Goodies from Agra !!

I was in Agra last weekend and was amazed to see the large number of Petha and Daalmoth shops, but then  isn't  Agra known for these two delicacies? The funny part was that  all shops had the brand name Panchi, just like all chikki shops in Lonavla call themselves Maganlal Chikki!

The wide variety of Pethas offered include, Kesar Petha, Mango Metha, Kesar- Angoor Petha, Strawberry Petha, Santra Petha and many, many more.... innovation at work!

Having tried the very juicy and oh so sweet petha, the crunchy and spicy dal moth was a perfect add on. There is  a variety of Dal Moth offerings to select from too! No wonder the combination of petha and dal moth sells so well!! 

Add Zing to your Snacking with Coconut Chana Chutney

With Lord Ganesha's final visarjan yesterday, our ten day feasting on sweets has also come to an end. Its time for hot savoury snacks, accompanied by flavorful chutneys. A very simple and delicious chutney that goes well with vadas, dosas, idlis, pakodas and even chips is the Coconut and Chana chutney.
Its just takes a couple of minutes to make and stays fresh for 2 days in the fridge.

Ingredients                                                                     

1/2 Coconut peeled and cut into small pieces
An equal amount by volume of split yellow chana
2 green chilles
1 inch piece of ginger
Salt to taste

Method

Put all ingredients in the grinder, add half a cup of water and grind to a smooth paste. Serve with hot snacks or with chips.

While weekends are a time for indulging and giving in to your desires for yummy food and snacks, most people today are health and calorie conscious and looking for interesting, tasty options that are low on calories. An idea that I  find practical and easy to make is a capsicum, tomato, spring onion spread which I use in multiple ways -  on ragi or whole wheat crackers topped with grated cheese or as a dip for chips and it's equally good as base for grilled sandwiches and pizza toasts. It takes just a few minutes to make and can be stored for a few days. Here's how you can make it

Ingredients
1 medium sized capsicum very finely chopped
3-4 spring onions finely chopped or one medium sized  regular onion 
4 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger finely chopped
1/2 tspn coriander powder
Salt to taste
1 tblspn Oil

Method
Heat Oil in a thick bottomed kadai. Add chillies, ginger and onions and saute on low flame for a couple of minutes. Add chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cover the kadai for a couple of minutes. When the tomatoes are soft and pulpy, add chopped capsicum, coriander powder and salt and mix well. Cover and allow to cook on a low flame for a few minutes till capsicums are soft and the whole mixture is homogeneous. Cool and use as you like - as a topping or a dip. Garnish with cheese to give that extra taste. In grilled sandwiches, you can use it as a base and top it with boiled potato or boiled egg slices.

Relish Classic Coconut Ladoos this Ganesh Chaturthi !!

The joyous 10 day festival of Ganesh Chaturthi begins today and so do visits to family and friends to seek blessings of the benevolent Lord Ganesha with offerings of sweets and fruits. This year, I decided to make coconut laddoos which are liked by a lot of people. Instead of buying the regular sweets from the mithai shops, why not surprise our dear ones with some homemade, easy and delicious Coconut Ladoos. 

Watch the entire reciepe of Classic Coconut Ladoos on my Youtube channel Simply Sindhi and share your views.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIwg-ECi-1Q&index=28&list=PLiCsbPkJbeFllaUlKGzBezZfZQb6PzrKi

(Jewel??) of India

Why is it so difficult to maintain quality and service in the restaurant business?

Last night, since we were attending a show at the Nehru Centre Auditorium, we decided to have quick and lite  bite at Jewel of India, a restaurant whose food  we had  liked for years . Being next door to the auditorium, we thought it was the perfect place to enjoy a quick  dinner after an evening of memorable music. Unfortunately, we were in for a Big disappointment. Our Manchow soup came in 5 minutes, but without the accompanying sauces. We had to  request  three different waiters to get them . They finally arrived 10 minutes later, by which time the soup was cold and the crispy noodles  in it soggy ! Our baked potato starter took quite a while to arrive, and  was so spicy, that it was difficult to eat.

Our main course Paneer Bhurlee with  whole wheat  crisp  Tandoori Rotis, was the biggest let down. It took over 40 minutes to be served and what we got was an insipid, yellow paste that had no taste at all. The rotis were made of maida and soggy! By now we were really exasperated, complained to the manager, who apologized and said we will not be charged for the Paneer dish. We were in no mood to have any dessert. Getting our bill was another challenge with several staff members running around to get it, over which we wasted 15 minutes.

As we stepped out of the restaurant, I was wondering how could both the quality of food served and the service have gone down so drastically, since we were last there about a year ago!

I am not going to JOI in a long time, till I get some great reviews!!

Celebrate Janmashthami with Authentic Segoji Khirni !

It's Janmashthami today and most homes will have traditional delicacies and sweets cooked. A long time favourite in my family has been sabudana kheer or segoji khirni (as it is called in Sindhi)which can be enjoyed equally if had hot or chilled. It tastes yummy by itself or with hot puris.

Here' s how you can make it

Ingredients

1 Ltr Milk

4 tblspn Sugar

3-4 tblspn Sabudana

10-12 cardamoms (peeled and deseeded)

20-25 strands of Saffron/Kesar ( soaked in 2 to 3 tbsps warm water/ milk)

10-12 Almonds julienned

20-30 raisins

Method

Put the sabudana in a strainer. Wash under running water for a minute. Drain out the water and keep the strainer aside for about an hour. (the sabudana will swell up a little and soften). Boil milk in a thick bottom pan. Lower flame and allow to simmer. After adding sugar and cardamon seeds, boil for 5-10 mins. Now add saffron, sabudana and let it boil for couple of minutes before you add the dry fruits. Serve Hot as dessert or as part of the meal. You can also refrigerate and serve chilled.

Snack it with Guacamole and chips !!

A friend invited me over for a movie afternoon last week. Watching our favorite old time classic, brought back some good old memories, as did the guacamole and chips we munched while watching the movie. So this morning I decided to make it and serve to my friends coming over this evening for a bridge game.

So try out this simple but delicious dip and have a great weekend :) 

INGREDIENTS

·         2 ripe Avocados

·         1-2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice

·         2 Tbsp or 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion or spring onion

·         1-2 green chillies, finely chopped

·         2 tablespoons cilantro/coriander (leaves and tender stems), finely chopped

·         A dash of freshly grated black pepper

·         1 small ripe tomato chopped

·         Salt to taste

·          

METHOD

1 Cut the avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.

2 Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado. (Don't overdo it! The guacamole should be a little chunky.) Sprinkle with salt and lemon juice. Add the chopped onion, coriander, black pepper, salt, chilles and chopped tomatoes. Mix well.

3 Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

4 Chilling tomatoes may  hurs their flavor, so you can add chopped tomato to your guacamole, add it just before serving.

Serve it with nachos, tortilla chips, khakra, wafers.