Zaiqa

Puffs are one easy to make snacks when ready made puff pasty is available, perfect for tea-time, or at iftaar.

freshly baked vegetable puffs, ready to be eaten

Bakeries in Hyderabad sell puffs that vary in shapes and the fillings used. Egg puffs, chicken puffs, paneer puffs and vegetable puffs are a few examples. You can even prepare puff pasty at home if ready made puff pasty is not available at stores.

Vegetable Curry Puffs

Ingredients:

Frozen Puff Pastry – 1 package (2 sheets) [available in the freezer section of most grocery stores or supermarkets]
For Filling:
Canola oil – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Black mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Fresh Ginger – 1 tsp, finely grated
Potatoes – peeled and chopped, 1 cup
Carrot – peeled and chopped, 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Dry roasted Coriander powder – 1/4 tsp
Dry roasted Cumin seed powder – 1/8 tsp
Kasuri methi – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Frozen green peas – 1/4 cup
Lemon juice –2 tbsp
Garam masala powder  – 1/4 tsp
Cilantro – 1 tbsb, finely chopped

Method:

1. Prepare the filling just as you prepare for Samosas.
2. Defrost the frozen puff pastry sheets according to directions. Using a pizza slicer, cut a sheet horizontally in the center. Then again cut the sheet vertically into 3 strips. Place a small ball of the filling on one side of each strip. Cover with the other side of the strip and gently seal the sides. Brush with some cold milk and bake according to instructions. Serve warm along with tomato ketchup.

This is my second entry to the The Hyderabadi Ramadan Food Festival that I am hosting on my blog.
For more details about the event, click here.

Luv,
Mona

Ramadan Mubarak everyone!

I was very little when I had first tasted this pickle at one my aunts place, but I still remember the burst of flavors that made me fall in love with this pickle~ tangy, spicy and simply ambrosial. Since then I have tried to replicate this recipe handed to me by one of my dear grandmother in the family. She had only given me andaaza (rough estimate) amounts of the ingredients being used, a mutti (handful) of that, a mutti of this.

This is one of my most treasured recipes, simple and straightforward procedure, very close to my heart, and that which I have been enjoying since times past. Enjoy this spicy, lemony meat pickle that is sure to entice your taste buds. I hope you all like it as much I do.

Gosht ka Achaar – Veal Meat Pickle

Ingredients:

Boneless Beef/Veal meat – 800 gms, washed, drained, pat dried and cut into small bite-size pieces
Lemon juice – 2 cups, fresh
Garlic cloves – 150 gms, pureed into a smooth paste (with addition of as less water as possible to puree)
Canola oil – 1/2 cup
Curry leaves – 20-25, fresh, chopped
Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
Dried red chillies – 4
Dry roasted Cumin seed powder – 3 tbsp
Dry roasted Mustard seed powder – 2 tbsp
Dry roasted Fenugreek seed powder – 3 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 2 1/2 tbsp
Salt – 2 tbsp

Gosht ka achar – Veal Meat Pickle

Method:

1. In a deep glass mixing bowl, add the meat pieces and pour in lemon juice. See that all the meat pieces are nicely covered in the lemon juice. Add more if needed. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
2. The next day,add garlic paste to the marinating meat.
3. In a large non-stick heavy saucepan pour in oil, and as soon as it warms up add the curry leaves, cumin seeds and dried red chillies. Within a few seconds add the cumin seed powder, mustard seed powder, fenugreek seed powder, red chilli powder, salt and mix. Immediately add the marinating meat+garlic with all its juices from the mixing bowl and mix well. Let cook partially covered stirring occasionally until the meat is tender. This will take about 35-45 minutes depending on various factors. You can even pressure cook the meat if you want it cooked quick. Keep an eye and remove from heat as soon as the meat is cooked and gravy is thick and clinging to the meat.
4. Let it cool down completely. Transfer to a sterilized glass canning jar and store it in the refrigerator. Use a dry spoon whenever fancied.

Note: Use only Beef/Veal meat for this recipe. I do not suggest using lamb meat or even chicken meat instead.

Enjoy the pickle along with your meals on the side.

This is my first entry to the The Hyderabadi Ramadan Food Festival that I am hosting on my blog.

Luv,
Mona

Avocado, with more than 500 varieties and chock full of healthy nutrients, is one of my favorite power fruits. The first time I had tasted it in Toronto, I was a little apprehensive if I would fancy its taste or not. But as it is so good for health, I kept getting one every time I visited the market and began having chunks of this fruit every once in a while at breakfast instead of mayo in my sandwich. And oh boy, I eventually fell in love with it.

If unripe when bought, keep them wrapped in a newspaper at room temperature for a few days until they are ripe and yield slightly to pressure. Once ripe, cut around the pit using a sharp knife, twist the halves to open the fruit. Carefully whack a knife on the pit, twist to remove and discard the pit. Cup the avocado halve, score and scoop out flesh. Cut avocado reacts with air and browns just like an apple, so it is better to use it immediately.

I was eyeing this recipe from one of my most favorite and inspiring chefs from Food network~Micheal Smith, since long. I tried it and whipped up this yummy quick salad/sandwich filling for a yummy evening snack along with chai and a banana on the side.

