Go pumpkin go

I know I promised in my last post I will be back with some stories from India (check the bottom of the post for one of them). There is another one I have been working on which looks very promising. It is about a queen and an architect and secret passageways. But the story will have to wait while I attend my hosting duties for Susan’s MLLA-51.

The last date for sending in the entrees was three days ago and as the host I should have posted at least one if not a couple of legume recipes. As things go, I posted none. I also missed the deadline for Anita’s Mad Tea Party. Actually, I almost made it to her tea party but the kid fell sick. A doctor’s visit and some tests later we found out he had strep throat. He had to stay home for the better part of the week and though it was nice not to wake up at 6.30 AM to take him to school, I prefer him in school on weekdays. Unlike his mother, he enjoys the routine and predictability of the weekdays when he is in school. Nothing makes him happier than knowing what is in store for him for the day.

I try to keep a similar routine at home for him but things tend to get a bit loosey-goosey once in a while. He doesn’t seem to mind and I feel it is good for him not to follow a strict regimen all the time. He is just in first grade after all.

First grade has been a big transition for him though after the fun and easy kindergarten class. Last year, he got a one page weekly homework. This time around, there are weekly reading logs, math exercises and spelling tests to keep him occupied for the week. Did I mention, he also has after school activities four days a week? I, as always, am on chauffer duty after three in the afternoon.

Between picking him up from school, driving him to his play dates and assorted activities, I make dinner, usually a quick vegetable stir fry. Yes, we are not big on elaborate meals. A sabzi, some roti and a salad suffice us on weekdays.

This quick pumpkin sabzi is a staple during fall. In India, this preparation is usually reserved for fasting days and the sabzi is eaten without any bread or rice. We prefer it with rotis or a bajra bhakri and another sabzi or some cooked dal on the side. Sometimes, a koshimbeer of tomato and onions substitutes for a salad.

MLLA roundup and the winners

Let me start by thanking Susan for her patience with me in posting the roundup almost a week later than promised. I would also like to thank all the wonderful bloggers who participated with so much enthusiasm and some with as much as five entrees. Clearly, legumes rule your kitchens.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had no idea how popular her event is and the deluge of entrees was overwhelming. But fret not, I have it under control and here’s the round up, excluding a few entrees who did not follow one of the rules, mainly that of linking their entrees to both Susan’s and my event announcement pages. Apart from that, I think I have everyone covered. If I still missed someone, do let me know and I will do the needful.

The roundup is posted in the order in which the entrees were received by me. The winners were generated by a random generator and Ambrosia wins any cookbook or food-related book from Amazon U.S. valued at not more than 15 USD for the book itself. This prize is offered by Susan at her expense and she will also absorb worldwide shipping charges. So Richa Priyanka, go ahead and chose that cookbook you always wanted.

The second winner is Shanavi of Kitchen Secrets and will receive a case of six bags of the winner's choice of Hurst Bean products, suitable for every diet, sponsored by Hurst Beans. Susan will get in touch with you shortly. I have omitted the photos because that is the way I have done most of my roundups. My apologies if you  were expecting about 70 photos in this post.

Now to the roundup:

