Alepak Poha - Ginger flavored Beaten Rice Snack

After you get married there is a lot of change in the food that is being made in the in-laws family. In fact you get surprised to see some of the food items which you used to have for breakfasts are eaten as main courses and some of the main courses are cooked for breakfasts. That's really funny :) and  it takes time to get used to it. I am sure the girls who are married must have come across some food items which you do not like at all but still you had to prepare those. There are definitely some on my list and Alepak Poha ( Ginger flavored beaten rice ) is one from that list. It is because I am huge fan of the regular "kanda poha"  and this version will never ever beat it.
But again your taste buds get used to such dishes and after a while you start liking them...Isn't it?
Yes even I started liking this version of Poha and its not that bad. It has lots of ginger in it which makes it good for digestion.

Ginger is known to be taken when there are problems related to the digestive system such as indigestion, gas pains, diarrhea and stomach cramping. People in US also drink Gingerale when there is similar problem.

Ingredients:

Serves 2-3

Beaten Rice - 3 Cups
Grated Ginger - 3 tbsp
Jaggery (gud) - 2 tbsp, grated
Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbsp
Crushed Roasted Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Green Chili paste - 2 tsp
Fresh lime juice - per taste
Curry Leaves - few
Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds and oil for seasoning
Hing or Asafoetida - pinch
Salt - per taste

Method:

1. Wash poha / beaten rice in drainer/siever, drain the excess water c completely, leave it for 10 minutes. Use minimal water as possible.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add Mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves, green chili paste and grated ginger. Mix well for 30 seconds.

3.Add poha and mix well. Now add Jaggery and mix again. Cover for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add salt, peanuts crush, coconut and lime juice. Mix everything. Cover again for 4-5 minutes.

5. Adjust the jaggery, salt.

6. Serve.

Masala Bhindi (Okra / lady finger)

I just love bhindi in any form. 'Regular, Bharva, Masala, Tava, Dahi, fried'. This is the first bhindi recipe on my blog. I will eventually add all other recipes. This recipe is one of the favorites at home. The best thing about bhindi is it gets cooked in microwave within minutes. We also get rid of that stickiness if we cook it in microwave.

Ingredients:

Serves 3-4

Bhindi/Okra - 250-300 gms
Onion - 1/2 Cup , cut into slits
Punjabi Garam Masala / Kitchen King Masala or regular Garam Masala : 2-3 tsp
Cumin Coriander Powder : 1-2 tsp
Salt and Red Chili powder to taste
Pinch of sugar
Oil
Mustard Seeds, Cumin seeds for seasoning

For Puree:
Tomato - 1 Medium size
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Cloves - 2-3 Garlic
Onion - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Wash and dry the bhindis and take off the head of all bhindis. Also cut the bhindi into 1" pieces. Place it in a bowl and put about 3 tsp oil on them. Make sure oil spreads all over the bhindi. Now microwave it for about 6-8 minutes or till it gets cooked.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When they sizzle add slitted onion. Saute onion till it gets transparent.

3. Meanwhile grind all the ingredients listed under puree and make a paste. Add as little water as possible.

4. Now add this puree, all the masala powders, salt and mix well. Let the puree cook for 4-5 minutes.

5. Now check if the bhindi is cooked and if done add this to the puree. Mix well, cover and let this cook for another 10 minutes.

Tips:

Try this out with Punjabi Garam Masala or Kitchen King. These masalas are ready made masalas and you can find them in any Indian Store.

Sabudana Vada (Tapioca pearls fried tikkis)

This year we, I mean the Seattle, had a record snow. Schools were closed, roads were slippery, going anywhere was just risky. But snow in Seattle is like a rainbow in a rain. It lasts only for a while but makes the green world look entirely different and beautiful.

The point is there was no chance we can go for grocery and the question was what to do. No green veggies at home and got bored potatoes. Daals and pulses do not appeal the taste buds in cold winters.
When I ran out of all the options, there was this Sabudana Vada which I know how to make and does not need any special ingredient.

