Lotus Stem for vegetarians

Until a month ago, I never knew Lotus Stem / root is been used to make many cuisines. Our village have a large Lotus Pond, which is dried due to summer. Men who work there dig out the stems and bring home. Many use to scrape the top and eat raw as it is. It has plenty of water content. Many women cooked like regular under ground stem in south Indian style. It tastes amazing, I witnessed it after I tried it out at our home. Unfortunately I did not take the picture of the stem. 5 - 6 Stems of around 10 cm length, serves 2 person. You can try this with your own masalas or as a supporting ingredient for other cuisines be it vegetable or meat. If this is your first time try this recipe out, this will give and understanding for you about cooking time, taste and with what you want to try out next. Its easy and simple, tastes good.

Ingredients:

1. Lotus Stems - 5/6 (Chopped)
2. Onion small - 1 
3. Ginger - 1 inch piece
4. Garlic - 8 - 10 pods
5. Green chili - 5 - 6 or as taste
6. Jeera - 1 tbl spn
7. Turmeric - 1/4 tbl spn
8. Salt as per taste
9. Coriander leaves - a bunch - finely chopped
10. Oil - 2 tbl spn

Preparation:

1. Wash and scrape off the top if you are using the fresh ones from ground. I do not know how it would be available in stores. You may want to read instructions.
2. The stems would be a little hard to cut unlike other vegetables, so it would be good if you use a chopping board.
3. Take 2/3 stems together and start slicing like Lady's finger, not too thin or thick if this your first time. It takes long time to cook. See the picture for ref.
4. Grind all other ingredients except leaves, salt and oil to a fine paste. This is our masala.
5. Boil water in a large vessel, turn off heat once it starts boiling add the sliced stems to it blanch it for 3 - 5 minutes, and remove from water. Keep aside.
6. Heat oil a non-stick pan or kadai add the masala and saute for 2 minutes. 
7. Then add in the lotus stems, stir well. Sprinkle salt and little water cover and cook in low heat.
8. It would take approx 15 - 20 min to cook nice and soft. Check and sprinkle water occasionally to prevent dryness and it has enough moisture to get cooked.
9. Check for seasoning and add salt or chili if needed. Once done sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and 1/4 tb.spn of garam masala saute lightly. Cover and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Turn of heat.
10. This would be little dry, can be eaten as side dish with rice or roti.

Potato Chips at home / Hot Chips

Potato Chips - Ha who doesn't like it may be the one who are on dieting :) There is nothing like Hot Chips with tea on a rainy day. I got it right the second time. Try to buy potatoes like I have shown in the picture for chips or fries, if you do not find it then use the one available. When ever I find these potatoes available in the market will buy and store to be consumed within a week's time, as these gives nice crispy chips. Well you need to have slicer, like what I have posted. This will give thin slices.

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes
2. Salt to taste to sprinkle
3. Chili powder / Chat masala - to taste (optional)
4. Oil - for deep frying

Preparation:

1. Wash well, peel and slice the potatoes. If you prefer you may keep the skin on if they are clean. I kept the skin for a batch of potatoes.
2. Using a clean cotton cloth wipe moisture off the sliced potatoes and spread in plate or paper so that they can dry a bit after removing the wetness.
3. Do not let them dry for too long, as the color changes due to out side air.
4. Heat oil in a heavy bottom kadai, and deep fry them in hot oil. It will take a while to fry you can fry them in medium heat. Not low or high. Keep changing sides occasionally so that all the slices can get fried well on both sides.
5. Remove and keep on a kitchen towel or tissue to remove the excess oil, and sprinkle salt + masala evenly and toss gently so that all the chips can get coated.
6. Once cool you can store in air tight containers for later use, or can have hot with tea.

Prawn in Tangy Tomato Sauce

I love prawns, any cuisine regardless of Indian or continental. I experimented this dish with tangy flavor kind of sweet and light sour in desi style. I could only get small prawns for this recipe when I had to take pictures. Anyone who does not like tangy taste might not eat this as this is rich in tomato.