1. Fan Fried Steak by Toreviewtoronto


2. Chole Masala by rakshaskitchen

3. Chana Tondak or Goan Chana Masala by Rakshaskitchen

4. Split Pea and Broccoli Curry by Kitchen Alchemist

5. Makhmali Choliya Kabab by of Ribbons and Pasta

6. Rajma Palak, also by Ribbons and Pasta

7. Arhar Dal with Kathal by Saltiepie

8. Unfried Green Tomatoes by Sra of When My Soup Came Alive

9. Chane ka Nimona by My Life and Spice

10. Brazilian Black Bean Soup by The Taste Space

11. Mixed Dal Spice Powder by Enveetu Kitchen

12. Cauliflower Chickpea Curry by Veg Inspirations

13. Ven Pongal by Cooking with Siri

14. Green gram lentils in scrambled eggs by Bon Appetit

15. Crunchy Mung Bean Snack by Veg Inspirations

16. Humus with Sun Dried Tomatoes by Food and Spice

17. Thothakura Pappu by Kitchen Flavors

18. Kadhi by Litebite

19. Mullangi Sambar by Sensibleveg

20. Curried Barely Green Peas and Mixed Vegetable Soup by Zesty South Indian Kitchen

21. Spiced Garbanzo Beans by Asan Khana

22. Dodakkaya Bajji by Srav's Culinary Concepts

23. Masala Vadai by Kitchen Secrets

24. Kollu Dosai or Horsegram Crepes by PJ of Seduce Your Tastebuds

25. Greengram Sprouts & Soya Masala Vadas by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

26. Quinoa Mixed Dals Dosa also by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

27. Arachivitta Sambar by Krithi's Kitchen

28. Corn Peas Vada by Nirmala’s Kitchen

29. Sindhi Style Toor Dal by Ribbons and Pasta

30. Muthira Puzhukku or Horsegram Curry by Palakkad Chamayal

31. Bhaja Muger Dal or Roasted Mung Soup by Soma of eCurry

32. Bean Burgers by Foodie Workz

33. Gatte ki Sabzi by Nicks n Jits Kitchen

34. Punjabi kadhi Pakora by Nicks n Jits Kitchen

35. Jaisalmeri Chane by Nicks n Jits Kitchen

36. Missi Roti by Nicks n Jits Kitchen

37. Khaman by Nicks n Jits Kitchen

38. Varutharacha Sambar by Mélange!!

39. Bhare Baghare Tamatar or Stuffed tomatoes by Flavours and Tastes

40. Falafel by Wheat Free Meat Free

41. Baked Falafels in Home made whole wheat pita pockets by Oh Taste n See

42. Cilantro and Green Garbanzo Pulav by Oh Taste n See

43. Tofu Methi Thepla by Oh Taste n See

44. Sweet n Sour Mango Tofu by Oh Taste n See

45. Bitter Gourd Pitlai by Spicy Life

46. Toor Dal Chutney by Curry In Kadai

47. Red Bean Pancake by Malaysian Delicacies

48. Chhole Masala by Ambrosia

49. Besan Paratha by Indian Food Rocks

50. Sprouted Black chickpea Curry by Hobby and More

51. Osaman or Clear Lentil Soup by Vegetarian Tastebuds

52. Chinese Five Spice Shortbread by Susan at The Well Seasoned Cook

53. Grain-Free Vegan Chocolate Fruit Tart by City Life Eats

54. Mung Dal tadka by Veggie Affair

55. White Peas Sundal by Sugar n’ Spice

56. Medhu Vadai by Sugar n’ Spice

57. Mixed Dal Vadai by Sugar n’ Spice

58. Chana Masala by Sugar n’ Spice

59. Moong Dal Payasam by Sugar n’ Spice

60. Carrot Lentil Salad by Red Chillies

61. Jamaican Rice and Beans with Mangoes by Saffronstreaks

62. Humus and Falafel Wraps by The V Kitchen

63. Aamer Dal by The V Kitchen

64. Vegetarian Chilli with Mixed Nuts Paste by Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes

65. Chholar Dal by Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes

66. Mung Beans Dumplings by Queen of My Kitchen

67. Adzuki Beans Sauce by Good Eats Corner

68. Paanch Ratan Dal by Shy's Kitchen Chronicles

69. Lauki and Chana Dal by Desi Soccer Mom

70. Masoor Dal by Desi Soccer Mom

This months's MLLA-35 is being hosted at Kannada Cuisine, so head on over there to enter your delicious legume entrees.

