Merry Tummy

Summer: ah, synonymous with colors, brightness and freshness; the season that calls for cold salads, chilled beverages and quick cooking. This Beetroot Raita with Smoked Chili is one summery dip that sets up the complete sunshine mood – the tang of the yogurt, the sharp spike from charred chili and the beautiful pink color of beetroot.

Beetroot Raita can be paired with anything! Serve it as a side with Indian curries or parathas, or pair it up with rice dishes like pulav or briyani. Stuff it in pitta pockets with salads and kebabs, or just enjoy it like a dip for carrot sticks, crackers, nachos or chips.

It has everything that you need in a good dip- color, texture and just the right flavors. Bring it on, its summer time!

Ingredients:
1 cup yogurt
1 medium size beetroot
1 green chilli

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

1 cup water

Method:

Put 1 cup of water to boil. Add chopped beetroot in the water. Boil for 1 minute.

Drain the water and let beetroot cool.

Hold the green chilli with a pair of thongs and roast on open fire.

In a blender blend yogurt, beetroot, chili, sugar and salt until smooth.

Sieve the blended mix through sieve. This helps to give it that velvety texture.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Notes:

You may need to add more sugar depending on how sour the yogurt is.

This can be made one day in advance.

Last weekend was super fun and those of you who are following me on Instagram or Facebook would know what i am talking about. Yeah, finally the wish to visit a farm and pick some fruits and veggies turned into reality. And i have gone crazy sharing pictures about the farm visit. Today's post is about that too. People, if you are near London, have car or not you must visit this farm called as Park Side farm. It is easily accessible by tubes as well and it one must to do thing in London on weekends. Whatever you want in a farm visit is there, a picnic area, push chairs, baskets, parking and above all the farm is so huge that you will never feel that there are too many people.

Clear sky and little breezy, looked like god was setting the mood for an amazing day. We picked strawberries, raspberries, plums, green onions, broad beans and French beans. You have many other options as well. Strawberries were just sooooo beautiful. Dark red in colour, sweet and perfectly ripe; waiting to be picked. Strawberries just replicate spring and summer for me.

Basically we got over excited and picked up too many strawberries. And we did consume it in too many forms. Mixed it up with no oil healthy granola and had it in breakfast. Blended with yogurt and made this amazing Strawberry Lassi. Dipped in chocolate ganache and had it like a dessert as well. Too much of strawberry in two days and it already started getting mushy. I had many ideas to use it, like make a syrup, jam or ice cream. But then when I was looking for the recipes I saw most of the recipes need lot of sugar, which was a no no for me.

Looking for more strawberry recipes? Check these out:

Strawberry Fools

2 minutes Strawberry Chutney

No sugar Strawberry Chocolate Ice-cream,

Eggless Strawberry Chocolate Cake

Why make a healthy nutrient fruit so unhealthy by adding so much of sugar? Too much pressure on brain was applied and finally I turned these strawberries into spicy and aromatic Indian style chutney.

This in simple words in more like a jam but it is not over sweet; it is a mix of sweet and tang. Then I added in Indian spices such as fennel seeds and cumin seeds (saunf and jeera), both of them have great fragrant. The sharpness was added through slit green chillies, which just balances it all together. Also a little bit of ginger and lemon juice will do wonders to this chutney. But again, like most of the Indian chutneys this too can be made as per your taste and preference. Just play around and give strawberry chutney or pickle a try, skip jam that is loaded with sugar, that’s all I can say.

What to have this chutney? Well almost anything and everything. Pair it up with parathas, sandwiches, dosa, idli, kebabs, toast, khari, khakra, nachos, chips, crackers, biscuits, warps, frankies....yeah basically anything.

Ingredients:

1 kg strawberries

3 tablespoons jaggery/gud

1 teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1 teaspoon oil

1 tablespoon grated ginger

Juice from 1 lemon

3 green chillies slit

Salt to taste

Method:

Remove the stems from strawberries. Wash and pat dry.

Take a fork and mash strawberries roughly in a bowl.

Heat a pan and add oil.

When oil is hot add green chillies.

Add fennel seeds and cumin seeds.

Turn the flame to low. Add in strawberries and jaggery. Cook covered for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes add in ginger, lemon juice and salt.

Cook again uncovered for 10 minutes.

Let the chutney cool down. It must become mushy and no water must be visible.

Notes:

You might need to add more jaggery if strawberries are sour. Mine was over ripened so I used less jaggery.

You can use sugar instead of jaggery.

Store it in air tight container for 2 weeks in the fridge.

Long time back Rafeeda who blogs at The Big Sweet Tooth invited me to be her guest, I just couldn't say no. She has been a guest at her my blog before with her Vegetable Biryani. I have been so busy with my new job that I dont get time to visit any blogger friends but she is a working mom and still manages to visit everyone's blog and leave comments. Kudos to you Rafi.

Good Food: Good Friends: Good Life. Finger food or nibbles always reminds me of friendship, chats and gossips. That’s why I decided to share a sandwich recipe for her blog.

Cheese Chilli Carrot Sandwiches are cheesy, spicy and crunchy. Imagine dollops of cheese, hot green chilies and grated crunchy bits of carrots lay between bread slices –oh yes insanely delicious. Finally, grilled on a pan till crisp and golden on outside and oozing melting cheese from inside –perfect.

For those of you want to see the detailed recipe and notes-click to Rafi’s page.

Aloo Gobi or Cauliflower Potatoes Curryis a very popular Indian vegetarian side dish. No matter which of India you come from, I am sure there is a version to make this dish. South Indians like to throw in some curry leaves and coconut. Bengalis like to use whole spices and mustard oil. Up in the north it is made using lot of garlic and tomato paste. In the western India it is more like an everyday curry made with simple steps.

Cauliflower also known as gobi, gobhi, phool gobi or fool gobi is a beautiful vegetable and my personal favourite. Enjoyed cooked or raw, cauliflower is a great addition to one’s healthy diet; it is affordable and is available year round. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6. It is a very good source of choline, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, phosphorus, and biotin. Additionally, it is a good source of vitamin B2, protein, vitamin B1, niacin, and magnesium. Above everything it is not a boring vegetable like greens.

Looking for more cauliflower recipes? Check these out:

Kadai Gobi

Achari Gobi

Gobi Matar

If you have ever searched for Aloo Gobi recipe, you would know there are hundred ways of making it and no one way is right of wrong. You can make it simple with minimal spices or make it very rich with whole spices. Today I share how to make Restaurant Style Aloo Gobi

Restaurant style curry is like a royal treatment given to a simple everyday curry. In it go whole spices and lots of patience. Cooked in slow heat where every spice penetrates its flavour in the cauliflower florets and potato chunks. Stop worrying about the steps listed in the recipe and just try this version because it is super easy and in the end all the efforts are worth it.

