Indian Spiced Peanuts | Fried Masala Peanuts

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“What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.”        ~ Michael Chiarello

Such is the case with me too.. 

Most of the recipes featured on this blog until now are associated with a certain reminiscence of the past.
For instance, the most popular recipe is Vegetable Biryani and Mixed Vegetable Korma. These two remind me of our leisurely, late-afternoon Sunday lunches when all four of us are at home, with no pressure of homework,  watching an old classic on Doordarshan. You see, we never had cable connection until I was 18 years old as my parents thought it would distract us from our studies :-). Atleast two times a week, my mother used to make  Khara Pongal for breakfast, which is a sumptuous meal in itself and fill our tummies until lunch time.

Every weekend we used to stay back at my grandmom's house. Very often, my uncle used to get fresh khoya from a nearby doodhwala and within an hour, each of us used to devour on these delicious sweet treats, at which my ammama is a pro - Khoya balls (Kova Billalu). If craving for something spicy, we always used to fall back on some Mirchi Fritters.

I could just go on and on linking recipes from this list :-)

spicy, crispy, crunchy peanuts - perfect for munching..

Today's recipe - "Spiced Peanuts" or simple said, desi-ishtyle "Fried Masala Peanuts" is one such easy recipe which falls perfectly under the "Munchies" category, for that time of the day - between lunch and dinner, when our stomachs grumble a little and crave for a spicy treat. It was just pure fun to dig our little hands into the jar and nibble on these while my mom is not watching. ;-)

Go on, make these for your loved ones too, gift them a jar-full and I promise, they will be super-duper happy!

Peanuts or Groundnuts

Spice mixture - chickpea flour, rice flour, salt, chilli powder, garam masala

Peanuts coated with spice-flour-oil mixture, ready to be fried.

Fry them until light golden. they gain a little more color once they reach room temperature.

these make an excellent gift to near and dear ones. :-)

{Recipe} Indian Spiced Peanuts  | Fried Masala Peanuts

Ingredients:

3 cups peanuts
1.5 cups besan (chickpea flour)
2 tbsp rice flour
1.5 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp garam masala
salt to taste
5 tbsp oil
vegetable or canola oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Dry roast peanuts. Keep aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add rest of ingredients with peanuts. Add water (little by little) and mix the nuts with spices so that its evenly coated with the mixture. (see pic above). It shouldn't be wet.

3. Heat oil in a kadai. Once hot, carefully drop a small batch of spiced peanuts and fry until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels (or newspaper works too!) to remove excess oil. Cool them to room temparature and then store in air tight container. Munch when you crave for some with hot tea or cool beverage on the side :-)

Variation(s) - the same recipe can be easily adapted to any kind of nuts like cashews, almonds, pistachios etc.

..or just grab some when hungry  or as snack with hot tea on side. Bliss!

 cya next time,

Summer is here: Instant Mango Pickle | Mamidikaya Mukkala Pachadi | #IndianFoodPalooza

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Amma's recipes is a column on this blog, which is very close to my heart. These are the recipes which my mother perfected over many many years and reflects how awesome a cook she is. It is also fun to just photograph once in a while, without thinking about what and how to make a recipe, worrying whether it would turn out well or not. She Cooks, I Photograph. That is the deal. :-) If you guys have any question, do drop in a line or comment on this post. My mom will be more than happy to answer all of them.

With much less effort, one can make this version of mango pickle, in a giffy!

I read it in an article recently - "Food is part of a continuum, changing yet connected to the past." So true. Isn't it? Pickles and chutneys likewise form an integral part of Indian cuisine, especially for us, who live in the southern part of India. These make a amazing accompaniment making our day-to-day meals memorable with their spicy, tangy flavors. Each one may have his/her absolute favorites and I bet for most of them its "Mango pickle".

Our first produce - home grown mangoes. Nothing tastes better than these!

Today's recipe "Instant Mango Pickle" - is a dish that is old made new, history scrubbed of nostalgia. Known as "aam ka achaar" in hindi, no indian meal is complete without a dash of this pickle. This recipe is special as its made with mangoes grown in our back yard. :-)

"This is like a taste explosion." ~ George, tasting his first mango, in "The Mango" (Seinfield)

The original Mango pickle is a tad bit laborious, but this version is quick and easy. All you need is raw mangoes and spices such as mustard powder, chilli powder, fenugreek-cumin powder, turmeric, salt and oil. Give it a try and am sure you will love it too, as much as we did!

Raw mango cubes, ready to be dressed up into the spices!

Use the best chilli powder available as its a key ingredient which lends a vibrant red color to the pickle.

freshly ground mustard powder. (No need to roast the mustard seeds before grinding)

Mix them all....

