Back with some Sweets!

Okay... I know its been a really long time, again, since I last said "I'll be back!". So here I am, back with some stuff to show you guys. I promised to post pictures of the Diwali Sweets and Snacks etc. that my mom made while she was here with me. Well, here they are now, atleast in time for Christmas!! Haha!! :)

Take a look!

Peda

Gulab Jamun

Ras Malai

Badushah

Ashoka Halwa

Okay then!!!

Happy oggling at the snaps!!! And I'm going to be posting more stuff in sometime... Not pics though! ;)

XOXO,

Purple Poise

RECIPE: Dal Curry

Here's one more easy recipe. And its healthy, packed with proteins - the major ingredient for this is Moong Dal (the halved and yellow variety) or Mung Beans (dried, skin-removed and halved). You can make this dish any way you want, with any type of lentil. What I have here is probably the most simple form of it, ideal for students who don't really want to spend much time cooking!

SERVING SIZE: For 5 people

PREPARATION TIME: 20-30 mins. (Depends on pressure cooker cooking time)

INGREDIENTS:

• Moong Dal or Mung Beans - 1 cup (The yellow variety)
  
• Onions - 1 nos.
• Tomato - 2-3 nos. (small sized)
  
• Green Chillies - 1-2 nos. (Depends on desired spiciness)
• Oil - 7 -8 tbsp.
• Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1-2 tsp.
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp.
  
• Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) - To garnish
• Salt - to taste
• Lemon Concentrate - 2 tsp.
• Water - as needed
  

APPLIANCES NEEDED: Pressure Cooker

METHOD:

• Cook the dal in the pressure cooker for about 2 whistles, keeping 1:2 ratio of dal to water and 1/4 tsp. of turmeric powder.
• Meanwhile chop the onions and keep aside.
• 
• Chop the tomatoes and keep aside.
• 
• Pour the oil into the kadai.
• Add the jeera into the kadai and fry for sometime until the jeera is slightly darkened.
• Slit the green chillies and put them into the kadai.
• 
• Now put the chopped onions and fry until the onions turn translucent.
• 
• Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for until the tomato pieces are soft.
• 
• Now, once the dal is cooked, mash it well so that no individual lentil is seen.
• 
• Add the mashed dal to the kadai.
• 
• Mix well, adding water in small quantities to get the dal to proper consistency - it shouldn't be too thick nor too watery.
• Add salt and the lemon concentrate and stir well.
  
• Chop the coriander leaves and add that as well, and stir lightly.
• Dal curry is ready!
• 

PURPLE TIPS:

• You can use even Masoor dal for this.
• If you want to give it more flavoring, you can add some Garam Masala as well.
• Lemon concentrate gives it a slightly tangy taste. I like it that way, but it would turn out well even if you didn't add it.
• You can add some cooked, chopped spinach and that would be Dal Palak!

Try it out and let me know how it turned out.

XOXO,

Purple Poise

RECIPE: Palak Paneer

Okay, I haven't been able to post all those entries I promised last time. But I shall do them now. I have about 20 entries in drafts, waiting to be completely written and published, so don't think that I've forgotten about my blog! :)

Remember Popeye, the Sailor Man? He used to have spinach to get strength. Well, some people I know aren't quite fond of spinach. I'm not sure this recipe would be interesting for them, but maybe it could attract them because it has Paneer in it, which is a favorite for most people! Well, not exactly Paneer, its Tofu, which is much healthier than Paneer, but you wont know the difference!

But before I go ahead, let me tell you this. There are several ways of making this, actually. Right now, I'm just writing how I made it, with the form of the ingredients I got here, but I shall write the variations below in the Purple Tips Section. :)

SERVING SIZE: For 5 people

PREPARATION TIME: 20-30 mins.

INGREDIENTS:

• Main:
  
  • Spinach - 400-500 gms, Chopped (Or one box of frozen chopped spinach)
    
  • Onions - 2 nos. (small sized) or 1.5 nos. (medium sized)
    
  • Paneer/Tofu - 500 gms cube (Or one box of Tofu - preferably extra firm)
  • Green Chillies - 1-2 nos. (Depends on desired spiciness)
  • Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp. (Or ginger pieces and garlic pieces)
    
  • Oil - 7-8 tbsp.
  • Curd or Cream - 2 tsp.


