The Year 2009 was surely a year of many events, good and bad. Much happened in past few months, when I was not Blogging here. Besides celebrating a contest Win (Click Photography event for Most Delish Picture- Gulabjamun ), our Kid’s Birthday, our Marriage Anniversary,  an engagement Ceremony of a dear Family member, the year end brought us close to one more occasion to celebrate, as soon as we stepped in year 2010.

Yeah Sindhi Rasoi, turned Two…What a feeling !

I still remember last year when we were Celebrating the first Birthday of this beloved Blog of mine, I was overwhelmed by so many wishes, pouring in.This year  I was preparing to celebrate the Day with something exciting and pleasant. But trust Life to give surprises! In my attempt to Renovate my Virtual Kitchen(Sindhi Rasoi), days passed into weeks  and weeks into months. I kept struggling with various LOOKS for my blog, messed up with many THEMES, wasted hours in learning basics of codes and all, but at the end , Hubby dear took the charge, helped me out in fixing bugs, tweaking the look (of blog ofcourse)  and finally we are here, though late, but raring to go , to mark the Second Birthday of Sindhi Rasoi…Three cheers for us !

Coming to recipe part, it has to be something special isn’t it? Well there you go ! A Spread of Jeera Rice, Chana paalak, Mushrooms in Red gravy, Fry (Tadka) Dal, along with usual Raita, Salad, Mint coriander chutney and Gaajar ka Halwa,  made in honor of  some friends visiting us, sounds good to you?

Jeera Rice was made simply by boiling Basmati rice with some salt and water till almost done. A tempering with  a spoonful of oil and  Cumin seeds, and later cooked on Dum for few minutes. Simple, aromatic Jeera rice went well with the Dal Fry, and Mushrooms and Chana paalak. Recipe of Mushrooms coming later (Or mail me at sindhirasoi@gmail.com to get its recipe in your Inbox). For now lets switch our attention to the wonderful combination of Vitamins, Iron, folic acid (from spinach) and proteins (from Chickpeas ).

Chana Paalak( Chickpeas or Garbanzo beans cooked in Spinach curry) :

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Kg Chickpeas, picked, rinsed and soaked for atleast 6 hours
• 1/2 Kg Spinach
• 2 Medium sized Onions
• 2 Large Tomatoes
• 2-3 green chillies
• Ginger a bit(about an inch size)
• Garlic 5-6 cloves
• Whole Garam Masala( A bit of dalchini, 2 cloves, 1 Black cardamom ,1 tejpatta or bayleaf, 2 whole black peppers)
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp or less
• Coriander Powder 1 tsp
• 1 tbsp Oil

Method :

• Boil soaked chickpeas with some salt till half cooked. For me , boiling chickpeas in a pressure cooker till 3 whistles of cooker, worked well.
• Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid.
• In the meantime, peel  the onions and grind those along with, ginger , garlic, Whole garam masalas to a fine paste
• In a pressure cooker, pour 1 tbsp of oil, add the onion paste and saute well till the paste changes colour to pink.
• Grind tomatoes and green chillies together and add to the onion paste which by now had changed to darker shades of pink.
• Saute well for few minutes and then add washed and chopped spinach and mix very well.
• Pour some water(not much as spinach cooks in its own juices), add some salt(remember there is already some salt in chickpeas , so be alert), and close the lid of cooker .Wait for 2-3 whisltes and put off the gas.
• Later, add the Half-boiled chickpeas, turmeric powder, coriander powder and saute well for 3-4 minutes, taking care so as not to break the chickpeas.
• Adjust the consistency of gravy by adding the reserved liquid in which chickpeas were boiled. Adjust seasonings and let the whole mixture simmer for few minutes on low flame till the chickpeas absorbs the flavors of spinach and  Garam masalas. The consistency of final dish is semi dry.
• Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.
• Goes well with rice, Pulao, or even with Roti .