Spicy, tangy Instant Mango Pickle ready! tastes best after 2-3 days.

..couldn't wait for that long, so quickly mixed with some white rice and devoured till my hearts content! Darn! my mouth is still watering.

  {Recipe} Instant Mango Pickle | Mamidikaya Mukkala Pachadi

Ingredients:

4 cups of cubed raw mangoes (choose firm ones)
2 cups of chilli powder
1.5 cups of mustard powder (grind black mustard seeds into a coarse powder)
1.25 cups of salt
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp fenugreek-cumin powder (dry roast cumin seeds and fenugreek [methi] seeds separately. grind them together into powder)
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
3 cups of sesame/gingelly oil or vegetable oil. ( 2 cups of oil on Day One; 1 cup of oil for Day Two)

Tadka - 1 tsp each of urad dal, mustard seeds and cumins seeds + 5-6 whole red chillies

Preparation:

1. In a pan, warm 2 cups of oil.

2. In a large bowl (make sure it is bone dry) mix with (dry) hand or a spatula - raw mangoes, chilli powder, mustard powder, turmeric, salt, methi-cumin powder and warm oil. 

3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok and add the tadka ingredients one by one. Let them splutter. Turn off the heat and then add ginger-garlic paste. Add to the mango pickle mixture. Mix well.

4. Next day, Mix the contents once. Warm another cup of oil and add to the mango pickle mixture. Mix again.

Notes:

1. Don't refrigerate the pickle immediately. Water is released out of mangoes for next 3-4 days and the color will change to a shade of bright red.. Keep mixing the pickle atleast twice a day during this time. Store in an air tight container on Day Five and then refrigerate.

2. When refrigerated, this pickle will stay fresh for 1 month.

My dear friend Prerna of Indian Simmer along with Kathy and Barbara are celebrating #IndianFoodPalooza all month long. Sharing today's recipe with them and for all those who love Indian food. You will find this recipe quite simple to make at home. :-)

until next time,

Amma's Recipes: Eggplants Stuffed with a Spice Paste

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"Sweater, n.:  garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly".  ~ Ambrose Bierce.

...and there is such profound truth in this quote. Isn't it? This is one of my favourite ones and I remember reading it in an article couple of years ago. It just stuck to me since then.

Today's Recipe: Eggplants Stuffed with a Spice Paste (scroll below for the recipe)

My mother is an inspiration in my life who has a great influence on me. Though, I  look more like my dad, my thoughts & my mind are just constituted like her. We are very emotional by nature and We see the world as black-and-white, no grey shades in between which is the case most of the times..:-)

It was because of her that I happened to visit the Vaidehi Ashram, quite coincidentally I must say. It was first week of January, during one of my usual visits to Hyderabad my mom casually asked me if I was free to visit the place with her. I said "Yes", frankly expecting nothing in return.

Happy are those children who have a mother to whom they can pour out their hearts and always count on her understanding, and a father in whose strength and loyalty they are so confident that they seek his advice and help all their lives. Many people long to be such parents to their children, and could be, if only they possessed enough wisdom and love. ~ Eberhard Arnold

... that one visit did change my life for good. I visited them again, this time with a pretext of my dad's birthday to spend some time with the girls. Fast forward few days..I took up this ambitious Fund Drive for the Vaidehi Ashram. Words cannot express how happy and humble I feel with the unprecedented response I received until now. More than 2 Lakh Rupees 2.84 Lakh Rupees have been raised with the help of 115 generous souls from all across the world.

Just to give you an idea what this money can do - It costs about 4,000 Rupees to feed all 108 children for 1 day. That means, with the money raised until now, the girls can eat their stomach full 3 times a day for 50 71 days! :-)

You can still participate. The Fund Drive is open till Feb 25th 2012, mid night. Click on the Chipin button above. More details here.

Now that we are talking about my mom, it is only befitting to share one of her signature recipes. Isn't it? - Eggplants/Brinjals stuffed with a spice paste made of ginger, salt, cumin seeds and red chilli powder. Simple as it sounds, it tastes just divine when served with hot rice and a dollop of ghee on the top!. My mouth is already watering.. :-)

Eggplant slit, ready to be stuffed

a simple spice paste of - ginger, cumin seeds, salt, turmeric and red chilli powder

 {Recipe} Eggplants Stuffed with a Spice Paste

Ingredients:

10 long green eggplants (small, round ones or long, purple ones can also be used), chopped into pieces and slit (see pic above)
2 tbsp oil

For Spice paste: Grind the following into a coarse paste (see pic above)

2 inches or 25 grams of ginger, washed, peeled, roughly chopped
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp red chilli powder (or more, if you can handle the hear ;-))
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt - to taste

Preparation:

1. Stuff a little spice paste (not too much) into each of the slit eggplant. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan (which has a cover) and add the stuffed eggplant pieces. Pour about 1/2 to 1 cup water. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 mins, until fork tender. Toss them around carefully for every 5 mins.