Ingredients:

Serves 2 or makes 12 - 15 Vadas

Tapioca pearls (Sabudana) - 1 Cup
Peanuts - roasted and crushed - Handful
Green Chili paste - per taste
Potato - 1 Small, Boiled and Smashed - (optional)
Lime juice - per taste
Salt - per taste
Sugar - per taste
Coriander - 2 tbsp, chopped
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Oil - for frying
Milk - 1-2 tbsp
Coriander + Cumin seeds powder - 2 - 3 tsp

Method:

1. Soak sabudana  in only enough water for 3-4 hours. There should not be any excess amount of water.

2. Now add crushed peanuts, salt, sugar, coriander + cumin seeds powder to the sabudana and mix.

3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large shallow skillet and then add cumin seeds to it. Once they sizzle add green chili paste and mix immediately.

4. Quickly add the sabudana mixture to this and mix for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of milk, lime juice as per taste and mix again. Lid it and let it cook for 5-6 minutes on lower to medium flame.

5. Open the lid and mix the sabudana again. Adjust salt, sugar, and lime juice. Its hard to adjust the green chili now and hence you should be careful when you add it in the first place.

6. Add coriander and this makes the Sabudana Khichdi.

7. To make sabudana vadas we will add the boiled and smashed potatoes to this mixture. This will keep the vadas intact and help in binding.

8. Take a little mixture in hand and make tikkis of it.

9. Heat oil in a pan and then fry the tikkis. Serve with tomato ketchup, or a simple dahi (yogurt) raita.

10. To make this raita, add generous amount of sugar and little salt to plain yogurt. Mix it well to get dropping consistency. Add a seasoning of oil , mustard seeds and cumin seeds to it. Mix and serve with sabudana vadas.

Tips:

Another simple way to make vadas is to skip the khichdi step. Add green chili paste and lime

This year's Snowman :) :)

Vegetable Hakka Noodles (Sauted Spaghetti) with Schezwan Sauce

This Christmas we had  a potluck at our home. The special thing for this potluck was the Chinese theme :). Everyone made some kind of Chinese noodle, rice or Manchurian. The Hakka Noodles made by one of our friend was really amazing. Here is the same version oh Hakka Noodles made using not the Chinese noodles but the Spaghetti which is a Italian pasta variety. You can buy this in any American grocery store. This is a really quick snack or even a full meal.

Ingredients:

Serves 4-5

Spaghetti Pasta  - 1 pack or 16 oz
Carrots - 1 Cup, Julienned
Capsicum - 1 Cup, Julienned
Cabbage - 1 Cup, Julienned
Spring Onion - 1 Bunch
Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp
Schezwan Sauce - 1 tbsp (optional)
Red Chili Sauce - per taste
Vinegar - 4 tsp
Salt - per taste
Oil - 4-5 tbsp

Method:

1. Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil. Add salt to taste, if desired.

2. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook for about 6 minutes of till the noodles cook.

3. Once the spaghetti  cooks, drain out the excess water and rinse it again with the cold water. This prevents sticking of the noodles to each other.

4. Heat oil in a wok or in a shallow pan. Saute carrots, capsicums and cabbage in order. Keep them a little crunchy and do not overcook.

5. Add soya sauce, red chili sauce. Mix schezwan sauce with the vinegar and add this to the veggies. Add salt. Mix well.

6. Now add the noodles and quickly mix everything.

7. Adjust the sauces and salt and sprinkle the chopped green onion . Use 2 forks if you don't have proper tools. Mix and serve.

Tips:

• Schezwan sauce is optional. It is not present in authentic Hakka Noodles.
• Use any other noodles instead  of Spaghetti.

