Pudina Peas Pulao, Cauliflower Subji | Cooking for Two | Lunch Box Series : LBS#69

I am back to cooking for two of us since Athamma has gone for a trip. It's been only three days since she left and it's become a hectic task for me to plan cooking just for two of us. I know it's not right to cook special food for the kids. They simply refuse to eat what I make for the elders. So without Athamma, it's just me and Hubby dear. 

While planning for the kids has always been on the same line, planning what to cook for just us, with the condition we don't eat leftovers for the next meal, is always the toughest! For all the huge list of recipes already listed out, coming out with something with exact measurement, making sure nothing is wasted, is surely a taxing task.

Since I was working on Saturday, I had to pack my lunch. So I ended up making this simple combo, which met all our needs. Another wonderful addition that this rice has is the Pudina or Mint leaves. The interesting thing is, I had used the frozen Pudina paste that Athamma had the brain wave to make and store. Couple of weeks back, I ended up getting too much of Mint leaves. As they would anyway end up getting rotten, she decided to make a paste and freeze it in our magic freezer tray! You name it, and we have it. Be it chili paste, coconut paste, Poppy Seeds paste and the latest to the family, the Pudina paste!

I did say that Athamma is too smart right, well she is always resourceful and comes up with wacky and interesting ideas. Else imagine finding ways to store the excess produce on hand. Trust me, when I used in the rice, it had such wonderful aroma and taste. 

Today's Lunch Box had

Pudina Peas Pulao and Cauliflower Subji, both cooked in Pressure cooker and took only 25 mins

Pudina Peas Pulao ~ Step by Step Pictures

  Mint leaf paste, frozen and can be used whenever there is a need!

 

Ingredients Needed

Rice - 1 & 1/4 cup
Green Chilies - 2 long
Peas - 1/2 cup
Onions - 1/4 of a big one
Cloves - 1
Cardamon - 1
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1"
Star anise - 1
Mint paste - 2 tbsp or three small frozen cubes
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Water - 2 & 1/2 cups

Cauliflower Sabji ~ Step by Step Pictures

Ingredients Needed:

Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Onions - 1/2 medium
Tomato puree from 2
Curry Powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil  2 tsp
Water as required

How to make both at the same time!

Wash and soak the rice for 15 mins

Clean the florets and mw with enough water for 2 mins. drain the water and keep it aside.

Since I was using pressure cooker for both the dishes, I had them on the gas. Chopped onions very finely for the subji, and juliennes for the pulao.

Use the same ladle as it saves time and energy!

Keep stirring, then add the whole spices to the pulao cooker, combine everything, add the chopped green chilies, and pudina cubes.

Simmer for couple of mins. Meanwhile, when the onions for the subji turns colour, add the drained cauliflower, Let it cook, while you puree the tomatoes.

Then pour the tomatoes over the cauliflower, along with all the spices. Combine and let it mix together well.

For the pulao, when the pudina mix is melted, add the peas, and drained rice. Stir on high flame for couple of minutes.

Add measured water, salt. Adjust the spice. Cover with lid and cook for 3 whistles.

For the subji, add enough water and cover with lid. Pressure cook for 4 -5 whistles depending on how soft you want the cauliflower to be.

Allow the pressure to fall off before you remove to serving bowls.

' 

It was indeed a wonderful meal, with the pudina adding more zing to it.  And we didn't end up with lot of leftovers.

I am hoping to make some more dishes for just two, hope you will come back to catch them up! Until then have a great week ahead.

Veg / Non-Veg Masala Paste | Ground Masala Paste | Indian Basics for Cooking

During family gatherings or reunions, there is always so much merry and fun. Food always plays a central role during such occasions. When our relatives come down to visit us, hubby dear and I always sit down to plan what to cook during that period. We always plan and buy things ahead and do the prep work in advance so that I don't get vexed at the last moment.

