Party song!

What is a party without some great food? So here is a party song for every foodie!

Sab milkar party kare,
Party me kuch chaat pakoda khaye,
Kuch cakes aur muffins bhi chat kar jaaye.

Dekho-dekho yahan kya hai?
Ye toh mera favourite pizza hai.
Pancakes itne saare,
Jaise aasman me anginat taare.

Ye party hai mazedaar,
Yahan hai alu-bonda hazaar.
Gol-gol pani puri,
Iske bina party bilkul hai adhuri.

Ab saj-dhajkar aa gaya sandwich,
Iske saath kabhi nahi koi bhi khich pich.
Pop-pop karta hai popcorn,
Batao party ka raja hai kaun?

Ab baari aayi party ke raja ki,
Lo aa gaya ice-cream thandi-thandi.
Saath le aaya hai rani chocolate sauce,
Are ab kuch baat bani na boss.

Chalo party me ye sab khaye,
Khub masti aur dhamaal machaye.
Khele koodein naache gaaye
Apne me hi gum ho jaaye.

Sweet-n-Sour Guava ladoo

So what do you do when the guavas get ripe lying in the fruit basket and no one wants to eat them at home? You either throw them or get down to "google down" some saviour. A post that I tracked - indeed a saviour that was.

Time required: An hour

Recipe courtesy: http://www.lovefoodeat.com/

INGREDIENTS:
Guavas

Sugar

Ghee

METHOD:

1) Wash the guavas well and cut into halves

2) Scoop out the inside of the guavas leaving the seeds aside (will tell you what to do with the seedy part later - creating suspense so that you scroll till the end ;))

3) Chop the deseeded guavas very roughly and cook for 10-15 minutes

4) Blend the cooked guavas into a smooth puree

5) In a pan, pour the puree, add sugar and cook over low flame (keep stirring) until it is hard and starts sticking to the bottom of the pan

6) Add ghee and stir more till you get a barfi/ fudge consistency

7) You can either spread it on a greased plate and cut them in diamond shapes once hardened. I found that slightly difficult so I rolled them into ladoos and coated them with dry coconut powder

Now - eat and serve and enjoy!

What to do with the seeds? Add ginger, salt, green chillies, coriander and make a tangy chutney to be savoured best with puris. :) 

"OAT" to be good

Many of us take an "oat-h" to imbibe a healthier lifestyle, 

And bring home a packet of oats with a smile.

Bring the milk to boil, mix oats well and add some sugar,

But the enemy called tongue does not let us get healthier.

The packet sulks in a corner dying to be used,

While we indulge in the parathas with some ghee infused..

So what do we do? Throw away the sulking packet? Naah! That is not permitted - do not waste food if you have a soul. Someone has taken great pains to grow them in their farm. Someone is dying in our Country for want of some grains. And if these are not reasons enough, then do not waste kyunki paap padega (because it is a sin)... Ha ha ha!

Well! Utilizing left over oats without using microwave - a challenge a friend posed. After some brainstorming I came up with the following recipe - a variant of something I have been tasting at a very close friend's place.

Recipe courtesy: Chandana

Time required - Half an hour to an hour

INGREDIENTS:

Oats - 250 - 300 gms
Honey - 5 to 6 tbsp
Any fruit jam
Digestive biscuits
Dairy Milk/ Temptation/ whatever you like.. It is chocolates after all.. ;) I used Temptations Rum and Raisins and Dairy Milk Silk.
Custard powder - 5 to 6 tbsp
Some milk
Sugar
Very little butter

Most important ingredient - zeal to experiment

METHOD:

Step 1:

a) Melt the butter and roast the oats for around 5 min - till slightly golden

b) Empty it in a separate container, pour the honey and mix it well

c) Take a round container and spread the honeyed oats. Press it well so that it sets and forms the base

Tip: Be careful while roasting the oats - keep tossing. Mix the honey and set the oats while it's still warm.

Step 2:
a) Take the jam, mix a little bit of water to make it like a paste (the consistency of tomato ketchup)
b) Spread a very thin layer of the jam on top of the oats
c) Crush the digestive biscuits and spread a layer of it on top of the jam

Step 3:
a) Break the chocolates into small pieces, place them in a small container
b) Boil some water in a bigger container
c) Place the smaller container containing the chocolates on the boiling water so that the chocolate melts
d) Add some milk to make the consistency a bit thinner
e) Place the container on the boiling water again and mix well
f) A very thin layer of the melted chocolate goes on top of the layer of the crushed biscuits

Ok! Confession time - I cheated here and melted the chocolate in a microwave.
Tip: To avoid the process of melting spread a very thin layer of grated chocolate on the layer of crushed biscuits.