Saibhaji Bhugah Chaanwaran

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 for Bhugha Chaanwaran:

• 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

Memories are myopic? Are they?? Well i don’t completely agree to this belief,since i am amongst those who dwell in beautiful past.I hate to look at reprehensible stuff around me,but unfortunately i am always forced to throw myself in pits of gloom,corruption,political vested interests and rising prices and declining bank balances.Pity ,i can’t turn my eyes off the budging ugly head of terrorism and hatred but i wish i was allowed to be self occupied ,innocent,energetic and bubbly kid forever and ever and ever!
Well, i donot wear wishbones where my backbone ought to be,i am as practical as a person is supposed to be,but still there are moments when i simply loathe growing up , coz no longer i enjoy the simple blisses of life as i did when life was all about toys and plays,friends and laughter,school and homeworks, Chuppa chuppi and chor police …two most fav. games of India’s EX-Kids….yes today’s generation is just not interested in such OUTDATED outdoor GAMES,when they have fancy gizmos to fiddle around for their amusements
Sincerely ,how many of you remember chasing your friends behind the nook and corners of houses to do a THAPI(patting the wall to declare out),or during blind buff.How many of you still cherish the memories of climbing the trees of neighbours to pluck the mangoes or guavas?Despite  a load of fruits being omnipresent at your home courtesy to your father ,doesn’t those secretly PLUCKED mangoes tasted much sweeter??
How many of you hid the bruised knee or elbows from your parents ,so that they don’t come to know about your adventure of climbing to a roof to get back that shuttlecock which almost always landed to the neighbour’s roof?
Is anyone still nostalgic about the so called DOLL’s wedding,a trip to a neighbouring park with friends,breaking glass window panes with your cricket balls,or that triumphant shout when you got hold of that kite at some higher branch of tree,the non ending talks with your friends at a terrace ,sharing your innermost joys and woes?The Group studies,the nights that were spend awake studying at some friend’s place with many rounds of milk ,tea  and snacks by the lovely aunts.The freaking feeling of going dud in exams ,or the most peaceful feeling in the world when you handed the last exam answer paper to your teacher?
The celebration of clearing exams ,at some roadside restaurant with menu of DOsa,pavbhaji or even Vadapav,when you were surviving on shoestring budget.The shrieks(of joy) of friends in hostel when you carried some home made Gaajar ka halwa or Ladoos,which your mother packed for them,so that the poor things do not miss their family on festivals.Those silly fears,ridiculous fights,melodramatic patch ups,all in all a great life !
Sigh,i still long for those days? Do you??
My mind was flooded with nostalgic memories ,since i made this Prasad rice and Bhee patata(lotus stem and potato curry)The reason?? Well because of two reasons….one that this preparation is generally distributed at Langars and they taste awesome, and secondly this lunch enjoyed the numero Uno position during marriage ceremonies in Sindhis,few decades back,when there was no trend of Buffet Lunch or Dinner as such.The marriage ceremony was held in simple way,with just biscuits and Sherbets or tea.But yes, Relatives and neighbours were included into the joyous atmosphere by sharing this Bheepatata and Degh Waara chaanwara.Huge(and i mean HUGE) Iron or aluminum pots or containers  were kept outside on logs of wood,or coal(sighri) or stove,and a generous quantity of rice and curry was cooked on it . It was called DEGH.The same was then distributed in the family,relatives and neighbors to share the joy of marriage.

So let me share, how i made this most wonderful Sindhi curry and rice combination.The above thali consists of Degh waara Chaanwara(spiced rice),Bheepatata (lotus stem and potato curry),Gulabjamuns, Roti(flatbread),Sindhi Papad,Ghogroon ji khatain(Turnip pickle), and KABABS(crispies made from rice flour)

For Rice:

Ingredients:

• 2 cup basmati rice or any brand that you generally use(i didn’t used basmati)
• 1tiny (1″) piece of cinnamon
• 2 tsp of oil(less will do)
• 2 cloves
• 1 whole black cardamom(vado photo or black elaichi)
• 2 -3 blackpeppers(whole)
• 1 Bayleaf (tejpatta)
• Approximately 4 and half cups of water(you may need more or less depending upon the type of rice and its quality)
• Few drops of orange food colour(optional)
• Salt as per taste

• Pick and rinse rice few times with water ,till water runs clear
• Let the rice soak in water for about half hour(or 15 minutes if using Basmati)
• In a heavy bottom pan,Add 2 tspn of oil,and put all the whole spices and stir fry for few seconds
• Add rice and salt and mix gently
• Add water(almost double the quantity of rice) and few drops of orange colour(optional).Mix well,allow it to boil and then simmer.Cover it with lid,and gently mix it for one or two times after some time(2 minutes or so)
• Cook till rice grains are cooked from the core,and all water is evaporated
• Serve hot with Bhee patata curry

