Cauliflower in tomato carrot gravy

I have started cooking Cauliflower in the Bengali way. Well, in this method, break down the cauliflower into florets.Put these florets in a vessel filled with water. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric & a tsp of salt to the vessel.Bring the water containing the florets in water to a boil on a gas stove. .Put off the gas.Drain the water. The cauliflower florets are ready to be cooked.This method removes residual pesticides from cauliflower. Cauliflower is sprayed with too many pesticides. Hence, this method to make it safer for consumption.

I had boiled  cauliflower florets in salt turmeric water & kept in the morning. I was trying to prepare a gravy when the bell rang. It was the gas pipeline fellow .He said he is going to check for leakage in gas pipeline. He checked & found all to be fine. He then put off the gas supply as they were fixing the gas pipelines all over the building where I reside. I knew,that I will have to use the microwave. The gas supply was to be restored by six in the evening.I decided to use the microwave to make the sabzi.

Ingredients : 200 gm Cauliflower florets boiled in salt turmeric water , 1tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp jeera, 1 medium carrot peeled , 2 tomatoes-chopped into cubes, 1/2 tsp flax seed powder ( optional ) , 2-3 green chillies roughly chopped, 1/2 tsp grated ginger,  few curry leaves,1/4 tsp black pepper powder,  1/4 tsp garam masala powder, salt to taste.

Method : Grind the chopped green chillies, grated ginger & curry leaves into a grainy mix. Keep aside.

Grind chopped carrots & tomatoes into a fine paste. Keep aside.

Take oil in microwave able vessel & add cumin seeds to it. Microwave on high for 1 minute.Add grated chilli-ginger-curry leaves mix to the vessel.Microwave on high for a minute.Add carrot tomato paste to vessel.Remember that cualiflower florets have been boiled in salt water.Microwave on high for 2.5 minutes. Add 1/4 water & salt to taste  to vessel. Add flax seed powder to vessel. Give the mix in vessel a good stir with a spoon. Microwave again on high for another 2.5 minutes. Add cauliflower florets to vessel.Give the vessel ingredients a stir.Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Give the ingredients another good stir. Add  pepper powder & garam masala powder & give it another stir. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.Put off microwave. Let it cool.After five minutes, take out the vessel from microwave. Serve with rotis and or pulao .

As flax seed powder was added, the gravy was quite thick .So very doubtful , if this gravy can be had with plain rice in place of dal.Though with pualo, its should work out fine.

Hara chana nimona

Green garbanzo beans or hara chana are in season now. I had read about hare chane ka nimona on Sangeeta Khanna's  banaras ka khana blog.I felt, that, this nimona needed one try by me .

Ingredients : 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp  green chana, 2 medium potatoes,1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp dhania seeds, 5-6 peppercorns, 1 small bay leaf, 1 tsp grated ginger. 1-2 green chillies, 1 tbsp oil,1/2 tsp haldi, salt to taste.

Method : Pressure cook the pototoes. After they cool, peel them & cube them. Keep aside.

Grind bay leaf, peppercorns, dhania seeds, cumin seeds into a powder. Keep aside.

Make a paste of 1/tbsp green chana, chopped green chillies & grated ginger.Keep aside.

In a kadhai , take oil.Heat it. Put 1/2 tsp cumin seeds .After they crackle, add the cubed & peeled potatoes followed by green chana .Add haldi & saute all nicely.Add the ground masala powder.Fry for a minute till it gets aromatic.Add the ground paste .Fry all nicely so that masala & paste is coating the green chana & cubed potatoes.Let it fry for 3-4 minutes. Throughout the kadhai cooking, keep gas on slow mode.Add a cup of water .Add salt.Pressure cook for 1 -3 whsitles .Put off gas.

Serve hara chana  nimona with rice and rotis.

Note : This nimona turned out  watery as I added more water ( more than 1 cup, I learned after I saw that the content was watery ).I should have made paste of 1/4 cup hara chana ( & not 1 tbsp hara chana ) with ginger & green chillies .The spiciness was just fine.So , if more spice is needed, simply increase the amout of red or green chillies & pepper & ginger. Alos ,I need to have added just one boiled , peeled & cubed potato instead of two.

Red pumpkin - red lobhia curry

I have got some red lobhia or red beans at home. I have made the usual usal with that .I wanted to try something different. I had read about a pumpkin- beans curry on Saffron Trail.I googled more & came across this Kerela Erissery recipe using red beans & pumpkin. I decided to give it a try.