Step 4:

a) Prepare the custard as per the instructions on the packet. Thicken it a little extra
b) Pour the hot custard over the chocolate so as to make a little thick layer of custard

Tip: Be careful with the sugar you add to your custard. After pouring the layer if you feel it is not sufficient, prepare some more custard and spread a layer on top.
Step 5:
Garnish with some broken pieces of chocolate on top.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours and allow the custard to set before you dig into something soft, juicy and chewy at the same time ;)

Serve with whipped cream, ice-cream, chocolate sauce or whatever else you please. I like it with lots of fresh fruits and oodles of honey... Yummy!!

To make it slightly easy to follow, I have uploaded the pictures below - hope it helps..

Oats mixed with honey left to set...

The layer of jam on the honeyed oats

The layer of crushed biscuits

The melted chocolate - Wow! [lick it while you spread] :P

Saga of the raw veggies!

It was a fine Saturday noon. I had just returned home after a long run inside a beautiful Jungle which is little away from the city. After a leisurely and good hydro-therapy, my tummy growled for some food. Lunch was yet to be prepared and I was, like always, in no mood to eat the usual. Moreover, I had spent the morning with almost 70 people - most of them extremely fit. Well! It was playing a trick - I wanted to eat a healthy meal, however a tasty and a really quick one.

Rummaged my kitchen and found the following:

INGREDIENTS:

Vegetables: Of your choice - I had used shredded cabbage and some spinach leaves. Add carrot, red and green capsicum, cucumber, tomato, thinly sliced onions, coriander leaves.

Dressing: Olive oil (2 tbsp), Salt, Roasted chilli flakes, Black pepper powder, Mixed herbs (alternatively add some roasted and powdered jeera/ cumin seeds, basil), Honey (1 tbsp), Juice of half or one lemon, 2 pods of crushed garlic

METHOD:

Step 1: In a bowl, add all the ingredients listed under dressing, mix it well and make the dressing.

Step 2: Throw in all the veggies in another bowl, add the dressing, toss well.

That's it! 

P.S.: In case you have someone who pulls a face at the mention of salads, do the following:

i) Add some cottage cheese/ paneer (mashed/ grated) to the salad.

ii) Place it in between two slices of bread (brown preferably).

iii) Grill it with just a touch of butter or toast it on a skillet to make a sandwich.

iv) Feed that bugger with the same salad that he refused to touch :D - He will not be able to resist the sandwich, it's a bet! ;) See how yummy it looks............ 

Bread Tikki

Don't get misled by the image. No, it is not break served with tikkis (cutlets). What is it then? Find out on your own! :) 

Tikki (cutlet) is associated with aloo (potato) in India. Thus, one of the most favoured street foods/ chaat of India "Aloo tikki" (potato cutlet), which is savoured with sweet, sour and hot chutneys (sauces). My mouth is watering as I write this. :) 

Overview - Well! I have a slightly healthier version - bread tikki, equally delectable. So, get ready to fix a quick breakfast/ evening snack. Or may be captivate the imagination of your guest with just some leftover slices of bread in your refrigerator. Or get your kids to have a healthy snack without too much hassle.

Time required - Hardly any ;)

INGREDIENTS:

Slices of bread: 2 to 3

Vegetables: Of your choice - finely chopped or shredded (I had used cabbage, beans, carrot and some left over cooked potato and spinach curry, finely chopped onions, ginger, coriander leaves). Can add green peas, boiled and mashed potatoes, spring onions, capsicum, etc.

Cheese - grated: Optional (recommended if it is a rainy evening ;))

Spices: Salt, Roasted chilli flakes, Mixed herbs (alternatively add some jeera/ cumin seeds, ajwain/ carom seeds, basil, dhaniya/ coriander powder)

Semolina/ Sooji: for coating

METHOD:

Step 1:

a) Mix all the vegetables and spices
b) Soak the slices of bread (one slice at a time) in water and squeeze really well before adding it to the mixture and making a dough
c) Moisten your palms
d) Make the cutlets in any shape (flat or cylindrical)
e) Place some semolina in a plate and coat (a very thin coat) of the cutlets with semolina after which it should look like this - at this stage you can refrigerate it and follow the next steps just when you are ready to binge 
Tip: Careful with salt if you have added cheese. Squeeze out water from bread as much as possible

Step 2:
a) Heat a tava/ skillet/ nonstick pan

b) Grease it lighly

c) Place the cutlets on it for frying - something like this

d) Wait till golden on both sides

Tip: Fry on medium/ low flame for better cooked cutlets

Step 3: Bite into it while hot with any sauce of your choice. I prefer the Indian style - tomato sauce. Could also be enjoyed with some toast. 

