.....From My Palate

Bhawana

Mango Lassi

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I don’t know, its summer or the magic of mangoes that compels me to publish two posts on mango  one after the another. My post is about a yogurt based drink that is served savory or sweet. It is most popular in the Punjab region of India. It is served in the disposable clay cups that elevates its taste to the different level. Creamy, frothy texture of this sweet yogurt based drink is not only refreshing to the soul in the hot humid summers, but it is also good for stomach because of its probiotic nature.

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Yes! Lassi is a phenomenal drink served either with kewra water and sugar or grounded cumin seeds, salt and dried mint. Now with the new generation and their experiments this ever young drink is served in lots of new varieties and tastes.

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But when this drink is blended with mangoes it explodes your taste buds with its delightful taste and creamy texture. Mango lassi is one of the most internationally  famous Indian drink. Its simple to make, elegant to serve and tastes royally delicious.

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Mango Lassi
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped Mangoes, or
  • 1/2 cup Mango Pulp
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh Dahi (Yogurt)
  • 1 cup cold Milk
  • 3 tbsp. Sugar
  • Few drops Mango Essence
  • 2 pinches Cardamom Powder
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients and blend in a mixer till it is smooth and frothy.
  2. Pour into glasses and serve immediately garnished with mangoes.

Mango Shrikhand/Amrakhand

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Summers are in full swing now and with the warm weather outside, anything cold, creamy, sweet is blissful and divine to the palate. Desserts are the sweet endings to a meal. Sweets give the food perfect landing in the stomach with the bursting flavors lingering in the mouth for some time. For the sweet tooth like me, any meal is incomplete without dessert. People think dessert making is a tedious task but the dessert I am sharing today is unbelievably simple and perfect for summers.

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Shrikhand is a yogurt based dessert popular in Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is a sweet combination of yogurt, sugar, cardamom, and saffron. Mangoes “king of fruit” gives a fresh flavor to a already delicious sweet. It is also called Amrakhand and is a important part of any meal in western part of India.

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Mango Shrikhand/Amrakhand
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 3 cups Hung Yogurt
  • 1 cup Mango Pulp
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1 tbsp. Saffron dissolved in milk
  • 1 tsp. Cardamom Powder
  • 1 tsp. Rose Water
  • Silvered Pistachios for garnishing
Instructions
For Hung Yogurt–
  1. Take a yogurt in a cheese cloth, gather all the ends and tie a knot on the top.
  2. Hang it with the help of a twine with the kitchen tap or the banana stand.
  3. Place a bowl under the yogurt.
  4. Hang it for 5-8 hours.
  5. Scoop the yogurt from the cloth and refrigerate it until needed.
Mango Shrikhand
  1. Mix hung yogurt, mango pulp, sugar, saffron milk and cardamom.
  2. Mix it until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
  3. Chill it in refrigerator.
  4. Serve with fresh mangoes garnished with silvered pistachios.

Aam Ka Panna

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WARM WEATHER, SCHOOL VACATIONS and MANGO….Do you need any other clues for an Indian Summer ? Yes! I can relate to these three things when I think of summers in India and mangoes are the integral part of it. Mango pickle , aamras, mango chutney, mango-shake, mango kulfi or just plain chilled slices of mango…list is endless and so is the desire to eat this wondrous, yellow and juicy nature’s creation.

Indian Summer is not fun when sun is on blast and there is a frequent power outages. Outside chores can be very exhausting as the body needs proper hydration and nutrients to beat the heat.

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Aam panna is a popular summer drink in north India. It helps to fight summer heat, keeps you hydrated, retains salt and iron in body, good for digestion and is a good source of vitamin C.

