Summery Saffron Drink

For the last 15 days, we have been enjoying food like never before, and it is becoming quite visible on my waistline ;-). My in-laws are visiting, and my mother in law and I have been busy cooking a wide variety of dishes - I am learning to cook loads of traditional dishes from her. And, of course my recipe collection is increasing :-) She taught me some traditional Rajasthani sweet dishes, pickles, appetizers etc etc etc. 

This here is also a recipe I have just learnt from her. It's a very refreshing, rich and summery drink. Can be made in a jiffy and has a shelf-life of 6 months (only in the theoretical case that you manage not to finish it off before then!) Saffron is my favourite spice, and for me, any dish /drink/dessert with saffron is more than welcome. I love saffron. Infact, my mom always teases me that if I had my way, I would make a curry with just saffron in it.

This drink tastes good with soda, sparkling water, plain water as well as with a shot of Wodka. I served it with a few crushed sprigs of mountain mint / Calamint (an intense variety of mint) and it was really refreshing. Of course, normal mint is just as good.

Ingredients

6 cups - sugar

2 cups - water

1 gram - saffron strands

3/4 th tsp - rose water

mountain mint/ calamint to garnish 

Method

1. Put the sugar and the water in a big vessel and cook on high flame, stirring continously. Remove the sugar dirt, if any, with the help of a spoon. Bring the sugar syrup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook further for appx 2 mins. Remove from the heat.
2. Let it cool slightly for around 5 minutes.
3. Grind the saffron with the rose water lightly with a mortar and pestle.
4. Put the saffron mix in the sugar syrup. Cover the vessel for 10 minutes.
5. Store in glass jars when completely cool.

Tip

If you notice sugar crystals in the sugar syrup, first transfer the non crystallised part into another glass jar and than add a little hot water to the remaining syrup. Let it cool completely before storing in a glass jar.

Enjoy!

Gatte ki Sabji (Traditional Rajasthani Curry)

After seeing my last post “Mozzarella Sage Ice Cream”, one of my cousins called me up and said, " I don't like Mozzarella!" and before I could say something, she added, "Can’t you post something simple and traditional next time?" "Okkk", I said, and thought "What that suppose to mean?" and then, after our regular this and that, here and there chat, she said, "And, please no more avocado recipes"  

I took a deep long breath and thought and thought and then went through my drafts and chanced upon this curry recipe. This is a traditional Rajasthani curry (though not the simplest one!) and is one of my favourites. This recipe is by my lovely mom :-) and has a lot of memories attached to it. Without going into all of them, I’ll just share one little secret. My hubby who generally eats everything under the sun, was somehow not too fond of this curry since his childhood – even though his mom was famous for it. When I made this curry for the very first time, my hungry hubby came to the dining table and saw this curry and said "Oh, you made gatta today", he said, he would just have one bite of gatta, because I made it, otherwise he is not too fond of it. I said, "Don't, if you don't like it", he repeated, "I'll have a bite" with a smile on his face. He had his first bite and I had mine, he had his second and third, while I was still on my first bite (i'm a slow eater) and soon the curry was over. And believe me when I say this, that I did not get much of that curry that day :-) From that day onwards, we have a convert at home :-)

Go ahead and make this curry, I promise you will not be dissapointed. And, I hope my cousin is not dissapointed in me :-)

Ingredients

100 grams - gram flour (besan)

1/2 tsp - salt

1/2 tsp - red chilli powder

1/8 tsp - garam masala powder

1 1/2 tbsp - oil

1/2 tsp - kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

yogurt to knead the dough

For the gravy

2 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp - sunflower oil/ghee

1/4 tsp - fennel seeds (saunf)

1/8 tsp - nigella seeds (kalonji)

a generous pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1 - bayleaf

3 tbsp - low fat yogurt

1/4 tsp - red chilli powder (more or less)

1/2 tsp - turmeric powder (haldi)

1/2 tsp - dried mango powder (aamchur)

