Romantically moonlit

The full moon always captivates me. I believe that "Chaandi" चांदनी (Full moon in hindi) magically transforms even the ordinary things to pure beauty. Since childhood I had cherished this dream of visiting and seeing the TAJ on a full moon night. What magic the full moon does to the grandeur of TAJ, I cant imagine.

There is this park in Gwalior Phool Bag(hope its still there). So one such चांदनी रात of a lazy balmy summer, my parents and I had gone to this PhoolBag to enjoy the cool summary night breeze. And while taking walk along the lanes of the park, I saw the beautiful full moon with a solitary leaf bare tree in its foreground. The scene made quite impact. Summer it was , with no homework and studies, so the moment we came back that night after our evening stroll, I took out my poster colors and drawing book and painted the scene engraved in my memory. I really don't know why I had painted it in monochrome. 

While doing this painting those memories came rushing into my mind.

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Moong Daal paratha

My Ma makes daal puri of urad daal, but daal paratha I had never tasted. I got this recipe from :
www.maayeka.blogspot.com/2012/04/moong-daal-paratha.html. Than Anjana for sharing such a wonderful and healthy recipe. Made from moong daal, this paratha can be a complete meal.
Since my recipe is a ditto of hers except that I added hing (asafoetida ) while adding fennel and cumin, I wont go about scribbling the recipe here.
Its a worth try and if you like the smell of hing , do put a pinch of it. The whiff of hing makes the paratha deliciously alluring. 

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Dahi Kabab (Yogurt Kabab)

I love yogurt and any recipes with yogurt. I got this recipe from NDTV. Carried out the recipe almost word to word. So I would rather Ctrl C , Ctrl V , with my tini-mini changes here and there.
Ingredients:

400 gms yoghurt
100 gms paneer
2 teaspoons chopped onion
1 tsp chopped ginger
Half a handful of chopped fresh coriander

10 finely chopped almonds
7 to 8 chopped raisins
1/2 tsp white pepper powder(didnt use)
1/2 a tsp green cardamom powder
salt to taste
oil to grill
Cornflour to dust
A cup of ready to eat oats(didnt use)

Method:

Hang yoghurt overnight in a muslin cloth.I hung it for 4-5 hrs.
Saute the onion and ginger in minimum oil till the onions turn translucent. Keep aside to cool.
Take the yoghurt in a bowl. Add crumbled cottage cheese, chopped raisins, coriander, almonds, and the onion mixture. Add the white pepper powder, cardamom powder and salt. Instead of white pepper I added chopped green chilies and a little roasted cumin fennnel and pepper powder(my bhaja masala)
Now make round patties with this gooey mix and pat a bit of cornflour on the outside, after giving them a shape.
Crush the oats to resemble breadcrumbs and dredge the patties in this oat powder. I didnt have oats , so used breadcrumbs.
Grease a pan with olive oil, and grill these on a medium hot skillet, till they turn brown.
Serve hot with chutney.

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Sunrise

A splendid sunrise by the river..

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Ghugni or "The Yellow peas Bengali snack"

Actually the title is not literally correct. A because the Ghugni is not a native to Bengal rather to the East Indian states of Bihar , Bengal , Orissa or Odisha(I recently happened to know that the state's name has got changed, phew God only knows what the achieve by changing names) and B its not just a snack but rather healthy breakfast too. Served in many households along with Luchi (Maida puri) or Muri (Puffed rice), this is a easy , hearty and ever welcome breakfast. And for snacks,Ghugni topped with onions , a little tamarind chutney goes great with the Cuppa.

The best Ghugni of the world award always goes to Ma's Ghugni. No its not just my mom, its the same for all bongs. Ask any bong,the best Ghugni they ever tasted and they would definitely say : "Ma er kora Ghugni" (cooked by Mom), at least I say so, Mr Husband says so, my Ma says so, my bong friends say so(long list). I really don't know whats the secret behind this mystery. So the other day I made Ghugni for breakfast, it didn't turn as wonderful as my Ma's , nonetheless it was quite yummy.
Here's the ingredients:
a cup of yellow or white peas
an onion chopped
a tomato chopped
ginger chili paste
a potato cut into dices
ginger julienne
chopped corainder,
bhaja masala(Dry roast a handful of jeera , saunf, few peppercorns and dry red chilly depending on hotness , then grind ) or roasted jeera powder
a bay leaf
Jeera

Since it was weekday I was making Ghugni , and I did not have much time in the early morning rush hours, I soaked the peas the previous day for 3-4 hours and then pressured cooked them until rightly soft but not mushy, kept the boiled peas in fridge to use the next morning.

Heat oil  in kadhai, fry the potato dices till light golden, keep aside. In the same oil(you may reduce the oil in case its too much), add bay leaf and cumin seeds. Let them splutter. Now add the onions, fry till golden brown. Add ginger chilly paste and chopped tomatoes. Fry for 3 minutes. Add turmeric, salt and keep frying till oil separates. Now add the peas and fried potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped onion and coriander and ginger julienne. Sprinkle a little bhaja masala.
I served it with Muri(puffed rice) and tea

Footnote: We have switched to Green tea as our daily breakfast cuppa. Although not as tasty and flavorful like Darjeeling or Assam or Masala tea and completely sugarless and milk-less, the green has immense health benefits compared to milk tea. And somehow we have come to enjoy this tea more than milk or black tea.

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Sorse Kopi.. Cauliflower in mustard and coconut

Bongs love any recipe with mustard paste in it..The pungent and sharp taste of ground mustard adds magic to many veggies as well as pisces recipes. Love knows no bounds and so is our love for this humble seed.

The other day I was bored of cooking and eating aloo gobhi (dry or gravy whatever). Since the choice of veggies is quite limited in Texas, and ones like Mr Cauliflower are my guest at all time any season of the year, I decided to try something new. And what better option then Sorse Kopi (Cauliflower in mustard), a very very simple and quick recipe with a very different taste to the palate.

I used:
1 medium Gobhi(Cauliflower)
5-6 green chilies (depending on the heat U like)
2 tbs of grated coconut
2 tbs of mustard seeds (soak it for an hr)
salt to taste
turmeric
a pinch of sugar
oil for cooking

Cut the gobhi into medium size florets. Keep the florets immersed in hot water (with a pinch of salt) for 5mins.(they should retain their crunch) Drain water and pat the florets dry.
Meanwhile make a paste of mustard seeds with 3-4 green chilies and a pinch of salt and a little water. I usually strain the mustard paste with a tea strainer to remove the skin of mustard seeds. In the strained mustard paste , I then add the grated coconut and give it a quick churn. Now in a kadhai , heat a little oil. Mustard oil is definitely preferred. Throw in a little nigella seeds, a dry red chilly. Add the florets and fry on high for few minutes. Now add turmeric , salt and a pinch of sugar. Add 2-3 slit green chilies After frying for a minute on high flame, cover the kadhai and keep on medium flame for few minutes. Once the gobhi is half done , add the mustard coconut paste , stir for a minute and then cover and keep on medium flame for a few minutes more. Once the gobhi is done, toss it on high for a minute or two. Enjoy with rice or roti.

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Fall Colors In Acrylic

Roaring waterfall by the mountains

Fire everywhere

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