Mooli ke Paranthe/ Muli ke Paranthe Recipe

Every time I make paranthas I can hear, "Garam garam paranthe ko thandi thandi dahi mein dooba kar phat se munh mein dalna chahiye." Yes, I am that big a fan of Hindi romantic movies that I can quote dialogues from bad ones too. But after all I am an Indian girl raised in the 90s... what do you expect?

Mooli ke Paranthe/ Muli ke Paranthe

But that's taking away from the topic... so coming to mooli ke paranthe. Mooli ke paranthe get this unique sharp tang from the taste of the raddishes. For lovers of spice (like me), this is heaven! Add to it flavours from home-made masalas and you've got an absolute winner!

Mooli ke Paranthe/ Muli ke Paranthe

Here's my recipe of garam and masaledaar mooli ke paranthe.

Mooli ke Paranthe/ Muli ke Paranthe Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: about 2 minutes per parantha

Makes: 10 paranthas

Ingredients

1 cup grated white radish
1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
2 tsps jeera (cumin) powder
1 tsp laal mirch (red chilly) powder
3 tsps dhaniya (corriander seed) powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup water for kneading the dough
Salt to taste

2 tbsps whole wheat flour for dusting
Oil as required for roasting the paranthas

Method

In a large dish, mix the grated radish with the dried spice powders, the carom seeds and the salt. Mix together well with your fingers.

Now add the flour and start kneading the dough by adding a little water at a time. Knead a hard dough as the radish will keep losing water and the dough will keep getting soft. Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

Make balls of the dough of 1/2 inch diameter and roll out thin paranthas. Roast lightly on both sides, brush some oil and then cook the paranthas through.

Serve hot with yoghurt, chutney or pickle of your choice.

Vendakka Moor Kolumbu (Ladiesfinger/ Okra in Yoghurt Gravy) Recipe

The first time we had this curry, my best friend and I went straight to the seventh heaven! There is something really heavenly about the flavour of ladiesfinger in a creamy, mild yoghurt gravy, laced with traces of spice.

Vendakka Moor Kolumbu (Ladiesfinger/ Okra in Yoghurt Gravy)

And since she and I both share a love for cooking, we HAD to try cooking this recipe at home. She tried it first, and it was a huge success. So we cooked it the next time at one of our cooking stayovers. 

Vendakka Moor Kolumbu (Ladiesfinger/ Okra in Yoghurt Gravy)

Recently, I made this curry for my in-laws (hubby doesn't like ladiesfinger) as a change from the regular ladiesfinger sabzi. They liked it too and having given the recipe enough tries, I am putting it up to share.


Vendakka Moor Kolumbu (Ladiesfinger/ Okra in Yoghurt Gravy) Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 tbsps peanut oil (divided)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
6-7 curry leaves
2 green chillies thinly sliced
2 tsps skinless split black gram (white udad dal)
2 medium onions finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup yoghurt
2 tbsps gramflour (besan)
1 cup water
200 grams ladiesfinger (okra) sliced into 6-7 slices per okra
Salt to taste 

Method

In a deep frying pan (kadhai) heat 2 tbsps oil and sautee the ladiesfinger with some salt till they are done. This takes about 10 minutes on a medium high flame. They will turn soft when done and lose their stickiness. Remove and keep aside. 

Whisk together the yoghurt, gram flour and the water to make the base for the gravy. Make sure there are no lumps. Keep aside.

Heat the rest of the oil and temper with mustard, cumin, asafoetida and curry leaves. Lower the flame to medium high and add the green chillies and fry for about 10 seconds.

Keep the flame on medium high. Add in the udad dal and fry till it turns reddish brown. Now add the chopped onions and turmeric powder and fry. Keep frying till the onions release the oil, indicating that they're done.

Now add in the yoghurt mixture. Bring to a boil. Lower the flame, add in the ladiesfinger and cook for 5 minutes on a low flame. Add salt to taste. You can adjust the consistency of the gravy if you want by adding water.

