Too many things.......

.............too little time.

I'm gonna be gone for the summer. I love blogging so this blog ain't going anywhere.
I'll be back in September.
See ya soon.

Just Being and Elaichi Waali Coffee

When I was a kid and wanted to go out every single evening with my mom, she used to tell 'ghar pe baithna seekho" (Learn to sit at home)
I never really got or understood the point.
Why?
Why should one sit at home when there were exciting places to see, friends to meet, things to buy and tasty food to eat outside the house?
Sitting at home was dull, mundane and boring.

My perception is changing as I get older.
Its not that I don't want to go out any more or the travel bug has left me or that I don't want to spend time with friends or not shop.
I want to do all of that in no particular order, but just being at home has its merits too.
Or rather, 'just being'. In the moment.
Like most other people, I spend a lot of time rushing. Myself. The kids.
Perhaps, I'm becoming more conscious of the fact that I'm rushing a lot for no reason.
The more I rush, the faster I do everything.
The faster I do things, the less I think.
The less I think, the more unnecessary things I do.
The more unnecessary things I do, the more I rush.
And repeat.
I'm trying to let go...relax. Eat slower, breathe deeper and enjoy my cups of tea.
Really taste my yummy healthy green smoothie that I have taken to for breakfast since a a few weeks.
You don't really have to go anywhere to really enjoy being you.
Perhaps the point is not to want to have fun, rather be at peace.
Everything else follows.
I know this has been written and told many times but the realization is personal.
And I think I'm beginning to realize, acting upon it though is quite a different game :-)
Nonetheless, I am trying....its a journey. Will get there when I get there.
No sweat.

We don't collect too many things but one of things we like to collect are mugs from the different places we visit. They make practical usable souvenirs. The kiddos drink milk in them everyday. The husband and I drink our coffee and tea. Its pretty cool actually. The icons on them remind the kiddos of some of the famous landmarks and sometimes we have good conversations about a city we visited 'cause of the mugs.
We used to drink Chai, but are currently inclined to not invest the 5 minutes in making a cup of chai.
I like my teabag tea made right in the mug and B has taken to the desi style elaichi waali coffee he loves.

Cardamom Infused Latte

In a mug pour a cup of organic skimmed milk.
Add 1 teaspoon of strong instant coffee, 1/2 teaspoon sugar (or to taste) and 1/4 teaspoon powdered cardamom (elaichi).
Microwave for a minute and 10 seconds.
Mix well. Let it stand a minute. Microwave again for 30-40 seconds or till steamed.

Strain in to another mug.
That's it.
Its a really aromatic beverage (much better than the latte at the crapbucks)

B has this coffee with his standard whole wheat bread toasted, spread with organic creamy peanut butter, drizzled with honey and topped with banana slices.
Its real good. Try it.



The elaichi waali coffee goes to the Bombay Foodie Simran who is hosting her first event.....drum roll ;-) Microwave Cooking- Breezy Breakfasts. The event series was started by Srivalli.

The breakfast also goes to Divya who is hosting show me your breakfast.

The toasty treat is also going rather sheepishly to Susan for Yeastspotting.
I'm taking the easy way out I know......I promise to bake a loaf soon :-)

Summer Fruit Crumble/Crisp

I made this last week and just thinking about it is making me hungry!
This was possibly one of the most simplest and delicious desserts I have ever made. I usually do Apple Crisp in the winters but I lucked out with organic berries at my market last week.
I pretty much threw in one of each fruit that I had on hand and it resulted in a super flavorful and scrumptious dessert that paired beautifully with vanilla ice cream.
It got devoured pretty quickly and I just about managed to take this picture before it was all gone.

Ingredients

• 1 peach skinned and sliced
• 1 nectarine skinned and sliced
• 1 mango skinned and chopped
• 1 cup of strawberries
• handful of raspberries
• handful of blueberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

For the crumble

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup flour (whole wheat works too)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/2 stick cold butter chopped into small pieces

Method
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Place the fruits in a baking dish. Toss with sugar and ginger powder.
Place all the ingredients for the crumble in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mixture. Sprinkle on top of the fruits. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with Vanilla ice cream.
Serves about 4-6.