This time when we visited our sils place, it was the same scene. Lot of planning went in as to what to be made. Especially if it's a meat eating crowd you can imagine, everything revolves around meat preparation. I end up being the only Vegetarian in the whole crowd, still my sils make something special for me. This time being Sankranthi, non veg is mostly prepared the day after the main festival. My BIL cooks very well and was entrusted with the task of making two main dishes, while another Aunt was asked to make Keema Balls and gravy.

I have heard so much about those Keema balls that his Aunt used to make, that I was happy that I could see her make in person. The special feast was to be for lunch and preparation started well in advance. I geared up with my camera and told that I would not miss any action in the whole process. They were really amused at the way I was going on clicking every action.

Though I have blogged about some of the authentic Mutton curry or Chicken Pulusu, these two were made differently and I was only glad that I could take notes and click pictures. My only sole role was taking pictures set in a dim kitchen. I tried my best to get maximum lighting but couldn't help much as it was a crowded kitchen, with about four to five different dishes were made.

Let me start with the ground masala that was part of almost all the dishes that was made. This is a common ground masala that they add to all non veg dishes, apart from adding few different ingredients.

For the Mutton Gravy, the ground masala was added as such. While for Chicken Roast, Mint leaves were added along with chicken masala powder.

For the Masala Annam, which my sil is very famous at making, mint leaves were added separately and onions were not ground.

For the Keema Ball, green chilies were not added.

so basically if you understand, this is a versatile masala that can lead great taste to the dish that's prepared.

Try grinding with very less water so that you can refrigerate for a longer period. To what I have seen, this paste is stored for a week.

Ground Masala for making Non Veg dishes

Ingredients Needed:

Onions - 2 medium
Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
Coconut, grated - 3 - 4 tbsp
Cloves - 4 -5
Cinnamon - 3"
Ginger - 2"
Garlic - 4 -5 cloves

How to make the paste:

Wash and prep the ingredients.

Grind to a smooth paste using water sparingly.

While making the non dish you can add mint leaves.

Ground Masala for Masala Annam or Rice

Ingredients Needed:

Mint Leaves - 1 bunch
Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
Green Chillies - 3 - 4
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 4
Ginger - 2"
Garlic - 5 cloves
Coconut, grated - 4 tbsp

How to make the paste

Wash and pick the leaves, let it drain. Grate the coconut.

In a mixer, take all the ingredients and grind to a thick paste, using water sparingly.

This can be stored in fridge for a week if you don't use much water.

For making the rice you can use about 2 -3 tbsp



Will be back with the recipes for the dishes that were featured.

How to make Paneer | Making Indian Cottage Cheese at home ~ Quick Recipe

If you ask me what's the most frequent dish that gets prepare in our kitchen these days, without a hesitation the answer will be paneer! Ever since Athamma started making Paneer herself, she ends up making it pretty often. Plus with the weather aiding us, we really don't have to wait to spoil it, it gets spoiled itself and we end up making Paneer at home very often. I have already posted how to make paneer way back in 2008, but this method improvises on the other.

Hubby dear finally said enough of Paneer Butter Masala or anything paneer with the frequent entry of this dish on the table. So Athamma resorted to Paneer Pakora or Paneer 65 or whatever other innovations she can come up with. We don't have to worry about the Paneer not getting consumed. Konda loves it in any form. And you give her those tikkas, pakoras, she is very happy.

Her school reopened this week and I have been happy that I have managed to pack filling breakfast and lunch. Imagine my surprise when the first day Athamma called up to say Konda has not come in at the usual time. I called up and was told that since she is now in a higher class, the timing is increased with more subjects. But I realized that she will end up coming home very hungry. And next week school reopens for boys too. So you can expect me to be busy with planning menus again.

Coming back to this Paneer business, I once saw Paneer made to set very quickly by using Corn flour. I have been ever since wanting to try it. Finally I came around making a quick batch of Paneer by kneading method as followed in the Eastern part of India.

