Lazzat ...

Tangy Tomato Rice

2009-11-09T15:20:00.003-05:00

There are times when you want to have a hearty meal but don't have time to put it together. At such times having some prep done before hand always helps. Or taking the semi home made approach.

The secret ingredient which gives the " tang" to my tomato rice is V8 vegetable juice . Instead of grinding the tomatoes etc etc I just fry some onions in hot oil with some curry leaves, mustard seeds and peppercorns , pour some healthy V8 vegetable juice in it let it all come to a boil, season with salt , add a pinch of turmeric, add rice and let it cook , garnish with freshly chopped cilantro . Serve with papad or pickle or both :)

Using the juice saves a LOT of time and adds a whole lot of flavor. You can also use any tomato juice as long as its not sweet .

Just thought that's an interesting tip to share ....will be back with a healthy dessert cooked using a food which is healing in nature . Have a great day !

Palak Murgh

2009-10-28T12:12:00.003-04:00

This is another quick, simple, healthy and flavorful recipe. I usually follow the recipes I have , but this time I decided to cook it by memory and came up with my own recipe.

I am sending this to the Original recipe event created by Lore of Culinarty .

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp. olive oil,

1 lb. boneless chicken,

1 small onion, thinly sliced,

1-2 tbsp green chili paste, to taste ,

1/4 tsp. turmeric powder,

1 tsp. coriander powder,

1 tsp ginger paste,

1 tsp garlic paste,

2 cardamoms,

1" cinnamon

nutmeg,

a pinch of cardamom powder,

salt to taste.

Grind together:

1 packet spinach, blanched,
small handful of coriander leaves,
1 small onion, roughly chopped,

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon stick, cardamoms, sliced onion and fry till the onions turn golden brown. Add chicken, ginger garlic, turmeric, coriander powder, season it with salt and fry for few mins. Add the ground spinach paste, green chili paste, cover and cook on low heat till the chicken is done. Sprinkle some cardamom powder and grate some nutmeg. Cover again . Serve hot or warm or cold , as you like it. Enjoy!

Nature's Pride

2009-10-21T03:12:00.000-04:00

I recently got a chance to taste the Nature's Pride breads through the Tastemaker program offered by Foodbuzz. Once I opted in for the offer, I received these two loaves- 100% whole wheat and 12 Grain.

Years ago, I did try to switch to multi grain and whole wheat breads, but was discouraged by what I ate....I dint like them at all....in fact I found them hard to swallow ... yes, and I did get back to my favourite brand of "not so natural" white bread.

So when I received the very same varieties of Nature's Pride breads my first taste test or challenge was going to be how the bread tastes by itself. I treated each slice differently to find out what would be the best way to eat it ,so the bread got toasted, grilled , dipped, sandwiched, I also tried a slice of each of the breads by itself , and I just loved it, every time. It passed all the tests in flying colors. Of course I could not click all the images but the one you see is that of a grilled cheese sandwich, in here I used the whole wheat bread with some Manchego cheese.

There is no doubt in my mind that Nature's Pride is the next best thing to home baked breads as suggested by the blog 'my kitchen addiction '. For me this one is a keeper, healthy and tasty, and guess what ? its less expensive than some of the other brands. So next time you wanna buy a loaf , give Nature's Pride bread a try , it wont disappoint you.

Check out their website for nutritional information.

Easy Milk Burfi / Peda

2009-10-05T16:36:00.002-04:00

If you live in cities like Chicago, New Jersey, New York , Dallas (to name a few) or places where there are a lot of Indians or Pakistanis residing like the Bay area etc. finding freshly made mithai is no big deal. Mithai, by the way, is a milk based sweet treat loaded with sugar and khoya and nuts /dry fruits. Back in India mithais are made on daily basis and are found everyday in every local mithai shops. My childhood memories bring back the aromas of freshly fried Jalebis and still warm, melt in your mouth besan laddoos, mysore paak ....yum... I remember when we had huge celebrations at home, my father would call a mithaiwala (person who makes/sells mithai ) home and get mothichoor laddoos etc. done as we kids watched over . It was fun !

In Boston, where I live (in the suburbs), we usually have to settle for the mithais we get in the frozen section of the desi store. Milk burfi also known as kalakand is one of my favourites. This recipe would be more of a burfi than a kalakand due to its texture as kalakand generally is very granular.

Its a wonderful recipe, fit for parties/crowds. It can be made ahead of time with very little effort, few ingredients, no added sugar as we use sweetened condensed milk and gives very delicious results.

Ingredients :

1 can (14 0z.) condensed milk,
15 oz. ricotta cheese,
1 C pistachios coarsely chopped,
1.5 tsp. elaichi powder, or to taste ,
ghee for greasing .

Method :

In a heavy botttom pan combine condensed milk and ricotta cheese. Cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from stove top and stir in the elaichi /cardamom powder. Grease a dish with ghee. (I used a 8" square baking dish, but you could also use a pie plate or any other size plate depending on how thick you want the slices to be.) Let the mixture cool slightly, then pour it on the greased plate sprinkle pistachios on the top and press lightly with your hands , just so the nuts stick to the mixture. Let it cool. Refrigerate for 2- 3 hours/ overnight. Cut into squares and serve.

If you want to make pedas then follow the same instructions until you pour the mixture to set. Let it set in fridge for a few hours. Using a tablespoon measure scoop out the mix and roll between palms to make pedas , roll the pedas in ground pistachios and refrigerate again for some time.

To share with this sweet treat are a lot of awards kindly passed on by a very sweet friend Sri Lekha . Thanks Sri for remembering me :)

I would further pass on these awards to 5 Star Foodie, A2Z Vegetarian, Anjum, Asha, Humaira, Jeena, Lubna, Lubna, Mansi, Mona, Pravs, Shaista and Yasmeen for inspiring many like me and being good friends, Thank you !

Chocolate Fudge

2009-09-01T23:50:00.002-04:00

Ramadan Kareem to all !

The most anticipated month for Muslims all around the world has begun, and we have already seen the first third part of it. I usually take a break from blogging during Ramadan , but this year I thought of participating in Lubna and Yasmeen's Joy from fasting to feasting event . I love the idea of this event.

This recipe is a no brainer, chocolate+condensed milk+pistachios = yummy goodness, and that's really all it takes to make this rich and creamy chocolate fudge. Plus this recipe is so quick, you can make it ahead of time, its great for entertaining on days like Eid or otherwise.

Ingredients:

12 oz. 70 percent dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk
Pinch salt
1 cup shelled pistachios

Method:

Melt the chopped chocolate, condensed milk and salt in a heavy based pan on a low heat. Put the nuts into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin, until broken up into both big and little pieces. Add the nuts to the melted chocolate and condensed milk and stir well to mix. Pour this mixture into a 9-inch square foil tray, smoothing the top. Let the fudge cool and then refrigerate until set. Cut them into small squares, once cut you can keep it in the freezer, this fudge does not need to be thawed before serving .

Click here for more quick and easy Iftaar inspirations.