If you have made this before and you ended up with mushy curry just keep these things in your mind.

Cook cauliflower and potatoes before till they are half done.
Cook on low heat.
Never cover the pan. Let the steam out.
Do not add in water.
Mix salt in the end.
Stir with wooden spoon with light hands.

Author: Shweta Agrawal

Cuisine: Indian, Punjabi

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

2 medium potatoes/aloo sliced

1 medium cauliflower/gobi cut into florets

1 tomato chopped

1 onion finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds/rai

1 teaspoon minced or grated garlic

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder/lal mirch

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya

1/4 teaspoon garam massala

1 teaspoon lemon juice (see notes)

4 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon ghee (optional)

5-8 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and cook cauliflower florets. Cook on low heat till they are half done. Empty the pan and set aside cauliflower.

Heat 1 tablespoons of oil again in the same pan and cook potatoes till they are half done. Empty the pan and set aside potatoes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Add cumin and mustard seeds, let it crackle.

Add in garlic and cook for 10 seconds. Add chopped onion and cook till onion gets soft.

Mix in chopped tomato, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam massala. Cover and cook till tomato becomes mushy.

In it add lemon juice. Also mix in cauliflower and potatoes. Stir lightly and cook on low heat. Cook for 10 minutes. Keep stirring after every 3 minutes. Cook till potatoes and cauliflower is done.

Add coriander leaves and ghee. Serve.

Notes:

Add amchoor powder (dry mango powder) instead of lemon juice.

Adding ghee in the end adds in great flavour and aroma. Ghee is clarified butter available in any Indian grocery store. I used

You can make it without garlic and onions as well.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with any Indian bread.

Serve as side with lentils and rice.

A dip is the favourite thing in summer. Just have some nachos, crackers or toasted bread, serve it as starter, appetizer or a party snack. Keeping British summer in mind, I tend to change dip in my kitchen. But always a dip is needed for Friday up till the weekend. Some days are hot and then I craft quick refreshing dips like pomegranate yogurt dip, roasted kiwi dip or plain simple tomato salsa. Then there are milder windy days that need something spicy, and then I make roasted tomato dip or hot Indian garlic dip.

Today is another such day when I am sharing a spicy, hot and pungent dip. But this time it isn’t an Indian dip, it is a Turkish dip called as Muhammara. You remember my post about Turkey through my lens? It was there where I mentioned how I loved a spicy dip in Istanbul. Well, I almost forgot to search for its recipe, until one day I visited a Turkish restaurant near my house. I knew I had to make this at home pretty soon.

I tried to make it as authentic as possible without putting in my Indian brain and I was not disappointed. Anyone who loves spicy food will love this dip undoubtedly. It gets smoked taste from roasted bell peppers, crunch from walnuts and creamy texture from olive oil-over all it has everything you need in a dip. Forget hummus and chutney, give this dip a try and bring a little turkey in your home.

Author: Shweta Agrawal

Cuisine: Turkish, Middle Eastern

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 large red bell peppers

2 sliced of bread

1/4 cup walnuts

2 whole dry red chillies

1 tomato chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil +2 tablespoons more

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes

1 teaspoon sesame seeds to garnish (optional)

Method:

Ground walnuts in the grinder into fine paste.
Soak red chillies in water for atleast 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Arrange the peppers on a large baking tray and let roast for 30 min, or until the peppers’ skin get covered with occasional black spots. Set aside to cool. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the stems along with the seeds and peel off the skins.
Put everything together in the blender or grinder or food processor and blend into smooth paste.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add blended paste in it. Mix for 2 minutes on medium heat.
Serve with sprinkle on sesame seeds.

Notes:

You can use ground walnuts as well.

This is a spicy dip, if you want to make it milder skip whole dry red chilies or chilli flakes.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with nachos, chips or crackers.

Ideally it is served with warm pita bread.

I served it with black olive focaccia. Will go well with any roasted bread.

Can be used as spread for sandwiches, wraps and pita pockets.

Baking bread at home, hell yeah!

The madness of proofing the yeast, kneading the dough, letting it to rise and finally baking-oh that experience, that fresh aroma, that happiness of home baking-all blissful.

If you have tried baking bread at home you will know what I am talking about. The whole process is tedious (at times) and time consuming but when you break the homemade bread and bite into it, you know all your efforts are well paid off.

Looking for more homemade breads? Check these out:

Potatoes Stuffed Buns

Garlic Rolls

Red Wine Walnut Bread

Whole Wheat Buns

I made Garlic and Mixed Herb Focaccia last Friday and shared this pic on Instagram. Some have asked for the recipe and my friends are already demanding to bake one for them :-). Olive oil is a must when making focaccia and no there is no substitute for olive oil. A good aromatic olive oil will bring out the best focaccia bread. Focaccia is an Italian bread and there are hundreds variations for the recipe but the basic bread or dough recipe remains the same but you can change the toppings as per your taste and mood ;-). You can have tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, caramelized onions, nuts and even fruits as toppings.

Little about yeast:

To have a nice soft bread texture you need to have good quality yeast and proof it properly. I used Allison rapid yeast and I like it because it doesn’t smell weird. To work with yeast you need something sweet like sugar or honey and warm water. Hot water will kill the yeast and cold water will not activate the yeast. If like me, you don’t have a fancy thermometer to measure the right degree of water, here is the test you can do. Dip your finger in hot water and you should be able to tolerate the heat, anything more or less will not work-just warm is what you are looking for. Next add in yeast and sugar, stir and keep aside for 10 minutes. If you see bubbles and forth in the yeast mixture you are good to go, else try again.

Since I was pairing it with pasta in chilli pesto sauce, I chose to have Garlic, olive oil and lot of herb on top it. And I was so right, the garlic herb focaccia bread and spicy pasta is a pair made in heaven-period! This bread can be served with basically anything. You can serve it with pasta, lasagne or just dip in some olive oil. If you fancy a focaccia sandwich, slit the bread in between and stuff in pesto sauce and some vegetables-grill and enjoy.

Author: Shweta Agrawal

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour/maida

1 teaspoon rapid yeast

2 pinch sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon mixed dry herbs

5 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt (optional but recommended)

Method:

Heat water in microwave for 20 seconds. Dip the finger and check water, it should we warm. Mix sugar and yeast in water. Stir and keep aside for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes when you see bubbles on yeast mixture, add all purpose flour, salt and 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs. Mix and knead the dough.
Mix 1/4 cup of oil in the dough. Keep kneading the dough till it is soft and springy.
Grease one large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil. Put the dough in the bowl. Cover it with cling film and keep aside in warm surface for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes the dough should have risen, beat the air out and knead the dough again. Flatten the dough on a grease pan in to any shape (I shaped in oval). The thickness should be like of a pizza. Cover the dough with wet towel and keep in a warm place for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, poke holes (dimples) on the dough. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes. Till then preheat your oven at 190C.
Prepare the oil. Peel the garlic cloves and chop it roughly. Mix black pepper and remaining dry herbs. Keep aside.
Pour this oil mixture on dimples of the dough. Spread the oil mixture evenly without punching the air. Sprinkle the sea salt.
Bake for 14 -15 minutes. The bread should be golden brown on top.
Let the bread cool down before you cut. Enjoy.

