Parsi Ravo

Here’s another one of the Parsi cuisine dishes. It’s just similar to Kesari. Parsis prepare this sweet on the Parsi New Year day as breakfast. Got this recipe from Meera’s blog.

Ingredients:

Rava - 1 cup
Sugar - ¾ cups
Ghee - 1 tsp.
Milk - 1 ½ cups

To garnish:
Vanilla essence - ½ tsp.
Almond (chopped) - 1 tsp.
Pistachio (chopped) - 1 tsp.

Method:
Add ghee to the pan and let it melt.
To this ghee, add the rava and mix well.
Sauté it for 15 minutes in low flame.
Meanwhile in another pan, boil the milk and sugar.
Add this to the rava and mix well without any lumps.
When it starts to leave the sides of the pan, remove from heat.
Garnish with vanilla essence, almonds and pistachios.

Sent off to Meera's 'RCI-Parsi Cuisine' event. RCI series is originally started by Lakshmi.

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Parsi Style Pumpkin

Well, I’m not that aware of Parsi cuisine…yet I found this recipe in one my collections. I was just tempted to give it a try.

Ingredients:
Yellow/orange pumpkin - 2 cups (cubed & boiled)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Tomatoes - 1 (scoop out the seeds & chopped)
Green chilies - 2 (chopped)
Ginger - 1 tsp. (grated)
Yogurt - ½ cup
Cumin powder (roasted) - 1 tsp.
Sugar (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp.

Method:
1. Add the ginger, green chilies, tomatoes, onions and coriander leaves to the pumpkin and keep aside.
2. Beat the yogurt with salt and sugar and chill the yogurt.
3. Just before serving, pour the yogurt on the pumpkin mixture.
4. Sprinkle the roasted cumin powder on the yogurt and serve.

Sent off to Meera's 'RCI-Parsi Cuisine' event. RCI series is originally started by Lakshmi.

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Nellikai Thokku

Ingredients:
Amla/Gooseberry - 20 (in number)
Ripe tomatoes - 1
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Fenugreek powder - 2 pinches (toasted)
Salt (to taste)
Oil - 5 tbsp.
Mustard seeds - 2 pinches
Asafoetida - 2 pinches

Method:
1. Boil the gooseberries in a pressure cooker.
2. Remove the seeds and throw away.
3. Grind the gooseberries.
4. Peel the skin of the tomato and chop it.
5. In a pan heat the oil.
6. Add mustard seeds and when it crackles add the chopped tomato and saute till it becomes mushy.
7. Now add the ground paste and start to saute.
8. Add red chilli and turmeric powders and mix well.
9. After 2 minutes add the fenugreek, asafoetida powder and salt.
10. When the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan remove from heat.

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Wheat Murukku

I got this recipe from here.
Ingredients:
Wheat flour - 4 cups
Yogurt - 1 1/4 cups
Sesame seeds - 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Oil - 4 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil (for deep frying)
Method:
1. Place the wheat flour in a vessel and cover with a lid.Pour required water in bottom of pressure cooker.Keep the vessel in it and close the cooker with its lid and cook upto three whistles.
2. Remove from heat and let the pressure drop.
3. In a bowl add the wheat flour and break the lumps if any.
4. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and sesame seeds to the wheat flour.
5. Heat 4 tbsp. of oil and add the sizzling hot oil to the flour. Mix lightly.
6. Now add the yogurt and mix well.
7. Add required water and knead it into a smooth dough.
8. Add a small ball of dough into the murukku presser with star-shaped hole in disc.
9. Press the murukkus and fry in the oil (medium heat).
10. Crunchy murukkus are ready to munch!

Sent off to Sireesha's "Cooking for Kids Event - Wheat".