3. Serve with rice or roti. 

tastes best with rice and roti..

For Dinner tonight - Fresh Cilantro/Coriander ready to be dunked into a pulao..

Some more recipes featuring cilantro/coriander -

Hara Bhara Paneer Pulao
Rosemary Cheese Biscuits (substitute rosemary with cilantro and add some garam masala for an indian twist)
Paneer Methi Chaman
Roundup of Herb Mania: Coriander (for many ideas from fellow bloggers)

Cilantro, though devoid of its vibrant green color, still looks beautiful. Isn't it?

Posted the above pic for Susan's Black & White Wednesdays.

Bon Appetit everybody..

until next time,

Amma's Recipes: Cut Mirchi Bhajji (Double Fried Cut Chilli Fritters)

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Those of you all celebrating, Wishing you a very Happy Sankranthi. Also known as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in Punjab, Bihu in Assam, traditionally this is one of the harvest seasons in many parts of India. Hope this festival brings loads of happiness, prosperity and joy into your homes. :-)

Cut Mirchi Bhajji, best served hot

...there are many recipes are a must-to-make on this day - various kinds of pongals, desserts and appetizers for potlucks are just to name a few.

Mirchi Bhajji, as-is is the best snack ever..

To add to the list is today's recipe - Cut Mirchi Bhajji a.k.a Double Fried Cut Chilli Fritters which are just perfect for any occasion, not just festivals.

Choosing the right kind of peppers is important for bhajji to come perfect!

..a few hours with my mom today and we conjured up one of her recipes which she has learnt from a street vendor, literally speaking. Since then, she is so popular with her bhajjis that our friends, family and even my extended family members drop by for a serving of these deep-fried goodies. Trust me, they are that popular. :-)

 

{Recipe} Cut Mirchi Bhajji (Double Fried Cut Chilli Fritters)

Ingredients:

2 cups besan/chickpea flour
2 tbsp rice flour/beyyappindi
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt - taste
1/2 tsp eating soda/soda bi carb
10 long green peppers
oil for deep frying
1/2 onion, chopped + cut lemon slices + cilantro, for garnish

**Optional stuffing for peppers - 2 tbsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp amchur powder, little salt, 1/2 tsp ajwain: Grind to fine paste with little water

Preparation:

1. Wash and pat dry peppers. Make a vertical slit to the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes.

2. Fill peppers with little stuffing**.

3. Heat sufficient oil in a wok for deep-frying on medium-low heat. While it gets heated up, lets prepare the besan coating.

4. In a bowl, mix besan, rice flour, chilli powder, salt and eating soda. Add water little by little (without any lumps). Note: To a consistency where it doesn't drip easily and coats the peppers completely.

5. Once the oil is heated (Make sure the oil is NOT smoking hot.), dip each of the peppers into the besan paste. With one finger slide off the paste on one side of the mirchi, so that it cooks completely. (one nifty trick my mom learnt from a street vendor ;-) ).

6. Deep fry the peppers to a golden brown color. Drain them on to paper towel so that excess oil is drained off. Cool to room temperature. stop your urge to polish them off, we have just one more step to go ;-).

7. Cut each of fried peppers into 1 inch long pieces. Deep fry them again in medium hot oil until they turn crispy which will take only a minute. Drain them again on paper towels.

8. Serve with finely chopped onion, cilantro and lemon slices.

Lets Paint It 'Green': Mint Peanut Chutney {Pudina Chutney}

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No, it is not St. Patrick's Day yet. I will be 'going green' with my recipes, all of this week for an another reason. (Click here to know why) To know what it is, you gotta wait till December 31st 2011. :-).

On an another note, I can't believe that the last week of the year 2011 has already started and I have to post only 6 photographs more to finish my Project 365. Trust me, posting a photograph every day of the year has not been easy. Especially when we had to pack our bags and move back to India in April, I thought of just giving up. But, my love for photography was at its peak then, so couldn't let it go, just like that...and I am so glad I stuck with my decision. Or else, how else would I have captured my little sister's wedding (or) found out my new passion for Black and White photography...

Mint leaves are available in abundance in the markets. Go grab some and make this chutney..

For me, a piquant chutney is what completes a meal. I, sometimes just spread some on a piece of toasted bread and enjoy it as-is. Today's recipe -  Mint Peanut Chutney is one such combination which tastes delicious with everything and anything. It is incredibly easy to make and last for a good whole week when refrigerated. Enjoy!

