Upma With a Twist

Fresh corn upma is filling and so refreshing.....read on for this simple yet delicious and quick recipe:-

2 cup Corn fresh

2 tsp Oil

1 Onion chopped

2-3 Green chillies chopped

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Fresh coriander leaves chopped

1/4 cup Fresh Coconut (optional) 

Few drops Lemon juice

Salt & sugar to taste

1. Heat oil and add mustard seeds let them splutter, add green chillies, onions and saute till onion get light brown color. 

2. Add turmeric powder, asafoetida, corn , salt, coconut(optioal) and mix well. Add little water so that corn is cooked. 

3. Cook for 5-7 minutes or till all the water is evaporated and corn is well cooked. Add lemon juice and mix well.

4. Garnish with coriander leaves, coconut. Serve hot.

A Perfect Breakfast but a not so Perfect Day

Making an absolutely fresh beginning, starting off with a clean slate is amazingly simple. But it surprises me how difficult it is to take up again, what you had started a while ago, especially when snow is creating a havoc all over Europe! Its tough to get back to what you once were!

At the news first; I was very excited to shift to another country...another city ......... Already 2 weeks in this Metro city; Gothenburg in Sweden and still not able to settle down here. Highly disappointed at the first impression of this city....but may be I should blame the weather out here as the city is completely blanketed under heavy snow. Visiting Nordstan (one of the largest shopping mall in Scandinavia..... :-( or at least what they say) does not excite me and I bring myself to comparing it to My Zeil ( Shopping Mall in Frankfurt) , I keep saying it is the biggest. 

A little over one and half years back when I got out of the aircraft and collected my bags at the Frankfurt International Airport, I had no clue its going to be so tough bidding goodbye to this city (Russelsheim near Frankfurt; where I lived). I still remember the not very impressive  view of Russelsheim as we approached from the airport but felt at home immediately after a day or two. The same view today makes me feel completely at home (now when I go through the old pics), its almost queer how I could get used to anything in such a short span.

Maybe everyone has to go through something like that once in their lives and maybe its all for the good.......... the only thing I knew then,  its sure going to be tough ........for more reasons than one.......the final ride to the airport on Dec. 4th!

Anyway, Now that I have blurted out everything here ( and I feel lighter)...Let me begin with the perfect yet simple breakfast recipe............Corn and Spinach Sandwich.....so read on.....

Bread (of your choice White / Brown), Butter, Salt & Pepper, Cheese (Slice/ Grated), Bolied potato, Spinach leaves shredded, Boiled corn, Finely chooped onion is all that you need....

1. Mix in boiled and mashed potato, corn and spinach leaves. Add salt and pepper.

2. Now heat a tsp. of butter and saute onion till translucent. ( I like onion in this mixture; you can skip it if you want)

3. Once the onion becomes translucent, add the spinach and corn mixture and give it a stir for 2-3 mins. Remove.

4. Apply butter on the bread and on one slice apply this mixture pressing it so that it does not spill out from the bread.

5. Place cheese slice/ grated cheese on to it and cover it with another buttered bread.

6. Grill it nicely till the skin becomes golden brown and serve hot.

 

Sprout Pohe

A combination of sprouts and poha that’s simply brimming with protein, vitamin B3 and iron.

You will need:-

1 cups jada poha (beaten rice flakes)

1/2 cups mixed sprouts (matki, green moong, whole masoor,red chana)- soaked for 7-8 hours and then par-boiled

½ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1/2 tsp Asafoetida 
1 medium onion finely chopped 

1 to 2 green chillies, chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger-garlic

Fresh Coriander Leaves chopped

Fresh Coconut

1 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tsp oil

salt to taste

1. Place the poha on a sieve and wash lightly. Drain and leave aside for 10 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida, onion and green chillies and sauté till the onion turns translucent.Add chopped Ginger-garlic and sauté again for few seconds.