1 tsp - coriander powder (dhaniya powder)

a generous pinch of garam masala

salt to taste

1/4 tsp - dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) + to garnish

Method

1. Mix together the besan, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala and kasuri methi in a bowl. Add the oil and rub with the fingertips until it resembles fine bread crunbs. Add yogurt spoon by spoon and make a hard dough. 
2. Divide the dough into 4 parts and roll out into cylinders.
3. Boil 4-5 cups of water in a deep pan.
4. Add the cylinders (rolled out gatte) to the boiling water and boil for approx 15 - 20 minutes or until you see small white spots on the gatta.
5. Drain and let the gatta cool before cutting them into small pieces. Do not discard the boiled gatta water. 
6. Mix together the yogurt, red chilli powder, haldi powder, aamchur, dhaniya powder, garam masala powder, salt and kasuri methi in a bowl and keep aside.
7. Heat 2 1/2 tbsp of oil in a pan and saute the gatte for a few minutes and remove from the heat.
8. Heat 1/2 tbsp of oil in a pan, add the saunf and kalonji. When the seeds start to crackle, add the hing and bayleaf. Add the yogurt mix and cook on a medium heat, stirring continously. When it starts to boil, add the gatte and cook again for a couple of minutes.
9. Add the reserved gatta water to correct the consistency of the gravy and cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat. 
10. Garnish with dried fenugreek leaves and serve hot with phulka (indian bread) and kadhi or even with Daal bati. 

Enjoy!

Mozzarella Sage Ice Cream

What does one do when one has a lot of recipes lying in the drafts? Well, one tries to post them, one after another, and, that's exactly my plan :-)

This recipe's idea was born to my dear hubby after eating some really nice mozzarella cheese in Milan, Italy, and he told me about it very excitedly. I thought for a second and said, "huh!!! Mozzarella Icecream???" To which came the prompt reply, "Yes, why not? I think you should give it a try." I silently repeated these two words "Mozzarella Icecream" in my mind and was trying to somehow assemble the ingredients and also made a rough version of it in my mind. (though I was a little apprehensive - I thought it will either be a big hit or a major disaster)

My next step was to share my thoughts with my hubby, who immediately said, "When are you making it?" and hence this recipe was born.

Together with the roasted almonds( recipe taken from Angiesrecipe) and the distinctive taste of sage, it was indeed something quite unique and amazing.. And, I must say, both me and my hubby were more than pleased with the outcome. So, if you want to try out something experimental...just go for this one :-)

Ingredients

125 grams - buffalo mozzarella

100 grams - mascarpone

10 pcs - sage leaves, finely chopped

2 tbsp - honey

1/4 cup - low fat milk

a pinch of salt

For the roasted almonds

150 grams - almonds

1 tsp - olive oil

1 tbsp - water

1 tbsp - honey

1/8 tsp - salt

1/4 tsp - cinnamon powder

25 grams - sugar

Method

1. Place mozzarella, mascarpone, sage leaves, salt, honey and milk in a food processor and process till smooth.
2. Transfer to a plastic container, cover and freeze till half set.
3. Place the half set ice cream in the food processor and process till smooth. Transfer to the plastic container and freeze again till half set. Repeat one more time.
4. Now fill the processed ice cream in small heart shaped silicon moulds (I got 5 of them) and  put the moulds in the plastic container, cover the lid and let it set completely.
5. Unmould the ice cream atleast 10-15 minutes before serving. Garnish with sage leaves and roasted cinnamon almonds.

Roasted Cinnamon Almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Place the almonds in a single layer in a lined baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly brown. (don't forget to stir the almonds a couple of times in between)
3. Mix the sugar, salt and cinnamon powder in a bowl and keep aside. 
4. Mix the honey, oil and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add in the roasted almonds and cook stirring constantly until all the liquid has been absorbed. 
5. Transfer the almonds to a bowl, add the sugar mix and toss until they are evenly coated. 
6. Spread the almonds on a parchment paper. When cool, store at toom temperature in an air tight container. 

Enjoy!

Guacamole Paratha Wraps!

More than half of 2011 is already gone and how... The year has been quite eventful for us (in good ways) until now, and time seems to just fly away...and, somehow, amongst all these things, I really neglected my blog and haven't been writing regularly, or, for that matter, even trying out and creating new dishes took a backseat.

Today, I am posting a recipe which has been lying in my drafts for months now. Finally it sees the light of the day and after this I am on a blog-hopping mode, to check out what my friends have been upto. So beware :-)

 I try to include avocados in my diet plan at least once a week. And, today's recipe was created on one such day. I was cleaning up my refrigerator and wanted to finish off a lot of leftover green stuff before shopping for fresh veggies...you know what I mean, don't you? :-). Thus wre born these wraps - and, since that day, I have made these wraps a number of times and both my husband and I love them.