Notes:

Keep your dough in a warm place. I always keep it in the oven. A friend of mine who lives in hills cover the bowl with blanket and keep it dark place-for her this trick works.
You have to use a good quality olive oil for a nice texture. I recommend Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Use active rapid yeast or also called as instant yeast. I used Allinson Easy Bake Yeast.

Mixed Italian herbs are easily available in any store. It is blend of oregano, thyme, rosemary and basil. I used McCormick Italian Seasoning.

You can use any particular herb as well. Rosemary is the most popular one.

Cover the bread with cling film and store it a room temperature. It will be good for 2-3 days.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with burnt garlic pasta, pasta in red wine sauce, simple basic pasta.

Pair as side with tomatoes chutney, chilli hummus or roasted fennel cherry tomatoes.

Serve with roasted garlic soup, roasted butternut squash soup or indian garlic lentil soup.

Nibbles- all time favorite thing. Easy quick and a perfect partner while watching tv, reading a book, spending some me-time or just like that. And better if it has cheese, I mean who can say no to cheese-y munchies? Cheese Cookies how does that sound? Recently when I was sent Primula Cheese to try and make some vegetarian dish out of it, I just could not wait. Within a minute I knew I wanted to bake cheese crackers. Flaky and crunchy bits of cheese- ah you getting the picture now.

Little about the Primula Cheese.

And here is how they make it:

It was sent to me in the cute cool blue colored bag, which by the way I loved. Light Cheese, Cheese with Chives and Original Cheese was in the bag. Let me tell you, I am totally enjoying these cheeses. I have had a thick layer on the toasted bread, dipped it in nachos, mixed it pastas, rolled in tortillas and I am totally hooked. I love all three so much that honestly I can’t choose a favorite one. Cheese in tubes- innovative isn’t it? Swirl it, spread it, melt it- do whatever and however you want but do try Primula Cheeses, I bet you will enjoy it to the core.

These cheese crackers are addictive and perfect for party or that happy hour time nibble. I used Primula Light Cheese and flavour it gives is earthy, oozing and perfect. I made these crackers a bit thick, more like biscuits or cookies and then paired with little drops of Chives Cheese and oh my god, it was like pair made in heaven.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup All purpose flour/maida

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 pinch black pepper powder

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons primula light cheese

Pinch baking soda

Pinch baking powder

Method:

Sieve all purpose flour, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.

Mix butter in the above bowl. Mix butter till you have bread crumbs like texture.

Mix cheese in it and form the dough. It should be medium soft dough.

Form the dough in the shape of log and cover with cling film and freeze for 1/2 hour.

Preheat the oven at 180C for 10 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Take the log out of freezer and cut in 1 inch thickness and arrange in baking sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes, flip the cookies and bake again for 8 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Swirl Chives Cheese on cookies and serve.

Notes:

You can use any cheese spread instead primula cheese.

Add little salt because cheese already contains salt.

You can add herbs like oregano, basil or rosemary.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with toppings such as tomatoes, olives or any veggies.

You can top these cookies with cheese, tomato or any chutney.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Primula Cheese and OPR for sending cheese for review.

So here is the thing. I love beetroot, more because of the colour as I believe that beetroot has no particular taste and is quite bland. It is a vegetable that is less expensive and is loaded with good nutrients and that’s why I like to use it in my recipes a lot. Try this Beetroot Raita with Smoked Green Chilli or Beetroot Lassi.

Today's post is another beetroot recipe- Beetroot Chaas. It is the blend of spices with thick yogurt and grated beetroot and thus the health benefits are immense. Made with water and curd, this drink is perfect to soothe the stomach. As you drink it the cool buttermilk it tends to wash down the spices and calms an irritated stomach lining. Packed with electrolytes and lots of water, chaas is the best thing you can give your body to fight dehydration. I have made Plain Chaas before and it is the basic recipe. This beetroot chaas was made by me 3 months back and the recipe has been lying in the drafts ever since then. Well, yes I have been really busy these days with full time hectic job and settling in the new flat- but I don’t want to complain about it at all. So let’s talk about this amazing healthy drink.

Beetroot Massala Chaas, a simple that is nutritious and has this beautiful pink colour. You can have this on a hot sunny day, after or before workout; as evening snack or just pair it with heavy lunch. Basically this is such an easy peasy drink that I don’t know what to write here. Well, I added some dried mint leaves, homemade chaat massala and some salt but you can modify this drink as per your taste. So here is how to make Beetroot Chaas, my way.

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt/dahi

2 cups cold water

4 tablespoons grated beetroot

1 teaspoon ginger juice/adrak

1 green chilli deseeded

1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder/bhuna jeera

Black salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon Homemade chaat massala

1 teaspoon dried mint leaves/sukha pudhina

Method:

Mix everything together in the blender Mix well till it is frothy.

Sieve the drink and serve.

Notes:

If you don’t have dried mint leaves, use fresh. Just used 4-5 crushed mint leaves.

Green chilli is optional but it brings great taste.

You can use low fat or full fat yogurt.

Yeah yeah yeah I have been busy. Busy with a new full time marketing job and settling in the new apartment-oh these two things are keeping me on my toes. When I took a job I promised myself that I would at least post a recipe once a week but it just couldnt happen. Now I know how much time blogging needs and it is no less then having a full time job. But better late then never, isn’t it? So here I am sitting with my laptop and working on this post.

Bombay Aloo, is my recent loving recipe. Recent because, back in India I never heard about a dish called Bombay aloo-not even when I was in Mumbai. When I came to the UK I saw this dish sitting quietly in the vegetarian sides menu in every curry house. Until one day we decided to order it. Small baby potatoes cooked in rich spicy sauce, ummm very much like dum aloo in appearance. Taste and method is quite different though; dum aloo (Punjabi style) is cooked in royal way where potatoes are fried and lots of whole spices are used, Bombay aloo however is a lighter version where boiled potatoes are used and then are coated with basic everyday Indian spices.

