Broken wheat Salad with Grilled Vegetables and Grilled Tofu/ Fish/ Poached Egg

Following the menu that I talked about in my last post, today I am sharing the recipe for the second course which is a Moroccan style broken wheat (couscous) salad. I tasted couscous salad first in Olive Bar and Kitchen and was completely hooked, so with my Moroccan theme dinner party thought of doing this my way. I wasn’t having couscous in my pantry and neither Spar Super market nor Spencer was able to supply me this. Thus I decided on broken wheat or Dalia and am glad that I did. It has come out so good that even today we made it again for dinner. This time I served it with fried tofu and poached egg, and we again fell in love with the dish. It’s a complete meal in a platter that serves you carbohydrate, protein and vegetables. It’s truly an amazing dish, which could be whipped up in 30 minutes and therefore makes it perfect for weekday’s dinner too. Guess this will make good lunch box option as well.

Before getting to the recipe, let me share something that I found very interesting…

Ever wondered what gender some everyday objects might be? NO??? Read what Femina thinks

Ziplock bags: Male because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.

Tyres: Male, because they go bald and are often over inflated.

Hot air balloon: Male, because to get it to anywhere you have to light a fire 

under it and, ofcourse there’s the hot air part.

Sponges: female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.

Web page: Female, because t always getting hit on.

Subway: male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people up.

Hourglass: female, because over time the weight shifts to the bottom.

Hammer: Male, because it hasn’t changed much over the last 5000 years but 

its handy to have around.

Remote Control: Female ha you thought its male? But consider this-it gives a man pleasure, he’d be lost without it, and while doesn’t always know the right buttons to push he keeps on trying…

Now the Recipe:

Broken Wheat Salad with Grilled Veggies n Grilled Tofu/ Fish/ Poached Egg
(serves 2 as a main Meal)

Ingredients:                                                                              

Broken wheat (choose the one with bigger grains): 2 cups

Onion: 1 medium

Baby Carrots: 7-8 pieces

Baby potatoes: 7-8 pieces

French Beans: 15-16 pieces

Cucumber: 1 small

Almonds: 10-12 pieces

Garlic: 2 cloves

Parsley: handful

Mint leaves: handful

Freshly ground pepper: 2 tsp

Stock Cube (I used Maggi): 1 pack

Cumin seeds: ½ tsp

Caraway seeds: 1/3 tsp

Olive Oil: 2 tbsp

Lemon: 1

Salt

Fish fillets: 2 pieces OR

Tofu: 2 pieces OR

Eggs: 2 nos.

Method:

Prepare veggies and Fish/ Tofu

If using fish or Tofu marinate it with little olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper for 10 minutes. After this take them in  silver foil and make a packet. Place this in an ovenproof pan.

Wash carrots, potatoes and beans properly, smear with little olive oils, salt and pepper powder. Place in a separate ovenproof pan or tray in single layer.

Preheat the oven for 220 C and put the veggies and fish/tofu for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes check if the veggies are done and take them out.

Open the silver foil packet containing the tofu or fish and again bake for 10 minutes till they are lightly crisp and brown.

Prepare the Broken Wheat

While the veggies and fish/tofu is baking, peel and chop onion, parsley, mint leaves, almonds, cucumber and garlic. Keep everything separate.

Heat a pressure cooker with 1tbsp oil and temper with caraway and cumin seeds. Add in the garlic, half the onion and pepper powder. Fry till they loose colour.

Put little mint and parsley and also crumble in the stock cube. Give it a good stir and tip in the washed broken wheat.

Mix everything together and add 31/2 cups of water. Check the seasoning.

Cover and cook on medium for one whistle. Let it cool on its own and then open the lid.

Fluff up with a fork. Mix in the chopped cucumber, onion and almonds.

Preparing the veggies

Now heat the leftover 1 tbsp oil and temper with a little chopped garlic, pepper powder and parsley.

