Anu's Adraki "Aloo" Palak

Of course, I knew before I made this Adraki Aloo Palak that it was going to turn out perfect, I consider Mriganayani a no-fail recipe source :)

The only changes I made was to use turnips instead of potatoes and I simply fried them with the onions and ginger until softened.

I added the spinach mixture and as usual to my style, I added about 1/2 tsp. sugar at the end. It was sooooooo good, really easy and everybody loved it :)

~"Told my family I never want to live in a vegetative state dependant on machines & fluids. They unplugged my computer & poured out all my coffee."~

Bell Pepper Masoor Dal w/ Bhel Puri Supreme

This is an easy and super delicious dal that we enjoyed for two days in a row... The recipes is adapted from Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries. I tend to change the methods a bit.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup masoor dal, washed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 - 4 fresh, green chilies, stems removed and thinly sliced
• 1 medium tomato, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• handful cilantro leaves, chopped

Method:

Put washed dal along with 3 cups water in medium saucepan and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat. Skim off and discard any foam that forms on the surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the dal is tender.

While dal is cooking, heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat and add bell pepper and chilies and fry until bell pepper begins to brown , about 10 - 12 minutes. Stir in the tomato, salt and turmeric and scrape the bottom of skillet to deglaze it. Pour in 2 cups water and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato is softened and turnes slightly pulpy, 5 - 8 minutes.

Once the dal is tender, poor the bell pepper sauce into the pan. Raise the heat to medium and continue to simmer the dal, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the flavors mingle and the sauce thickens slightly, 5 - 8 minutes.

Stir in cilantro and serve!

I followed the previous tried recipe for Bhel Puri I found here but instead of peanuts I used cashews and walnuts, I added cucumber, grated carrots, and a few other things that I forgot because I didn't write it down, grrrr... but the point is, this stuff is awesome simple or "supreme!"

~"Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is!" - Benjamin Franklin~

Zaiqa's Baghare Baingan & Sri's Cabbage Fry

I have a new favorite recipe for Baghare Baingan from Zaiqa... She had suggested I try it awhile ago and I'm more than happy I finally did! There were some perfect baby eggplants in the market, which is usually hard for me to find. Along with the baingan, Sri made his Cabbage Fry and it was awesome! Here's how he did it, without measurements, of course :)

For Cabbage Fry:

• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
• vegetable oil
• mustard seeds
• turmeric powder
• chili powder
• salt
• onions, quite a bit, chopped
  
• frozen peas

Put the cut up cabbage on a plate and sprinkle with a bit of water and microwave for 3 -4 minutes. Heat oil in a large frying pan and throw in some mustard seeds, turmeric powder, chili powder and salt, wait for seeds to pop. Add onions and fry until onions caramelize. Add cabbage, little by little, and combine. Cook with a lid, stirring often, until cabbage starts to char. Add in some frozen peas and cook a few more minutes until peas are hot.

Pav Bhaji

I followed Sailu's procedure for making this Pav Bhaji and it was excellent! Unfortunately, I didn't have any beetroot and I imagine that's what gave Sailu's It's deep color. I will make sure to pick some up for the next time I try this. I used some store bought potato rolls for the Pav's... makes it simple :P Thanks, Sailu, for sharing :)

Oh, and thank you Mom for the hand blender which made making this oh so simple!!!

~"You know me, if there's one thing I like more than a refreshing beverage It's serotonin" - Sheldon (Big Bang Theory) ~

Bagara Baingan - Thank Goodness for Farmer's Markets!

I've been waiting all winter to get my hands on some good, baby eggplants... and I finally succeeded! One of the vendors at the local farmers market always has good, baby eggplants and I wait all winter so I can make Bagara Baingan. This time I tried Collaborative Curry's ... Do try it, It's a good one :)

~ "Science and law can both help us forecast the consequences of our actions, but neither can tell us how we ought to act in a moral sense" - Dalai Lama ~

~ "You know me, if there's one thing I like more than a refreshing beverage, It's Serotonin" - Sheldon (Big Bang Theory) ~