A special mention of my sis in law, who too is on an avocado spree these days :-) Try out this recipe and I hope you will not be dissapointed and just in case you are, then it's certainly the Avocados that are at fault ;-)

Ingredients

For the Guacamole dip

1 - ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped

1 - onion, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp - lemon juice

1 - green chilli (more or less)

3 tbsp - olive oil

salt and pepper according to taste

garlic (optional)

1 1/2 cup - whole wheat flour (aata), (may need more)

ghee or butter to brush the parathas (optional)

For the filling

1/2 cup - red bell pepper, chopped into cubes

1/2 of an aubergine, chopped into cubes

1/2 of a zucchini, chopped into cubes

1 - carrots, chopped into cubes

4 tbsp - olive oil

1/2 tsp - citric acid

1/2 tsp - red chilli flakes (more or less)

2 pods of garlic, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

100 grams - feta cheese, cut into cubes

Method

1. Put the avocado pulp, oil, onion, green chillies, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper (add coriander leaves if you have some, i ran out of them so couldn't ) in a mixer and grind coarsely.
2. Add the aata (flour) to the guacamole paste and knead. Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth and keep aside for half an hr.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C
4. Put all the ingredients of the filling except the feta cheese in a baking dish and place the baking dish in the center of the oven and bake for approx 20 mins or until done.Don't forget to toss the vegetables a couple of times in between.
5. Add the feta cheese to the baked vegetables and mix well.
6. Divide the dough into 5 parts and shape each into a ball and slightly flatten them and roll out into thin parathas (approx 18 cms circumference)
7. Roast the parathas on both sides on a non stick pan, brushing a little butter/ghee on each side (optional) 
8. Put the filling in the center of the paratha and cover as shown in the picture and serve hot. 

 My hubby had them with yogurt-garlic-chilli dip (another refrigerator-cleaning-action!) and I loved them even without the dip :-)

Avocado Gazpacho

I am on Avocado high these days and experimenting a lot with this wonderful and nutritious fruit, trying out new things.

In fact, there was a time when I never used to buy avocados - funny looking fruit, I often wondered then, wondered about it's taste and wether I would be able to do anything with them, and generally conveniently ignored them at the fruit counter. Well, things have changed now, so has my taste, and we now have something or the other with avocados at least once a week. 

Which brings us to today's recipe. The inspiration came from a TV show. However, my timing was bad and I just managed to catch the finished dish which was "Cold Avocado Soup with Prawns", which immediately registered in my mind and I made this soup the very next day, and served it with tomatoes and mozerella. 

Ingredients

For the vegetable stock

600 ml - water

1 - small onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1/4 cup - red bell pepper, chopped

1 - bayleaf

4-5 - whole black pepper

3-4 - cloves

salt 

For the Soup

1 -  ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped

1 1/4 tbsp - lemon juice

2 tbsp - coriander leaves

2 tbsp - low fat yogurt

2 tbsp - olive oil

2 - cloves

salt and pepper to taste

a few thyme leaves
vegetable stock

4 pieces - baby mozerella

5 - cherry tomatoes

2 inch - ginger

1 - dried red whole chilli

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/4tbsp - olive oil

sprigs of thyme leaves

Method

1. Put all the ingredients for the vegetable stock into a big vessel and bring to a boil. Boil for approx 5 minutes. Sieve and let the stock cool. 
2. Put the avocado pulp, lemon juice, coriander leaves, a few thyme leaves, yogurt, olive oil, salt, pepper powder and the vegetable stock into the mixer and blend well. Sieve with a strainer and let the soup chill in the refrigerator. 
3. Heat the oil in a pan together with a few sprigs of thyme leaves. Add salt, pepper powder, ginger piece and red whole chilli. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook on a medium heat until the tomatoes are slightly tender. (I foolishly gave a cross cut on the tomatoes but would advise you not to). 
4. Arrange the mozerella and the tomatoes on to a skewer. Serve the cold soup with the tomato-mozerella skewer and a sprig of thyme leaves. 

Enjoy!