Add all the veggies and sauté on medium till they get a thin crisp layer.

If using egg then poach it just before serving.

Assembling

Put a layer of Broken wheat salad. Top with Fish/ Tofu or Poached egg and serve with the grilled veggies.

Have a satisfying quick and healthy meal while watching your favorite program on TV.

Am sending this to No Croutons Required: Copycat.

Moroccan Harira with spicy Harissa paste

Last month we celebrated our anniversary.  Sometimes am amazed to realize how time flies. It seems only yesterday that all our friends and relatives gathered to bless us for our new journey and now we have our 10 months old to cuddle. When I first stepped in the house in Bangalore there was nothing except a gas oven, TV and the mattress. Then slowly we ordered furniture, bought utensils, decorated the place to suit our taste and now we have a house that we can call HOME.

Anniversary for us is a very important and private affair and we love to spend it together with gifts, good food and candle lights. Every year I give him a surprise party cooking something that I never tried before. I was quite in a dilemma as what to prepare this year. For work he often has to go to Israel and he completely is smitten by the various cuisines available there. Sometimes back he mentioned of this spicy Moroccan food which he loved very much, so I thought of trying Moroccan theme this year. Recently a great joint has opened up here called Mezze where they serve great Mediterranean cuisine and we simply love the couscous salad out there. Following all these the menu for our anniversary was

Harira with Harissa Paste

Broken wheat salad with grilled vegetables and fish (my take on couscous salad)

And for a sweet ending Black Forset Cake.

I will provide the recipes one by one. This time it’s the much loved Harira Soup which is a spicy Lentil soup with vegetables and chicken or beef. This is mainly eaten to break the all day fast during Muslim Holy month Ramadan. Though am just introduced to Moroccan cuisine but I must admit am just hooked to this spicy, aromatic and hearty food. This cuisine uses a lot of spices, herbs, olive oils and dry fruits. No dish is complete without cumin, saffron, mint and parsley. A traditional Moroccan meal will start with salad or soup and followed by Tazine either with couscous or bread. Bread is very important in their meal and almost eaten with every meal. The desserts are mostly prepared with dry fruits which are abundant in the area and they like to sip in sweet mint tea the whole day as a ritual. Harira is generally made with chicken. Beef or lamb but I made a vegetarian version and we just loved, loved and loved this dish. Though we ate it as a first course but with some bread this could be a meal in itself. It’s a thick hearty soup with all the goodness of proteins from lentils, vitamins and minerals from veggies, carbohydrate from pasta and flavor from the herbs. A complete healthy meal that gives you everything in a bowl. A must try if you like soups and as for us we are going to make it again and again and again.

While I was searching for Moroccan Harira I got this where it is suggested to serve it with Harissa, a North African chilli sauce made with chillies, herbs and tomatoes. This very hot spice paste is well known in Europe and America as they are now a day’s available off the rack in tubes.

Now let’s go to the recipe

Harira with hot Harissa paste (serves 2 as a main meal)

Ingredients:

Red Lentil (Masur): 8 tbsp

Chickpeas: a handful

Onion: 1 small

Tomato: 2 medium

Celery: 1 stalk

Mint leaves: a handful

Parsley: a handful

Coriander leaves: a handful

Potato: 1 small

Squash: ½

Beans: 6-7

Carrot: 1 big

Caraway seeds: ½ tsp

Cumin powder: 1/3 tsp

Cinnamon powder: 1/3 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/3 tsp

Ground ginger: ½ tsp

Rice noodles/vermicelli/small pasta: a handful; I used broken spaghetti

pepper corn: 6-7 pieces

stock cube: 1 (I used Maggi vegetable stock cube)

whole wheat flour: 2 tbsp

a pinch of saffron

olive oil: 1 tbsp

salt to taste

Lemon: to serve

(I know this is a long list but these are things which are very common in almost all kitchens.)

