Zaiqa

Pan-roasted spicy Potatoes

I enjoy these simple and easy to prepare spicy pan-roasted potatoes along with scrambled eggs, a toasted bread and home made butter for a scrumptious breakfast. You can also enjoy these versatile pan roasted potatoes along with roti and a vegetable curry for a light meal, some grilled sheekh kababs and a fruit salad on the side for a yummy brunch. Kids will especially love them.

Bhune Aloo – Spicy Pan-Roasted Breakfast  Potatoes

Ingredients:

White Potatoes – 5, medium sized, peeled and quartered, (or cut thinly as shown in the picture below)
Red Chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Canola Oil – 1 tbsp
Nigella seeds/Kalonji – 1 tsp (optional)

breakfast potatoes along with omlette

Method:

1. In a bowl, add the quartered potatoes, red chilli powder and salt. Mix it all with your hands so that the potatoes get evenly covered with the spices.
2. Pour oil into a large heavy bottomed non-stick frying pan at medium heat. As it heats up, add the kalonji. Immediately add the seasoned potatoes from the bowl and stir well. Cover the lid for about a minute.
3. Stir them scraping the pan with a wooden spoon, sprinkle a few drops of water and immediately cover with the lid. Repeat the process of scraping and sprinkling with water while covering the pan with lid in between every one or two minutes until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 mins. Pierce a knife into the quartered potato to check for doneness. Serve warm.

I am sending these pan roasted potatoes over to Ammalu’s Kitchen for the Think Spice, Think Kalonji event.

Luv,
Mona

The combination of Soya nuggets and Spinach is very healthy with added nutrition from Soya proteins. Soya is an excellent source of protein including all amino acids, being the only vegetable whose protein is complete. It is also a good source of calcium, vitamins, omega-3-fatty acids and dietary fiber. Benefits of Soya include promoting heart health with LDL cholesterol (Bad Cholesterol); preventing Cancer and alleviating menopausal symptoms.

Dried Soya Nuggets available in the market  ~  Soaked Soya Nuggets

Soak Soya nuggets in surplus fresh cool water for 1-2 hours. Later, squeeze them, drain the water and put the squeezed nuggets in a dry bowl. Add fresh cool water to it and again squeeze them, drain the water and put them in a bowl. Repeat this about 8 times, until there is no lather in the water when you squeeze them while washing them up. This is important, otherwise the lather in soya will cause severe flatulence. So, be careful there.

Likewise, Spinach or Palak, the most common green leafy vegetable is rich in iron, hence valuable for the treatment of anemia. It is also full of various antioxidants and vitamin A,B and C, folate, potassium and ample dietary fiber. Including Spinach regularly in your diet also improves eye health and fights against cancer.

Soya palak along with Rice and Lemon Dal ~ My Lunch plate

Wash the leaves thoroughly and pat them dry before you chop them to ensure that there are no pesticides.

I prepare this curry quite often in my house as a replacement for Palak Gosht. The Soya nuggets that I have used here taste yummy paired with spinach. They are available at various food stores very commonly.

Soya Palak – Spinach with Soya Nuggets

Ingredients:

Spinach/Palak – 300 gms, chopped (Fresh or frozen)
Canola oil – 1 tbsp
Yellow onion – 1, large, finely sliced
Dried Soya nuggets/Soya Vadi – 3/4 cup
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Roasted cumin seed powder – 1 tsp
Roasted coriander seed powder – 1 tsp
Tomato – 1, large, finely chopped

Method:

-In a pan, add the sliced onion and stir fry it for a few seconds. Add the soya nuggets and fry them along stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
-Add spinach and the remaining ingredients. Pour in half cup water and mix well. Cover the lid and let it cook until the spinach is tender. Serve warm.

