Chicken & Chickpea Stew

I got the original recipe for this from feast from the Mideast 250 Sun-Drenched Dishes from the Lands of the Bible by Faye Levy but the recipes can be quite time consuming and containing too many steps for my liking, so I tend to modify them quite a bit. I also like to use different vegetables than what is listed, and a bit more of the spices.

Ingredients:

• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 pounds chicken, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 cups cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 green pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 3 carrots, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces

Method:

Heat oil in a stew pan and add onion, frying until golden. Add in garlic and chicken, along with some salt and pepper. Fry until chicken turns white. Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer on low until sweet potato's are tender. That's it!

I honestly give up on bloggers text sizing. Whatever I try to do, blogger will choose what size to make my text. I'm seriously thinking of switching to Wordpress but that feels like a lot of work :/ Anybody who has made the switch... does Wordpress import from blogger?

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~

Chicken w/ Yellow Split Peas (Murghi Dalcha)

This recipe is adapted from Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries... I have made a few minor changes to suit my cooking style and tastes... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow split peas
• 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate/paste, dissolved in a bit of water
• 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• about 3 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 4 fresh green chilies, stems removed
• vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 bay leaves, fresh or dried
• 2, 3-inch long cinnamon sticks
• 2 pounds chopped chicken breast
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• handful chopped, fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 12 - 15 fresh curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar or to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Method:

Wash the dal a few times in a small bowl until water runs relatively clear; add 3 cups water and bring dal to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Lower the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the split peas are partially tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tamarind water.

While the split peas are cooking, combing the onion, garlic, ginger, and green chilies in a food processor and process until minced.

Heat about 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the cumin seeds, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks and cook until they sizzle, about 10 - 15 seconds. Add the onion-chili blend and stir-fry until the onion mixture turns light brown, 3 - 5 minutes. Sprinkle in salt and turmeric.

Throw the chicken pieces in with the onion-chili paste adding the vinegar and sugar and cook until chicken turns light brown, about 2 - 4 minutes. Pour in the split peas with their cooking water and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked and desired texture is reached. Stir in cilantro.

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover skillet, and cook until the seeds have stopped popping, about 30-seconds. Remove the skillet and throw in the curry leaves. Pour this oil over the chicken curry, stir once or twice and serve.

~ "What other people think about me is not my business." - Michael J. Fox ~

Channa Masala with Masala Poori's

Here's my latest version of Channa Masala which is definitely my favorite so far...

Ingredients:

• vegetable oil, as needed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon gingerroot, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chaat masala ( I used Shan, which I love)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
• salt, to taste
• about 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
• 2 cans (about 15 ounce each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water, more as needed
  
• handful chopped fresh cilantro
• lime, for garnish

Method:

Heat oil in a large skillet and sizzle cumin seed, about 30 seconds. Add onion, gingerroot and garlic; fry until onion becomes golden brown. Add in chaat, coriander, cumin, salt, cayenne and cardamom and fry a few minuts, adding water if needed to keep from burning. Add in tomatoes, lower heat and continue frying until mixture reduces and oil separates, again adding bits of water as needed to keep from burning. Stir in garbanzo beans and water. Simmer until sauce thickens, and at this point, add in a bit more water with sugar and continued cooking again until thickened. Sprinkle with cilantro and squeeze a little lime juice over the top. Enjoy!

I also made some Masala Poori's I adapted from Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking... I don't know why, but any time I try to make masala poori's they don't puff up like the plain ones. I don't know if it is because of the addition of spices, onions and such or if it's the oil I add in to the flour mixture before adding water... Either way, they still taste great!

Ingredients for Masala Poori:

• 2 cups duram atta flour
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• about 1/3 cup warm water
• vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method:

Mix all ingredients except the 2 tablespoons of oil and water in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Rub flour mixture and oil between palms and fingers about 1 minute or until mixture looks like course bread crumbs. Stir in warm water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until dough leaves the side of bowl and forms a ball. The dough should not be sticky or dry.

Knead dough in bowl for 2 - 3 minutes or until dough becomes smooth and pliable. Brush with oil and wrap with plastic wrap. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a small deep frying pan until a drop of dough sizzles and rises to top. Divide dough into 10 equal pieces and keep covered.