Method: soak the chickpeas for 3-4 hours and cook with salt for 2 whistles. Keep aside.

Chop the veggies in small pieces. Chop the herbs roughly and keep aside.

Pick and wash the red lentil and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a big pan and add the caraway seeds. When crackle, add the chopped onion and celery. Fry till onions are light pink.

Add in the ginger, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric powder. Fry on low till a nice fragrance come through.

Add all the veggies and salt. Mix everything together. Cover and let it cook for 5-7 minutes.

Once the veggies are a little dry add in drained red lentil. Stir till the lentils change the colour.

Add a liter of warm water. Break in the stock cube and stir till it dissolve. Put the whole tomatoes in the pan and let it cook covered on medium.

Once the lentil is cooked but still hold the shape (about 7-9 minutes) smash the tomatoes with your spatula and tip in the herbs, spaghetti, saffron and chickpeas.

Again cover and let it cook till the red lentils totally dissolves and gives a smooth consistency to the soup.

Now mix the flour in 1/3 cup water and mix in the soup to thicken it. Boil for another couple of minutes and your hearty harira is ready to be served.

Harissa Paste

Ingredients:

Dry red Chilies:  10 pieces

Fat cloves of garlic: 4 pieces

Caraway seeds: ½ tsp

Coriander seeds: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Mint leaves: a handful

Parsley: a handful

Tomato: 1 big

Salt

Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Mehod:

Soak the chillies in water for 10 minutes and drain the water.

Rub the tomato with little oil and burn it on stove top till the skin is black.

Tip in everything in a mixer and grind to a smooth paste.

Done

Now serve the Harira with this spice mix and lemon wedges. Taste the fruit of your labour and enjoy tasty wholesome goodness in every spoonful.

these hot bowl is off to Susan's MLLA: 20 guest hosted by Crispy cook for February.


Have a great Sunday friends!

Gingery Oat and Sesame Cookies

 

I am that kind of a person who needs some time for herself and I call it My ‘Me Time’. Friends pull leg, family smirks and Hubby sometimes gets annoyed but still that’s something I need solely for myself. Its not like couple of hours, (well that much is best) but even just 10-15 minutes of quiet thoughts with myself, doing something that I enjoy is enough. Like reading an article, walking in the park, spending some times with my plants etc which energizes my tired sole. But these days with my little one, even managing some 15 minutes is becoming difficult. He is naughty and sleeps very less, so the whole day am either running after him or tidying up the things he plays with, which includes everything from shoes, curtains, carpets, pens and whatever lies in front of him. Hubby also is busy with his job and most of the days come home late in the evening. Once he is back I get into the work of preparing dinner. Though I enjoy every moment but Life right now is pretty hectic. The only quiet times I could manage is when the baby naps. Recently He has finally got into a routine sleeping pattern. He sleeps for an hour after lunch and for half an hour in the evening after our stroll in the park. So in morning after putting him in bed I get a full hour to myself, which I savor moment by moment. I hastily take my bath, do Puja and then enjoy my precious moments of Zen with a cup of tea, some snacks and a good book.

I am a sucker for good books and had my best time reading them during my pregnancy when I was suggested to take rest for most of the times. The whole day I lazed around the house absent the world that I never saw. Recently I renewed my membership after almost a year and again am managing time for my books. I made these cookies mainly for Hubby to grab a quick bite between meetings but I also enjoy them with my tea and books.

These cookies are made with whole-wheat flower and Jaggery (Gur) and believe me it has an amazing earthy aroma. The combination of jaggery and roasted sesame will definitely transport you to your childhood memories of Sankranti, eating tilkut. Its very crunchy and a perfect companion for hot cup of tea.

