Falafel And A Wrap

Falafel is a popular street snack from the Middle east and is either served alone or in Pita bread.Falafel is supposed to have originated in Egypt and later spread across the globe.This famous Middle Eastern snack is also known by the name - ta’amia.It is served during the Ramadan as a part of Iftar.

It is so popular in Israel and other East Arabs that is sometimes referred to as a National Food!The commonly used legumes are fava beans and Garbanzo beans  /Chickpeas.

Falafel made from chickpeas are good source of proteins, complex carbohydrates and a host of vitamins and minerals. The baked method is healthier than the fried ones.

I used:

Garbanzo beans  /Chickpeas – 1 cup
Onion-1,finley chopped
Ginger garlic paste-1 tablespoon
Red chilli powder-1 teaspoon
Bread slices-2
Roasted cumin powder-1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves-a handful,finely chopped
Sesame seeds to coat
Salt to taste
Oil for frying


1.    Soak the chickpeas overnight and the next morning pressure cook till soft. If you forget to soak, you can put the beans in a rice cooker and add lots of water and switch on the cook mode and cook for a couple of hours. Else used canned chickpeas. Rinse well before use.
2.    Pulse the drained chick peas in a mixie to a thick coarse paste.Do not add water, sprinkle if needed. Remove to a bowl.
3.    Dip the bread in water for a few seconds and squeeze out the water, crumble and add to the ground paste.
4.    Add the cumin powder, chilli powder, salt, coriander leaves, onion, ginger garlic paste and mix well.
5.    Divide into small balls / patties.
6.    Coat the balls/ patties with sesame seeds.
7.    Heat oil for deep frying and when it is hot, reduce the flame and drop each ball /patties into the oil.
8.    Fry till the balls /patties are golden brown in color.

Drain and serve with tomato sauce.

Alternatively you can also bake /shallow fry the falafel. Using sesame seeds for coating is optional. If the coated sesame seeds come off while frying you can also add it to the ground paste.

This is off to Divya who is hosting the 28th edition of My legume love affair,an event started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook


For the wrap I used a chapathi and placed a couple of lettuce leaves, tomato slices and a falafel over it. Wrapped it up and served. Delicious!!!!

While you enjoy this Middle Eastern Street food,do take a look at the Palace at the Garden City in India...

Also take a look at the other recipe posted today -Vegetable Hokkien Noodle Stir-fry that I made for taste and Create...

Bon Appetit...





 

Vegetable Hokkien Noodle stirfry

I am really late in posting the recipe for Taste and Create.As you may be aware,Taste and create is a blogging community started by Nicole of For the love of food.It basically involves pairing bloggers and trying out recipes from each others blog and blogging about it.Are you interested?Then Sign up and be a part of the team.

This month I was paired with Silvermoon dragon of Dragon Musings.She blogs from Australia and has a whole lot of stuffs going on in her blog in addition to food.Do check it out...

The recipe I tried from her blog was a simple Vegetable Hokkien Noodle stirfry.Ingredients are very simple and can be made in no time at all!!!

A small research on this Hokkien Noodles told me that it is also called Hokkien Mee/ Fried Noodles cooked in Hokkien or the Fujian style.Fujian is a province in South Eastern China.Mostly it has some kind of meat but in  Silvermoon Dragon 's blog,it was only with vegetables...

Vegetable Hokkien Noodle Stir-fry
Recipe source- Dragon Musings

I used:


Hokkien Noodles /Fried Noodles -1 packet
Onion-1,finely sliced
Carrot - 1 ,julienned
Frozen peas-a handful
Capsicum-1,small,julienned
Oil-2 teaspoons
Chilli sauce-1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

1.Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the pack.Drain and keep aside.
2.Heat oil in a wok and put in the vegetables and stir on high heat.Saute till the vegetables are cooked yet are a little crisp.
3.Add the chilli sauce and salt.Mix well.
4.Put in the noodles and mix well.
5.Remove from heat after a couple of minutes.

Serve hot...

 Bon Appetit...

Spicy Roti And An Update....