Ingredients : 1/2 cup peeled & diced pumpkin, 1/4 cup red lobhia beans ( soaked overnight ) , 1/4 tsp haldi, 1/4 cup fresh dessicated coconut, 1-2 green chillies, 1 tsp jeera, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1 red byadgi mirchi broken into 2-3 pieces, a few curry leaves,1 tbsp oil, salt to taste.

Method : Pressure cook the lobhia & red pumpkin by adding salt & turmeric up to 1 whistle. Keep gas on slow flame for 10 minutes. Put off gas. Keep aside.

Meanwhile, grind half the fresh desiccated coconut with green chillies & cumin seeds into a paste.

Take out the pressure cooked pumpkin -red lobhia mix into a kadhai & add this ground paste to it. Mix nicely. Bring this  mix to a boil.Put off gas.

In a non stick pan or another kadhai, heat oil.Add mustard seeds, when they crackle, add the curry leaves & byadgi mirchi pieces.Add the remaining fresh desiccated coconut & roast all ingredients in kadhai till it gets aromatic & slightly browned. Put off gas. Transfer this roasted coconut mix to the kadhai containing the pumpkin red lobhia ground paste mix. Serve this erissery with rice and or rotis.

Pumpkin raita.

This is an extremely simple dish with lovely flavours. My mom has taught me this dish.This can be replicated with carrots too. Only the seasoning will be devoid of fenugreek seeds in case of carrot raita.

Ingredients : 150-200 gm red pumpkin washed & roughly chopped ( I keep the skin on if it is clean ) , 1 green chilli ( optional ) , 1/ 2 cup yoghurt, 1red byadgi mirchi broken into bits, 4-6 fenugreek seeds ( methi dana ),  10-15 curry leaves, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp hing, 1/4 tsp haldi, 2 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Method :Pressure cook the chopped pumpkin pieces with green chilli in pressure cooker.Keep aplate which covers the rice vessel in pressure cooker. Keep the washed & chopped pumpkin pieces in the plate along with the washed green chilli. Pressure cook rice.

After the cooking is over, put off gas. Let the cooker cool.Open the cooker. Pumpkin & green chilli would be cooked.

In a bowl, take the pumpkin & green chilli. Mash with hands or with  spoon or ladle.Add salt.Mix with the mashed pumpkin & green chilli. Keep aside.

Beat the yogurt to form a smooth paste in another bowl.Keep aside.

Prepare the seasoning. Heat oil in a kadhai.Add methi seeds followed by cumin seeds. Add curry leaves & byadgi mirchi pieces. Put off gas.Add hing & haldi to the kadhai.Keep aside

Mix the beaten yoghurt with the mashed pumpkin- green chilli mix. Pour the seasoning over the pumpkin yoghurt mix. Mix seasoning nicely with pumpkin dahi mix .Serve with rotis, rice or pulao or khichdi !

The raita looks so much like a dip ,perhaps like a thick gravy .This dip can work with dal wadas or even crackers.I love the simple flavours of this dip.I am sure you will love it too !

Vegetable rich tahiri

I am an avid follower of Sangeeta Khanna on facebook. She posts her recipes & useful tips & tidbits on facebook under the caption Healthy Living with Sangeeta Khanna. Her tips, recipes & information have opened the world of food to so many like never before.....

I read about Tahiri pulao on Sangeeta Khanna's  blog. Tahiri is a mixed vegetable pulao from Uttar Pradesh. And I have been wanting to try it. She has a variety of Tahiri recipes on her banaras ka khana blog. And some days back , she had shared a mixed vegetable tahiri recipe .This is on her other food & recipe blog called healthfood desivideshi.  I tried it with some variations .Needless to add, I loved it !

Ingredients :3/4 cup rice (  used basmati tukda ) , 5-6 Cauliflower florets,1/4 cup  cauliflower stems cubed or cut into medium slices, 1/4 cup broccoli stems cut into medium slices, 1 tbsp peas,1/4 cup potato peeled & cubed ( optional ), 1/4 cup carrots cubed, 1/4 cup beans roughly chopped ( into half an inch a piece ) , 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp jeera,8 peppercorns , 2 cloves , 2-3 green chillies finely chopped, 1 inch ginger cleaned & grated, 1 tsp haldi, salt to taste.

