mayurisjikoni

Peas in a pod About a month ago or so, we were talking to Nami over the phone and she mentioned that Arti foi had made some kofta curry for her. That prompted Niku who at that time was home on vacation, to ask for some too. While their foi (aunt) couldn't be present at both places to make kofta for her niece and nephew, I did the honour. Arti K. my sister in law makes lovely pea kofta curry and every time she would visit us from Nakuru, she had to make them for us before she went back. Now that she lives in Florida, whenever we feel like having pea kofta curry, I have to make it on my own. I think this is her signature dish and I have been fortunate enough to learn this dish from her. Thank you Arti for teaching me a yummy yummy kofta curry.  ARTI'S PEA KOFTA CURRY 6 to 8 servings For the kofta : 3 cups fresh peas 1½ tsps salt 1 tsp sugar pinch of asafoetida (hing) generous pinch of citric acid (limbu na phool) ¼ tsp cinnamon powder ¼ tsp clove powder generous pinch of soda bic...

A colourful salad   Avocados are in abundance at the moment and I am adding it to my salad practically every day. Today, I thought of making a dressing using the avocado instead of just chopping it and adding it to the salad. I love avocado dressing. Its a great alternative for mayonnaise or other egg based dressings. I was lucky to get some plum tomatoes from Nakumatt. We don't get these delicious tomatoes often here. Whenever I am in UK or India, I prefer using plum or cherry tomatoes for my salads. However this does not deter me from making the salad whenever these tiny tomatoes are not available. I just use the normal ones.     This salad is so colourful that anyone would get tempted to have it. I served it with a flat bread as dinner. Going to bed with a light stomach is good for health. The secret to any good salad is fresh, crispy, crunchy ingredients. Go one make this salad and enjoy it. updated 09/06/2016 CORN AND TOMATO SALAD WITH AVOCADO DRESSING 4 serving...

Elephant ears?    Colocasia leaves, colocasia esculenta, arbi, arvi, taro and elephant ears are just a few names of this tropical edible plant. The leaves and tubers are used in various parts of the world. I have grown up eating the wonderful leaves steamed. Yes believe it or not but these leaves taste wonderful once cooked in the typical gujarati style. We know it as paan bhajia, but it goes by the name arbi or arvi in India. My all time favourite, these plants grow easily so we had loads of them growing in our garden. Had to have many leaves, considering the size of the family.           However, now I have to buy them as I cannot grow them in my small apartment. The tuber is made into a  dry vegetable or curry , stuffed paratha or even fried in some parts of India. The leaves are readily available in the market in Mombasa and Mumbai but have not seen them in Bangalore. The leaves are available in most Indian vegetable shops in the UK. The ...

wholesome breakfast    This recipe is just right for people who are always rushing or fighting to get out of the house on time to reach work. No more skipping breakfast. Put everything in a blender, whizz it and gulp it down or carry with you. Easy, quick and of course you will have a bit of washing up to do when you get home. Silly .... remember the blender ! BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE Just for 1 2 tbsps quick oats 1 cup of fruit chunks like banana, mangoes, berries, fresh figs or chikoo ¾ cup chilled milk or yogurt ½ tsp cinnamon powder Put everything into the blender. Whizz  till it becomes smooth. Drink up. Tips: Seriously you've got time to read the tips? Ok then, add nuts of your choice. Chikoo is sapota readily available in India. Use a mixture of fruits or on its own. Sending this recipe for the following event: Nandoo's kitchen Priya's versatile recipes

Tinkering in the kitchen  When Niku my son, was home for his break, we bought a lovely orangey looking pineapple. Got excited thinking that it will be so sweet and juicy. We cut the pineapple and  much to our disappointment it was  sour. Couldn't use it up in a salad as it was too sour. So I just left the pineapple chunks in the fridge. Usually ideas crop up at the most weirdest time. In walks Niku, opens the fridge to look for some fresh juice and instantly we both think of making paletas. I was itching to use the ice pop molds he bought for me so of course the idea got stuck there..... sour fruit, molds, molds, sour fruit. As I was busy making lunch, Niku volunteered to make the mixture for the paletas. Paletas is just a fancy Latin American name for fruit ice pops or lollies. So we mixed a bit of this, a bit of that and came up with this wonderful cooling yummy dessert. If you do not have molds, freeze it in a kulfi mold or in small throw away cups.The only difficult p...

street food  I remember my mum and Nunu would make ragda pattis using dry peas or vatana. In India most street food sellers and in most fast food restaurants, the ragda is made from white chickpeas. I prefer the one made from  peas and I like the home version as its not extremely spicy. I hate eating very chilli food. It only helps to clear out my tear glands, get a runny rose and clear the sinuses but am left with a burning tongue and dead taste buds. I would prefer to taste the other spices.I made ragda patties after a long time. Its a dish you don't really want to make for just 2, you want to share it with more. I invited Ajay's mama and his family and served them ragda pattis. Difficult to get this dish ready made in  Mombasa. The very few Indian restaurants stick to the more famous idlis, dosas, pani puri, dahi puri and pav bhaji. Ragda is the pea curry and patties are made of potatoes. This dish is served with chutneys and thin sev, made out of chickpea flour. Some ...

Healthy and filling    A few dry figs (anjeer) along with some dry apricots (alu, khubani) and a banana. Now that's a lot of fiber and anti oxidants all served in a glass along with calcium and potassium. What am I talking about? It's a smoothie. If constipation is a problem, have this smoothie as its full of fiber. It's also a good start to the day when you have to fast. Good for patients recovering from an illness as it provides a lot of energy and vital nutrients. updated 6/01/2016 BANANA FIG APRICOT SMOOTHIE For 2 1 frozen banana  6 dried figs 8 dried apricots 10 to 12 almonds 2 cups chilled milk ½  cup water Wash the figs and apricots to remove any grit. Soak the figs and apricots in water overnight. Remove the seed (stone) from the apricots. Cut apricots, figs and almonds into pieces. Put all the ingredients into a blender along with the water and liquidize. Pour into tall glasses and serve immediately. Tips: Add crushed ice if you don't have a frozen banana. U...