Go Unplugged: Earth hour, a worldwide voluntary movement initiated by WWF in the year 2007, to raise global awareness against climate change, is 1 day, 5 hours and 18 minutes from now, depending on where in the world you live. Be sure to participate by turning off all non-essential lights and electrical appliances for an hour on March 28, 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, that is tomorrow ~ www.earthhour.org

Remember it is not only at the Earth Hour to do our part to save the earth, we have to be conscious all the time and practice ways to save our earth for a healthier, safe and cleaner place to live. Teach your kids to always shut down lights when not in use. It is one thing my parents have always taught me. Contributes a lot in conserving energy.

Also, head over here to watch the very pleasant Hyderabadi culinary celebrity – ‘Kunwar Rani Kulsum Begum’, the niece of Salar Jung III, dishing out a wonderful TAMATAI MURGH. Enjoy the video!

Luv,
Mona

The beautiful aroma that fills my house when I bake these beauties revs up my appetite for them. These beautiful mini loafs are perfect for breakfast along with a cup of warm coffee or tea, or you could also enjoy them as a snack. Children will especially love these butterscotch mini loafs, as well as adults.

Butterscotch Mini Loafs

Just put all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and mix them well using a rubber spatula until everything is well blended together, and pour the batter into the moulds to get perfect results. There is no need for an electric mixer or a food processor for the mixing.

Butterscotch chips

Stock up your pantry with chocolate, white chocolate and butterscotch chips. They come extremely handy when baking to flavor up the goodies.

Butterscotch Mini Loafs

Makes – 8 mini loafs (I have used a mini-loaf tin, instead you could use use around 20 muffin cups)
Source: Cakes – 1,001 recipes from around the world

Ingredients:

All-Purpose flour – 2 cups
Baking powder – 2 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Granulated sugar – 1/4 cup
Butterscotch chips – 1 1/2 cups
Milk – 1 cup
Butter – 4 tbsp (1/2 stick), melted
Egg – 1, large, lightly beaten
Honey – 2 tbsp
Vanilla powder – 2 tsp

Method:

-Preheat the oven to 400°F.
-Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and butterscotch chips. Make a well in the center and pour in milk, butter, egg, honey and vanilla. Mix well with a rubber spatula until you get a smooth batter. Spoon the batter into the mini loaf pan, filling each 3/4 full.
-Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool the muffins on racks.

Luv,
Mona

Sheekh kawabs are quite interesting and fun finger foods to prepare, and very versatile too. I love to mix and match and play with a variety of ingredients to flavor the sheekh kawabs and alter the tastes deliciously for a change. I had also posted an another version of sheekh kawabs a few months back. The main ingredients in todays version of sheekh kawabs are dhaniya/cilantro and hari mirch/green chillies, lending a faint tangy yet fresh flavor to them. These kababs are sure to whet your taste buds.

My lunch plate – Khushka with Khatti dal and Sheekh Kawab
(Plain boiled rice with sweet and sour lentil soup and Meat Kababs)

Marinate the meat in the spice mixture for atleast 6-8 hours or overnight for the best results, so that it absorbs all the flavors and the meat gets tender. One of my close friends S was telling me that she sun-dries the peels of very raw young papaya and once completely dry, powders them to store in jars in cool dark place at room temperature. It has a long shelf life. She added that she uses about a pinch or two of this powder as a tenderizer for the meat and leaves it to marinate for delicate melt in mouth kawabs. This I thought is a useful tip to share with my readers.

