Rongi / Lobhia / Black Eyed Beans Curry

Black eyed beans curry ( or rongi or lobhia or ravaan as it is called) is again a simple, protein packed dish suited for everyday cooking. This is my second entry to RCI Punjab, initiated by Lakshmi and hosted by Richa.

3 cups of black eyed beans/ rongi / lobhia / ravaan
3 onions
5 tomatoes
2 green chillies
1 ½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt as per taste
Coriander for garnish

Wash the black eyed beans well and soak for 2 hours. Drain the soaked water and pressure cook the beans with salt and slices of ginger till they are soft. While the beans are cooking, chop the onions and puree the tomatoes. Heat oil in a pan, add the asafoetida and sauté the onions till brownish red in colour. Add the ginger-garlic paste and slit green chillies and fry. Then pour the tomato puree, add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Cook the puree well till the raw smell disappears and the oil separates. Then add the cooked beans, mashing it slightly with the spoon. Add the garam masala and stir through well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rotis or parathas.

Here are some more Punjabi specialities – take a sneak peak!

Makki di roti and Sarson da saag

Amritsari Fish Fry

Rajma

Mushroom Mattar Paneer

Green Moong Dal

Arbi ki sabzi

Boondi Raita

Pinnie

Carrot Halva

Watermelon Icecream and Melon Surprise

Bee, here's a watermelon postcard coming your way....! :)

We love watermelons. For us, watermelons and summers are synonymous. No fruit quenches thirst like the crunchy watermelon. True to its name, watermelons have very high water content about 92%. They are also an excellent of vitamins A, B and C, magnesium and potassium. Pink watermelons contain beta carotene and lycopene, a cancer-fighting anti oxidant.

Once cut, watermelons must be refridgerated to preserve their freshness. They should be used up as soon as possible as cutting degrades the fruit rapidly. Watermelon puree or juice should also be freshly prepared and consumed as preserving it causes indigestion.

We happened to pick the best watermelon of this summer - deep red, juicy and crunchy. Cutting it up and picking out the seeds is the messiest part – something the better half does when the sun rises from the west. Now to finish off a huge watermelon between the two of us was a huge task in itself! This is how we finished it off!!

The best way to have watermelon – cut into chunks and gobble it up!

The second best way to have watermelon – blend the chunks into juice. You can strain it if you like, I don't. Freeze left over juice.

Melon Surprise

Blend together 2 cups of watermelon chunks and 1 cup of pineapple chunks. Add 2 spoons of amla/gooseberry juice, a dash of lime and a hint of ginger and blitz. Decorate with a pineapple slice.

I also had to come up with something for AFAM, created by Maheswari, and hosted this month at Jugalbandi. So I came up with the idea of watermelon icecream. A "lite" icecream with a beautiful pink colour - we loved it!

You need :
One recipe basic icecream
1 cup watermelon puree
1/2 cup cream
2 tbsp sugar ( I used just 1 tbsp)
1 tsp cornflour
a drop of rose essence (optional). I didn't use it as my watermelon "smelt" good.

Prepare basic icecream as given here.
Cut the basic icecream into chunks. Churn it till it's fluffy adding the cream. Cook the watermelon puree with sugar for 2-3 minutes and add cornflour mixed in a little water to thicken the puree slightly. Cool the puree. Add it to the basic icecream and churn for a minute. Pour into a container and freeze till set.

Safety Moment #3 : Kitchen Appliances and Tools

Kitchen appliances have enhanced our lives with comfort and convenience. Proper care and regular checks are necessary to correct or avoid hazards and ensure safety.

Basic safety steps:
· Always purchase appliances and equipments that are tested and passed by the regulatory authority of your country of residence.
· Always follow the appliance manufacturer's instructions for installing and plugging into electrical power.
· Follow the manufacturer's instructions for use and cleaning the appliance.
· Keep all electrically powered appliances and equipments away from sinks and areas where water is used.
· Check that all cords are in good condition and not knotted or coiled. Never use worn, frayed or otherwise damaged cords or appliances.
· Always ensure that appliances are not carrying more than the recommended load. Do not overload circuits by using multiple plugs, extension cords or the like.
· Do not allow appliance cords to dangle over the edge of counter tops or tables.
· Unplug appliances when not in use. If an appliance smells funny or doesn't function correctly, have it repaired or replaced.
· Before leaving the house and especially leaving for holidays ensure that appliances not in use are switched off and plugs are disconnected.