So when you are bored of simple aloo ki subji like the one cooked in pressure cooker or one that is served with puri or kachori, give Bombay Aloo a try. Throw in it ginger, garlic, onion and tomato puree; mix in Indian spices and let it simmer on slow heat. To have authentic taste make sure you cook it longer on slow heat as it helps the spices to penetrate in the potatoes and that is what brings the best flavor.

Consistency is again very important. It cant be runny like rassewale aloo neither should it be dry like sukha aloo- the trick is to have semi thick gravy where you can see the glaze of sauce and spices on the potatoes. You can serve it as a side with rice, naan or any Indian bread.

Ingredients:

10 baby potatoes, boiled and peeled

1 onion chopped

4 cloves garlic chopped
1 teaspoon ginger julienne or garted

4 medium size tomatoes chopped

2 dry whole red chillies

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon butter

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 to 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust as per taste)

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/4 teaspoon garam massala

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped

Method:

With the help of toothpick or fork prick holes on boiled potatoes and set it aside.
Heat oil in pan. When hot, add cumin seeds. Let it splutter.
Add garlic, ginger and onion. Stir and let it cook till onions become soft.
Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam massala. Cover and let it cook for 10 minutes on a slow flame/heat.
Blend this above tomato spice sauce with half cup of water in the blender.
Heat the pan again and heat butter. When butter gets hot add whole red chilli.
Throw in boiled potatoes and blended sauce. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on slow heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Notes:

You can use any potatoes, just chop them into bite size.

I used kashmiri red chilli powder, it gives nice dark red colour.
Pricking holes in boiled potatoes helps the salt and spices to penetrate in potatoes. Do this step carefully else you will end with broken potatoes.

Sipping time! Oh yeah, so what if summer is officially over, a drink is always needed. No matter what season it is, I believe that a good drink is your best friend. Recently I was sent Vita Coco Coconut water and the challenge was to use it in a cocktail recipe. Coconut water was a part of my daily regime until I was in India. After work while returning home, I would stop by a coconut vendor, and ask him to break one coconut for me. Next, choosing the right one, he would use a sharp knife and puncture the hole in the shell, place the straw and passed it on to me. Oh that sweet refreshing taste in the hot weather of India was the best thing ever! I love coconut, right from scented candles to shampoo, I am huge sucker of coconut products. Like me, if you also love coconut then do look at the amazing products of Vita Coco.

After moving to the UK, I missed fresh coconut water. When I saw coconut water sold in cartons here, I did not even dare to try it as I had an assumption that it will not be that good.Vita Coco Coconut Water has changed or in fact blown my mind off. It has everything that fresh coconut water contains- Sweet scent, uplifting taste and woody flavor when you gulp it down. They have said it right- Stupidly simple, water from coconut- that’s it.

Simple things are the best, so I made simple Coconut Lemon Gin Cocktail with it. Frankly I did not want to spoil the simplicity of Vita Coco coconut water by adding hundred of ingredients. Coconut water is the hero in this drink, flavor is simple and yet so elegant that you will feel like having it every day, during any season. Sweetness from coconut water; tang of lemons; boozy sharp taste from gin and perfect zing of mint leaves- a balance of flavors and a cocktail to die for. Next time when you want to have some me-time, read a book, enjoy a movie or planning a party- do think of mixing this cocktail up, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients:

Makes 2 glass

1 carton of Vita Coco Coconut water

1/2 cup Bombay Sapphire

1 tablespoon sugar

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Few mint leaves

Lemon roundels to garnish

Ice cubes (optional)

Method:

In a cocktail shaker mix gin (Bombay Sapphire), lemon juice and sugar. Shake for 10 seconds. Add 2-4 mint leaves and leave aside for 2-3 minutes.

Take two glasses and add some ice cubes.

Pour the cocktail mix in the glass in equal quantity.

Fill the glass with coconut water. Mix and serve with lemon and mint leaves.

Notes:
If you don't have cocktail shaker use any bottle or jar that can be covered with a lid.
You can add vodka in place of gin also.
Feel free to use fresh coconut water as well.
I used chilled coconut water so I avoided ice cubes.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Taste PR and Vita Coco for sending drinks for review.

Am I still in summer thoughts or what? Well you can say so, I am missing summers and all the fall recipes on internet is making me crave for summer recipes even more. I can’t get over the beautiful sunshine yellow color. I get this rigid summer mood from the tree that I see from my bedroom. It is in adamant mood, when all trees have turned into skeleton this tree stays strong engulfing all its leaves. Nature, I tell you can be so inspiring.

So this lemon cake happened the other day in my kitchen .These days I have many people with whom I share my bakes- my friends in the building where I have shifted and my colleagues in office. Initially I used to bake only on special days as eating sweet bakes everyday made me and my husband gain weight. Now when I have many people to share it with I am sure many baking actions are going to happen. Can’t wait! Happy Dance!

This cake you guys! Lemon Cake. Lemon Bundt Cake. Bundt cake is a cake made in bundt shaped pan which gives it distinct ring shape. Check out One Bowl Chocolate Bundt Cake and also Coffee Whiskey Bundt Cake. This cake has everything that a good cake must have- its light, soft, fluffy, airy and so buttery. Tangy flavored cakes are my favorite, the tang from citrus fruits and sugar balances each other really well. I have made eggless orange cake and orange cupcakes as well. This is a full proof Lemon Cake recipe made with eggs, I have made 1 pound lemon cake recipe made in loaf pan in which I used yogurt (dahi).

Basically I believe that a good lemon cake must have good amount of lemon zest, lemon juice and butter. Always use fresh lemon juice, don’t even think about bottled lemon juice, it’s such a waste. Next, make sure everything is in the room temperature; else the cake will not turn soft. Beat the eggs slowly on low speed; doing so will give you light airy cake. Finally when the cake is hot, pour lemon sugar syrup on it, this is optional but I really recommend it- just for extra zing and flavour. Yeah so that’s about it. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

For Cake

All Purpose Flour /Maida- 175 grams (1 and 1/3 cup )

Sugar - 175 grams (2/3 cup)

2 large eggs

Butter - 125 grams (2/3 cup)+ 2 tablespoon
Pinch of salt

Baking powder – 1 and 1/2 teaspoon

Milk - 1/4 cup

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

For syrup

Juice of 1 and a half lemons

Icing sugar -100 grams

2 tablespoons water

Method:

Grease the bundt with 2 tespoons butter and keep aside.
Preheat the oven at 180C for 10-12 minutes.
Mix lemon juice and milk and keep aside.
Sieve all purpose flour, salt and baking powder and keep aside.
Beat butter and sugar on low speed till butter becomes light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beat slowly on low speed.
Add dry sieve ingredients and lemon zest. Also throw in lemon juice and milk mixture.
Beat slowly on low speed till the batter is mixed properly without lumps.
Pour the batter in the greased pan and bake in the oven for 35 minutes at 180C. Insert the skewer or knife in the centre of the cake, it should come out clean.
Cool on wire rack.
Make the syrup-Mix water everything together and microwave for 10 seconds.
When the cake in hot, prick some holes with skewer on the cake. Pour the syrup.
Turn the cake on serving plate and serve.

