Imarti / Jhangri

Imarti or Jhangri is a deep fried,sugar syrup soaked lentil fritter. I was always fascinated by these glistening saffron colored sweets I would see at our favorite mithia-wala ( Indian Confectioner ). One of his apprentice would always be seen frying these up making sure that fresh batches were made for the never-ending demand for it. Scores of customers can be seen coming out of his shop carrying unevenly shaped newspaper-wrapped parcels or boxes all containing various sweets in a delicious rainbow of colors and flavors.

My son loves this along with its cousin the Jalebi ( made from all purpose flour and yogurt ). He first had it in India when attending my mama's wedding ( my mother's brother ). There my sister Ketaki was serving it to all the guest who came for lunch the day before the wedding and he followed her around telling her to stop serving it as there would be none left for him, much to the amusement of all those present. Later it became his ritual to sit on the motorbike in between Ketaki and her dear hubby Abhishek and drive down to the local mithai-wala to get some more of his favorite sweets.

I tried both Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe and also Tarla Dalal's recipe. The both make great Imartis. Below I have adapted Tarla Dalal's recipe, which I found, made crispier Imartis. Before you embark on this journey, it will help you to also view how the famous chef from Vah Reh Vah makes these.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My son loves to eat a piping hot bowl of oatmeal for breakfast everyday. He never gets tired of it. So when I had just one egg left in the egg cartoon and the expiry date looming on me I decided to try these utterly delicious, chewy oatmeal cookies. Needless to say it was a big hit with friends and family.

I adapted this recipe from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich. I love the way she arranged the cookies recipes according to their textures. So this recipe was under the chewy section. I love all the different textures in this cookie, the edges are crunchy, center is soft and chewy and the raisins and walnuts also add a nice textural contrast in each bite. I will definitely be making this recipe again and again.

Stuffed Aloo Tikki ( Stuffed Potato Croquette )

Potatoes are my first love. I had never had Aloo Tikkis stuffed before, so when I saw this recipe in 660 Curries, I knew I had to try it out. I was not disappointed at all. Theses turned out quite delicious and the surprise crunch from the sprouted moong adds a nice texture to the dish.

This dish need for some pre-preparation, two day before you make this dish soak some whole moong dal overnight and then drain the water next morning and leave it covered on your counter top for another 24 hrs. It would have sprouted by then and would be ready for this dish. Alternately, you can also buy some ready-made moong sprouts from your Asian grocery store.

Paper Masala Dosa

These savory, nutritious fermented crepes are a popular breakfast, brunch or evening snack item in south of India. Nowadays, dosas are popular all over India. I have adapted this recipe from Rina' Blog. Thank you Rina for sharing this recipe.

The recipe usually calls for some regular rice and parboiled rice, but I had neither and had this hankering for a beautiful, golden, thin, crispy-edged dosa. So after scouring the web I came across this recipe that called for rice powder. Being a little skeptical, I asked both my mom and my mother-in-law, both denied ever making it with rice powder.

Since it was already Friday and I was really craving for this dish, I went ahead and blindly put my faith in Rina's recipe and I was not disappointed. This dosa, fermented well and rose quite a bit to make wonderful golden crispy dosas. If you do not like paper thin dosas, then you can make it a little thick. However enjoy them while they are still warm....... cold dosas are not at all appetizing.

Potato Sabji for Masala Dosa

This is a versatile sabzi that can be adapted to a number of recipes. This time I made it for my masala dosa. You can also use this sabzi for aloo puri or even use this to make all bondas. You can also add a little chopped garlic to this sabzi, if you so desire.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

5-6 potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
1 large red onion, sliced
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp channa dal ( optional )
1 inch ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3-4 green chillies, cut in half ( length wise  )
8-10 curry leaves, ( 1 stalk ), washed and finely chopped or use whole leaves.
1/2 tsp turmeric powder / haldi powder
1/4 tsp cayenne / lal mirch powder ( optional )
1/8 tsp granulated sugar
about 1/2 tbsp lime juice ( about quarter of a lime )
a dash of asafoetida / hing
salt, to taste
3-4 tbsp oil

Method

• In a large saucepan, heat the oil and when hot drop in the mustard seeds. when they start to crackle, add the channa dal, ginger, green chilies and curry leaves. Saute for a minute and then add the asafoetida.
• Next goes in the sliced onions. Saute till they turn translucent, then add the turmeric powder and cayenne. Mix it well and next goes in the potatoes. Mix it thoroughly, add the sugar and salt and cover. Lower the heat to medium low and stirring it once, leave it on the fire for another 2 minutes.
• Remove and squeeze the lime juice, mix it well. It is now ready to be had with the Masala Dosa or just plain puris.