Bruschetta

Gosh, how consistently inconsistent am I?
Summer's here although it still feels like spring. Oh well, as long as its not snowing, I'll take it.
One of the best things about summer is the produce.
Its almost embarrassing to say it but my retail therapy has taken on a completely different meaning now a days. I'm truly happy when I go shopping for fruits and veggies!
The market is full of gorgeous, ripe and luscious fruits and quite a few of them are organic at very reasonable prices. Yah!
Mangoes and cherries and berries......oh my!
I'm in fruit heaven, if there is such a thing.
Oh and I have to share...look at this pretty heirloom tomato I picked up the other day.

One of my favorite things to make during summers is Bruschetta.
I just love the combination of tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic and garlic. I usually don't make this in winters because the tomatoes taste like nothing. So to make up for it, we eat it fairly often at this time of the year when the tomatoes are oh so flavorful.
Don't go putting them in the fridge now...they lose flavor immediately.
So yeah....we eat it very often as an appetizer although I have been known to make a meal out of it. Make some soup and some good cheese and you have a nice summery meal.
If you eat this at a restaurant, they usually have the tomatoes without seeds. I usually leave everything in for a more rustic appeal. (Actually, I'm just lazy and the seeds have Vitamin C in them so its hard to justify discarding them)

Ingredients

• french baguette sliced into thin slices
• 6-8 plum tomatoes chopped with or w/o seeds
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves chopped or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 or 2 cloves whole garlic slightly crushed
• salt
• crushed black pepper

Method
In a bowl, place the chopped tomatoes and basil. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add the seasonings and crushed garlic. Let the mixture sit for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet and bake for a few minutes till toasted. If you like a strong garlic flavor, rub the toast with a piece of garlic.

To serve: Top each slice of the mixture with 1-2 tablespoons of the tomato mixture. Eat right away!

Instant Moong Dal Halwa

I once made the mistake of attempting Moong Dal Seera. I was probably 17 or so and had the recipe from a cooking class I had taken in Bombay.
Long story short, I bit off more than I could chew and I have vivid memories of trying to control and mix the huge pot of hot moong dal seera bubbling away to glory!
Finally mom had to come rescue me- the seera turned out just fine but we had a lot, most of which was never consumed and had to be given away.
Needless to say, I was pretty scarred and never attempted the recipe again!
Until a few days ago.
Sharmila, my dear friend's own recipe of Instant Moong Dal Halwa is superb and too easy and tempting to resist. She roasts the dal, grinds it and stores it for future use.
Works perfectly for me.
The hubby and I are not big on these desserts but its a perfect indulgence for my two little monkeys when they come back from playing outside.
With her method, a small amount can be whipped up in no time at all. Its packed with protein and calcium and if you use a small amount of ghee and skim milk, its a low fat protein packed dessert for grownups too.
My two changes were that I used half milk and half water (instead of only water) and added some saffron (kesar) as well. It turned out creamy and delicious.
My daughter especially loved it.

Instant Moong Dal Halwa

Preparation

Dry roast 1 cup moong dal in a heavy kadhai over low flame till it is light brown, cooked and gives off an aroma.

Let it cool. Grind in a coffee grinder (What? You use it to grind coffee? Jeez...who does that?) Store it in an airtight bottle. I keep mine in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

• 1/4 heaped cup roasted dal powder
• 1/4 level cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom (elaichi)
• a pinch or two of saffron
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup low fat milk
• 1 tablespoon ghee or butter

Method
Warm the ghee in a heavy based sauce pan or kadhai. Add the cardamom powder and mix for a few seconds. Add the moong dal powder and fry on low to medium heat for a few minutes. The dal should change its color and turn a golden brown. Add the water, milk, saffron and sugar. Cook on low heat till all the water gets absorbed and seera pulls together.
Top with chopped nuts and serve warm.
This makes just enough for 2-3 small servings.

Itty Bitty Potato Spinach Raita

This one is from my maami's (aunt's) home.
Friday afternoons (Friday is a weekend in Dubai) were lazy days and we spent many such afternoons at her home.
She used to make a LOT of food- and pretty amazing food at that.
Lets just say- everything plus the works. And the desserts were to die for.
We were some really pampered kids.
As amazing as everything tasted, this particular Raita was my favorite.
I especially love the itty bitty potato shreds which gives it a very distinctive texture.
To make this into a dip, just use Greek yogurt or hung curd cheese in place of the plain yogurt.


