Eid-e-Milad Special.....Zarda

Happy Mild-un-Nabi To all of you.....Well our Milad begins with a traditional Fateha, which is done with the Zarda. Here is the recipe.

The Magic Makers
Rice                                                     1cup
Crystal Sugar                                     1 1/4 cup
Ghee                                                    As much as you can add
Green Cardamom                              8-10pods
Cashew & Raisins                               1/2 cup
Milk                                                     1/2 cup
Saffron or Yellow Food Colouring    a pinch

The Prestige
Boil the rice with cardamom pods till almost done. Drain and leave it on a colander. Heat some ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the cashew and raisins in it. Remove the dry fruits and keep aside. In the same ghee toss the rice for a minute. Now add the sugar and cook covered on low flame for 5 minutes. Dissolve the food colouring in the milk and mix in with the rice. Cook covered on a low flame till done. It will take about half an hour. Mix in the dry fruits and serve.

Tip from my granny: Top with some grated/sliced dessicated coconut.(shallow fried).

Upma

Well,I'm not a huge fan of upma,infact I didn't like upma at all until I tried some at a South Indian friend's place. I loved it so much that I would always ask her to get it for my lunch whenever my Mom was out of station. And all my friends in college who were anti-upma liked it too. Ok. Enough of the history. Here's the recipe.

The Magic Makers
Oil                                                 2tbsp
Mustard seeds                              1 tsp
Finely Chopped Onion                1large
Grated Ginger                             1 inch piece
Curry Leaves                              10-15
Finely Chopped Tomato             2
Finely Chopped Green Chillies   2
Salt                                              to taste
Turmeric Powder                      1/4 tsp
Finely Chopped Carrots            1/2 cup
Peas                                            1/2 cup
Semolina                                   1 cup
Water                                       2 cups
Coriander Leaves                    1 small bunch

The Prestige
Heat Oil in a kadai. Throw in some mustard seeds. When they splutter add onion. Saute till the onion is soft. Add ginger and cook till the raw smell is gone. Throw in the curry leaves. Then add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft. Now add the chillies. (I like my food spicy , so I chopped the chillies fine, you might just long slice it to avoid the spice). now add the vegetables and cook covered till soft. Then add water and stir in salt and turmeric. My Friend's Mom told me that water should always be twice the quantity of the semolina. When the water reaches boiling point slowly stir in the semolina such that there are no lumps. Add more water if needed. Cook for 5 mins. Add chopped coriander leaves and remove from heat. Yummy South Indian Upma is Ready.

Fried Rice-Indian IStyle

Ever since I saw this ad of Bikaji bhujia where he adds the bhujia to each and everything , I've been wanting to try it out with rice. 

When I walked into the kitchen at 1 o' clock today, all I find is boiled rice and then it strikes me that Mom had told me to make some curry before she left for her Jumme Ki Namaz. This is when the remeberance of Bikaji's ad comes to my aid. Here's how I pulled it together.

The Magic Makers

Oil                                                   1tbsp

Cloves                                             3-4

Cumin Seeds                                   1tsp

Mustard Seeds                               1tsp

Asafoetida                                     a pinch

Finely Chopped Onion                 1

Finely Chopped Green Chillies    2

Turmeric Powder                        1/4 tsp

Red Chilli Powder                       1tsp

Salt                                               to taste

Chopped Carrots                         1/4 cup

Peas                                             1/4 cup

Boiled Rice                                 2 cups

Boondi Mixture                          1/2 cup

Sev                                              4 tbsp

Juice of 1/2 a Lime

The Prestige

Heat Oil in a pan. Throw in the cloves, Cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds splutter add onion and saute for a minute. Then add green chillies. Well I prefer spicy food, so I added green chillies. You might just skip it or may want to add slit green chillies instead of chopped ones. Now add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Throw in the carrots and peas and cook covered on sim till done. Now add the boiled rice and mix well. Squeeze in some lime. Before serving mix in the boondi mixture. Transfer to a plate and top with some Sev. Serve with papad.

Cheating Wala Vada Pav

Well, the primary purpose of my blog, is to make daily food better and share easy recipes. Hence, the name, Cheating Wala Vada Pav. 

Yesterday,was the first time I was going to see my best friend, after her marriage. We had met, but I'd never been to her in-laws place. So I thought, I can't go empty handed. She called me suddenly and I had not much time left. So, I took the cheat's way out to make this world famous snack. I always have some Hari Chutney ready at my home. I grabbed some, Pav and Samosa from a local bakery downstairs. And here's what I did. 

Instead of making the Vada for the Vada Pav I used Samosa. Press down the Samosa lightly with both the hands and lightly roast it on a tava.

Slit the Pav Bun horizontally from the middle and slightly fry over a tava in some oil. Apply generous spoonfuls of Hari Chutney on the insides of both pieces of the pav. 

Place the samosa on the lower half of the Pav and before you close it...cherry on the pie....add a full Green chilli Pickle. You get these in  any of the local departmental stores. Cheating Wala Vada Pav is ready to eat.

PS : For Hari Chutney:

Heat Some oil in a pan. Add Cumin seeds. When they splutter add a  a few cloves of garlic, a Big bunch of Coriander leaves and half the volume of Pudina Leaves, Add Green Chillies according to taste. Grind with some tamarind paste till you get a smooth Chutney.

And Tonight I Fall Asleep With You In My Heart

                                                                          I need an hour..........to look into your eyes.

                                                                          I need an hour..........to hug you tight.

                                                                          I need an hour..........to kiss you right.

                                                                          I need an hour..........of a pillow fight.....

                                                                          I need a day.............to walk with you.

                                                                          I need a day.............to talk to you.

                                                                          I need a day.............to play with you.

                                                                          I need a day.............to sleep by you........

                                                                         I need a lifetime........to feel your breath.

                                                                         I need a lifetime........to breathe your smell.

                                                                         I need a lifetime........to hold your hand.

                                                                         I need your life.........to feel alive.........

Dr Neha Arora's CoFream

Well, its high time I dedicated a recipe to the person who pushed me so much to share my recipes online. I saw a recipe of the kind on some TV show on TLC, can't remember most of it, 'coz it wasn't a cookery show. So here is my own simple, simpler,simplest version of it, 'coz my friend, just like me, is too lazy to put in so much effort into cooking. She loves coffee and coffee couldn't get simpler and tastier than this.

Heat 2 cups of water. Add 2 spoonfuls of sugar. When the sugar has dissolved and the water comes down to a cup's volume, remove it from heat and mix in some instant coffee powder(2-3grams). I would say, making some filter coffee would enhance the taste, but for something to be ready in a bit, instant coffee is good to go. Take a scoop of vanilla ice-cream in a glass and pour the coffee over it. (I think the guy on the TV show might have added some hazelnut syrup, but I didn't have any at home, and again too lazy, thanks to the weekend syndrome, to go out and get some.) Never the less, what turned out does taste great.Cheers Neha!!!!