• For the Masala:
  • Cardamom (Elaichi) - A small pinch (Powder) or 2 nos.
    
  • Bay Leaf - 1
    
  • Cloves - 2 nos. (small)
    
  • Cinnamon powder - A small pinch
    
  • Coriander Seeds (Dhania Seeds) - 1 tsp.
    
  • Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - 1 tsp.
    
  • Fennel Seeds (Saunf) - 1/2 tsp.
  • Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp.
    
  • Cashew Nuts - 5-8 nos.
    

APPLIANCES NEEDED: Blender, if required.

METHOD:

• Chop the green chillies.
• 
• Fry all the masala ingredients in a small amount of oil, until the smell of the masala comes out.
• 
• Blend the masala ingredients with the green chillies and keep aside.
• Cut the paneer/tofu into small pieces - either cubes or small triangular pieces, like shown below.
• 
• Fry the tofu pieces in little oil, enough to take away the excess water in them.
• Keep the tofu pieces aside.
  
• Dice the onions and cook the onions in the microwave oven for 5 mins. This will allow the onion to get fried and cooked quickly after blending.
• 
• Blend the onions to a thick paste.
• If using frozen chopped spinach, thaw the spinach for sometime and then cook it in the microwave oven for about 7-8 minutes until the ice is gone.
• 
• Blend the spinach to a paste.
  
• In the kadai, pour oil, and fry the jeera.
• Add the blended onion paste.
• 
• Heat until the paste turns slightly brown.
• Then add the blended masala, and fry for sometime.
• 
• Then add the tofu pieces to this gravy and let the tofu absorb the masala for sometime.
• 
• Then add the spinach paste and let it boil.
• Add salt to taste.
• Pour some cream or curd over it and stir well.
  
• Palak Paneer or Palak Tofu is ready!
• 

PURPLE TIPS:

• Adding green chillies is more healthier and tastier than adding red chillies. That's the reason I added green chillies.
• I usually like the spinach blended. But you can also use the spinach in the chopped form as well. It would be have more pulp.
• If you don't have the masala ingredients, or don't want to make the masala yourself, you can use garam masala instead. But I prefer making the masala on my own! :)
• You can fry the tofu to the extent you like, maybe even deep fry it. Its up to you.

Okay then, try out the recipe and let me know how it turned out.

XOXO,

Purple Poise

RECIPE: Coriander Chutney

As a student here in the US, we end up having very stereo-typical bread sandwiches - Bread and Jam, Bread and Cheese Slice, Bread and Butter, Bread and Peanut Butter, Bread and Nutella (A favorite of mine!) etc. But if you've noticed, they all are either bland or sweet. How about giving it a spicy twist?!

Yesterday, I made a bowl of Coriander Chutney. It turned out quite spicy, actually! And one nice way to have it is with bread. I usually spread the chutney over a slice of bread and place a few cucumber slices too. You can add onion rings and tomato slices as well. It tastes even better when you spread butter on the other slice of bread. Its a quick recipe, and you can use it to accompany your dosas, idlis, upmas, vadas, etc. as well.

SERVING SIZE: About a medium sized bowl

PREPARATION TIME: 5-7 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• Coriander leaves/Cilantro - A bunch (Comes to about 2 bowls)
• Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp.
  
• Ginger/Ginger Powder/Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
  
• Green Chillies - 1/2 nos.
  
• Peanuts - 7-8 nos.
• Water - as required
  
• Salt - to taste
• Sugar - A small pinch.
  

APPLIANCES NEEDED: Blender

METHOD:

• Wash the coriander leaves well and cut out the stems and discard them.
• Blend all the ingredients together, except the salt and sugar, by adding little amounts of water to get the normal consistency of chutneys.
  
• Pour out the chutney into a bowl and add salt to taste.
• Add a small pinch of sugar as well, to get a better taste.

PURPLE TIPS:

• Add chillies according to the desired spiciness.
• You can also add Pudhina/Mint leaves to give a minty flavor.
• You can fry some mustard seeds in oil and pour into the chutney.
• You can have this chutney with idli, dosa, uthappam, upma, pongal, vada, chappathi, dhokla etc.

