Sindhi Rasoi

 Koki ,a typical sindhi flatbread,made by using wheatflour is my entry for sri’s Rotimela.

Actually i had already posted it on my site long back(it’s here),but as per the rules if i wish to participate in the event i have to re-post it.

Lots of people,specially those who are not much aware of blogging world are confused as what does this ENTRY for particular blog means?
Well to put it in simple way,there are many wonderful food blogs on internet which are nothing but food sites where one can find fantastic recipes from all over the globe,with  snapshots that will make u drool,some gossips and ofcourse loads of info.There, bloggers share not only their wonders in kitchen ,but also blunders in kitchen.yes ,these bloggers are those honest people,who will not only share the secret recipes ,but will also scream from rooftops about their failed culinary attempts.

Some brave bloggers announce an event for a particular month(or week),wherein they provide a theme,based on which you have to make a recipe,and post it on your site .Also a link is send to the host site.At the end of given period all entries are listed on host site and best ones win a blog award(sounds wonderful,isn’t it?)Then what about those who wish to participate but don’t have a site of their own?Well these generous souls ,still allow you to participate,all one has to do is to mail the recipe …..thats it!

so here is my contribution ;

Koki

Ingredients:

• 4 cups wheat flour (makes 2 koki)
• 1 onion large finely chopped
• 3 green chillies finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. ghee or oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Annardana
• salt to taste
• Oil for shallow frying

Method:

• Chop onions very fine.
• Sieve flour ,add salt,onions,annardana(optional),cumin seeds,onions,chopped greenchillies,coriander leaves and oil(excluding oil for shallow frying)
• Mix well add very little water, knead into a stiff dough.
• Take half portion ,Roll into a thick small round
• Slightly roast it on both sides on hot tawa again roll it with rolling pin till it reaches thickness of paratha
• Place it on tawa again,cook on each side,adding little oil or ghee from sides,on medium flame,till very small brown patches appears on surface
• Repeat for remaining dough.
• Serve hot with Curd or tea or Papad
• It has a shelf life of about 24 hrs,so is ideal for picnics or while travelling long distances

This mango jam or as we call it MURBA in sindhi,is a jam like preparation,made from raw mangoes and this is my entry for WBB# 22 Mango madness.

Mango….It is hard to describe what does a mango means to a Mango-eccentric person like me.Those who knows what does eating a ripe,juicy,sweet alphonso means,surely knows what does heaven means We in India ,specially in Mumbai are blessed  to have such a great variety of mangoes.Alphonso,Badam,Totapuri,Rajapuri,Daseri,Langda…..U name it,we get it here in Mumbai.No childhood have grown without sucking those tangy Kacha Kairis(unripe mangoes) with salt and red chilly powder, eating outside school gates(Don’t know about boys,but female folk will nod in yes for sure).Almost all of us have those fond memories of relishing sweet mangoes in hot summer afternoons.I remember my childhood as enjoying the succulent portion of mango attached to its seed,without being bothered about the mango juice trickling down the arm.Who cares for the food etiquettes when you are enjoying the King of fruits?

So here is one more way of having your mango Murba is a grated Mango pickle that is sweet and bit tangy.  it has the consistency of a marmalade but with lots of grated slivers of mango in it. It could be compared with the Chunda made by Gujratis,in its appearance and ingredients,but the difference lies in its taste(Chunda is more authentic and tasty)and the time of preparation(chunda is sundried for 40 days,while this one is instant).It could be used as  spreads  onto anything and can be used as a relish. One can enjoy this with,koki or parathas too So here is Recipe of this mango jam,which comes from my Ma-in-law.I am sure whoever makes it, will love it! Now what are you thinking ?Just go and grab some raw mangoes ,there’s no better way to make use of this sultry summer,except making lots of this jam and storing to last for whole year

Ingredients:

Method:

It’s raining events in food blogging world,and almost every blogger is probably spending most of her/his time in sorting out recipes that fit for an event ,cooking them,clicking,and posting…..Phew…..loads of work!But who’s complaining?As long as praise and awards keep coming,bloggers won’t get tired. Isn’t it?

This time i came across Susan of foodblogga,and immediately started searching for a recipe that would do justice to both the blogs i.e it should be something  calcium -rich- ingredient based and should be the one that is regularly cooked in a sindhi Kitchen.So finally i  freezed my search on this Paneer dish,which is very popular among sindhis and its calcium rich too.

I would like to take this opportunity to share some of the less known things about “Healthy bones”.Though much is talked about vit D,and calcium being the strongest factors for strong bones,very less is talked about some less significant but important elements like magnesium and copper.According to WHFoods ,  an essential component of many enzymes, copper plays a role in a wide range of physiological processes including iron utilization, elimination of free radicals, development of bone and connective tissue.  Copper is also necessary for the activity of lysyl oxidase, an enzyme involved in cross-linking collagen and elastin, both of which provide the ground substance and flexibility in blood vessels, bones and joints. Numerous health problems can develop when copper intake is inadequate, including iron deficiency anemia, ruptured blood vessels, osteoporosis, joint problems such as rheumatoid arthritis etc

Another element is magnesium which is also vital for healthy bones. About two-thirds of the magnesium in the human body is found in our bones. Some helps give bones their physical structure, while the rest is found on the surface of the bone where it is stored for the body to draw upon as needed.