Food processors/Mixers/Choppers:
· Always use push sticks or tamps to feed or remove food from these types of machines.
· Do not use your hands to feed smaller pieces of meat through slicers.
· Do not open up or put your hands into an operating machine to stir contents or guide food while the food is processing.
· Make sure the processor is off before opening the lid or adding items.
· Do not wear loose clothing or jewellery that could become caught in machinery.
· Turn off and unplug the machine before disassembling and cleaning or removing a blockage.

Coffee Makers:
· Do not place hot coffee makers close to the edge of counters where people passing by may come in contact with them.
· Check to make sure the coffee filter is in place before making any coffee.
· Do not remove the filter before the coffee has stopped dripping.
· Never stick your fingers into the chamber of a coffee grinder to get beans to drop into the grinder; tapping on the outside of the container will encourage beans to drop into grinder.

Steamers:
· Do not open the door while the steamer is on, shut off the steam, and then wait a couple of minutes before releasing the pressure and opening.
· Clear the area around the steamer before opening.
· Open the steamer door by standing to the side, keeping the door between you and the open steamer.
· Use oven mitts to remove hot trays from the steamer.
· Place hot, dripping steamer trays on a cart to transport. If trays are carried by hand, they will drip on floors and create a slip hazard.
· If a steamer is stacked, remove the tray from the top steamer first, then the lower one, to prevent burns from rising steam.

Pressure Cookers
· Shut off the steam supply and wait for the pressure to equalize before opening the lid of the pressure cooker.
· Stand to the side and open the pressure cooker away from yourself, keeping the open lid between you and the pressure cooker.

Kitchen Knives:
Asha has written a comprehensive article on Safety tips about Kitchen Knives at Aroma. Read it here.

To be continued...

Disclaimer: All information is taken from various sources on the internet.

Makki di roti and sarson da saag

Lush yellow mustard fields, girls dressed in brightly coloured salwar kameezes singing "Ghar aaja pardesi tera des bulaye….." a scene straight from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. The very mention of Punjab can conjure up the rich flavours of its renowned cuisine and the first thing that springs to your mind is makki di roti and sarson da saag. Typically prepared in winter when mustard leaves are abundantly available sarson da saag is a gravy prepared out of mustard leaves. Makki di roti is an Indian bread made from maize flour. I was quite newly married when I was introduced to this seasonal speciality. My inlaws and husband's grandma, who is affectionately called Pabiji were visiting us here. Apart from the gifts, pickles and sweets, they brought with them huge white radishes, spinach, mustard leaves, maize flour etc. "We thought you don't get any Indian things here," they said when we jokingly remarked that they had carried a grocer's shop with them! I was totally bowled over by Pabiji's zeal and affection, (she's way past 80) as she sat cross legged on the floor grating the radishes and kneading the dough as my mother in law prepared the saag. Needless to say the lunch was divine!

For Sarson ka saag you need:
3 bunches sarson/mustard leaves
1 bunch palak/spinach
1 bunch bathua/ Chenopodium album, (a small leafed winter green supposed to have medicinal properties, usually used in making parathas in North India)
4 onions chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
3 green chillies minced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp wheat flour
2 tbsp pure ghee
Salt and red chilli powder to taste

Remove stems and wash the mustard leaves, spinach and bathua well. Chop finely and pressure cook them on slow flame for half an hour. Cool and grind coarsely.

Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion till golden brown. Add garlic, green chillies and stir fry. Add the tomato and cook till tender. Add the coarse sarson mixture, salt and cook for about 20 minutes. Add wheat flour diluted in 2 tbsp water and for for a minute or two. Temper with red chilli powder and ghee and serve hot.

Here I do not get mustard leaves or bathua, so I use spinach and follow the same method to cook the saag. Tastes great!