Gingery Oat and Sesame Cookies

Ingredients:

Whole-wheat flour: 13/4 cups

Roasted oat: ½ cup

Jaggery: ½ cup (I used normal sugar cane jaggery)

Egg: 1

Baking powder: 1 tsp

Baking soda: 1/8 tsp

Salt: 1/8 tsp

Ginger powder: 1 tbsp

Oil: 6 tbsp

Method:

Sieve the flour with baking powder, soda bi carb and salt. Mix in the oats and Keep aside.

Heat the jaggery with a spoonful of water till it melts. Add the ginger powder and mix well. Let it come to room temperature.

Beat the egg with oil till creamy.

Now mix everything together to form a sticky mixture. Don’t over mix.Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven at 160 C and line a baking tray with foil.

Make small balls from the dough and press between your palms to make it flat. Place little apart from each other and sprinkle with generous amount of white sesame seeds.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or till very lightly brown. Don’t over bake or it will become very crispy and little bitter.

Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy with tea or in itself.

This tasty earthy cookies are off to Priya's new event Cooking with seeds: Sesame.

Tomato’r Jhol (Fish in Very Light Tomato Gravy)

When I first started living alone restaurant food was something that entered my kitchen regularly. The long commute and hard work as a fresher made me so tired that almost every other day I called up the corner restaurant and ordered in roti, dal and sabzi (flat bread, lentils and vegetable curry) and other days survived on Maggi and scrambled eggs. Those days I only cooked on weekends when close friends would come together and we feasted on home cooked simple meals that we craved most. I used to make rice, dal, sabzi and fish, paneer or egg curry and nearly every month Maa or Dida provided me with light recipes. Every Saturday we gathered after work (half days) and chatted and gossiped late in the night, We would wake up late and sitting on the unmade bed on the floor with our hot cuppas will soon pick up the chat session where we left it the earlier night and would giggle for long. The leg pulling session continued and our gang of girls lazed around while we cut and wash vegetables and start cooking. This recipe of tomato’r jhol with egg plant and potatoes (provided by Dida) was a regular at that time as it is very versatile, requires very few ingredients, and also has a tongue tickling taste that our nearly numb tongues from eating regular restaurant foods really needed. It used to fill every corner of my small pad with a lovely aroma that suddenly made my friends to complete their cores at the earliest. The three of us then sit cross legged on the floor and eat from whatever few plates and bowls I owned. We ate silently, scraping our plates clean and enjoying every morsel.

Today when I prepared this dish and that same fragrance of roasted Panchforon and tomatoes filled every corner of my house it reminded me of those days of pure joy, when we were free of responsibilities and tensions and cherished each and every moment of life. Am thankful to God for where my life has taken me but every now and then something stimulates memories and I long to live that life once again, stretch my hands to touch those giggling faces. I know I can’t do that so I sniffed in that familiar aroma and gave them a call and again chatted and giggled for long.

This recipe is very light yet flavorful and promises a satisfying meal. The best parts are its fragrance and colour which could be best enjoyed with steamed white rice. Today I made the dish with fish but the vegetarian version with paneer tastes equally good. Even my now 10 month’s old son enjoys this jhol with fish.


This light juicy jhol is best enjoyed fresh as the fish and vegetables soak the tartness if refrigerated. If you want to cook larger portions then next day add a few spoonful of tamarind juice during heating. That will restore the taste without much work. 

Here is the recipe

Tomato’r Jhol

Ingredients (serves 4)
Fish: 4 pieces (I used Rohu)
Egg plant: ½ of a medium size
Potato: 1 medium
The white stem of cauliflower (optional): We love this white crunchy inner part and always add this Macher Tak(fish in amchur based gravy) or Tomato’r jhol.
Tomato: 5 big or 6-7 medium; choose tart ones (I used those tart desi variety)
Dry red chillies: 2 pieces
Green chillies: 2 pieces (for the flavor)
Panchforon: ½ tsp

Method:

Peel and slice the potato and the inner white part of cauliflower stem thinly. Cut the eggplant in half and then slice in medium thick pieces. Wash and keep aside. Cut the tomatoes in quarter and sprinkle some salt.

