Bread Upma- my favorite aunt's quick recipe!

If you cannot momentarily forget about how ghee is going to make you fat or increase your cholesterol, then this recipe isn't for you. My aunt loved making this as a breakfast dish when growing up. My uncle, cousin and I used to fight over the amount of bread upma received- yes it is THAT good. I mean, if you can imagine the perfect combination of salt, spice and sweet- the most delicious, appetizing, mouth-watering bread out there- this one will probably be better. This recipe is a dedication to her superb cooking skills:

1 loaf of white bread- chop away the edges of bread for the pure white look & slice each bread into 9 squares
2-3 green chillis sliced (yes it is a spicy recipe! But you can reduce the spice level if you wish!)
A pinch of Hing (asofoetida) (optional)
sugar (to taste)
salt (to taste)
5 tablespoons of ghee
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
turmeric powder
ginger (optional)
A few Curry leaves
Onion (chopped small)

In a tawa heat ghee, add mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves, green chilis onion- then sautee and add ginger, salt, sugar, and hing- add bread slices in the end and mix well. Super short & super quick meal!

Jungle Pulav

What do you think of when i say "Jungle"? Wild, Green, and beautiful? Well I think these adjectives perfectly describe my Aunt's mint Pulav- it is wild (spicy!), green (mint+coriander leaves!), beautiful to look at and even more tasty to eat. If my friends are reading this, then they know i have made this umpteen number of times through all the parties and get togethers. So much so that i don't get invited to pot lucks anymore :-P

Super Easy Recipe to make, and even simpler to just store the paste away in your freezer to use another time!

Grind the below ingredients to a thick paste using very little water: (for those of you who are OCD about measurements- smaller or bigger fist do not matter- the end result will still be good- i promise you:-)

1 big fist full of mint leaves
1 and a half fist full of coriander leaves
2 garlic cloves
little ginger
1 long cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
4 green or black cardamoms (just the seeds inside)
green chilies ( 5 for spicy )


You can triple this quantity and freeze the paste, or continue making the dish as follows:

In the rice cooker or whistle cooker:
Fry the paste in 4 tablespoons of ghee or olive oil for a few minutes and then add 2 cups of frozen mixed veggies (or cut veggies of your choice- i add carrots, cauliflower, peas, tons of green beans, and little potatoes)
Stir for a few minutes and add 2 teaspoons of salt.
Add 2 cups of raw rice- and 3.5 cups of water and close the cooker with lid. Keep it on med to low flame- let it whistle JUST ONCE- and immediately switch off, or let it cook completely in a rice cooker.

Wait until it has cooled... add salt if required...stir very little if needed as the rice will break. And serve with raitha (1 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup water, chopped onions, 2 slices of tomatoes and black pepper & salt) - YUM!

Don't be dis-heartened meat eaters!! Here is a bonus for you:

If you want to add chicken or any other meat- you can add it along the mixed veggies in the cooker. I marinated the chicken by crushing black peppers with a little bit of chicken powder (I used 1/2 teaspoon chicken tikka masala) & salt- Fry until half cooked and throw in cooker before closing the lid OR fry on the stove until cooked...and then add it in the end when the rice is done!


Now, the point of cooking is to add YOUR own flavor to whatever dish you are trying to make. So a little change is always good! Enjoy your Jungle Pulav folks & let me know if you discovered some new way to make this dish:-) I sure enjoy this pulav even though i have made it 500,000 times ;-) Oh and by the way- i heard from a little birdie that replacing the mint with fenugreek leaves changes the taste and it's super yummy as well!

First cooking session

Well apart from making beans & roti today, i thought to myself "why can't i share recipes with random people who like cooking?"

So here comes the crazy idea: COOK WITH A STRANGER THIS WEEKEND through our webcams! I found this certain stranger through a friend. She & i mutually enjoy cooking & we are desperate to add varities to our personal cookbook. What is a personal cookbook? A bunch of recipes you collect over a period of time from friends/relatives/parents/siblings whose food you enjoy so much that you cook it once, but never again because you know it just doesnt turn out the same!

I really would like to add your favorite recipe to my cookbook. And i certaintly want to cook the dishes more than once ;-)

Cooking with a Friend

So you think it's odd to cook with a stranger? Well, try being bored for a change- you will eventually add on tons of cooking friends.

The hello's and hi's & joy of sharing your recipes are so fulfilling that you would want to get your pots and pans & webcam in your kitchen & begin cooking with a big fat saliva dripping smile...

So do we want to know how we bored individuals or individuals with mundane daily tasks can add a little spice in our lives? Blog me, and you'll find out.

I live in L.A- and im here to give you company.