I sometimes make Spiced Paneer for making Paneer Tikka, by mixing in spices like crushed peppercorn, Red chili flakes, Coriander leaves and Mint leaves. It tastes great for making Tikkas. That reminds that I haven't posted it yet. But then it's a simple process. Before you set the Paneer, you can just add all the spices you need and set as normally method.

Thanks to Sharmila for the idea of getting Paneer set and used within 30 mins. Normal process takes more time for setting especially if you want nice cubes.

Follow the same method of curdling milk using either Lime Juice / Vinegar / Sour Curds.

You require

Milk - 1 liter
Ripe Lemon/Lime Juice - 1 full
Cornflour - 1 tsp
Pinch of salt.

Follow the same steps to make paneer at home

 Strain it over muslin cloth, allow it cool.

Take the chhena in a bowl, add about 1 tsp of corn flour, a pinch of salt and knead well.

  It forms a nice smooth dough.

Press it on a square plate or a cup. Freeze it for 10 - 15 mins or refrigerate for 30 mins.

Remove, cut into cubes, sauté in butter or ghee before adding to the gravy.

This method makes the whole process so simple that you really don't have to wait for long for your paneer to set.

I might come up with a dish featuring this paneer or something else..:)

Happy weekends!

Check out other Paneer Recipes

How to store Coriander Leaves | Cilantro Leaves

During the season I always ponder on how to store the coriander leaves for weeks. Coriander leaves are such integral part of Indian cuisine and you can't imagine making a gravy dish without the ceremonial addition of coriander leaves. Over the years we had followed different ways to store the fresh coriander leaves, some worked, some didn't. Finally we hit upon this method which really works well.

Amma's younger sister visited us sometime back and she passed on this tip to us. I wanted to try it out right away and was so happy seeing the fresh leaves being fresh over weeks. We have successfully preserved the leaves in it's freshness for 2 - 3 weeks. 

I know many of you may know better ways. And this is too simple a method to even record. But I am not really in a mood to write a lengthy post with recipe.

Since Coriander leaves are part and parcel of every Indian cuisine, I am happy finally finding a way to store it well.

Trim the root ends which normally gets sold along the green coriander leaves.

Soak in a bowl of water and rinse well

See the fine dust that is left behind.

 Let them drain over a colander

 Then spread over a cloth to make sure the water is completely absorbed. If require, put it under fan.

 Slowly cover it up like this to absorb whatever water might still be in the leaves.

Take the bowl that you want to store the leaves, cut a newspaper to the size of the inner bowl.

Place the fresh leaves inside.

The stalk can also be stored to be used in Rasams. They add such flavour.

Take another paper cutting and cover over the fresh leaves. Refrigerate. There is no need to freeze the leaves.

This is after two weeks. Of course I have been using and opening it in between.

If required change the paper used to cover the leaves.

Other Indian Basics and How to's

Have a great week ahead!

Baked Potatoes | Boiling Vegetables in Microwave | Basics in Microwave

The morning rush hours really demand you be on toes with dishes are all planned. While I was proud that I was always planning my menu, there are days when I lax on them a bit. Also there are days when Konda never wants what I plan for her. I never thought there will be a day when she will refuse Dosa for any meal, but it has indeed happened!

So the breakfast dishes have taken a turn and really cause me so much tension, trying to make something that she will eat. These days she is got more fond of bread. So every other day its either Bread Pizza, Bread Jam, or any of the many things one can think with bread slices that a 9 year old can eat.

I also decided that she can't refuse Aloo Paratha for lunch. It at least twice a week, its either Aloo paratha or Paneer Paratha. Thats when I found the Microwave to be a blessing. All I need is a potato for the paratha. While it was such a tough job previously, trying to pressure cook it and fighting with it to get cooked on time, after finding out the ease with which one can boil/bake potatoes, I have never looked back!

Thanks to the Microwave Chef, I now have maximized the usage of Microwave to the next level! Aloo paratha gets done in flat 7 mins, yes I have timed it of course. 

