Aloo Gobi

One of the most sought after Punjabi side dish of all times is Aloo Gobi. It uses 2 of the most humble veggies in your kitchen and yet produces the favourable, aromatic and scrumptious tasting dishes. Just talking about and looking at the pictures I took while it was cooking is enough to get me drooling!

Ingredient

2 medium Potatoes sliced to 1/4" thickness
1 medium Califlower chopped into small flowerets with long stem
2 chilies slit in the middle
1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida
1 teaspoon fennell powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
1 tablespon Kasoori methi crushed (optional)
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish

3 tablespoon cooking oil
Method

Heat a wok or a wide mouted pan and add oil. When the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium add asafoetida and cumin seeds, when the seeds spluter, add the chilies and all the powders and salt except garam masala powder and kasoori methi. Mix it well into the oil and allow cooking for 20-30 seconds. Then add the chopped potatoes and califlower and mix it well into the masala oil. When all the potato pieces and califlower is coated, cover the wok with a lid and allow it cook in the steam on medium heat for 15 minutes. Give the veggies a quick toss every 3-4 minutes for even cooking. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning to taste. Half way through the 15min, add Kasoori methi and garam masala powder and give it a good toss.
I like the veggies to not get soggy and wilted and like a crisp bit to the califlower.

Garnish with cilantro and serve it with Roti or rice.

Zucchini Soup

Warming up with a bowl of hot steaming soup is just the recipe for the winter days ahead.. I tried something new this week. Zucchini Soup!!
I was so surprised when my husband came home with 2 feet long zucchini last week. Apparently someone at work had brought in their garden produce to share so we had more than our share of zuchhini with just one fruit. Well, what would you do with that much zucchini and who has time to bake bread.

Ingredients

4 medium size zucchini chopped

2 medium size potato peeled and chopped

3 garlic cloves chopped

1/2 onion sliced

3 Serrano chilies (more if you like the heat)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 teaspoon cumin seeds or powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano (dried)

1/2 teaspoon thyme (dried)

2 tablespoon olive oil or any cooking oil

1 cup whole milk

4 cups water or stock (chicken or vegetable)

salt to taste

Method

Place a stock pot or a deep sauce pan on the stove and the oil. put the chilies and garlic in oil and let the flavor infuse the oil. Then add the onions, chopped zucchini and chopped potatoes to the pan. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the spices (cumin, oregano, thyme) and salt and saute until the veggies appear fully cooked and slightly mushy. Turn down the heat. Blend the mix using a immersion  blender or food processor and transfer it back to the pot. Turn the heat back up to medium and add the stock or water to the pot and let it come to a slow boil. Then add the milk and black pepper powder and stir well. Simmer the soup for few more minutes, have a taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.

If the soup is too thick, then thin it out by adding more stock or water. Enjoy with a side a warm garlic toast or bread sticks. Yum Yum!!

The story of my vegetable garden - Year 2011

I was some what afraid to get started on my vegetable garden this year (2011). I have never ever planted anything in the soil and have shamelessly killed several beautiful flowering plants in the past. So with hesitation and self doubt I modestly purchased 1 tomato plant, 1 bell pepper plant, 4 tiny seedling of cayenne peppers and one Japanese eggplant plant. It was just a few dollars and I assured myself that if I failed it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Oh..let me also say that I also purchased few packets of seeds for the same to try my hand at growing the seedlings myself. This ended up in tragedy...( insert a heavy sigh here) a story for another time.

I planted my vegetable plants late in April, it thrived moderately in the month of May and I was really hoping see some flowers in June and sure enough the little girls bloomed and peaked at me early in June. I was dreaming of fresh tomatoes and fresh peppers to cook and devour, if not every day, at least every week.

Then the vegetable Gods got angry and rained down hails at my garden. I ma not kidding..look at the size of the hail.

and soon the backyard was littered with hail

This partially killed my tomato plant and the pepper plants took a good beating too; they lost all the leaves and flowers. The japanese eggplant was almost a goner. It was a sad day!!!
I had given up hope for my feeble plants but continued to water them everyday in hopes that they would revive.....and they were back to full life and bloom in 10 days. I started to hope again but darned if it didn't happen again!! We had another bout of hail. This time it came down with a vengeance. I lost several green unripened tomatoes, all leaves and flowers in my pepper plants. And the eggplant plant which had 3 flowers just curled up and died. RIP!!!

I was not going to give up. My mom and dad are avid garderners and they were horrified at the damage and they too devled head first in reviving the garden again. It is September now and we have had several helping of fresh tomatoes, cayenne and bell peppers from my garden. I can finally call this year's garden project a SUCCESS

Lone tomato ready to be plucked

                                                                          Cayenne chilies ready to ripe

Fresh organic produce from my garden.

Kuska (a.k.a. Ghee rice)

This is a popular south Indian rice dish and almost every household makes is differently.  I learnt how to do this from my MIL. It is one of my husbands favorites and he wouldn't stop until I learnt to cook this ‘just like mom used to make’ (insert rolling eyes here). This goes famously with kurma. Try it out…you will know what I mean.

Ingredients

3 cups Basmati rice
1 – 16oz can of lite coconut milk
1/2 cup cashews and /or almonds
2 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste
2 green chilies
1” – cinnamon, 3 – cardamom, 3 – cloves, 1 small bay leave ( whole spices)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 cup chopped cilantro and mint
1  tablespoon Ghee
2 tablespoon cooking oil or butter
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions (optional)
Salt to taste
4 cups of Water

Method

Wash and soak  the rice in enough water for at least 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot or pan that has a tight lid. When the oil is hot add the whole spices and fry them for 30 seconds. If using onions add them now along with the slit green chilies and saute until golden brown and the add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry together for 2 minutes. Then add garam masala, salt and the chopped cilantro & mint. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes.
Mix water and coconut milk together ( all together 6 cups of liquid) and pour that into the pot. Bring it to a boil. Strain the soaking rice and add it to the pot. Mix well and reduce heat to medium. Cook rice in the liquid uncovered until you only see bubbles of liquid on top( 90% of water should have absorbed).

In the meantime, shallow fry the nuts in ghee separately and add it to the top of the rice and then close the pan with a lid. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes. Then switch off the flame and let the rice rest and finish cooking in the steam ( do not open the lid yet!)

After letting the rice rest for 15 minutes, open the lid and slowly mix the rice with the fork or the back end of a serving spoon. Serve hot with kurma.