Roll each piece of dough into 3 - 4 inch circle on lightly floured surface (or dip the ball in flour and keep adding bit by bit to keep from sticking.) Place the dough in hot oil and with the back of a slotted spoon, gently submerge dough in oil until it puffs up. Turn once and fry about 30 seconds until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat and enjoy!

A pic Chelsea snapped of me while making dinner.

Palak Channa: Spinach & Chickpeas

I finally purchased Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries and I've been waiting to get this book for a long time! Actually, my mom gave me the money to buy whatever I wanted for my birthday and this is what I chose :) I really love his recipes as I already have one of his other books. I decided to make this recipe for Palak Hara Chana, though I did some variations as I didn't have all of the ingredients.

Oh, and pardon the picture... I almost forgot to take one and had already started eating, so I quickly snapped a pic!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas, or 1 cup dry soaked overnight and cooked
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ajwain
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar (or jaggery, crumbled)
• salt, to taste
• 8 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped or 1 package (8 - 10 ounces) frozen spinach
• 2 teaspoons cumin/coriander powder
• 1 medium lime, juiced (or 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate)

Method:

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until seeds stop popping. Sprinkle in the cumin seeds and ajwain and cook until they sizzle and turn reddish brown, 5 to 10 seconds.

Add the onion and fry until it is light brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground chili powders and turmeric and cook without burning, about 5 to 10 seconds. Pour in 2 cups water and stir in sugar and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until half the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in the spinach and coriander/cumin powder. Cook until the spinach is warmed through and has turned olive green, about 5 minutes.

Add in cooked chickpeas and simmer over medium heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas absorb the flavors, 20 - 25 minutes. If the sauce is too thin and you prefer it thicker, mash some of the chickpeas and simmer about 5 more minutes.

Add the lime juice (or tamarind) and stir. Serve and enjoy!

He was going crazy to try this and couldn't get enough! But he won't eat the meat from McDonald's ;)

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!)

Greek Garbanzo Stew with Spinach

This recipe was adapted from the all-new Southern Living Cookbook. I made it simpler, with less ingredients, and it still tasted great!

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 - 16 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 - 14 ounce can vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons Greek Seasoning (I used Penzeys)
• 1 bunch spinach, leaves removed and washed
• a bit of crumbled Feta, for garnish

Method:

Sautee onion in hot oil, in a large sauce-pan over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, cook one minute. Stir in tomatoes and next 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Stir in spinach, cook 5 minutes. Top with crumbled Feta. I served mine along with some cous cous and pita bread.

I am sending this to Mirch Masala's & The Well-Seasoned Cook's "My legume love affair"
&
Dil Se's Healing Foods Event - Spinach

"On the subject of spinach: Divide into little piles... Rearrange again into new piles... After five or six maneuvers, sit back and say you are full" - Delia Ephron, How To Eat Like A Child

"I like refried beans. That's why I wanna try fried beans, because maybe they're just as good and we're just wasting time. You don't have to fry them again after all." - Mitch Hedberg

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 ~

Quick Kidney & Garbanzo Bean "Curry"

Lately I've been slacking completely on the grocery shopping and list making so I've done a lot of dinner improvising. Sometimes that can really make for a nice dinner... This was one such recipe, and my daughter liked it, which is a plus!

Ingredients:

• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 bunch spring onions, chopped (greens and whites separated)
  
• 1 tomato, chopped
  
• 1 lime, juiced or sliced on side
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoon coriander/cumin powder
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  

Method:

Heat oil in large skillet and fry cumin seeds and turmeric a few seconds. Add tomatoes and white parts of onion and fry until tomatoes turn very soft. Add in cayenne, coriander/cumin powder, beans and water. Cook until beans have softened a little and mash some with the back of a fork to thicken. Stir in some lime juice, garam masala and green parts of onions before serving.

