dry spices and ingredients mentioned above. Carefully with a tiny spoon stuff the tindas in + cut portion. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan or heavy-based steel vessel, then after carefully placing the stuffed tindas in the vessel, allow them to cook on a medium flame; cover the vessel. Take care to occasionally change the tindas contact with the heated surface of the vessel. Turning over the tindas gently and carefully will ensure that they are evenly browned and do not burn.

When they acquire a golden-brown sizzling look, you can remove them from flame and have them with Indian bread/ roti/ naan etc.

SAFE Cooking Oils rich in MUFA & PUFA

We have always mulled over the question, that which is the cooking medium which is safe with reference to our heart. Invariably we hear that oils should be used and not butter, and also that the oils should be having a high smoking point. This is all the more essential for Indian cooking where a lot of dishes are deep fried. In all dietary discussions words like MUFA, PUFA, Trans fats, Saturated,Unsaturated, High smoking point etc. are flung around with such solemness that one almost fears  consuming any sort of oil! Oils like mustard,olive, rice bran,canola, sunflower etc. 
All fats and oils are composed of fat molecules known as fatty acids. The molecules can be classified into three categories depending on their degree of saturation. You have saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.(ref.http://naturalhealthychoices.weebly.com/safe-cooking-oils.html )
MUFA, refers to monounsaturated fatty acid, i.e fatty acids that have one double bond in the fatty acid chain. Similarly PUFA refers to poly unsaturated fatty acids that have more than one  double bond in the fatty acid chain. Now,what are trans fats? 'There are two types- the naturally occuring type found in small amounts in dairy and meat and the artificial kind that results when liquid oils are hardened into 'partially hydrogenated' fats. Natural trans fats are not the ones of concern, especially if you usually choose low-fat dairy and lean meat.These artificial trans fats started getting a lot of attention after research showed that they could increase the risk for heart disease by increasing "bad" LDL cholesterol and decreasing "good" HDL cholesterol."Even though the label says "zero trans fats"one serving of the food can contain up to 0.5 grams of trans fats according to law, and still be labelled trans-fat-free," explains Elizabeth Ward,MS,RD 

The same guideline exists for saturated fats.  Only when the food label states "no trans fats" does it really mean there are none.

The problem is that small amounts of these artery-clogging fats can add up quickly, especially if you eat several servings each day of foods that contain up to 0.5 grams per serving.

For example, popcorn can be an excellent source of fiber, is a whole grain, and can be low in calories. But if you eat several cups of microwave popcorn, the trans fat can really add up.(http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/trans-fat-free-food-whats-the-truth)' 
However, one has to remember that with age even though the quantity of oil consumed should be reduced, one can not altogether do away with it. I read in the newspapers today, that we should try and remember that oils to be heart-friendly have to be trans-fat-free, cholesterol free, high in MUFA and PUFA, low in saturated fats, have a high smoking point, and have an acid ratio of N6 to N3. Now, what is N6 and N3? I am clueless, so here I go and read and article on the same. You too can juggle your grey cells and find out some nuggets of wisdom from the following article which I found on the net.
http://fanaticcook.blogspot.in/2009/04/omega-6-and-omega-3-in-foods.html
Sounds interesting!!
And yes, will share a recipe (which I tried on the spur of the moment today) in my next post :)

Low-cholesterol Veggies- My choice

Staying trim and healthy has always been an endeavour worth striving for. However, the how and why of it is the trickier part! An easy way out, is to watch what you eat. Being aware of the ingredients which go into your cooking is  of utmost help. 

So, in this piece I am mentioning a very healthy, no-nonsense variety recipe. All you need,is a variety of seasonal vegetables, chopped into bite-size pieces,steamed for a couple of minutes in a steamer ( or blanched in hot water for a few minutes). Strain the water out and sprinkle some appetizing dried herbs like basil and thyme along with a pinch of salt (preferably rock salt), on it and serve !

 (Serves: 4 small portions)

 Ingredients:

 Fresh Broccoli cut into large florets- 1

 Carrots( preferably orange) peeled and diced - 2

 Thinly sliced slivers of cabbage - 2 cups 

 Shelled green peas - 1 cup

 Herbs - Thyme, Basil, Oregano ( all of these or a combination which you like)

 Rock salt / Common salt - a pinch of it

Method: Steam the above vegetables in half a litre of water for 2-3 minutes. (Tip: As soon as you get the delicious aroma of steamed broccoli, you can understand that no more heating of the water is required). After about a minute strain the water, and run cold water through the vegetables, to ensure that they stay crisp and their fresh colour does not drain off.

Sprinkle a dash of the dried herbs mentioned above ( or any other flavouring which you prefer) along with a pinch of salt. Toss all of this together and it is ready to serve!

Enjoy this till my next recipe!!