Lemon Creme Brulee

Instant Dessert ~ Lemon Creme Brulee

Lemon Creme Brulee for JFI Lime/Lemon

Lemon/Lime - who would think that such a small citrus fruit can do wonders when it comes to cooking, baking, health benefits and much more, not to mention that it is so inexpensive. On a hot summer day, you will find kids put up lemonade stalls along roadside. One sip from those chilled homemade lemonade is enough to quench your thirst, satisfy you and forgo the intense heat. Such a humble fruit is this little lemon. Although the choices are innumerable when preparing dishes out of lemon, my all time favorite is Mom’s homemade Nimbu (lemon) pickle. It’s really YUM and when you have just a small taste of it, you get the tingle in your mouth. Even if I think about it, my mouth waters and yearns for having it. But I am lucky that I have some homemade nimbu pickle, so I am going to make something different with lemon (which I sort of remember seeing it on foodnetwork long ago); well, not really lemon, but it’s flavor - a dessert.

Recipe: (for 4 people)
1 packet Instant Lemon Pudding mixture.
Handful of Blueberries
2 tbsp of sugar
2 cups cold milk - approx.

Mix pudding mixture and milk and whisk well or follow package directions. Place a few blueberries in 4 ramekins and then pour the pudding mixture. Tap on a flat surface to even out the mixture and to remove any air bubbles. Refrigerate it for about 20 minutes. Then remove from refrigerator and sprinkle some sugar on top. Using a creme brulee torch try to caramelize the sugar. In case you do not find a torch, you can use a broiler at about 300F for just a couple of minutes. Make sure to watch the ramekins under broiler so that the sugar doesn’t get burnt. The only difference you will find between caramelizing using a torch and a broiler is that the pudding will be cold when a torch is used and warm if broiled. Personally, I prefer using the torch and cold version is what is served in restaurants also. Let it cool down for a minute or two. The sugar will get hardened and forms a nice crunchy layer on top of the pudding. Garnish with some more blueberries and rine of lemon and serve. But I am not done yet.
I want to thank Vaishali of Holy Cow and Mona of Zaiqa for presenting me the Nice Matters Award. This is such an honor and I am very pleased. This happens to be my very first award and recognition for my work. Thank you very much.

It has been only a few months since I started blogging and it has been an amazing experience. I have learned that there is whole new world for blogging that is dedicated to cooking. It is a wonderful feeling for me to know and learn from so many people through blogging from corners of the world who have unique way of writing and cooking. I would like to pass on this award to:
-Vaishali of Holy Cow. I truly appreciate her kindness to other living beings and being a Vegan.
-TBC of The Budding Cook. I love her style of writing and her pictures are as real as in reality.
-Mona of Zaiqa who helped me while I was still a beginner in blogging. She always has slight variations from my recipes and that really interests me more about her.
-Jenn of The Left Over Queen. She is one heck of a writer and has so much recipes that I wonder how much enthusiasm she has. And thanks to her for adding me to the blogroll that gave me so much visibility.
-Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. She always amazes me with her recipes.

Aloo Sandwich

Travel food ~ Aloo Sandwich

Stuffed Aloo Sandwich

Seems like this week I am having a lot more dishes prepared with aloo. My husband can eat dishes made of aloo any day, all day. I guess it probably is true for men and kids in general I suppose (no offense to anyone here). Also, when it comes to learning to cook, I have seen my friends learn to cook aloo much quicker than any other vegetable. May be because it is a versatile vegetable and could be used in umpteen number of ways. It is also one of those vegetables which comes in handy when going on trips. Something that is solid enough to keep me full yet a no fuss meal. I make aloo sandwiches which everyone in my family simply love. I remember one time my cousin tasted it and said that he can eat it every single day of his life because he liked it so much. I was very pleased. So, today I will share this simple recipe with you and I hope you too will like it and make it a part of your travel foods.

Recipe:
Bread slices - as many number of sandwiches you want to make. (I use whole sprouted grain bread for a healthier version)
Aloo - again depends on your sandwiches
Onions finely chopped
Ginger minced well
Green chillies finely chopped as per taste
Red chili powder as per taste
Salt to taste
Garam masala for flavor and aroma
Cilantro finely chopped
Grated carrot (optional)

Boil aloo and mash it well. Mix all the above ingredients to it. Apply butter to one side of a bread and place a couple of spoonful of the aloo mixture.

Cover it with another slice of bread. apply butter on the top of the covered bread so that it can toast and get golden brown. Toast it in a sandwich maker. Serve hot as is or with a side of ketchup/cilantro chutney.

