Tag: Recipe

Mumma's Kitchen · Uncategorized

Light Daal Makhani

MysTri Mum4 Comments

[Edited to add pictures]

I love playing with recipes..In another era,I could tell the ingredients in a dish,just by tasting it.Now,I have mommy-brainitis and can’t focus enough on eating,without,yelling at the child to stop running around or to chew her food properly.But,I learnt lot of my cooking,by just taste and tell and try and try till you succeed.
Daal Makhani has been my favorite since childhood..and I love making it for my friends and family.But,much as I love the yummy creamy dal,I am not too fond of the calories.And I love playing around with my ingredients.This is one recipe,I tried got it right on the first go..and so it was easy for me to tweak it,to make it low cal.

Here you go-

You Need-
2 cups black Daal(whole Urad daal)
1/2 cup Rajma(Red Kidney Beans)
1 medium sized onion(finely chopped)
1 medium sized tomato(finely chopped)
1/2 tsp grated garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp cummin seeds
2 tsp oil
2 tsp corriander-cummin powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
3 tsps low fat butter(I used the olive oil spread by Bertolli)
1/2 cup low fat milk

Preparation-
Wash and soak the black Daal and kidney beans in warm water with plenty of water.Typically 6-8 hours is enough to soak.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker.Add the cummin seeds,let it cackle.Add chopped onions,fry till golden brown.Add the ginger and garlic..stir and add chopped tomato,followed by the soaked Daal and beans ,salt and spices.
Add 3-4 cups of water.(I don’t measure it,I eye-ball it..the water should be enough to cover the beans and then some.)
Pressure cook (4-5 whistles or 20 minutes).
After you take the cooker,off the flame,let it cool a little.Wait till all the steam goes out.Then,add the milk and butter,stirring while adding.Simmer for 5 minutes,garnish with fesh corriander leaves and thin ginger sticks.
Serve hot with Roti or rice.

Mumma's Kitchen · Uncategorized

Wow and not so wow!

MysTri Mum4 Comments

I wonder what is it,that made so many of you stop here,yesterday..WP Stats,show me that yesterday was the busiest day here,with a visitor count of 244..Me likes:)
Yesterday,I wrote about babies..and today, a blog buddy delivered a precious little girl.And another friend,who was due today,was told that she would have to wait 10 more days..When I spoke to her,her voice was so low,I could barely hear her.:(

Speaking of what I wrote yesterday,Aneela your comment really cracked me up!LOL! but it was a typo..what I wanted to say was-I HAVENT done much of my list.Here’s how my list is going-

Here’s my to-do list-

  •  Declutter one room a day. – Done!Finally today!
  • Change all the fused lite bulbs. –1 down,2 to go.
  •  Bring out the christmas lights. – may be will do it tomorrow.
  • Look for low-sugar/fat-free diwali recipes. –Needs to be discussed elaborately
  • Help Aadya make Diwali cards,for family and close friends. –Ummm may be we should start working on New Year cards instead.
  • Organise/alter clothes for Lakshmi Puja.I will add more,as I go. – Done I think..though,I have to choose 1 between the two I picked..and Aadi will ch0ange more than 4 times-she loves changing clothes,before finally putting on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts..My mom’s curses are finally coming true..the girl I wanted so badly,all my life,is living in shorts,the way I did,in my teens.DH will wear,whichever ironed Kurta I give him,provided he can wear his jeans with it.

Now the Diwali treats-I decided to start,with something easy-some thing tried and tested.Besan Laddu..screamed a voice in my mind..And immdiately an image popped up,in my minds eye..a plate full of ochre colored,raisin studded,smooth,round,sinfully deliciousbesan laddus,made by Aaji,my maternal grandmother.Though,I make laddus only once a year,I know this one like the back of my hand.I still reconfirmed the proportions of all ingredients and set about making the laddus.The Besan(chick pea flour ) was roasted and cooled..I added the raisins and added a tad too much sugar.had to roast so more besan,which didn’t get roasted enough..:( The laddus are now rock hard…In my quest for fat-free recipe,I didn’t add enough ghee :((
Next I decided to make Karanji and I remembered to bring poppy seeds this time.I love the crunchy texture,it adds to the filling.Again,I was dooling at the mental image of Aaji’s Karanjis..I filled and fried a couple Karanjis and then realised..that I had forgotten to add SUGAR to the filling!!!! I was so upset,I wanted to cry!!Anyway,I will finish it tomorrow.
Tomorrow,I attempt to make something savoury..

