Kale Daal

 

I like to sneak in some leafy greens in our daily meals. I don't get traditional Indian leafy greens. If I am lucky, sometimes, I get fresh methi or gongura at Indian stores. So I use the American leafy greens.

Kale is very good for health but it's little chewy/rough. But in combination with chard and spinach, it tastes good. I buy this packet of deep greens troika (Kale+Spinach+Chard). It makes a delicious daal soup with rice.

Kale Daal
Daily Daal with Kale
Ingredients
3 cups Kale+Spinach+Chard - roughly chopped
3/4 cup toor daal
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of asafoetida

Roast and grind
2 tbsp. fresh coconut
1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds
4-5 byadgi chilies, or per taste
7-8 black peppercorn
1/2 tbsp. tamarind pulp

Tempering
2 tsp oil
4-5 garlic cloves, smashed

Method
1. Pressure cook daal with turmeric powder and asafetida. In a separate container, pressure cooked, roughly chopped leafy greens.

2. Roast the spices and coconut one after the other. Grind to a paste adding tamarind and adequate water.
3. Mash cooked daal and greens lightly. Pour into a saucepan. Add ground masala paste. Adjust water.
4. Bring to boil. Add salt to taste. Let it simmer.
5. In a separate saucepan, heat oil. Add garlic cloves. Fry till they are golden brown. Drizzle tempered oil along with garlic cloves over daal.
6. Cover and switch off gas.
7. Serve with your daily meal or as a soup.

Note -
1. I generally add more leafy greens compared to daal. You may decide your own proportion per personal preference.




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Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo with Patty Pan Sauté

 

Gudiya loves Italian food more than anything else. So I try to recreate her favorite restaurant dishes at home.

 

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients

2 1/2 Servings Fettuccine Noodles,

 

15 shrimp, deveined, cleaned

1 tbsp. pesto (store bought or home made)

salt and black pepper as needed

 

Tempering

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. spring onions, chopped

1/2 tbsp. garlic, minced

 

Whisk

2 tbsp. all purpose flour

1 cup milk

 

Method

1. Clean and devein shrimp. Marinate with pesto, salt and pepper

2. Cook fettuccine according to the directions. Set aside.

3. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan.

4. Add garlic and spring onion. Sauté till soft. Let it not burn.

5. Add all purpose flour and keep on stirring till it turns a shade darker.

6. Add marinated shrimp and stir fry for a minute.

7. Add milk. Keep on stirring till it reaches thick sauce consistency.

8. Add cooked pasta. Mix well till the sauce coats the pasta.

9. Serve warm.

 

Note -

1. I use my trusty pasta ladle that has circles which indicate 1, 2 or 1/2 servings. I measure my pasta before putting in the boiling water to get the exact serving size.

 

 

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Pineapple Bundt Cake

I wanted to bake a cake and was looking for a simple from the box kind of recipe. The birthday girl didn't care for too much frosting. Pineapple Poke Bundt Cake from Dole was just right. Any simple cake recipe gets elevated to another level after baking in  bundt pan.

Pineapple Bundt Cake
Recipe from Dole.com
Ingredients
1 box Yellow Cake
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Instant vanilla pudding
1 can (20oz)Crushed Pineapple, drained {Save the juice}
3/4 cup Pineapple Juice
1 tbsp. vanilla or pineapple extract

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. butter
Remaining Pineapple Juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Method
1. Preheat oven 350 F
2. Beat yellow cake mix with oil, eggs, vanilla pudding, pineapple juice & extract. Stir in crushed pineapple.
3. Grease bundt pan. Pour the batter.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes or till the inserted toothpick comes out clean.

5. Mix powdered sugar, remaining pineapple juice and vanilla extract.
6. Poke the baked and still warm cake with a skewer. Drizzle the glaze all over the cake.
7. Invert the cake on to a serving platter.

8. Let it cool down.
9. Enjoy!

Note -
1. You can also use pineapple extract instead of vanilla extract.

Recipe Credit
http://www.dole.com/Recipes/Pineapple-Poke-Bundt-Cake

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Tea infused Marbled Eggs - For Chinese New Year

 

Gudiya has several friends with Chinese heritage. So we knew way in advance that Chinese New Year was on the way. A friend also shared her delicacy - Steamed dumpling wrapped in Bamboo leaves yesterday(I have shared the picture on Twitter).

Gudiya wanted to make something special to chime in the Chinese New Year. We thought of making Marbled eggs. I took my friend's guidance and thought it can easily be done. Personally, I don't care for eggs but I love that intricate web-like pattern that gets formed on the eggs. I wanted to try it.

I didn't have any special Chinese tea at home, so I used just the regular tea that I had at home (Ahem, Wagh Bakri Chai!)

