Spicyandhra

I know know, you all are wondering I totally disappeared for couple of weeks and suddenly you see 2 posts a day.

U see, its Noel’s half term and I have invited his 4 friends over as I took a day off.

Kids are having fun with their game consoles indoors as the sun yet again hidden behind the dark clouds and wouldn’t come out at all. We have waited n waited and moaned and groaned for a sunny week so that the kids can have good time but we are still waiting… yesterday we had a glimmer of hope as the sun was playing hide n seek, the kids 6 of them could play cricket and football at the nearby park yesterday as it was one of our friends son Rohin’s Birthday. I feel when they are with their friends and having fun, weather doesn’t dampen their spirits at all. Good to see them enjoy.

For me I am off today, its so nice to take a break in-between to recharge your batteries and guess what I could post a couple on my blog today.

I cannot miss Jai and Bee’s event for anything in this world and I always send at the last minute. Its fun u know, you think about it all the time and never get a chance to click and suddenly you stand in the kitchen on the last day looking around to find what to click. Luckily I didn’t have to struggle this time as I planned kids lunch today as 3 bean soup as a starter and beef lasagna for mains.

So here we go my first picture is on its way to Beans n Lentils, Click Event…

Kids are already hungry and I promised them I will make a dessert for them so before its lunchtime I better start cracking.

Next week I am running for charity, Race for Life 2008 ~5km on Sunday so if you don’t see me blogging I bet you will see me running on the street rigourously preparing for this Race. Wish me luck!!

RCI -Rajasthan Round up is shaping up really well but its taking more time then I anticipated so please bear with me for few more days and I am sure the wait will definitely worth it.

-Padmaja

Do you all like me wonder about authenticity of recipes??

Do you blindly follow a recipe if its unknown cuisine. How do u know whether its a traditional one.

When I am guest hosting RCI-Rajasthan, I actually didn’t know where to look for for authentic recipes which gives me a picture by picture illustration of an unknown cuisine. Am I being judgemental here? Does any of my readers feel that?

For me if its an unknown cuisine like mexican, moroccon,mediterrean etc, I would like to see pictures of the recipe and how to cook rather then googling and get loads and loads of websites which vaguely describes and to my utter amusement, sometimes the ingredients doesn’t match with the cooking method.

Its so hard right…When I look for different recipes from India, we have so many wonderful fellow bloggers whom we can trust and those step by step pictures speak 1000 words and it doesn’t look intimidating.

Any how I would love to see an authentic website which categories each cuisine with pictures and recipes together.

If I am ignorant and if something like that exists please my friends do enlighten me… Till then … Savour my Baatis with Dal… my contribution to Flavours of Rajasthan. The version I followed is from here.

I tweaked this traditional recipe as I couldn’t find some of the ingredients in my pantry.

For Baatis

2 cups wheat flour
2 tbsp. ghee
salt to taste

Method

Mix the flour, salt and ghee and knead until the dough is very stiff with very little warm water. Shape them into lemon sized balls.

Bake them in the oven for atleast 1/2 and turn them once,Take them off as soon as the baati is brown and crusty.

Serve immediately by break them into small pieces and pour some ghee(I haven’t as I am dieting u see) .Have it with the dal and pickle.
For Daal

1 cup of green moong dal, toor dal, yellow channa dal
1 tbsp. ghee or oil
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1/4 tsp.haldi (turmeric) powder
1/2 tsp. coriander powder
salt to taste
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. coriander chopped
1/2″ ginger grated
1/2 tsp. each cumin and mustard seeds
2 cups water

Method

Wash all the dals together and add 1 cup water and a pinch of turmeric.Pressure cook.Now take a saucepan and put ghee in a pan and add cumin and mustard seeds, as soon as they start spluttering add ginger and all the spice powders. Fry for a minute,and then add the dal.Stir well and let it boil for sometime.Add lemon juice and garnish with chopped coriander. Savour those amazing baatis with the dal. It was our meal last night and thoroughly enjoyed.