Cook mint leaves and green chillies until wilted.

Grind the chutney to a consistency of  jam..

 Mint Peanut Chutney {Pudina Chutney}

Mint Peanut Chutney {Pudina Chutney}

Ingredients:

pudina/mint leaves, 1 big bunch (3 tightly-packed cups)
green chillies, 8-10 , halved
sesame seeds, 4 tbsp
peanuts, 4 tbsp
oil, 2 tsp
tamarind extract, 1 tbsp

Tadka -

oil, 1 tsp
urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds - 1 tsp of each
red chilli, 1
hing (asafoetida), pinch

Preparation:

1. In a pan, dry roast peanuts and sesame seeds. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil on a medium-low heat. Add mint leaves and green chillies. Cook for few minutes, until wilted. Season with salt and turmeric. Finally add tamarind extract. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Allow it to cool a bit.

3. Grind together - mint leaves mixture with dry roasted peanuts & sesame seeds. Adjust salt if needed.

4. In a small pan, heat oil and add all ingredients listed under 'Tadka', until slightly brown.

5. Add tadka to pudina chuntey and Serve with hot rice or with dosa or idli. Store the rest of it in an air-tight container & refrigerate until next use.

Here is what other FSB members have posted until now -

Mittu - Blueberry and Lavender Cream Pie [Violet]
Nags - Easy Basic Cake Pops [Blue]
DK - Risotto Alla Milanese [Yellow]
Deepti - Citrus Golden Sangria [Orange]
Lata - White and kidney beans falafels and spicy hot vandikkaran chutney, Filled and Grilled Red Peppers, Jam and Fruit Tart [Red]


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Give Away: 

It is Holiday Season and best time to spread some happy cheer all around. Its time to give-away something special to my readers who supported me all along the way. Check out these two give-aways - One for peeps in India and other for US residents and enter today, if you haven't already. Last Date - December 31st 2011.

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until next time,

{Recipe} Cointreau Diabolic and two exciting giveaways to win..

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Robert Fulghum sure knew a thing or two about partying as he once said - "If you want an interesting party sometime, combine cocktails and a fresh box of crayons for everyone.".. I agree too as a holiday-get-together is never complete without a fizzy, signature cocktail as it gets people into a jolly-good mood. That is when the real conversations will start. Isn't it :-)

..there are tons of cocktails that you can make this season, some within a span of minutes. Today's recipe is one such drink which uses Cointreau as its base. There is cranberry juice that renders a gorgeous color, strawberry puree for a nice, fruity feel and tabasco for a hint of spicy note.

{Recipe} Cointreau Diabolic

Ingredients:

50 ml cointreau
30 ml cranberry juice
20 ml lemon juice
10 ml strawberry puree
2 drops of tabasco

Preparation:

Mix in a shaker with ice. Pour into a Martini Glass. Serve.

Do you have any holiday signature cocktail ideas? I would love to know them all about them :-)

Now, coming to the fun part. I have planned two fun exciting give-aways this holiday season for readers in India and US. Sorry for others, but if you want to gift these for somebody in either of these two countries, you are most welcome to enter the giveaway!.

For peeps in India - A chance to win one full-year subscription of BBC Good Food India magazine.

BBC GoodFood is a magazine internationally popular for its devotion to fine dining. The magazine comes with great recipes for home cooking, and entertaining. Their triple-tested hand picked recipes make the magazine a must have for every kitchen. Each recipe is also paired with entertaining food photos and each issue also reveals culinary secrets from Internationally renowned chefs., BBC GoodFood India also comes packed with restaurant reviews and news on India’s dining scene. For the globe-trotting food-lover, they have recommendations for eating well across the world. In short, it is a must-have for every food-lover out there..

For US residents - A chance to win 75th Anniversary Edition of Joy Of Cooking.

The Joy of Cooking -- selected by The New York Public Library as one of the 150 most important and influential books of the twentieth century -- has taught tens of millions of people to cook, helped feed and delight millions beyond that, answered countless kitchen and food questions, and averted many a cooking crisis. JOY remains the greatest teaching cookbook ever written. 

This edition also brings back the encyclopedic chapter Know Your Ingredients. The chapter that novices and pros alike have consulted for over thirty years has been revised, expanded, and banded, making it a book within a book. Cooking Methods shows cooks how to braise, steam, roast, sauté, and deep-fry effortlessly, while an all-new Nutrition chapter has the latest thinking on healthy eating -- as well as a large dose of common sense. In addition to hundreds of brand-new recipes, this JOY is filled with many recipes from all previous editions, retested and reinvented for today's tastes.
 