Sheekh Kababs – Minced meat Kebabs (II)

Makes: 15-18, enough for a large gathering

Ingredients:

Dry roasted and powdered Cumin seeds/Zeera – 1/2 tsp
Dry roasted and powdered Coriander seeds/Dhaniya – 1/2 tsp
Green chillies/Hari mirch – 8, roughly chopped
Lean Lamb meat (boneless) – 900 gms, cubed into bite size pieces (or) Minced Lamb/Veal meat – 900 gms
Thick yogurt – 2 tbsp
Chopped blanched almonds – 1 tbsp
Turmeric/Haldi – 1/4 tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Egg -1, large
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Khoa – 1 tbsp
Raw papaya skin paste – 2 tbsp
Roughly chopped Cilantro/Kothmir – 1 cup, loosely packed
Lemon zest – 1/2 tsp

Kawabs ready to be grilled

Method:

1. Wash the meat and drain it well till all the water has been removed completely and the meat is dry. This is important or else the shape does not come out very well.
2. If using meat cubes, add the meat to a food processor along with all the other ingerdients and pulse just until the meat is minced. Do not make it into a paste. Transfer the minced meat into a mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients and mix/knead well using hands. If using minced meat, simply mix/knead it with all other ingredients until well combined in a mixing bowl. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight for for minimum 2 hours.
3. The next day bring it back to room temperature. Dip your fingertips in a little canola oil and smear you palms with it. Take a large lemon size ball of the meat mixture in your hands and shape it into a sausage. Insert a metal skewer into it to make hole all the way through it. Enlarge the hole by rotating the kawab a few times around the skewer. Remove the skewer and place the kawab on a greased baking pan lined with aluminium foil. Keep repeating until the whole mixture is used up.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the baking tray uncovered in the middle rack. Turn the kawabs once after 15 mins. Let cook for a furthur 15 mins. Serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: For a simple meal, serve these kawabs warm along with Khatti dal and Khushka. You could also serve it along with Dalcha, Baghara khana and a salad for a party meal, or simply along with a chutney as a snack.

Tip: Leftovers? Chop up the two Kawabs roughly and keep aside. Warm a pita bread, cut it onto halves, open it up and add some chopped fresh lettuce, cucumber, sliced avocado, tomato, and the chopped kawabs. Add a few drops of Chipotle hot sauce and some low-fat yogurt as topping. Serve these delicious pita pockets immediately.

Luv,
Mona

Chuqandar, in Urdu, also called as Beetroot in English are one of my favorite veggies. This nitrate rich, gorgeous root vegetable is best eaten as a salad, roasted, boiled or steamed and then seasoned lightly for added flavor. They are high in fibre, calcium, potassium, folate, antioxidants, vitamin A and C, minerals and other micro nutrients and quite low in calories. They are also used to treat hypertension and hence maintain a healthy cardio vascular system.

Beetroot – Chuqandar

Be careful when you are working with these ground vegetables, as its juices tend to stain whatever comes in contact, like your hands, chopping board etc.

Beetroots are also commonly referred to as Sweet Beets, as they are very sweet in taste. They have a unique earthy sweetness in them, and are hence perfect for halwa or a dessert to serve on special occasions.

Serves – 2 to 4

Chuqandar ka Halwa – Beetroot Dessert

Ingredients:

Beetroot – 1, medium sized, washed, peeled and coarsely grated
Fat free Half and Half cream – 1 cup
Sugar – 4 to 5 tbsp or according to taste (the amount of sugar depends on the size and sweetness of the beets)
Ghee – 1 tsp
Finely slivered blanched almonds+pistachios – 1 tsp
Raisins + chopped walnuts – 1 tsp

Beetroot Dessert -Chuqandar Halwa

Method:

-Heat a thick bottomed non-stick saucepan at medium heat and add the grated beetroot.
-Pour in the cream and let simmer uncovered on low until most of the cream has been absorbed by the beetroot. Keep stirring it occasionally.
-During the mean time, heat ghee in a pan at medium heat and throw in the prepared dry fruits and nuts. Roast them until they turn golden brown. Reemove from heat and keep aside.
-Add sugar to the cooking beetroot and let cook for a furthur 5 minutes or until the halwa is thickened.
-Serve warm or cold garnished with the roasted dry fruits and nuts in ghee.

I am sending this royal halwa over to RCI-Lucknow cuisine.  

For some more ideas on how to use beets, head over to the healthnut blog.

Luv,
Mona