Uma's Capsicum Besan Curry

I really didn't expect when I bookmarked Uma's Capsicum Besan Curry to go so crazy for it, but this is one of the best recipes I have ever tried, EVER! The taste completely belied the simplicity of this recipe! It is a must try for sure and something I will go back to on a regular basis! Thanks, Uma for sharing :)

Garlic Eggplant & Honey Glazed Chilli Potatoes

I am so excited... Saturday was the opening day for the farmer's market here in Kalamazoo and it was super busy, the weather was great and the day was perfect! I think that alone will get me excited to cook again :)

Here's a recipe I cooked up for Garlic Eggplant after having it in a restaurant and wanting to recreate the taste... It turned out as good as I was hoping for!

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, sliced in half, sliced again, and cut into half moons
• 1 onion, halved and chopped into big pieces
• 1 green pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
• couple tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Method:

Put cornstarch in a bowl and add soy sauce. Whisk until smooth, then add the sugar, vinegar and garlic... set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet and fry onion and green pepper for a very short time, making sure they are still crisp. Add in eggplant with 1/2 cup water, cover, and steam the eggplant for about 5 minutes, making sure the eggplant doesn't stick to the pan. When eggplant is soft, add in sauce and white pepper powder and and cook until sauce is hot. Enjoy!

I served this along with Authentic Food Delights Honey Chilli Potatoes which were excellent :) I didn't have any green onions so I used a regular onion, which was fine... but next time I'll use green onions :)

Preety's Channa Masala

Nope, I don't have my groove back :( but I still had to cook... So I made Preety's Channa Masala and decided to share it here because we all really liked it!

~ "There is no such thing as a man in shining armour now days its more like a prick wrapped in clingfilm!!!" - Unknown ~

Kala Chana, Bhel Puri, New Cookbooks & Your Potluck Ideas

Pj's Kala Chana

Bhel Puri with Avocado, YUM!

I need a good potluck dish... Any ideas? Cold is best but something that can stay warm in a crockpot for quite a while would work, too. Any cuisine, meat or vegetable... I just want some good recipes and ideas!

Jaden's Steamy Kitchen Cookbook (Wow, please grab this... It's full of pictures, info, and amazing recipes!) & Nicole's Baking Bites Cookbook (Makes me actually wanna bake!)

Cooking At Moms: Vegetable Biryani, Butter Chicken & Raita

This time around, I made a much simpler lunch/dinner at mom's. I tried out Aartee's One Pot Biryani which turned out to be almost too easy for how good it was! I didn't use chicken, instead I used some mixed, frozen veggies. I also made Butter Chicken and Raita, which consisted of a bunch of spring onions, loads of cilantro, some mint, salt, sugar and black pepper. I also had some pita breads on hand, because I feel you can't eat Butter Chicken without some sort of bread.

I also tried Bong Mom's Condensed Milk Pound Cake with Chocolate Swirls. I mixed the chocolate swirls with some condensed milk that was leftover in the can and although my cake seemed to sink in the middle, it turned into a dense, pudding consistency and the taste was amazing. We couldn't stop eating it!

Later that day, Chelsea was found eating the left over remnants of butter chicken with cold, hardened bread... She really can't get enough of her favorite Butter Chicken :)



~ Any housewife, no matter how large her family, can always get some time to be alone by doing the dishes ~

~ To be content with little is difficult, to be content with much, impossible ~

~ Life lived to satisfy yourself never satisfies anybody ~

Cooking at Moms: Rajma, Navratan Korma, Jeera Ajwain Pulao, Channa Chaat

While cooking, my cousin says to me "I don't smell curry" ... Even I get overwhelmed sometimes trying to explain this misconception to people. Thankfully, I made him read the "about" page over at Beyond Curries. "Where's the curry powder" ... Damn it, there is no curry powder! And if there was, you'd be sorry I used it! And be happy it doesn't smell like the local Indian restaurant, cuz their food isn't that great anyway! I get such skeptical looks from people trying to explain this. Ok, on to what I made...

Jeera Ajwain Pulao (Simple, just some Cumin and Ajwain seeds fried up in some oil and then cooked with some Basmati rice.)