Let me start today with the update.My travel blog underwent some serious changes yesterday.The old clicks were replaced with larger images and I am taking you on a tour to the famous city of Mysore in India.Join me in visiting the Mysore Palace by night...

Now to today's post...I try to make variations in the types of Chapthi / Roti / Parathas  we have for dinner,as I mentioned yesterday..Any change is welcome in our household.So when I saw this recipe id Dk's blog.It was a lot different from the Masala chapathi that I make and decided to try it out.So here it is...

Spicy Roti served with mixed vegetables and tofu masala gravy

Spicy Roti

Recipe source - Chef In You

Whole wheat flour -3 cups
Warm milk -1/2 a cup
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds-1/2 a teaspoon
Garam masala -1/4 teaspoon
Pepper powder-1/4 teaspoon
Coriander leaves,finely chopped-2 tablespoons
Salt to taste

1. In a large bowl, put in all the ingredients except milk and mix well.
2. Add the milk and a little water to make dough that is not too sticky not tough.
3. Let it rest covered for 15 minutes.
4. Knead once again and pinch small balls and roll out into chapattis
5. Cook on a heated griddle till brown spots appear on both side.
6. Serve with a gravy / any side dish of your choice.

Spicy Roti served with Mixed Vegetables-Tofu gravy

Priya of Priya's easy and tasty recipes has chosen Divya's Chef in You for this months edition of Tried and Tasted,an event started by Zlamushka and now being carried on by Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles.So off this goes to Priya's event.

Bon Appetit...

Purple Cabbage-Tofu Parathas -Stuffed Paratha Series #4

Parathas find their place at our table more than twice a week and any repetition of the parathas is bound to bring in various reactions from my folks. So this purple cabbage-tofu paratha was just what I wanted to prepare when I was looking for a new type of parathas to occupy the table. The original recipe uses paneer but I used tofu[of course u know my love for tofu rite!].A very colorful and tasty and not to mention healthy parathas welcomed everyone for dinner that nite..

This one also goes to Priya of Priya's easy and tasty recipes who has chosen Divya's Chef in You for this months edition of Tried and Tasted,an event started by Zlamushka and now being carried on by Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles.

Purple cabbage-Tofu Parathas
Recipe source - Chef In You

You need:


For the dough

Whole Wheat flour-3 cups
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

For filling:

Purple cabbage
Tofu,crumbled-1/2 a cup
Red chilli powder-1/2 a teaspoon
Coriander leaves,finely chopped-1 tablespoon
Salt

1. Grate cabbage to get 1 cup and add a little sat to it and set aside for half an hour.Squeeze out the liquid.
2. Take the cabbage,crumbled tofu,chilli powder,coriander leaves,a little salt if required in a bowl and mix well.
3. In another bowl,put in the ingredients under dough and use a little water[or the water squeezed out from the cabbage.In that case reduce the salt for the dough] to make a smooth dough.
4. Pinch out a small portion of the dough and place a teaspoon of filling on it.Bring the sides together to seal the filling within the dough.
5. Flatten lightly and use a rolling pin to make a paratha.[It is quite tricky and needs lots of practice and patience!!]
6. Cook on a heated gridle till brown spots appear on both the side.
7. Serve with a side dish of your choice.

If you want to make these parathas in a hurry and cannot struggle with filling and rolling out,there is another way to do it.

In a bowl put in the ingredients for dough and filling together and use very little water to make a dough. Proceed as u normally make chapthis. Use a little flour to dust if its very sticky.

This also goes to my event Tasty Tofu Treats hosted here....

Also take a look at the other recipe posted today - Cold coffee float

Bon Appetit...

Cold Coffee Float

Long,long ago [around 1 month ago to be exact],the climate was so hot that we were rushing to the fridge to have something cool or cold or frozen.So as usual when I was drooling over some blogs,I came across Somas cold coffee float. It was the best thing that happened to me that day...

I used:

Chilled milk- 1 cup
Instant coffee powder-1 teaspoon
Sugar-2 teaspoons
Vanilla ice cream-2 scoops
½ a teaspoon cocoa powder


1.Blend milk,coffee powder,sugar,instant coffee powder.
2.Pour into a tall glass and top it with ice cream
3.Sprinkle cocoa powder and serve….

