Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Meal-On-A-Roll !


Angry Bird decoration to attract children


An attempt  to replace the boring roti sabzi and dal routine meal.

This is a complete meal in itself….roti +dal +vegetables and if you wish you can serve it with salad or simply add it in the filling.

Ingredients:
Filling:
1 ½ cups mixed vegetables of your choice
½ cup chopped onion
Salt to taste
1 tbsp  chaat masala
oil
Salt
Coriander leaves and green chillies chopped

For Dal layer:
1 cup yellow moong dal (yellow lentil) Soak it in water overnight.
1 tbsp ginger paste
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind the dal with the ginger paste and salt . Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions. Then add the chopped mixed vegetables(I used carrot,spinach,potato and paneer). Add the salt. Cover and let it cook for 7-8 minutes.Then add chaat masala and cook a little more while mashing the vegetables(similar to pau bhaji process). Remove from heat .
Now heat a pan. Grease it with oil  and drop a big tablespoon of dal mixture onto it. Now press a pre-cooked  roti onto the dal mixture . Pressing down the roti over it will spread the dal mixture to the edges (like an omlette/chilla). Spray some oil on sides of the roti and cook till the dal mixtre becomes crisp. Now remove from heat. Spread some chutney (green and tamarind) of your choice . Put some prepared vegetable mixture in the center. Now roll it into a wrap and serve !
Looking forward to read your comments underneath....


Low Cal Icecream

Insert a popsicle stick into the top foil of low cal flavored yogurt of your choice. Freeze it. Now you have a low cal summer time icecream to satisfy your cravings :)

Grilled Gobhi Manchurian

Gobhi manchurian is a popular appetizer for vegetarians. This recipe is my attempt to make it more desirable by reducing the oil content....by grilling instead of frying.

Ingredients:

For Florets :
       2 cups gobhi florets
       1/2 cup cornstarch
       1/4 cup maida
       2 tbsp garlic ginger paste(better if you use fresh)
       salt to taste
        white pepper to taste
       green chillies to taste
        1/2 cup Water

For the Sauce :
        1tbsp  GingerGarlic Paste
        1/2 cup finely chopped capsicum
        1/2 cup spring onions for saute
         2-3 tbsp spring onion greens only for garnishing
         2 tbsp soy sauce
         21/2 tbsp tomato sauce
         1/2 tsp chilly sauce
         1/2 tbsp vinegar  
        

Method :
Blanch the florets in boiling water. Make a paste of all the rest of the ingredients and marinate the blanche florets for atleast 3-4 hours. Now grill them in the oven until golden brown. I usually put the setting at broil and put up a timer of 30 minutes and then flip them around and let it grill for another 20-25 minutes.

For the sauce : Take oil in a pan. Now saute the ginger garlic paste . Add capsicum and then spring onions. Saute on high heat. Now add all the sauces and the vinegar. Stir a little and then add the grilled florets and shake the pan until the sauce coats them. Grilled Gobhi Manchurian is ready to be relished.....Garnish with spring onion greens. Enjoy !

Gobhi Florets turning golden

Sauce























Sunday, January 26, 2014

Indulge



Cooking for me started off as a necessary skill in order to feed and nourish my newlywed husband. It then proceeded to become a personal challenge as I continued to improve on my culinary skills and be on par with my Mum, Aunts and sisters who are all fabulous cooks.  Soon it became a passion, an art to release stress and paint with my palette of colorful and flavorful spices
....looking forward to share and indulge you in my passion of cooking alongwith my ideas on hosting parties and event planning.

Being Stereotyped !


I think to some extent generalizations or stereotypes can’t be stopped and are sometimes helpful, but yeah, it’s also annoying at times especially on the receiving end!


‘BIGGEST’ and most common or I should say frequent stereotype I have faced since choosing to make a career in the education field..
"Teaching is for people not clever enough to get a professional job. Teaching is low status”

Teachers are some of the most influential people in the world, yet the profession is continuously mocked and put down instead of being revered and respected. Well, teachers are the ones who make you capable enough to take other professions. They transfer their knowledge, their experiences to you to educate you. So instead of placing people into categories, let's get to know them


To further support my thinking I will give examples of how rewarding and satisfying it feels to be around children who give you love, respect and look up to you to kindle their flame of curiosity.


Apart from my passion and desire , one of the reasons I left my ‘kinda high paying’ software field to be a education professional is because I have vivid and fond memories of two or three teachers who fanned the flame of my curiosity and love of learning. They have the highest esteem in my eyes because they had high esteem for their job, for themselves and for their pupils. I aspire to look back and be able to feel proud of myself too.
I will love to know what are some stereotypes you have faced or come across. Please share in the comments.