To Make Bassaru - You Will Need:

How To:

In a cooking pot, add 2 cups of Mung Sprouts along with tomatoes. Add 4 cups of water & some salt. Boil for about 4 minutes until the mung beans are tender yet firm.

In a mixer grinder, Add a tablespoon of the cooked Mung Sprouts, Green Chilies, along with grated coconut, 1 tsp cumin seeds, Rasam Powder, Garlic, Tomatoes, Onions & Turmeric powder. Grind into a smooth paste adding a bit of water.

• Cooked Mung Sprouts
• 2 onions
• 4 Dry red chilies
• 1/2 cup of fresh grated coconut
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• A big pinch of Asafoetida
• 2 tsp cooking oil
• Salt as per taste
• juice of 1 lime
• Fresh Coriander for garnish

How To:

In a Kadhai, heat some cooking oil. Splutter cumin & mustard seeds. Add Asafoetida & Dry Red chilies. Sauté for 20 seconds

Add chopped onions & a pinch of salt and turmeric & Sauté until the onions turn pink. 

Add the cooked Mung Sprouts & salt and give it a good mix. Add grated coconut & mix again. Check for salt. Let it stand on low heat for about 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat & add lime juice & chopped coriander. Mix well & set aside 

• This Saaru is usually on the runnier side & it tastes good that way.
• Feel free to add any greens of your choice. Spinach, Amaranth or Dill Leaves are my favourite.
• If I don't cook the greens along with the lentils/sprouts, I use them to make Palya & stir fry them along with cooked sprouts/lentils
• Since I used sprouts, I didn't need to pressure cook them as they would turn mushy. cooking them for 3-4 minutes was enough to retain the bite
• You can also use Green Chilies instead of Dry Red Chilies to make the palya. Since, the palya is almost green in colour, It's easier to fish out the red chilies than the green ones

It's been more than a week, the weather in Bangalore continues to be as cold as ever. We also had a damp Diwali all thanks to the untimely Rains. But I totally love this kind of weather ..  All I want is to snuggle under a nice duvet & endless cup of Hot Chai 

The nip in the air also means that we have been craving for some sinful deep fried goodies. We had our share of Onion Pakoras over the weekend & I have been making a lot of soups to keep us warm 

I love Soups, & they always come to my rescue during winter months. They are warm, hearty, filling & healthy too. 

This quick Zucchini & Walnut Soup was my lunch today. Zucchini is a low cal vegetable, so this soup is good for weight watchers too. I toasted some Garlic Bread and served it along with the soup. 

In a pot, heat olive oil. Add bay leaves, garlic & onions. Sauté until the onions turn soft. Add diced zucchini & some salt. Sauté until they turn soft. It should take about 4-5 minutes. Set aside & allow it to cool. 

Once cool, fish out the bay leaves,  blend into a smooth paste along with walnuts & dried thyme.

Return to the pot, add 3 cups of vegetable stock or water. Check for salt. Gently simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Add Lemon Zest just before turning off the stove

Drizzle Olive oil on top & mix in chilli flakes. Serve warm with soup stocks or  a crusty garlic bread on the side

NOTE:

You can replace the Walnuts with toasted Almonds or Pecans. 

One of my favourite ways to eat Bendekayi/Ladies Finger/Okra is this Gojju with some steamed Rice. Gojju in Kannada is a coconut based gravy which is thickish in consistency. Its got a bit of sweetness from the jaggery, bitterness from the methi seeds & tartness from tamarind. 

Some of the vegetables commonly used to make Gojju are Ladies Finger, Green Bell Pepper, Pumpkin , Pineapple , Tomatoes, Bitter Gourd.

This version of Bendekayi Gojju is a staple in most Kannada home & a  traditional Kannada meal will always have a Gojju (mostly Pineapple) as a part of the menu. 

In a pan, heat a teaspoon of oil, add all the items listed under 'To Roast' & roast on medium flame until the dals change their colour slightly and are fragrant. Set aside to cool a little.

Soak Tamarind in warm water & extract juice. In a mixer grinder, add grated coconut & roasted spices along with tamarind extract & roasted gram & grind into a smooth paste using little water.

In a Kadhai, heat some oil. splutter mustard seeds. Add chopped Ladies Finger along with some salt & sauté on medium flame until they lose their slime & are cooked well.

Now add the ground paste along with 2 cups of water. Add jaggery & check for salt. Give it a good mix & simmer on low flame for about 10 minutes. Stir at regular intervals to avoid the bottom of the pan from getting burnt. 

If the Gojju/Gravy is on the thicker side, add some more water to get the right consistency. 

I dislike Chilli Cheese Toast served in most restaurants or Cafes.  Either the bread is too chewy, or there is too much Cheese or too little toppings. 
And there are several cafes, where the toast is made beforehand & they just reheat the toast in the Microwave before serving. 

