Homemade Garam Massala, Indian Spice Mix

When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible. And now cooking and clicking is my passion and it does bring out the best in me. I always enjoyed helping my mom in the kitchen when I was young but the real cooking started only after marriage. It was then limited to simple Daal Tadka or Mutter Paratha using basic Indian spices. Later the experiments began –adding pav bhaji massala in rice; or making pasta sauce from scratch and even preparing my own chaat massala mix. Blending your own spice mix is pure bliss and I hereby declare-homemade is happiness.

Life is fast and we all tend to pick up readily available ingredients from the market which is fair enough. But let me tell you something once you make your own spice mix at home you will be little hesitant to buy from the stores. Reasons? oh they are many- ofcourse you can make any changes as per your taste or decide the consistency you want; and most importantly you will end up with pure, hygienic and fragrant spice blend- who doesn't wish that?

What is garam massala? No it is not curry powder. So Garam means Hot/Heat; Masala is Spice Mix. The composition of garam massala differs regionally, with many recipes across India according to regional and personal taste, and none is considered more authentic than other. And that is why if you are particular about the final taste then homemade is the best option. The components of the mix are toasted and then ground together. Marwadi cuisine is impossible without garam masala be it in Aloo Pyaz Ki Subji or Stuffed Bhindi- you can never have enough of it.

For me this is one magic mix if used in right quantity can take your meal to the next level. Garam Massala is always added in the end as all the Indian curries and sauces are slow simmering ones and garam massala powder at the beginning would mute the flavours of the spaces. While there are dozens if not hundreds of recipes for garam massala but coriander seeds which give right texture and whole red chilies that provides heat are the 'must' ones. Personally I add star anise, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms-all these spices have unique scents and when roasted releases great flavour. What else- next passion is all you need.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole coriander seeds/dhaniya

1/4 cup cumin seeds/jeera

8-10 green cardamoms/ilyachi

5 cloves/laung

2 whole cinmon sticks/daalchini

4 bay leaves/tej patta

4 dry red chiilies/sukhi lal mirch

1 teaspoon black peppercorns/kali mirch

5 black cardamoms/badi ilyachi

2 star anise/anshphal

Method:

In a heavy bottom pan dry roast all the ingredients separately on a low heat till aromatic.

Once cool, grind in the grinder.
Store in airtight containers.

Notes:

You can also add nutmeg/jaiphal in it.

Try to use whole spices, powdered ones will not bring real taste.

Make sure you roast on low heat, as they tend to burn very soon.

Make a small batch first and then adjust any ingredients as per your own taste.

Roasted Garlic And Red Bellpepper Pasta Sauce

Oh! I love Italian food.  I adore their cuisine and culture so much that I wish I was an Italian (well sometime). The way they move their hands when they talk, or their food- basil, oregano, tomatoes, garlic...hmm everything. I would love to have pizza, pasta, cheese and wine everyday. So this states my love for Italian food -right??

Back in India I ate just two types of pasta, in red and  white sauce. Only after coming to the UK I tasted other pasta sauces as well, like pesto, garlic, wine, pepper and many more. Slowly my affection for pasta hiked and I began experimenting many pasta recipes at home. Although I have to say that I have restricted my dishes to mainly using Penne / Spaghetti/ Fussili ;and today I learned that there are 600 different shapes of Pasta ... Wow !! Long Long way to go .

Pasta can be of various shapes and sizes but it is the sauce that matters. Here you get pasta sauces readymade available in the market but I hardly buy them. And the reasons are as follows:-

• I hate addition of preservatives. Fresh is better :-)
• I find the taste very pale and dull. All I see is oil....grhhhh!!
• I cook pasta a lot thus I cant afford those tini-tiny jars every time.

Anyhow, even though basic tomato pasta sauce gets ready quickly; but there are times when I am in hurry and I need sauce immediately for a quick meal. After searching a lot on the net, I came to the conclusion that I can very well make my own pasta sauce and freeze it for the future use. 

Roasted red bellpepper mingled with garlic are absolutely and positively something that you will love- I bet! The colour, aroma, taste- perfect balance. I bestowed it with the Indian touch -infusion of bayleaf, cloves, turmeric and black pepper  surly upgrades it to the next level. I make a huge batch of this sauce, easily doubling and tripling the recipe. It freezes well and also becomes the base of a lot of my pasta dishes and sometimes on my pizza crust as well.