See this is how soft it turns out after being baked. Refer the Easy Aloo Paratha for this quick dish to be made.

Take the potatoes that you want to boil. Wash well and cut lightly with a knife. This is needed to ensure the potatoes don't burst out. The cuts can be a light strike through the potatoes.

For 1 medium potato I normally Micro for 4 mins. But with 4 big potatoes you can micro for total 7 - 8 minutes. Keep the potatoes on the turn top and set the timing.

Once done, the skin will shrink. You immediately place the potatoes in water for 2 mins and peel the skin. The skin peels off very easily when it is still warm. But be careful with the heat.

Potato peeling was very so easy! See how nicely it has come off.

The Baked Potato Patties were made faster this way!

The other vegetables that gets quickly boiled and saves loads of time are Drumstick and Arbi etc. These days almost all vegetables get boiled the same way.

Boiling Drumbstick for the Sambar, makes the job such a easy breezy thing!

Boiling Arbi / Colocasia is normally a tedious process as it takes a while to get boiled. But micro cooking does the job quite simple. All the Arbi dry sautes can be done so easily now.

All vegetables will have to be just immersed in water, no salt should be added while boiling. Micro for 10 mins. If you are unsure of the time, micro for 5 mins and increase gradually.

This naturally becomes an essential part of 365 days of Microwave Cooking!

Hope all of you are planning for the Potluck Party this month!, expecting you all there..

Poppy Seed Powder | Indian Basics for Cooking

Poppy Seeds or Gasa Gasalu in Telugu, "Gasa Gasa" in Tamil, "Khus Khus" in Hindi is quite a common ingredient in my Kitchen.  

Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Poppy seeds of Papaver somniferum are an important food item and the source of poppyseed oil, a healthy edible oil that has many uses. It is widely grown as an ornamental flower throughout Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. (Source: Wiki)

Apart from knowing that this is an essential part of my pantry, I never really looked deeper behind the name. So reading on Poppy Seeds gave me a heady feeling!

Growing up I have always seen Amma using that Flat Stone that we simply call as Rurbu Rai (will get the correct spelling once I speak to Dad or Hubby dear, the experts in Tanglish at home). Refer to Sandy's post to what I am talking about.

Using that stone, it is pretty easy to grind Poppy seeds to fine paste. Poppy seeds are a must in all Non Veg gravy, Veg Kurma at home. So when I no longer had this stone at home nor my Mixer jar small enough to grind me small amount of this paste, Athamma suggested I make a powder of this and store. 

This is how we make the powder at home.

Heat a pan dry. Pour the poppy seeds on to the hot pan,

Quickly with a ladle stir well so as not to burn the seeds. The moment the seeds reach the right temperature, they start crackling.  That's when you switch off the flame.

Transfer to a dry plate and allow it to cool completely.

Once it is completely cooled, take the dry roasted poppy seeds in a dry mixer jar, pulse it couple of times. If you run it, you will end up extracting oil from you. So gently pulse it, till you see the seeds blended well.

End of 3 -4 times you may have ground almost all the seeds. Unless you are using a small jar, you may not be fully powdering it. 

Again spread over a plate and dry it well. Before storing this in a jar, ensure the jar is dry and the powder is cooled down well.

This stays well for more than 10 days when refrigerated well. I haven't tested the shelf life beyond that. 

Take as much needed and put it back right away for longer shelf life. There is no need to freeze this, but it may work well too. 

Many readers have asked how I grind just what is needed for the recipe, this is the tip. I normally grind 85% of the quantity this way, small amount for using as a whole seed. All recipes in this blog that calls for poppy seed paste/powder is used by this method.

Poppy seeds have a creamy and nut like flavor, and when used with ground coconut, the seeds provide a unique and flavour-rich base for Kurmas, both Veg and Non Veg. I also use these in Pulaos etc.