I made a glass of this float and settled down to read a book that one of my friend had gifted before my wedding-Spouse by Shoba De.

The book talks a lot about how to understand your spouse to lead a better[or rather a well adjusted] life.More like both the partners must read it else I am sure the other one will not understand what the spouse is trying to do!!!Still worse one is trying hard to succeed in a relationship while he / she doesn’t even know that the other one is working to keep the relationship afloat.

Many instances, both from her personal life as well as from her friends explain simple points that need to be understood for a marriage to run smoothly.

She also give tips to make it work better.Some I feel will not work[my opinion only] others can be tried and some of them are what we do everyday.I am yet to finish this book and it is taking me longer than usual.Let me see how it goes…..

This cold coffee float is being shipped to Akila who is hosting Dish name starting with C

Bon Appetit...

Aloo Fry

These days,I get a surprise every morning when I open my mailbox.Yes,Awards!!!When this happens,it cheers me up and the whole days seems to brighten.Today Amritha of AK's Vegetarian Recipe World has passed on 'One Lovely Blog' award.Thanks a bunch Amritha.You made my day.I have posted it here.DO check out Amritha blog where she has some wonderful yet simple home cooked food.She also has some tips on hair and skin care!

Now for today's post...I was browsing Meena’s Hooked on heat and saw this post that made me drool.I just made a few minor changes and it was a perfect pair with rice and sambar.

I used:

Potatoes –3,boiled and cubed
Onion-1,chopped
Mustard seeds-1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Coriander seeds-1 teaspoon
Kasuri Methi[Dried fenugreek leaves]-1 tablespoon
Red chilli powder-1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder-a large pinch
Salt to taste
Oil-3 teaspoons

1. Heat oil in a pan and put in mustard,cumin,lightly crushed coriander seeds.
2. When mustard splutters,put in onion and sauté till brown.
3. Add the turmeric powder,chilli powder,salt and the potato cubes.
4. Mix well to coat the spices.
5. Cook for 5 minutes stirring gently once in a while.
6. Sprinkle the kasuri methi and remove from flame.

This day that year...

One day I suddenly realised that I had not blogged about the famous Tomato rice!And it came up immediately......

Bon Appetit...

Of Chalks and Chopsticks -Roundup...

It 's now time to present the roundup of the event - Of Chalks and Chopsticks..An event that is a marriage between food and fiction.Started by Aqua of Served With Love,STB hosted the 5th edition of this event.Aqua,I really enjoyed hosting it :)Thanks for the opportunity dear...

Let's get browsing now,shall we...

The weather was crazy for a girl to go out and dine on a weekend.The food ordered could not be delivered,thanks to the rains and a suddenly crowded restaurant.So what is to be done.Simple,she went out ,did a little shopping and Murgh Malai Tikka was born that looked just like the one ordered from the restaurant!!!

Rim wants to kick out that irresistible habit that creeps in during the 'ghostly hours'. But she found it very hard to kick the habit.On One such 'Ghostly hour' she made a Chocolate pie that seemed to work as a psychoactive drug and give her the intense pleasure of reaching the utopia.For a moment she was transported to her childhood!

Navrathri has just gone by but memories linger on.The members of a Bengali family come back home to be with family, do themselves up in all gorgeous finery, hang out with friends,gorge on delectables until the shirt buttons would threaten to go asunder; and the time when all memories of near and far would throng the senses and take one back in time to the times lived through.Read on about There is something about Pujo..

Another nostalgia that revolves around Pujo.It witnesses some Kaleidoscopic memories  filled with fun,frolic and lots of good food.It also makes the vivid memories come alive only to realize that she is far far away from the warmth of that familiarity.

A little girl loves to go home every evening after school.Her Maa has something ready for her every single day.Years later her little one rushes home eager to see what his Maa has prepared for him.He is overjoyed when he found Bread rolls greeting him...