Ingredients:

Red Bellpepper chopped- 4

Tomato- 2

Onion chopped- 1

Garlic pods- 8-10

Bayleaf- 1

Black peppercorns- 5

Cloves- 2

Lemon Juice- 2 tablespoons

Sugar- 2 tablespoons

Turmeric- 1/4 teaspoon

Dried oregano- 1/2 teaspoon

Dried Basil- 1/4 teaspoon

Olive oil- 2 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 180C.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Mix garlic, bellpeppers, bayleaf, peppercorn and 1tbsp olive oil. Grill in the oven at 180C for 30 minutes.
3. Slit tomatoes in between and boil in 1 cup of water and cloves till soft and tender.
4. Heat remaining oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and cook till translucent.
5. Put boiled tomato in a bowl and mash lightly with a fork. 
6. Mix roasted bellpepper, garlic and tomatoes with onions.
7. On meduim heat keep mixing and add all the remaining ingredients. Mix till water evaporates and you have lumpy mixture ready.
8. Let it cool and then store in sterilized jars.

Notes:

This can be kept in the freezer for 2-3 weeks.

If in hurry, just chop the tomatoes finely and mix when onions gets soft. Keep cooking till tomatoes leaves water and turns mushy.

It can be served as chutney with sandwiches, crackers or biscuits.

Taste:

Tangy and sweet.

Vegetarian Grilled Quesadilla- Italain Style

The Wiki Says -- A quesadilla is a Mexican food made primarily of cheese inside a folded corn or wheat tortilla and cooked until the cheese melts. ...In simple language Quesadilla is a Mexican style stuffed paratha which has a yummy cheesy filling.

It is an ideal party snack which can be enjoyed with tea, coffee and can be had at anytime. I wanted to try this recipe from a long time, perhaps was waiting for a nice weather :-). I was very happy with the result, all I can say is that it’s my new favorite Italian dish (oh yes! I like it more than pizza.) I missed my brother while eating them because he is mad about Italian food. I mailed him the pic and he was so tempted. :)He wants me to cook this for him when I am in India next time.

Ingredients:

6 flour tortillas

1 cup grated cheese ( i used mozzarella)

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup finely chopped onions

¼ cup finely chopped cabbage

¼ cup finely chopped green bell peppers

1 cup finely chopped fresh tomatoes

Butter/oil for toasting the tortillas

Salt and pepper to taste to taste

Oregano,basil,thyme mix-2 tbsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, saute the onions, mushrooms and green bell peppers until tender. Turn off heat. Add cabbage, tomatoes, salt,Oregano,basil,thyme mix and pepper and set aside this vegetable mixture.

Heat a frying pan to medium heat.

Take one flour tortilla and place it in the pan. Spread some butter/oil on the tortilla. Toast the tortillas for about 10 seconds each side until air pockets begin to form within the tortilla.

Spread about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture over one half of the tortilla. Add about a tablespoon of cheese on top of this vegetable mixture.

Fold the tortilla covering the mixture into a half moon shape or semi circle. Press down on the tortilla for a few seconds, allowing the cheese to melt.

Take the tortilla and toast in sandwich toaster- Like in a pic below.

 If you don’t have a sandwich toaster like mine (grilled), then you can toast it in the pan itself till brown spots appear.

Serve with the lettuce, salsa or chutney

Tips:-The stuffing for the quesadillas can be anything of your choice, cooked, uncooked, any vegetables like sweet corn, baby corn, carrots, peas, beans etc. Experimenting can be lot of fun.

-It is a very good snack for parties; just keep the stuffing ready and serve hot when guests arrive.

Jowar Ki Roti/ Sorghum Indian Flat Bread-Gluten Free

Jowar/Sorghum is very healthy and one must include Sorghum in his/her diet quite often. Jowar ki roti is very famous Indian flat bread eaten during winter. This roti is gluten free and rich in fibers  Like most of the people I was also scared of trying this type of bread at home, but believe me cooking Jowar ki roti is no rocket science. My mom is expert in making various kinds of rotis; and she gave me the secret of making this roti. She said that If you kneed the dough well then you can never go wrong with it. Now when winters are approaching;I had to try this recipe. And yes! I did it and she was right there is no Rocket Science in this recipe. Love You Maa!..