And before I go,here’s a conversation from Aadyaland-

Me-“Aadya,pick up your toys right now.”Aadya-*walks around,not paying attention*
“I said,Pick UP YOUR TOYS..”
“Mamma,I said,No Shouting KAr-rahe!”

“Bring me the phone,I am going to call up Baba and tell him..how you dont listen to me,you are being a bad girl..blah blah.”I dial the number,actually to ask him something else.after I have spoken for two minutes,she comes running..asks for the phone.”Baba,I tantrumthrowing kar-rahe..Aadya not listening to Mamma..Mamma throwing my toys in trash..Becoz,I am a bad girl..(no,no you are good girl) No Baba,Aadya bad girl hai..bcoz Mamma ne bola.Baba you finish working and come home fast,because I getting scared…blah blah…”

What do  say then?

Mumma's Kitchen · Uncategorized

Ganesha’s Favorite Modak

MysTri Mum4 Comments

Sunday was Ganesh Chaturthi and how can we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi without making Ganpati Bappa’s favorite sweet,Modak?There are different types of modaks-
Mawa Modak-The kinds sold in the sweet shops.I think these are made of mawa or khoya ,sweetened with sugar and a hint of saffron.
Ukdiche Modak-the steamed variety of modak..a soft rice dumpling filled with coconut and jaggery mixture and steamed..yummm.But the one that I make are the fried variety.
For these you need

Ingredients-
For the filling-
2 cups fresh grated coconut
3/4th cup jaggery.
2 tsps ghee.

Edited to add- 1 tsp cardamom powder.
For the outer cover-
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp Semolina(fine)
a pinch of salt
A 1:1 mixture of milk and water for kneading.
1 tsp ghee.

Oil for Frying

Method-
Knead the all purpose flour into a firm dough.Finish off with the ghee.
Make the filling-
Put the jaggery and coconut in a pan,mixing constantly,till all the jaggery melts.Add the ghee and mix well.keep stirring and turn off the heat as soon as the jaggery starts bubbling.Allow it to cool.
Assembling-
Take a small ball of dough and roll it out into a small poori.spoon out a small amount of the coconut mixture onto the poori and make a small pouch,shaping by applying gentle pressure with the tip of your fingers.
Heat oil in a kadhai and fry the modak immediately after filling.Fry on medium heat.
Enjoy warm..But don’t forget to offer some to our beloved Ganpati Bappa.
I leave you with a picture of our Modaks
DSC02804