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Meme and Awards

I received these awards from Sushma Mallaya, Padma, Prasu, Raje & Sangeetha Shubhash. Thank you friends!
Here's the meme part-

1. Where is your cell phone: Under my pillow
2. Your hair: Black
3. Your mother: Full of love
4. Your father: Perfectionist
5. Your favorite food: Indian food
6. Your dream last night: I don't remember
7. Your favorite drink: Pomegranate juice
8. Your dream/goal: Oh, that's a secret
9. What room are you in: Bed room
10. Your hobby: No time for hobby
11. Your fear: sssssSSSSSSnnnakesss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years: Any place with my family
13. Where were you last night: Home
14. Something you aren’t: Fashionable
15. Muffins: My kids fav
16. Wish list item: Way too many!!!
17. Where did you grow up: TN
18. Last thing you did: Cooked for lunch
19. What are you wearing: Salwar Kameez
20. Your TV: ON
21. Your pets: No
22. Your friends: A,A,V.
23. Your life: Really Great
24. Your mood: Happy
25. Missing someone: No one
26. Vehicle: Hyundai Santro (Auto Transmission)
27. Something you’re not wearing: Anklet
28. Your favorite store: Whole Foods, StOre 18
29. Your favorite colour: Blue
30. When was the last time you laughed: 10 minutes back
31. Last time you cried: Today morning
32. Your best friend: Hmmmmmm.
33. One place that I go over and over: Delhi
34. One person who emails me regularly: My Husband
35. Favorite place to eat: Gossips! in Noida

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Bean Tostadas

Tostada is a Mexican dish deep-fried in oil. It is actually tortilla in a fried type. In the Spanish language Tostada means 'toasted'.

Mexicans wanted to recycle old tortillas in some way rather than wasting it. They spread beans, cheese, meat, vegetables, etc. on crisply fried tortilla. This led to the recreation of a new dish. (as per wikipedia).

Nowadays, tostadas are served as appetizers or a breakfast dish with some meat strips and topped with choices of vegetables. This recipe is from my collection of Nita Mehta's recipe books.

Flour Tortillas
They are thin bread similar to chapathis made of plain flour (maida), or whole wheat flour , or corn meal. The difference lies in the filling, folding and cooking. Flour tortillas are used in preparing bean tostadas.

Ingredients:
Maida - 1 1/2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Oil - 2 1/2 tbsp.
Warm water (to make the dough)

Method:
Mix flour, salt and oil together.
Add warm water and make a smooth and elastic dough.
Cover with a moist cloth and keep aside for half an hour.
Divide the dough into small balls.
Roll out each ball into a thin chapathi.
Cook the tortillas on one side for about a minute and then turn.
Reduce heat and cook the other side also for 15-20 secs till light brown specs appear.
Remove from heat.
Cook all the tortillas and keep them wrapped in a foil.

Refried beans
It means that beans cooked thoroughly are mashed to a paste.

Ingredients:
Red kidney beans (Rajma) - 1 cup
Small onions - 1/2 (chopped)
Garlic - 2 flakes (finely chopped)
Tomatoes - 1 (chopped)
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Small onion - 1 (chopped finely)
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.
Salt (to taste)

Method:
Soak the beans overnight or at least 6-8 hours.
Cook the beans in a pressure cooker with half-chopped onion, garlic and tomato.
With a potato masher, mash the cooked beans well (I ground them).
Keep mashed beans aside.
Heat the oil and add chopped onions and fry till they become soft.
Add mashed beans along with the water.
Add salt and red chilli powder.
Mix well.
Bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and cook covered for 5-10 minutes.
Now the thick bean paste is ready.

Sour cream
Ingredients:
Fresh cream - 1/4 cup
Thick curd - 1 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tsp.
Salt - 1/4 tsp.

Method:
Hang curd in a muslin cloth for an hour.
Whip the hung curd with a wire whisk till very smooth.
Gradually add just enough cream to get a soft-dropping consistency.
Add salt and lemon juice.
Mix lightly.
Keep in fridge till serving time.

Salad
Ingredients:
Onions - 2 (finely chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 (finely chopped and seeds scooped out)
Coriander leaves - 4 tbsp. (finely chopped)
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Red chilli powder - 2 pinches

Method:
Mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl.
Keep it in the refrigerator till serving time.

The Final Method:
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan.
Fry the small tortillas one at a time on both sides till crisp.
Remove and drain on a paper napkin.
Do this for all tortillas.

The Assembling Part:
Spread each tostada with 1 1/2 tbsp. of refried beans, leaving the edges a little.
Sprinkle some salad and then top it with a big tablespoon of sour cream.

Sent off to Divya's JFI-Rajma event (JFI series originally started by Indira of Mahanandi).

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