Beetroot Kofta curry

The basic idea for Beetroot Kofta curry is from the magazine ‘Cooking and More’ by Tarla Dalal. I have adapted the recipe to suit our taste.

As I said earlier in one of my posts Beetroot Cabbage curry, Beetroot is one of my favourite veggies and you will rarely find the absence of this vegetable in my fridge.I have slightly altered the masalas for the Beetroot koftas. The gravy/curry in the original recipe was a sweetish Makhani type of gravy.I completely changed the recipe to make a spicy Misal type of gravy.

Beetroot lends a lovely pinkish-red hue to the koftas and the spicy curry is just perfect to sensitize your taste buds.

For the Beetroot Koftas you need:

1 Beetroot washed,peeled and grated

2 Carrots washed,peeled and grated

1 Potato boiled and grated

2 tbsp besan (gram flour)

1tsp ginger paste/grated ginger

1 tsp green chili paste

½ tsp cumene powder

½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp dry mango powder (amchur)

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

For the curry you need:

 

2 onions sliced

1 tomato blanched and pureed

½ tsp Kanda- Lasun masala (Onion Garlic masala)

1-2 sprigs fresh green coriander leaves (optional)

½ tsp Red chilli powder

½ tsp cumene seeds

For Garnishing

Fresh Coriander leaves

Lime juice 

Mix all the ingredients for the Kofta. Make small balls of this mixture and deep fry in oil. Drain excess oil from the koftas by keeping them on a tissue paper. Keep aside the crisp and lovely pinkish-red colored koftas. 

Take 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the sliced onion to it and fry nicely till they turn golden brown. Add the coriander leaves and the Kanda lasun masal.(You can add any masala of your choice-garam masala, kala masala etc) Fry 1 minute and remove from heat. Cool this mixture and blend it to a fine paste. 

Heat 2tsp oil in a pan and add this onion paste to it. Cook for 4-5 minutes till the paste turns to a golden red color stirring continuously so that it does not burn.Add the red chili powder. Add the tomato puree and fry till oil starts leaving the sides of the mixture.Add water to the desired consistency. Add salt as per taste. Let this curry boil nicely and then switch off the gas.  Just before serving add the crisp Beetroot Koftas to the hot spicy gravy and garnish with coriander leaves and lime juice.

Natural Icecream?

 

No you know it’s not an Icecream , but the shape does resemble an icecream cone doesn’t it?

This is a natural zeolite – Stilbite found in the Deccan Plateau .

This weekend we decided to enjoy our holiday in an offbeat kind of way! We went to a Mineral Museum-Gargoti (meaning Flint Stone in Marathi), which is about 20 kms from our place.

‘Conceived by Mr.K.C.Pandey – a passionate mineral collector and an enthusiast in his goal – the collection is marked from last 27 years of his patience and consistency.’ –Gargoti

The Museum is very well maintained and still photography is allowed inside so we were happy to click photos of some minerals/rocks that interested us!Here are a few pics from the museum:

                                  Gargoti – the mineral museum

                               The Gateway of India?

 

                                              Scolecite

                                          Pyrite

                                              Cavansite

                        Shivlingam from the Narmada river

Strawberry Murabba

Lot of debate and fuss going on about ‘Whether Valentine’s Day should be celebrated here or not?’I don’t understand what’s the big deal? Leave it to individuals to decide what they should do.

Anyway, speaking of Valentine’s Day my father married his Valentine (my mom of course) 40 yrs ago on this day! So they have been celebrating this day for the last 40 yrs J. We always tease my parents that they are very modern for their generation. So we are anyway going to have a party!

Coming to the Strawberry Murabba like I said in my earlier post strawberries are available in plenty. Unlike me my hubby loves sweets…as in swwwweeeetttts (superlative) and my son though not very fond of sweets occasionally likes ‘Jam’ with his roti .I made this simple and easy sweet Murraba for the two Valentine’s in my life-My hubby and my little son.

For strawberry Murabba

1 cup strawberries thoroughly washed, wiped, stems removed and sliced. Choose thick and juicy strawberries.