Notes:

Do not grate the white part or lemon skin/peal, else it will get bitter.

You can use the same recipe for loaf pan too.

I used this Farberware Nonstick Bundt Pan.

I love to have this cake plain so I can’t recommend any frosting, but feel free to dust some sugar.

Cookies I guess are everyone’s favorite. Not guess, I am sure. I haven’t met anyone who does not like cookies. Yeah one may have their own favorite cookie but cookies everyone loves. Probably that is why I have many cookies recipes on my Indian blog. Whole wheat cookies with almonds are typical Indian naankhatai style, also called as bakery biscuits. If you are looking for something fancy see heart shaped vanilla cookies dipped in chocolate. Also some savory or namkeen cookies are on the blog like curry leaves cookies and cheese cookies. If all this doesn’t please you then simple good old butter cookies will.

Among all the cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies are my favorite and I am a bit embarrassed that the recipe is appearing on my blog after 3 years. What can I say? Well these cookies are so good that whenever I bake them it just finishes off in minutes- before I could even click pictures. Yeah so that’s the best excuse I can make. *wink*. Okay, honestly I don’t want to bore my husband and friends with these cookies, so I hardly bake them. You see, good things come after a lot wait, but the wait is always worth.

Last Sunday I had an itch to bake these chocolate bites (named by Mr. Husband). Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside and so buttery and chocolaty, according to me these are the best chocolate chip cookies-period! And these are eggless too; yeah some of my friends could not believe that cookies without eggs can be sooooo good. So with festive season approaching why not treat your friends and relatives with these homemade goodies, what’s better then a box full of chocolate cookies? This time ditch those mithai dabbas or sweet boxes and gift these cookies- just use a fancy box, tray, basket and wrap or ribbon it up.

Here are some pointers that will help you to make best cookies:

-Use good quality chocolate chips. Yes please. I recommend Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips.

-Make sure the vanilla essence is pure and original. I swear by Nielsen-Massey.

-Make use of unsalted butter, it brings out the best taste. If unsalted butter is not available then you just avoid adding salt.

-Brown sugar helps to give rich color. Where as granulated white sugar crystallizes and gives that sugary crunch. So both the sugars are important.

-I never freeze my chocolate chip cookies dough, I bake them instantly. When you freeze the dough chocolate chips become hard whereas if you bake instantly some bits of chocolate chips melts while baking, this gives that chewy taste.

Now, Here is the recipe to make the best eggless chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup and 2 tablespoons -All purpose flour/maida
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180C for 10 minutes.
Line a baking tray with parchment or baking paper.
Sieve all purpose flour, salt and baking soda. Keep aside.
In a bowl cream together butter and sugar.
Add vanilla essence and milk. Mix.
Add in sieved ingredients and form soft dough with your hands.
Add in chocolate chips and mix again.
Make one inch small ball and arrange on the lined baking tray. Flatten the cookies slightly. Make sure the cookies have some gap in between each other because cookies spread while baking.
Bake in the oven at 180C for 10 -12 minutes or till you see the edges of cookies turn golden.
Let it cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

Notes:

You can freeze the dough and use later.

Once cooled, the cookies stay fresh in a air tight container for one week.

Keep an eye on the cookies, it can burn fast. Just wait till you see the edges turning dark brown.

A green recipe for today.

A popular one.

A Punjabi recipe.

No its not saag.

It has paneer.

Oh now I have said it all. Yup it is Palak Paneer. Put three Ps together –Punjab, Palak and Paneer and you know one is talking about Palak Paneer. So palak paneer is northern Indian delicacy made with palak (spinach) and paneer (cottage cheese). Honestly there is no right or wrong way to make this curry. Some like to use boiled and purred palak in the gravy; some use chopped spinach while some put coarsely purred spinach as well. In the restaurants here in the UK I have noticed huge chunks of paneer are used in medium spicy spinach gravy (coarse spinach). Back in India the spinach is grinned into a smooth paste and later mixed with tomato gravy.

Looking for more Paneer Recipes? Check these out:

Paneer Kofta (fried paneer balls in tomato gravy)

Achari Paneer (Paneer curry in spicy pickled spices)

Palak Mutter Paneer (combination of spinach and peas in tomato gravy)

Paneer Corn Bhurji (grated paneer with chunks of corn)

Hydarbadi Paneer (paneer stir fry with bell peppers)

Paneer Butter Masala (paneer in creamy and rich tomato gravy with butter and tomatoes)

Kadai Paneer (paneer cooked in wok with whole spices)

Paneer Tikka Masala (marinated paneer chunks coated with spicy garlic gravy)

What I share today is the authentic dhabha style Palak Paneer. Whats dhabha? Dhabha are typical roadside restaurants (rural) mostly present on the highways in India. If you ever take road trip in India, you will surely find at least one dhabha on the highway. Food served in dhabha is simple and flavorful. Simple in terms of menu, you will find basic menu, no exotic dishes. Flavorful because they don’t compromise on taste-the food is richly spiced with garlic, spices and lot of oil and butter. So if you want dhabha style cooking, don’t shy from adding oil or butter. Some recipes are good with calories-worth it, I promise.

I clearly remember that taste. Papa, mummy, my brother and me- we stopped at a dhabha in Jhalander (city in Punjab) and ordered Palak Paneer , Plain Kulcha and Aloo Subji. It was a cold night. We sat on a khaat (Indian rural style bed) and between was a wooden patta (plank) on which they served food. After placing the order, the waiter came with a steel jug of water and four glasses. Second round, he placed some chopped onions, pickle and spicy garlic chutney. After 20 minutes of wait, the food arrived. Piping hot kulchas, aloo subji and palak paneer. Maa, look how much oil they have added in palak paneer, I told my mother. My mom grabbed a spoon and gave palak paneer a quick mix. Now oil is not visible she said. I smiled.

First bite of that curry was burst of amazing flavors in my mouth. Lot of garlic, ginger julienne, spice from whole red chillies, tang from chopped tomatoes and velvety paneer- all mixed and made into scrumptious Indian subji. This is the best thing ever, my brother said as he licked his fingers. Last weekend, when I was on call with mummy, we were recalling that taste. She gave some instructions and tips and then I dared to make that tasty Palak Paneer.

This is my replication of the Dhabha Style Palak Paneer. Pair it with any Indian roti, paratha or puri. Even good old basic jeera rice taste very nice with this.

