Hello,

This blog contains my views on various things around me and my attempts at poetry and other stuff. Hope you find it an interesting read. Encourage you to leave your comments, after all each of us are entitled to our own way of thoughts.

Apr 19, 2011

Bitter gourd sweet and sour curry

Bitter gourd is one of the most healthy vegetables to consume. However people are averse to it due to its bitter taste. I did make a venture into this dish after being asserted by a friend's mom that the below dish will make sure its bitter taste is hidden from the taste buds and it sure did :). This is a very simple dish to make.

Ingredients:
  1. Bitter gourd
  2. Onion
  3. Cumin seeds
  4. Asafoetida
  5. Salt
  6. Turmeric
  7. Chilli powder
  8. Tamarind
  9. Jaggery
  10. Pepper powder
How I made:
  1. Cut bitter gourd into tiny pieces. Add some salt and turmeric and mix .Leave it aside for an hour or two.
  2. When ready to prepare the dish, wash the bitter gourd thoroughly.
  3. In a wok add oil and fry the bitter gourd + SALT+Asafoetida, until it turns brown
  4. Now add cumin seeds and Onion and fry.
  5. When the onion is being cooked, mix some tamarind, chilli powder, pinch of pepper powder and jaggery in a bowl
  6. Once the onion is cooked, add the tamarind mixture and allow it to boil for 10 - 12 min.
Points to remember:
  1. The bitter gourd should be light green in colour. A darker shade means you are in for a much bitter taste :)
  2. Marinate the bitter gourd with salt and turmeric for 2 hours or so before cooking
  3. When you cook, fry the gourd until golden brown with SALT

Apr 12, 2011

Chinese Hakka noodles

The recipe mentioned below is not an authentic Chinese dish. However it is a tasty dish to make.

Ingredients:
1 packet "Chinese Hakka noodles - VEG"
1 small capsicum
1/2 onion
1/2 cabbage
Green Beans - few
1 Carrot
Green peas - few
Red chilli sauce
Green chilli sauce
Soya Sauce
Tomato ketchup

How I made:
  1. Cut all the vegetables except beans into long vertical strands. Beans can be sliced into small pieces
  2. Since both me and my husband do not like the raw taste of vegetables, I cooked the vegetables (EXCEPT for CAPSICUM).Allow the water to boil. Add a pinch of salt. Add the rest of the veggies and cook for 5 min (Do Not cook it fully)
  3. Remove the water from the cooked vegetables using a strainer. Set this aside
  4. In a wok, Add about 10 cups of water + 1 spoon oil + 1 spoon SALT. Boil it. When the water starts to boil,add the hakka noodles and cook for about 5 min
  5. Do not over cook the noodles. They will end up tasteless
  6. When the noodles are PARTIALLY cooked, remove the wok from the stove and thoroughly WASH the noodles with COLD water.Washing noodles with cold water helps it in not becoming sticky
  7. Use a strainer to remove the water from the noodles and mix a tablespoon of oil with the noodles
  8. Set the noodles aside
  9. In a kadaai, add oil and heat
  10. Add capsicum and the rest of the cooked vegetables and saute. Make sure there is no water left
  11. Add a tablespoon each of soya sauce, green chilli sauce, red chilli sauce. Add a teaspoon of tomato ketchup and saute along with veg
  12. Add salt (use discretion)
  13. Add the cooked hakka noodles and saute
  14. If the noodles taste less spicy add red chilli sauce to adjust the taste
Things to remember:
  1. The noodles taste better without ginger garlic paste
  2. Add salt while partially cooking the hakka noodles
  3. Wash the cooked hakka noodles with COLD water and strain the water
  4. Mix a tablespoon of oil to the cooked hakka noodles
  5. DO NOT fully cook the vegetables. Half cooked vegetables have a good taste
  6. Add red chilli sauce to adjust the spicy taste
  7. Serve HOT :)

Rava Dosa

Hmmm, its been long since I got this one right. I then took some time to explain the problem to my aunt ( more often than not she has become my saviour these days). She gave me a simple way to make this dish. Trust me,the results were truly amazing. Yes, my Husband was impressed . "It's very Good", he said. Now, isn't that a pretty big compliment? :)

Ingredients: ( Helps make 5 dosas')
1 cup Rava (Semolina)
3/4 cup Rice flour
3 teaspoons of Maida (All purpose flour)
1/4 Onion
Asafoetida (small pinch of it)
Green chillies - 3
Curry leaves - few
Pepper - few
Cumin seeds
Salt

How I made :
  1. Add some oil in a wok. When it gets heated add the Cumin seeds and pepper. Allow it to spurt
  2. Next add Onion and sauté till transparent
  3. Next add green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and Rava
  4. Roast the rava slightly in the oil ad remove the wok from the stove
  5. Mix the roasted rava from the previous step with the rice flour , maida and salt
  6. Add water such that the batter looks like BUTTERMILK
  7. Heat the tava for about 5 min before making the dosa. When the tava is hot, SPRINKLE the batter on the tava
  8. Avoid using a spatula for making the dosa. Using a spatula makes the dosa batter clog and hence you will not get a thin dosa
  9. Roast the dosa on both the sides to make it crisp
Things to remember:
  1. Rava dosa needs to be crisp
  2. Don't add too much Maida. It takes time to roast the dosa
  3. The batter HAS to be like buttermilk consistency, else the dosa will be soft
  4. You can also add roasted groundnut and cashews to this dish
  5. You can also fry few thinly sliced ginger pieces and add it to the batter