Padma's Kitchen

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Maharashtrain style Sabudana Khichdi

Posted by Padma on 1:33 PM

You must be wondering how come western India recipes on my blog...well I am raised in Kalyan and much acquainted to Maharashtrian food. Since my childhood I used to trade my lunch box whenever my friend used to bring this in her lunch box. Sabudana khichdi is my favorite breakfast recipe, I love so much that I can eat 4 times a day! This is a typical Maharashtrian style khichdi I learned from our kaki (maid), she makes awesome khichdi!!

Sabudana Khichdi is also famously called a fasting food during the ekadashi days, or sankashti chaturthi days when most of the maharashtrians fast. You will find in on the menu of many mess/canteens in most of Mumbai and surrounding when there is this special fasting done. But I love it any time any day. I make it as Naivedyam or Prasad to offer to Saibaba on Thursdays or for Saibaba Satsangs. After much talking here goes the recipe.

Sabudana Khichidi (Maharashtrian style)

Source: Our Maid Kaki
Cuisine: Maharashtrian Cuisine
Prep time:20 mins and 6-7 hours soaking sago
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:

2 C Sabudana/Sago (I use Swad or Delight brand)
3 green chillies
1 C roasted peanuts (remove the skins and grind into powder)
2 tsp crushed jeera
6-7 curry leaves
1 medium potato, medium diced
¼- ½ C oil
Kadai or non-stick pan

Method:

Soak sabudana 6-7 hours before hand. First wash and rinse the sabudana and then soak them in enough water that all of it is submerged in the water.
Next, roast peanuts in microwave. Place them on microwave safe plate and heat it on high for 3 or 4 mins. You will see that the peanuts are turned slightly brown, let it cool and remove the skin and grind into powder. alternatively you can dry roast them in a pan, if m/w is not the option.
Chop potato into medium size and medium size and place then in a microwave safe bowl, pour some water and heat it for 5 mins high. alternatively you can fry the potatoes in the oil itself, will take little while till they turn crispy.
Heat oil in kadai or non-stick pan on medium high, add curry leaves/kadipatta, crushed jeera and green chillies, let them fry for 1 min and then add the boiled aloo. Reduce the flame to medium low and let the potatoes turn crispy golden brown.
Add the sabudana, mix well, for a minute so that everything is mixed well. Sprinkle salt, close with a lid and let it cook for 10 mins... keep in mind to reduce the flame to simmer (low), after 8-10 mins check the khichdi and see if there are any hard white sabudana left, coz by now you sabudana will turn into transparent soft pearls. Check for salt and lastly add peanut powder, mix well and let it cook for another minute. Close the lid and remove from stove.

Few tips for a pearly sabudana khichdi:

See that you raw sabudana is not crushed or has lot of powdered sago in it.. If that is the case then just sift the sago so that all the powder is out and on whole sago is to be used.
Soak them at least 6-7 hours before hand. If you want to make it for breakfast, you can soak overnight, if want to make it as an evening snack, soak in the morning by 11:am
Soak it in enough water to cover the sabudana, do not add more water, or else you will end up with a mushy khichdi. So the rule of thumb is just enough water so that all the sago is submerged in it.
Use a little bit extra oil to get that tasty khichdi...common once in a while its ok to have an extra tablespoon or so... so why compromise on the flavor.
You can use more peanut powder than listed in the above menu...more taste you see!!

Weight Watchers Fresh Meals

Posted by Padma on 11:44 AM

Weight Watchers announces the first mainstream, low-calorie, portion-controlled, refrigerated, to-go meals and deli salads in the U.S.

I tried them and I am loving it!! Did you see the Weight Watchers new fresh meals on the deli section aisle?? If not hurry and grab them... they are so handy and time saver on those busy days when you are tired and don't have much time to fix a quick lunch/dinner for your family, Weight Watchers fresh meals comes handy. They are great for the people 'on-the-go' who constantly look for healthy meal options but don't have time to cook it from scratch.

The great thing about these meals is that you know where you stand – these to-go meal lists calories, grams of fat, fiber, protein, etc. No more guessing. Everything you need to know is listed right on the label. This is a first of its kind in the deli ready-to-go section! (Extra bonus: if you are a Weight Watchers member, the new PointsPlus™ values are listed right on the front of the package. All others can rest easy knowing that the meals are good.)

For those like me who love to cook daily, we have some lazy days when we don't feel like cooking; WW fresh meals satisfies all the points (freshness, price, time) without compromising on the taste and the calorie intake. Check the variety of meals they are offering on Weight Watchers website. Vegans also have a very good option, I loved Baked Ziti, Three Cheese Macaroni and Three Cheese Ravioli. My little one loved the macaroni salads! So why not give it a try!!

Thanks for reading..
Padma

A Happy Fourth!!

Posted by Padma on 1:00 AM

Ahhhaaa! Can't believe that Padma's Kitchen is 4YO today.....