Ingredients:

2 cups spinach/palak chopped

1 cup paneer chopped in cubes

1 large tomato

1 medium size onion
2 green chillies

10 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger chopped in juleins

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon ghee

2-4 whole red chillies

1 cinnamon stick/dal chinni

1 bay leaf/tej patta

½ teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

¼ teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon garam massala
Salt to taste
Water 4 cups

Method:

Put 4 cups of water to boil. In it add chopped spinach. Boil for 2 minutes. Strain the water and keep aside. Puree spinach and green chillies coarsely.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, whole chillies and cinnamon. Let it cook for few seconds.
Add chopped onion. Cook till onions are soft and transparent.
Add chopped tomatoes. Mix in turmeric powder and coriander powder. Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes.
Mix paneer in the tomatoes gravy. Cook covered for 2 minutes.
Add in purred gravy, salt, garam massala and lemon juice. Mix and cook for 2 minutes.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. When hot, saute chopped garlic and mix in the gravy.
Finally mix in ghee and ginger julienne. Cover and turn off the heat.
Serve.

Notes:
I used baby spinach, but you can use spinach bunch as well.
Green chillies and whole red chillies will bring the spice. You can add more red chilli powder if you like it hot curries.
The paneer I used is very soft so I just added in the curry. If you wish you can put paneer in hot water and then use it.

Honestly no meal is complete without side. Can you imagine your pasta dishes without bread on side? Or Indian rice and curry with no side dish? Or burger without fries? No right? That’s why a side is always needed to add on that extra ‘yum effect’ on your plates. A good side is complete when you pair it up with zingy, spicy or sweet chutney, sauce or pickle. Being a foodie I love pairing up my dishes with sauces-. Spread it, pour it, mix it, dip it or pair it up-you always need good sauces in your kitchen. That’s why when I was approached to review and pair Encona Sauces I said yes in one go.

Encona has a range of over 20 delicious sauces and marinades to enjoy. Encona is not a new name or brand for me, I already love its mango chutney and it is always available in my kitchen pantry (no matter what). With Encona you can choose heat at levels, from mild to extra hot, there’s something for everyone! All the sauces are wonderfully versatile. Great as a dipping sauce, a marinade, a cooking ingredient or as a delicious, everyday table sauce for all your favourite foods! Why not try drizzled into stir-fries, rice dishes, dips and salad dressings. Also great if brushed onto food during grilling or barbecuing, and stirred into soups and stews.

I was sent two new flavours. Encona Peruvian Amarillo Sauce which is a blend of authentic Peruvian Amarillo chillies, roasted onion, spices and herbs creating a sweet, subtle chilli flavour with a hint of garlic – the perfect way for eager taste explorers to get their taste buds tingling without the cost of a plane ticket. I love this with anything and everything- no seriously this one is sooooo amazing that you can use it up in sandwiches, wraps, as salad dressing and what not.

Launching alongside their Peruvian sauce, they have created a Mexican Smokey Jalapeno-A delicious blend of chillies and spices gives the rich sauce a subtle smokey flavour and a warm and fruity taste to compliment your Mexican meals. I paired it up with potato wedges. Not fried but Baked Potato Wedges. Two types. One, plain simple butter and salt roasted and other exotic one roasted with coriander and red chilli powder. Sometimes simplest things are the best- Just potatoes, light spices and a nice dipping sauce.

Butter and Salted potato wedges are crisp on the outside and bit tender on the inside.- A simple & straight forward recipe for a healthier, yet equally satisfying & addictive way to enjoy potatoes. Coriander and red chilli powder wedgesis one step above, it is aromatic, richly spiced and flavoursome. No matter which one you choose, you ought to ask for more and more.

Ingredients:

5-7 medium size potatoes

1 tablespoon butter melted

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon coriander powder

Red chilli powder to taste

Method:

Line a baking tray with baking paper or aluminium foil.

Preheat the oven at 180C.

Cut potatoes into wedges. Keep them medium thick.

Take a bowl and put chopped potatoes in it. Add in salt and melted butter.

Mix and make sure every wedge is coated with salt and butter.

Line potato wedges on the sheet keeping some space in between each one.

Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Keep shaking and turning the tray after every 10 minutes.

Enjoy the salted one.

For coriander and red chilli roasted one, heat oil in pan or wok. When oil gets hot add baked potato wedges, red chilli powder, coriander powder and mix. Serve hot.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Encona and SatellitePR for sending sauces for review.

Cheesy post today.

Lots of cheese talks, chats and pics :)

Specialty cheese brand, Castello, has a new addition to the range...Tickler Mature! Tickler Extra Mature Cheddar has many loyal fans with its distinctive, tangy taste but this new Mature variant offers a smooth and creamy alternative for those looking for something slightly milder.

Tickler Mature is perfect for any occasion, either on the cheeseboard or to help add some depth and zing to your everyday meals. To celebrate the launch they wanted me to create my very own perfect Ticklertastic Toastie. To do so, I was sent complete toastie kit- an argos make toaster, waitrose gift card, two cheese samples, sourdough crisp bread, cranberry jelly.

First cheese that I tried was Aged Havarti. Castello Aged Havarti is based on the authentic Danish recipe for Havarti dating back to 1952. Made from traditional cheese methods with the addition of a special culture, the Castello Aged Havarti is then matured for 12 months. During the long maturation the crumbly but creamy texture and a rich, buttery taste with tangy notes is created. As it ripens the cheese also starts to develop small crystals for a richer taste experience.

What makes great cheese even better? Yes Pairing or Smorging. Smorging means relaxed way of eating. It means you don’t need to save your favourite cheeses for a special occasion or a traditional cheeseboard. Dive into your fridge and store cupboards to pull together a creatively crafted smørgåsbord using whatever you have to hand to compliment your favourite cheeses; salamis and hams, a jar of roast red peppers, boiled eggs, olives, leftover slices of meat – whatever takes your fancy! Here is what I did:

Ritz crackers with red chilli pesto
Sourdough bread with dried fig
Sourdough bread with grated carrots and black pepper
On Olive croutons

(Read more about smorging ideas and tips HERE)

The cheese that I had to use to make toastie was Tickler Mature Cheddar which is Mature Devonshire cheddar perfectly balanced with a smooth and creamy texture, a hint of sweetness and a lively finish. The perfect accompaniment on a sharing board! Castello Tickler Mature Cheddar is available exclusively at Waitrose at £4.00.

I decided to make Corn Chilli Toatsie. Imagine dollops of cheese, hot green chilies and crunchy corn bits spread between bread slices –oh yes insanely delicious. Finally, grilled on a pan till crisp and golden on outside and oozing melting cheese from inside –perfect. This is a kind of toastie that is good for anytime as a snack or a complete meal.

