अलुबुखारचे सार | Maharashtrian Style Plum & Coconut Saar/Soup | Vegan | Gluten Free | Dairy Free

 

 

Hi All!

The fruit market is still flooded with stoned fruits like peaches, cherries and plums, giving me ample opportunity to cook with them. Living in the hot and humid zone of the country, my attempt is always at cooking simple dishes with my personal touch. If one checks on the recipes from my archives, would realise that most of them are fuss free and quick to make.

I mostly love eating my cherries or use them for garnishes but with the plums and peaches, I love to cook. Unlike North India, here, the plums we get are not the sweet kind and while creating recipes using the plums, I have to balance the sourness wisely with the sugar and spice, else they are too sour to eat.

As I have mentioned in my Smoked Cottage Cheese and Peas Curry my excitement about going for the IFBmeet in Bangalore and when I got to know recently that Kitchen Aid has thrown a cooking contest only for the participants of the IFBmeet, where we get a chance to win a Kitchen Aid Chopper, I was super excited. Who would not like to win a Kitchen Aid product, I sure do, fingers crossed!!

Read more »

Four Recipes & A Book Review- Master Chef India Cook Book by Pankaj Bhadouria

Hi All.

2010 was when Master Chef  India was aired for the first time. It was a huge platform  for people passionate about food, to show their hidden talent to the entire nation. So many people from different walks of life tried their luck to get into this competition/reality show and only the very talented could make it to the top twelve. These involved home cooks, strugglers, college going students, a few corporates and amongst them was also Pankaj who had quit her many years of teaching job to participate here, so there was quite a lot on stake…

The entire journey of Master Chef  India was fun and lot of learning, though quite melodramatic at times unlike Master Chef Australia, but I guess all Indian reality shows have a lot of melodrama in it to gain TRP. Millions of the viewers watching the show laughed and cried along with the participants. People had their own favourites and I had mine too. I loved  to watch Radhicka, Zebi, Smitha, Jaynandan and Pankaj  cooking. But in heart of hearts I prayed that either Pankaj or Jayanandan should win as they were not only talented but  both of them needed the title badly as Jaya would have got a direction in his life and Pankaj because she took a big challenge by quitting her job of 16yrs and I surely could relate myself  easily with her..

Read more »

Mensin Saaru..Coconut and Pepper Rasam

Hi.

Today I am posting an extremely simple yet a very very tasty rasam. This is an all time favorite in my family and every body craves for it on a chilly winter day or a rainy day. There’s an immense satisfaction in drinking this rasam. This is my MIL’s version and I tasted it the first time when post marriage I was down with cold and cough and she very sweetly offered me a glass of this and I was instantly a fan of this preparation.

A few days back my elder son demanded this and then my younger one was showing signs of a throat infection…so this healer mom concocted this ‘RAMBAAN DAVA’ for sore throat and every one enjoyed sipping this hot soup/rasam.

This soup/saaru/rasam  has  the sweet gentle flavor of coconut blended with the strikingly hot flavor of black pepper. In the first sip it soothes the throat and as you sip in further your body just gets engulfed in the warmth that the soup provides. This can be eaten with rice  and can be a part of the meal too. It needs very basic things which are readily available in the kitchen..

Ingredients

1 cup grated coconut

2 spoons urad dal

1 spoon pepper corns

1/4-1/2 cup milk

1 tsp ghee

1/2 tsp mustard

few curry leaves

salt to taste

Method

Heat half spoon ghee and fry Urad dal and pepper corns, grind it along with coconut to a very fine paste. Take the paste in a sauce pan and add about 3 cups water, milk and salt to taste. Boil it. Take the remaining ghee and add the mustard seeds, once they splutter add curry leaves and immediately pour it on the Saaru. Bring another boil and serve immediately.

Sending this to

 

hosted by Sadhana and Muskaan.

Spinach and Potato soup with Roasted Oats

Hi Friends! First of all many thanks for all the wishes that were sent to me on my birthday, I am truly blessed with so many cheerful people around me in the blogosphere. I had a great day with S and kids.