Aloo Sandwich for The Potato Fe(a)st & The Travel Food Festival

TIP: You can also spread some cilantro chutney on one side of the bread for extra zing and also some peas along with carrot if you prefer.

Aloo Poha

Comfort food in a spoonful ~ Aloo Poha

Poha

Poha is flattened or beaten rice, is an easy-to-cook breakfast recipe. This type of flattened rice absorbs water and gets swollen which is then used to make the breakfast dish. There two varieties of flattened rice - thin and thick because of their thickness. Poha is also used in other snack items such as mixture or chiwda or many more.

Beaten rice also a convenience food to make a rice porridge or paste by adding hot water to it, depending on the amount of water added. The best poha could be found in Indore; at least that’s where I had the most mouth watering poha from street vendors. Hot steaming poha is prepared and kept warm over boiling water so that the hot moisture from the water can keep the poha warm and moist. Toppings such as onions, tomatoes, green chilies and more are kept on the side for people to add them as per needs.

Recipe:
2 cup poha
1 medium size aloo (potato) diced
1 onion chopped
1 green chili finely chopped or as per taste
1/4 cup dry peanuts
Cilantro for garnish
1/2 lime or lemon juice
Salt per taste
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp haldi (tumeric) powder
1 tsp red chili powder - optional
1/2 cup mutter(peas) - optional
Oil

Run cold water over poha, drain them and keep them aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan, preferably non-stick, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add onions, green chilies and saute. Add the potatoes & peanuts, mix well and let it cook. Lift the poha with your hands and fluff it. Add haldi powder, salt to the poha and mix. The reason to add the spices to poha directly is because if you add the spices to the pan and then add the poha , you need to mix well to blend the spices with the poha but you do not want to over work it and break the poha. By adding the spices directly to the poha, and gently tossing it, the poha gets well coated. Now throw it into the pan and mix gently. Add lime juice, chopped cilantro. Serve as is or with an extra zing of spicy Bhujia .This is what I call as “Comfort food in a spoonful.”

Poha - the comfort food for breakfast

Marie Biscuit Magic

Quick, Easy, Delicious ~ Marie Biscuit Magic

Marie Biscuit stack

Marie Biscuit is a popular biscuit that is similar to rich tea biscuit made with all the usual ingredients of biscuit with an addition of vanilla. It is very popular in countries such as India, Australia, South Africa, and Spain. I remember as a child eating these simple and in a way appeasing to my taste buds biscuits dipped in milk or tea everyday. It used to give me that immense amount of satisfaction that it is indescribable; one has to experience it to believe it. Almost every household had this culture of eating Marie Biscuits with tea or milk and so I call it the “quintessential tea snack”.

I still remember a cooking show on TV that used Marie Biscuits to prepare this dessert and it was way back in the early 90’s. The recipe calls for Dalda which I consider as highly unhealthy and so I substituted it with unsalted butter. The rest of the recipe remains the same.

Marie Biscuit

Recipe: (Makes for 4 people)

1 Marie Biscuit packet (12 nos)
4 - 5 tbsp of unsalted butter
1 tbsp Cocoa powder
Sugar as per taste
1 tbsp Instant coffee powder
A couple of tbsp of milk

Mix the coffee powder and a little sugar in the milk to make a slightly loose paste. Dip each biscuit into this mixture so that each biscuit has a decent coating and stack one on top of the other. Blend butter, some sugar as per taste for sweetness and cocoa powder. Apply this mixture evenly on all four sides of the stacked biscuits. Cover it with an aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Then cut in an angle so that the coffee mixture lines in between the biscuits are seen as shown in the image. Serve as is or with a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream. I bet this will be a crowd pleaser in your next party. Enjoy.

Slices of Marie Biscuit dessert

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Something not Indian yet close enough ~ Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Poblano Pepper

Poblano pepper is a mild chili pepper but a little bit spicier than a bell pepper . This is one of the most popular peppers grown in Mexico and prepared in various ways. It is usually roasted and peeled (which I will explain below) and stuffed with various vegetables and/or other stuff.

Today I was in a mood for having something different; something that was spicy with complex flavors, has wonderful aroma that arouses your taste buds yet not too different from my traditional Indian food. What could be better than a Mexican food. I was always dumbfounded to see the similarities between our culture and Mexican from the way we live in a big family, the food such as tortilla, to spices, skin color and more. I have been many times mistakenly taken as a Mexican and some people talk to me in Spanish before not too late I had to stop and say “No Spanish” with my hands showing sign language for a “No”. So, here you go I bought some fresh poblano pepper for lunch.