Tuna Avocado Salad
(Inspired from Chef Micheal Smith’s recipe)

Ingredients:

Canned tuna, packed in water – 1 can
Avocado – 1, pitted and peeled, chopped
Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
Dill leaves – 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Cilantro – 1/4 cup finely chopped
Green chillies – 2, finely chopped
Salt and Black pepper powder – to taste

Method:

Combine all in a mixing bowl, toss together to mix. Serve as a sandwich or in a wrap.

Luv,
Mona

It was peak mango season when I had landed here in Hyderabad.

ripening mangoes

Indian summer is synonymous with the arrival of the king of fruits~ sweet and fragrant mangoes in the market which are savored in both ripe and raw forms.

dasheri mangoes, washed and ready to be eaten

At that time of sweltering summer there were mangoes hanging from every tree, ripe mangoes being sold at every corner, unripe green mangoes being carefully chosen by ladies for the meticulous preparation of pickles.

green mangoes hanging on the tree

ripe mangoes being sold by vendors at Mozamjahi fruit market

Mangoes are available in so many exotic and delicious varieties, each with unique taste and flavor when in season in India which falls in March until late June. Totapuri, Himayat, Banginapalli, Benishan, Lalpari, Rasalu, Kothapalli, Mallika, Neelam, Alphonso, Kesar, Dashehari, Jehangir, Amrapali etc are a few varieties.

kesar mangoes

We also enjoy many kinds of raw mango pickles that my Ammi either prepares at home or the pickle is gifted to us by our well wishers. Sone of my favorites are the Sesame Mango pickle, the usual fiery red Mango pickle, Rishte ka achar etc. Just as raw mango pickle preparation is an annual ritual at homes in India during the early mango season, sharing a small jar of freshly prepared pickle with loved ones is also as important custom.

raw green mangoes, for pickle preparation

fragrant and sweet Aamras

Thick, glorious sweet and fragrant Aamras is what I love the most during this mango season. The pulp of ripe mangoes is mixed along with some milk/cream and sugar if preferred and enjoyed along with warm parathas at breakfast almost everyday or just as a snack along with tea in the afternoon.

peeled and diced ripe mangoes

cut ripe mango

This wonderful fruit can be enjoyed in diverse ways. Apart from the usual aamras, mango can be enjoyed in a number of ways, a few options to mention are kulfi, murabba, aapshola, ice-creams, pickles, jams, or simply diced and served as a snack. So go ahead and make the most of this glorious fruit.

Luv,
Mona

The last month in Hyderabad was very hot, with temperatures almost touching 45°C in the daytime. Though these temperatures made me uneasy and frustrated, my Nani(grandmother) made good use of those days by preparing something I had missed a lot. She made a little quantity of Dhoop Nimbu upon my request and here I am sharing her recipe with you all. She recalled that her husband, my late Nana(grandfather) was an ardent fancier of this acidic sun preserved wonder. He used to prepare it regularly and relished it always along with some Mash ki Dal and Warqi Roti at breakfasts when he was alive. The process of preparation is simple, but requires some special conditions. Strong sunshine for almost a week, thoroughly clean and dry utensils are essential for the process.

Dhoop Nimbu ~ Sun Preserved Lemons

Ingredients:

Mota Namak/Coarse Salt – 4 tbsp
Lemons – 6

Choose 6 blemish free ripe and yellow thin skinned lemons and wash them thoroughly. Wipe them completely dry with a clean cloth. Using the tip of a sharp knife, poke 4 of the 6 lemons making superficial slits on all over them and keep aside in a dry bowl. Juice the remaining two lemons and keep aside in a bowl. Now add 1 tablespoon of mota namak in a clean and dry glass jar with a tight lid. Add a gashed lemon to the jar and add an another tablespoon of mota namak to it. Likewise keep adding the mota namak and the gashed lemons until both the ingredients are used up. Lastly pour in the reserved juice of the two lemons. Close the lid of the jar and shake the bottle thoroughly. Place this jar in an area that receives almost 6 hours of strong sunshine. Keep rotating the bottle hourly or after every 3 hours everyday when you keep it in the sun. Bring the jar indoors when it is dark and place it back in the sun the next day. Keep repeating it for until 5-6 days. By then you will notice that the lemons will start changing color into light brown and will begin to get softer. Also they will release juices and shrink in size. At the end of the 5th or 6th day,  transfer the jar of sun preserved lemons in the refrigerator to store and use when required. The prepared Dhoop Nimbu is ready for consumption.

To use: Using a dry slotted spoon, take a preserved lemon from the jar. Cut it into required number of pieces and serve them on the side along with meals. These preserved lemons are very acidic and quite delicious. The juices that are released along with the mota namak is not suitable are consumptions as it is very briny in taste. However when all the sun preserved lemons have been used up, the remaining briny juices can be used up to make a new batch of dhoop nimbu.
You can also cut all sun preserved lemons and make a pickle out of them following the same process for lemon pickle given here.

Dhoop Nimbu Pictorial

Characters in Play: (Indian) Thin-Skinned Lemons and Mota Namak

Day 1 in Sun

Day 2 in Sun

Day 3 in Sun

Day 4 in Sun

Day 5 in Sun

Enjoy!

Other Amazing sun dried Indian food products from this series are:
1. Sukhi Dahi Mirch – Sun dried Yogurt Chillies
2. Dal ki Badiyan – Sun Dried Lentil Nuggets

Luv,
Mona