This is a very simple soup with the creaminess of potatoes and health benefits of Spinach and Oats. As we know spinach is considered very healthy. Spinach contains an impressive range of active substances which are indispensable to the body.The magnesium contained in spinach helps prevent diabetes; iodine helps treat skin diseases and strengthens the immune system; vitamin K contributes to bone resistance; vitamin B improves cerebral activity, helps in maintaining the firmness of the skin and controls insomnia; potassium stimulates the cardiac muscle; beta-carotene prevents sight problems and sulfur increases hair attractiveness. Alimentary fibers, vitamins and minerals contained make spinach a good depurative and detoxifier. The toxins originating in nourishments that are rich in fat and proteins of animal origin are thus eliminated quickly. At the same time, alimentary fibers prevent constipation and colon cancer. They interact with the absorption of fat and adjust the level of cholesterol in the body. Moreover, spinach can help eliminate intestinal parasites.(source-www.liveand life.com)

The potatoes makes a nice thickening agent and adds to the creamy texture of the soup. The potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates.They are nutrient-dense, meaning you receive many nutrients for the amount of calories they have. The fiber half soluble, half insoluble, so it helps to keep you regular and helps to lower cholesterol. And slowing down digestion helps to keep you full longer. Phytochemicals in potatoes include flavanoids and a recently identified compound called kukoamine that appears to help lower blood pressure. (source-www.howstuffworks.com)

Oatmeal and oat bran are significant sources of dietary fiber. This fiber contains a mixture of about half soluble and half insoluble fibers. One component of the soluble fiber found in oats is beta-glucans, a soluble fiber which has proven effective in lowering blood cholesterol.

After reading the health benefits of the Spinach, oats and potatoes one can surely say this soup is loaded with good health. Lets read how it’s made..

Ingredients

One onion chopped

2 potatoes peeled and chopped/cubed

25 spinach leaves

1 tbsp pepper corn

7-8 cloves

4 green cardamoms

2 tsp clarified butter/butter

1 tbsp roasted cumin powder

roasted rolled Oats a handful

salt to taste

Method

In a pan heat clarified butter and add cardamoms, peppercorns and cloves. Once they crackle add the onions and saute.

Add the potatoes, some water and bring to a boil, cover and cook till tender.

Then add the spinach leaves and salt to taste, cook for a minute.

Cool and grind to a paste.

Take the spinach-potato paste in a pan and add water to bring to a soup like consistency and put it on flame. Bring it to a boil and add roasted cumin powder. Taste the soup to check for salt and other spices.

Boil for a few minutes, meanwhile roast the rolled oats till nicely crunchy and crisp.

 
Remove the soup in bowl and put a tablespoon of rolled oats just before serving. Serve along with herbed garlic toasts.


Sending this to Sara’s oats feast.

Gingered Carrot Soup for Taste and Create and a few awards again….

Hi! 

This is my first participation in Taste and Create. Taste&Create event started by Nicole of ForTheLoveOfFood and is hosted by Min of BadGirlsKitchen. For this month I have been paired up with Min of BadGirlskitchen. Those who love eating non vegetarian food, you will love exploring her blog. She has some very  interesting  vegetarian recipes,of which, very conveniently I picked up a comfortable soup…the carrot and ginger. The combo sounded very interesting These day’s I am more into providing nutritious food to my younger one,  this selection helped me there.

Read more »

Leek and Potato Soup with Bread Knots….getting friendly with the ‘Yeast’ ghost

These days I am in a mood of eating light at night and the easiest and healthiest option remains the soup. The name leek and potato soup, I  heard it for the first time from my SIL G. G used to have soups and salads for her lunch in her office in UK, she had in particular mentioned about this soup that it tastes really good. Till then I had always seen a Leek in a vegetable shop but was never tempted to buy it. After her mentioning about it, in my next shopping round of the veggies the Leek was introduced to the family.

 

 

      I surfed the net in search of the recipe and found a few which I twisted and modified. I do not know how G’s soup was made but true to G’s word the soup turned out really tasty. I must confess here I was really skeptical about how it will turn as I had never tasted a Leek earlier, and in my first experiment I jumped on to a soup! Ever since I made it the first time, the family has loved having it. This recipe calls for minimum ingredients but yields maximum satisfaction of sipping a delectable soup. Just have it piping hot.

