Jowar Stew with Garlic Bread

Jowar is nutrient rich grain that is generally consumed in countryside than in cities. I had tried preparing a stew with this and other ingredients available at home along with some garlic bread. The combo made a good  wholesome dinner for us.

Ingredients:

1. Jowar - 1 cup

2. Whey water - 1lt

3. Salt to taste

4. Carrot chopped - 1 cup

5. Bush beans chopped - 1 cup

6. Tomato chopped - 2

7. Onion chopped - 1 cup

8. Potato chopped - 1 cup

9. Fresh beans - 1/2 cup

10. Oil or butter - 1 tbsp

11. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

12. Spinach - 5 leaves

13. Coriander - 4 sprigs

14. Lemon - 1/2

15. Pepper crushed - 1 tsp

16. Chili powder - 1 tsp

17. Garam masala - 1 tsp

 For garlic bread:

1. Bread - 4 slices

2. Olive oil - 2 tbsp

3. Crushed pepper - 1/2 tsp

4. Salt as per taste

5. Dry Italian spice mix - 1/4 tsp (If available)

6. Garlic - 4 cloves

Method:

For Jowar stew:

Step 1: Wash and soak the jowar over night; you can also sprout them which is what I did. Then before preparing the stew, pressure cook it with salt for about 7 whistles.

Step 2: In a handi, heat the oil/ butter and splutter cumin seeds in it; then saute onion and add other vegetables one by one. 

Step 3: When they become glossy, add the cooked jowar and add the stew. Cook on simmer for 20 minutes.

                                      

Step 4: Now add the dry spices: chili powder, garam masala, crushed pepper and adjust salt.

Step 5: Tear the spinach leaves and throw into the stew, stir well and switch off the heat.

Step 6: Now squeeze in juice of a lemon and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.

For Garlic bread:

Step 1:  Grate the garlic cloves finely. 

Step 2: In a small cup, take olive oil mix in it the grated garlic and italian spice mix.

Step 3: Brush this mix onto both the sides of each bread slice.

Step 4: Stack the bread slices and cut them into 4 quadrants.

Step 5: In a heated tawa, roast the bread pieces in simmered heat until brown and crisp.

Step 6: Sprinkle salt and pepper over them and serve with the hot stew.

Karuveppilai Podi

This is another simple and  flavorful creation from my mother-in-law's kitchen. Curry leaves are unique in Indian more specifically south Indian cuisines. The aroma of 'talippu' is to die for and like in the tamil song '...pasi konda neram, thallipu osai sringara sangeetham...' the sound of tempering (talippu or tadka) is itself so very musical; curry leaves are very instrumental in this process of tallipu. Usually, people consume the flavor but not curry leaves fully; so recipes like these are really very useful to completely benefit from the goodness of curry leaves.

Ingredients:

1. Curry leaves - 2 cups

2. Dry red chilies - 4 or 5

3. Coriander seeds - 1/2 cup

4. Salt to taste

5. Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Wash and dry the curry leaves preferably  in shade to retain color.

Step 2: Heat half a tsp oil in a tawa and roast the chilies.

Step 3: In the same tawa, add another half a tsp oil and roast coriander seeds until aroma fills the room.

Step 4: In the same tawa dry roast the curry leaves just to make them crisp.

                

Step 5: Cool them down and powder them between coarse and fine, slightly flaky.

Step 6: Store in a airtight container for even more than a month.

Step 7: Serve it with hot steamed rice and ghee. 

TIPS:

* You can also add this powder to the sabjis and curries to give it flavor and fortify it ;).

Shahi Tukda

Shahi tukda is a famous gilt-edged dessert from north India. I made it as an instant dessert for my sweet toothed husband, so it is not the typical one but a easy and relatively healthy variant, I would say.

Ingredients:

1. Bread slices - 4
2. Gulkand - 3 tbsp
3. Butter/ Ghee - 2 tbsp
4. Almonds - a fistful
5. Milk - 250 ml.
6. Sugar - 2 tbsp
7. Cardamom powder - 2 pinches
8. Slivered or chopped nuts - 1 tbsp
9. Rose petals (Optional)

Method:

Step 1: Soak almonds in water for an hour and peel off the skin. Make it into a paste with some milk.
Step 2: Trim the edges of the bread slices by stacking them; then diagonally cut them to get symmetrical triangles.
Step 3: Smear ghee or butter generously on both the sides of the bread triangles and roast them on a simmered tawa to get crisp golden brown toasts; keep working on them so that they don't become tough and rusk-like.
Step 4: Bring the milk to boil and simmer to reduce it; once it becomes thick flavorful, add the almond paste, sugar and cardamom powder and reduce further until it gets a very thick flowy consistency.
Step 5: Now make four triangular gulkand sandwiches with thick layer of juicy gulkand.
Step 6:Arrange the sandwiches in the serving plate and pour the reduced flavored milk over them.
Step 7: Top with the slivered or chopped nuts.
Step 8: Serve as is or garnish with rose petals if available.

TIPS:
* The gulkand can be fried slightly if it is to thick to smear on bread; it contains sugar which loosens on heating.
* The traditional recipe requires the breads to be deep fried in ghee or oil and dipped in sugar syrup.
* You can roast the bread in microwave oven to get it evely roasted and it also helps to keep nil or minimum butter/ ghee.