Ingredients:

(Makes 2 toasties)

4 slices bread

1 cup sweet corn

1/4 cup grated cheese

1 green chilli chopped

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon

2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

Method:

I used frozen corn so I just microwave it in water for 2 minutes. If using fresh, boil before use.

Heat oil in a pan and boiled corn. Also mix in cheese, chilli, salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Mix till cheese melts.

Add in coriander leaves and let mixture cool down a bit.

Take bread and apply butter on 2 bread slice. On the other two non-butter slice apply the 2 to 3 tablespoons corn mixture. Put the buttered slice on it and toast in the sandwich maker till golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Notes:

You can add boiled mashed potatoes also in stuffing.

Perfect as anytime snack, perfect for kids parties.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Havas PR UK and Castello for sending cheese and toastie kit.

Jingle bells, jingle bells. Santa Clause is coming around in a one horse open sleigh. So have you decided about the Christmas gifts? Whats going to be in the stockings? Ah! Deciding about Christmas gifts can be very exciting and stressful on the same time. I find that edible gifts are the best, no matter what everyone will use it and enjoy it.

Recently I was sent Kopparberg’s Spiced Apple Gift Pack for review. What is Kopparberg? Tucked away in the Swedish countryside, in the small town of Kopparberg, you’ll find a little brewery with unique tastes. Built back in 1882 the Kopparberg Bryggeri, with its traditional red timber falun walls, uses a rare, bubbling source of soft water from the town as the perfect ingredient in our deliciously refreshing fruit ciders. More than 130 years later our brewery remains independent and is today owned by the Bronsman family, and the cider we produce is an uncomplicated as the water in the town: fresh, pure, and very, very refreshing, just the way we like it.

As the winter chill begins to take hold, Kopparberg is bringing something extra cosy to cider lovers this festive season, with the launch of the Kopparberg Spiced Apple Gift Pack. The newest addition to the Kopparberg range, is the ideal stocking filler for those friends and family keen to enjoy the ultimate festive tipple this Christmas. Inspired by the earthy surrounds of Kopparberg’s Scandinavian forest, the stylish set includes a bottle of delicious

Kopparberg Spiced Apple, a selection of delicately spiced cinnamon sticks and a limited edition Kopparberg mug, the perfect combination for thawing out the coldest of winter nights. Served warm in a mug and garnished with a cinnamon stick, this aromatic Swedish drink offers a refreshing yet wintery twist on flavoured cider, and a subtle note of spice guaranteed to warm up any frosty evening. Kopparberg Spiced Apple can also be served the traditional chilled way, poured over large chunks of ice for that intensely refreshing and gentle spicy taste.

Gift it to your grandparents, parents, friends’ relatives or any adult. I bet they will enjoy it. It has everything that a good Christmas gift must have- good packing, festive colours and amazing Christmassy warm taste.

The Kopparberg Spiced Apple Gift Pack is priced at £12 and is available now in Boots stores

Kopparberg Spiced Apple is available in individual 500ml bottles (RSP £2.29) from Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and selected pubs and bars across the UK.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking WCommunications and Kopparberg for sending Kopparberg’s Spiced Apple Gift Pack for review

Hello everyone and wish you all a very Happy New Year 2016. I hope and wish that you all have a healthy and amazing year ahead. With new year comes lot of new surprises and here I am with a surprise. I am back with Cook With Colour event. Those of you have been following and appreciating my blog will know that I used to organize the events with colour specifications. Merry Tummy has successfully launched Cook with Yellow, Cook with Red and Cook with White event- thanks for all the support through your tasty entries.

2016 shall start with the colour of growth-GREEN. Cook with Green event. The event will run for a month from 10 January 2016 to 10 February 2016.

Yes all you have to do is cook with Green ingredients’. Yup! Put on your thinking caps and cook anything green. Here is the collection of my recipes which were cooked with green things- green chutney, palak paneer, mirchi ka achaar, mint cucumber cooler.

So lets eat and cook more and more green, after all greens are soooooooo healthy and what can be a better start for the year. Examples of green ingredients: all green leaves-coriander, mint, spinach, kale etc; veggies like broccoli, cabbage, okra, peas, beans, chilies etc. Or fruits like grapes, kiwi, green apple, pear etc.

Rules for the event-

Cook with anything Green. Green ingredient must be the main one and not just used in garnishing.
Multiple entries are welcome and appreciated. Sweet, savoury, drinks anything can be included.
The event has to be linked back as Cook With Green announced at Merry Tummy. (Compulsory)
Usage of logo is optional but I would be happy if you could use it, as it helps spread word.
You have to like Merry Tummy's Facebook Page, Follow me on Instagram. (Compulsory)
Only after your first entry, share the event details at facebook page.(I want more people to know about the event). Keep your this post public in Facebook so that I can see it. (Compulsory- have to do only once)
Please use the linky tool to link your recipes below. (Mention the name of the dish you make and not your name.)
Else Send a mail to agrawal.shweta.n@gmail.com with the subject line as Cook With Green and with the following details:

Your Name
Recipe Name
Blog Name
Recipe URL (Please send the Recipe URL and not the blog URL)
Picture of the dish

Giveaway- I will choose 1 lucky person through random.org. I will then ask the winner to choose from cookware, bakeware, cook books or kitchen accessories as prize. Once again, the giveaway is open for people who can give Indian address :)

Logo:

Hope you all will like the theme. Go green. Send in the tasty dishes ladies :)

Its super cold in London. No I am not kidding. The other day while coming back from office the wind was so harsh and cold I thought I will die before I reach home. I had my jumpers on, a thick black overcoat buttoned up and long boots, all sorted. But the wind was unkind and stony. It blew my hair in the cruelest way possible, slapped on my face, my fingers were numb and ears shocked. With all struggle I finally reached home. Home sweet home. Ah these winters make me so angry and lazy. What shall I cook for dinner-my next battle!

Quick look in the fridge, the chapatti dough was ready. So let’s make some quick lazy subji/curry. There you go; no veggies in the fridge-another challenge for the day. First I thought to make my favorite papad ki subji, the no veggie curry but then I saw a packet of namkeen, and it had to be Sev Tamatar Ki Subji-the Rajasthani or marwadi style. So what is sev- sev is spicy fried gram flour noodles. It can be eaten just like a snack. The packets are easily available in any indian store and if you haven’t you MUST try it.

More Rajasthan/Marwari Subji (curry):

Sev tamatar ki subji is sev and tomato curry. Two types are famous- the gujarati style which is called as sev tameta nu shak and rajasthani style. Gujarat curry is bit tangy and sweet, whereas rajasthan is spicy and hot. Born and bought up in rajasthan this curry is very special to my heart. The days when mom had less mood to cook, was not well or no vegetables were available this curry came in handy. She would ask my father or brother to buy a packet of namkeen and then start preparing for the subzi. In this recipe you can use ratlavi sev, moti sev, spicy sev or even garlic (lehsun) sev. I have used Kohinoor bhujia sev.