The 3s equation, a masoor dal and a MLLA deadline

Today is the last day to submit your entrees for this month’s MLLA-34 hosted on this blog. I knew MLLA was a popular event but I had no idea how much. My inbox has been deluged with entrees, ok, not deluged, but I have been getting a couple of entrees every day since I announced the event. It is astounding. If you still haven’t posted your lentil creation, now is the time. The clock is ticking.

I have already managed to post one entry and in it I promised Susan I will post another one. This one is a simple masoor dal which accidently got sprouted because I got busy dealing with those pesky things in life that come in threes. I have heard all my life that all things come in threes and I always hoped they are all good things. No such luck. Here’s how it all went down:

My laptop is an extension of my blogger and student self. I write my blog posts on it, edit photos in picassa, write essays, do homework and take my online class on it. For all the important tasks it helps me accomplish, I do not take particularly good care of my laptop. It sits on my lap when I am lounging on the couch, watching TV and doing my home work. It sometimes slides to the carpet if I turn around to grab an occasional snack from the side table or to plug the power cord in. So far, it has come about relatively unscathed.

The universe or the laptop must have lost patience with my clumsiness. One day last week, when it slid to the ground for the 100th time, it fell on the side where the power cord was plugged in. I did not realize till an hour late that the battery wasn’t charging because the fall had broken the thin little plug. The very next day, I walked into an electronics store to buy a new power cord. The bill at the register: $80! Not a small price to pay for a moment of clumsiness. I was dismayed to say the least.

The bumper, propped up.

On my way back, I had to pick the kid up from preschool and guess what? I got into a fender bender at a yield sign. The car (read tank) I crashed into was a Chevy Tahoe, which did not seem to have a single scratch. My sedan on the other hand had a loose bumper and a smashed headlight. This was my first accident in ten years since I started driving. I wasn’t hurt, nor was the driver of the Chevy. I was surprised at how calm I was, pulling into the nearby parking lot and making phone calls to a friend to pick the kid up from preschool. I called the preschool to let them know my friend was going to pick the kid up.

Only then did I turn my attention to the Chevy driver who was busy taking pictures of both the cars with his cell phone camera. We exchanged insurance information; he helped me prop up the now hanging bumper and drove away. I on the other hand sat for ten minutes in the car, shaking and trying to comprehend the last half an hour. The whole experience was so surreal, I found myself shaking and on the verge of tears.

It took me about ten minutes to gather myself before driving back home, which was five minutes from the scene of the accident. As if the unnecessary expense of the power adaptor and now the possible hassle of dealing with the insurance adjusters and repair shop wasn’t enough, two days later, our lawn fence fell down due to high winds we get this time around in Tx. It was a big 15 foot section which fell and normally I am all for breaking down fences. But this time around, there was the question of our HOA who are very strict about matters of outdoor appearance.

The wind blown fence.

The neighbors we share the fence with have three dogs who were suddenly confined indoors and it was hard to see them looking out longingly at the sunny lawn. Phone calls to fence companies followed for a week, getting quotes and conferring with the neighbors. Those were the three things, none of them good, that disrupted our normally calm lives in a single week.

Sprouted masoor

It is a good thing I have a good network of friends on twitter and facebook. I got plenty of support and encouragement from Soma, Manisha, Susan and some of the readers who follow me on twitter and facebook. I had also put the word out that I was looking for a spare hp adapter, and a few days later, my best friend Erin called back to say she had not one but two spares from two separate kaput laptops. I met her for lunch and good conversation and came home $80 richer for it.

Meanwhile, the car is in the repair shop and the fence is still down. I do have about a dozen estimates for fence repair and we should have a new fence in a couple of weeks.

While the stress of threes is ebbing away, I have to contend with the fact that my semester finals are drawing to a close. That means, finishing off three essays for the English class, a power point presentation and a final exam for the Computer Application class and a final third exam for the history class. I am done with the PowerPoint presentation and two essays but I still have a final exam and one more essay to write by Sat. The history exam is next Monday. Looks like I am stuck with the 3s equation for a while.