A heavily crowded suburban train witnesses some conversations and Sukanya dreading her long journey back home after hectic day at work.He husbands attitude irritates her but nothing can be changed.But she is determined to change her son's attitude and prepares Methi bhaat at the same time!


A girl loved to play in spite of all the scolding from her mother.Years later when she saw the rains ,had the chance to go out and dance without her mom around,she chose to be in the kitchen to cook up a Pumpkin soup that gave her more pleasure and satisfaction than being in the rain..

This concludes the roundup and if you are inspired by these facts and fiction and want to pen another one,hop over to Jaya's  blog [Jaya of Spice and curry] who will be hosting the next edition of this wonderful event..

Happy browsing ..

Vegan Pad Thai

Today morning when I opened my mailbox,I got a suprise from Preeti of ISing Cakes.She too has passed on 'One Lovely Blog 'Award.Thanks a bunch Preeti :).I have posted it here.

Coming to the recipe of the day,I made the famous Pad Thai from the Thai cuisine.And this is actually the first time that I am trying Pad Thai,thanks to both Priya and Divya.Priya of Priya's easy and tasty recipes has chosen Divya's Chef in You for this months edition of Tried and Tasted,an event started by Zlamushka and now being carried on by Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles.

This is the rice noodle variety that I used

Vegan Pad Thai
Recipe source - Chef In You

I used:

Thick variety Rice noodles -2 blocks
Bean sprouts-a handful
Onion-1,sliced
Garlic-2 cloves, minced
Capsicum-1, julienne
Roasted peanuts-a handful
Carrot-1, small, julienne
Firm tofu-a small block
Rice flour-3 tablespoons
Soy sauce- 4 tablespoons
Tamarind paste-1/2 a teaspoon
Sesame oil-2 teaspoons
Coriander leaves and spring onions ,chopped to garnish
Salt to taste

1. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the pack and keep aside.
2. Cut tofu into small cubes and place them on a plate with rice flour. Toss gently so that the tofu cubes gets coated with the flour.
3. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon oil and place the tofu cube over the oil. Once in a while turn them around so that both the side turn brownish .Drain and keep aside.
4. Add the remaining oil to the pan and put in onion,garlic and carrots.Cook till soft.
5. Put in the capsicum,soy sauce,tamarind paste and stir fry on high heat for 5 minutes.
6. Add the noodles and salt.Mix well.
7. Put in Tofu pieces and stir gently taking care not to break the tofu pieces.
8. Cook on high heat for another 5 minutes stirring gently once in a while.
9. Switch off the heat and add the sprouts and the peanuts.
10. Serve garnished with coriander and chopped spring onions

Bon Appetit..

Chinese Saucy Bean-sprouts Stir-fry

I have developed a love for Chinese food- The real, authentic ones. They have very less spices, quick to cook, minimal ingredients, nutritious and very flavorful.

Sometimes when I go shopping to the wholesale markets to get some crockery or other stuffs I linger on for longer than I want to because they have so many things to choose from and invariably I am there during the lunch time.

So in these shops,they have their lunches packed in small containers,2-3 of them. One has a small cup of rice,the others are some green stir fries,some meat dishes etc. They are so kind that they offer to share their lunch with me which I gently refuse..

During those time I see that their meal is a complete one that would have taken them very less time to prepare.Many times I too would think of preparing such meals at home[minus the meat of course] but it rarely happens.

Last week I got some moong sprouts when I went to the farmers market because they were so fresh and almost called out to me.I got a bag of sprouts for RMB 1.I used it in many dishes yet had ½ a packet staring at me.

I thought why not make a Chinese meal and savor it.So what you see in these clicks was for me and me alone.I enjoyed every bit of it. The sesame oil gives the dish a very unique taste.The dish has to be crisp and not soft like our Indian curries.

I used

Fresh moong sprouts / bean sprouts -250 grams
Soya sauce -2 tablespoons
Sesame oil-1 teaspoon

1. Rinse sprouts in running water and layout on a kitchen towel to dry.If it has moisture the dish will be very soggy.
2. Heat sesame oil on high flame.
3. Put in the sprouts and stir continuously.
4. Add the soy sauce and mix well.
5. I did not add salt as the sauce was salty enough.Check and add salt if required.
6. Remove from heat and serve.