Ingredients (2 - 3 servings):

1. Prawns - 100 or 250 gms
2. Tomato - 3
3. Onion - 1
4. Fennel seeds 1 tb spn
5. Grated coconut - 2 tbl spn (optional)
6. Garlic - 8 - 10 pods
7. Ginger - 1 inch piece
8. Red chilli sauce - 2 tbl spn
9. Red Chilli powder - 1 tbl spn (optional)
10. Soy Sauce - 1/2 tb spn
11. Salt to taste
12. Oil - 2 tbl spn
13. Coriander leaves - a bunch - finely chopped 

Preparation:

1. Marinate the prawns in soy sauce and salt for about 15 - 30 minutes. If you do not have soy sauce you can use Lemon juice, from 1 lemon.
2. Make a fine paste of fennel, coconut, ginger and garlic by adding few drops of oil and water as needed. 
3. Make puree of onion and tomato separately by grinding them without water.
4. Heat oil in a pan add the ginger garlic mixture paste and saute for a minute.
5. Add onion paste, saute for a minute followed by tomato puree. Cook it for about 2 minutes while stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
6. Now add Red Chili sauce and chili powder with salt and mix well. Once the raw smell is gone and cooked oil would separate and form on top.
7. Drop in the prawns, stir lightly and add water if  needed. Though I prefer to have it thick as shown in picture.
8. Simmer and cook for another 10 minutes, as this time check salt and spice, add if needed.
9. Sprinkle the coriander leaves, cover and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.
10. This can be eaten with steamed rice or chapati or naan.

Note:

You may use small or large prawns

If you have problems in grinding little amount in mixie jar, first powder the fennel without water then ginger, garlic , coconut to form paste. I have experienced this various times, my mixie would not grind jeera or some seeds if added in small quantity with other ingredients. Example ginger and garlic would have been ground well but jeera remains as it is. If you experience the same try as i suggested.

Stir fried potato threads in garlic chili sauce

I have always been fascinated by Chinese Cuisines. This one is pretty simple, easy to prepare and tastes amazing as a starter or with Rice. I have given some pictures on slicing potatoes and cutting them, hope this will help you in chopping the vegetable.

Ingredients:

1. Large Potato -1 (Serves 2 - 3 person)
2. Garlic 10 pods, Finely chopped.
3. Salt as per taste
4. Red Chili Sauce - 1 Tb spn
5. Chili Flakes - 1 tb spn or as preferred
6. Fennel Seeds - 1 tb spn coarsely crushed.
7. Vinegar 1/4 tbl spoon (optional)
8. Olive / Sesame Oil for frying - 1 Tbl Spoon  OR  Regular cooking  oil if you do not prefer other oil

Steps to Cook:

Slice the potatoes as described, soak in water for about 15 min. After that wash twice in fresh water and take potatoes off of water and keep aside

Heat oil in a large non stick pan (pan or wok suits well to fry). [Whole recipe is done in medium flame]

Add garlic followed by chili flakes, crushed fennel seeds, and chili sauce. Saute for less than a minute.

Add the washed potato threads and sprinkle salt. Saute lightly and toss well. After a minute add vinegar and toss again so that almost all of the potatoes get coated.

Toss and fry for 4 - 5 minutes. You can notice the potatoes loose it hardness and become soft, at this point taste for seasoning and add if extra salt is needed.

Serve hot, it can be eaten as starter before meal, or with plain rice or just that.

Try this and do surprise your loved ones. Keep cooking and share your reviews.

Omelette from Left over

Omelette is well known to all. Omelette is prepared differently throughout the world and consumed as main course for lunch, dinner or breakfast. In India most popular egg cuisines range from omelettes to bull’s eye and burji other than regular gravies. Mostly they are prepared plain, or with just onion and chili or with more spices. This one I have made is with left over greens. My mother had some greens of Drumstick leaves in fridge. I mixed with my eggs and enjoyed it. Many dislike Drumstick tree leaves, when prepared plain. My mother usually prepares any greens by adding some grated coconut at last by giving a stir. If you have grated coconut add a spoonful along with the left over greens in the egg mixture.

Ingredients:

1. Eggs – 1 or 2
   
2. Left over greens  - as needed
3. Half Onion – finely chopped (optional)
4. Green chili – 1 or 2 finely chopped (as per taste)
5. Curry leaves or coriander leaves (finely chopped)
6. Water – 1 tb spn
7. Salt – as per taste
8. Oil – 1 tb spn for frying
9. Tomato – 1 piece finely chopped (optional)
10. Grated coconut – 1 tbl spn (optional)
11. Masala powder (Pepper / Garam masala / fennel / cumin / oregano) – any of these. (Do not use all of them)

Preparation:

1. Break the eggs in a bowl
2. Mix in all the ingredients except for oil and stir well.
3. Heat a non-stick pan or tawa, grease with oil and pour the egg mixture reduce the flame. When almost no liquid is see on top, flip and cook the other side.
4. Cut in desired shapes and serve hot as side dish for rice / roti or main course with ketchup.