Naan (Yeah, I used frozen... I was lazy, it was good :)

Rajma (Made using Rajma, Butter Beans & Black Eyed Peas)

Navratan Korma

Samosa's (Frozen again!)

Tamarind Chutney

Sooji Halwa

Channa Chaat (My newest recipe created after combining and changing a few other recipes) ... And check out the health benefits of consuming Chickpeas!

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and boiled, then chopped
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons chaat masala
• 1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon cilantro chutney
• 1/2 cup tamarind chutney
• 3 tablespoons pani puri concentrate
• salt, to taste
• cilantro & sev to garnish

In a large bowl combine chickpeas, potatoes, green chili, onion, lemon juice, garam masala, cayenne, chaat masala and dried mint. Add cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney, pani puri concentrate and salt. Garnish with cilantro and sev and serve :)

One thing I found that helped a lot was to have most of the prep work done before heading to my moms. Everything was pre-measured. The rajma was already pressure cooked. The rice was completely done. I had the vegetables for the korma washed and cut up. I had everything that had to be ground already done and all the spices pre-measured. This made it much easier when I got to my moms to simply cook everything without any prep work or measuring. There was very little mess to clean up and I had more time to relax.


~ " Peter knows how far he can go before I knock him to Kingdom come, and that's just my husband Mrs. Shah" - Annie, East Is East ~
~ "... They may be half-bred but at least they're not friggin' inbred like them two monstrosities... Who the frig do you think you are, coming in here telling me my house isn't good enough for your daughters... Well your daughters aren't good enough for my sons, or my house and if I hear another word against my family I will stick that fanny over your bastard head!" - Ella, East Is East ~

Archana's Coconut Chutney

I had to share this great Coconut Chutney recipe I tried... because I didn't have a proper grinder, it didn't come out thin and smooth, but it tasted perfect... as I was told ;) Someday I will try making all these chutneys, idli's, dosa's and such with a REAL grinder!

Thank you Devi, Renuka & Sanjana for the awards :) The rules of the happy 101 award state that the person receiving the award must state ten honest facts about themselves... Which I promise to do very soon :P I pass these along to all my blogger friends!

Honey Chilli Chicken & Gobi Manchurian (Dry)

Happy Cook's Honey Chilli Chicken

Renuka's Gobi (Cauliflower) Manchurian Dry

Here's a couple recipes that will make sure you don't miss that Chinese take-out! Cook this at home and you will be surprised how easy it is to get the same flavors as your favorite restaurant. Thanks Renuka & Happy Cook :)

♥ This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes. It's a universal truth. But the good part is, you get to decide how you're gonna mess it up. - Marilyn Monroe ♥

Cabbage Pakora's & Tamarind Chutney

This pakora recipe is from Beyond Curries... I didn't use the cumin seeds or ginger, but next time I want to try this with the ajwain seeds (they are a favorite of mine!) They were really easy to make and my daughter loved them! I paired them up with a new recipe I tried for Tamarind Chutney on Manjula's page... This was really easy to make and is the best recipe I've tried so far... I didn't use the ginger powder as I didn't have any, so I replaced it with chaat masala. Try and enjoy :)

Chicken Potato Curry & Navratan Korma

I have a chicken curry recipe written down on a scrap piece of paper and I didn't happen to write down WHERE I got the recipe from (this was before delicious.) I am almost positive It's one of my fellow bloggers, so if this recipe seems similar to one of yours, let me know so I can give you the credit! I did make a couple very small changes... I added a little green pepper, I omitted garlic and I added a tomato and some fresh curry leaf powder. I also used homemade ghee in place of oil. Anyway, let me know who you are so I can link this recipe to you :)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, cubed (I used a few chicken thighs)
• 2 - 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 large onions, halved and sliced
• 1 tomato, chopped
  
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped small
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• water
• 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons cumin/coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 long stick cinnamon
  
• 7 curry leaves along with a heaping tablespoon curry leaf powder
• ghee, as needed

Method:

Heat ghee and add cumin seeds, curry leaves, and curry leaf powder. Add ginger, green chili, and cinnamon stick. Add onion and green pepper and fry until onion is golden. Add cayenne, turmeric and coriander/cumin powders and fry until they give out oil. Add chicken and tomato. Fry until white. Add about 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add yogurt and return to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender and desired consistency. Add fenugreek and garam masala and cook a few minutes more.