 

There will be some soya sauce remaining as such.Do not strain it,serve it along with the sprouts as seen in the clicks.

If you are wondering how I savored it,take a look-Typical Chinese style-a little rice and lots of sprouts....

Bon Appetit...

Soya Cornmeal Dosa

When I checked my pantry one day to soak ingredients for dosa,I saw a little of soya and corn grits in the jars and came up with this dosa variety.

Soya Cornmeal dosa served with purple cabbage chutney and coriander chutney

I used:

Rice- 3 cups
Corn meal-1 cup
Soya- 1 cup
White [whole] urad dhal-1 cup
Methi seeds-1 teaspoon
Cooked rice -a handful
Salt to taste

1. Soak all the ingredients except cooked rice for 5-6 hours or till the soya swells up.
2. Grind to a smooth batter along with cooked rice.[I did not ferment it .Used it within an hour.It tasted better the next day though.]
3. Heat a griddle and spread some batter like dosa.Cover and cook for a few minutes.Drizzle oil if needed.
4. When the edges turn crispy,flip it over and cook for another two minutes.

Serve hot with chutney / sambar.

Soya Cornmeal dosa served with purple cabbage chutney and coriander chutney

Bon Appetit...

Chocolate Milkshake

I made this long ago and as usual forgot to post it ...A simple chocolaty way to beat the heat.

I used:

Chilled milk-3/4th cup
Chocolate syrup-2 tablespoons
Vanilla ice cream-1 scoop
Cocoa power for garnish

Blend all the ingredients till frothy. Transfer to a serving cup and dust cocoa power and serve immediately

You can also use chocolate ice cream for a richer flavor.

Maduri of Cookcurry nook is celebrating her blogs first anniversary with a "Chocolate fest,so off this goes to join the celebration...


Bon Appetit...

Chickpea Rice & Bread Raita

I am in the process of upgrading my clicks in my older posts and the first of tehm is  Semiya payasam /Seviyan kheer.Do take a look...

Yesterday Preethi of Khaugiri and Preethi Ram of Preeti's culinary passed on the 'One Lovely blog' award.Thanks a bunch dear girls :).I have posted it here.

Coming to today's post,it is prepared specially for Priya of Priya's easy and tasty recipes who has chosen Divya's Chef in You for this months edition of Tried and Tasted,an event started by Zlamushka and now being carried on by Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles.

A very simple and flavorful pulao that I paired up with another recipe from DK's blog-Bread raita.They were perfect together.You can prepare this from the scratch but  I had leftover rice and used it instead.

Chickpea rice
Recipe source - Chef In You


I used:

Leftover cooked rice-3 cups
Boiled chickpeas-1 cup
Vegetables - 1 cup,chopped[Carrot,peas,fresh corn]
Onion-1 chopped
Bay leaf-1
Cloves-2
Cardamom -2 pods
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder- a large pinch
Salt to taste
Oil-1 teaspoon
Toasted whole grain bread cubes to garnish
Corianderleaves to garnish

1. Microwave the vegetables[Peas,corn and carrot] for 8 minutes or till done.
2. Heat oil in a pan.Add the fennel,bay leaf,cloves,cardamom.Add onion and saute till translucent.
3. Put in salt,turmeric,cooked veggies,chickpeas,left over rice and mix well.
4. Sprinkle a little water if it too dry.
5. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low flame for the flavor to blend.
6. Serve hot garnished with toasted bread cubes,raita.

Bread Raita
Recipe Source-Chef In You


I used:

Plain yogurt/curd -2 cups
Whole grain bread cubed -2 slices
Red chilli powder - to taste
Toasted cumin powder-1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves

1. Toast the bread cubes and keep aside.
2. In a bowl whisk together salt,chilli powder and cumin powder.
3. Just before serving add the bread cubes.[If added earlier the bread cubes will turn mushy and mix with the raita and there wont be any bread cubes left].
4. Serve with the pulao

Bon Appetit...

