Gujarati Kadhi

 A very popular mixture, made with simple ingredients, the Gujrati Kadhi is a good accompaniment with rice, khichdi. An integral part of the Gujarati thali, this gravy has a sweet and tangy taste. Light on the tummy, I like to have this with Yellow Moong Dal and Cabbage Subzi. Usually white in color, I like it yellow to make it interesting for the kids.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sour Yogurt / Curd (Regular curd is also fine, but if sour adds a different taste)
• 2 tbsp Besan (Chana Flour)
• 2 cups Water
• 1 spoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 4-5 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp Ginger - Chilly Paste
• Few Coriander leaves, finely chopped

For the tempering

• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds (Rai)
• 4-5 Curry Leaves
• 1 pinch Turmeric powder (Haldi) (Optional)
• 1 pinch Red Chilly Powder 

Method

• In a saucepan, mix the curd, besan, water and whisk well. Make sure there are no lumps.
• Add salt, sugar, ginger chilly paste, cloves, and cinnamon and mix well
• Cook on a medium flame until a full boil comes. Stir continuously.
• In another pan, heat oil and add all the ingredients for the tempering
• Add the tempering to the Kadhi mixture and mix well
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice

Chunky Basil Pesto

 By now, all of you know our love for Italian cuisine. We tried the chunky basil pesto over the weekend and had it generously spread out on our sandwich.

Pesto basil leaves and pine nuts are key to making this as authentic as possible. Flavored with garlic, fresh parmesan, and lots of olive oil, this preparation can be used as a sauce for your pasta, a spread, or a dip.

Ingredients

• 1 pack pesto basil leaves,  washed and cleaned
• 1 cup of pine nuts,  lightly toasted 
• 3-4 garlic pods
• 1 tbsp freshly grated parmesan/store-bought
• 1/2 tbsp Grated Lemon Wedges
• 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

• In a food processor, mix all the ingredients and grind to a coarse paste
• Store in a glass container and refrigerate

Grilled Paneer Sandwich

 One question that bothers me every evening these days, What's for dinner? With two kids under 4, a never-ending lockdown, satisfying our taste buds can be a challenge sometimes. My hubby came up with a demand to include more protein in our meals and thus came up with the recipe of Grilled Paneer Sandwich. Few ingredients, quick to prep, combine well with mixed vegetable soup or our favorite Cream of Spinach Soup.  

Ingredients

• 1/2 slab of Paneer, cut into rectangular thin strips
• 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, cut into rectangular thin strips
• Lettuce Leaves
• Whole wheat / Multigrain bread
• Butter as preferred
• Mozrella Cheese Slices
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp Oil

Method

• Heat oil in a pan, and fry the Paneer Strips and Bell Pepper strips, until they have a nice golden brown coating.
• Take the bread slices, apply butter on both upside down
• Layer with lettuce leaves, paneer and bell pepper strips
• Sprinkle salt and pepper and layer with a mozrella cheese slice
• Grill until golden brown on a pan / griller / sandwich maker. I prefer a grill pan for my use
• Serve hot with a soup for a full meal, snack or cut into bite size squares and serve as an appetizer

Vegetable Manchurian

Say Hakka Chinese and my mouth starts watering, always ready to prepare it for my next meal. It is a cuisine that has remained constant over the years after being tried and tested in East India, by the Chinese race who settled in India. 

Hakka Chinese is fast cooking in a wok, with strong flavors of ginger, garlic, and chilly. Fresh paneer, veggies, and tofu are some of the common ingredients used for delicious vegetarian preparations for all courses. Veg Manchurian is pakodas / balls made of cabbage, carrots and green beans, deep-fried and sauteed in a dark soy sauce gravy. Enjoyed with rice and noodles, this gravy can be enjoyed as a stand-alone appetizertoo. This recipe that I am sharing is a semi gravy version, but you can modify the water content based on your preference.

