Exotica Indian Food

India is such a diverse country that it will take me ages to know all different types of foods and communities. Being an Indian, this surely is my first love. I am not partial but India has so much variety in terms of food culture that it definitely satisfies and caters to my taste buds. Indian food has so much to offer in terms of flavors and spices. India is a land of  "unity in diversity" and so is our food. So many different cultures, traditions and 28 states and each state has their own way of making food. We have the most famous Punjabi food, Rajasthani food, Bangali food, South Indian food, North Indian food, Mughlai food, Maharashtrian food, Goan food, Konkan food, Bihari food, Gujrati food, Kashmiri food, Satvik food, foods from north east and many more types. Ahhhhh :) Majority Indians are vegetarians and use lots of panner and milk in their preparations. But now it's changing because of the taste and nutritional benefits, Indians have started eating chicken and seafood. On the other side, people from all the world are converting to vegetarianism. Indians are extremely emotional and that reflects in their food as well. Why do you think the food made by a mother is out of the world? They add love to their dishes. Today also, In a big and joint families, making food everyday is like a festival. Apart from the passion, flavors, spices, preparations and marination's,  lots of laughter, giggles, gossips, togetherness, tips to younger one's goes into the making of a meal.

Indians food is a gamut of different types of curries, breads (roti's), rice, chutneys, salads, vegetable preparations, desserts and much more. Indians give lots of importance to the spices when they cook. And according to them spices adds life to their food. At one place in India, you will find spicy punjabi food  and at other the non spice and bland north eastern food. There is so much variety that one state food is totally different from the other state.Its actually difficult to write about Indian food in a blog. But I am just trying to portray my thought when it comes to Indian Food. A typical Indian meal will contain roties, sabzi, a curry and a rice. We like to eat this with fresh curd, salads, pickles, papadums and chutneys. Mostly we use coriander for garnishing and use vegetables, mustard, coconut , sesame oils for making the curries. A typical Indian thali as shown below.

After globalization, the world has become a big place to live and people are so much aware of what's cooking where in which part of the world. We love different types of food from all over the world and in the same way Indian food is so beautifully accepted and enjoyed all across the globe. All my Indian friends living abroad are no more missing Indian meals. There are so many Indian restaurants all over the world and people from all across are enjoying our sumptuous Indian meals. One of my favorite Indian chef doing great guns is "Vikas Khanna". Apne Punjab da puterrr. He has a famous Indian restaurant called "Junoon" in New York. He is one of my favorites and I wish to visit Junoon some day. Am sure he must me twisting and tweaking the Indian cuisine to match the liking, choice and food culture of New Yorkers.

Today in India, we cook cuisines from all around the world. We like to eat Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Spanish, Tibetan, Lebanese, middle eastern food, burgers etc. The continental and the Italian food is more enjoyed by the younger generations. Today Indians are open to accept new tastes and at the same time they enjoy the traditional food. We like to eat the McDonald's burger but at the same time enjoy our meals served on a banana leafs.

Happy Cooking and Eating :)

Sattu Bhari Roti

 

For making 8-10 Roti
Ingredients:
4 cups - whole wheat flour (atta)
1/2 cup approx - refined oil/ghee/butter
Ingredients for stuffing:
1. Sattu (Roasted gram flour) - 2 cups - Grind it ( course ground)
2. Onion - 1 medium - fine chopped
3. Garlic - 4 flakes - fine chopped
4. Ginger -1/2 inch fine chopped
5. Green Chillies - To taste - fine chopped
6. Ajwain (carom seed), 1/2 spoon
7. Salt to taste
8. 3 tbsp - mustard oil
9. Mango Pickle Masala- 2 spoon
10. Coriander - Fine chopped

Method:
For Making the dough : Knead the flour with sufficient water and 2 spoon vegetable oil to make a soft dough.Keep aside.
Mix well all the stuffing ingredients first and then add sattu. Use your hands for mixing.
Using your hands, Roll out and spread the portion of the dough into a small chapati, place a portion of the sattu mixture in the center of the chapati.
Seal from all sides to make peda.
Roll the peda using a rolling pin to make flat chapati. Make sure the sattu mixture is not breaking out from the sides.
Place the roti on a tava and make paratha. Use ghee or oil to shallow fry, till it becomes golden brown.
Serve with baigan aloo ki sabzi, chokha's and fresh curd.

