"When bright flowers bloom Parchment crumbles, my words fade The pen has dropped ..."

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Matar Makhane

Well, first of all a very Happy new Year to all of my friends out there. I hope and pray that this year is Safe Happy and peaceful for each and every one. 2012 as it was called the "Year of doom" finally bade us goodbye with a very sad note and an ugly scar on the face of our democracy and freedom. I hope the tragic demise of Nirbhaya doesn't go waste. May you Rest In Peace Nirbhaya.

This Recipe is one of my all time favorite for a chilly North Indian winter evening. Since I grew up in the North of India(not the extreme north ofcourse), I loved those cold and chilly winters, when mornings were too chilly and foggy, days were very short, the sun was romantically warm , food was piping hot, and nights crept in early, the bed with blankets was always warm with hot water bag , room heater near the bed side. Winters then meant Christmas and New Year Vacation, little assignments to complete , lots of painting and sketching and ofcourse idling and playing out in the warm sun. In Gwalior, winters also meant the much awaited "Trade fair" or Gwalior Mela and not to forget the Tansen Sangeet Samaroh(since my parents are very much into music , although I cant make head or tail of any "Sur and taal", I still loved Tansen Samaroh).
Ma made this recipe in the winters when greens peas were in complete abundance.
A few weeks back I tried this one for the first time , and fortunately it came out quite well.
So here's the ingredients and ToDo list for the recipe:

Ingredients:
Makhane (I used a whole packet)
a cup of green peas(I used the frozen ones)
a potato diced
green chilies, ginger and jeera paste
a tomato finely chopped
2 table spoon khuskhus(poppy seed) soaked in water for an hr or 2
ToDo:
Grind the khuskhus, you may also add blanched cashew and almond if you want a richer taste. Meanwhile toss the makhane on low flame, you may toss in a bit of oil or just bhunaofy without oil.
Keep aside. Fry the diced potato. Drain on a kitchen towel. Now in a kadhai add little oil, splatter jeera seeds, add chopped tomatoes, salt and little turmeric. Lower the flame and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes with the lid closed. After 3-4 minutes open the lid and increase the flame, keep stirring. Add chilly-ginger-jeera paste(add a little water only if you feel the masala may get burnt). Add a pinch or 2 of sugar. Keep stirring till oil separates. Add the khuskhus paste. Stir for a few minutes. Add the peas. and water as desired. Simmer for a few minutes. Now add the makhane, again cook for a few more minutes till makhane and peas are fully cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander. I also garnished it with a small teaspoon of roasted khuskhus to get that nutty touch.
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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Solitary Hut

Its after a long long time I am back at my space. Believe me I really missed blogging. Since I am still busy with quite a many stuffs and changes I may disappear now and then.
A big Thanks to all blog buddies who regularly visited my space and gave their previous comments. Sorry for not replying to all of you. Sorry to all my blogger friends for not commenting to all your beautiful posts.
Meanwhile in my busy schedule I could not stop myself from painting. This painting is primarily my version of   a Nicholas Hankins painting. The original is of course heavenly. Hope I could do a bit of justice to it.

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Together we


Completed this painting a few days back. Swans are beautiful creatures. Loved painting them.
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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Instant suji dhokla in microwave

The story is:  Mr. Husband is not very fond of besan and its recipes. And I am completely in love with besan recipes. Savories like dhokla , cheela and farsan are my favorite snacks. This leads to big dilemma when I crave for these stuff. So the solution being substitute besan with something which will result the same taste. Hence the aforesaid  recipe. Quick and tasty, this makes a wonderful tea time snack or even a nice healthy breakfast.



Ingredients:
A cup of suji
A cup of curd
a teaspoon of eno
salt as per taste
sugar half a teaspoon
grated ginger
chopped chilies, chopped coriander
a pinch of turmeric
For tempering:
2 tsp oil
a pinch of hing
a curry leaves(i didnt have)
half a tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp lemon juice


Mix the salt, sugar, curd, grated ginger, chopped chilies to the suji. Mix well, so that no lumps remain. Add a pinch of turmeric, a little chilly powder(if you love spicy). You can add a tsp of refined oil. Mix well. Keep covered for half n hour. After half n hour, grease a microwaveable container deep enough to let the mixture bloom atleast 3 times. Add eno to the suji mixture. Mix well and immediately transfer the mixture to the greased container. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Check by inserting a knife. It should come off clean. Cool for 5 more minutes. Cut into squares or diamond shape. Heat 2 tsp of oil in kadhai. Once oil is hot, throw in a pinch of heeng, a tsp of mustard seeds,  curry leaves, 2-3 slit chilies. When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the dhoklas. Sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice. Toss for a minute. Garnish with coriander and serve.






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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Snowy foothills

I had painted this one a few days back but wanted to add a few details here and there. Finally i completed this today. A chilly snowy winter evening at the foothills

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Spring at foothills

My version of a Bob Ross painting. I wish I could watch all his TV series, amazing artist and an equally amazing personality. He made painting such a fun with his patent phrases like "Happy little cloud" or "Lets give a friend to this tree".
Regarding the painting, I am not very satisfied. May be it was because of Acrylics which dry to quick, I am not able to blend colors as I want. May be I should try with oils now.
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Sunday, June 10, 2012

Morning glory and blue bird

Painted this today. A bluebird among-st morning glories.
I was not able to justice to the leaves, but quite satisfied with the bird and flowers.
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