Ingredients

For the Manchurian Pakodas

• 1 bowl of finely chopped cabbage, french beans, and carrots
• 
  1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 tsp of Vinegar
• Salt and White Pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tbsp Cornflour
• Oil for Deep Frying (Air Fryer/Baking option is fine too, but taste differs)

For the gravy

• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 green chilly, split into halves
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• 1 green onion, finely chopped (Keep some greens aside for garnish)
• 1 tbsp green chilly sauce
• 1 tsp Ketchup
• 1 tsp Vinegar
• 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Corn Flour paste (Mix it in water and make a slurry)
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Method

• In a mixing bowl, add the ingredients for the pakodas, and make medium-sized balls. I prefer to make them and fry them instantly in hot oil so they don't lose water and shape after.
• For the gravy, heat oil in a wok/saucepan and heat well
• Add the green onion, ginger, garlic, and green chilly and fry well
• Add the sauces, vinegar and mix well
• Add water to have a thick gravy
• Add the cornflour paste as needed for your preferred consistency
• Once the gravy comes to a boil, reduce the flame
• Add the pakodas to the gravy, and let it boil once more, enough for the gravy to coat them well
• Garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion greens and serve with plain rice / fried rice or as is.

Whats on your plate Indian Women Circle ?

 "There is no sincere love than the love for food", quoted George Bernard Shaw. This quote is appropriate for all the food lovers in the Indian Women Circle group, that I am proud to be a part of.

India is known for its diverse culture, flavours and taste. From spices, vegetables, ingredients and little details, they differ from state to state, region to region. In this post, I would like to highlight one recipe from each state of India. Being a vegetarian, this post only consists of all vegetarian recipes. I have come up with this list after reading various related articles on this topic. 

When it comes to flavours, India is mainly divided by geography and the taste and recipes are common for each region namely, north, south, east and west.

• Jammu & Kashmir:  Dum Aloo
• Ladakh:     Momos, Thukpa
• Uttrakhand: Aloo ke Gutke, Jhangora (millets) ki, Kheer
• Uttar Pradesh:    Kebabs, Biryanis
• Jharkhand: Thekua, Pua, Pitta Marua-ka-roti,
• Sikkim: Gundruk Soup
• Manipur: Sana Thongba (Paneer Curry)
• Nagaland: Rice Beer and Cherry Wine
• Assam: Vasam Laska Recipe
• Arunachal Pradesh: Hakka Chinese Cuisine & Apong (Local Beer),
• Meghalaya: Jadoh, Kyat (Local Beer)
• Bihar: Litti-Chokha, Sattu Paratha Khaja
• West Bengal: Alur Dum with Lucchi, Rosogulla, Mishti Doi
• Tripura: Chakhwi
• Mizoram: Panch Poran Tarkari
• Puducherry: Vendakkai
• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: Hyderabadi Biryani, Mirchi Salan, Ghongura Pickle Korikoora
• Orissa: Pakhala (Fermented Rice) served with fried vegetables
• Tamil Nadu: Appam, Dosai, Idli, Sambhar, Rasam, Pongal
• Kerala: Avial, Malabar Parotha Payasam
• Karnataka: Bisi Bele Bhaat, Kesari Bath, Mysore Pak, Dharwad Pedha, Chiroti
• Goa: Vindaloo
• Maharashtra: Misal Pao, Thalipeeth, Vada Pao
• Madhya Pradesh: Lapsi, Bafla, Bhutte ki Khees
• Gujarat: Thepla, Dhokla, Khandvi, Handvo, Panki, Undhiyu
• Chattisgarh: Muthia (Steamed Dumplings)
• Rajasthan: Dal-Bati-Churma, Gatte ki Sabzi
• Delhi: Chaat, Paranthe, Chole Bhature
• Haryana: Rabadi, Bajre ki Khichdi, Cholia, Chaach-Lassi, Kachri ki Sabzi
• Punjab: Dal Makhni, Makke di Roti-, Sarson da Saag, Chana Bhature,
• Himachal Pradesh: Chana Madra
• Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Dosas Sambhar and Coconut Stew 

To conclude, Indian culinary diversity is a well-balanced symbiosis of spices and herbs, offer mouth-watering dishes, with health benefits. 