Thanks to you, my readers, my visitors, my family and friends, near and dear ones to make this journey more and more memorable. I thank you from the bottom of my heart to make my life more meaningful since I started blogging. These four years of blogging has been an amazing and outstanding journey and added more flavors to my life. Every comment left by my readers are like pearl to me that makes this journey worth it, thanks for pouring so much love and I promise you will get same in return.

Through my blog I made new friends, learned all the interesting things related to Food and Photography, I received so much love and warmth from my readers, can't ask more!! Blogging to me became more of a passion than a hobby now, and I love doing it.....

I wanted to share this news with you all, I received an award..... Padma's Kitchen has received a " 2010 Top Indian Cuisine Blog" award by Cookingschools.net and is listed amongst the famous food blogs including Sailu's Food, Mahanandi, Tarla Dalal, Sindhi Rasoi and more!! What an awesome birthday gift, I am so happy happy happppy right now @_@

CookingSchools.net

As you all know that Padma's Kitchen has undergone so much of design changes, I will be trying to add more healthy recipes in this coming year, more kid's friendly recipes as my almost 2 yo is loving all the new recipes I am cooking just for her!! Thanks to my daughter, Anshika who is continuously teaching me how to manage my life, time, blog being a mother. Can't end my post without saying thanks to the most wonderful person in my life ~ JB (my hubby) without whom Padma's Kitchen was impossible. He is the back-bone of this blog and whatever comes to this plate passes through a rigorous critics and quality control process. I love to say he is the "Quality Control Head" for my blog. Learned a lott!! Thank you dear Hubby!!

Pineapple Shrimp Peppers

Posted by Padma on 4:05 PM

Using Shrimps in any dish brings out the unique flavor of the sea. I love prawns (popular name for shrimp in India) any way cooked. This recipe I made for community contest, I am part of and there were some rules to cook only specific ingredients. It was a little challenging but I remembered this recipe which was shown sometime back on TV. And trust me you will keep licking your fingers... and will definitely go for a second serving!!! Great as appetizers for parties or serve it with jasmine rice to make a seafood entree. Either way you chose this Pineapple Shrimp Peppers won't let you down.

Adapted from one of the great Indian cooking show 'Khana Khazana' by Sanjeev Kapoor Ji, made some minute changes to adjust to my taste palette.

Pineapple Shrimp Peppers
Source: Adapted from Khana Khazna (SK)
Cuisine: Indian Cuisine
Prep time:15 mins Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients
2 cups Pineapple, medium chopped
1 1/2 c red and yellow pepper, roughly chopped
2 big cloves of garlic, finely chopped
20-22 large shrimps(optional for vegetarians)
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
freshly ground black pepper
salt as per taste
1/2 cup water
2 tsp olive oil
Non stick pan for cooking
chopped parsley for garnish

Method:

First heat oil in a nonstick pan, add garlic when oil is little warm. Saute garlic till it changes color.
To this add pineapple pieces and mix well, add salt and saute on medium high flame for a minute. Then add sugar and 1/2 cup water, cover with a lid and let it cook for 5 more minutes.
Now add the crushed red pepper flakes, paprika powder and garam masala powder and cook until all the water evaporates
Time to add the shrimps and red pepper and yellow pepper, you can use any colored pepper(capsicum) like green or orange too! Mix all the ingredients well and add freshly powdered black pepper and check for salt.
This dish is ready in no time, Serve it with your favorite rice item or like an appetizer.

Spicy Salmon in Tangy Tamarind and Tomato sauce

Posted by Padma on 8:05 AM

Those were my initial days when I used to search for Indian fish in American waters....errr!!@#.. american fish market or better to put it in words asian fish market on american soil... popularly called as chinese market by "desis" in USA. I was confused by their english names and appearance, Fish in India are little smaller in size here everything is Jumbo size.. I was so tired of searching our Indian fish there too!! .... Then one of my neighbour in India who lives in Connecticut now, listed me some of the English names for Indian fishes... I quickly noted it down in my notepad and every now and then go back to that list, sigh!!!

My friend 'J' is a malyali and you know they are crazy for fish.... he invited us for lunch during our initial days, when I was still learning and exploring other side of this world, country, people and food. That day apart from all the chicken, mutton dishes he made some "Bangada fry" on his grill. I was so happy to see Indian fish on the menu... he laughed and said " arre main tereko list deta hoon, apana desi machi ko idhar doosre naam se bulate hain, don't worry have your food first karke" Amongst that list he told me that Salmon is very good for our heart and has Omega-3, his wife is a doctor!! From then onwards I started having our desi as well as videshi fishes here and enjoying all the flavor and tastes.

Salmon is one of my favorite fish and cooking with this fish is darn easy. This is a very simple and easy way to kick in some spices into the salmon and get the tangy-ness from the tamarind and tomato sauce. You can use any fish except shark!

