Cook's Diary

Carrot Rice

I remember those school days when my mom used to try all possible ways to make me eat vegetables because I was choosy with vegetables. I couldn't eat carrot in any form other than raita but that can’t be packed for lunch. So she tried this carrot rice which became favorite dish for me and my friends.

Ingredients:

1. Steamed rice – 2 cups

2. Carrot grated – 1 cup

3. Green chillies – 2

4. Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

5. Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

6. Urad dal – 1 tbsp

7. Bengal gram – 1 tbsp

8. Curry leaves – 1 sprig

9. Onion – ½ cup finely chopped

10. Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp

11. Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

12. Garam masala – 1 tsp

13. Chili powder - 1/2 tsp

14. Coriander – 2 tbsp finely chopped

15. Salt as per taste

16. Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, add Bengal gram and urad dal, put chopped green chilies, throw in curry leaves and sauté onion in it, and then add ginger garlic paste and turmeric powder

Step 2: Mix grated carrot, sprinkle salt and garam masala, and cover the lid to cook for 2 minutes by simmering the heat

Step 3: Open the lid, sprinkle chopped coriander and steamed rice and mix thoroughly with light hand to avoid breaking the rice. Adjust salt if required

Step 4: This can be served warm without any side dish or chilled plain curd to complement it

Kulcha

Couple of months back, we invited one of his colleagues who had recently got married for lunch. I wanted to try something really good for the couple. Butter kulcha is my husband’s favourite when he goes to restaurant, so wanted to try it at home. The recipes from internet seemed simple and I gave an attempt and it actually was good enough.

Ingredients:

1. Refined flour/ Maida – 2 cups
2.       Salt – ½ tsp
3.       Sugar – 1 tbsp
4.       Baking powder – 1 tsp
5.       Baking soda – ½ tsp
6.       Curds – ½ cup
7.       Oil – 2 tbsp
8.       Coriander or kasuri methi to sprinkle on the kulcha (optional)
9.       Butter for brushing the kulchas (in case you want to have butter kulchas)

Method:

Step 1: Sieve flour and mix salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, oil and curds. Then by adding water slowly make soft dough by working on it for 10 minutes. Be light handed to keep the air in the dough intact for softness

Step 2: Wrap the dough loosely in a wet cloth and leave aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 3: open the dough to find it risen in size; divide in small portions, sprinkle dry flour on it and with the help rolling pin roll them into thick kulchas (triple the thickness of phulka). Wet you fingers in water, press over the chopped coriander or kasurimethi and tap slightly on the surface of kulchas.

Step 4: Heat the tawa, grease with a little oil or butter and rolled kulcha over it. When it starts bulging, keep rotating it, when one side is done flip it and press to see it fully puffed and done.

Step 5: Brush with butter or place a blob of butter on the kulcha and serve hot with chole masala or any other side dish of your choice.

Garlic & Bread Crumbs Spaghetti

We generally discard the slices of breads at both the ends of the loaf; what I usually do is just collect them in freezer and once in a while I coarse grind in mixer to get nice crumbs which I use for variety of recipes. This time I wanted to use them at a single go as that was lying there for some weeks. I found an interesting recipe to use it that i share here.

Ingredients:

1. Spaghetti - 250 gm
2. Bread crumbs - 150 gm
3. Olive oil - 50 ml
4. Garlic cloves - 4
5. Italian seasoning - 1/2 tsp
6. Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Salt as per taste

Method:

Step 1: Cook the spaghetti as per the instructions on the pack, toss with few drops of oil and keep it aside.

Step 2: In a non-stick pan, pour olive oil and grate garlic cloves into it. Heat it in low flame and add bread crumbs when aroma emanates. (I had dry roasted bread crumbs prior to frying them in oil so as to avoid prolonged heating of olive oil)