Spicy Mushroom Peas

10 oz pack of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 1/2 tomatos ( 150 gms or 10oz) finely diced
1 small yellow onion finely diced
1 cup of frozen peas
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1/2 tspn red paprika
1/2 tspn turmeric
1/2 tspn garam masala
1 1/2 tspn salt
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 tspn ginger minced
1 tspn dry fenugreek ( kasoori methi)
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Ingredients

1. Cook the mushrooms with 1 tspn oil for 7 minutes till they wilt and turn a deep bown.
2. Remove the mushrooms, add t tbspn oil to the pan. Add the onions and saute till golden brown. Add the tomatos, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 5 minuted. Add the spices coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, and paprika.
3. Add 1 cup of water and let the tomatoes and onions disintegrate.
4. When the water is reduced to half add the peas and the mushrooms.Now cook till the liquid almost evaporates.
5, Add the garam masala and the fenugreek.
6. Serve with naan or paranthas.

Asian Rice Pudding

A very easy rice pudding and awakened with asian ingredients like ginger and lime zest. You could serve this with tropical fruits like mangos and pineapples. Also use strawberries and kiwis. Cube the fruit and warm it in a saucepan with butter and some sugar.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of thick rice ( cook in 1 cup of water)
1 egg
1 cup of half and half
1 tspn vanilla essence
1/2 cup of cocout - roast
zest of 1 small lime
1/4 inch piece fresh ginger grated
1/2 cup of sugar

Instructions

1. Mix the egg, half and half, essence.
2. Add to the rice and cook on slow heat around 7 minutes.
3. Add ginger and lime zest
4. Roast the coconut till golden brown.
5. Add to the pudding

Kesar Meetha Chawal- Saffron Sweet Rice

This is a distant variation of 'Zarda', a pakistani sweet rice made for Eid. Zarda is much more richer with loads of nuts , much more ghee and some versions even have khoya.
1 cup of rice
1 cup of sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 pinch saffron
2 pods cardomom
1/2 cup powdered coconut
2 tbspn ghee

Boil the rice in the milk and water. Add saffron and sugar after rice is half done. Add crushed cardomom. Roast the coconut.
When the rice is done add the coconut and ghee.

Nariyal Ladoos - Coconut Balls

Level of difficulty - Very Easy

A very simple recipe...practically throw together these easily available ingredients and make little balls out of them. I am a big fan of kaya jam , which is a Singaporean jam made of coconut milk, eggs, and sugar. Kaya toast is pure sin. To me this dessert comes a little close. I take a piece of bread, crush a coconut ball or two on top of it, and bake it. The sweet roasted coconut with toast is an easy indulgence.





Ingredients

3 cups coconut powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 cardomom pods





Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients and cook in a wok on low heat
2. Cook till the mixture leaves the side of the wok.
3. Make small balls out of the mixture.
4. Chill in the fridge.

Tip- Substitute milk and sugar with sweetened condensed milk .

Matar Poha - Pressed Rice with Peas

Level of difficulty -Easy

Poha is a pretty easy breakfast dish or a plain snack. You can add peanuts, potatoes, or just make it with plain onion ( known as kanda poha).


Ingredients
1 cups of thick pressed rice (poha)
2 thai chillies (dice finely)
1/2 cup of peas
1/2 cup of corn
1 white onion ( cut finely lengthwise)
1/2 tspn mustard seeds
2 curry leaves (optional)
1 small lime
3 tspn salt
1/2 tspn turmeric
2 tbspn oil
coriander leaves

Instructions

1. Add the poha to a colander and run water over it for 30 seconds.
2. Add the oil to a sauce pan and wait for the oil to heat. Add the mustard seeds till they splutter.
3. Add the onion and saute till it is transparent. Now add the peas and the corn.
4. Add the poha, salt, haldi, chillies, curry leaves.
5. Toss around for five minutes. Add juice on one small lime.
6. Garnish with coeiander leaves.

Pancakes in Syrup- Malpua

Malpua is a north indian dessert which is really comforting on a cold dark day. Malpua has a very rustic essence to it and is also served with a dollop of ice cream on the top. The pancakes are sweetened with sugar syrup or really condensed milk sweetmeat known as rabdi. However this recipe uses a milk syrup. I have also substituted all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. To my mind this adds to the earthiness and the rusticness of malpua. However, you could use all purpose flour for a finer , more delicate flavor.


Ingredients
for the malpua batter
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tspn of fennel seeds (saunf)
1/2 cup of coconut powder
4 cardomom pods crushed
1 cup milk
ghee to fry
For the syrup
2 cups of half and half
3/4 cup sugar
4 strands of saffron

Instructions
For the Pancakes- makes 8
1. Mix all the ingredients except the ghee to make a thick batter.
2. Add 2 tbspn ghee in a pan, and add 1/4 cup of the batter trying not to make it spread a lot.
3. Make a thick pancake. when golden on one side flip.
4. Make 8 pancakes.

Syrup
1. Boil the half abd half, sugar, and saffron till it is reduced to less than half.You can further heat it if you want your syrup to be thicker.

Pour the syrup over the malpuas and serve warm.

Crushed Spicy Peas-Matar Nimona

Level of difficulty- Medium

Another north indian winter comfort food which is a wonderful showcase for fresh shelled green peas. I am not exactly sure where this originated from - Bihar or Banaras. All I know is that this is a wonderful way to cook peas and works well with frozen peas. So you could make it anytime of the year if you can't find enough fresh produce.

Ingredients

1 16 oz pack of frozen peas
1 small onion diced finely
1 small potato boiled and diced
1 small tomato finely diced and deseeded
1/2 cup of plain yoghurt
1/2" piece of ginger grated
4 bay leaves
1 pinch of asfoetida
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn red chilli powder
1 tspn garam masala
3 tspn salt
1/2 tspn turmeric
1 tspn cumin seeds
1 tbspn oil

Instructions
1. Blanch peas for 5 minutes and crush.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the asfoetida, bay leaves, and cumin seeds till the seeds splutter.
3. Add the ginger and then the pea mixture.
4. Add the coriander powder, turmeric, red chilli powder, and salt.
5. Crush the peas with spices for 2 minutes.
6. Add the tomato and crush the peas even more. Add the potatoes.
7. Add 1 cup of water and cook for 20 minutes. Keep crushing the peas.
8. Add garam masala. Shut off flame. Stir in yoghurt.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot rotis or paranthas.