My First Homemade Pizza

Making pizza at home is a fun process. Though a little lengthy than what we are used to (order it online ;) ) its totally worth it. All the extra cheese, extra toppings and sauce are free of cost. !!! :)

Well I referred the VahReVah chefs recipe for the pizza base. This one is enough and works out well.

Pizzas made in pizza shops are prepared in very high heat and using pizza stone. Well we can heat up the home oven to its max but 350 - 400 worked for me. And that said you can always buy pizza stone if you are going to prepare it frequently. Otherwise a round large round baking sheet is good. 

Ingredients:

Serves 4-6

For Pizza base:

All Purpose Flour - 7 Cup
Active Yeast - 7 gms (Small packet, you can get this in any retail grocery store)
Salt as per taste
Water - 250 ml
Olive oil - 5 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

For Tomato Sauce:

Tomato - 3 Cups, Puree
Onion - 1/2 Cup, Very finely Chopped
Tomato Ketchup - 1/2 Cup
Garlic - 2 Cloves, Minced
Red Chili powder or chili flakes - per taste
Oregano Italian Spice - per taste
Dry Italian Parsley - per taste
Salt - per taste
2 tbsp Oil

For Toppings:

I am strictly vegetarian and hence I have not listed any non-vegetarian toppings which are limitless.

Capsicum slits
Onion Slits
Sliced Tomatoes
Oregano
Parsley
Mozzarella Cheese - Grated
Salt as per taste
(can add other toppings like canned jalapeno and olives)

Method:

For Pizza Dough :

1. Take warm water. Sprinkle in yeast, sugar,salt. Cover it and let it stand for 10 minutes. This process actually activates yeast. make sure water is not hot otherwise yeast may die.
2. Mix in yeast mixture into remaining flour, add Olive oil and knead it for 3-4 minutes till soft dough.

3. Place the dough in the shallow vessel and cover it with a thin wet cloth. Let it rest for 1-2 hours.

4. If you check it now you can see the dough has risen and its time to knead it again. Make it rest for another 1 or 2 hours.

For Pizza Sauce:
Heat oil in a skillet add minced garlic to it. When the garlic turns a little brown, add finely chopper onions to it. Saute for 3 minutes. Now add tomato puree and let it cook another for 2 minutes. Add tomato ketchup, red chili powder (or chili flakes), oregano, parsley, salt and little sugar to it.

(Onion and tomato ketchup give a thicker consistency to the sauce. Make sure the sauce is thick so that when you spread it over the base it wont make it soggy).

For Toppings:
When using onion and capsicum I prefer to cut them in long slits and saute then in oil a little before using them. If you decide do saute onions and capsicum, make sure to remove excess water from the sauteed veggies before using them. We can use raw veggies as well.

Other toppings are tomatoes, jalapeno, olives and many more which you know :) .

For Pizza:

1. I usually make two pizzas of large size from this amount of dough. Knead the risen dough again and take half the dough on a flour greased surface (or kitchen top). Roll it a little and then with hands spread it into a large size pizza base. Make use of the flour if your hands stick to the dough in this process.
2. Make some tiny holes all over the base with the help of fork. Add pizza sauce evenly over the base or as required, add the toppings, and generously add the grated cheese. Sprinkle fresh or dried parsley and oregano as per taste.
3. Bake in a hot (350C) oven. Check in between . The pizza base rises while baking. The pizza is ready when the cheese has melted and it turns brown. remove the pizza from the oven and with the help of pizza cutter, cut the pizza into desired number of pieces.

Tips: 

• In my first attempt I got a lot of ideas about how the pizza preparation process should go. So do not worry if the pizza does not come out as expected. It takes one or two tries and you will get to it. :).

• The borders of the base taste very plain. To add some taste to it apply the garlic paste. (Garlic + Butter + little salt)
• Have you tried the artisan pizza from Dominoes which is made of Spinach and feta cheese. I love this pizza and this combination is due in my to do list.
• The pizza base dough can remain in t refrigerators for few days.