~ When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone, when you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on ~

Spicy Lentil Soup with Dill and Cumin, Award & Meme

This lentil dish is from a cookbook I borrowed from the library (and ended up purchasing for myself) "feast from the Mideast - 250 Sun-Drenched Dishes from the Lands of the Bible. " This reminded me a lot of the soups my mom would make when I was a kid. I would love to try this with a vegetable or chicken based broth. I think it would really enhance the flavor nicely :)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups lentils, any kind
• 2 - 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 4 - 6 cups water (I am going to use veggie or chicken broth next time)
• 2 zucchini, diced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons snipped or chopped fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried dill (start with 1 teaspoon, taste and add more if needed... I found 2 teaspoons to be a bit much)
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• lemon wedges, for accompaniment

Method:

Rinse and drain lentils. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and saute over medium-low heat for 7 minutes, or until golden. Add garlic and cumin and saute for one minute. Add lentils, celery, carrot and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, adding more water if soup becomes too thick. Add zucchini, salt, and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes, or until lentils are very tender. Leave the soup chunky, or puree all or part of it in a blender or food processor, as you like. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding plenty of black pepper and a pinch of red pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.

Sushma, from Authentic Food Delights (and also my previous post :), has passed this award to me... Thanks Sushma!

This award has to be passed to 6 of your favorite blogs and comes with a meme, which has to be answered with one word.

1. Where is your cell phone: Table

2. Your hair: Auburn

3. Your mother: Cindy

4. Your father: Missed :(

5. Your favorite food: Many!

.6. Your dream last night: Boyfriend

7. Your favorite drink: Water

8. Your dream/goal: Success

9. What room are you in: Living

10. Your hobby: Cooking

11. Your fear: Flying

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years: Chicago

13. Where were you last night: Home

14. Something you aren’t: Fake

15. Muffins: Lemon

16. Wish list item: GPS

17. Where did you grow up: Kalamazoo

18. Last thing you did: Work

19. What are you wearing: Clothes

20. Your TV: Seinfeld

21. Your pets: Cute!

22. Your friends: Awesome!

23. Your life: Gift

24. Your mood: Anxious

25. Missing someone: Yes

26. Vehicle: Sable

27. Something you’re not wearing: Shoes

28. Your favorite store: Grocery

29. Your favorite color: Orange

30. When was the last time you laughed: Earlier

31. Last time you cried: Earlier

32. Your best friend: Sri

33. One place that I go over and over: Chicago

34. One person who emails me regularly: Sri

35. Favorite place to eat: Madras Masala (I can't make that one word ;)

As always, I pass this along to anybody who would like to do this meme and accept this award :)

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!

Khatte Channa

This recipe was adapted from Suvir Saran's indian home cooking... I made a couple changes, but kept the use of ketchup, even though I've heard many times to never use ketchup while cooking Indian food... I decided to try it anyway, and the recipe really turned out perfect! I also like the use of canned chickpeas, because these quick recipes can come in handy when I forget to soak dried beans or want something at the last minute. This is another book I got from the library, but will be purchasing for myself. There is a lot of great pictures, which I love, and It's full of recipes I want to try. So this is just one of many that I will be posting in the future.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
  
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 8 - 12 fresh curry leaves
• one large red onion, minced
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  
• 3 teaspoons mango powder (amchur)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 2 medium tomatoes, pureed
• 2 (19 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  
• heaping teaspoon garam masala
• heaping teaspoon coriander/cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 lemon, juiced
  
• cilantro, for garnish

Method:

Dissolve tamarind concentrate in 1/2 cup warm water. Heat the oil with the cumin seeds and curry leaves in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until cumin begins to brown.

Add the minced onion and salt, and cook until the onion turns uniformly golden brown in color, 10 - 15 minutes. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, one or two minutes. Add turmeric and cook, stirring one more minute. Add the mango powder, and cayenne and cook, stirring, about 15 seconds. Add the tomato puree and the tamarind water. Bring to a simmer, turn heat down to medium-low and simmer about 15 minutes.

Add all but about 1/2 cup of the chickpeas to the pan along with the garam masala, coriander/cumin powder and ketchup. Mash the remaining chickpeas to a puree with the back of a fork and add to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently about 10 more minutes. Stir once or twice during cooking. Stir in lemon juice.

Serve garnished with cilantro and enjoy!