For Bhee patata(lotus stem and potato curry)

Ingredients:

• 2 Potatoes -Do not peel the skin.Just clean the surface thoroughly and if needed soak whole potatoes in warm water for few minutes and then gently scrap any mud residues).You can go ahead and peel it too if the skin is not clean enough
• Lotus stem(roots) or Bhee.Here again thoroughly wash the stem and get rid of the mud.The pores of stem ,if still muddy,could be cleaned with tooth picks,or again soak them in warm water and hold them under running tap for few seconds to wash away any residual mud. Depending upon the size and thickness ,you might need about 8-10 ,1″ thick  pieces of bhee.And don’t forget to slice them slantly
• 1  Onion (medium sized)
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 small brinjal (use half  brinjal if it is big sized)
• Shelled green peas,a handful
• Ginger about 1″
• Green chillies 2-3 depending upon your taste
• 1 /4 tspn Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Dhania Powder
• 1/2 tsp Jeera powder
• Salt to Taste
• 2-4  tspn Oil
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

• Clean and cut bhee into slanting slices and pressure cook them with some salt and water till 2 whistles are heard(If the bhee quality is really good,it will be soft in just one whistle,so be aware).
• Remove the bhee from cooker and place aside.Clean the potaotes and cut them into large chunks.Wash and add salt and keep it aside for few minutes,taking care not to let them blacken(soak them in water in case they start turning black and you still are not ready to put them into curry)
• In same pressure cooker,add 2 -4 tspn of oil(depending upon your health consciousness),and saute chopped onions
• When onions turn pinkish,add chopped brinjal(with skin) and saute it till the mixture is brown in colour
• Add chopped tomatoes,salt ,chopped green chillies,ginger and all dry masalas
• Stir fry it for some more time and add potatoes and bhee and mix them very well.Add few spoons of water if the mixture is too dry
• Fry them for atleast 2 minutes(keep adding some water if mixture sticks to the bottom of cooker) and then add water(above the surface of bhee and potato mixture) and shelled peas
• Close the lid of cooker and wait for one whistle.Put the gas on sim for a minute or so and then put off the gas
• Check for the seasoning and consistency of gravy and adjust according to your taste
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and enjoy it with piping hot rice

Post Diwali ,after loads of huffing puffing ,it was time to relax and enjoy my Son’s Winter vacation.With no morning chaos, no hurries & no worries of packing tiffins and budging kiddie,Life was bliss !

But as we all know,happiness is short lived,so no sooner i started enjoying lazy afternoons, my son announced his boredom and with the demands  of  some more computer games(some ?? ) ,few more outings, and some more window shopping in malls. Apart from visits to park and making home his cricket ground , he complained of unavailability of amusements .

So when my sister and her family (in laws) planned a picnic to Mumbai ,i couldn’t help but scream with Joy ! It was a memorable day ,since kids (4 of them) enjoyed the rides in Trains,bus,rickshaws and taxis all in one day. We actually travelled for more hours as compared to time spend on picnic spots like Gateway of India and Juhu beach

As a person i had been to those places many times. While strolling at a beach , hand in hand with spouse,feeling rejuvenated by fresh breeze might be a wonderful experience in the past , but Jumping and inviting glares from people for  freaking  shrieks as the waves approach you ,laughing and giggling with kids is altogether different genre of happiness .

Though we packed many snacks when we started our picnic , by the time we reached last spot i.e Juhu beach, our food supplies were as exhausted as we . And trust me , when i say that we binged upon the sweets and savouries ,chaats and faloodas ,served at multiple coulourful, brightly lit stalls at Juhu beach.I personally cursed the Paani puri there ,coz despite of being world famous as Bombay chaat ,the paanipuris at juhu beach were not even close to the taste of those that we get here ,near our home.The paani was hot (here we get refreshingly cool paani) and the hot ragda in paanipuri spoiled my appetite .

The noodles were yummy, so was falooda but the Tawa Pulao was truly a winner . In my attempt to keep the kids occupied before the snacks arrive ,i failed to watch how the stall owner ,made the pulao .But a morsel of that yummy preparation and i knew what will be the next agenda in my kitchen .We were in great hurry to catch the train ,so i couldn’t wait to watch the next round of making that pulao .

