Zeera Methi Powder

Zeera methi powder is a flavorful addition to any curry. Adding a tbsp. or two of the mix to dal makes it more flavorful and aromatic, while the powder is added to kadhis, coconut currys etc.

Ingredients:

1/2 C Zeera,
1/4 C Fenugreek seeds,
1 tbsp. Tuvar dal,
1 tbsp. rice,
7- 10 curry leaves.

Method:

Dry roast each ingredient separately and mix. Slightly crush the curry leaves to release flavors.This makes the mix.

Let the mix cool and grind it in a coffee grinder to make the powder. Store in airtight container. It has a very good shelf life and does not go bad.

Sending this to Jagrutis Grind Your Cooking Masala event.

Ritz Chaat

Ramadan Kareem to all.

Its the first day of the holy month of Ramadan , time to officially announce a break from blogging. Before I go, as promised I have a super delicious treat to share with you all.

I love chaats, I mean, who doesn't ? There are many toppings that go well with the Ritz crackers/ Monaco biscuits, the chaat toppings are my favourite way to doll up these salty crackers. These make excellent party foods, I served them at one I recently hosted and it was liked by all. 

When it comes to chaat nothing is right or wrong , it all builds according to your tastes or preferences (remember asking the chaat wala to add more imli ? ). There is no specific recipe for this chaat so I 'll simply put how I assembled these.

To assemble this chaat spread some boiled n mashed potato on each ritz cracker , top it with pudina / mint chutney, Tamarind/ Imli ki chutney, ketchup, sprinkle some chaat masala, top with finely chopped red onions then some nylon sev (thin sev) , garnish with chopped coriander/ cilantro n mint leaves.

Tip:

You can use home made or store bought chutneys. If you plan to make a big batch of these, fill the mashed potatoes in a piping bag n pipe some on each cracker instead of spreading on each individual one, this way its faster. Use a squeeze bottle for the chutneys.

Visit my Ramadan page for more recipe ideas and inspirations !

This is my entry to the following events:

Party Treats event series of Monthly mingle hosted by Saraswathi and started by Meeta

Joy from Fasting to Feasting  hosted by Lubna

Visual Treats hosted by Sanyukta

Lets Munch  Tea Time Snack  hosted by Sharmilee

Semi Homemade - Indian Recipes

Happy Holidays to you ! Hope you have a wonderful, bright and beautiful New Year !

Being a mom of a playful 1 yr old, putting together a nice meal is all about planning well. Its only since past few months that I have really started appreciating the Semi Home Made approach to cooking. A little help from the grocery store does not hurt. Getting something premade for you, like beans that dont need to be cooked or chopped fruit and veggies, or even cake mixes , pizza doughs, etc ...etc...just make life so simpler.

So here I am, announcing the Semi Home Made recipes event. The guidelines are as follows:

Cook anything from pizza to dimsum, shawarma to soups, cookies to kababs, using Indian spices or give it an indian twist, ( for e.g. Tandoori Lasagna , Tomato Rice). You can also cook any authentic Indian recipe the semi home made way.

• Blog about it from Dec 24- Feb 24 and link back to this announcement. Using the logo below will be appreciated.

• Email me the link to your post, recipe title, blog title, your name and a picture of your dish at bloglazzat@gmail.com


• Non-bloggers may send in their entries with or without a picture to the above email id and I will include it in the roundup.


• Old/archived posts can also be sent provided they are reprinted using the logo / link to the announcement.
  
• A winner will recive a badge of honor :)


• The round up will be posted on the following weekend.

Looking forward to all your creative entries, enjoy your holidays and stay warm !

Tangy Tomato Rice

There are times when you want to have a hearty meal but don't have time to put it together. At such times having some prep done before hand always helps. Or taking the semi home made approach.

The secret ingredient which gives the " tang" to my tomato rice is V8 vegetable juice . Instead of grinding the tomatoes etc etc I just fry some onions in hot oil with some curry leaves, mustard seeds and peppercorns , pour some healthy V8 vegetable juice in it let it all come to a boil, season with salt , add a pinch of turmeric, add rice and let it cook , garnish with freshly chopped cilantro . Serve with papad or pickle or both :)

Using the juice saves a LOT of time and adds a whole lot of flavor. You can also use any tomato juice as long as its not sweet .

Just thought that's an interesting tip to share ....will be back with a healthy dessert cooked using a food which is healing in nature . Have a great day !

The Roundup- SOS Slow Cooker

Hi y'all , presenting the round up of the SOS Slow Cooker event. Since the time I announced the event I came across many good books featuring slow cooker reciepes and tips on how to enhance flavors and make the best use of your crockpot.

I would like to thank Yasmeen and Ivy for participating in the event and also all the fellow bloggers who were kind enough to email me and letting me know that they dont have a slow cooker so wont be participating.

Yasmeen of Health Nut shows us how to fuse health and taste with these recipes of 16 bean stew

and this mouth watering chicken shorba , dont forget to check out the dinner rolls too .

Ivy of Kopiaste.. made this yummy Pot Roast with Carrot Puree, Vegetables and Gravy



And finally my own entry - Kiwi Mutton

Hope you enjoyed your long weekend !

Chopping Onions ?

Every one has some suggestion when it comes to chopping onions , or at least is looking for one. I heard them all, from looking away , wearing glasses (yes!) , soaking them in water, keeping the cut side up and cutting after some time etc... etc... etc...

Few days back I came across this very useful and effective tip(saw it on TV).

Chopping onions makes us all cry .....doesn't it ? So the next time you chop onions , just light a (scented) candle near your chopping board and there will be no more tears ....it really works.