Spusht: 2-in-1

Showing posts with label 2-in-1. Show all posts

Szechwan Fried Rice: Indo - Chinese Food

What I like most about Indo-Chinese dishes is that they use quite a lot of similar items, especially vegetables. So if I’m making a Hot & Sour Soup, Manchurian, or any other dish, I chop extra/save some of those ingredients & use them to make fried rice. You know, I love everything that’s 2-in-1 :-)

Rabdi: No-Condensed Milk No-Microwave Version – Rabri, Indian Sweet

Rabdi is sweet, thick, and creamy dessert and each lick of a spoonful of an Almond-Pistachio Rabdi is worth all the effort it takes to make.

This rabdi recipe serves about 6, does not use milk powder or condensed milk and is not the microwave version. So if you are looking for a milk powder or condensed milk rabdi, or a microwave recipe of rabdi - you may want to hop on to Tarla Dalal’s page.

But if you are ready to tone your triceps while cooking and add on calories while eating, then go ahead & make this rabdi the traditional way.

almond and pistachio rabdi

Moong Dal Paratha (Indian Flatbread with Split Green Gram Stuffing)

There are times when I don’t do grocery and have very few vegetables at home to make any kind of stuffing for a stuffed paratha.

Or sometimes I don’t feel like eating the same old Aloo Paratha (since I never run out of potatoes!). Does that happen with you? What do you do?

At such times, I make a Moong Dal Stuffed Paratha.

Stuffed Moong Dal Paratha

Creative Ideas to Reuse, Recycle & Repurpose

I have always strongly believed in the 3R's - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. And now the fourth R: 'Repurpose'. Here are interesting and multiple uses of old things, substitutes for unavailable materials, 2-in-1 usage of an item, and creative ideas of using stuff - all from your home and kitchen - that's what this page is all about. Let me see how many of you go, "Oh yeah, I never thought about that!"

Note: These photos and ideas are NOT mine!
Source: www.realsimple.com

Recipe: Kadhi Pakora (Kadi Pakodi)

Some days when I don’t have many vegetables at home and I am lazy to go grocery shopping, I end up making kadi with pakodi (aka kadhi pakora). And in case you have extra leftover pakodis? You can make a quick dahi-bhalla (dahi bada) – oh I love everything that’s 2-in-1.

Kadhi can be eaten with rice (very popular Kadhi-Chawal combination), Kadhi can be paired with Puran Poli (for those who prefer kadhi over amti!), or Kadhi can be made for a regular meal instead of dal. It is very easy and quick to cook kadhi, especially if you make simple kadhi instead of kadhi pakora.

Recipe for Kadhi Pakora

Adapted from Swad Sugandh
Serves 4-6

For Pakora*:

1 cup chickpea flour (besan)

½ cup finely chopped onion (pyaz) <optional>

2 tsp finely chopped green chilies (hari mirch) <adjust to taste>

Salt to taste [I use ½ tsp]

Water to make batter
Oil for frying

For Kadhi:

1 ½ cup curd (yogurt/dahi)

¼ cup chickpea flour (besan)

¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

2 Tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

¼ tsp mustard seeds (rai)

Pinch asafoetida (hing)

5-6 fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
5-6 curry leaves (karipatta)

2 each of clove (laung) & cardamom (elaichi)

2 dry red chilies (sookhi lal mirch)

2 slit green chilies (hari mirch)

1 tsp grated ginger (adrak)

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (hara dhaniya)

¼ cup fresh cream/malai** <optional>

Salt + sugar to taste [I use 1 tsp salt + ½ tsp sugar]

Let’s Begin!

1. For Pakora*: Mix all ingredients; make batter of dropping consistency using minimum required water, starting with 3 Tbsp. Mix well. My mother-in-law's secret to a melt-in-mouth pakora is whipping the pakora batter (without onion) very, very well so it gets fluffy and really, really light. It's the same concept as Dahi Bada. Do not add too much water and make extra thin batter. Deep fry small pakoras from this batter in hot oil on medium heat until light brown. Drain on paper towel and keep aside.

deep fry pakora and keep aside to put in hot kadhi later

2. For Kadhi: Combine curd + besan + salt + sugar + haldi + 2 cups water. Mix well with a spoon or fork until no lumps. Add cream/malai** if using.

3. Heat ghee in pan, add mustard seeds, let pop, then add asafoetida + fenugreek seeds + curry leaves + cloves + cardamom + red chilies + green chilies + ginger ... in that order, and fry few seconds. Then add the curd preparation, stir the kadhi continuously as you pour. Then stir occasionally and cook till kadhi comes to a boil. Then add pakoras to the hot kadhi & simmer just 2-3 minutes***.

Garnish the kadi pakora with cilantro and serve hot with rice.

Kadhi Pakora, or Kadi with pakodi

Notes:

* It is ideal to make pakora first so that they cool down to room temperature by the time kadhi is cooked.

** Fresh cream/malai is added to make a creamy kadhi if you'd like – but this is completely optional.

*** I don't find the need to dip the pakoras in water & squeeze & then add to kadhi; they can be put directly to the kadhi when it boils.

Enjoy.