So the next day it has to be my experimental day ,and following my instincts along with the lingering taste of  last night’s binge ,i tried to make the pulao ,sans Tawa (griddle) .As it is not possible to make that quantity of rice on regular griddle ,so i made it in pan. So you can also rename this recipe as PAN PULAO

Tawa Pulao

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice(I used regular non basmati variety) 1 cup
• Tomato 1
• Green chillies 2-3
• Onion 1
• Chopped vegetables like a capsicum,a carrot, few beans,few florets of cauliflower,few shelled  and boiled peas etc
• Khada Garam masala like a Tejpatta, few whole black peppers, 1 Star aniseed, 2 Cloves etc
• Ginger crushed
• Salt as per taste
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• Oil 2 tspn (or less)

Method:

• Pick and rinse rice for few times with water,till water runs clear
• Soak the rice for 15 minutes if using basmati ,otherwise for half hour
• Now boil the rice with water and salt and cook it until almost done.But beware not to overcook it
• Let the rice cool off completely.You can spread the cooked rice in colander or big plate
• Meanwhile in a pan or kadai(whichever bigger in size) take some oil, heat it, and add whole garam masala.
• Keep stirring it for few seconds,then add chopped onion and crushed ginger
• Saute till onion turns translucent
• Add chopped vegetables EXCLUDING CAPSICUM (this is important , since we need capsicum to be crunchy as it gives altogether different flavour to final dish as compared to cooked capsicum)
• Saute them,  add some salt ( be cautious since there is already salt in rice) ,turmeric powder,chopped green chillies , tomato and let the vegetables cook a bit (do not over cook them)
• If the whole mixture appears to be very dry , then sprinkle some water (a spoon or two) and mix
• Now add boiled (and cooled) rice and mix very gently so as not to break the grains.Now add chopped capsicum
• Let it cook on DUM . Keep a griddle (yahooo … i used tawa even if for name sake) on flame and place the pan over it,put the flame on sim ,cover the pan with a plate and keep some heavy utensil above it
• As the rice absorbs the flavors of vegetables and spices ,your Tawa pulao is getting ready to be dressed up with fresh coriander leaves , mint leaves ,few drops of lemon juice and to be served with crunchy papads/ curd / Raita or any vegetable Curry .

This steaming hot pulao is reaching Srivalli of Cooking4all seasons ,who is hosting yet another event, RIce Mela

This week we have a special guest at Sindhirasoi, who has shared with me, a lot of information about Sindhi Food habits,food culture,and regional specialties in past few months.Let me introduce Surrayya in her own words;

Hobbies: Reading about mysticism, occasionally writing on issues which I feel are important to Sindh or the world.

Skills: Fluent in speaking ,reading and writing Sindhi language thanks to my father’s special efforts

Education: Graduate  from United States (did my secondary education in England)

Aim: Promote Sindhi culture (food, fashion/fabric design, embroidery, gold/silver ornaments) to the rest of the world

So today i am sharing with you all a simple but fantastic Rice recipe,which is called Khushka or Daag bhaat.I never knew that Sindhis in neighboring country have such a variation in their food habits.Thanks to surrayya ….now i know!

According to Surrayya,Khushka or more popularly known as Daag bhat, serves as a side dish at lunch or dinner. In the mango season it is served with mangoes which can be sliced on the serving dish/plate or placed separately beside the khuskha dish. When its not the mango season khushka can be eaten with any curry !

Daag Bhat

Ingredients

• Basmati Rice: 2 cups
• Water: 2 cups
• Salt:1 tsp
• Chopped Onion: 1
• Cooking oil: 1 Tbsp

Method:

• Wash and soak rice in water for 20 minutes.
• Saute the onion in oil (make sure the onion doesn’t become brown), add salt put water. Bring to boil,
• Add rice when water starts boiling, lower the heat to simmer
• when the rice is done there will be smoke coming from the side of the saucepan
• Serve hot with chopped mango or curry of your choice

I made this Daagbhat and served with potato curry,and i must say i simply loved the subtle  flavor of this onion rice in comparison to strongly flavorful Bhughe chaawal,wherein more of spices are added
Thanks surrayya,for sharing this traditional recipe with me,i am looking forward to many more of them…….

PS:Dear Srivalli had posted one of the recipe of my BIL on her blog Spiceyourlife .So just check it out !

I can never thank you enough for this ….valli….and i pray for you to be able to raise the money for Lakshmi’s heart surgery (kindly check the updates of fundraiser here )

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