There is nothing better than a freshly made Chilli Cheese Toast just out of the oven, Right??  So, the best bet is to make your own Toast, the way you like it 

I do not like an overdose of Cheese in my dishes. Be it Pizza, Nachos or this Chilli Cheese Toast. I add loads of toppings & like the taste of the toppings shine through rather than the taste of cheese.

I've tried making this on the Stove Top too. I very lightly toasted the bread & assembled the topping & on very low flame I toasted the bread without flipping. But I felt the cheese took forever to melt &  even though the flame was very low, the base of the toast was over crisp. So I prefer the Microwave or the Oven method any day. 

If anybody knows a foolproof method of making this toast on the stove top, do let me know 

In the South Indian version of Kurma, it is very common to use fresh coconut. It gives a nice nutty flavour to the gravy. A few versions, mostly the Kerala style has Coconut Milk in it.

How To:

Soak dried peas in water for 6 hours or overnight. Pressure cook with some salt. set side to let it cool.

Meanwhile, in a pan, heat half a teaspoon of oil. Add red chilies, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, cloves & cinnamon. roast on low flame for a couple of minutes & set aside. In the same pan, heat some more oil, Add roughly chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste & saute till the onions & tomatoes turn soft. Allow it to cool

Grind together the cooked onions & tomatoes, roasted spices along with grated coconut & cashew nuts into a smooth paste. Add a bit of water if necessary.

In a heavy bottomed pan, Add a teaspoon of cooking oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the ground paste & turmeric & saute for a couple of minutes. Add cooked peas, 1.5 cups of water & Garam Masala. Add the salt & mix well. Let it simmer for 5-6 minutes on medium flame. If you feel the gravy is too thick, add some more water to adjust the consistency

Turn off the heat & garnish with chopped Coriander leaves.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 cup Chana Dal - Split Bengal Gram
• 2 Tablespoon Rice Flour
• 1/4th Cup Grated Fresh Coconut
• A handful of Coriander Leaves
• A handful of Mint
• A handful of Dill Leaves
• 2 Sprigs of Curry Leaves
• 10 Green Chilies
• 5 Dry Red Chilies (Byadagi)
• A small piece of Ginger
• Salt as per Taste
• 2 chopped onions - optional
• Oil for Deep Frying - I used Sunflower Oil

NOTE:

There are tons of recipes & variations for Chalkis, Murukkus & the kind. I always thought that making Murukkus at home was a not so easy time consuming affair & is not my cup of tea,  until I ate theem at a friends house.

This easy Benne Murukku recipe is from my friend Ashwini's Mom (The one who shared the Veggie Pasta Salad Recipe) .. When I casually visited her place she offered me a big jar of these crunchy Murukkus & I was surprised when she told me that she & her mom made them under 30 minutes

As always, I took down the recipe immediately & since then, I have made these atleast a dozen times & each time it has turned out very well. So this one is almost a fail proof recipe if you ask me  

 

  You Will Need:

How To:

NOTE: 

 Adding more Butter makes the Murukkus brittle. So, do not be tempted to add more butter :)

You can also add Onion paste into the dough to make Onion flavoured Murukkus. They taste really good. 

As you are frying in batches, always keep the dough covered to prevent them from getting dry.

Always taste the Murukkus after frying the first batch & alter the taste if needed. As mentioned earlier, if the Murukkus break easily, there has been an over use of butter. You can add a bit of Rice flour & Gram flour to the dough 

It was quite a while since I made a good Biryani at home. There used to be a time when I made One pot meals quite frequently & a quick Pulao would be on our Lunch menu every other weekend. In fact, I used to make several versions of Biryani right from the layered version to a quick Pressure Cooker version, experimenting with different spice list each time

If you like all things Coconut, you are going to love this Coconut Milk Biryani as well. This is a very mildly spiced Biryani as compared to the ones that are heavy on spices. It goes well with a spicy Hyderabadi Salan, A Raita will also do but I highly recommend the Salan 

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You Will Need:

To Grind:

• 1 large Onion - Roughly Chopped
• 1 large Tomato - Roughly Chopped
• 10 Cashew Nuts
• 2 'inch piece of Ginger
• 5 cloves of Garlic
• 4 Green Chilies
• A small stick of Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 3 Green Cardamom
• 4-5 Cloves

Clean Basmati Rice under running water until the water runs clear. Soak in water & set aside for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Chop the vegetables 

In a mixer, add all the ingredients mentioned in the 'To Grind' list & grind into a smooth paste without adding any water.

