Chia Seeds with Yoghurt Chat

Lately I have started eating one tablespoon of Chia seeds in some form or the other. One of my favourite is mixing it with Apple juice or Orange juice. Today I mixed it with Yoghurt and a teaspoon of Chat Masala. I had it as a side to Batata Poha.

Halloween Pumpkins (a post a year too late)

A post a year too late :) ... but just in time for this year! ;)

Last year, for the very first time, me and hubby got adventurous and got ourselves two large pumpkins. Since we had never carved one before, those pumpkins served as counter decor pieces for quite sometime - actually, not too bad! Then I got panicky and wanted them to serve the purpose they were meant for - lack of time and some my engineering skills and likely I had seen it online somewhere, I decided to use hubby's drill-set to serve my need! Well, I have not seen the drill-set since - most probably they have been stowed away to prevent any such future torture on them. Ok, enough of the background, here are my creations from last year - enjoy!

Tomatillo Dip

Ingredients

Tomatillo - 1 pack of about 12, grind it fine
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Parsley - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Lemon juice - 2, small
Salt - as per taste
Green chilli - 2 (optional)

Method

Grind the chopped Tomatillo into a fine paste.
Add water if you want it less thick.
Mix it with chopped Onion, chopped Parsley and Lemon juice.
Add Salt and chopped Green Chilli as per taste.

Serve with Pita chips and Hummus - amazing! It can't get more sour and tangy!

Chia Seeds with Yoghurt Chat

Lately I have started eating one tablespoon of Chia seeds in some form or the other. One of my favourite is mixing it with Apple juice or Orange juice. Today I mixed 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds with 3/4th cup Yoghurt and a 1/2 teaspoon of Chat Masala.

I had it as a side with Batata Poha. Yumm!

Batata Poha

Same recipe as posted earlier here.

Only addition is one boiled Potato, chopped into tiny pieces. It is added before the soaked Poha and tossed with the spices. Add a pinch of Turmeric Powder so that the raw taste of Potato is removed.

Pomfret with Bihari Kabab Masala

Ingredients

Garlic - 6 cloves
Ginger - 2 tbsp, grated
Bihari Kabab Masala (or Fish Masala, I used a spice mix from

Tunisia gifted by dear Kavita) - 2 tbsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste (approx. 1 tsp)
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Canola oil - 1 tsp

White Pomfret Fish - 2 (Silver one, cleaned with side cuts)

Method

Marinade uniformly the defrosted (if you use it fresh, it is much more flavourful) room temperature fish. Make sure some of the marinade gets into the cuts on the side of the fish.

Keep it aside for about 15-30 mins.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 mins.
Broil on High for 5 mins.

Serve hot, fresh off the oven with sliced Onion and Tomato slices. I think Green Coriander Chutney will also go great with this - try it out!

I remember eating Baked Fish in Kabob Factory, Bhubaneswar with hot Coriander Chutney and it was a very different but appetizing taste.

My friend Edgar had mentioned Corn Bread will also go great with this dish. Liked this idea and will definitely have Corn Bread as a side-dish with the baked Fish!

Ethiopian Thali :)

Injera Bread is used to rollup the different flavorful curries in Ethiopian cuisine. It is very close in taste to the Indian palette. The pics are from a trip to an Ethiopian restaurant in Maryland where me and my friend tried the vegetarian menu. It was delicious.

From Wikipedia:

Injera (Amharicənǧära [ɨndʒəra]; sometimes transliterated as enjera; Oromo: bidenaa; Somali: canjeero) or taita (Tigrinya ጣይታ)^[2] is a sourdough-risen flatbread with a unique, slightly spongy texture. Traditionally made out of teff flour,^[3] it is a national dish in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

In making injera, teff flour is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for several days, as with sourdough starter. As a result of this process, injera has a mildly sour taste. The injera is then ready to be baked into large, flat pancakes. This is done either on a specialized electric stove or, more commonly, on a clay plate (Amharic mittad, Tigrinyamogogo) placed over a fire. Unusual for a yeast or sourdough bread, the dough has sufficient liquidity to be poured onto the baking surface, rather than rolled out. In terms of shape, injera compares to the French crêpe and the Indian dosa as a flatbread cooked in a circle and used as a base for other foods. The taste and texture, however, are unlike the crêpe and dosa, and more similar to the South Indian appam. The bottom surface of the injera, which touches the heating surface, will have a relatively smooth texture, while the top will become porous. This porous structure allows the injera to be a good bread to scoop up sauces and dishes. 

Spicy Mini-Potatoes

Ingredients

Boiled Baby Potatoes - 40-45 (add Salt and Turmeric while boiling for approx. 15-20 mins)

Canola Oil - 1-2 tbsp
Fresh Curry Leaf - 10-15
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chilli - 2-3
Tomato-Ginger-Garlic-Onion Paste - 10 tbsp (Grind 2 medium Onions, 1 inch Ginger, 2 Tomatoes, 7-8 Garlic Pods)

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp
Amchoor Powder - 1 tbsp


Method

Boil the baby Potatoes with salt and turmeric. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes till a fork\knife can easily poke into a potato. I throw the boiling water and let it sit for sometime to reach room temperature (or slightly warmer) before trying to peel.

Heat Canola oil in a flat pan.
Add fresh Curry leaves, Cinnamon, Cumin seeds and dry Red Chilli and let it temper the oil.
As the above sizzles and looks slightly roasted, add the Tomato-Ginger-Garlic-Onion Paste.
Stir it often so it does not stick to the sides.
Add Turmeric Powder, Salt and Chilli Powder and mix it well with the above paste.
Add Coriander Cumin Powder and Amchoor Powder.
Add the boiled Potatoes and mix it well. Stir it for about another 10 mins in Medium heat.

Enjoy it with Roti, Rice-Dal or with Dahi Vada as a side!

Guguni - Yellow Peas (street food of Odisha)

This is one of the dishes unique to Odisha - a popular street food apart from being akin to Cholley of Punjabi household in a Odiya household. It is the only use of Yellow Peas in my house - if you have any other recipe that uses the same, please do share.

Ingredients

Yellow Peas (dry) - 1 cup, soak overnight

Ginger - 1 inch

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dry Red Chilli - 2-3

Dry Bay Leaves - 3-4

Boiled Potatoe - 2-3, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

Water - to pressure cook the Yellow Peas and for the gravy

Canola Oil - 1 tbsp

Tomato-Ginger-Garlic-Onion Paste - 10 tbsp (Grind 2 medium Onions, 1 inch Ginger, 2 Tomatoes, 7-8 Garlic Pods)

Onion - Raw, chopped to garnish

Cilantro - Fresh, chopped to garnish

Rock Salt - to garnish, as per taste, optional

Method

Soak Yellow Peas (dry) overnight in water.

Pressure cook the soaked Yellow Peas and chopped Potatoes (1/2 inch cubes or smaller) with Salt, Turmeric, Cinnamon stick and Chilli Powder(optional, as per taste) - I usually cook it for 3-4 whistles. Let it sit till the cooker cover opens by itself.

In a flat pan, hear Canola oil. 

Add dry Cumin seed, dry Bay Leaf and dry Red Chilli and let it sizzle and temper the oil.

Add the ground Tomato-Ginger-Garlic-Onion Paste. Stir often and let it cook.

When the oil separates, add the boiled Yellow Peas and Potatoes (without the water).

Let it cook for 5-10 mins and then add water as per the desired consistency.

Serve hot. Garnish with raw chopped Onion, chopped fresh Cilantro and powder Rock Salt - optional, as per taste!