Wash the fish and rub with salt and turmeric. Heat the oil in a pan or kadhai and fry them till lightly brown on both sides. Take them out and reserve.

In the same oil lightly fry the sliced potatoes, eggplants and cauliflower stem with salt and turmeric. Reserve.

In that same oil add the slited red chillies and panchforon. When you get the aroma add tomatoes and give everything a good stir. Add salt, turmeric and cover. Let it cook on low for 7-8 minutes or till the tomatoes are mushy.

With a spatula mash the tomatoes smooth and cook till it starts to stick the bottom of the pan. Add the veggies and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and add the fried fish pieces.

cover and cook till the veggies are soft and the gravy thickens a little.

Vegetarian Version: If you are using Paneer then cut in cubes and lightly fry them with salt. Follow the same procedure but with paneer you can also use thinly sliced carrots and beans.

Enjoy with hot steamed rice and any other side dish of your choice. My family loves it with Alu Posto or Alu bhaja. Don't know how but who ever have eaten it has fallen in love with this humble vibrant dish.


Am sending this humble light fish curry to Arundhuti's Served with love.A beautiful event that she has started at great blog, Gourmet Affair.

Niramish Khichuri (Medley of rice, lentils and vegetables)

Khichuri cooked with Gobindobhog rice and dry roasted yellow lentils, dotted with colourful winter vegetables, flavored with ghee and whole garam masala is a dish that is very close to my heart. If you are a regular reader, by now you must have known how all food that I cook are connected to some of my memories. But this niramish Khchuri has a special place in all Bengali’s Memory of Saraswati Puja (Goddess of education and arts). The somewhat runny variety of this dish served at the schools and colleges during the puja gathering with bandhakopi’r ghanto (dry cabbage dish) and watery tomato chutney (tomato chatni) is something every Bengali has tasted and has some sweet n sour memories associated with it.

Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of wisdom and knowledge is worshipped on Vasant Panchami or the fifth day of Bengali month ‘Magh’. This is considered as a very auspicious day and children are taught to write their first words in front of the Goddess, this custom is known as ‘Hatekhori’ where kids write the spiritual word ‘Om’ in front of the Goddess on slate and chalk. The puja is a part of social celebration and are mostly organized by the schools and colleges.The student community celebrates this festival with great enthusiasm. One obvious reason is to worship the goddess to score better marks in exams but another not so obvious reason is on this day they get that, much required freedom to mingle in the pandal area… often this puja is beckoned as the Bengali version of Valnetines day with so many would be couples getting chance to go for an outing and for others it plays as the perfect breeding ground for their budding love stories.Students also place their books in front of the goddess statue and reading is not allowed on this day. That makes it a very special one for the kids. Yong girls wearing yellow or Basanti sarees and boys clad in Kurta pajama are seen in the school campus, offering Puspanjali or mass chanting of Mantras and offerings of flowers to the Deity or enjoying the day with each other. Often cultural programmes are arranged at night and the Goddess is worshipped with devotion.

This niramish khichuri or vegetarian version (without even onion and garlic) of khichuri or khichri is also called Bhoger khichuri as this is prepared and offered to the Goddess and are made at each and every household and puja pandals. Everyone in our family is a fan of this simple dish especially if prepared by Baba (father). He has this amazing talent of making awesome khichris even with leftover rice. His bhuni khichri (dry khichri) is to die for. Here hubby and I are both khichuri buff, we make it quite often as it is mildly spiced and does not require much side dish. I recently have come to know that according to Ayurveda this light khichuri is also known to prepare one’s body for detoxification or cleansing. Even during detox process also this food is consumed in moderation. In the process of Panchakarma or Ayrvedic cleansing and rejuvenation plan it is said that whole grains and vegetables create a more alkaline (vs. acid) environment in the body, which supports the cleansing and detox process. For more information see HERE And HERE 