In a Pressure cooker, Heat Ghee & Oil. Once hot enough, add sliced onions & saute for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots, Beans, Potatoes & mix well. cook for another couple of minutes. Next, add the ground paste & some salt. Give it a good mix & Let it cook on low flame for 3 - 4 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, Garam Masala & bring it to a gentle boil. Drain the soaked Basmati Rice & Add it into the Pressure cooker. Mix well. Add about a little more than half a cup of water. Check for salt & give it a final mix. Close the lid & cook for 1 whistle. I use a Hawkins Pressure Cooker so mine gets done in 1 whistle. It may wary for other brands.

Allow the pressure to release & allow it to cool for a while. Add chopped coriander & Mint along with toasted cashew nuts. Gently fluff with a fork to mix well

Serve with a Raita or Salan along with some sliced Onions

I didn't have any Green Peas on hand. So, I didn't add them. But they make a nice addition. So does Cauliflower

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On the Personal front, Guess who just turned THREE? Yes. Kedar is now a Three year old School going toddler. Wait, Wasn't it just yesterday that I wrote a post announcing that we now have a new member in the family? However cliched it sounds Time does fly 


 I don't write about Kedar very often in this space but I have to say that It's been an incredible journey so far. Kedar is a complete Daddy's boy & he doesn't mince his words when he says that ( which he does all the time ) He loves his Dada more :)

We had a little Birthday party for him over the weekend & he got to cut his Peppa Pig Cake. Peppa Pig is his current favourite show. He loves it so much that his cousin sister even made him a Peppa Pig Rakhi .. I am not kidding. His current obsession is Construction Vehicles & he wants to be a JCB driver when he grows up  .. Phew !!!

It's not everyday that you will find Asparagus in the supermarket here unless you go to a Gourmet food store or order it online. So, the other day I found really fresh & tender Asparagus at a local store here & I immediately grabbed a bunch. They were really nice & fresh so instead of using it in a soup, I made a lovely salad out of it.

After feasting on a lot of goodies in the last few days, I really wanted to make a hearty salad for lunch. So, this warm salad was perfect.

I made a simple dressing using Dijon Mustard as the base. And with a dash of Honey, It was just perfect. I almost always ending up using a bit of Honey in all my salad dressings as I feel it balances the tartness from the Vinegar,

You Will Need:

For the Dressing:

• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard 
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Dried Basil

Trim about half an inch from the bottom of the asparagus & cut them into 3" long pieces. Cut Bell Peppers, Onion & carrot into thin & long strips. Chop the basil & walnuts & set aside.

In a Grill Pan, spray some cooking oil. Place all the diced vegetables  except Basil without overloading the pan. If necessary, do it in two batches, Sprinkle some salt over the vegetables & roast the vegetables over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes, I didn't have a grill pan so I used a regular heavy bottomed Iron Skillet.

The vegetables should be slightly cooked & should retain their crunch, Once done, transfer the roasted vegetables into a bowl.

Meanwhile prepare the dressing, In a small wide bowl, add all the ingredients mentioned in the list & whisk well. Pour the dressing over the salad. Add chopped basil & walnuts. Give it a good mix. Serve warm & enjoy your meal

This salad can be eaten cold too, but I love it when warm. Make a meal out of it or serve as a side dish. Either way, Its yummy 

In a restaurant, If you give me a choice, I would mostly pick Rice dishes over Naans & Kulchas. My idea of a nice meal would be a lovely fragrant Biryani with raita or a subtly flavoured Peas Pulao or Jeera Rice with some Dal Tadka or a gravy. I love eating nice & soft Phulkas, mopping them up with a good side dish but most restaurants do not serve Phulkas so you would mostly find me ordering a Rice Dish.

How To:

Wash & clean Basmati Rice under running water several times. Soak Rice in water for about 15 minutes. Drain & set aside.

In a pressure cooker, heat 1 tbsp Desi Ghee. When Hot, Add Cloves, Cinnamon & Bay Leaves. Fry on very low heat for a about 30 seconds. Add the rice & Fry well for about 2 minutes till it aromatic, Add Salt. I cup water & 1/2 a cup of milk. Mix well.

Allow it to pressure cook for 1 whistle. I use a Hawkins Pressure Cooker, so mine gets done in just one whistle. Turn off the flame & set aside for the pressure to drop.

Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat a tsp ghee & fry cashewnuts until crisp & golden. Set aside. In the same pan add another tbsp of ghee & once hot, fry the onions gently until they turn crisp & brown. This should take about 10 minutes or so. Drain & set aside

Wait until the rice cools down a bit to avoid breakage. Fluff the rice with a fork. Add the onions & cashew nuts & mix gently, Transfer to a serving dish & Serve with a nice side dish

NOTE:

You can also replace half the quantity of Basmati rice with Jeera Rice ( A fragrant short grained rice variety) , It has a nice flavour, I often do that.