Serve hot with parathas or steamed ric
 

Lemongrass Grilled Chicken Recipe

Yes, you read that right. A part of the revamp of my blog, I'm entering the protein arena of cooking. After marriage, I now have access to a non-veg friendly kitchen. So I'm learning cooking meats and of course, trying new dishes with them.

Lemongrass Grilled Chicken

We celebrated my husband's birthday a month after our wedding. And me being me and him being a foodie, I made something new to celebrate it. I searched around the internet and decided a menu. It was an Asian plated meal with this grilled chicken and the Thai Raw Mango Salad as a side.

Lemongrass Grilled Chicken with Thai Raw Mango Salad

This lemongrass grilled chicken has tastes that are outside our usual repertoire of Indian tastes. The lemongrass gives it a freshness without the tang. This is enhanced by the saltiness of the dark soya sauce and the pungency of the chillies. The sugar and the lemon balance out all of these flavours.

The flavours of the chicken were quite a hit, but I still need to learn how to cook chicken properly a little bit. I got the right tips from aai (my mother-in-law) and have added to this recipe for our benefit!


Lemongrass Grilled Chicken Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Marination Time: 30 minutes (at least) 
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

300 gms chicken breasts (cleaned)
3 large stalks lemongrass
2 tsps fish sauce (optional)
2 tsps dark soya suace
2 tsps sugar
2 tsps finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsps olive or vegetable oil
1 tsp olive oil for grilling 
2 tsps chilly flakes or 2 fresh bird's eye chillies finely sliced
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Clean the chicken breasts of the fat on it. If there is a large piece, slit it into half horizontally. Make shallow cuts on the breast pieces so that it absorbs the marination.

Grind the lemongrass in a mixer to hair-like texture. No, it doesn't form a very smooth paste. Don't worry, it will be okay when cooked!

In a large bowl, mix together the lemongrass and the sauces, sugar, garlic, chilly flakes, salt, lemon juice and oil and whisk well. Put in the cleaned chicken breasts and  let them marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a grilling pan and brush some olive oil on it. Put the marinated chicken on the pan and let it cook till done. It should take about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Serve hot and fresh with a salad or some fried rice on the side.

Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe.

Thai Raw Mango Salad Recipe

The first time I had this salad was in Singapore. We were having lunch at my husband's best friend's favourite place to have Thai food in a local food court. (Side note: If you're in Singapore and want to try South East Asian cuisines, local food courts are the best way to do it!). We had a feast that day of Thai dishes I'd never even heard of in India. This was one of them. And of course, because of my love for raw mangoes and Thai flavours, it instantly became a favourite.

Thai Raw Mango Salad Recipe

This salad is a burst of flavours in your mouth. It has fruity sourness from the mango, saltiness from soya sauce, pungency from chilly flakes, spice from the garlic and spring onions and sweetness from sugar. It covers the balance of tastes and freshness of ingredients that lie at the core of Thai cuisine.

Thai Raw Mango Salad Recipe

 This salad makes for a great side dish to any Asian meal.You can serve it at barbecues too for an extra zing!


Thai Raw Mango Salad Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Assembly Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the Salad

2 medium sized raw mangoes
2 spring onions
1/4th cup roasted peanuts
2 tbsps finely chopped corriander leaves

For the Dressing

2 tsps fish sauce or dark soya sauce
1 tsps lemon juice
1 bird's eye chilly finely chopped or 1 tsp chilli flakes
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 tbsps sugar

Salt if needed

Method

Wash the mangoes well and julienne them. A large-sized grater works well for this. Thinly slice the spring onions and mix them with the mango. Deskin the roasted peanuts and break them roughly with your hands. Add this in to the salad mix.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad. Mix it in well with your hands, crushing a little to bring out the flavours. Taste and add more sugar if the mangoes are very sour.

Serve immediately.