Sindhi Rasoi

First things first….Hello Everybody…Hope everything around you is working just fine. For me….umm…I am kept madly occupied with crazy things here, and no..i am not here today to crib for petty issues.I know each one of you struggles with life on daily basis, so lets forget about ugliness around and talk about some good things…Shall we?

Well i cannot move ahead without Thanking all the lovely people around here, who kept in touch with me via  comments, Emails, Twitter, Facebook , orkut etc. I am Overwhelmed !
This is not my proper comeback, its just that i find it hard to resist Jugalbandi’s Click , so despite of utter chaos around me, i was tempted to click one for this month’s theme…STACKS.
So Jai & Bee, this one is for you guys…though i know that fried stuff is considered inedible thing in your Lexicon, i couldn’t hold myself to click this, when i made some Sabudana wadas.To compensate for the unhealthy fried thingiessss, there is some Tomato and spiced paneer slices, and some Mango cubes, and yeah some spiced yogurt drizzled over wadas…all stacked up …..A perfect match for the rainy season here……

So enjoy this dear readers, while i gear up for upcoming hurdles in my life.No …Do not worry…its just a shifting of home to a completely new place, that is driving us crazy, so just give me some more time to adjust to my surroundings before i revert back to blogging.
Till then do keep in touch, and enjoy good food, good life !

Ps:Nowadays i am constantly worried about what to pack in my kid’s lunchbox , coz his new school have two lunch breaks, and he refuses to
eat lunch , after coming back home. So i have to pack some good healthy stuff, to ensure that he is getting his daily dose of nutritious food.
So can you all, the innovative mothers(and fathers/aunts/sisters etc.) share some good ideas about Kid’s Lunchbox, keeping in mind that his school do not provide facilities like food warmer or MW.
I am planning a food event with the same theme, but till i breathe some peaceful moments to work upon that, do keep pouring all your suggestions.If possible do send me the pictures of packed lunchbox, to give me some idea , how to pack particular things.And please..No pastas, maggies etc.
I will anxiously wait for all the suggestions and tips on that. So do share with me some workable Recipes for kid’s Lunchbox.My Email Id is sindhirasoi@gmail.com
Until we meet again, Good bye and take care !

Farewell, My Friends, Adieu

I hate to say good-bye
Yet we have to say farewell
For we shall meet again
That I can foretell

The future is unpredictable
Tomorrow is uncertain
Keep our laughs and memoirs
But I wish you have no burden

We shall keep on learning
Remain as students and become as mentors
Face the unknown with confident yearning
Pursue our life endeavors

Farewell, my friends, adieu
I utter it with pain
Farewell, my friends, adieu
In sunshine or in rain

Farewell, my friends, adieu
This day would come, we knew
Our dreams we shall pursue
For now, my friends, adieu
With a heavy heart and these words by Dhainee Pfafflin, i wave you Good bye.

Yeah I am feeling terrible as i write down these words, but then for some unavoidable reasons, i am taking a break from Blogging. For how long ?? Well it may be for just a week or a month or many…future is unseen and unpredictable. But if you…each Dear visitor of this blog, do your bit to keep this blog alive in my absence, by visiting it , digging out some old posted recipes here, Sharing your comments and views, despite of knowing that i may not be able to respond…then rest assured that i will be back with a bang, soon. Or else……sigh….

So keep those Emails pouring in my  Inbox, keep sending your recipes, drop in a line or two at sindhirasoi (at) gmail(dot) com, keep writing few flattering ( Lol) comments , keep updating me with the events hosted and the round ups, so that i don’t miss out all the fun while i am not here. I will surely go through all the mails  as and when possible

Before I move on with a new chapter in my life, here is yet another Sindhi delicacy, though not a healthy one…but those of you, who relish potato chips , cakes, pastries etc, this is not more sinful than those. And taste wise….hmm…its a lovely way to enjoy potatoes

Potato Took as we call this Double fried potato in Sindhi, is generally served with Kadhi Chaawal...another Sindhi Signature dish. But this is equally loved with Bhughe chaawal or any type of Biryani/Pulav too.

