Masala chai

I don't know when and how I started loving tea, it was a slow friendship but I know its a strong bond.

I like it with milk, without milk, flavoured, after I started enjoying my cuppa tea I realised there are many interesting recipes world over in brewing tea.

Once I heard a story, it's chinese folklore that tea was invented by just boiling its leaves on large pots, but soon became a popular drink as it elevated the person who drank it.

Then there is irani tea, I know a shop where they sell exclusive irani chai, even the name of the shop is so!

As my desire grew to explore more flavours of humble tea, I came across kashmiri khawa, then our own malabar sulaimani chai.

My love affair with tea is not ending there, I have tasted silver leaves tea in Sri Lanka, green tea at Munnar,  hibiscus tea, black berry, cardamom, clove, ginger, aracanut, peppermint, mint, moringa, mulethi and lemon, blackcurrant, apple and cranberry, chamomile, blueberry and honey, oolong tea....

Don't you feel like having a cup of freshly brewed tea right now?

Lentils crepe (Adai)

#Lentils crepe (adai) it require overnight soaking of chana dal, urad, tuvar, masoor, green moong with the skin and boiled rice for about 8 hours.

Morning grind it with two green chillies, jeera, crushed pepper and salt to a coarse paste. Add chopped coriander leaves and heeng powder. Adjust salt.

Heat thick dosa tawa, grease it with little gingly oil, spread a ladle full of batter, cook both sides until golden crispy.

Serve with coriander chutney.

Coriander chutney

A bunch of fresh coriander leaves, wash and dry. In a mixer grinder add chopped coriander leaves, two green chillies, one chopped onion, one lemon extract, salt and sugar. Grind by adding a little water if needed.  Adjust salt and serve with lentils crepe.

Moong dal soup

Moong dal soup with crushed pepper, ginger, tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves, garlic, celebrating cold and caugh, a gift received from the mountains! It's fun to sit with a cup of hot ginger tea and sipping soup. Achooooo! 💞

A handfuls of moong dal, cooked with 3 cups of water. I have roasted a few garlic pods, a small piece of ginger, crushed pepper and salt. Two small ripe tomatoes. Cook it for one whistle, when it reaches normal temperature, pour it into a soup bowl, garnish with chopped coriander leaves. If you like add more hand crushed pepper, it helps you fight cold and caugh during winters. 

Aloo parathas

Breakfast, I was thinking about it as soon as I got up, made a cup of oats porridge for myself, still unwell.  Leftover kneaded atta came for rescue. Quickly boiled few potatoes made a stuffing with chopped onions, crushed ginger, dhaniya jeera powder, a little dry red chilli powder, turmeric powder, a few thinly sliced green chillies, 3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves, salt.

By the time potatoes were cooked in the pressure cooker, removed and peeled and smashed them  along with onions. Added a handfuls of black raisins. That's the secret or surprise element in the parathas.

Divided the dough into twelve pieces and filled stuffing into it, then it was a marathon of rolling parathas while cooking them in tawa, with a dash of ghee.

Preserved one potato for Marco, made parathas for him without raisins, salt and masalas, adding a little butter, he polished his parathas. So we all with masala chai, butter and pickle. Yum!

Lauki raitha (Bottle gourd)

#Lauki (bottle gourd) raitha,  I have paired  lauki raitha with mixed vegetables rice,

Wash, peel and grate lauki, cook the grated lauki in one cup of water until tender, extract excess water, I drink the stock, spread the cooked lauki in a serving bowl , let it cool, add thick curd, a pinch of heeng powder, red chilli powder, jeera powder and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Adjust salt. 

I have added a tablespoon of boiled potatoes, it gives a grainy texture to the raitha.

Served it with mixed vegetables rice.

Mixed vegetables rice

#Lunch #mixedvegetablesrice, I have soaked the #basmathi rice for about 20 minutes and added less water to it and kept for 1 whistle.

Pour oil or ghee in a preheated kadai add whole spices like #jeera, #saunf, whole peppercorns, star annise and bay leaves, once they emit aroma add chopped #onion, #garlic, saute for a while, add #potatoes, #carrots, #beetroot, #beans, #peas, #tomatoes, mix well, let it cook in its own juice for about 7 to 8 minutes in medium flame. Gently mix in between so that they don't get burned at the bottom. Add salt. Mix in

Spread the rice in a plate or tray, let it cool.

Mix in one portion of cooked vegetables and rice, mix in keep repeating until the rice and vegetables get over, adjust salt, garnish with chopped coriander and serve with raitha of your choice. I will be serving it with #louki (#bottlegourd) #raitha.

Long beans (payar) and beans thoran

Beans and long beans thoran

Ingredients 

15 beans

300 grams long beans

2 tablespoon coconut 

1 green chilli 

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp broken urad dal, I used the black broken ones

1/4 tsp jeera

1/2 tsp chana dal

Salt as required 

1/2 tsp jeera powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

Method 

*Wash, trim and chop beans and long beans into small pieces.

*Make a coarse paste out of grated coconut and green chilli.

*In a preheated pan pour oil, add mustard, urad dal, chana dal, jeera and broken red chilli. Allow mustard to splutter.

*Add chopped beans and long beans. Mix well, let it cook in medium flame for about 5 minutes. 

*Now mix in turmeric, jeera, coriander and red chilli powder and give a toss.

*Cook further for about 5 to 6 minutes or till the vegetables are tender and evenly cooked.

*Adjust salt, add coarsely ground coconut paste, add a few curry leaves, mix in, off the stove.

*Serve as a side dish with rasam, sambar. I like it with phulkas and steamed rice.