 Niramish Khichuri (serves 2)

Ingredients:

Gobindobhog rice or any fragrant rice: 11/4 cups

Yellow lentil: 3/4 cup

Vegetables like green peas, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, beans etc cut in big chunks

Tomato: 1 big

Ginger: 2” Piece

Cumin powder: ¾ tsp

Coriander powder: ¾ tsp

Green chillies: 2 pieces (optional)

For Tempering:

Ghee: 1 tbsp

Bay leaf: 1

Dry red chilli: 1 piece

Cumin seeds: ½ tsp

Cardamom: 2 pieces

Clove: 2 pieces

cinnamon: 1" piece

Garam masala powder: ½ tsp

Method:

In a big pan or kadhai dry roast the yellow lentil till they are very lightly browned and release a nice roasted aroma. Wash the lentils 2-3 times and let it boil with sufficient (6-7 cups) water, turmeric, green chillies and ½ inch grated ginger. Don’t add the salt at this stage as that will slow down the process of boiling.

Once the lentils are half boiled add the whole tomato, salt and other vegetables. Let it cook on slow for another 7-8 minutes.

Wash the rice and add it to the boiling lentil. Mix well. Check seasoning and let everything boil together till it’s soft and done.

When the Lentil and rice mixture is done heat the ghee or oil in a small pan. Temper with cumin seeds, dry red chilli, whole garam masala and bay leaf.

When it releases the aroma add in the ginger paste, cumin-coriander powder mixed in 2 tbsp of water. Cook the masala till oil separates at the sides.

Mix this masala to the lentil mixture and stir to mix everything. Cook for another 5 minutes, sprinkle the garam masala powder and the tasty khichri is ready.if you like sprinkle some extra ghee and roasted kaju on top.

Serve this with fried potatoes, Raita, papad or any other side dish of your choice.

We had ours with some fried potaoes (with skin) with salt and turmeric, flavored with a pinch of nigella seeds, green chillies and sprinkled with poppy seeds at the end to give it the extra crunch. Yummy.

This healthy and tasty Khichuri goes to Anita's APS: Rice.


Have a great week friends!

Gayna/ Naksha Bori (sundried Lentil paste Designs)

There is a lot of concern about eating healthy, organic and fresh and the blogosphere is no exception. Concerns and awareness are translating into thoughtful posts and attentive comments. And in the middle of all these discussions I as a new mom living in a developing country, am forced to rethink my decisions.  This is not in continuation of any of the discussions so far but entirely a comparison made by a person sitting in a developing country.

First of all I believe the situation differs a lot in developed and developing countries. But before setting a bigger canvas and comparing between these two lets discuss the situation within itself. one important attribute of a developing nation is its inequality of income. In India itself 36% of its population resides below poverty line (1993-94 planning commission report) and still there is a luxury brand boom here. The poor for whom two round meals a day is like a distant dream they no way think of the luxury of organic food. In economics the definition of demand is ‘Demand is the want or desire to possess a good or service with the necessary goods, services, or financial instruments necessary to make a legal transaction for those goods or services.’ They in no way are in a position to DEMAND food to sustain them, leave alone the possibility of choosing what to eat. So that excludes majority of population who could consume organic food. That follows another conclusion that if economies of scale could not be achieved for organic farming the prices will never come down…therefore the organic food articles remains expensive and out of reach of most living in developing countries. Even if we give subsidies still the question remains that, is going all organic possible here? How could you sustain such a big population with organic foods, which said to yield less produce at a high cost? Even us falling in the upper middle-income group would think twice before putting that organic food packet in our grocery basket.