Yesterday, after reading up three history chapters, I turned my attention to the sprouting masoor that had been pushed to the back of the fridge. He came home just as I was finished prepping for it. He had bought some fresh trout from the store. Two whistles in the cooker for the masoor while the trout sat in a rub of salt, black pepper and red chili powder. I rolled a few chapattis, grilled the trout on my cast iron skillet and dinner was ready.

Sprouted Masoor Dal

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sprouted masoor
1/4 cup chopped onions
3-4 garlic cloves, minced fine
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

For tadka:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp asafetida powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala

Method:
Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a pressure cooker and add the cumin seeds. Turn the heat to medium low and add turmeric and asafetida. As they turn fragrant in a few second, add the chopped onions and minced garlic. Stir around till the onions are translucent and the garlic tender.
Add garam masala and red chili powder. Cook for a minute before adding the tomatoes. Cover and let the tomatoes soften before adding the sprouted masoor.
Add salt to taste, some vegetable stock or water to cover. Bring to a boil on high heat, put the lid on. Let the lentils cook on medium heat for two whistles. Turn off the heat, let the pressure subside, transfer to a platter and serve with rotis and a nice piece of grilled fish of your choice.

The final dinner.

Note: Masoor can be cooked in a pan instead of a cooker, since it doesn’t take long to cook. Cook till it is tender but still has a bite to it.
You don’t have to sprout it, but it is recommended that you soak it for a couple of hours.
Add more garam masala if you prefer it spicy. I love the taste of masoor itself, so I try not to overwhelm the dal with too much spice.

A couple of parting notes:

While I juggle the final week of Spring semester, I decided to make a DSM page for those readers who would like to connect with me on fb but prefer not to invade my private space. If you belong to that category, there is a link on the top left corner that should take you to the DSM page on fb. If you would rather follow me on twitter, search for Desisoccermom there.

I will leave you with this link and announcement to Sra’s blog where she announced the revival of Of Chalks & Chopsticks, an event started by Aqua. If you have a food related tale to spin, this is the event for you.

Made for each other – Lauki and Chana

This post was waiting to be written for the last few days and not the least because I am hosting MLAA-34. As a host, it would be rude of me not to cook a legume based dish. Yet, every time I sat down to write, some distraction would occupy me before I had to call it a night. Yesterday, it was this rant of Sandeepa over at Bong Mom's Cookbook. She took the words out of my mouth when she questioned why women swoon over a husband who does simple chores around the house and call the woman he is married to lucky.

As one of those “lucky woman” I can tell you, my better half does do a lot around the house, from making the weekly vegetable stock, to making the daily morning tea, unloading the dishwasher and cooking the  occasional risotto. But he does the chores around the house for the same reasons I do the rest of the drudge work and duties of a chauffeur, teacher and entertainer for our five year old. It is a marriage and a partnership where everyone pitches in to the best of their abilities.

As a gesture of appreciation for all that I do around the house, he tries to keep the work stations clean and dishes to a minimum when he cooks. I, on the other hand, cook his favorite vegetables, as and when it suits my fancy. Like lauki (bottle gourd) cooked with chana dal, which incidentally is also my favorite way of eating this bland vegetable. I like my chana to have a bite to it but since he likes his mushy, I make a concession for him and pressure cook the concoction to his liking. I do draw the line at his mom’s bhakri which is a thick tortilla made with stiff dough of whole wheat flour mixed with turmeric, red chili powder and plenty of oil. It takes a lot of muscle to roll out those delicious rounds of dough and after one try, I decided I did not care much for making them.

Lauki, dudhi, bottlegourd.

Capture by: Manisha of Indianfoodrocks

The lauki chana dal sabzi, on the other hand, is quick, almost fool proof and is a “made-for-each-other-combo”. At least that is what I wrote when Manisha put up her photo of lauki dal on Facebook and my comment got an instant ‘like’ for it. So Susan, here is, hopefully, the first of my at least two submissions to your brilliant event.