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Aam Ka Panna
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 4 medium-sized green mangoes
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Kala Namak (Black Salt), adjust to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. Cumin Seeds Powder, roasted
  • Green Chillies to taste
  • Few fresh, Mint Leaves
  • Few drops of Oil
  • 1/2 tsp. Cumin Seeds
  • Pinch of Asafoetida
Instructions
  1. Peel and cut mangoes in slices.
  2. Pressure cook mangoes with little water until soft.
  3. When cool, grind the mango pulp with sugar, salt, cumin powder, mint leaves and 2 cups of chilled water.
  4. Add green chillies while grinding for little spice.
  5. Heat few drops of oil in a small pan, add cumin seeds.
  6. When started to splutter, add asafetida.
  7. Mix it in the mango pulp mixture.
  8. Taste it before serving to adjust salt and sourness.
  9. Use lemon Juice for extra tanginess.
  10. Serve chilled aam panna with ice.

Key Lime Tiramisu Cake

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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the mothers out there. Sorry for the delayed wishes…but better late than never.  I planned to make this cake on mother’s day for myself to celebrate motherhood. But due to the other commitments, I didn’t get the chance to make it on that day. Looking everyday at the Mascarpone cheese that was sitting anxiously in my refrigerator and waiting for its turn, made me feel guilty.  Usually, a cake is served on the special occasions of our lives.  But, didn’t want to  wait for a special reason to make this cake,  so baked this today to feel special…

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Let me put the disclaimer first.  I am not a professional baker. Baking is my hobby and I am still on my learning curve. I take every cake as a challenge and I feel good when appreciated. Tiramisu is a light and creamy dessert with a hint of coffee and vanilla that tastes divine to the palate. I was eying its cake version in the blogosphere for a long time.

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Key Lime Tiramisu Cake
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • Key Lime Cake
  • 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cup. Sugar
  • 4 Eggs
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tbsp. Key Lime Zest, grated
  • 1/4 cup Key Lime Juice
  • 3 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • Few drops of Green Food Color (optional)
  • Filling and frosting
  • 2 cups cold Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 8 ounces Mascarpone Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 2 tsp. pure Vanilla Extract
  • Cocoa powder, for dusting
  • 20-30 ladyfingers, for garnish
  • Espresso extract
  • 2 tbsp. Instant Espresso Powder
  • 2 tbsp. Hot Water
  • In a small bowl, whisk together espresso powder and hot water. Set aside.
  • Espresso syrup
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 1/3 cup Sugar
  • 1 tbsp. Kahlua (optional)
  • In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in kahlua and 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract. Set aside.
Instructions
For Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Line the bottom of your cake pans with wax paper, and grease the sides.
  3. In a mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Mixing at low speed, add the eggs one at a time.
  5. Add the vanilla, key lime juice and zest and mix well.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  7. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter.
  8. Mix until well combined. Add food coloring and mix it well.
  9. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
  10. Bake for 35-40 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  11. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For Filling and Frosting
  1. In a bowl, whip heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla extract.
  3. Whisk in the 1 tablespoon espresso extract.
  4. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.
Assembling the cake
  1. Cut the cake into two with the serrated knife.
  2. Place one half of the cake on a cake plate and soak it with the espresso syrup with the pastry brush.
  3. Spread the mascarpone filling on top and layer it with another half.
  4. Repeat the process with every layer and finish it with top layer of the cake.
  5. Soak the top layer with the remaining espresso syrup.
  6. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting.
  7. Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder.
  8. Press ladyfingers onto the mascarpone frosting on the sides of the cake.
  9. Decorate the cake according to your liking.
  10. Tie ribbon neatly around the cake for the finished look.
  11. Enjoy and celebrate your day.

Cold Coffee With Ice Cream

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As the temperature is rising up, colorful flowers and lush green grass are welcoming us for more outdoor activities, we need a instant energizer and a drink to beat the heat of a full sun. I am a true, loyal tea fan, yes! adrak ki chai but to beat the heat of summers my all time favorite drink is Cold Coffee. I don’t remember going to any restaurant in India that does not serve cold coffee. Cold coffee with vanilla ice cream…what a wondrous combination. And if its served with the cucumber sandwich then, well, I am in a food heaven!

