COOKING - A CREATIVE ART

www.chitrannaa.blogspot.in Cooking is a creative art.. Like a painting, pottery poetry etc, raw materials go into it and a complete product comes out. While cooking one has to give weightage and importance not only to its taste but to its colors, textures, smell and presentation. It can be enjoyed only if it is taken as a pleasure You will get best results only when your heart is involved in it and you are marveled and derive pleasure while it is being created. In fact cooking and love for it is a gift from God. Though it  is said that we should eat to live and not vice-e-versa, at the other extreme no man can survive without eating. So it is of great importance as to what, when and how we eat. Fortunately for me my mother was a not only a great cook (whose mother is not ?!) but had instilled a great passion in me for cooking from a very tender age. I used to marvel at most complicated cooking, always taking it as a challenge and trying always to be the best. And by God’s grace, my daughter is continuing this lineage and  in fact challenges me at times. Earlier we used to write recipes in bound books or diaries which originally white in colour would turn to yellow over the years. I even now have preserved my first cookbook though its page have turned brittle because it carries the sweet memories when my late mother dictated the recipes and was in fact very proud of my cooking. This blog is a gift to my daughter and son who have grown so fond of my cooking that at times they even prefer my cooking to restaurant’s food (only a few, not all !). So that they need not have the botheration of writing and finding the notebook.

THALIPEETH

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Ingredients :

Bajra (sajje) or corn flour    1 cup

Rice flour                                       1 cup

Wheat flour                                    1 ½ cups of

Gram flour                                     1 cup

Green vegetables (palak or methi) 250 gm

Ginger                                            1”

Coriander leaves                          ½ bunches

Green chillies                                 7-8

Sugar                                             1 teaspoon

Pepper                                    1 teaspoon

Cumin powder                         1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder                     ½ teaspoon

Asafoetida                                ½ teaspoon

Coconut powder                      1 tablespoon

Onions                                   2

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Method :

aloo matar recipe | aloo mutter recipe | alu matar recipe

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Ingredients  :

Potatoes                                       250 gm

Shelled peas                                 250 gm

Big tomato                                   1

Onions                                         2 medium size

Curd                                            ½ cup

Turmeric powder                          ½ teaspoon

Ground cumin seeds                     ½ teaspoon

Garam masala powder                  ½ teaspoon

Ginger piece                                 ½ “

Minced green chillies                     5

Coriander leaves sliced                  – handful

Chilly powder                                1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Method :

• Peel and cube potatoes
• Grind onion and ginger to a paste. 
• Heat 2 tablespoon ghee and fry the ground paste to a golden colour. 
• Put in spices and fry briefly. 
• Put in diced tomatoes and carrots and cook till the ghee separates. 
• Put in the peas, potatoes and chillies. 
• Fry for 5 minutes. 
• Add 1 cup of water, mix well and pressure cook. 
• Serve hot with rotis and phulka decorated with coriander leaves.

veg makhanwala recipe | vegetable makhanwala | veg makhani recipe

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Ingredients :

Carrots                          100 grams
Potatoes                        100 grams
Cauliflower                    100 grams
Beans                           100 grams
Capsicum                      100 grams
Tomatoes                      2
Onion                            4
Garlic                            3 cloves
Ginger                           1 small piece
Butter                           1 Tablespoon

Cumin Powder               1 teaspoon
Black cardamom            1
Cinnamon                     3/4 inch
Cloves                          4
Poppy seeds                  1 Teaspoon
Sugar                           1/2 Teaspoon
Tomato Sauce               2 Teaspoon
Fresh Cream                 1 Teaspoon
Salt to taste

Preparation : 

This is a hot, spicy and tasty North Indian curry, with rich tasty gravy that goes very well with phulkas and rotis.

• Pare and cut into longish pieces  100 gms carrot, 100 gm potato, 100 grams cauliflower. 
• String and cut in a similar manner 100 gm fresh beans. 
• Cut 1 or 2 capsicum into longish pieces.
• Peel and cut 1 large or 2 medium onions in similar way. 
• Grind to a paste 2 medium onions. 
• Separately grind 3 cloves garlic and a small piece of ginger, peel and chop 2 large tomatoes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a pan. 
• Fry onions on low heat, till fat separates. 
• Add garlic and ginger and lightly fry, then add tomatoes, 1 teaspoon cumin powder and salt to taste.
• Grind to powder 1 black cardamom, 3/4 inch piece cinnamon, 3-4 cloves and 1 teaspoon poppy seeds. 
• Add to the masala paste.
• Put in all the vegetables except capsicum, stir fry, cover and cook over low heat, adding a sprinkling of water if necessary. Cook for 10 minutes.
• Mix in capsicum. Cover and cook further till vegetables are done. 
• Add 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 cups water and 2 teaspoon tomato sauce.Stir through till well mixed.
• Before serving add 1 teaspoon cream or butter. If you don't want a sweetish taste omit the sugar and lessen the quantity of sauce. Makes 6 servings.         

Navratan Korma recipe | (Vegetable Korma) | Mixed veg korma |

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Ingredients :

Mixed vegetables   2 cups

Onion                   1

Red chillies           5

Garlic                   4 cloves

Pepper seeds        1 teaspoon

Jeera                   1 teaspoon

turmeric               1 teaspoon 

coconut                ¼

jaggery juice        ½ tablespoon ( If you like sweetish taste )

tamarind juice      1 tablespoon

ghee                    2 serving spoon

salt to taste

Method :

• Pour boiling water over the diced vegetables and add salt, cover and set aside. Slice the onion. 
• Grind the masala with all the above ingredients excluding onion. 
• Heat ghee and fry the sliced onions till golden brown. 
• Add masala and fry. 
• Add the vegetables and water, cover the pan and pressure cook. 
• On cooling, simmer gently until the vegetables are tender.
• Serve with pooris and rotis.