Recipe:
8 Poblano peppers (2 for each person)
1 medium size onion chopped
15 oz can or 1 cup corn
15 oz can or 1 black bean
3 - 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 - 3 tsp red chili powder or per taste
1 - 1&1/2 tbsp cumin powder
3 - 4 cups cooked rice
1 lime or lemon
Salt to taste
Oil
1/2 - 1 cup grated cheese of your choice. I prefer fontina as it is mild.

Roast the pepper in an oven with broiler on or stove top on all sides. Then, put the peppers in a ziploc or paper bag and let them cool.

Roasted poblano pepper

In the mean time heat oil in a pan and saute onions and garlic. Then add the chili powder, cumin powder, mix well. Add corn, black beans and mix with spices. Add rice, salt, squeeze some lime juice, chopped cilantro and mix. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Now, if the peppers have cooled down, peel the skin. Core the top of the pepper so that the seeds are removed. Stuff the rice mixture in each pepper and slit open the narrow side of the pepper half way. Sprinkle with cheese on th slit open end and bake it in a preheated 350F degree oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted well and the pepper & stuffing has warmed through. Serve hot with a side of salsa and guacamole.

Stuffed Poblano Pepper with a side of salsa and guacamole

Two Sweet Hearts

Say “I Love you” to someone special ~ Two Sweet Hearts for Valentines Day

Growing up back in India, I remember how fast valentines day was catching up and getting popular among the youth. It was such a special day not only for that special someone in your life but also for all the card, gift and cake shops. Their business boomed and today marketing campaigns have started for V day. There is no etiquette for V day but somehow the culture has formed one. There are various quintessential valentine’s day gift ranging from cards, chocolates, heart shaped gift to something more.

Many have bewildered whether is it necessary to take out one day and express the love for that special person when we know for sure that we love that someone and express in some form or the other all year around. This topic could be an endless debate. So, I will leave it to your personal preference as long as you are happy either way and I am happy making something sinful - a dessert.

Recipe:
1 cup sooji (semolina)
2 & 1/2 cups milk
Sugar to taste
1/2 tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder
some kesar(saffron) for color soaked in 1/2 cup milk
some golden kishmish (raisins) soaked in water
2 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter)

Two Sweet Hearts - for A Heart for your Valentine

Heat ghee in a pan. Add sooji and toast it well for a few minutes until get the aroma and it slightly turn golden. Now add the milk and let it cook until it slightly thickens. Add the elaichi powder, kesar milk. Notice that the kesar milk would have turned somewhat orange from the kesar. Add sugar and allow it to boil until it thickens. Transfer it to plate and rest it cool down a bit before using a cookie cutter to cut out the desired shape; in my case heart shaped for valentines day. It is simple to make and the flavor from the elaichi and kesar was just incredible. Something sweet for my sweetheart.

Mini Katori Chaat

Finger foods ~ Mini Katori Chaat

Who said a chip has to be eaten with a dip such as salsa or guacamole? Today, I came up with my version of eating a tortilla chip the Indian way. If you are familiar with Katori chaat, (katori meaning a small vessel that holds all goodies) you are probably aware that the process takes time to make each katori. I thought why not I make use of the tostito’s scoops and use them as my pre-made mini katori’s and use it in some Indian-ized chaat. It is bite size, easy to make and tastes great.

The idea did not come to me right away but as I was contemplating to make something for an evening snack with some of my left over sprouted hara channa, my eyes suddenly spotted the tostito’s left over from the Super Bowl event. The rest is history.

Recipe:

Tostito’s scoops
Any kind of legume you may I like. I used sprouted hara channa
Sprouted Mung bean (optional)
Tomatoes chopped into small pieces.
Onion finely chopped
Aloo (Potato) booiled and cut into small pieces
Red chili powder as per taste
Salt per taste
Dhania (Cilantro) finely chopped
finely chopped green chili (optional)
Chaat Masala. I prefer Badshah brand.
Dahi (Yogurt), Meethi (Tamarind-Date)Chutney, Dhania chutney (optional, but preferred)
Sev (optional)

Mix the legumes, mung beans, aloo and spices. Place a spoonful of this mixture in each tostito. Pour a little dahi, meethi chutney, dhania chutney. Top it off with onions, tomatoes and fresh dhania. You can use any combinations of dahi, meethi chutney, dhania chutney and not necessarily use all three. In my experiment, using at least one of the three is a must as it makes the chaat not feel dry while eating. Enjoy your chaat.

Mini Katori Chaat

NOTE: Please adjust the number of onions, tomatoes and other ingredients to as many number of people. It’s hard to measure how many pieces each person might like to eat since it is a bite size food. Hence I did not put precise information on the ingredients.