 

Banana Split Dessert

for 1 person as shown in the picture (Accordingly you can increase the quantity for more people)

Ingredients:
1) Banana - 1 ( peel and split into 2)
2) Strawberries - 3 ( peel and split into 4)
3) Chikoo - 1( peel and split into 4)
4) Roasted and crunchy nuts ( Ground nut, hazel nuts etc)
5) Chocolate Sauce ( pls email me if you need the recipe for chocolate sauce)
5) Vanila Ice Cream - 2 scoops
6) Pure white Cream - 2 spoons

Method: For plating

1) On a plate, place banana's ( split it into 2). Decorate with the rest of the fruits.
2) Put a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top and squeeze chocolate sauce and white cream.
3) Decorate with roasted nuts and serve.

Instant Mirchi Ka Acchar

Ingredients
1) Mirchi ( Chilli ) : 5-6 ( Depending upon your capacity to eat chillies, you can select them. I can not eat too spicy. So I select the big and light green chillies.
2) Lemon - 1 Big
3) Salt - To taste
4) Pure Ghee( Desi Ghee) - 1 Spoon - Garnishing

Method 
1) Wash Chillies. Split chillies with a knife.
2) Roast it on an open gas flame for the barbecue flavor. Do this for 1 and a half mins.
3) Garnish with Salt, Lemon and Pure Ghee. Make sure that salt , Lemon juice and the ghee goes inside the chillies.

Methi Aloo Ki Sabzi

This is one of my favorite sabzi. And I can eat it every third day. It goes well with Rotis and Rice preparations.

Ingredients

1. Methi Bunch - 1 ( Fenugreek Leaves) - Fine cut and wash. Keep aside.
2. Mustard Oil - 2 big spoons - for tampering
3. Garlic - 7-8 flakes - fine chopped
4. Salt - To taste and a pinch of hing (asofoetida)
5. Turmeric - 1/2 small spoon
6. Green Chillies - 4-5 ( Can add more if you like spicy)
7. Desi Ghee - 2 spoons ( for garnishing)
8. Potatoes - 2 big - peel and cut into medium size cubes

Method

1. In a large pan, put mustard oil and cook for about 3-4 mins.
2. Put hing, garlic,potatoes,salt and turmeric - one after the other. Cook for a min.
3. Add chopped fenugreek leaves and green chillies. Put salt.
4. Cook for 10-12 mins till the vegetable and potatoes are cooked.
5. When serving, garnish with pure desi ghee.

About Kavita

Hello :)

“There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves.” ― Thomas Wolfe 

I am a food enthusiast who loves to eat and cook for friends and family.My dream is to travel all over the world and explore their local delicacies.Cooking for me is like detoxification and it helps me to release stress. I enjoy going to the local market place to buy fruits and vegetables. Looking at fresh fruits and vegetables fills me with positivism and freshness.On this blog you will find recipes which I cook in my kitchen. Though I don't get to cook daily because of my work schedule but whenever I get time. I try and cook.

Always living, born and brought up in Mumbai. The commercial capital of India and the city that never sleeps. It's a place for all the dreams to come true. I love Amchi Mumbai for its beaches, street food and its truly cosmopolitan culture. For me its a big home for the people coming from different parts of the world to realize their dreams and living together.I am a wonderful daughter, sister and now a wife. My husbands name is Savyasachi ( love the name ) and he too is a wonderful cook and my daily dose of inspiration. My Mom and Savyasachi are my biggest critic.

Being in a cosmopolitan environment, since childhood, I was exposed to all different types of foods from India. Be it Punjabi, South Indian, Rajasthani, Gujarati or Maharashtrian food etc. After I got married to a Bihari babu, I was introduced to the most awesome Bihari delicacies.My mother is my inspiration always who cooks to the level of excellence. And then I learn from the elders, friends, colleagues and have tried to incorporate everything in my cooking with a twist.Today in the age of globalization, Google and social media coming into existence, to know the authentic recipes from around the world is no big deal. Thanks to Larry Page and Sergey Brin:)For Eg. Sitting in my room, I know what's the most eaten snack in Spain.I enjoy watching cookery shows on TV, reading health, food article online. One of my favorite channel is Fox Traveller. I am a big fan of Peter Kuruvita from " My Sri Lanka with Peter Kuruvita".