friends · Happy Birthday · Melbourne · Mumma's Kitchen · party

And a Happy Birthday it was

MysTri Mum4 Comments

This year Aadya’s birthday celebrations,were a week long affair.
On 30th March,the first SMS arrived at 2.30 AM-Nanu,forgot the time difference. Papa was going to take the
day off ,but he was called in for a presentation.So,it was just Aadi & Mimi.After a breakfast out in the backyard,we spent some time watering the plants.Then,between calls from friends and family,we baked a cake.
if you love baking,there is no greater joy,than baking for your kids.The only thing that is more fun is baking with them.
That is what we did.I lined up,all the ingredients on the counter and put the pipette there.She handed me each ingredient as I read from my mom’s recipe book.After I poured the batter into the cake tin,the Pipette,licked the bowl clean.
Then, it was time for hot-oil massage and a hot bath,followed by nap.By the time,she woke up,Papa was back.
We took her to the play-area before cutting the cake.While we were there,S’s friends called,they were coming over to wish Aadya.And they came bearing Gifts..A Bike,A new kid-sized dinner set for one and cookies.
We did the traditional celebration first-bringing in the birthday with Aarti,blessing the child and feeding her something sweet.Then,we cut the cake.
And then,the guys sat down to assemble the bike,under the birthday girl’s supervision.Once the bike was assembled,Aadya refused to get off,even having her dinner sitting on it.
The rest of the week,had a festive feel..we were shopping for little things for the party,organising,still getting calls and emails.Gifts were arriving,clothes were being tried on(by me).
Friday was spent in basic preps for the party food.This was the first party at home..and I was cooking.I was going to cook some things and order some.But,I ended up cooking most of the things..There were around 25 adults and 4 kids and 3 babies.
It wasn’t as hard as I expected.
The party was so much fun.It was nice to have so many people around. almost everyone we know,in Melbourne was here.I feel special days are to be celebrated and this one was definitely celebrated.We got around 50-60 helium balloons,tied with long strings and they covered the living room
ceiling.Every child and adult,said wow,at least once,looking at the balloons.Balloons and birthdays..there is just something so happy about it.As the sounds of laughter and chitchat filled the house,I felt the dull longing of home..of wanting our families here with us,but also
I was also pleasantly surprised to realise,how at home we are here,in such a short time.
Three of my friends,took over the task of dishing out piping hot appetisers,after almost pushing me out of the kitchen..”Go & get pretty”,they said.Another one,gave me pointers on eye make up,while cooing to her 1 year-old,propped on her hip.D& her husband arrived early and her
husband ran errands with S,from the moment he handed back his first glass of water.Another friend,walked out to the corner,to guide our guests in.A friend’s mom,cuddled Aadya and blessed her,asking me do her drashti(ward off evil eye),as only a grandmother can.I didn’t have
to worry about refilling the food,it was always taken care off.If this isn’t home,what is?
The kids had a blast with the balloons,they each grabbed as many strings as they could,creating their own bunches and ran around happily.The babies,were content playing with the assortment of soft toys.The littlest one slept peacefully,leaving his Mamma-dadda,to eat and socialise in peace.
The cutest part of the party was- We had set up a table in the backyard and all the guys were sitting there,nursing their drinks,munching the appetisers.I had just brought Aadya’s toys out for the babies to play with.Someone asked me where the birthday girl was.She was nowhere to be found.Not in the bedrooms or bathroom.I went out to the backyard to ask S,if he had seen her…And what do I see..She had pulled up a chair,sipping Fanta from her glass,munching on the appetisers,aping the guys.That’s one funny image stuck in my head from the party.
By 10.00,most of the guests had left..some stayed back for chit-chat and coffee.They left by 11.00 and thats when we realised how tired we were.Aadya wanted her bottle,my back started hurting and S,was too sleepy.
We put away the food in the refrigerator,loaded the dishwasher and took the laptop to bed-to see the pictures from the party.The slide show was on..and one by one,all of dozed off.
We opened the gifts next morning..and the little Pipette was instantly in toy heaven.
Its such a joy,watching your child at this age..how every small thing excites them.For once,I forgot about meticulously taking off the cello-tape,and opening each present delicately.It was the Pipette’s birthday and her gifts too.
She had a blast ripping the wrapping paper off each gift,squealing with joy..finally settling down to play with an alphabet Van.And that was how the week-long celebration ended.

P.S. On the weight-loss front-The scale is not budging.Its been three weeks,there has been absolutely no weight loss.Time to up the exercises me thinks.But I have managed to lose and keep off 3kgs.That’s a small consolation.

Mumma's Kitchen · Paneer · peas · Quick Recipes

Matar Paneer Dry

MysTri Mum2 Comments
You know how some days,you are just pressed for time but feel like eating something fancy.Or how you are hungry and craving something yummy…or more elaborate but don’t have the patience to make it.That’s exactly what happened to me,yesterday.
I had some left over daal-fry dhaba style,from the previous nights dinner.So, I decided to make some jeera rice to go with it.But, as the smells of the delicious basmati infused with cumin filled up my kitchen,my mind started craving for a nice curry to go with it.I quickly raided the refrigerator only to find that not a single thing appealed to me.Well Except…the paneer. But there was not enough time.With less than half an hour left for DH to arrive,I had to act quickly.I got the paneer out,cut it into cubes.While I was still thinking of what to do with it..the little one woke up.Nothing much gets done in the kitchen,when she is awake.
So,I quickly tossed a few things into the pan..and came up with this 🙂

Like what you see? Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 1/ 2 cup paneer cubes

1 cup peas

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste.

1/4 cup milk+1/8 cup water

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp coriander-cumin powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

salt to taste

oil

Preparation:

Heat about 2-3 tsps of oil in a pan.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Next add the peas and stir fry,on a low flame.

When the peas are half cooked,add the paneer cubes.By then the pan should be well greased,if not,dribble a tiny amount of oil on the sides. lightly toss the paneer cubes in the pan,so as to keep them from sticking to the pan.

Add the spices and mix well,gently.

Add the milk-water mixture and let it simmer,till all the liquid dries. If you want to make the dish richer,just add all milk,no water.

Garnish with fresh coriander or mint leaves and serve hot,with roti .

Chicken · Mumma's Kitchen

Chicken Salad Sandwich

MysTri Mum2 Comments

This blog is so dead..I can’t believe it..the last time I posted here was Feb 15th. And Every time I cook something interesting I take a picture,to put here.I think part of it is because I don’t feel motivated enough to cook or that I am just too tired.OR lazy.
Well whatever the reasons..I have decided to seriously start posting something here..At least once a week..if not every day. And I have also decided to start cooking seriously again.. hopefully,I start enjoying it as much as I used to.
Let me waste no further time and post a recipe here..
Summers are here and I have just the right dish for a cool lunch on a hot summer day.