Green Coconut Chutney

This tangy, coconuty green chutney goes well with anything. Have it as a sandwich spread, as an accompaniment with your rice or roti or even have it with idlis. Here I am serving it with some masala dosas.

Ingredients

6-8 green chilies
6 oz / 170 gm fresh grated coconut ( I used the frozen coconut packets ( 1 pkt ), thaw them first )
1/2 cup packed cilantro, washed
6-8 curry leaves
1 tbsp lime juice (1/2 a lime)
1/8 tsp granulated sugar
salt, to taste

For the tadka ( hot oil seasoning )

1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp urad dal, split black gram dal ( optional )
some curry leaves
1 - 2 dried whole red chili
a dash of asafoetida / hing


Method

• In a blender, blend the green chilies, coconut, cilantro, curry leaves, sugar, lime juice and salt together. Add a little water if need. Blend till it all comes together in a thick paste. Remove from blender, check seasoning and adjust accordingly.
• In a small saucepan, heat the oil. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds. After they start to crackle, add the red chilies, urad dal, curry leaves and hing. When the dal turns a pinkish brown, remove and pour over the blended coconut chutney. Mix it well together and serve with the Masala Dosa or idlis or even as a spread in your sandwiches.

Bread Rolls

One of my guilty pleasures in life is ordering tomato soup, in restaurants, for the fried croutons that come with it ( no healthy baked ones for me, that would totally ruin my tomato soup experience ! ). This dish totally tops that pleasure any day. Can you say a giant, stuffed and fried crouton ? Well this is what this dish tastes like. Heaven !!!!!!!

What makes this bread roll recipe better than the rest is the tangy soaking water. Generally all the recipes call for soaking the bread slice in plain water, I have even seen a recipe call for soaking it in milk. However, in this recipe lime juice and cayenne/ lal mirchi powder is added to the soaking water elevating this recipe to the next level. Also you can cut of the crust from your bread or not, this all depends on your personal preference . In my personal opinion, I think that the bread slice without the crust stays enclosed much better than the bread slice with the crust on.


I have adapted this recipe from Sindhi Rasoi. You must check out her blog, she has some really cool recipes.

Shortbread Cookie

It has been 19 years since I left my secondary school ( or high school as it is known here ). I was reminded of this fact, very recently, when my old school friend visited me from Ghana. It is so hard to believe that so much time has passed by. It really doesn't feel that long to me. It is as if my body and my mind are aging differently. My body, the traitor, has to be so darn honest and make sure that I look my age ! My mind on the other hand is carefree and will always remain young, forever. Now if only my body can be more like my mind then there is nothing else left to desire for. I think you should always be only as old as you think.

So all this re-visiting the past brought to mind one of my favorite cookies called the Shortbread cookie that I immensely enjoyed in my childhood. When I saw this recipe in Tartine, I knew I had to make it and I was not disappointed. She has such a wonderful line up of recipe that would make anyone drool. Next I am going to try her croissants.

This rich, delicate cookie that instantly crumbles and melts in your mouth was loved by everyone at our home. It is not a very sweet cookie, so if this is your first time having a shortbread do not be alarmed by the lack of sweetness that is commonly associated with cookies. As a matter of fact the sweetness is enhanced by the sugar that gets sprinkled on top. I will definitely be making this recipe over and over again.

Singhada cha Sheera ( Singoda Sheera )

Enjoy a nice, warm bowl of this wholesome sheera to drive away your hunger pangs during fasting.

It is the season of fasting in India and I thought I would post one of my favorite fasting foods. This sweet dish made with shudh ghee, sugar and singhada peeth  
( also known as Indian water Chestnut ). A little of this sheera and you will be satisfied for hours.

This delicious sheera was enjoyed by everyone at our home. It is the first time my in-laws and my hubby tasted this and they loved it too.