Rekha's Kadala Curry & Award

This was my first time making Kadala Curry, or ever cooking black chickpeas at all... and I really liked them! I decided to try it after seeing Rekha's post, as the picture was too tempting! I am ready to try other dishes and recipes now. I'm also really glad I bought a pressure cooker and am getting over my fear of it exploding on me... Although trying to convert number of whistles to minutes can be a pain.

I want to thank EC from Simple Indian Food for passing on her award to me... Thanks :)

The Kreativ Blogger award comes with some rules:-
1. You must thank the person who has given you the award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on which of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated

7 things about myself..

1) I love taking classes and learning and wish I could have gone to college full time and regret not being able to do so every day.

2) I am a neat freak and have a special desk in my apt. for mail, keys, and other such junk to go... everywhere else has to stay neat and clean!

3) I let fear and apprehension control my life and It's something I've been trying to get over for some time.

4) I can be very sensitive and my feelings can get hurt very easily, but I hide it, and people think I am harsh and cold.

5) My favorite color is burned orange.

6) I really want to do yoga, because I need more flexibility, and stretching is too boring.

7) My least favorite cooking is baking, but It's the first thing I learned to do and I'm fairly good at it.

I'm not sure who has been tagged... So as is always my fashion, I am sharing this award with all my blogger friends, and anyone who would like to do this, feel free to link back to me :)


~"When women go wrong, men go right after them"~

~"It's not the men in my life that counts, It's the life in my men"~

~"Opportunity knocks for every man, but you have to give a woman a ring"~

~"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before"~

~"There are no good girls gone wrong, just bad girls found out"~

~"Women with 'pasts' interest men because men hope that history will repeat itself"~

- Mae West

A Delicious Dal Makhani!

Just wanted to share a really great recipe I tried over at Rak's Kitchen for Dal Makhani... I have tried other recipes, but this was, by far, better than any I have tried previously. A big thanks goes out to Rajeswari for sharing her friends recipe with us all :)

Tomato Rasam & Coriander Rice

Both of these recipes were adapted from Chandra Padmanabhan's Southern Spice.

Ingredients for Rasam:

• 1/4 cup pigeon peas
• 6 medium tomatoes, pureed
• 2 - 3 teaspoons rasam powder
• 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder
• salt to taste

To Temper:

• 2 teaspoons ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 dry red chili
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
• 1 sprig curry leaves

Method:

1. Wash dal and drain. Place in a pressure cooker with 1 cup water and cook under pressure for 5 minutes... ( I just cooked it on the stove top with a couple cups water until done.)
2. Open cooker, add extra water and whisk to make 2 cups of dal.
3. Combine tomato puree, rasam powder, asafoetida and salt in a pan an d simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
   
4. Add dal and bring to a boil. Lower heat, simmer until rasam froths up and remove from heat.
5. Heat ghee for tempering in a small pan over moderate heat and add remaining ingredients. When mustard seeds start sputtering, stir contents into pan of rasam.
6. Serve hot with plain rice (of course I thought it would be good with coriander rice :)

Ingredients for Coriander Rice:

• 1 cup long grain rice (I used Jasmine)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped mixed vegetables
• salt to taste

Grind to a smooth paste:

• 3 -4 green chilies
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chopped coriander leaves ( I just used a bunch)

Tempering:

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
• 1 teaspoon urad dal (I forgot to add)
• 1 teaspoon chana dal (also forgot to add)
• 1 sprig curry leaves (nope, forgot to add this too :D

Garnish:

• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 2 tablespoons halved cashew nuts

Method:

1. Cook rice and spread on a platter to cool
2. Place 1/4 cup water in a pan and bring to a boil. Add vegetables and boil till tender and dry. (I just used frozen veggies and let them thaw, I never boiled them)
3. Heat ghee for garnish in a pan over moderate heat. Add cashew nuts and fry till golden. Drain and set aside. (I just used some canned, salted nuts, so I skipped the frying)
4. Heat oil for tempering in the same pan and add remaining ingredients for tempering. When mustard seeds start to sputter, add spice paste and sautee for 1 - 2 minutes.
5. Gently mix in rice, vegetables, and salt and heat through.
6. Garnish with cashew nuts and serve hot or at room temperature.
   