Notes:

• You can either make it like omelette or scramble (burji) it.
• You can try with or without onion or Tomato or some masala. The taste varies and you would love it plain or as side dish.

Tangy Drumstick Fish Curry

Fish curry made with drumstick or tapioca is a specialty of southern India especially Kerala and south Tamil Nadu. This dish is prepared at home or would be available in country side small hotels. It would be tangy with lot of tomatoes and drumstick essence. Try this for a change. This dish tastes delicious the second day. In this recipe I have used only drumstick. You can use either of these or both. If you are using tapioca use fresh ones and cut the pieces large approx like the fish pieces shown here. Else it would melt.

Ingredients:

1. Few fish pieces of your choice (all ingredients are according the no of fish pieces shown in the picture)
2. Drumstick – 1 Cut in about a finger length
3. Tomato – 2 finely chopped
4. Green chili – 2 slit
5. Curry Leaves – few
6. Oil – 2 tbl spn
7. Mustard Seed – ½ tbl spn
8. Jeera (Cumin seeds) – ½ tbl spn
9. Fenu Greek Seeds (Methi) – ¼ tb spn
10. Tamarind small lemon size (soak in luke warm or normal water with half cup water)
11. Turmeric powder – ½ tb spn
12. Red chili powder – 2 tbl spn or as needed
13. Coriander powder  - 3 tbl spn
14. Cumin powder – ½ tb spn
15. Coconut milk powder - 2 tb spn. Mixed in half cup Luke warm water OR fresh coconut milk
16. Salt as per taste

Preparation:

1. Clean fish and marinate with salt and little turmeric powder as shown in picture
2. Keep tamarind juice and coconut milk ready. Alternatively you can simply use fresh coconut milk too.
3. Mix all masala powder in some water and keep ready.
4. Heat oil in a vessel add mustard, jeera and fenu greek seeds. When it begin to splutter add curry leaves followed by green chili, tomato,  drumstick and salt.
5. Saute well for few minutes until tomatoes are cooked well and oil begins to separate.
6. Add in the masala mix, and stir till the raw smell goes away and oil appears on top.
7. Now add tamarind juice, drop in the fish pieces after about 2 minutes.
8. Reduce the flame, cover and cook for 5 minutes then add the already prepared coconut milk. Add more water if needed.
9. Stir lightly, as fish tend to break. After a while check the gravy for salt and spice. Add if needed.
10. Cover and cook until fish is cooked well and gravy reaches the required thickness. 

Khatta Meeta Poha / Sweet & Sour Poha

Poha is known as pressed rice. There are different kinds of poha in Indian Stores White and Brown, paper thin to thick poha. Poha is used in many cuisines such as ladoo, dosa, kheer etc. This recipe which I have mentioned here is little different from the regular snack which is prepared. I just added couple of extra ingredients to alter the taste. For this recipe use the thick poha as we have to wash, the paper thin poha will become mushy.

Ingredients:

1. Poha – 1 bowl
2. Onion small 1 – finely chopped
3. Tomato small 1 – finely chopped
4. Curry leaves
5. Mustard seeds – 1.2 tb sp
6. Oil – 2 tb.sp
7. Green chili – 2 finely chopped
8. Sugar – 2 to 3 tb.sp
9. Juice from half lemon
10. Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Wash poha twice to remove any dust / dirt from them with the help of a sieve, this helps the water to drain off. Sprinkle salt on it and toss lightly with a spoon so the poha gets coated with salt.
2. Heat oil in a pan or kadai, add the mustard seeds followed by curry leaves, green chili and onion once the seeds begin to splutter.
3. Sauté for 2 minutes then add in the tomato or any other vegetable of your choice that’s been prepared.  Saute for a minute and then add little salt and turmeric powder, give a nice mix.
4. Once the tomato or the other added vegetable is almost done add sugar and poha, sauté gently to have the masala coated on poha.
5. If the mixture is too dry sprinkle few drops of water, do not add all in once as it will turn mushy.
6. Taste for seasoning; add salt if needed, finally add the lime juice and mix well.
7. You may garnish with chopped parsley or coriander leaves, else can serve hot as it is for breakfast or as evening snack.

Spicy Wheat Pancake

Wheat flour is widely used in India in a variety of cuisines.  Wheat dosa is prepared in south India and consumed with chutney.  I dislike the heavy dosa’s made at our home, but altered with some spices and veggies. This pan cake would come out thin and crispy. This can be eaten as it is.

