Chick Peas sundal

This is a quick and easy snack and very healthy too. Mom makes this all the time at home.



Prep time: 5 mins (chopping some green pepper, thawing the frozen shredded coconut, opening cans of chickpeas)

Cooking time: 10-12 mins

Total time : about 15 mins

Ingredients

Chickpeas-- 2 cans (of course opened)

frozen shredded coconut(thawed)--1/4 cup

*Turmeric powder -- a pinch

green chillies (slit in half)-- 3

* dry red chillies--2

*Mustard seeds--1/4 tsp

*Cumin seeds --1/4 tsp

*Asafoetida powder -- a pinch

*Curry leaves -- 5 leaves

grated Ginger--1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Olive Oil--1/2 tsp


Preparation:

1. Heat oil on a medium in a deep non stick pan and then add the mustard seeds .
2. As the mustard seeds start to splatter add the grated ginger and the slit green chillies
3.The green chillies turn a little white now add the asafoetida, curry leaves, cumin seeds and the dry red chillies and the turmeric powder.
4.Saute them all for a minute and then add the chickpeas.
5.Saute this for about 5-7 mins and then add the thawed coconut and saute for another 5 mins.
6.Add salt to taste and then saute for a minute or two and turn off the stove.

The Sundal is ready to eat.


Enjoy! Relish.

curry-n-spice tip:
* * marked ingredients are optional and they cannot be substituted.
*As always you can substitute jalapeno or serrano peppers instead of the indian green chillies.
*You can also substitute chickpeas with canned black eyed beans or pinto beans or kidney beans or any other canned beans.

Milk Khova/ Milk Burfi (call it whatever, but its loaded!!)

So I ate this when my sister made it at her house, so again this is a borrowed recipe from my sister. (Do you see a pattern here? Maybe she should start blogging and not me!!)
When I tasted this after a long time, it reminded me of the taste of the Aavin Milk Khova and my subsequent fight with a cat when I was a little girl. I know you want to hear the story of the cat, I will definitely get to it later but since this is a recipe blog, here's the recipe for this dessert.

I know I promised something easier to make, but this is time consuming about an hour easily for the cooking time. There is no prep time, which makes it easier.

Prep Time : 0 mins (Unless you count the opening of the Ricotta cheese and unwrapping the stick of butter as prep time!)

Cooking time: 45 mins to an 1 hr.

Total time: 45 mins to an 1 hr.

Ingredients

Part skim milk Ricotta Cheese -- 1 (32 oz box).
Unsalted Butter-- 1 stick
Sugar -- 31/2 to 4 cups (Add more if you have a sweet tooth)
Non Fat Dry Milk Powder--1 packet

Preparation:

If you don't stir, it will be black and you will have a smoky kitchen at the end of this recipe and not a delicious Milk Khova dessert.



1. Take a nonstick deep pan and add the ricotta cheese and butter and start melting them. Keep the stove on medium heat.
2. Keep stirring for 15 mins. (I usually set the timer on my stove for the 15 mins)
3. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.
4.Add the non fat dry milk powder and stir without forming lumps (I also use a beater to beat the powder to avoid the lumps in the pan)
5. Keep stirring till the mixture starts thickening very well.

Also make sure that you are well protected with your hands because as the mixture thickens it has a nasty splattering spell!

6. You have an option to leave it white or keep stirring till it starts turning brown and then turn off.
7. Refrigerate after it cools down and enjoy this delicious dessert.


Curry-n-Spice Tip: You could use whole milk Ricotta cheese ( I personally do not see a vast difference in taste).
The least size I could find for the milk powder was at Stop and shop with 5 packets in a box. So that works.
If making it for a party use just double the quantity and it should suffice, but sadly I discovered it only increased the time I spent in front of the stove but of course the fruits of the labor were great.

Ok..now to the cat story, the Aavin (its just a brand name...yes they sell these in India under different brands) dessert comes wrapped in almost parchment paper and I had the habit of licking the paper (one half only because my sister had to have the other) once everyone was done eating. So of course I had to sit next to a cat and lick this thing and the cat smelling this delicious milk blend...tried to snatch it from me. I did not give up and fought with the cat and won eventually but got scrapped on my scalp right above my forehead dead center ...till this day I have a scar there to prove my victory.

Enjoy! Relish.

Hello all

I have been on hiatus haven't I? I am thinking of posting a dessert soon, something that's easy and simple to make and definitely not time consuming, (knowing me, you should have guessed this by now).
Will post over the weekend.

Raw(Green) Tomatoes Chutney

This is actually something I learnt from my sister. I still think she makes the best tasting Chutney from these tomatoes and I always make sure I get enough to last me a week with my dosas!

I wanted to write something for the blog and I was wondering what it would be. I was hoping I could post something for a main course or a dessert, but being snowed in the last couple of days and I have just been plain lazy! So I made this for dinner yesterday night because I wanted to eat something hot and spicy!

When we go to the grocery store we end up discarding the green tomatoes in the whole batch as they are not ripe enough, and well now its time to hunt these down and start making this.
Not all the tomatoes you use need to be green but they can be semi ripe as well, the more greener it is the more tangy it will be. This chutney tastes better with more spice in it (I like it that way actually and mostly end up with a runny nose after eating this.)


Prep time: About 10 mins (includes chopping the tomatoes, which I think is an easier task than peeling onions)

Cooking time: About 30 mins

Ingredients:

Raw Green Tomatoes (Roma or regular chopped) -- 10 tomatoes (of course a regular size and not a giant tomato. Do not buy tomatillos, they are not the same)

Long Green Chillies (slit into two)--6 or 7 (tone it down if you dont think thats the spice you want. Check the Tip section for substitutes)

Mint leaves--10-15 leaves

Mustard Seeds--1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds (Jeera)--1/4 tsp

Asafoetida (Hing) --a pinch (Optional, this adds flavor and taste to the chutney)

Curry Leaves -- 4 leaves

Olive oil (oil used for frying)--very little to for the seasoning (about 1/4 tsp should do it)

Planters Dry roasted peanuts --1 tbsp (This is an optional ingredient)

Salt to taste.


Preparation:

1.Add the oil to a deep frying pan a medium flame and add in the mustard seeds.
2.Once the oil heats up and the mustard seeds start splattering, add the slit green chillies.
3.Saute the chillies, they usually become white for a bit when they get sauteed.
4.Once this starts happening add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida powder and the curry leaves.
5.Add the chopped tomatoes and let them cook.Usually tomatoes cook faster, but these being raw take a little while to cook.
6.Once the tomatoes are 3/4 of the way cooked add the mint leaves and let it cook.
7.Make sure you stay near the stove and keep stirring the tomatoes.
8.Add the salt (if you add the salted peanuts, add less salt to the tomatoes) and continue cooking till the tomatoes are totally cooked.(you can tell if the tomatoes are totally cooked when the skin usually peels off from the tomato and it also is shapeless).
9.Turn off the stove and let this cool.
10.Once its cooled down add this to the blender and also add the peanuts(its optional) and blend them into a smooth paste.
11.Enjoy this as a spread, as a side for dosas (will post more about dosas in the coming posts), for sandwiches.


Curry-n-spice Tip:
You can always substitute the Green Chillies with Jalapeno or Serrano peppers but make sure you do the spice check before you add too many.
I have also experimented with putting less chillies in the mixture but adding chilli flakes (the one you use on Pizzas) after the fact if I needed more spice.
You can also do this with just the oil, tomatoes,chillies and mint leaves. The other spices just enhance the flavor.


Enjoy!