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:
8-10 slices of bread (white or whole wheat)
For the chicken paste:
200 gms of boneless chicken
1/2 tsp coriander leaves
1 pod of garlic
1 green chili
1/2 cup of fat-free mayonnaise OR 4 tbsp of fresh cream
1 small tomato cubed
1 small onion cubed
2-3 leaves of lettuce,finely shredded
1/2 cup walnuts pieces.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation :

Boil the chicken pieces in 1 1/2 cup of water in a pressure cooker till the chicken pieces are tender.Retain the chicken stock.
Allow the chicken to cool down and then shred in a mixer.Grind the shredded chicken with a few teaspoonful of chicken stock.Add garlic and green chili and grind to a fine paste.
Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Add coriander,salt to taste,mayonnaise and everything else.Blend well.
Take a slice of bread and spread this mixture evenly on it,cover with another slice.Cut diagonally and serve.
Serve it with a cool lemonade on a warm day.

Note: The original recipe that my mom got from somewhere called for Thyme,but she replaced it with Coriander leaves.When I decided to make this,I added tomatoes and onions and lettuce.The inspiration for walnuts came from
Arby’s Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Chicken · Mumma's Kitchen

Tomato Chicken Curry

MysTri Mum4 Comments

I loved tomatoes when I was a kid.So much that I even had a nickname for tomatoes..”Munnu” everytime I wanted to eat a tomato,I would ask my mom for a munnu! But,as I grew up my love for tomatoes slowly started to fade away,so much that when I started cooking,I would hardly use any tomatoes -unless it was for salads or soups.

Last week I had a whole bunch of tomatoes lying around. Neither of us was in mood for soup or salad and so,I sat down with my xeroxed copy of my mom’s recipe book and dug up a recipe which I loved when I was kid.But here’s the thing-it was a recipe for Tomato Chicken.

Now,using those tomatoes was one thing but cooking tomato chicken was another.While I always enjoyed this dish growing up,I wasn’t sure if it would turn out the same way.And as I started gathering the ingredients,I realised the recipe didnt call for any onions! Chicken curry without onions?No way!I was still apprehensive but my mouth was watering remembering the tomato Chicken curry my mom used to dish out. So,thinking of all those days so many years ago, sat down to chop tomatoes..remembering the aroma filling through the dining room,and just the right amount of sunlight filtering through those crisp white curtains,with strawberry prints.
Anyway so here’s the recipe-

Ingredients-

1kg chicken

1 kg tomato

2tsp ginger-garlic-green chili paste(preferably fresh)

2 bell peppers

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garam masala.

1 tbsp cashew paste.(soak cashew nuts in warm water for about 15minutes and grind)

salt to taste

1/4cup oil for cooking.

Preparation-

Clean and cut chicken into pieces of desired size.Apply a little salt and turmeric powder to the chicken piece and keep aside.

Chop tomatoes and bell peppers into big chunks.

In a heavy bottomed pot, heat oil and add the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken till it changes color. Add ginger -garlic paste and fry for about 2 minutes.Add salt,chili powder and turmeric powder too.

Add peppers and fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook on a medium heat till tomatoes and chicken are cooked. Add cashew paste and simmer for another 5 minutes.Serve hot over rice or with roti.

And the vedict- “Just the right dash of hot and tangy flavors!”said DH!

P.S. I tried this recipe by substituting chicken with Paneer and it turned out even more tastier! Sorry I dont have pictures right now.Will upload them soon.

Go on try it and do come back and tell me how you liked it!

Mumma's Kitchen · Rajasthani

Daal-Baati-Churma

MysTri Mum4 Comments
[ Image-courtesy Google Image search.]

My dad is rajasthani Maratha. Ok,I am kidding-there is so such community. But my dad spent most of his childhood in Rajasthan and is equally at home at both his village in rajasthan and at his posh Thane home. His home-town,Lakheri, is home to one of the oldest cement factories and that’s where my dad got his first job as a chemist. And though he got transferred later,I spent the first 10 years of my life at Lakheri.

And since my father’s family was pretty well-known and loved there, any time we were invited to one of the local homes, we were served the special meal of Daal–baati–Churma.And I remember feeling so full and heady after those meals. And not to mention,thirsty.. All that Ghee does that to you.

This time when my dad was here,I pestered him and finally we planned to have this special meal.Now,I have made Daal– baati on my own before ,but this time,with dad’s special tips,it turned out awesome and so I had to share the recipe here.Daal is basically a mixture of 3 or 5 daals.Here I am using a mixture of 3 daals. Baati is essentially balls of flour, baked in an oven and eaten with the above mentioned daal.