But it is just perfect on a rainy evening - when you are in your own company with your favourite book and a cuppa and suddenly have a munching desire. Take my suggestion - grab a "Bread Tikki". Happy reading!

Vegetable Dum Biriyani

Dum meaning 'Pressure'. Yes, this is some rice cooked with vegetables under lot of pressure - however, not in a pressure cooker.

Recipe courtesy: Neeli aunty

Originally a Persian dish, but we Indians love it for the spice and flavours. In fact, different states of India have a version - Hyderabadi, Mughlai, Awadhi, Malabar. Well! To be honest biriyani is supposed to be a mixture of rice and lamb. Vegetarian biriyani is only to placate the not-so lucky ones. However, as long as it satiates the taste buds, who cares!

Overview - It is cooked in a few steps. I will first list down the ingredients for ease of reference and then the steps. And yes! I believe in "till it feels right" while cooking and hence, sometime exact measurement may be amiss. Use your senses - when you are cooking, it is your dish! :)

Time required - An hour to an hour and a half. Do not try this while rushing. The cooking process and the biriyani - both requires time to be relished and enjoyed. 

INGREDIENTS:

Rice - 2 cups

Vegetables: Potatoes, carrots, capsicum/ green and red pepper, cauliflower/ brocolli, beans, green peas - washed well and cut in chunky cubes (not very small) except peas.

Spices: 2-3 inches Cinnamon stick, 5-6 pods of cardamom, 7-8 black pepper coarsely crushed, 5-6 pods of cloves, 1-2 bay leaves, Jeera/ cumin seeds - a spoonful.

Others:
Saffron - 7-8 strands soaked in milk for 20 to 30 min
Onions - cut in thin long strips
Ginger and garlic - paste or finely chopped (as convenient)
Curd/ yoghurt
Oil 
Ghee/ clarified butter
Tomatoes - thin slices, round or long (as convenient)
Red chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt
Coriander and mint leaves - finely chopped

Most important ingredient - some enthusiasm and love :)

METHOD:

Step 1: 

a) Soak the rice for half an hour.
b) Cook the rice with a small cinnamon stick, 1-2 pods of cardamom and cloves, salt and few drops of clarified butter either on a stove or microwave. Keep aside.
Tip: It should be almost cooked (very very slightly raw i.e. 3/4th cooked). Drain out excess water, if any.

Step 2:

Marinate all the vegetables in a pinch of salt, turmeric and some ginger and garlic paste for 15-20 min.

Step 3:

a) Heat oil and fry the onions till brown and keep aside
b) Heat more oil (be little generous) and throw in all the remaining spices (under the heading spices) and wait till you sense the aroma (1 min approx). 
c) Add the ginger, garlic, the marinated vegetables, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix well. Cover and cook for a while.
d) Check it. The vegetables should be cooked and slightly fried but crisp and crunchy. Add some yoghurt - enough to make a very thick gravy. Bring it to boil 2-3 times. There should be some gravy left. If not, add more yoghurt. Add coriander and lint leaves and some drops of clarified butter - just for the INDIAN FLAVOUR! Keep aside.
Tip: Do not overcook the vegetables. Do not mash them. Each piece should be separate.

Step 4:

a) Take a very heavy bottomed pan.
b) Grease it lightly with oil and place the slices of tomato at the bottom. 
c) Spread a thin layer of rice. Then a layer of half of the cooked vegetables. 
d) Half of the remaining rice for the next layer. The remaining vegetables on top - leave some gravy only (and not the pieces of vegetable) for the next layer. Then the fried onions on top of the vegetables. Cover with the remaining rice. 
e) Pour the gravy and the soaked saffron all over the rice evenly.
Tip: Experiment with your layers. You can add roasted cashew and some raisins if you please.

Step 5 (the most important):

a) Cover this pan with a cotton kitchen cloth (should be little thick). Cover the pan with a lid.
b) Place this pan full of the arranged layers on a tawa/ another heavy bottomed flat iron pan/ skillet. Now place this over fire (low flame) for 20 min to half an hour
c) Place something heavy on the lid to prevent the steam from escaping
Tip: Keep an eye - if the bottom is not heavy enough, the rice may burn.

While serving, ensure each plate has a part from all the layers. :) Enjoy the flavours. Eat lots of eat for lunch and take a wonderful siesta afterwards. This is what we call life! This is happiness personified.... :)