Method : Heat ghee  a pressure pan on low flame..Add jeera.As soon as jeera turns aromatic, add the crushed pepper corns & cloves ( I crushed them in my small grinder jatr ...it can be done with pestle as well ).They will soon get fragnant. Add green chillies & ginger. Fry all nicely for aminute. Add all the vegetables except the cauliflower florets.Mix all nicely so that all spices & veggies get together. Add haldi .Mix all ingredients in pressure pan again.Add salt.Give the ingredients a stir so that salt gets mixed with all veggies.Add rice.Mix all the ingredients in pressure pan .Fry all for 2-3 minutes. Add cauliflower florets.Give the ingredients a  stir. Add water ( Added 1.5 cups water as rice was 3/4 cup ) .Stir everything for the final time. Close the pressure pan with lid.Cook for 2-3 whistles. Put off gas. After it cools. remove the whistle.After 10-15 minutes, open the lid & look at the Tahiri pulao ! It looks delicious. Serve with dahi , raita, papad, or vegetable salad or eat it just like that !

This rice was not at all spicy.So if you like it more pungent & spicy,please feel free to add more of spices ( cloves, peppercorns ) or green chillies & ginger or a combination of all as per your taste. Sangeeta Khanna has added quite a bit of spices, if you read her recipe.I use very little spices as I am used to  less spicy food.

Vegan Banana carrot cake

My relatives had come.I wanted to showcase my baking skills.And I had a  few ripe bananas as also carrots. So I thought of using bananas as also carrots to bake a cake. And I decided to use flax seed meal to make it vegan.

Ingredients : 1 3/4  cup whole wheat flour,1/4 cup maida, 1 cup fruit puree ( 3 medium ripe bananas mashed & pureed with two small carrots ) , 1 cup jaggery powder ( Patanjali brand ) ,1 tbsp flaxseed powder soaked in 4 tbsp water ( soaked  for 15 minutes ) , 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda,some chopped walnuts ( optional ) , 1/4 cup oil,1/2 tsp elaichi or cardamom powder ( optional ).

Method : Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade .

Mix all dry ingredients that is mix whole wheat flour, maida, baking powder & baking soda with a spoon or whisk many timers over .This is dry ingredient mix.Keep it aside.

Take the banAna carrot mix puree.Add jaggery powder .This will increase volume of the puree .Add oil & soaked flaxseed meal along with the soaked water.Mix all things nicely. This is the wet mix.

Make a well in the dry mix & pour the wet mix into the well.Mix the dry & wet mix. Add water. I had to add almost half a cup of water to the mix to make it into a cake batter. Mix some chopped walnuts into the cake batter.

Line a baking vessel with butter paper. Pour the cake batter into the baking vessel.Tap the vessel to get rid of air bubbles. Garnish with walnut pieces on top of cake batter. Bake in convection mode at 180 degrees centigrade for 45-50 minutes or till a toothpik inserted in cake comes out clean.

During last 10-15 minutes of baking in convection mode,put off oven.Cover top of cake with aluminium foil & then bake in convection mode for remaining 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade .This is to prevent cake top from getting burnt.

After the 50 minutes baking, I bake in microwave mode for 5 minutes.

Cool the cake for 30-45 minutes. Put it upside down on a plate.Gently remove the butter paper from the cake bottom & the sides. Straighten the cake on the plate. Cut into desired shapes & serve.

I forgot to mix in the elaichi powder in batter.So I sprinkled on top of cake batter & it got burnt.This cake turned out great. Banana was recognisable .Carrots couldn't be detected.It was soft as well.And had a gorgeous crust as well !!

Goda saaru

Goda saaru is a simple soup recipe from Karnataka.It is in fact a rasam with a twist. It does not contain any dal or lentil. It can be a good accompaniment to moong dal khicdi or rice with ghee. This is so especially, when we would like to have alight dinner & even when ware suffering from a bad throat.

The sourness in this rasam or saaru as it is called in Kannada comes from tamarind paste .I have used kokum in this recipe as kokum is a good replacement for tamarind except that it is less sour than tamarind.

Ingredients : 6-7 kokum pieces, 2-3 cups water, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1 tbsp  tsp ghee, 1-2 byadgi mirchi broken into pieces, 2-3 sprigs of curry leaves, 1/2  tsp mustard,  1/2  tsp jeera, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1/4 tsp hing, 1 tbsp gur or jaggery, salt to taste.

Method : Take a pan .Heat it. Add ghee. After it melts, add mustard.After they pop up, add jeera. followed by  byadgi mirchi & curry leaves.Add pepper powder.Add hing & haldi & mix all nicely. Add 2-3 cups water.Add kokum pieces.Add jaggery ( grate jaggery if jaggery is very hard or add by breaking jaggery into smaller pieces ).Let all come to a boil.Let it boil for 5 minutes. Add salt. Mix nicely.Let it come to one more boil so that salt has mixed nicely. Put off gas. Serve goda saaru with monng dal khicdi or plain rice with ghee. Goda saaru can be drunk just like that to give relief top sore throat.