Mutter Pulao

Fast, Simple and Delightful ~ Mutter Pulao

A spoonful of Mutter Pulao

When I think of Pulao that could be made in no time yet not compromising on the taste front, it is none other than Mutter (Peas) Pulao that rings a bell. The pod-shaped vegetable (although botanically a fruit) is seasonal in India. It is in season only during late fall through winter. The taste of mutter is just something indescribable; yet “heavenly” is the only word that could come close to describing it’s taste when it’s in season. Everyday my mom would make mutter sabzi or mutter pulao or something to do with mutter in her cooking yet no one in the family would get tired of eating. I remember that if I used to be mad at something and if mutter was in season, my mom would serve up mutter saag or sabzi and I would just forget everything else. I sometimes wonder hence the name “Peas” as it sounds like “Peace”, that this vegetable makes peace with me! Sounds silly, but those were the childhood days.

Recipe: (Makes for 4 people)
2 cups Basmati Rice
1 - 1 & 1/2 cup peas
2 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
1 green chili chopped
1 small cinnamon stick
1 - 2 tsp turmeric powder
1 - 2 red chili powder (optional)
A couple of cloves
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
1/2 lime or lemon juice

Soak basmati rice in water for at least an hour before cooking. this makes a tremendous difference in the outcome of the cooked rice. Then, cook rice with excess water. Once rice is cooked, drain the water and let the rice cool. In the mean time, heat oil in a pan, add cloves & cinnamon stick. When the aroma of the spices has infused through the oil, add jeera, and in a few seconds add green chillies. This is were you get the heat for this pulao, so adjust the green chilies as much as you want. Add the mutter and saute. If you are using fresh mutter, saute them for a few minutes, sprinkle some water, cover it with a lid and let it cook. You can add the turmeric and red chili powder now and mix well. Once the mutter is cooked, add salt, mix and turn off the stove. If the rice has cooled down, add it to the mutter mixture and mix it gently. You don’t want to make it mushy. Add lemon juice as per taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro. It’s fast, simple and delightful.

All time satisfying ~ Mutter Pulao

Vegetable Upma

Quick & Comfort food ~ Vegetable Upma

Veggies for my Upma

Upma is a quick and delicious comfort food that it is prepared in every household at least once a week(?). It is called as Upma in Malayalam & Tamil, Uppindi in Telugu, Upeet in Marathi and Uppittu or Kharabath in Kannada is a wholesome Indian dish made of rava or sooji or semolina which is nothing but a form of wheat. Added to this are vegetables ranging from carrots, peas, potatoes, peppers or simply the plain old onions.

When upma is being prepared at home, the aroma from the vegetables and the toasting of rava infuses in the air and makes one’s appetite for breakfast, lunch or dinner even stronger. It’s a no fuss dish and needs a very few ingredients and is sure a crowd pleaser.

Recipe: (Makes for 3 - 4 people)

1 cup sooji
1 carrot diced
1 potato diced
1 onion or shallots chopped
1/2 bell pepper diced
2 small pieces of ginger (approx. 1 tsp)
1 green chili - halved
A couple of kari leaves
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp urad dal
Salt to taste
2 - 3 tsp oil
A few slices of cashews
1/2 - 1 tsp lime or lemon juice

In a pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter and then add the urad dal and saute until it turns golden brown. Add the onions, ginger, green chili. cashews and saute. Add the rest of the vegetables and mix well. Sprinkle a little bit of water is necessary, then cover it with a lid and let it cook until the vegetables are half cooked. Now add add the sooji and toast it until you can smell the aroma.

Upma toasting

Then add 2 times water for each cup of sooji. Of course, add more water if needed. Add salt, lime juice and taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Bring it to a boil, lower the flame, cover it with a lid and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Serve hot with coconut chutney or pickle or just by itself. I am sure it will melt in your mouth.

Melt-in-your-mouth Vegetable Upma served with coconut chutney

Lauki Channa Dal

Exotic Squash ~ Lauki

Lauki and Channa dal

Lauki or Doodhi is also known as bottle gourd. These gourds contain some amounts of Vitamins C and B complex and also a few protein varieties. They contain a lot of water and hence makes them cooling and lubricating. Lauki generally has a very pale green smooth skin and it’s flesh is white. The size and thickness can vary widely. When buying lauki, choose young, light, firm and even in color without many blemishes. Scrape and discard harder portions of skin, and discard seeds if hard or too mature before cooking.