Hope you enjoyed this read. You can check some of these recipes on my blog @All things Nice! 

Please share detailed recipes/pictures in case you try any and tag us on Facebook on All things Nice! and Indian Women Circle page.

About me

I am Ishita Asher Iyer, a Gujrati from Mumbai married to a Tamilian (explains the love for food). I am a media analyst by profession, mom of two and a wife to a loving husband. I started my culinary journey in 2015 and have been a passionate home cook and blogger, documenting my kitchen experiments and trying new cuisines and recipes from different cultures. No matter how many dishes I make, coming back to Indian food is coming back home!

Image courtesy: Google 

Rava Upma / Semolina Porridge

Usually, I am don't have a palette for South Indian dishes, but then when my friend from Podi's sent me her homemade masalas, I had to try it with some authentic recipes from the region. A fussy toddler and a teething infant, don't give me much time to experiment in the kitchen, so I came up with the classic Rawa Upma with some vegetables and sprinkled a lot of Paruppu powder from Podi's. 

Paruppu is a fine mix of lentils (Dal's) powdered together and used as a condiment or a side dish. It is a great option to add with rice and ghee, rice and curd, upma, and a quick fix for adding flavor to any dish when you don't have the time to cook a whole meal for the family.

Rawa Upma is usually a one-pot complete meal and tastes delicious with this powder. ghee (clarified butter) and vegetables.

Rava Upma

Ingredients

• 1 cup roasted Rava / Semolina (I recommend Deep's Roasted Upma Rava)

• 1 tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp Black Gram Dal / Urad Dal
• 1 tsp Split Chick Pea Dal/ Chana Dal
• 4-5 Curry Leaves
• 1 tbsp Ginger Chilly Paste
• 1/2 Onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 bowl of mixed assorted vegetables like beans, carrots, peas
• 1 whole dry red chilly
• Water as needed
• Salt to taste
• Paruppu powder from Podi's to sprinkle on top
• Coriander leaves, and lemon for garnish

Method

• Heat ghee in a Kadhai, add the mustard seeds, urad, and chana dal, and roast till brown
• Add the curry leaves, ginger chilly paste, dry red chilly, and fry well
• Add the onions and fry till golden brown
• Add the mix veggies, salt to taste and fry well
• Add water and let the vegetables cook well
• Once the vegetables are cooked, add the roasted rava and stir continuously
• Bring to a boil, till you have a porridge-like consistency 
• Serve with coriander leaves, lemon, and ghee
• Sprinkle Paruppu powder generously and serve hot

Podi's (Featured Store)

Featuring today on All things Nice, is a start-up, Podi's run by Mrs. Varu from Chennai. A grandmom, residing in Toronto helping raise her little grandkids, Varu has more than 50 years of experience in cooking South Indian delicacies.

Stuck amidst the lockdown, grinding the finest quality of Podi to accompany Dosas, the family thought why not share these traditional recipes with one and all.

Podi is a generic term referring to powder, used in South India. Made up of different combinations of spices, they are used in curry preparation and also used as a side and flavor enhancer in daily meals.

Offering a variety of products along with Podi's, all their products are homemade, organic, and use the finest ingredients. They use eco-friendly compact packing, not to take much space in your pantry.

I personally recommend their Palm Jaggery Syrup, which is an amazing Sugar Substitute and very healthy too. Can be used as an everyday sweetener for all age groups from infant to older.

In this world of packaged food and ready to eat, I am spoilt by choice, by their homemade Idli Dosa Batter.

Their products are available for purchase on their website, Facebook Page, and Instagram Page. Delivery all across the Greater Toronto Area

All images courtesy @Podi's