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup water 

Mix the sugar and water in a pan and heat this mixture till you get a saturated solution (we call this pakka pak) or till the sugar almost starts recrystalizing.Add the Strawberries to this syrup and cook for ~ 10 more minutes. The mixture should boil nicely (about 8-9 boils). Once the Murabba cools store in a sterilized jar. Store in the refrigerator.Serve with Rotis or wheat bread. Or top strawberry ice-cream or vanilla ice-cream with this yummy sweet and sour Strawberry Murraba!

Edited on 18^th Feb.2007:

 Maheshwari has been kind enough to accept this as my entry for AFAM-Strawberry!Thanks Maheshwari.And thanks Bee for that list of events you have posted.

Happy Valentine’s Day

The Siamese Twins!

There was a time when only ‘imported’ Strawberries could be seen (there was no chance of buying them at the cost they were sold) here in the markets.Now they are no more supposed to be an ‘Exotic’ fruit. Local farmers here cultivate strawberries and now they are very much affordable! You can find them even in the Subji Mandi.

Found a pair of Siamese twins in my lot of strawberries!

Spice it up 2

Sequel’s are in fashion in Bollywood and I don’t want to be left behind especially since most of the recent sequel’s have been hits!

This is a sequel to the Red Chili Chutney (Spice it up 1) –Red Chili Thecha (Spice it up 2)

The Protagonist is the same- Fiery Hot Red Chili Pepper, the treatment is a bit different and the leading lady J has changed!From the mildly flavoured,sweet Onion now it’s the strong flavoured and pungent Garlic.And since it is Garlic, I have roasted it before making the Thecha!

So here’s one more recipe Red Chili Thecha to spice up the Valentine’s Day!

3 Red Chili Peppers washed and stems removed

3-4 bulbs small fresh garlic bulbs (I have used fresh green garlic as shown in the photo alternatively you can use 5-6 garlic cloves

2 tsp lemon juice

Salt as per taste 

For the Tadka:

1tsp oil

½ tsp Mustard seeds 

Roast the Chili peppers directly on a low Flame.(Pierce a fork in each Pepper and Roast it.) Similarly Roast the Garlic bulbs.If you don’t have the patience to roast each Pepper and garlic bulb chop the peppers and garlic bulbs and roast them in a pan with 1 tsp oil.Cool the peppers and garlic.Pound together the Red pepper and garlic to a coarse paste adding salt as required using a mortar and pestle. You can also coarsely grind it in a mixer. I prefer the taste using Mortar and pestle.Remove the Thecha in a bowl and add lemon juice. Mix properly and add the Tadka. (Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds)

Mix well and serve with Bhakri or Paratha or Roti. This Thecha can stay upto 1 month if refrigerated but then who wants to keep it for a month! J

Spice It Up

Hot is the word you think of when you see a Red Cocktail Dress.

Hot is the word you think of when you see Red chili pepper!

Both Red hot and both irresistible. 🙂

Freshly cultivated Red peppers are available in plenty this season and like I said I cant resist the neatly stacked slender and juicy Red hot peppers in the Foodmart.

When I bought the peppers I wasn’t sure what I would be doing with them!Yesterday when I was making Dosa I wanted to make a quick hassle free Chutney to serve with it and I saw these Red peppers lounging in my fridge.I just picked up an onion, some of these Red Chili peppers and ground them together adding a little salt. For some more flavour I added a tadka (tempering) of mustard and Curry leaves.

Voilà – Fiery Hot Red pepper Chutney was ready in a jiffy!

For the Red Pepper Chutney you need

2-3 Fresh Red Chili peppers washed and roughly chopped (You can increase the number if you are brave enough!)

1 onion peeled and sliced

Salt as per taste

For the Tadka:

1tsp oil

½ tsp Mustard seeds

Few Curry leaves 

Grind together the chopped Peppers and sliced onions with some salt without adding any water.

Add the tadka (tempering)- Heat oil in a small pan add the mustard seeds and once they crackle add the curry leaves. Add this over the Red Chili Pepper chutney. Serve with Dosa or use for sandwiching bread slices.

Spice up your Valentine’s Day with this Red hot Red Pepper Chutney- Red’s the colour of this season!

Decorative Peppers

While browsing I found this beautiful photo of Chili peppers at Wikipedia

Chili peppers can also be used decoratively