Ingredients:

1. Wheat Flour – 1 cup
2. Jeera – slightly crushed 2 tb.spn
3. Ajwain – slightly crushed 1 tb.spn (optional)
4. Turmeric powder – ½ tb spn
5. Chili powder – as per taste
6. Coriander powder – 1 tb.spn
7. Salt to taste
8. Onion medium size 1 – finely chopped
9. Tomato small – 1 – finely chopped
10. Green chilies – 2 to 3 Chop finely removing the veins
11. Curry leaves few – finely chopped (optional)
12. Few bunches coriander leaves – finely chopped
13. Oil for pancakes

Preparation:

1. Place the wheat (atta) flour in a large mixing bowl and add all the dry ingredients, mix well with hand or a spoon.
2. Add water as needed and stir continuously to avoid lumps, to a liquid / watery consistency
3. Mix in all the vegetables and green leaves. Check for seasoning and add salt or masala if needed.
4. Keep the batter aside for 10 – 15 minutes before making the pancakes.
5. Heat a non-stick tawa and spread a thin layer of oil, and pour a laddle full of batter in circles as this wont flow freely unlike dosa batter.
6. Cook in low medium heat, as we need this crispy. Change side once the edges turn brown and remove when both the sides are cooked well.
7. Serve hot with ketch up or pickle or desired chutney. I prefer to eat as it is, as it has required spices in it.

Note:

• You can add other grated vegetables of your choice such as Carrot / Cucumber / potato etc. Try with finely chopped spinach or capsicum.
• Taste and color varies based on the vegetables used.

Plain Pan Cake

Everyone likes pancake. I learnt about pan cakes when I was in class 4, the recipe was given in our practice English Book, but it was without Baking powder, I remember it was hard. It’s an easy and simple recipe can be prepared quickly with less preparation and cooking time. There are different variations of pan cakes with different fruits. The first time I made it came up hard without the spongy texture. I realized I had used the cold milk right from refrigerator, less baking powder and egg white was not mixed well to foam. Next time it came as just perfect soft and fluffy.

Ingredients:

1. Maida (All purpose Flour) – 1 Cup 
2. Milk – 1 cup
3. Egg – 1
4. Sugar – 2 tbl spn
5. Salt – a pinch
6. Oil – 1 tbl spn
7. Baking Powder – 1 tbl spn

How to prepare:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients (maida, salt, baking powder)
2. In a bowl break egg and separate the yolk from white.
3. Add sugar to the yolk, stir well. Add milk and mix well.
4. Pour this mixture to the dry mixture, and mix well slowly to ensure no lumps are formed. Add extra milk if needed. It should be pouring consistency not liquid.
5. Stir egg white well to form foam, or you can use small hand blender.
6. Add this to the batter and mix slowly. At this time you should see the mixture is light and aerated.
7. Heat a non-stick pan or tawa and pour ladle full of batter in desired shapes. You should notice plenty of bubbles in few secs, this indicates the batter is prepared correctly. Refer to the picture.
8. Turn it and cook the other side.
9. Serve hot with honey, or maple syrup or ripe banana (optional).

Note:

• Do not use baking soda to make pan cake. 
• Cook in low medium heat, to prevent burning or brown color.

Ice Tea with ginger and Lime

I am not a great fan of ice tea and never had one, but experimented this at home and enjoyed every sip of it; on a hot summer day or when you have mild headache ginger and lime with tea helps to ease the pain.

Ingredients:

1. Water to brew tea
2. Tea powder or 1 tea bag that’s available at home
3. Few ice cubes
4. Ginger julienne
5. Thinly Sliced lime – 2
6. Honey – 2 tbl spn or as needed
7. Tulsi/basil or mint leaves (optional)

How to prepare:

1. Warm water in a pan, and add the tea powder. Let it brew in low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and allow to bring it to room temperature
3. In a glass place the lime slices at the bottom, top it with few ginger julienne followed by ice cubes.
4. Pour honey followed by the brewed tea
5. Stir lightly to mix the honey with tea and ice
6. Decorate with mint/Tulsi leaves, left over ginger julienne and lime
7. Sit back and enjoy the mixture of flavors along with tea.

Note:

• The same steps can be followed if you prefer hot lime tea or ginger tea. Omit the ice cubes. A easy method.
• You may also add the ginger julienne while brewing the tea if you prefer strong tea.