Poppy Seeds add great taste to many Indian Sweets, where it is used in both powdered or/and whole form.

Since this poppy seed powder is such an essential and basic one in my kitchen, sending this to Jaya's B2B -- Back to Basics

Check out other Indian Basics for Cooking, if you are interested!

Cooked Toor Dal ~ Indian Basics for Cooking

Ok this is exactly not a mandatory item on the list for Basic ones in Indian Cooking. But I would rather think so. Though cooking toor dal in pressure cooker takes about 10 minutes, having cooked dal on hand is much more convenient. Especially when you are hard pressed to dish up something quick for yourself or for making rasam, this comes so handy.

Toor dal is like an everyday affair at home. Dal or Sambar is always on the menu and Rasam is mandatory. Indian Basics for Cooking is a series where I have tried showcase those basic ingredients or dishes that are very essential for whipping out a quick dish. And having cooked dal at hand surely falls in that category!

Toor Dal - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Turmeric a pinch
Asafetida a pinch
Oil few drops

Wash the dal well and add 3 cups of water. Add turmeric, hing and oil to the dal.

Pressure cook for 4 -5 whistles or till the lentil is cooked well. Drain the water to use in Rasam or Sambar.

Store the thick dal in an air tight container for a week.

Remove what is needed and quickly put it back. There is no need to freeze it if you want to use within a week.

Do share what other such common dishes that you make?

Check out quick ideas Sandwich fillings for your kids!

How to make Urad Dal flour ~ Basic Indian Cooking!

After a week of resting and relaxing because of kids vacation, I am all geared for welcoming my nieces and nephew. We had already planned what I should be making during their stay. And they we get to hear that my nephew has prepared a list that he wants me to prepare. Well Hubby dear was trying hard to get hold of that list. Apparently he is shielded from being privy to the secret.

Another thing that kept me busy the last few days was the unbelievable reconnection with my old school friends. The feeling that came in while talking to each of them was unbelievable nostalgic. Did you ever believe those filmy shots that run in front of the character and thought it was funny? Well let me tell you, it was exactly the same way. The incidents that happened was literally flashing in front of me. It was like I was sitting in a mirrored room and things were happening outside and I was hearing voices inside my brain. This was apart from the actual voice that I was talking to.

Thanks to my friend K, for being the instrument to this whole reunion. I hardly believe most times that I have reached this far and to know that my childhood friends have kids entering into their teens! The last two days have been a roller costar ride, walking with a gaze at the memories that came rampart! With thoughts and events that were supposed to have been forgotten came forth forward. It is not everyday that you are lashed with nostalgic feelings that are so heavy to bear and a need to meet them all to revive your childhood. A childhood of  bitter sweet thoughts that will never come back, yet you want to relive all of them all over again.

Well I know I may go on and go, before that let me share the way I grind Urad dal flour. I made this while making Muruku and yes I am planning to make some similar snacks for my little guest when they are here.

Urad Dal flour | Whole Black Gram Lentil Flour

Whole Black Gram Lentil / Urad Dal - 2 cups

We get the dried skinned Urad dal that are used for making idlis, Vadas and Murukkus and most frequently used as seasonings.

Making this at home is so convenient for you to make so many dishes.

Pick the lentil. Heat a pan, dry roast the Urad dal with a spatula.

Roast till the Urad dal starts leaving aroma that is really heavenly.

Ensure you don't burn it but keep stirring that all sides get well roasted.

Transfer to a plate and spread it for it to become cool. Then grind it to a fine powder in a mixer.

Sieve well to get a fine powder.

This flour stays fresh for couple of weeks in room temperature. If stored in freezer, it may last longer though I haven't experimented it. You may store the flour in zip lock covers and store in the freezer.

Do share if you make this flour at home and what dishes you make with it!

I have used Urad dal flour in making Butter Murukkus

For other Basics that you will help in you Indian Cooking, check out the Indian Basics for cooking