I belong to the old school of thoughts where its said that you are what you eat. So I as a sensible consumer believe to get the most out of my hard earned money So though I know going organic is very good for health but still I would like to stick to my old traditional choice of buying fresh and seasonal and washing my veggies thoroughly before preparing my food.   Am lucky in some ways that I have access to fresh supply in terms of vegetables, fish and meat. I have seen that most of us in India buy fresh fish and meat not those packaged ones from the super markets. Yes of course in this era of high pollution and global warming you need to wash your veggies thoroughly under running water and cook them properly before serving. You don’t need to spend mullah on over hyped organic items to be healthy. Cooking fresh, eating sensibly and doing some moderate exercise would be the best choice.

So today also going seasonal I prepared Gayna Bori which are sun dried lentil chunks but in the shapes and designs of jewelries. These are also called Naksha bori or designed Lentil chunks. These are some royal things not cooked and served everyday but are reserved for some special occasions and for some important persons. Preparing bori is a seasonal affair and that season is Winter. Boris are very fragile and need a lot of pampering. You cannot prepare them in summer, as the scorching summer sun will rupture them. To dry these boris you need mild sun light and dry weather. So boris are prepared in winter in huge quantities and stored for the whole year. Earlier as kids I have seen all the women of a family or sometimes all women of a neighborhood coming together for preparing boris. Those were the days when Mixer-grinder was not a household item and lentils were ground by hand in traditional mortar n pestle. They would make varieties of boris with different types of lentils and spice mixtures. The work would start early morning, grinding the lentils, vigorous beating of the paste and then making small portions of lentil pastes on greased plates…all these works were done over some mishti pan (betel leaf), hot tea and most importantly a lot of gossip. The last day was reserved for this designed boris which is not everyone’s cup of tea as with some quick motions you are required to make designs with some flowy lentil paste. My Maa and Masimoni used to make them and all other including me would have sat around and watch them with admiration. These days boris are readily available in market but I don’t like these readymade things and chose to prepare these myself in leisure.


I believe very few know about these boris. These are a speciality of Bangladesh and Midnapore district of Bengal. but they have become very rare and even in Bengal you would not get them easily.In Midnapore district some self help groups are trying to revive this dying form and they also sell these through co operatives.

Gayna/ Naksha Bori

Ingredients:

Black gram Lentil (skinned)/ White Urad Dal: 1 cup

Salt: ½ tsp

Poppy seeds: 1/3 cup

Oil: to grease the plates

Method: Generally Gayna Boris are made with black gram with skin on, which is soaked overnight then rubbed on jute or any rough surface to peel them. I used skinned white urad.

Wash and soak the lentils overnight or at least 6 hours.

In morning again wash the lentils and place them on a strainer to drain all water.

Blend in a mixie without any water. (To do this pulse for a minute and then scrape the sides and mix everything in the jar. The point here is if the batter contains much water it will fall flat on the plates and sun will make them too dry and heavy.) Make a very very fine paste.

Now comes the difficult part. Take this paste in a big bowl. Mix in the salt and start beating as vigorously as possible. It should become very fluffy and when a spoonful placed on water it should float.

Now to make designs pour the mixture in a piping bag or simply make cones with polythene. My Maa place these in a thick piece of cotton fabric with a nozzle set in the middle.

I don’t have much knowledge of the nozzle sizes. The paste coming out from the nozzle should be moderately thick, say as thick as some antiseptic cream coming out of a tube (eg. Borolene or Rashfree ;-)} I made a cone just like mehendi cones and cut the tip as much required. The designs should not be very thin as the sun will make them thinner and brittle. (look at the fried boris at the right, made by Hubby these are very very thin).

Grease 2-3 steel plates and sprinkle poppyseeds to cover the surface completely. I wasn’t having enough poppyseeds so I mixed it with white toasted sesame seeds.

Now comes the fun part, play with your imagination by pressing the cone or piping bag. Use toothpick to stop the batter coming out from the cone.

Once done dry them in sun for 3-4 hours and let them sit on the plates overnight. Next day if still moist again dry for 1-2 hours.

Keep them stored in airtight container.