Ingredients

• 2 cups plain yogurt (dahi)
• 1-1.5 cups of spinach
• sprigs of cilantro or a few leaves of mint
• 1 small thai chili or a small piece of jalapeno
• 1 small potato boiled grated with a grater (not chopped)
• Spices- salt, rock salt, cumin powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder

Method
Cook the spinach with a tablespoon of water in the microwave for 1.5 minutes in a covered microwave safe bowl. Else, blanch using the traditional stove top method.
Let it cool.
Place in a blender the spinach, 1/2 cup yogurt, cilantro or mint leaves and chili. Blend till everything is pureed.
Place the rest of the yogurt in a bowl. Mix well. Add the blended spinach yogurt and fold in. Add the grated potato and mix gently. Add the seasonings to suit your taste and sprinkle some on top as well.

I like a lot of cumin powder and rock salt.
Raitas are usually served as a side with traditional Indian meals.
This Raita is off to the Microwave Event- Essential Extras started by Srivalli from Cooking 4 all seasons and hosted by Rachel from Tangerine's Kitchen.

Aloo Gobi Sindhi Style

Phew..it's the first free morning I've had in quite a few weeks. I've really missed updating the blog and also haven't had much of a chance to blog hop.
Not to mention we've been so busy and living on sandwiches so haven't really had much to post!
I honestly feel like that squirrel Scrat in Ice Age the movie.....now I'm here, and then I go disappearing again!
In any case, I wanted to post this recipe of aloo gobi 'cause it's a traditional recipe and I'm beginning to value and hold on to my Sindhi roots as much as possible. Recipes like these are gems and not usually found in recipe books. These are just passed down from generation to generation.
Honestly, we don't speak that much Sindhi at home, and food seems to be the best link to my Sindhiness for now.

I find myself googling Sindhi (language, history etc.) and a lot of what I find is fascinating.
For example...

• Sindh was home to one of the world's oldest civilizations- the Indus Valley Civilization.
• The word Indos is the Greek translation of the word "Sindhu river". The word Indos is also what made the Europeans use the name India for the entire sub-continent area.
• Mohenjo-daro was a large settlement inside the Indus Valley. Mohen-jo-daro in the Sindhi language means "mound of the dead".
• In the olden days, Sindh was the final stop for travelers from Greece, Persia and Middle East.
• Sindh was an activity and trade hub- very open to the new cultures and their influences.
• The whole of Sindh is now in present day Pakistan.
• Sindhis who came to India during partition, have no state to their name in India.
  

Bunty's and my grandparents grew up in Sindh, our parents in Bombay, we grew up in Dubai and now our kids are growing up in the US of A.
What a journey in the span of probably a century....from Sindh to Chicago!

There's a joke that was doing the rounds of the Dubai many years ago..

Whats the first thing you see when you land on the moon?
A Sindhi with his textile shop!

Before I go on to the recipe..here's one more gem....I love this song.
This particular version by Junoon rocks.

This recipe of aloo gobi is a traditional one. I like this method because of many reasons; like it uses onions, but you don't have to stir it! The gobi (cauliflower) does not get deep-fried (which is another traditional method of preparing the veggies).
Instead, the veggies get layered and steam cooked in their own juices. The onion at the very bottom of the pan gets caramelized and adds a wonderful flavor to the veggies.
It's easy, nutritious and very flavorful.

This is how it goes..

Ingredients

• 2-3 medium onions
• 2 inch piece of ginger
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch piece of jalapeno or 1-2 thai green chillies
• 2 tomatoes roughly chopped
• 1 small cauliflower washed and cut in to small florets (2 cups)
• 1 medium potato peeled and chopped in to medium pieces
• salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dhaniya powder (coriander seed powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon haldi powder (turmeric)
• 1/2 teaspoon amchur powder (mango powder)
• a pinch or 2 of garam masala
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves chopped

Method
Place the onion, ginger, garlic and chillies in the food processor.


Process till everything is chopped (or chop with the knife).


Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil on high heat in a heavy based flat pan. Add the onion mixture and spread it out.

Add 2 roughly chopped tomatoes and spread on top of the onion mixture.

Spread the cauliflower florets and potatoes on top. Sprinkle the salt, dhaniya powder, haldi powder on top. Cover and cook on high heat for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium.
Check to see if the veggies are cooked through.
Using a large spoon or metal spatula, dig in the middle to check if the onions at the bottom are browned. If not, cook at high heat for a few minutes till the juices evaporate and the onion is browned.

Gently mix everything together. Sprinkle with amchur, garam masala and cilantro leaves.



Serve hot with rotis and yogurt/raita.