Chick's & Cashews in Butter-Cream Sauce

Does anybody else ever wonder what happens to the blog that is just abandoned with no word or explanation... I keep checking back thinking I will get some kind of closure, but to no avail.

So, anyway, on to some tasty food... The other day my daughter was once again asking for Butter Chicken, but I only had a couple little chicken fingers in the freezer... So I decided to throw in a can of drained chickpeas and two handfuls of cashews along with the two strips of chicken and it turned out perfect! Nothing to miss without the chicken... And it was still packed with protein!

Lamb & Spinach with a side of Potatoes

I don't write my own recipes often, but when I have some produce that I need to use up, I find this to be my perfect opportunity to do just that. I'm really happy with these two recipes, and will surely make them both again!

For Lamb & Spinach:

Ingredients:

• about 1 pound lamb, cooked until it falls off the bones, then bones removed
• 1 bunch cilantro, cleaned
• 4 spring onions
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons coriander powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste
  
• 2 bags, 16 ounce each, frozen spinach
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 tablespoons ghee
  

Method:

1. Grind cilantro, spring onions and tomatoes in blender, adding water to get paste.
2. Heat ghee in large skillet, and fry garlic and ginger few minutes. Add coriander, cumin and cayenne powder and fry until the oil separates.
3. Add paste from blender and simmer about 20 minutes.
4. Add spinach and lamb and cook just until spinach is good and hot. Add salt and pepper as needed.
   
5. Add garam masala and serve.

For Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup moong dal
• 2 cups water
• pinch turmeric
• 3 tablespoons ghee
  
• 5 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold) peeled and chopped into about 1-inch squares
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ajwain seeds
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook dal in 2 cups water and pinch of turmeric until softened, skimming off foamy top.
2. Add potatoes and enough water to cover, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft.
   
3. In a small skillet, heat ghee and fry coriander powder, cumin powder, ajwain and cayenne pepper few minutes.
4. Add this to the potatoes, stir, and serve.
   

My New Dishes, Rasam, & Maheswari's Vendaikkai Puzhicurry

My bf went to India recently, and brought me back these dishes and also a couple of cookbooks. Needless to say, I was REALLY happy :) The middle dish contains a recipe from Maheswari's Beyond The Usual that my daughter and I REALLY loved!!! The leftmost dish contains an Onion Rasam recipe from Chandra Padmanabhan's Southern Spice, which I am going to share here :)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pigeon peas
• small marble size ball of tamarind (marble I know ;)
• 1 medium tomato, quartered
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon rasam powder
• 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder
• 2 tablespoons finely sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon dessicated coconut
• salt, to taste

To Temper:

• 2 teaspoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 dry, red chili, halved
• 1 sprig curry leaves

Method:

1. Wash dal and drain. Place in pressure cooker with 1 cup water and cook under pressure for 5 minutes.
2. Add more water to dal and strain to make 1 1/2 cups of dal water. Set aside.
3. Soak tamarind in 1 cup water for 10 minutes. Extract juice and discard pulp.
4. Combine tamarind juice, tomato, spice powders, onion, coconut, and salt in pan. Place over high heat and bring to boil.
5. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes till onion is tender and the raw aroma of tamarind disappears.
6. Add dal water and bring to boil. When rasam begins to froth, remove from heat.
7. Heat ghee for temering in a small pan over moderate heat and add remaining ingredients for tempering. When mustard seeds start sputtering, stir contents of pan into rasam.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves, and enjoy!
   

Moong Dal

I like this really simple recipe I adapted from Madhu Gadia's New Indian Home Cooking. The only thing I changed was to use moong dal in place of toor dal.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup moong dal
• 4 cups water
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• pinch of asafetida
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• cilantro, for garnish
  

Method:

1. Wash dal in 2 - 3 changes of water.
2. In heavy skillet, add the dal, water, salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender and soupy, 30 - 40 minutes.
   
3. In a small frying pan, heat the oil to near smoking point. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds and cook until cumin seeds are golden brown, a few seconds. Remove from heat and add in the coriander powder. Immediately add to the dal and stir.
   
4. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.