For makki di roti you need :
2 ½ cups maize flour
1 cup grated radish
1 cup methi/fenugreek leaves
3 tbsp coriander leaves
2 green chillies
salt to taste

Chop the fenugreek leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies finely. In a bowl add all the ingredients and mix well. Knead into a dough adding just sufficient water. Now take a small lump of the dough, roll into a ball and flatten between the palms to make thick small rotis. Roast on both sides on a hot tava, applying ghee on both sides. This takes time to cook, so keep the flame medium/slow. Serve hot, smearing white butter/makhan on the roti with sarson da saag, dahi/curds and pickle.

This is my entry to RCI – Punjabi guest hosted by Richa of As Dear As Salt. RCI is the brainchild of LakshmiK of Veggie Cuisine.

Updates :

1. You may also add suva/dill to the saag - it imparts a great flavour.

2. Ready to eat, canned sarson ka saag ( I forget the brand) is also available in the market. For those who have never tasted sarson ka saag, this is a good option.

3. Other ways to make rotis: press the ball on a flat surface and flatten to make a roti OR roll the ball between two plastic sheets to form a roti.

4. If any of you know what bathua is called in any other language, please let me know too. :)

Poha – As homely as it gets…

Amchi Mumbai on a sunny Saturday noon.

During my vacation in Mumbai, we decided to go to Flora Fountain to buy books off the street. Aah, that's the beauty of Mumbai streets, you'll find just about anything there! After a long bus ride to Churchgate, we walked to Flora Fountain where there were rows and rows of book sellers. The thrill of finding books at one-fifth the original price and still bargaining with the vendor is unimaginable here!

Flora Fountain :
Commissioned by the Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India in the 1860's, the fountain was built in honour of the then Governor of Bombay, Sir Bartle Frere. The design was prepared by R Norman Shaw, and the fountain was sculpted in imported Portland stone by James Forsythe. The fountain cost Rs 47,000, a princely sum in those days. The statue flanking the top of the fountain is of Flora, the Roman Goddess of Abundance; and hence the name. On the lower tier are four statues on the four corners, depicting ladies in four different attires. Water spouts at different levels along with miniature collection pools and lion-headed gargoyles complete the fountain. True to its name, the sculpture also depicts an abundance of floral motifs. For more read here.

Flora Fountain and BSE in the background.

BSE: Bombay Stock Exchange Limited, now synonymous with Dalal Street, is the oldest stock exchange in Asia. It is the first stock exchange in the country to obtain permanent recognition in 1956 from the Government of India under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.The Exchange's pivotal and pre-eminent role in the development of the Indian capital market is widely recognized and its index, SENSEX, is tracked worldwide. For more read here.

BSNL: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed in October, 2000, is World's 7th largest Telecommunications Company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India. Within a span of five years it has become one of the largest public sector unit in India. For more read here.

MCMG: The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai was formed in the year 1873 as Mumbai's civic body. Through the multifarious civic and recreational services that it provides, the MCGM has always been committed to improve the quality of life in Mumbai.

VT/CST: Modeled on the lines of the St Pancras Station in London, Victoria Terminus is undoubtedly the Raj's piece de resistance, complete with carved stone friezes, stained glass windows and flying buttresses. It is Gothic architecture at its best, an awesome edifice that most citizens view with deep pride. At the top of the central dome stands the triumphant figure of Progress. The station was christened to commemorate Victoria Jubilee Day in 1887 when India's first steam engine puffed out to neighboring Thane, about 45 kms away. Today it has been rechristened Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus after the Maratha warrior. And the old steam engines have been replaced by electric ones. But to the 2.5 million commuters who push past its massive portals everyday, this is still VT, the pulse of a throbbing city.

One more look :

And after this long walk from Churchgate to CST, it was time for some ghane ka ras or sugarcane juice!!

Fond memories of Mumbai evoke thoughts of typical Mumbai food. So here's a recipe for poha, a simple yet versatile dish that one can whip up in minutes. It makes a quick and light breakfast on weekdays, healthy and wholesome with different combos of veggies and nuts thrown in. Each one has their own version of making this.

