While American corn is available round the year in Mumbai, its particularly fresh and in abundance in the monsoon months. In this weather, a delicious hot snack is always relished!

MAZEDAR AMERICAN CORN

Ingredients :-

1. 1 bowl of American corn
2. 1 tblsp finely chopped ginger
3. 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
4. 1 medium sized tomato finely chopped
5. 1 capsicum finely chopped (optional)
6. 1 tsp chaat masala
7. Half tsp red chilli powder
8. Salt to taste
9. Juice of half a lemon
10. Few coriander leaves finely chopped

Procedure :-

Steam the corn for 5 0- 10 minutes. Drain the water out and take the corn out in a pan. Add all the ingredients except coriander leaves and mix well.

Serve in an attractive glass bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

A walk on the streets of "Hamara Bharat" can always bring out a burst of laughter!!

Sharing the recipe for a very traditional Sindhi lunch dish.

 Rai Jo Teewan or Aur Jo Teewan 

(Vegetables cooked in gravy with Tadka of Mustard and garlic)

Ingredients:

1. · 4 to 6 baby potatoes peeled 
2.  4 to 6 small onions peeled 
3. I carrot scraped and cut into vertical pieces of 2 inch 
4. 8 to 10 guar beans cut into two after removing the tips 
5. 2 inch piece of dudhi or lauki peeled and cut into 4 to 6 pieces 
6. 1 small brinjal cut into 4 to 6 pieces 
7. 1 drumstick scraped and cut into 2 inch length pieces 
8. 1 or 2 amritsari wadis 
9. 1 medium sized tomato grated 
10. 1 small ball of tamarind - marble sized 
11. 1 to 2 green chillies finely chopped 
12. 1 inch piece ginger finely chopped 
13. 1 tsp mustard seeds 
14. 1 tsp coriander powder 
15. ½ tsp turmeric powder 
16. 8 to 10 flakes of garlic , peeled and finely chopped 
17. 2 tsps wheat flour 
18. Few coriander leaves finely chopped 
19. 6 to 8 curry leaves 
20. 3 tbps oil 
21. Salt to taste 
22. Water

Procedure:

Soak tamarind in a little water and keep aside. In a thick bottomed pan put all the chopped vegetables and wadis broken into small pieces. Add ginger, green chillies , coriander pwder,turmeric powder and about 3 cups of water and boil on medium flame for about 5 to 10 minutes till vegetables and wadis are cooked. Insert a knife in each and check.

Now add grated tomato and salt. Mix wheat flour in water in a small bowl to a smooth batter like consistency. Add to vegetables being cooked. In a couple of minutes you should have a nice gravy in the vegetables. Now squeeze out the tamarind water and add to vegetables. Cook on low flame for a couple of minutes. Next heat oil in a tadka kadai. When hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves and chopped garlic. Allow to splutter for a minute. When mustard seeds stop crackling transfer oil and spices to the cooked vegetables and cover immediately. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve in an attractive glass bowl with hot rotis.

July - August are months when the mango season is at its fag end but, we see a lot of Totapuri mangoes in the market. These mangoes have a distinctive diamond shape and differ in taste from the favorite Alphonso mangoes.

Totapuri mangoes are excellent for making Mango Murabba, a great accompaniment wit any meal. Here is how you can make it -

Mango Murabba

Ingredients:

· 2 medium ripe Totapuri mangoes about 3/4 kg in weight
· 2 cups sugar
· 15 cardamoms
· 2 glasses water
· 1 pinch Boondi/ food colour

Procedure:

Peel the mangoes and cut into vertical strips. Peel the cardamoms and lightly crush the seeds.

In a thick bottomed pan put sugar and water and bring to the boil. Lower flame and let the sugar syrup boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Now add the mangoes and cardamom and allow to cook on low flame for about 15 to 20 minutes stirring occasionally, till the sugar syrup becomes thick. Add a pinch of colour and let the mangoes cook for a minute or two. Turn off flame. Allow the murabba to cool by placing the pan in a thali/ utensil with water and covered with a clean cloth. When cool, empty in a glass jar. Serve with hot puris or rotis. Refrigerate the bottle.

Rava Kesari (Sooji Halwa)

Monsoon is the perfect time to have hot rava kesari/ sooji halwa either for breakfast, dessert after lunch or a tea time snack. Sooji halwa is quick an easy to make and here's how you can do is yourself

Ingredients -

1. 1 small bowl/katori of rava or sooji 
2. Half bowl/katori sugar
3. 10 - 12 strands of saffron
4. 3 - 4 cardamoms (deseeded and crushed)
5. 3 - 4 tbl spoons pure ghee
6. 8 - 10 cashew nuts (slit into half)
7. 25 - 30 raisins 
8. 1 pinch bundi/food color (orange)
9. 2 bowls of water

Procedure - 

Put sugar, water, cardamom and saffron in a pan and boil till sugar is completely dissolved. Turn of flame and keep aside. In a thick bottomed can or kadhai, heat ghee, lower flame and add sooji/rava and saute in the ghee by turning it around for a few minutes till it gives out a strong aroma. 

Add sugar water and a pinch of colour and allow it to cook for a minute or two on a medium flame till the water is almost dry. Cover the pan and lower flame and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add cashew nuts and raisins and serve hot in an attractive glass bowl.

You can also serve individual helpings as shown in the picture. Fill a stainless steel bowl with the halwa and then turn it upside down on a plate

Hershey's now at Paanwalas

Innovation in food continues at all levels...from 5 star cuisine to the street corner sandwich wala and now also to the paanwala in Delhi.

This picture was taken on a recent visit, when I was amazed to see every paanwala in Connaught Place having an exotic menu board of offerings and a range of Hershey's syrups displayed on the counter, to dip the paans in.

Sauted Mushrooms & Raw Papaya and Carrot Salad

Over the weekend, I had a nice meal with friends at Salt Water Cafe in Bandra. We ordered their sauted mushrooms as a starter. They were really tasty. The mushrooms were slit into two, and sauted in a little butter, with finely chopped spring onion, a little ground garlic, salt & pepper and chopped parsley/ cilantro. A very quick, easy to make yummy starter.

We also ordered an interesting salad.... Raw papaya and carrot in mayonnaise dressing. The papaya and carrots were peeled and cut into very fine , long shreds and mixed with a little mayonnaise and served as a semi circular heap. Very unusual combination, but great taste!