You just need basic Indian spices, garlic, tomatoes and sev. It took me 10 minutes in total to prepare this curry. Served it with some Indian kachumber salad and chapatti. The dinner was enjoyed and I was bit ok with novelty of winters.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups Tomatoes chopped finely

5 cloves garlic minced or grated

1 medium size onion chopped finely

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1/4 teaspoon turmeric/haldi

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust as per taste)

Salt to taste

Pinch of sugar

2 cups water

1/2 cup sev/namkeen/bhujia

2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add cumin, let it splutter.

Add garlic and chopped onion. Cook for 1 minute or till onion turns soft.

Add chopped tomatoes and all the spices. Mix and cook tomatoes till they turn soft and mushy.

Add 2 cups or water and sugar. Let it boil for 5 minutes.

Add sev and coriander leaves. Mix and serve.

Notes:

Add sev just before serving else it will become soggy.

I have used kashmiri red chilli powder, it gives good colour but is not very spicy.

Chilli Paneer. Cubes of paneer coated in spicy indo-Chinese sauce. Indo Chinese is Indian style Chinese food. This started as a popular street food in India and later on even restaurants started putting it on the menu-such is the taste and popularity of this dish. There are two ways it is made. Dry style, in which paneer chunks are only coated in the sauce. Other way is with gravy wherein the sauce is kept liquid. Dry chilli paneer is mostly served as snack, starter or appetizer; whereas wet chilli paneer is served as side with fried rice or noodles.

This is one dish that always pops in my mind when I am in hurry and guests are coming over for lunch or dinner. Because its easy and quick you don’t need much time to prepare it and because it is popular every guest will love it. So, ideal recipe involves frying paneer cubes and then mixing it in the sauce but I don’t like this method as it makes paneer very hard and rubbery. Here is my way to make Low Fat Chilli Paneer.

Ingredients:

225 grams paneer cut in cubes

1 capsicum/bell pepper, cut in cubes

1 onion large, cut in cubes

4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped

2 green chillies, slitted

Black pepper powder, to taste

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon soya sauce

½ tablespoon chilli sauce (red/green)

1 tablespoon corn flour

¼ tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1-2 tablespoons chopped green onions (green part only)

Method:

Boil 2 cups of water and add paneer cubes in it. This will make paneer soft. Drain water and keep aside.

Mix 4 tablespoons of water in corn flour and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan or wok. When oil gets very hot add garlic and ginger. Saute for 30 seconds.

Add slit green chillies and chopped onion. Saute for 10 seconds.

Next throw in chopped capsicum. Sauté for 10 seconds.

Add salt, sugar, black pepper, soya sauce, chilli sauce, lemon juice and corn flour mixture. Cook it for 30 seconds.

Throw in paneer cubes. Mix well so that paneer cubes are coated well with spices and sauce. Keep it covered for 1 minute.

Check salt and heat level. Adjust if needed. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.

Notes:

Never add too much salt, remember soya sauce and chilli sauce also contains salt.

Make sure that you don’t overcook capsicum and onion. They should be bit crunchy.

Chinese food is cooked on high heat, this gives good smokey flavour. Do not leave it unattended.

Mother- greatest power of the universe! Because she is there, you are there. You owe your existence to her. When she smiles at me even on a Skype call, I feel like her smile has hugged me. Oh there are millions reasons why I love her and probably because of the million things she has done and still doing for me which I don’t even know of. That’s mom- one selfless person who can make everything worthwhile. How would you describe a mother, someone asked me. Well, life doesn’t come with manual, it comes with a mother.

To compile this post I asked my blogger friends to tell why a mother is an inspiration for them and one recipe/dish they will like to cook for their mother.

Sandhya of Sandhya’s kitchen says-My mum is a very skilled cook, who believes that we need to have a balance in what we eat. Anything in moderation is good for health like a Teaspoon of Ghee. I have learnt my basics (disinterestedly at a very early age like any other girl). Seeing her work selflessly always inspires me !!

Mum being a coconut lover, I would love to dedicate this recipe of Blueberry Coconutmilk Smoothie to her.

Manali of Cook With Manali says-My mom inspires me everyday, in everything I do. I think the biggest thing that she has taught me is to have patience and to face all challenges in life with a smile. She is the strongest woman I know and whatever I am today, it's all because of her.

Mom loves my muffins, so for this Mother's Day I would love to bake her a batch of these Mini Banana Blueberry Streusel Muffins, I am sure she would love them!

Rafeeda of Big Sweet Tooth says- Umma was somebody who had a limited dishes to her repertoire. She never loved to experiment and get out of her comfort zone, so much that we could predict what was the menu for the whole coming week. However, whatever she would make, the taste would be so good that I definitely cannot match that taste. She enjoys it when my sister and I do our experiments even though she wouldn't be involved in it.

She wanted me to try making Lqeimat, which are Emirate yeasted dumplings drizzled with date syrup. However I couldn't make it even last month when they were with me, thanks to our tight schedule. InShaAllah, wish to make it soon for her.

And I decided to dedicate this simple Pink Rose Cake for mother’s day. I used Vanilla Sponge cake for base and iced it with fresh cream icing with 2 drops of pink colour.

Beetroot Raita Withe Smoked Chilli : Beetroot Yogurt Dip

Strawberry Chutney: Indian Style Sweet and Spicy Chutney

Cheese Carrot Chilli Sandwiches: Guest Post

Aloo Gobi

Muhammara: Red Bell Peppers and Walnut Dip: Turkish Dip: Middle Eastern Dip

Garlic And Mixed Herbs Focaccia: Italian Bread

Cheese Cookies :Eggless Indian Style Salted Cheese Biscuits

Beetroot Massala Chaas: Chakunder Ki Chaas: Indian Spiced Buttermilk

Bombay Aloo, Baby Potatoes Cooked With Spicy Sauce

Coconut Lemon Gin Cocktail: Simple Easy Cocktail

Lemon Bundt Cake

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Best Eggless Recipe

Palak Paneer: Punjabi Dhabha Style

Baked Potato Wedges: Two Kinds: Red Chilli and Coriander Powder and Salted

Corn Cheese Chilli Toastie

Kopparberg’s Spiced Apple Gift Pack Review: Christmas Gift Idea

Cook With Green Event Announcement And Giveaway

Sev Tamatar: Sev Tomato: Rajasthan/Marwadi Style

Low Fat Chilli Paneer : Indo Chinese Recipe

Pink Rose Cake: Vanilla Fresh Cream Cake: Sponge Cake: Eggless Baking