You need:
2 cups poha/beaten rice/avil
1 onion chopped
4-5 green chillies chopped (you may reduce the spice)
1 small potato boiled and chopped
a handful of boiled green peas
2 tbsp grated carrots
2 tbsp red/yellow bell pepper
a handful of peanuts and chana dalia
a sprig of curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder to taste
1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
juice of 1 lime

Put the poha in a colander and wash under running water. This way, the poha remains moist and soft and does not become soggy. Heat a tbsp oil/ghee in a deep pan. Throw in the cumin seeds and let it splutter. You may use mustard seeds instead if you prefer. Throw in the peanuts and chana dalia and let it turn red. I sometimes add cashewnuts and raisins for variety. Now add the onions and curry leaves and fry till the onions are translucent. Add the potato/peas/bell peppers/carrots/ any other combo of veggies you prefer and fry lightly. You may add a tomato if you like a tangy taste. Add the poha/beaten rice, salt, chilli powder (optional) and turmeric and mix well. Take off the flame, add a spoon of ghee on it if you like. Squeeze some lime juice over it and garnish with coriander leaves.

Amritsari Fish Fry

Having lived in Mumbai all my life until three years ago, traveling in and around Mumbai was a breeze. All short distances were covered on foot. For longer distances there were autos, cabs, BEST buses and of course the local trains. Life then was commandeered by local train timings. One had to be ready by 8.45a.m., dash out of the house by 8.48, reach the station by 8.58 to catch the local at 9.02. Everything was clock-work. Road travel meant luxury, the rare taxi ride a treat! My family never felt the need to own a car; there were plenty of auto rickshaws to take you anywhere. Staying in the UAE has however, changed my perspective of “travel”. Here travel is by car or cabs. My recent vacation to Mumbai gave me a real feel of the city – again.

The taxi from the airport to home was a good (?) old fiat which offered no leg space for short people like me. Wonder how tall guys fit in…The luggage is tied to the cab – literally – since the CNG cylinders take up most of the boot space. My entire vacation was punctuated with plenty of travel through my dear old city and the traffic was a marvel. Very talented drivers skillfully maneuver around potholes, whiz from the left and exit from the right without warning. Motorists are unaware of lanes, seatbelts are unheard of (unless a policeman is watching at the highway), indicators are never used and side mirrors are for show only. I doubt if they watch rear view mirrors either. Traffic signals are amazing places – you can buy fresh bunch of roses, newspapers, peanuts, dusters and so on or get bullied by beggars, eunuchs and the like. It is alright if two wheelers and auto-rickshaws bump softly into cars - at the slow speeds they crawl, the bump is barely felt. Motorists can honk anywhere, anytime; overtake from the left or right as they please without as much an indication. A one-way road can fit in atleast six vehicles across its diameter, by-passers not withstanding. Maximum space utilization, you see. Animal lovers may sight a cow seated right in the middle of the road, blissfully unmindful of the traffic passing by or barking stray dogs running after your rickshaw. Pavements are hollow cavities with mud piled up on either side. Freshly tarred roads are as good as roads with potholes. Autos by far were the most amazing means of transport. They squeeze into the tiniest of spaces, drive effortlessly through oncoming traffic, graze against buses and yet don’t throw you out or topple over. Everyone who has traveled with me in an auto laughs at the way I hold on to it in fright. Travel by train is another story altogether. How I managed to find an edge and hold onto to something before the train pulled away is a mystery. To be honest, the Mumbai traffic is far better behaved than in other places. It's weird - I spent 20 odd years of my life traveling in Mumbai without a care, and within a short span of staying away I find that traffic crazy! I do love Mumbai – it's the city I grew up in, the place where my loved ones live and the place I'll return to – hopefully someday soon….

Well, I am trying to pour out my homesickness, nostalgia, depression and all crazy thoughts of being lonely after a wonderful vacation surrounded by family, catching up with friends and being pampered silly when I was unwell. It took some effort to write this post - phew it's finally out. And now, some spicy fish fry to elevate my spirits!

You need :

1 kg pomfret – cleaned
Juice of 4 limes
4 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilli paste
1 cup besan/chickpea flour
1 tsp pepper powder
1 ½ tsp chat masala
A pinch of orange colour (optional)
1 big onion sliced
Oil for frying

Method:

Mix the lime juice, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli paste, pepper powder, chat masala and colour to form a smooth paste. Make slits on the fish. Apply the marinade on the fish nicely and leave it in the fridge for 2 hours. Pan fry the fish for about 3 mins a side till the fish is cooked. I prefer it crisp outside and moist inside. Add some salt to the sliced onions and serve along with the fish.