Tea Infused Marbled Eggs
Ingredients
4 eggs
Water as needed

To infuse the water
1 tbsp. Black Tea Powder
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 knob of ginger
6 black pepper corn
1/2 tsp Chinese All Spice

Method
1. Bring eggs to boil. Switch gas to low and simmer for 15 minutes to get hard-boiled eggs. Switch the gas off. Cover and let it cool down completely.

2. Take one egg out at a time. Thump it delicately on a chopping board so that all the shells look cracked. DO NOT PEEL THE SHELL.

3. Repeat step 2 for all the remaining eggs.

3. Discard water in which the eggs were boil. Take fresh water, enough to submerge the eggs completely. Do not add eggs yet. Add tea powder, soy sauce, ginger, peppercorn and Chinese All Spice. Bring to boil.

4. Now, drop the eggs carefully. Simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Switch off the gas. Cover and let it stand for 4-6 hours. Make sure that the eggs are submerged uniformly.

6. Take one egg out, and start peeling off the shell.

7. Look at that beautiful pattern on egg and also on the shell.

8. You can slice the eggs, or serve it whole - sprinkle some salt and pepper if you like.

Note -
1. You can add or omit the spices (peppercorn, all spice, ginger) per your preference. But Black Tea and Soy sauce are needed for infusion.
2. Since I didn't have any fancy Chinese Tea at home, I used "Wagh Bakri" Chai. :-D


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Magai Mukhwas

 

 

There are many recipes of "Mouth Fresheners" which are also known as Mukhwas in Gujarati. Today's recipe is called Magai Mukhwas because it contains Magai Paan. I have also given a picture of Magai Paan below. It is easily available in a container.

 

 

Magai Mukhwas

Mouth Freshener
Ingredients
1 cup Lucknow Fennel Seeds/Badishep/Variyali/Saunf
1 cup Roasted Dhana Daal
2 tbsp. white sesame seeds
2 tbsp. Magaj Tare/Magaj bee/Magaj Seeds/Watermelon seeds


7-8 Magai Paans, cut into small bite sized pieces


Method
1. Pick all the ingredients for impurities.
2. Roast Lucknow Fennel Seeds on a low flame. Pour in a flat plate.

Lucknow Fennel Seeds

 

3. Roast dhana daal on a low flame. Pour in the same plate. Spread uniformly.

Dhana Daal

 

4. Roast white sesame seeds on a low flame. Pour in the same plate. Spread uniformly.

5. Roast magaj bee/peeled watermelon seeds on a low flame. Pour in the same plate. Spread uniformly.

Magaj Tare/Magaj Bee/Watermelon Seeds

 



6. Mix all the roasted ingredients. Add Magai Paan.

Magai Paan

 

7. Let it cool down completely.
8. Store in an airtight container for after meal accompaniment.

Note -
1. Regular fennel seeds are thick. Use Lucknow Fennel seeds variety.
2. Roasted Dhana daal is readily available at most of the Indian stores.
3. If you can't find Magaj Tare/Magaj Bee, substitute with peeled pumpkin seeds.
4. Some people also add desiccated coconut in this recipe. If using, roast it separately before adding. Also note that the coconut may turn rancid soon.



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Watermelon Juice

 

I found some juicy watermelons on sale. So as usual, I got a little carried away. Later, there was a mad rush at home to use them in every possible way. Finally I came up with this simple juice that we consumed every morning till the melons were finally over!

 

Watermelon Juice

Ingredients

3 cups cut watermelons (Red part only)

1/2 cup cold water

2-3 ice cubes

1/2 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/4" ginger, peeled and chopped

 

Optional Garnish

A pinch of chaat masala

Few mint leaves

 

Method

1. Add all the ingredients in a blender. Process.

2. Serve immediately.

3. Garnish with mint leaves and chaat masala if desired.

 

Note -

1. I think, sugar is not necessary but feel free to use, if you think otherwise.

 

 

 

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Jeer-Mirya Idli

Jeera-Miri (Cumin Seeds & Black Peppercorns) make a wonderful combo and its coconut based cold curry is devoured in Konkani families called "Jeer-Mirya" Kadhi. The same combo flavors the usual idli batter  with a hint of coconut oil. The result is "Jeer-Mirya Idli".

Do serve with coconut oil for the authentic flavor. Drizzle, Drop or smear - you decide!

Jeer-Mirya Idli
Cumin Peppercorn steamed dumpling
Ingredients
1 recipe idli batter

Roast and pound coarsely
1 tsp. cumin seeds
10-12 black pepper corn

Coconut oil for greasing idli moulds

Method
1. Prepare Idli batter as described here.
2. Roast cumin seeds and black peppercorns separately. Pound them to a coarse powder.
3. Stir in the powder in the idli batter.
4. Grease the idli mould using coconut oil.
5. Prepare idli by steaming.
6. Serve hot idlies with chutney of your choice and coconut oil on side.

Note -
1. Do not powder cumin seeds/peppercorns too finely.
2. Any oil of your choice can be used for greasing, however coconut oil gives the authentic flavor.





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