Spicy Salmon in Tangy Tamarind and Tomato sauce

Source: My Own
Cuisine: Andhra Cuisine
Prep time:15 mins Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:
1 pound/½ kg of salmon fillets (you can use any fish)
3 medium tomatoes, yields 2 cups when chopped
small marble size tamarind (roughly 1 tablespoon)
1 red onion, chopped
3-4 green chillies, chopped
2 tsp freshly crushed garlic and ginger
7-8 curry leaves
½ t turmeric powder
2 T of olive oil/any cooking oil
for marinating the fish
¼ t freshly crushed black pepper
¼ t cumin powder
1 t chilli powder/paprika(adjust according to your spice level)
1 t salt
for garnish
¼ C chopped cilantro
¼ C chopped green onions

Method:

Soak the tamarind in ¼ cup hot water for 15 minutes and pulp it out, yields approximately two tablespoon full of the pulp
Cut the fish fillet into 2 inches rectangle pieces, add some sea salt and let it sit for 5 mins. Then rinse the salmon fillets and add the rest of the ingredients under 'Marinating' and keep it aside.
Chop the onions, tomatoes, green chillies. Heat oil in a kadai or medium sauce pan. Turn the heat to medium and add chopped onion, green chillies and fry till onions are translucent. Add little salt to sweat the onions. Then add curry leaves, crushed garlic and ginger, you can use ginger garlic paste as well. fry for a minute and add chopped tomatoes, mix well and let the tomatoes cook approx 10 mins or so.
Once the tomatoes turn out mushy add the turmeric powder and little salt and half cup water and tamarind pulp. Cover with a lid and let it cook further.
Once the sauce starts to bubble its time to add the fish. Add the marinated salmon and turn the flame to medium low or simmer, cover and let the fish cook in the sauce for about another 10 minutes.
Check for spice and salt, add if needed! Garnish it with chopped cilantro and chopped green onions and serve it with hot steamed rice, Yummm--oo!!

Simply Rasam ~ Ootti Charu

Posted by Padma on 6:57 AM

Ootti Charu means Rasam without dal. This one is from my mother's kitchen, another easy, very simple and flavorful recipe to make in a jiff. My Mom used to make it especially as an accompaniment when ever she cooked non-veg dishes like mutton curry, chicken kura or fish curry. She says it helps in clearing your gut after all the spicy, masala food you had and helps with digestion too! Like the way Chinese have tea after their meal!

So, if you are judging that this Ootti charu is only for those who eat non-vegetarian food!! then you are wrong, it goes very well with vegan curries too! I love making it with most of the aloo(potato) curries, vegetable fry's like okra, tindora (dondkaya aka ivy gourd), cauliflower, cabbage, berakaya (ridge gourd), green bananas and kakarakaya (bitter gourd).

This simply rasam has the fewest ingredients yet it is so tasty and full of flavor. The most important ingredient is tamarind and water; we add green chillies, tomatoes and onions, little turmeric and chilli powder with a dash of pepper and cumin powder and little tempering does it all. Here is the step by step recipe in detail.

Simply Rasam

Source: My Mother
Cuisine: Andhra Cuisine
Prep time:10 mins Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients:
Tamarind (ping pong size ball or roughly ¼ Cup)
6 cups of water
1 medium tomato
few strands of sliced onions (two pinches)
3-4 green chillies, cut lengthwise
½ t turmeric powder
½ t chilli powder/paprika
¼ t freshly crushed black pepper
¼ t cumin powder
salt as required
for tempering/tadka/popu:
2 T cooking oil
½ t mustard seeds/rai
½ t cumin seeds/jeera
½ t split blackgram dal/urad/minapa pappu
7-8 curry leaves
1 T finely chopped onions
2-3 freshly crushed garlic
¼ C chopped cilantro

Method:

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of hot water. After 10 mins pulp the tamarind in the hot water, strain if needed (I use as it is!).
Take a medium pot, add this tamarind pulp mixture, 5 cups of water, squeeze tomatoes with clean hands into it(first roughly chop tomato to four pieces and then squeeze). Add green chillies, sliced onions, turmeric powder, chilli powder, crushed pepper, cumin powder and salt.
Cook on a medium flame and let it come to a boil, then reduce it to medium low flame and let the flavors simmer a little bit for 10-15 mins or till the green chillies/onions look cooked and not raw. Turn off the flame and temper it!
Lastly temper it with seasoning by heating oil in a kadai/round bottom pan add the mustard, cumin seeds, urad dal/black gram dal; wait till the urad dal turns golden brown in color. Then add finely chopped onions and crushed garlic, once the onions turn golden in color add curry leaves and chopped cilantro for 30 seconds or a minute. Immediately pour this tadka/seasoning into Rasam and close with lid. Otti Charu aka Rasam is ready!

Serve it with your favorite curry, vegetable fry's and hot steamy rice.
This is also best when you have sore throat or cold. Clears your throat and makes you feel good.