The picture here shows, some sinful Took Patata , with vegetable Pulav , Papad, and some paneer burji, which was a leftover from previous meal. The burji doesnt actually goes with pulav, but since i was about to eat it anyway, why not flaunt it…lol

Recipe of Took Patata( Double fried crisp Potato snack) ?? Well there is hardly any, still..

Ingredients:

• Potatoes 4
• Salt
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
• Red chilly powder 1/4 tsp (Or as per taste)
• Amchoor powder(Dry mango powder) 1/4 tsp
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Peel and cut potatoes into four pieces (Take medium sized potatoes)
• Slit them in criss- cross pattern, not very deep
• Add Salt to potatoes, and keep aside for 2- 4 minutes
• Rinse them with some water
• Heat oil in Kadhai or frying pan and gently slide the pieces in oil
• Fry on high heat for few seconds, lower the heat and put a lid over the pan, putting some extra weight (like heavy utensil etc) above it
• Let these cook until just done, and remove from oil
• Gently flatten these with palm of your hands (beware not to scald your hands) pressing these on a flat surface like rolling board or flat(back) side of a plate.Do not do this harshly or else the potato will crumble and turn into messy stuff. Skip this step if you are not comfortable with it
• Drop the pieces again in hot oil, frying on high heat, until crisp and golden brown
• Remove all the oil from pan( or remove potatoes, transfer the oil in some container and put the potatoes back in pan)
• Sprinkle some salt if needed, and all other dry masalas, mix well for 2-4 seconds
• Do not cover these with any lid, or else these will lose the crispness. So serve immediately and Relish.By the time you crib about calories, the potato TOOK will lose its crispness, so fret upon it later

Ps: The plate above (in which food is served) travelled all the way from Uk to Mumbai. Thank You Dear Sk, for a thoughtful gift

Sindhis Love Food…Period !

I can go on and on about the variety of food that we love to indulge in ,  but it will be meaningless, since i believe every culture and religion have Gems of Recipes and boasting that only Sindhis have some great recipes that nothing in world could beat,  might sound too immodest.

But trust me when i say that Sindhi Cuisine have one such recipe which is hard to beat in simplicity, nutrition, easy availability of ingredients  and awesome taste .

Utter Spinach and you might need to fabricate stories of Popeye to make kids open their mouths to actually make way for that green stuff, forced down  through their throats , hanging on the hope that their biceps(or triceps) will swell up like Popeye , making them strong.

So bless our ancestors, who thought of this Wonderful potpourri of Greens, lentils, vegetables, spices and flavors all in one pack called Saibhaji, more boastfully called as SINDHI SAIBHAJI

So what is this hype,  all about? What is a Saibhaji ?

Saibhaji=Sai(Green) +Bhaji (Vegetable)

Also , Spinach + Fresh Fenugreek leaves + Khatta paalak / chuka (Ambat chauka) + Dill leaves + Brinjal + Arbi + Okra + Potato + Onion+ Bengal gram+Tomato = Sindhi Saibhaji

Sounds tiresome? Nah …its simple to make, and yumm to eat. Still doubtful ? Then why not try it out yourself ?

Sindhi Saibhaji

Ingredients

• Spinach 1 Bunch (Approximately 300 gms)
• Khatta (chuuka, khatti paalak) few leaves. If you wish not to add any tomatoes than kindly add more leaves for sourness.Inversely if you are unable to fetch Khatta leaves add double the tomatoes i.e 4 tomatoes
• Dill leaves or Sua… few (depending on your taste)
• Fresh Fenugreek leaves (A handful).If unavailable, use 1 tsp of kasuri methi instead
• Tomatoes 2 Medium sized (If less of khatta paalak is used or else skip tomatoes to get that perfect green colour)
• Brinjal (Egg Plant) 1 Small
• 1 okra(bhindi), 1 small potato(either or both)
• Arbi(kachaloo) 1/2(optional)
• Onions 2
• Channa Dal (Bengal Gram Dal) 1 small cup(soak for at least 1/2 hr after rinsing few times with water)
• Green Chillies 2-3
• Ginger a bit
• Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil 1-2 tbsp