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I do not want to advertise Nescafe …for free 😉 but I totally trust the brand for my cold coffee. It is so easy and quick to make, with ingredients most of you probably already have in the kitchen. It is, in fact,  the very first drink I used to make myself in my younger days with lot of crushed ice to make the coffee more frothy and icy.

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Cold Coffee With Ice Cream
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Milk
  • 1 tbsp. Instant Coffee
  • Sugar to taste
  • 1/2 cup Ice Cubes, crushed
  • 2 scoops Vanilla Ice-cream
Instructions
  1. Blend milk, coffee and sugar in a mixer for 30 seconds.
  2. Add crushed ice and ice cream.
  3. Mix it again for few seconds.
  4. Serve cold with the topping of your choice.
  5. I like it with an extra scoop of ice cream and grated chocolate on top.

Ragda Patties

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According to Wikipedia,  chaat has its origin from Uttar Pradesh and being from UP, little partial for chaat is not a crime for me. Chaat is one of the favorite street food available in all parts of India. The names and recipes may be different in different states of India but we all eat the whole bowl and wanted to lick it till the end. Chaat is one of my weakness. I can bear the stomach ache but cannot resist the sight of it.
Today I am not talking about Aloo Tikki or Pani Puri rather a popular specialty of Maharashtra called Ragda Patties which is the combination of two popular chaats –  Aloo Tikki and Matar Kulcha.

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There are so many different dishes that I get to know after I came to US. And Ragda Patties is one of them. It is like a whole meal and I like the color and array of things served with it.

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Ragda Patties
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • For Ragda –
  • 1 cup Vatana (Dried White Peas)
  • 2 small Tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 1 tbsp. Green Chillies, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. Red Chilli Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
  • 1/2 tsp. Fennel Powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. Cumin Seeds
  • Pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)
  • 1 tbsp. Oil
  • For Patties-
  • 5 Potatoes, boiled and mashed
  • 1/4 cup Green Coriander, chopped
  • 1 tsp. Cumin Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Ginger, grated
  • 1/2 tsp. Green Chilli Paste
  • 2 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil
  • For Accompaniments–
  • Red Onions, finely chopped
  • Tomatoes, finely chopped
  • Cucumbers, finely chopped
  • Coriander, finely chopped
  • Green Chillies, chopped
  • Tamarind Chutney
  • Green Chutney
  • Lemon
  • Sev
Instructions
  1. Soak dry peas in enough water for overnight.
  2. Cook them in pressure cooker until soft.
  3. In a deep wide pan, heat oil. Add cumin seeds.
  4. When they start to crackle, add hing and ginger garlic paste.
  5. Mix it and add onions and green chillies. Sauté until light brown in color.
  6. Add tomatoes and other spices. cook until tomatoes are soft. (use little water, if needed)
  7. Add peas and water for the gravy. Cook it for 10 minutes or until you get the desired consistency.
  8. The pea mixture should not be very thick or thin in consistency.
  9. In a bowl take potatoes and add all other ingredients.
  10. Mix it well. Shape the mixture in to small balls.
  11. Press it little from top and make small tikkis.
  12. Heat oil in a skillet, place tikkis gently on it.
  13. Shallow fry the Patties until golden brown.
For serving-
  1. Place patties in a plate and pour ragda on top.
  2. Add chutneys and accompaniments of your choice.
  3. Serve immediately.

Lal Masoor Dal Tadka

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Dal/Lentils are the most commonly found ingredients in any Indian pantry. Different kinds of dal perching in any Indian vegetarian kitchen is a common sight. For vegetarians dals are one of the major source of protein. Dal chawal are the quickest and the easiest recipe ever, still it tastes different in different households. Sometimes I really wonder, how come same ingredients tastes so different in different kitchens. Though the recipe of any dal looks so easy but the imbalance of the ingredient or cooking time can put your dish in jeopardy.