From a very young age, I was interested in cooking and used to try and experiment at home. My daddy sometimes, if the dish was not as per his liking, used to still praise me and used to say" Very Tasty Beta :)". That is how fathers are. You see!! Sometimes when my mom dad used to be out for some work, me and my sister used to cook together to surprise her.Trust me everyone in my family is an excellent cook and that has inspired me to start this blog and share what ever we all have been cooking.Am fascinated by all different kinds of foods, be it the food with very few masala's and takes no time to cook or the food which requires lots of ingredients and lots of patience to cook.I am a big big fan of street food and enjoys eating more at small joints, dhabba's. One of my favorite Indian fast food is pani puri. I just love it for its sweet tangy and savory flavors.

Since I have just started blogging and its my new found love, you will see the pictures on my blog taken from my mobile phone. I am sure with time , my blog will evolve and then I will buy a nice camera to click my recipes pics.You can email me for all the feed backs and comments and will try to reply to your query as soon as I can. 

More to come :)

Kavita 

Hummus and Falafel

This is the street food most popular in Middle east and i love it for its nutritional values and taste.Its most famous among vegetrians.

To Serve 4

1)    Hummus
a.    Ingredients :

• Chick Peas – 425 Grams - Boiled (also called garbanzo beans)
• Garlic – 10-12 flakes
• Lemon Juice – out of a Large one
• Salt to taste
• Red paprika – coarsely ground for Garnishing
• Water
• Olive oil for Garnishing

b.    Method:

• Grind everything in the food processor to make a coarse paste for about 1 minute.
• Garnish with olive oil and paprika
• Enjoy with fresh pita bread and Falafel
• Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate it up to one week.

2)    Falafel
a.    Ingredients:

•    Chick Peas – 425 Grams – soaked in water overnight  (also called garbanzo beans)
•    1 large onion, chopped
•    6 cloves of garlic, chopped
•    3 tablespoons of fresh parsley/coriander, chopped
•    1 teaspoon coriander ground
•    1 teaspoon cumin ground
•    2 tablespoons flour
•    Salt
•    Pepper/ or 4-5 Fresh green chilies
•    Oil for frying
•    Fine chopped cabbage
•    Fine chopped carrots

b.    Method:

• Combine all the ingredients and put it in a food processor to make a paste. It should be a thick paste out which you can make balls for frying. Size of a small ping pong balls.
• Deep Fry for about 4-7 minutes till golden brown.
• Serve hot with Hummus.
• You can put it as a filling in sandwiches and showarma’s.

3)    Carrot and Beetroot Salad
a.    Ingredients

• Carrots – 2 – Cut lengthwise
• Beet Root -1- Slightly boil for 2-3 mins – cut lengthwise
• White Vinegar – 4 spoons

b.    Method:

• Mix all the ingredients and serve

Labne bi Zayt (Yogurt balls dipped in Olive Oil)

This is an extension of my labne recipe.

Method : After many days labne is not very creamy, so you can make little balls with your hands, dust thyme and black pepper and dip it into the olive oil. Put this into a jar to preserve. You can refrigerate as well. (You can use your choice of herbs or garlic... can use sesame also)

This is awesome substitute of butter for sandwiches and very healthy as well.
I learnt this from my elder sister who had a roommate from Jordan. They use to eat labne bi Zeyt with white bread, at night, in the hostel, when hungry.

Labne or Yogurt Cheese

Labne is cream cheese made from Yogurt, very popular in Lebanon but it is part of the Middle Eastern tables. And I love it for its health benefits and I use it on sandwiches instead of butter. Eat with plain pita bread or with Mexican nachos. 

Ingredients: 

1.4 cup plain yogurt

2.1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

3.Black ground pepper (I use it, you can use your choice of chilies like Paprika, or white    pepper or green chillies)

4.Muslin cloth for hanging the curd

5.You can also put your choice of hubs to lebne like parsley, thyme, rose merry etc)

Method:

Mix yogurt gently with salt and pepper in a bowl.

Put and wrap it with muslin cloth

Suspend the bag (please don't refrigerate first day), let drain all time. After day one you can refrigerate it.