Method

• Wash spinach leaves along with khatta , methi(you can  use 1 tspn of kasuri methi in case fresh leaves are unavailable) and Suaa (dill leaves) and chop them well
• Peel and chop Arbi, onions and potatoes. Chop brinjal  and  Okra too. Do not forget to keep these veggies submerged in a bowl of water as soon as you chop these. In case you do not have all these veggies, just brinjal and onion will do, or just okra and potato with onion will help to make the Saibhaji mushy.This mix of vegetables is called as VAKHAR in Sindhi

• Heat oil in pressure cooker, add Vakhar (the chopped veggies in bowl) and saute it till tender

• Add chopped spinach leaves along with khatta, methi and sua , tomatoes, green chillies, ginger,  all dry masalas, salt, chana dal and mix well(Note: Many prefer to just throw in everything in pressure cooker and not mix, going by the belief that mixing the spinach will result in taking long to cook. I somehow can’t resist mixing the stuff before closing the lid of cooker. So you can choose your way)
• Add little water and close the lid.Wait for atleast 7-8 whistles open the lid , mash it well with whisker , and adjust its consistency to a semi dry one
• Many also prefer a Garlic Tadka (Tempering). But in our family , Saibhaji is made this way
• It could   be served with almost everything , ranging from plain steamed rice, to bhuge chawal, veg biryani , Koki or Doda.
• But saibhaji is most relished with Bhughe Chaawal (Bhugha Chaanwaran). So it becomes mandatory to share its recipe too here

Bhughe Chaawal:

Bhugha chaanwaran or Bhughe chaawal is nothing but rice cooked with browned onion (caramalized), spiced up with some red chilly powder and Garam Masala

Ingredients:

• Rice 1 cup
• Onion 1
• Red chilli powder,  Few pinches(As per Taste)
• Tejpatta (bay leaf) 1
• Cloves 2-3
• Black cardamon, 1(only skin)
• Dalchini 1 inch stick (Note instead of Khada masala, Garam masala powder can also be used for non spicy taste, so in that case use  1/4 tsp of garam masala powder )
• Salt as per taste
• Oil 1 tbsp

Method:

• Wash and soak rice for half hour  if using non basmati rice, or if Basmati, then just for 10 minutes
• In a handi, put one tbspn of oil, and add sliced onion, and khada masala
• Fry on medium flame till onion turns dark brown in colour(But do not let it get charred)
• Add redchilli powder, (and garam masala powder in case khada masala is not used) and rice and fry for about a min
• Add water, double the quantity of rice , add salt and let it boil
• You can add some shelled peas and chunks of potatoes and/or Tinda(Apple gourds ).In that case first add potatoes and let it boil for few minutes and then add rice
• Simmer and cover it with a lid till rice is cooked
• Serve piping hot with Sindhi Saibhaji and enjoy the Made -in-Heaven combination of food

Note: I prefer to make this rice in pressure cooker, following the same procedure, just that a bit less of water is used and 2 whistles of pressure cooker are enough to cook these

And this goes to Dear Nags of Edible Garden(cooking and me), who is hosting Monthly Mingle # 33 -Ravishing Rice. Monthly mingle is a  brainchild of Lovely Meeta

The first picture shows Saibhaji with bhughe chaawal , roti, Fried Brinjal and Arbi….A traditional Lunch for sindhis. And oh how can i forget Papad, its indispensable with traditional meals

Thats all for today, and before signing off, can i share one of my most favorite Sindhi song ? Check it here

Cookies are yet another type of food which i am not really fond off. The Refined flour, sugar and loads of butter is not my way of adding up calories. I will prefer to  indulge in some Chaat or fried savory munchies for same number of  Kcal, then nibbling on some sweet stuff like this.

So what are the cookies doing here, you may wonder. Well anything for Jugalbandits…Even cookies !

This month’s  Click theme is Cookies and here I am with Honey and oatmeal cookies , though bit healthier than plain ones but too sweet for my tastebuds.These comes straight from Café Coffee Day, a place where the Menu hardly have anything to hold my interest, yet it has some nice Ambience to spend few moments with friends

The pic here has a cup of Masala Tea, with Honey and Oatmeal Cookies and the Lovely Cookie Box (partly made from wood) is a gift from My Hubby’s Friend