Ingredients:

1 cup Jowar Flour  1 cup hot boiling Water Salt to taste 1 tbsp Ghee

Method:

Mix the Jowar flour, water and salt to form smooth dough. Kneed it for 3-4 minutes.Divide in equal portions. Roll out each portion (either by palm or by rolling pin) into a roti and put it on a hot griddle over medium flame. Cook from both sides and then put it directly on the fire to puff up. Turn it over during puffing and put off the flame. Now smear a 1/8 tsp of ghee over the Jowar Roti.

Daal Tadka In Microwave- Red Split Lentils In Microwave

Daal Tadka In Microwave-Believe me is very simple and quick . No need to wait for pressure cooker to release whistles or have another pan for tempering. Cook daal in microwave its awesome. Do try!!

Ingredients:

2 cups masoor dal /split red lentil)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds /rai / sarson
1/2 tsp cumin seeds /jeera
a pinch of asafoetida /hing
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tsp chopped green chillies
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric powder /haldi
1 tsp coriander/ dhania powder
salt to taste

Red Chiili powder- ½ tbsp

Lemon juice -1 tbsp
oil -8 tbsp

Method

Clean, wash and soak the dal in enough water for 10 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

Put the 4tbsp of oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 15 seconds.

Add the onions and green chillies and microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic paste and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and microwave on high for 1 minute.

Add the soaked dal, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt along with 4 cups water, cover and microwave on high for 20-25 minutes, while stirring every 3 minutes in between.Mix in it lime juice.

Take another small microwave safe bowl and add remaining 4 tbsp of oil and heat for 2 minute. In the hot oil add the asafoetida, cumin, red chilli powder and saute for 2 seconds

Pour this tempering on the cooked dal and mix well.

Eat piping hot with bread or rice.

Carrot Raita

Raita can add such a special touch to any Indian meal. This is particularly true when the meal is rich and or spicy. There are many variations to make Raita; for today, I am keeping it to something that's very simple and straightforward to make.

Ingredients

• 2 cups thick plain Yogurt (I used fat free Greek yogurt)
• 4 grated Carrots
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 - 1 tsp roasted Cumin powder (bhuna jeera powder)
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp Chilli powder/ground pepper for garnish
• 1 teaspoon chaat masala

Method:

1. Whisk yogurt with sugar very well and make sure that they are no lumps.
2. Mix in it cumin powder, salt and chilli powder.
3. Finally add in grated carrots. Mix well. Simple isn't it???

Serve with rice or any bread.

Eggless Chocolate Strawberry Cake With Fresh Cream Frosting- 50th Post

Hmmm...So it my 50^th post and I want to make something special. Let me check what’s in the fridge...Oh I have a lots of yogurt in there..So! Let’s make eggless chocolate cake with some strawberries.

Ingredients:

(For Sponge)

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar (add 1/4 cup more if not using frosting)
1/2 cup plain yogurt / curd
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder

¼ cup melted chocolate

5 tbsp grated chocolate

5 strawberries (4 finely chopped and 1 chopped in 4 parts)
A pinch of salt if using unsalted butter

(For Frosting)

2 cups heavy or whipping cream 
5 Tbs. granulated sugar 
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180 C. Grease a medium cake pan and set aside.

Sift together flour, salt (if using), cocoa powder and baking powder or just mix well in a bowl until combined well. Mix sugar and butter at room temperature. Beat well until frothy (2-3 minutes on an electric mixer, 7-8 minutes by hand using a whisk).

Once frothy, add yogurt and vanilla. Mix well.

Fold in the flour mixture until just combined. The batter will be a bit thick, it’s supposed to be that way, don't worry.

Transfer batter to the greased tray and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

When the cake cools down, slit in two parts and apply melted chocolate on both the parts.

On the bottom layer of the cake lay finely chopped strawberries. Cover it with top layer.

Chill the bowl which you are using for whipping cream in the refrigerator or 5 minutes in the freezer. Pour the heavy cream into the bowl and whisk on medium-high speed until it just starts to thicken. Slow the speed down to medium and gradually pour in the sugar. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form.

Add the vanilla extract and continue to whisk by hand until the cream is smooth and stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat otherwise it will curdle.

Cover the complete cake with the whipped cream and decorate it with quartered strawberries and grated chocolate.

 I used some gems/ M&M to bring some colour to the cake.

Isnt it yummy....I am gonna eat it right now!!!

 Tip:Any fruits that you like can be used instead of strawberry

Any fruit jam can be applied on the layers of cake instead of melted chocolate