Lauki cooks in no time and since it does not have a predominant taste or smell by itself, it can very well marry the flavors and aroma of other vegetables and spices cooked with it. It is widely used in Ayurveda. My Mom-in-law extracts juice out of lauki every morning with some ginger and honey/brown sugar and drinks it in an empty stomach. It is supposedly very good for health.

Recipe:
1 medium size Lauki
1/2 cup channa dal (split yellow chickpeas)
1 medium size onion chopped
1 green chili chopped
2 - 3 tbsp dahi or curd(yogurt) beaten smooth
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp dhania or coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
Salt to taste
2 tsp Oil

Pressure cook the channa dal until soft. Remove the skin of lauki and cut into small cubes. You can either pressure cook lauki until soft or place it in a vessel with some water, cover it with a lid and cook until soft. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, let it splutter. Now add the urad dal and wait until it turn golden brown. Now add the chopped onions, green chilies and saute well. Add the chili powder, dhania powder, turmeric, salt to the dahi and mix well. I know, I have never used dahi, but my mom-in-law made it once and it tasted great. So try it out with dahi. Add this mixture to the onions. Let it cook for sometime until oil separates. Now add the channa dal and lauki and bring it to a boil. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or Paratha’s or Chappatis or Rotis or Naan bread or Tortillas.

Simple & Satisfying Lauki Channa Dal

Aloo Tikki

Aloo Tikki for SnackShots, The Potato & The Potato Fe(a)st

Aloo Tikki or Potato Cutlets is one of the most popular snack dishes in India. Aloo Tikki comes under a collective group of snack items called ‘Chaat’ . In India, street vendors cook hot, spicy and yummy chaat on hot griddles fresh to order. The aroma of the spices invites all on goers whether they are hungry or not. The distinctive, tangible touch of flavor sensed with every spoonful makes one feel blissful. People stand in line and wait for their turn to be served; and when it arrives you have to see them finish it in no time. It’s an art.

Recipe:
6 - 8 medium size potatoes - red or white
1/2 cup thawed and crushed peas
1 tbsp grated or finely chopped ginger
1 green chili finely chopped
some freshly chopped cilantro
1 - 2 tsp red chili powder or as per taste
salt to taste
3 - 4 tbsp bread crumbs
1 - 2 tsp garam masala
Oil for cooking

Cook the potatoes and mash them well. Mix all the above ingredients in the list. Make small balls of the mixture by placing in between your palms, then press it to flatten a bit.

Aloo Tikki ready to be cooked

Heat a non-sick pan or iron skillet and drizzle some oil. Place the patti and cook it on medium flame. Once golden brown, flip it to cook on the other side. Add some oil if needed. You can cook many patties at a time on the pan depending on the surface area. You can eat hot and fresh tikki just plain or with chole, drizzle of dahi(yogurt), tamarind date chutney, cilantro chutney. It could also be used as a burger in between bread. It tastes heavenly eaten any way of your choice.

Aloo Tikki served with chole (recipe here)

Paneer Shimla Mirch

Cottage Cheese with Bell Peppers ~ Paneer Shimla Mirch

Honey, what would you like to eat?
Something Yum!
But, help me decide on it, please.
OK, here are my clues; creamy, soft, cheesy, protein-rich
Ahh, got it. It’s Paneer time!

Veggies and Paneer to prepare this dish

Who doesn’t like paneer? It is so versatile that could it be used in a variety of dishes both hot and sweet. Growing up, my Mom would make home made paneer (yummm…). It used to be so fresh, creamy and melts in your mouth. I would simply add some powdered sugar, some powdered elaichi (cardamom), kesar and just eat it as a dessert whenever my craving for something sweet would occur. But, today, I will share a mouth watering recipe that will blow your mind off. It is paneer shimla mirch wrap. It’s easy to prepare and easy to carry for lunch not to mention that I love to eat with my hands. If you enjoyed my Mutter Paneer, this dish is sure to please you.

Recipe:
Paneer or Cottage cheese 14 oz pack
1 medium size red and green shimla mirch or bell pepper cut into strips
1 onion cut into lengthwise
A couple of cloves, pepper, elaichi(cardamom) powdered together
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp haldi (turmeric) powder
1 - 2 tbsp oil
1 green chili chopped
1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
Salt to taste

Cook paneer just like in my Mutter Paneer recipe and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan, add jeera, add the spice powder and saute the onions with it. Then add shimla mirch and saute more. Add red chili powder and salt. When the shimla mirch is still crunchy add the paneer and mix well. Adjust seasonings if needed. Garnish with cilantro. Place a couple of spoonful in between a Paratha or Chappati or Roti or Tortilla and wrap.

Paneer Shimla Mirch in a whole grain tortilla wrap