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Lal Masoor Dal Tadka
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Lal Masoor Dal(Split Red Lentil)
  • 2 tbsp. Toor Dal (Yellow Pigeon Pea)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp. oil
  • 2 1/2 cups Water
  • Tadka
  • 3 tbsp. Ghee (Clarified Butter)
  • 1 tsp. Jeera (Cumin seeds)
  • 2 pinch of Asafoetida
  • 2-3 medium Tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
  • 4 pods Garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 inch Ginger, chopped
  • 2 Green Chillies, chopped
  • Little bit of Salt
  • 1/4 cup Green Coriander, finely chopped
Instructions
  1. Rinse thoroughly and soak dals for 15 minutes.
  2. Put dal in a pressure cooker with water, turmeric, oil and salt.
  3. Cook on low flame for about 10 minutes.
  4. Check on the consistency of dal according to your choice. Add more water if you like jhol dal.
  5. For tadka, heat ghee in a pan, add jeera when it starts to splutter add asafoetida pd.
  6. Add garlic, ginger and green chillies.
  7. fry for 30 seconds add red chilli pd, little salt and tomatoes.
  8. Cook tomatoes until they become soft and pulpy.
  9. Add garam masala, mix and pour it over simmered dal
  10. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice and masala sliced onion.

Aloo Mangodi Kadhi

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Kadhi chawal is comfort food for me on cold, chilly weather or on a busy tiring day. It’s a food easy to cook, tastes delicious and leftovers are more than welcome for the next day. The cooking time of the kadhi is very crucial for its consistency and taste. It should be creamier rather than watery in consistency. Balance of yogurt and the gram flour are very important for the good results. With the number of posts on kadhi chawal you can very well perceive the temptations for this dish in my household. In this recipe I did add peas in it to tempt my son,  whom I wanted to follow this kadhi-affair in our home.

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Going to Avika’s “My Legume Love Affair – MLLA # 70 ” for April
Thank you, Lisa’s Kitchen and The well seasoned cook

 

Aloo Mangodi Kadhi
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Dahi (Yogurt)
  • 3 tbsp. Besan (Gram Flour)
  • 1/2 cup Moong Dal Mangodi
  • 2 medium Potatoes, cubed
  • 1/2 cup Green Peas
  • 1 tsp. Garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp.. Ginger, chopped
  • 4 Green Chillies, julienned
  • 1/2 cup Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
  • 2-3 dried Red Chilli
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. Red Chilli Powder
  • 3/4 tsp. Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp. Coriander Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Asafoetida
  • 1/2 tsp. Methi Dana (Fenugreek Seeds)
  • 2 small Tej Patta (Bay Leaves)
  • 2 tbsp. Desi Ghee (Clarified Butter)
  • 2 tbsp. Oil
Instructions
  1. Mix yogurt, gram flour, red Chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and 2-3 cups of water and whisk it well with no lumps.
  2. Take oil in a deep pan, sauté mangodis on low flame till nice golden color . Keep aside.
  3. In the same pan, add tej patta, methi dana and hing.
  4. When methi dana starts to splutter, mix green Chilli, ginger and garlic.
  5. Cook for 20 seconds and add chopped potatoes and peas.
  6. Add little water, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  7. Now add yogurt mixture in the pan.
  8. Mix well and cook on medium flame until starts boiling .
  9. Add salt and mangodis.
  10. Now lower the flame and simmer it for 30 minutes, while stirring in between.
Before serving –
  1. Heat ghee in a small pan ,add dried red chillies, asafoetida and little red chilli powder for color.
  2. Pour over kadhi and garnished with fresh coriander.
  3. Serve hot with plain rice or chapati with chilli pickle.