I also wanted to share this quick, and very easy recipe for Navratan Korma... I have been wanting to try this for a long time and finally found an easy recipe to start with. It turned out better than I expected, especially for how easy it was and the few ingredients. I didn't use any capsicum, I used a bit more potatoes and I did a mix of cauliflower and broccoli. It's a definite keeper and a must try!

Pad Thai, Fried Rice & Dates Pickle

I got the inspiration to make some Pad Thai & Fried Rice after seeing Mriganayani's post. I basically followed her recipe, but I couldn't figure out why my rice turned out so white! I didn't have baby corns for the Pad Thai, so I omitted. I used Mae Ploy Pad Thai Sauce... It's so easy to make that way :) It's funny, my daughter picked up a piece of fried tofu and asked what it was. I knew if I told her it was tofu she wouldn't even touch it again, so I told her it was "Chinese chicken." =)) She bought it and ate it up!

I didn't have this with the Pad Thai, of course, but I thought I'd share it because it was a really nice, quick and tasty pickle. The recipe is from Spicy Chilly and is so sweet and spicy! I really enjoyed it... I decided next time I would reduce the oil just a bit and cut the dates into smaller pieces. I might even add an extra green chili :P

~ If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember... You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think, but the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you - Winnie the Poo ~

Mriganayani's Bhel Puri & Award

Here I am sharing a recipe for Bhel Puri I found on Mriganayani which I made with the previously tried recipe for Tomato Rice and Raita. I always loved getting Bhel Puri in the restaurants but now I will make it more often right at home because it was so easy and tasted just as good.

And I wanted to thank Rohini (Curries and Spices) for sharing her Yummylicious Food Blog award with me... I'd like to pass this to all my fellow food bloggers :)

~ "... the mistake of assuming that 'absence of evidence' of a scientific nature is 'evidence of absence' - Huston Smith ~

~ "God is defined by Jesus but not confined to Jesus" - Huston Smith ~

Mriganayani's Spicy Tomato Rice & Raitha... and award :)

Here's an easy and delicious tomato rice recipe from Mriganayani ... but the best part, I found, was the raita! Both recipes are keepers :)

And a big thanks to Suma for passing along the Diamond Friends Award :) I am passing this along to all the bloggers who are so supportive of me and my blog and who take time to leave the comments that really make my day!

Sushma's Dhaba style Chicken Tikka Masala

Here's a nice recipe I found over at Sushma's Authentic Food Delights. I am a sucker for chicken curry's of all sorts, as chicken is inexpensive, It's extremely versatile, and some so-called vegetarians will eat it ;) Thanks, Sushma for sharing!

~ I`m selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle, but if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best - Marilyn Monroe ~

Tadka Dal Fry & Award

Here's another awesome recipe from Show me the Curry... It turned out really good, and even though it has a long list of ingredients, It's well worth it.

Now, I want to thank Shabs from Shab's Cuisine for passing me this award. Requirements of the award:-
I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link it .
I must list 10 honest things about myself .
I must put a copy of Honest Scrap logo on my blog .
I must select atleast 7 other worthy bloggers and list their links.
I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above three requirements also.

~ 10 honest things about myself ~

1. I'm a very moody person and I can be pretty grouchy and ornery at times.
2. Because of this, people fail to realize that I am actually very sensitive.
3. I am addicted to Farmville on Facebook.
4. I always wanted to be able to sing, but I have a terrible voice.
   
5. I am terrible at math, I mean, REALLY terrible!
6. I always wanted to be able to draw, but that is something else I am no good at.
7. I have attempted to crochet about five or so afghans and have never finished one.
   
8. I love house plants.
9. I don't have any tattoos and don't particularly like them on others.
10. I have a hard time coming up with 10 things about myself :D

I am never sure of who to tag, or who has been tagged because by the time I get around to posting an award and tag, everyone else has done it by then :D So, as is my style, I am tagging whoever would like to do this :)

Thanks again, Shabs!