Spinach Tadka Raita

Popeye come visiting...'tis the season to eat healthy,to eat healthy....
I have just been validated!

This Spinach Tadka Raita was an accompaniment to yesterdays semolina Idlis...http://baketitude.blogspot.com/2011/11/semolina-idlis.html.
Validated ,because of all the junk I keep eating ,I try and have an equal amount of the good stuff.Today,a visit to the Hundru Falls,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundru_Falls...I was the one to reach the top after a run down 300+ steps and then a climb back....first amongst the women....most thinner and younger than me!
And I wasn't even huffing and puffing ...like the wolf in the three little pigs.
So good food rocks!
That's why this!

Colander full of washed and drained spinach ,to make the really healthy and hardly any fuss Spinach Tadka Raita.I was introduced to this by my friend Reetika Parasher many ,many years ago.When sweet child o'mine was still in his diapers.He loved eating his spinach this way ,so I never complained.
Without further ado...
for the
Spinach Tadka Raita...

you need

250 gms fresh spinach
250 gms cold yogurt
100 gms roasted salted peanuts
salt and red chili flakes to taste
1/2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
curry leaves

The washed and drained spinach in the pressure cooker,just one pressure.If you don't use a pressure cooker,just cook the spinach in a pan till it leaves its liquid and then becomes limp...almost 1/8 th what it was.

Like this.Use the leftover liquid to puree the spinach.

Like this.In a mixing bowl....

Into this add the yogurt. Idealy you should whisk them together to remove all lumps.

The peanuts.Straight out of the bag....you can ,of course ,roast your own,but who hast the time....

I pounded the bag with a rolling pin to crush the nuts.And dumped 100 gms into the bowl.

Mix well and now check the seasoning....salt and red chili flakes.

Now the tadka...yes tadka on raita.
The oil....heated...

Into it ,the mustard seeds to pop.You can add the curry leaves,but since all our dishes yesterday had curry leaves,I skipped.

I'm not taking the oil,only the seeds .....
almost like a garnish....but the oil has all the flavour.

On the raita,and dotted with the red chili flakes.

Pretty and pretty nutritious.....

Snack,accompaniment to lunch or even lunch.....all healthy stuff.
All good stuff.
Enjoy!


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Chocolate Cup Cakes-Egg less

What a relief.....something chocolate and egg less!And bite sized to top it all.Did I mention low fat!

Bell ringing! I'll say Bells!

These are chocolate cup cakes with frosting half and half.I used the substitute for cream cheese -hung curd along with non dairy cream.

Non Dairy cream is extremely difficult to whip at home,but the fact that it is vegan and comparatively low in fat....thumbs up!Hung Curd,well cream cheese is  dream in Ranchi,That does make the frosting a little tangy,but the contrast in flavours is nice.If you are not the type to experiment with flavours stick to plain whipped cream.Oops I also forgot the chocolate
frosting! http://baketitude.blogspot.com/2011_10_22_archive.html...to help get you by!These were for the friends who were involved in the event.Frosting slathered on...no time to ice!

Next time I will!Promise!
That brings on this...awesome number.Old,but still,at least your shoulders will move to the beat.
1 calorie
2 calorie...
get the picture???

Cute guy too!

This recipe is an adapted version from Nita Mehta's Cakes and Bakes,never seen but recipe handed down by my mums best friend....Mrs Darshana Goyal.....many yummy, tummy pleasing moments there...

for the 

Chocolate Cup Cakes-Egg less...

you need

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup yogurt

4 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp instant coffee powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda

1 cup butter.

Cups are cool ,because the measurements are all the same,so stick to standard cup sizes,between 175 mils to 200 mils.Don't go overboard with cup Americana...that whoops the baking powder into a frenzy.I used standard cup size.
Really simple.The baker was forcefully assisted by the mess maker.When we started,I put 1 cup of butter in the mixing bowl,5 minutes later.....there was -just 2 spoons left.Been fed to the dog and some crazy utensil burning experiment.
So butter's loss was made up by refined oil.Sundrop Refined sunflower oil used here!

To this add the sugar and beat.

That's the cocoa powder and the coffee.Dissolve in HOT water first and then add.If you use cold water,you will get lumps and the colour of the cup cakes will be pale.

Now added...

Into this add the yogurt....

See,he was waiting for the final batter.

That's the vanilla.And the picture of the sifted flour got lost in the struggle between baker and  the mess maker.PS sift the flour with the baking powder and beat it into the liquid ingredients.Don't over beat.The batter will be thick.You can use this for a convection oven ...at 180C/350F,in a greased and floured tin for 35-40 Min's.How ever we,ZAP here.

So the batter needs to be diluted with milk.

To pourable consistency.Not as thick as Heinz Ketchup........POUR!into the cups...

On the microwave plate.

In at 70% power or medium for 6-9 minutes.You need to check after the 6 minute mark.The cakes leave the edges...you know they are done!

Cooling ,waiting for the frosting.
That's the hung Curd ,with icing sugar....beaten...

And added to the whipped cream!

OK ,Happy faces....

No two...happy faces....a study in concentration!

So Soft!....Not like an egg sponge...but ...