Fried Crispy Bori

To fry them just heat some oil and shallow fry them till lightly browned on each side. Enjoy your fruits of labor with rice and see them pulling appreciations your way when served to guests.

Some tips for the designs:

While doing this always keep a toothpick, a bowl of water and some scrap clothes handy.

Always make designs where all the parts are joined and make them moderately thick or you wont be able to take them out easily when dry. you should not make designs as shown at left.

To secure the designs always make 2 adjoining lines, this way the design will be prominent and strong.

Making designs with some flowing paste needs practice, so start with small simple designs and gradually switch to bigger ones.

Don’t make designs that are very big as that’s difficult to be peeled when dry. 


These beauties make their way to My Legume Love Affair; 19 to EC of Simple Indian Food. This very popular event is a brainchild of Susan of The well-seasoned Cook.

2 Awards, 7 Secrets and some Garden Pictures

I have been showered by 2 fabulous awards from 2 of my good blogpals. These are awards that I have been eyeing for quite sometime and finally they are here to grace my place. Thanks a lot friends, it feels great to be recognized and motivated by you all. When I started my blog I was never thought I would ever get this much of appreciation, love and encouragement. Thanks to all of you beautiful people out there who cook with a passion and feed with love.

The first one, Beautiful blogger Award, came from extremely talented Dolly whose place has some real delicious and comforting recipe collection. Once there you would be tempted to visit again and again. To believe me just go HERE  Thanks Dolly for your kindness.

The second one Kreative Blogger Award, came from lovely S of Art, food and travel Chronicles. Her space is a real eye candy as she whips up the most amazing baked goodies. She is a bona fide Daring baker and an excellent Tanzore Painter. Do check her space once HERE and you would be hooked for life. Thanks S for your generosity.

Now as the rule book says we need to share 7 of our darkest secrets, ok not darkest but secrets that nobody knows. That’s a real difficult task. Well here it goes…in between reading enjoy some of my Mother’s amazing winter garden pictures.

1.I am a very big fan of Sachin Tendukar.My madness was beyond imagination during school and college days, when I used to have some 65 posters of this ace batsman, no vacant spot was visible on my room walls and I used to celebrate his birthdays with my meager pocket money.

2. Mine is an arrange marriage and when My husband’s family came to meet us I decided to marry him even before talking to him, and the secret and sole reason was ‘He looked like Sachin Tendulkar’ J. But later when I talked to him I realized the guy had a heart of gold and is a real keeper.

Maa's Collection of Chrysanthemum

3. I love cleanliness but am lazy. Though I keep everything clean and take a minimum of 15 minutes of bath everyday but the last time I visited a beauty parlor was during my marriage and that’s 3 years before.

4. I am very family centric person. I love to be surrounded by my near and dear ones and like to do little things for them.

Some more from Maa's Garden

5. I have cherished some real good designing success. I used to design for some very big International brands and even have designed a re-launch collection for a reputed European brand which was very successful among its target groups.

6. Being true to my star sign (Libra) am a big dreamer. One of my cherished dreams is to settle in some hilly area and having a moderately big farm. Recently when we went to Chikmagalur and stayed in a big farm cum resort, I decided to start my own resort somewhere near Digha or Darjeeling. I even planned the entire setup cost, earning channels, staffing and even the menu. Then reality bit me hard in the form of my Hubby.

7. in case of running house I follow my Maa blindly. Like her my pantry is always well stocked with rice, lentils, flours and other essential items. I do a monthly grocery shopping and a weekly vegetable and fruit shopping.

and these beauties belong to my small garden.

I nominate the following 7 bloggers and pass this to them. They have beautiful places and great collection of recipes.

Somoo of Home Cooked Oriya food

Indrani of Appayan

Sangeeta Khanna of Health Food Desivideshi                       

IndoSunGod of Daily Musings

Sharmila of Kichu Khon

PJ of Ginger and Garlic

Arch of The Yum Factor

Looking forward to see what they reveal.