Khatti Arbi

I am penning down the recipe after a very very long time. Though I have been experimenting and cooking food, i have not been blogging. So here you go with the Khati Arbi recipe. I have cooked Arabi many different ways like with onion tomato gravy, ajwain arbi, chaat masala arbi but this time i wanted to cook it in a different way to give my taste buds a twist.

Ingredients:

• Arbi (Taro root) - 250 gms boiled in salted water and cut into half


• Tomato - 1/2 cup chopped


• Onion - 1 small chopped


• Garlic - 4 clove paste


• Ginger - 1 inch piece grated


• Green Chilli - 2 -3 cut into slices 

• Curry Leaves - 5 - 6

• Tamarind pulp - 3 tbsp (soak tamarind for 15 mins in luke warm water and use that water/pulp)

• Red Chilli powder -1 tsp


• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp


• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp


• Salt - to taste


• Oil- 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in the pan and add the cumin seeds.
2. Add the onions, curry leaves, garlic and ginger paste, green chillies and sauté them for 5 mins.
3. Add turmeric and chilli powder and sauté for 2 -3 mins.
4. Add boiled arbi and cook for 2 mins before adding 1/2 cup of water and salt. Cook for 2 mins.
5. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 5 mins till they are completely mashed.
6. Add tamarind paste and simmer for 15 mins. Remove from the heat and when it is a bit cool, blend the mixture in the blender.

Garnish with the coriander leaves/cilantro.
You can always change the amount of spices in a dish as per your taste.

White Pepper Chicken

I have a recipe for Kali Mirch Chicken (Black Pepper Chicken) in my blog but this one is different as it not only uses a different pepper (white pepper) but the procedure is also different.

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast Tenders - 250 gms

Onion - 1 medium chopped
Coriander Powder - 2 to 3 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
White Pepper powder - 3 to 4 tsp / per taste
Black Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Any refined oil - 2 tbsp
Ginger little piece - 1/2 chopped and 1/2 julienne

 

Procedure:

1. Chop the chicken into medium pieces. Prick the pieces with the fork.
2. Marinade the chicken pieces with salt, white pepper and curd for an hour.
3. Heat the oil in kadai and cook chicken till it becomes white and is half cooked and the curd becomes a part of the chicken.
4. Heat the oil in kadai. Saute onions till they turn pink. Add coriander powder and garam masala. Blend the onions with some ginger.
5. Add onion paste in chicken.  
6. Cover and cook till the chicken is 3/4 cooked.
7. Make a paste of cashews and add it to the chicken. 
8. Add a bit of black pepper.
9.  Cover the chicken till it is completely cooked.
10. Top it with julienne ginger and serve hot.

Pudina Chicken

Pudina Chicken is very minty and very simple to make. With few ingredients, wala you have a tasty chicken.

• Chicken Breast Tenders - 250 gms
• Onion - 1 medium chopped
• Coriander Powder - 2 to 3 tsp
• Green Chillies - 3 to 4
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 3 to 4 tsp / per taste
• Lemon juice - one lemon
• Salt - to taste
• Pref Mustard Oil or Any refined oil - 2 tbsp
• Mint Leaves - a bunch. Because it is pudina chicken, pudina needs to be more but make sure that its not a lot as it might become bitter and overwhelming.
• Ginger little piece
• Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves

Procedure:

1.  Chop the chicken into medium pieces. Prick the pieces with the fork.
2. Marinade the chicken pieces with salt, lemon juice, red pepper and turmeric for an hour.
3. Blend the onion, mint leaves, garam masala, coriander, green chillies,garlic, ginger to make a paste
4. Heat the oil in the kadai. Add chicken pieces and cook till the chicken becomes white in color and half cooked.
5. Add onion pudina paste to the chicken.
6. Cover and cook till the chicken is completely cooked.
7. Garnish with mint leaves and serve hot.

