Mish mash to make yummy bhaji

Background:

On my way home today I was wracking my brains on what to make for dinner. Since I had just done my veggie shopping today afternoon I hit upon the idea of making pav bhaji. I did have the burger buns. Scoured the net for bhaji recipes. Almost all of them involved using lots of potatoes and butter both of which are items I would be better off avoiding.

So, I ended up creating my own version of bhaji. This is what I did.

Stuff you will need:

5 tomatoes – medium sized – diced
2 onions – medium sized sliced
A handful of string beans – diced
1 large capsicum – diced
1 large carrot – cubed
1 potato – medium sized cubed
1 handful green peas
1 quarter small cabbage – shredded
1 inch cube of ginger and 2 pods  garlic – shredded
3  green chillies slit and halved
1 lime
Coriander minced to garnish
Pav bread or burger buns – 16
Butter to toast pav/bread – 1/2 stick
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Dhania Jeera (Coriander Cumin) powder – 1 tsp
Pav Bhaji masala – 2 tsp (Usually available at Indian grocers)

How to make it?

Pressure cook all veggies but for the onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green peas and green chillies. Mash the cooked veggies with a masher. In a wok, heat oil and fry ginger, garlic, green chillies till they brown slightly. Add onions and saute till translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, red chili powder, dhania jeera powder and three heaped spoons of pav bhaji masala. Let it simmer and reduce till the oil separates out. Add the mashed veggies and simmer on medium heat for about 10 to 15 mins. Turn heat off and garnish with raw cut onion and minced coriander. Squeeze lime on top if you like it tangier.

Serve hot with toasted pav or bread.

Serves four

Special Notes:

This can serve as a light dinner or as a snack in the evening.

Balm for the congested soul – Milagu jeera rasam

Background:

Pepper + jeera + tomato = yummy rasam.

I made this rasam Saturday since K said he felt under the weather. Making it was a breeze and it did help brighten up an otherwise drab day.

Stuff you will need:

2 big tomatoes crushed
Black Pepper – 1 tsp
Jeera/Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Dhaniya/Coriander seeds – 2 tsp
Curry leaves – a handful
Thuvar Dhal – a handful
Salt to taste (about 1 and 1/4 tsp)
Coriander leaves – a handful minced to garnish

How to make it?

Dry roast and powder all ingredients with the exception of tomatoes. Heat 2 tsp ghee, season with mustard and curry leaves in a thick bottomed vessel. Add the crushed tomatoes and the dry roasted powder. Add water to make 3/4ths of the vessel. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil. When the concoction starts frothing, lower flame and garnish with coriander. Cover and turn gas off.

Serve hot as is or with white rice.

Serves four

Special Notes:

This rasam is used as an equivalent to the chicken soup i.e. it is a comfort food and for people with throat infection and or congestion of the nose and lungs this rasam eases the irritation and warms up the inside.