Cooking With 1 Teaspoon Of Oil -Book Review

'Cooking with 1 teaspoon oil' is yet another book from the 'Total health series' by Tarla dalal.It is a treasure trove of Low calorie Indian  recipes.




This book chases away the fact that Indian cooking means using oodles of fatty stuffs like butter and ghee and of course loads of oil.This book also serves as a guide if you are searching for ways and means to lose weight.She points out substitutes to make the meal attractive to the eyes and palette.As with all her books in the total health series,the recipes in this book too has been analyzed by qualified nutritionists.

This book has these chapters

• Fats and oils
• To lose weight correctly and to keep it off permanently
• Eating and cooking healthy
• Fat busting tips
• Eating out
• Healthy dieting guidelines
• Top 8 diet questions
• Abbreviations and standard measurements
• Major nutritients and their sources
• Foods allowed and restricted for weight watchers
• Menu planner

The recipes are

• 8 Delicious breakfasts
• 5 Thirst quenchers
• 8 Wholesome snacks
• 5 Anytime munchies
• 6 Tongue Tickling subjis
• 11 Dals and Kadhis
• 6 Rice Delicacies
• 8 Crispy rotis and Parathas
• 9 Tangy salads and Raitas
• 6 Delectable Mithais
• 6 Basic recipes.

There are around 10 clicks in this book that will surely make you drool.The recipes have been put together with a lot of imagination! Recipes like Barley and corn Kachumber,Low fat kulfi,Nutritious garlic naan,Soya mattar pulao,Palak- baby corn subji,Low cal chivda,High fiber chilas,Pineapple celery juice are truly very innovative.

Book -  Cooking with 1 Teaspoon of Oil: Low Calorie Indian Recipes (Total Health Series) [Click link to buy from Amazon]

Publisher -Sanjay and Co,Mumbai

No of pages - 160

No. of  Recipes - 78

Price -INR 250/- [Purchased in 2009]


Please note that I have not been paid to write this review.

Happy browsing...




   

Paruppu Urundai Masala Kuzhambu | Steamed Lentil Balls in Masala Gravy

Last weekend hubby wanted something different from the usual lunch and I suggested this side dish for steamed rice.Then MIL suggested that I add some masala to the gravy for a better taste.So here it is -Paruppu Urundai Masala Kuzhambu.Everyone at home liked it so much that we did not have any leftovers for lunch.In fact Hubby loved it that he asked me to prepare and pack the same thing for lunch the next day!!!

Here is what you need to do..

Soak 1 cup gram dal, 1/2 a cup toor dal,3 red chillies for not more than half an hour.Drain completely and grind to a not-so-smooth paste.[Do not add water.If required sprinkle some water].To this batter add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds,salt and some chopped coriander leaves.

 Make small balls and place them on a greased steamer plate.Steam for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make a paste of  1/4 cup coconut,1 teaspoon saunf,4 cloves garlic,1" piece ginger,a small cinnamon stick.You can add some water to make the paste.Keep aside

The steamed dumplings are ready...

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan and put in 1 teaspoon mustard,1 teaspoon cumin seeds.When it splutters add 1 chopped onion and saute till translucent.Add 1 chopped tomato and cook till soft...

Put in the ground masala paste

 Mix well and add 2 teaspoons coriander powder,2 teaspoons chilli powder,salt and a pinch of turmeric powder.

Mix well and add 3 cups of water.The gravy has to be very watery as the lentil balls will absorb a lot of the liquid.[In case u have leftover gravy and lentil balls ,for the next meal you will find only the lentil balls and no gravy!!!]

Simmer till it reduces a little and drop the steamed lentil balls one by one into the gravy..

Simmer for 10 minutes for the steamed lentil balls to absorb the flavors.Mix gently one or twice in between.

Remove from heat and serve garnished with coriander leaves. 

We had it with steamed rice and pappad.A perfect meal!!!

This day that year...

2009 - Deepavali.I walked down the memory lane recollecting the Deepavali festivals of my childhoods and some snaps of Deepavali 2009 along with some scrumptious sweets and snacks that mom had prepared...

Bon Appetit...