How to enter these giveaways - very simple..:-)

Everybody - bloggers and non-bloggers can enter these giveaways. All you have to do is leave a comment when you -

1. 'Like' Cooking With Siri on Facebook
2. 'Follow' me on Twitter
3. Subscribe to the Cooking With Siri blog feed
4. RT this giveaway on your Twitter and/or Facebook.
5. Important: While leaving the comment, please mention your location - India or US, so that you are chosen for appropriate giveaways.

Do one or more of the above and leave a comment that you did so. If you are already following me on facebook, twitter or RSS feed, just leave a comment and you are automatically entered in the giveaway!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, December 31st 2011, midnight. Two winners - one from India and one from US will be randomly picked and announced on January 1st 2012.

Wishing you all Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays!

until next time,

Holiday Special: Vegan Christmas Tree Pie

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"When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow, we hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago, and etched on vacant places are half-forgotten faces of friends we used to cherish, and loves we used to know."  

~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox (American poet and writer 1850-1919)

The one place that reminds me when I think of Christmas and Snow together is - New York City. As a first-timer in 2007, I was mesmerized by its energy and sheer liveliness in almost every street. If you are one of them, who took long walks on Fifth Avenue, tightly hugging your snow coat with hood & woollen mittens on, strolling near almost every shop's window, while its slightly snowing, then you know what I am talking about. :-)

Food, if you wanna talk about that, then we can go on-and-on for hours and never get tired. Such is the vibrancy of NYC which is so infectious and many vivid memories are etched in hearts & minds of everybody who visits there.

Make holidays fun by baking these cute Vegan Christmas Tree Pies

Today's recipe is dedicated to the big Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony that happens every year near Rockefeller Centre, which marks the beginning of the holiday season and personally for me, it symbolizes how happy & fun holidays are..The tree, traditionally a Norway Spruce, is illuminated by 30,000 environmentally friendly LED lights on five miles of wire, and crowned by a Swarovski crystal star. :-)

..miss you New York City.. I hope we meet sometime, real soon!

Santa is here...to fulfil all our wishes..

Step 1: Roll a dough ball into almost a square. Fold opposite sides towards the centre to create a rough mark. 

Step 2: Fold sides back and make cuts perpendicular to the mark, as shown in the picture above.

Step 3: Place some filling in the centre area. 

Step 4: Start folding the strips alternatively from the top, until the very end..

Finally, it would look like this - a Christmas Tree Pie is ready to go into the oven..

Pie Filling - Cauliflower, Potato, Peas with Indian spices.

Perfect for potlucks, parties and these are so much fun to make for family & friends..

Christmas Tree Pie..cut open..

{Recipe} Vegan Christmas Tree Pie

Adapted from Veganlovlie

Ingredients:

For the pie crust:

all-purpose flour, 2 cups
canola oil, 4.5 tbsp
water, 5-6 tbsp (to form a soft, non-sticky dough)

For the filling:

cauliflower florets, thinly sliced, 2 cups
potatoes, cut into small cubes, 1 cup
(fresh/frozen) green peas, 1/2 cup
onion, 1 small, finely chopped
tomato, 1 small, finely chopped
garlic clove, 1 or 2, finely minced
turmeric, 1/4 tsp
salt, to taste (Note: Add a little less salt as the pie crust is already salted)
coriander powder, 1 tsp
red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp
olive oil, 2 tsp
soymilk with a pinch of turmeric, for glazing

Preparation:

To make the dough:

Mix oil into the flour and mix in with fingers until it look more like fine breadcrumbs. Then slowly add water, little by little and knead to form a smooth, non-sticky dough. Divide into 3 balls.

To make the filling:

1. Heat oil in a pan on a low-medium heat and add onions & garlic. Cook until translucent and raw smell goes away.

2. Add potatoes and cook them half-way through. Next add cauliflower. Mix in and cook until slightly tender.

3. Add peas. At any stage, don't add any water. The filling has to dry, so that you don't end up with soggy pies..

4. Add tomatoes. Stir and mix well.

5. Season with salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and coriander powder. Cook for couple of more minutes.

6. Allow to cool the filling completely.

Assemble -

1. As per the photographs above, roll, cut and fill the pies.

2. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)

3. Place the pies on a greased baking sheet and brush with some (soymilk + turmeric) mixture.

4. Bake for 30-40 mins until light golden colour. Serve and enjoy..

Note: If you are feeling too lazy to make the pie crust, then use store-bought puff pastry, thaw and follow the same procedure.

Happy Holidays everybody..:-)

until next time,

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