Methi Thepla

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Theplas are spicy flat breads made with different kinds of green leafy vegetables in the western part of India. It is the intrinsic part of gujarati meal served at any time of the day. I tasted theplas ten years back in US. And from then on it is the integral part of our everyday meal, made quite often healthy and delicious for our taste buds. It’s an easy way to feed green vegetables to kids in a rolled thepla with butter or sweet pickle. Theplas has become “must-have” item for us while traveling or outing for a day. Theplas stays soft and fresh after a day or two due to the added ingredients.

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Sending this recipe to Srivalli’s – Come, Join us for Breakfast event

 

Methi Thepla
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 1/2 cup Methi Leaves, washed & chopped
  • 2 tbsp. Besan (Gram Flour)
  • 2 tbsp. Sooji (Samolina)
  • 2 Green Chillies, crushed
  • 1 tbsp. Ginger & Garlic, grated
  • 1 tsp. Red Chilli Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Haldi (Turmeric)
  • 1 tsp. Gur (Jaggery), grated
  • 1 tsp Ajwain (Carom Seeds)
  • 2 tbsp. Dahi (Yogurt)
  • 1 tsp Coriander powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tsp. Oil
  • Oil for frying
  • Extra Wheat Flour, for rolling
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and knead it in to a soft and smooth dough.
  2. Use little water at a time, if required.
  3. Keep aside covered for 10 minutes.
  4. Divide the dough into equal parts and roll out each portion into thin circles like rotis.
  5. Use extra flour for rolling if needed but not too much.
  6. Heat Tava (skillet) and cook each theplas using a little oil on both sides till it turns golden brown.
  7. Serve hot with dahi/yogurt and pickle.

Bharwan Baigan/Stuffed Eggplant

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With all due regard to the king of vegetables because of the crown/calyx on the top, ( but for me it was not a crown rather a elves hat) I didn’t have any warm memories to share about this vegetable. I never liked its taste and more than that its appearance after being cooked. Now after a few (or many :-)) years added and getting my sanity, I believe it is a very versatile vegetable and non-vegetarians’ delight due to its meaty texture. Whether a dish is Italian or Indian, eggplant blends with spices and cheese so well and tastes delicious. There is so much to explore and experiment with this vegetable.

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I don’t know how true this story is but Eggplant got its name because it is used to come in only one color – white. Hanging from the plant, they looked like eggs. I find this very interesting but have not sure about its genuineness.

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Sending to the event In my VEG BOX~Onions.
Thank you The Spicy Pear and Citrus Spice UK

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Bharwan Baigan/Stuffed Eggplant
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 6 small Eggplants
  • 2 medium size Onions, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. Ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp. Garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp. Dhaniya Powder (Coriander powder)
  • 1/2 tsp. Red Chilli Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Saunf Powder (Fennel Seed Powder)
  • 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala Powder
  • 1 tsp. Aamchur (Mango Powder)
  • Salt to your taste
  • 2 tbsp. Vegetable/Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp. Mustard Oil
Instructions
  1. Wash, dry and make a criss-cross slit halfway through the eggplants from bottom to top.
  2. Be careful not to cut all the way to the end and do not separate in to halves.
  3. Keep in a bowl of cold water and salt to prevent it from turning black.
  4. Take oil in a pan on mediun flame, add chopped onions and sauté until light brown.
  5. Add coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, fennel seed powder, garam masala powder and salt.
  6. Mix everything together and fry few more seconds.
  7. Let the masala cool down and stuff it in the slits of the eggplant.
  8. Squeeze the slits together so that masala settle down inside.
  9. Take a wide non stick pan, add mustard oil and warm till you can see fumes.
  10. Reduce the flame to low and add stuffed eggplant one by one.
  11. Cover and cook them for 20 minutes.
  12. Keep turning the sides of eggplants in between so that they cook evenly.
  13. Once the eggplant become soft, fry them on high heat for minute.
  14. Serve hot with Jhol Daal (Daal with thin consistency), rice and chapatis.