Keep this chutney handy in your fridge, so someday if you're too tired to cook something, you can just spread it over bread and have.

Let me know how it turned out!

XOXO,

Purple Poise

RECIPE: Shrikhand

After looking at the simple recipes I've been posting, you must be thinking that I know nothing but simple recipes, that every Tom, Dick and Harry can make, right? Well, I'm going to prove you wrong by this recipe here.

Shrikhand has always been my favorite dish, since I was a kid. My mom used to make it quite often, and I would never tire of it. It is a Gujarati dish, and is also a part of Maharashtrian cuisine. We usually have it with pooris or just chappathis, but you can have it just like that too. Its really delicious, and if you're a yogurt lover, you are bound to go ga-ga shrikhand, the way I do!

Note: I made shrikhand with the curd that I make at home from milk. I'm posting the recipe just from the curd part.

SERVING SIZE: About a medium-sized bowl (250 g. or 8.8 oz)

PREPARATION TIME: 2 days (to prepare the butter for it), 10 mins. to mix actual ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

• Yogurt or curd - 1 quart
• Sugar - 8-10 tbsp. preferably icing sugar (Depends on sweetness preferred.)
• Sliced Pistachios - 2 tbsp. (unflavored)
• Cardamom Powder (Elaichi Powder) - A small pinch
• Saffron Strings (Kesar) - Half tsp.

APPLIANCES NEEDED: Blender, if required.

EXTRAS NEEDED: A thin cloth big enough to hold the curd, preferably a muslin cloth. I used a towel (thortham or thundu) because I don't have a muslin cloth with me!

METHOD:

• Spread the cloth in a large open vessel.
• Pour the thick curd onto the cloth.
• Tie the ends of the cloth to make a small pouch that holds the curd in it.
• Suspend the pouch from a nail or hook or wherever you can hang it.
• Place a vessel under the pouch, to collect the water that is strained from the curd.
• Leave the pouch suspended for an entire day and a half, until almost all the water has been drained off.
• Then, place the pouch on a vessel with holes and place something heavy, like a pressure cooker over the pouch; the idea is to drain the last few drops of water in the curd. Leave it this way for about 2-3 hours.
• Untie the pouch and the curd would have left back the butter.
• Put the butter on a a bowl. Scrape the cloth to get all the butter. It would look like in the picture below.

• 

• If the sugar is granular, grind it in the blender to make it fine and powdery. Grind the sugar with the cardamom powder to get the flavor of cardamom even.

• 

• Add the ground sugar and cardamom powder to the butter.

• 

• Mix well.

• 

• You will notice that the butter that was hard gradually becomes soft and creamy.

• 

• Add the pistachios.

• 

• Mix thoroughly.

• 

• Add the saffron strands and mix well again.

• 

• The saffron strings will impart a beautiful "poised" yellowish color after sometime, and mix again nicely, to spread the yellow color uniformly.

• 

• Shrikhand ready!
• 

PURPLE TIPS:

• You can add mango pulp to make it Amrakhand.
• Adding slivered almonds too will make it nice and nutty!
• You can add other fruit syrups too, like apple, or strawberry etc. to get a different flavor. Even tiny fruit pieces might be a good idea.
• Along with the cardamom powder you can add more spices like nutmeg powder or even a dash of cinnamon powder.
• Making it from home-made curd is much better than making it from the curd you buy here, because it is usually mixed with cornstarch and gelatin, and may not be a healthy as the one made at home.

Do the pictures tempt you? Maybe you can try it yourself someday, and give yourself a good treat for studying hard! ;)

Now let me go and enjoy my shrikhand!

XOXO,

Purple Poise.

RECIPE: Grilled Quickies - Grilled Bread Sandwiches

I'm sure you guys must be bored with the breakfast we have as students in the US. The same old boring cereals, oatmeal, bread and peanut butter, pancakes, waffles... Aargh! The same sweet taste! No salty or spicy flavor! :( Back in India, mom used to make idlis, dosas, upmas etc. I totally miss the Indian taste in breakfast. How about making something really simple, that still gives us an Indian taste? Here's what I made yesterday morning.