3. Add the mixed sprouts, sugar, salt and sauté for 3 to 4 mins.

4. Add the poha and mix it well. Cover it and cook for 3 to 4 mins

5. Add lemon juice. Serve hot garnished with the chopped coriander and fresh coconut.

Cucumber Pancakes ( Kakdiche Thalipeeth)

This is a perfect Breakfast snack….Kakdi Thalipeeth. Its quite different from the famous Bhajani Thalipeeth that we maharashtrians relish, but taste equally delicious.Just Rice flour, Rava (Semolina, Sooji), Kakdi (cucumber), green chillies, fresh coriander leaves, salt, turmeric and a little oil is all it takes to make this spicy Kakdi Thalipeeth.

1 Kakdi (cucumbers) washed, peeled and grated

1/4 cup Rava ( semolina, sooji)
1 cup Rice flour

2-3 green chillies coarsely ground or chopped 

fresh coriander leaves washed, cleaned and chopped 
Pinch of Turmeric

Salt and sugar as per taste

Oil for frying  

1. Add a pinch of salt, sugar and turmeric to the grated cucumber and keep for 15-20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the water from it, by pressing a portion of it in your palms and squeezing tightly. Don’t discard the water. Add a pinch of pepper and drink it. It’s good for health. 

2. Now add Rava( rava makes them crispy) and rice flour to the cucumber, green chilli, chopped coriander leaves, salt (adjust the salt since the grated cucumber also has some amount of salt) and mix to form a dough (see photo, the consistency of the dough should be such that you should be able to pat the dough into a flat Roti)

3. Make golf-ball sized balls from the dough.

4. Lightly grease a tava/ pan with little oil. Keep one of the dough balls in the centre of the skillet. Using your palm and fingers flatten the dough into a round even roti. Dip your palm and fingers in water to make the patting easier.

5. Make one hole in the centre with the tip of your finger as shown in the photo below. Add 1-2 drops of oil in this hole- this ensures even cooking of the Thalipeeth. 
6. Cover and cook on medium flame till the lower side is light brown and crispy. Turn over and cook for 1-2 minutes more. 

7. Serve hot.

8. Kakdi thalipeeth does not require any accompaniments- it tastes quite good by itself. If you like, serve with a bowl of curd or some lime pickle.

Pulao Pohe

Poha/Pohe is very simple, flattened and dried rice. It is a staple in the pantry of most maharashtrian kitchens.When seasoned with spices and gently steamed, it has a "melt-in-the-mouth" texture and fantastic aroma.
It is typically served for breakfast and is quite light and nutritious. It's prepared in many different ways, this one is one of them. This actually is my mother’s recipe, I just made it with few additional veggies and one my friend just loves it.

for this you need:-

Poha/Pohe - 1 1/2 Cup

Onion - 1 big finely sliced

Tomato - 1 big finely sliced

Green Peas - 1/4 cup

Corn Kernels- 1/4 cup

Potato - 1 big peeled and sliced

Green chilly - Ginger - Garlic- 1 tsp. Finely chopped

Salt as per taste

Sugar as per taste

Kachcha Masala ( all spices ground together) - 1 tsp.

Jeera- 1/2 tsp. 

Hing - 1/2 tsp.

Coriander- Finely chopped

1. Wash and rinse Poha/Pohe under running water. Drain all the water and keep aside for 5-10 mins.

2. Rub some salt and sugar to the Poha/Pohe.

3. Put oil in a pan, when oil becomes hot enough add Jeera and Hing.

4. After frying for a few seconds, add onion and then fry it for another couple of seconds till it becomes translucent.

5. Then add finely chopped ginger, garlic and green chilly and fry it well.

6. Now add all the vegetables one by one except tomatoes and fry it for few seconds.

7. Fry the vegetables well and allow them to get cooked. (Do not over cook the vegetables).Then add the soaked Poha/Pohe and  finely chopped tomatoes, kachcha masala and mix everything well.  Adjust the seasonings.

8. Cover the pan and let the whole thing cook for few minutes (around 5 mins). Give it a good stir.

9. Garnish it with chopped coriander and serve hot.