This was for my two egg resisting friends....Richa Sharma and Ritu Sharma......not related in this birth,.....but very much joint at the hip now!

The evening was fun...
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara...So EAT! In the Lingua Pura You only live once....

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Semolina Idlis

Eloquently put ,these are a more nutritious ,filling version of the MTR Rawa Idlis.Just in case you were keeping tabs,the past few days I have not been very regular ,or a very conscientious baker bragging about my baketitude.Circumstances ,my dearies,circumstances...
There was an event that I was organising ,which got postponed just a the nth hour due to a death.Suddenly the frenzy has been put to a standstill,and I feel almost bereft. It is indeed very difficult to relax when you know the guillotine still hangs.So ,what does one do?Get everybody out of the house and indulge in some therapy.....Food! Cooked to perfection ,by ones own self!There is some thing therapeutic indeed!
So for lunch...Semolina Idlis and Panchmel Dal(I had only 3 Dal's so its not quite Panchmel)

This plate full of goodness is just that ...goodness!
Goodness of semolina..one of the easiest cereals to digest(OK -a by product of a cereal)
Three vegetables...all coloured ,so full of beta carotene ,amongst other things,and baked or steamed to top all that.
Nothing could be better.
I recently saw a version of the Semolina Idlis on Anjum Anand's TV show on BBC Entertainment,but hers was made like a cake with no tadka.Well this is how I make my Semolina Idlis.

My car pool partner from my working days in Alwar ,Rajasthan used to make something similar, only Rani Anil Kumar loved carrots a little less, and her idlis were almost always  greener than mine.But that never took away from the taste factor.

Rajasthan introduced me to many flavours ,and with my friends from Kerala,West Bengal ,Uttrakhand and of course Rajasthan....every meal we shared  together was such a wonderful pot pourri of flavours.Flavours that still linger ,just like memories of the good times we spent together.
Cheers to good times!

Well this post pays homage to some of those memories and the lovely stuff made by Rani Anil Kumar.

for the
Semolina Idlis...
you need

2 cups semolina or suji
1 cup yogurt(preferably sour)
1 cup finely chopped capsicum
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp ghee or refined oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp roasted chana dal(optional)
1-2  tsp cashew nuts coarsely chopped
finely chopped coriander and a couple of finely chopped green chillies
pinch asafetida
3/4 tsp baking soda or eno fruit salt
ghee to grease the idli moulds
salt and red chili powder or flakes to taste

Start with the semolina.Dry roast the semolina in a pan till the raw smell dissipates and it begins to smell toasty.

In the meanwhile the other stuff,starting with the yogurt....

And the veggies..

Now dunked into the yogurt,if you want you can substitute the veggies with those of your choice. Along with the salt and red chili powder to taste...

Now for the exciting part...the tadka.In a small pan ,heat the ghee.Ghee has a high smoking point,so it is ideal for tadkas.That's why we say the ancients knew it all.The key is moderation.

That's the stuff for the  tadka....the cashew nuts ,the mustard seeds,curry leaves,the roasted chana dal and the green chillies.Hubby dear has been suffering from mouth ulcers for the last two weeks ,depriving us of our chili fix.Today the big boss was not home for lunch ,so the banished chillies were brought back...the little bushes were too scared to produce all this while....so I could only use these tiny  chili"ette"s.
Asofetida in the white spoon...did not use all,just a tiny pinch.

First went in the asofetida,then the mustard seeds and now the chana Dal.Sizzling and popping as if their life depended on it.(sic).

Then went the cashewnuts.We want them nice and fried,not burnt.Because they need to be strong enough to give a crunch even after being cooked in the idlis.

And last of all,window dressing! The Curry leaves....the flavour is INTENSE!For us,that's what defines south Indian cuisine......coconut oil and curry leaves.

Into the bowl with a handful of chopped coriander leaves.F.Y.I.Coriander has properties to fight salmonella! So next time dunk something into the green chutney!

Now the fruit salt Eno  or the baking soda.Mix really well!

That's the amount of ghee needed to grease the idlis.Would you believe, that the second I turned the oven on the Gods of war turned the electricity off. Torture......

I had to go looking for back up.That came in the form of these old...really old idli moulds(they were my mums,who kindly dumped them on me to use in exigent situations...She lives in the civilized part of the country,where power outages are few and far between.)So,mum to the rescue....Only I had to scrub them and dry them and grease them too....

And put a spoonful of the batter onto the moulds and set them to steam.Depending on your steamer,10-15 minutes.They need to rest at least 5 minutes before you serve them ,otherwise they don't cut clean.

And just when I was wondering what was to become of the leftover batter...the electricity electrified the heavens err ovens....

So microwaved at 70% power or medium for 5 minutes.Resting time at least 5 minutes either way.
Clean cut....but the portrait mode was wonky.

Correction..Now get ready to be happy.

Tadke wala Dahi....that link waits to be posted.That link is now here....tada!
http://baketitude.blogspot.com/2011/11/spinach-tadka-raita.html

Shakespeare said..."If Music be the food of love...then play on..."
Well Amitabh Bachchan singing Hanuman Chalisa....

 +

Soul food Indeed!

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