God and His (our) Prayers

What is a prayer?
Why people pray?
Is there just one reason or hundreds of reasons to pray?
Is there anyone in this world who has not started or ended the prayer by asking something from God?
I never thought about this till last year 2011. Somethings happen in life which forces you to ponder on. I started to reason God and what good does prayer or worshiping does to you or to God. We pray to Him for ourselves or for God? We expect something in return whenever we bend our heads in front of Him. Isn't?Just by asking and praying and sometimes even begging, we think that He is going to take our side.What I have realized is that we pray for ourselves. Its not for God. Does he listens and fulfill our prayers every time? No it doesn't happen that way.We get what is in our destiny and what ever is not destined for us, we loose it or don't get it.This doesn't mean that without our efforts and hard work, we are going to get paid off. Because its in our destiny. I am just not discussing that part. I believe in hard work and only efforts pay at the end.
My point is if our destiny decides what we get, then why pray.I think I have been able to answer that question, atleast for myself and my life.
I realized that prayer doesn't impress God and we shouldn't pray just because we need something from him. I have come to believe that prayer gives you strength and peace of mind. It doesn't fulfill what you always ask and it wouldn't, not always. This is life. Life is not a bed of roses.
While praying, ask Him to give us strength to bear what is happening in our lives. We don't even have to ask for peace of mind because it would automatically come when we pray.
Strength and peace of mind is the most important thing which we should ask from God while praying. Once you get that, everything will fall in place. Whether things are set in motion or not, whether the circumstances are for or against you, it doesn't matter.
There will always be ups and downs in life and can't curse God for everything but we can ask something very special from God which will help us during those times: STRENGTH.

Remembering

When God will do what HE has planned to do, then why Pray? Some incidents makes you ponder on so many things, which you might not have done in normal circumstances.

Whatever happened today is tragic and never thought one life would come to an abrupt end just like that.

Its not easy to forget you. You were a great person and a wonderful singer. Your voice will be remembered forever. I would never forget your singing during every occasion especially my marriage.

Lots of complaints with YOU - God, but as always, helpless and no questions answered. I just know that he deserved some more time with his family, with us. But YOU are the ultimate power.

Please give us the strength to cope up with this tragedy and hope your soul rest in peace (fufaji).

Black Pepper Chicken (Kali Mirch Chicken)

I have heard from chicken eaters about this dish especially when eaten in the restaurants. Cream is used by many, in this recipe but i want to make it heart healthy, so no cream. Enjoy ! Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast Tenders - 250 gms


• Onion - 1 medium chopped


• Garlic cloves - 5 finely chopped


• Tomato paste - 1 tbsp


• Cloves -2


• Coriander Powder - 2 tsp


• Black pepper corns crushed - 2 tsp


• Curry Leaves - 4 to 5


• Salt - to taste


• Oil - 2 tbsp


• Mint Leaves - for garnish

Procedure:

1. Chop the chicken into medium pieces. Prick the pieces with the fork.


2. Marinade the chicken pieces with salt, black pepper, turmeric for an hour.


3. Heat the oil in the kadai. Add onions and cloves.


4. Once the onions are pink, add garlic and curry leaves. Saute the garlic for a minute.


5. Add tomato paste and saute for another 2 mins.


6. Now add the coriander and saute till the oil gets separated from the paste.


7. Add the chicken pieces and water. Let the water boil and then cover the kadai till chicken is cooked.


8. Garnish with mint leaves and serve hot.

iPhone - An Addiction?

iPhone has been capturing the phone world since its arrival but is it the same phone which is conquering our lives as well? I think so.

More than a phone, with which you can call and get calls, it is a mailbox - a GPS -game station - an iPod - a Camera and the list goes on.

But are we really making a good use of the iPhone or it has just become another addiction like alcohol and smoke.

People are and still going crazier with every version. People who have iPhone have a different day routine now. Their day starts with the 'Good Morning' to the iPhone, mails checking and that continues every 10 to 20 min on an avg till it is the time to say 'Good Night'. And if you happen to get up in between the sleep, again one check on the iPhone to verify its working ;)

It is with you when you are at the dining table eating, or you are in the bathroom brushing.

Thankfully one place you cannot take it with you in the shower but that will be soon: another version of iPhone...something new has to come every time, otherwise no fun.

When phone becomes your wife: with whom you get up in the morning, sleep in the night, eat together, then this becomes the reality: "iPhone se nazar nahin hat ti, nazarein hum kya dekhen"

Like alcohol and smoke, iPhone is also an addiction and i am sure that sometime in near future, rehab centers for iPhone will start coming up.

At least I would need it very soon for Tarun.