Here goes-

Daal :-

Ingredients-

1 cup urad Dal

1 cup chana Dal
1 cup whole moong.
2-3 green chillies
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp fresh grated garlic
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
ghee for seasoning
fresh chopped coriander for garnish.

Mix the three daals together-wash and soak in warm water for 30 minutes.


Boil the Daal mixture with about 4 cups of water and salt till soft.Keep aside.


Preparing the seasoning- Heat ghee in a pan.Add cumin seeds .When they start splattering, add cut green chilies and then add all the spices- red chili powder,corriander powder,garam masala and mix well.Add half a cup of water and bring it to a boil.Add this to the cooked daal, add another 1/2 cup water and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh cut coriander and serve hot.

Baati- ( Makes about 12-14 baatis)

Ingredients-
2 cups Whole wheat flour
1/4 cup semolina
1/2 tsp ajwain ( Ajowan /carom seeds)
1/2 cup ghee
salt to taste
water to knead the dough.

Method-

Sift the flour and semolina. Add ajwain seeds and salt.Keep aside. Melt ghee in a pan. Make a well in the flour and pour the molten ghee in it. Mix it all well. And make it into a hard ball of dough adding minimum water.

Make small,smooth balls of this dough. Arrange on a greasedbaking tray.


Pre-heat oven to 450 F(four hundred and fifty) and bake these balls for 20 minutes, turning over in 10 minutes, so that both the sides are evenly cooked. Grill for 5 minutes on each side.

Serve hot with ghee and daal. Enjoy!

Unfortunately,I dont have any more pictures for you-The food was so appetizing and the aroma had already made us so hungry that pictures were the last thing on my mind. So,I had to post pictures from other Google image search.

Mumma's Kitchen · Quick Recipes · Soup · Tomato

Quick Tomato Soup

MysTri Mum3 Comments

Winters are here and on these cold days, you crave something warm. And if you are all out of those canned soups and soup powders, but in no mood for something elaborate,this soup is your best bet. It is also great for those days when you are just too tired or sick.
Without further Ado,I present the quick Tomato soup-
Ingredients-
3-4 ripe medium sized tomatoes.
1-2 green chillies
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp jeera(cumin seeds)
few sprigs of fresh coriander
salt to taste
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper powder (can be substituted with red chili powder,depending on your taste-buds)
Method-
Cut the tomatoes in big chunks and put them in a microwave safe bowl with 3 cups of water. Cook it in the microwave for 8-10 mins(*varies with microwave ovens*) till the tomato pieces are soft.

Use a hand blender to puree’ the tomatoes.

Pass this mixture through a sieve,to remove the pulp and keep aside.

In a thick bottomed vessel,heat a teaspoonful of oil and add cumin seeds. When they turn brown,add chopped green chillies and then add the soup to it.

Add salt , pepper powder and sugar.Bring it to a boil.

Finally,add fresh coriander and simmer.

Serve hot -as a hot soup or as an accompaniment with steamed rice or pulav.

Note- You can leave the pulp in for that extra dose of fibers.

Dosa · Moong · Mumma's Kitchen

Moong Dosa

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Moong Dosa

This is another one of my favorite recipe.This recipe makes me believe that health food can be delicious too.This is my ultimate comfort food..no-guilt comfort food.And it has minimum preparation time.

For this you need-
2 cups Whole Moong(Green Gram)
1 medium sized onion-finely chopped
2 small green chilies- finely chopped
3-4 tsps chopped corriander leaves
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chili powder to season
oil spray or oil to grease the tava/skillet

Method-

Wash and soak Moong with lot of water for atleast 6 hours till it becomes tender.
Grind it to a fine paste and add chopped onions,chilies and corriander leaves,salt and chili powder.
Mix well.
Heat up a skillet/Tava.
Grease the tava with a quick spray of oil spray and add a heaped round ladel full of batter at the centre of the tava and even spread it out like dosa or pancake.
Cook on a medium flame till golden on both the sides
Serve hot with chutney or pickle of your choice.




Chutney-
Ingredients-
3/4 cup loosely packed corriander leaves
1 green chili
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 cup roasted peanuts or
3tsp peanut powder
salt
1/2 tsp jeera
salt to taste
For seasoning
2-3 tsps oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves
2 dry red chilies

Mix everything except the seasoning and blend in a grinder.
For seasoning-heat oil in a small pan.Add mustard seeds,when they start to splutter,lower the flame and add red chilies and finally curry leaves and remove from flame. Pour this over chutney.It is ready to serve.
Dig in!!