So if we start dissecting the ingredients for this recipe called”Paneer burji”,we can see that it has Paneer or cottage cheese which is a known calcium rich dairy product (approx 400 mg of calcium per 100 gms of paneer).secondly cashewnuts(paste /grinded/pounded) used here are good source of copper and magnesium …0.76 mg and 89.05 mg respectively ,per 35gms of cashewnuts.This recipe also calls for use of milk which again is an excellent source of calcium ,approximately 300 mg of calcium per 8 fluid ounces (1 cup) .Besides tomatoes,fenugreek leaves also contribute to calcium content of this recipe to certain extent.Well…. if name of butter,milk,cashew paste rings alarming bells in your weight conscious ears,u can omit any of these,and this paneer will still taste amazing.

Since i m not a certified dietician,i might be wrong in many of my assumptions and calculations and suggestions .I would like susan to review this one and let me know if my findings are inaccurate or irrelevant.

Well healthy or not……but one thing i m sure,it does taste heavenly.So enjoy !

Ingredients:

• Paneer or cottage cheese 250 gms
• Onions 2 small
• Tomatoes 2 medium sized
• Green chillies 2-3
• Bayleaf  1
• Salt as per taste
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• Garam masala powder 1/4 tspn
• Cashew nut paste 2 tspn
• Kitchen king masala less than 1/4 tspn
• Kasoori methi(dried fenugreek leaves) 1/2 tspn
• Oil 2 tspn
• Butter (optional)
• Milk 1/2 cup

Method:

• Take 2 tspn of oil in a kadai or pan,and add chopped onions and a bayleaf(omit it if u dont need very spicy stuff)
• Saute onions on medium flame(have patience),this way onions will impart sweet taste to the dish
• After onions turn light brown,add grated/pureed tomatoes and mix well
• Add chopped green chillies,salt,turmeric powder,garam masala powder,and grated paneer(grate it ,DONOT crumble it)
• Now add all the MAGIC ingredients of this recipe ……Cashewnut paste(just boil 4-5 cashews in one cup of water for 1-2 minutes,cool and grind it to paste.or alternatively u can use grinded powder or pounded powder of cashew nuts),kitchen king powder and kasoorimethi ,a dash of butter,and 1/2 cup of boiled milk
• Mix well and let it cook on high flame for few seconds ,but stirring very frequently,so as to avoid sticking of paneer to the bottom of pan
• Now lower the flame and let it cook for few minutes ,if needed add few spoons of water
• Cook till oil separates out from mixture.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy this lip smacking paneer delight with rotis,naan or phulkas

A kitchen, which is a blissful place for people those are used to cooking,could be a dreaded territory to the novices.Kitchen could be really cruel to the person who can’t cook to save his life, but is  suddenly left on his own to fix meals.Many people start their journey to kitchen with whole lot of enthusiasm,but get exhausted with all the cutting fingers while chopping veggies,burning food,excess of seasoning or ending up with bland food.

So when one such person send me his version of cooking a regular dhal,i couldn’t stop myself from trying it.
Hey SK,i can imagine what you must be going thru’,but believe me everyone starts this journey the same way(I still burn food ,hell lots of time;-) ).
Honestly speaking i was bit skeptical ,while adding coriander powder and garam masala powder,but i went with your recipe and LO! it was unbelievably yummy !

I would suggest you to venture more in kitchen,who knows one fine  day you might become the great SK(sanjeev kapoor… ofcourse).For now,i will only say…U gave me tough competition ..dude!

Regarding the name special dhal,so i couldn’t find a more appropriate name for that.

Ingredients:

• Moong dhal(yellow split dhal) 1/2 cup
• Onion 1
• Tomato 1
• Green chillies 1-2
• Oil 1-2 tspn
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• Coriander powder 1/4 tspn
• Garam masala powder 1/4 tspn
• Jeera powder less than 1/4 tspn
• Salt as per taste
• Curry leaves and cumin seeds for tempering(optional)

Method:

• Wash and soak moong dhal for 20 minutes
• Now take some oil in a pan ,add chopped onions and saute them till light brown in colour
• Add chopped tomatoes,green chillies and all dry masalas.Fry it for some more time
• Add soaked dhal ,salt and water and let it boil for few minutes
• Cover it and let it simmer  for few more minutes until cooked
• Now whisk it with manual whisker,and adjust the consistency of dhal
• It taste good without tempering,but if preferred,you can temper it with curry leaves and cumin seeds(just take 1 tspn of oil ,add curry leaves and cumin seeds and heat it ,till cumin seeds turn brown in colour.Add it while still hot into boiling dhal and simmer it for few minutes)
• Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with white rice,pulav or roti