 

 

 

      I have loved reading in the  English books where the lady of the house serves hot bread and cookies straight from the oven along with hot tea or soup. I used to dream some day even I will do that…This time when I made the soup I wanted to serve fresh home made bread. Like I mentioned, I always fancied making a bread at home but always feared  how it will turn out, how well I could handle the yeast (the yeast ghost).

 

 

    I googled through various websites trying to understand the intricacy and planning involved in baking a bread. Whatever I read gave me a little confidence that I might be able to handle the yeast. So this daring baker(which I am not yet) dared with some simple bread knots to start with. I was really inspired by a swiss bread posted by Chef in you. The knots came out perfect, though a little dense as I had replaced a part of the recipe with whole wheat flour. I must try it again with a little extra yeast next time, or you all can suggest what else I could do. I could not take a click of a cut slice as the bread got finished very fast, that makes me believe it was good and worth all the effort.

 

 

Ingredients for the Leek & Potato soup

Serves 6

 

1 Leek chopped

2 medium Potatoes finely chopped

1-2 tsp white pepper powder

1 1/2 cups double toned milk

2 tbsp butter

4 cups water

salt to taste

1-2 vegetable stock cubes/ fresh vegetable stock

 

Method

 

Heat butter in a pan and throw in the chopped leek and potatoes, mix and add salt(add less if veg stock cubes are used), this releases water and helps in cooking. Saute for a few minutes.

 

Add pepper, veg stock cubes. Mix and add milk and water and bring it to a boil.

Once the potatoes are soft, run a hand blender in the soup.This thickens & brings in a consistency to the soup .

Serve hot with some cream on top (I did not put) and bread.

Ingredients for Bread Knots

 

3 3/4 cups bread flour ( I replaced 1 cup with wheat flour)

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tbsp active yeast

1 tsp honey

1 cup luke warm milk

4 tbsp melted butter

 

 

Method

 

In the luke warm milk add honey, butter and instant yeast and let it stand for 15 mins.

Mix the flours and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour the egg and the milk mixture. Mix well and knead a dough.
Cover with a cling film and let it rise to a double volume(first rise). It took 1 hour for me as the temperature is soaring here.

Punch the dough and deflate. Make lemon sized balls and make 9 inch ropes and make the knots.

Let them rise for 30-40 mins ( second rise) and then apply egg white on the top surface for glazing. Bake in a pre heated oven for 30-40 mins at 375 F.

 

Serve with some butter.

The bread knots are my entry to Sunday snacks- Snacks with bread at Priya’s easyntastyrecipes and is the brain child of  Hima of SnackORama .

The soup is my entry to an event Soup N Juice Soup hosted by Sireesha  of  MomsRecipies

 

 

Gingered Carrot Soup for Taste and Create

Hi all!  This is my first participation in Taste and Create. Taste&Create event started by Nicole of ForTheLoveOfFood and is hosted by Min of BadGirlsKitchen. For this month I have been paired up with Min of BadGirlskitchen. Those who love eating non vegetarian food, you will love exploring her blog. She has some very  interesting  vegetarian recipes,of which, very conveniently I picked up a comfortable soup…the carrot and ginger. The combo sounded very interesting These day’s I am more into providing nutritious food to my younger one,  this selection helped me there.

The soup comes across as a  quickie  with a delectable taste. The ginger provides the zing to the mild carrot and the all spice provides the additional flavors along with the ever welcome cashew nuts. I adjusted some amount of spices to suit our palate.The original recipe one can read here.

Ingredients

1lb carrots/450gms cubed/grated

3/4 cup chopped onions
2 garlic pods
1 tbsp grated ginger
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup toasted cashew nuts
2-3 tsp olive oil/butter
Spices
1/4 tsp all spice ( I did not have, so made my own substitution) check here
1/2 tsp white pepper (not used in original recipe)
1/4 tsp roasted cumin pwd
1/4 tsp roasted fennel pwd
1/4 tsp mint pwd
1/4 tsp cinnamon pwd
salt to taste
Method
Peel and wash the carrots and grate them. Boil them in 4 cups of water.
Heat olive oil and saute the onions, followed by ginger and crushed garlic. Add all the spices, salt and let it cool.
Toast the cashew nut. and mix it with the onions and blend. Pour in the carrots and blend further.
Bring the soup to a boil . Remove from flame and add lemon juice, mix properly and serve.