Grilled Bread Sandwiches - I prefer to call them Grilled Quickies! :) Hmm... two bread recipes in a row? Well, you might think I'm trying to get rid of my loaf of bread! Well, yeah, that's kind of right, its expiring tomorrow, so I better use it up! And plus, I needn't put much effort to make these. So here goes.

SERVING SIZE: 2 Sandwiches

PREPARATION TIME: 3-5 Minutes

GRILLING TIME: 5 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• Bread - 4 Slices (white or brown)
• Tomato - 1 nos. (small)
• Onion - 1 nos. (small)
• Grated Mozzarella Cheese - 2 tbsp.

APPLIANCES NEEDED: Sandwich Griller

METHOD:

• Wash and chop the onion and tomato finely.

• 

• Place the two bread slices on each section of the griller.

• 

• Add the chopped onion and tomato over the bread slices and sprinkle some cheese over it.

• 

• Place the other two bread slices like a sandwich.

• 

• Close the griller, plug it in to an electric point, and let it grill the sandwiches for sometime - approximately 5 minutes.
• Take out the grilled sandwiches after they become as brown as you desire them to be.
• Now you can have your grilled quickies with some ketchup!

• 

PURPLE TIPS:

• You can add some more veggies like capsicum, carrots, cabbage etc.
• You can add some grated paneer or tofu too.
• If you're in a hurry, you can just put cheese alone.
  
• Add some salt, pepper, chili powder, green chillies, or any other seasoning to get better taste.
  
• You can stuff in anything you want, including last night's dinner curry that was left over!
• One very delicious stuffing I often make - Mashed boiled potatoes with chopped onions and green chillies and some salt to taste. You can use frozen hash brown instead to save time boiling the potatoes, peeling and mashing them.
• Have a sweet tooth? Here's a sweet alternate - some jam or honey inside; or even better and healthier, some raisins and dates(with their seeds removed).
  

Sounds easy and quick right? Try it out and let me know if you come up with more ideas for the inside stuffing!

XOXO,

Purple Poise.

RECIPE: Bread Upma

On Monday, I was about to have my evening snack, when I thought, why not take snaps and post it up along with the recipes! I made Bread Upma and some strawberry milkshake! I know that's a really weird combination, but hey, its something to eat! And leading a student's life in US means, eat whatever you can! Hehe! I've updated the Pink Quickie recipe with snaps, so don't forget to check that out!

Here's the recipe for Bread Upma. That's a quick and healthy recipe too. Psst... if you have got a loaf of bread, about to expire soon, and are bored of peanut butter sandwiches, you can just make this - it will give you the authentic Indian masala taste and you can finish off you bread too!

SERVING SIZE: 2 Plates

PREPARATION TIME: 5-10 Minutes (Depends on how long you take to cut veggies!)

COOKING TIME: 10-15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• Bread - 8 slices (white or brown)
• Tomatoes - 3 nos. (small) or 1.5-2 nos. (medium)
  
• Onions - 2 nos. (small) or 1 (medium to large)
  
• Green Chillies - 1-2 nos. (depends on how spicy you want it)
• Oil - 3 tbsp.
• Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - 2 tbsp.
• Salt - 1 tsp.

METHOD:

• Wash and chop the onions and tomatoes finely.
• Wash and slit the chillies.
• Cut the bread into small cubes, as shown.

• 

• Heat oil in a non-stick vessel; maybe a "Kadai".
• Add the cumin seeds to the oil and heat until the seeds turn golden brown.
• Add the slit chillies to the vessel.
• Add the chopped onions and saute until they turn translucent, as shown below.

• 

• Add the chopped tomatoes and saute for sometime.

• 

• Add the bread cubes.

• 

• Saute until the bread is fried to some extent; as shown below.

• 

• Add salt and mix well.

• 

• Bread Upma Ready!

• 

PURPLE TIPS:

• You can add capsicum or more of your favorite vegetables - it would make it healthier and tastier.
• Adding some ketchup would give a more tangy taste.
• You could even add a few drops of Soy Sauce to give a Chinese touch.
• If you want the bread pieces to be crisp, you can toast the pieces separately, and then add them to the kadai.

Try this recipe sometime when you can, and let me know how it turned out. And please do suggest your own ideas! And stay tuned for more recipes.

Until then,

XOXO,

Purple Poise.