Lauki Chana Dal

Ingredients:
4 cups of lauki , peeled and cut into bite size chunks
1/4 cup chana dal, soaked in water for at least 2-3 hours
1 small tomato, cut into chunks
1/2 vegetable stock or water

For tadka or tempering:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp asafetida
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced fine
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp dhana-jeera (cumin coriander) powder
1 tsp garam masala or sabzi masala
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat 1/2 tbsp of oil in a 3 or 4ltr pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds, asafetida and minced garlic. Turn down the heat so the garlic cooks and softens but does not burn. Add the turmeric; stir it till the raw smell turns fragrant.
Drain the water from the chana dal and toss it in the garlic, cumin, and turmeric infused oil. Add a dash of salt, stir, and let cook for two minutes. Add the red chili powder, dhana-jeera and garam masal. Stir and add the chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook on medium heat till the tomatoes get mushy.

Cross section of dudhi/ lauki/ bottlegourd.
Courtesy: Indianfoodrocks

Add the chopped lauki, salt to taste, mix everything gently. Add the vegetable stock and bring everything to a gentle boil. Put on the lid and pressure cook for one whistle.
Wait for the pressure to subside, transfer the dal lauki to a serving bowl, garnish with coriander and serve with rotis.

Note: The spice proportions are what work for me. However, lauki being a bland vegetable as well of varying sizes, feel free to add more of the red chili or garam masala if you like it spicier. The above proportions are for the big lauki I had, which yielded four cups chopped.

If, for some reason, you do not own a pressure cooker, cook the lauki and chana dal in a lidded pot. Cook till the chana dal is tender and the lauki is cooked through.

A reader of mine in India once wrote to me that she found my baingan bharta bland because she followed the exact spice proportion in the recipe. I will reiterate what I told her, “Taste buds in our family are somewhat dulled from living in the US. Always go with your normal proportion and gut when adding spices and/or heat to any recipe on this blog, unless stated otherwise.” So, go ahead, don’t hesitate before adding that extra pinch of garam masala.

For the love of cricket and legume

As I write this post, sitting in my usual place on the couch, directly in front of the TV, within easy reach of the remote and the side table, the India-Sri Lanka World Cup finals is on. Sri Lanka is batting at 199-5 with 7 overs to go. I have cut my Saturday morning class, not because I am a cricket fanatic but because it seems the right thing to do.

It also seems fit then to write this post after another long hiatus. Back in the days, when I was blogging regularly, there was nothing I wanted to do more than host Susan’s My Legume Love Affair. A year and some months ago when I emailed her with my request, she told me the only spot she had was for April of 2011. It seemed a long way off back then. Susan assured me of time’s flying abilities and she was right. 

The last six months or so have been busier for me with a growing kid who has a busier social life than us and my own busy schedule. I do miss blogging, especially when I see a post or a recipe I have been wanting to blog about. Or when I cook something different from the usual fare and the family likes it, like Siri’s  brown rice bisibelebath. When I received Susan’s email, asking me if I still wanted to host MLAA, I couldn’t let it pass.


As if that wasn't motivation enough, Aqua @servedwithlove tweeted to @WSeasonedCook: "Oh good, at least hosting MLLA got her to post something on her blog after ages @Desisoccermom."  It is hard to let down a blogger buddy’s sweat sarcasm support. So here I am, announcing the ever popular MLAA - 34, which is the brilliant creation of Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

If you are not familiar with the event or new to the blogging world, MLAA is all about entrees where the star ingredient is a legume, bean, pea or pod, basically anything that constitutes as a legume. Before I bullet the official rules, please read what constitutes a legume for your recipe to qualify and refer to it before you decide to dash off an entry. Other than that, a little bit of imagination, a cup or half of legumes, a few spices and a pressure cooker is all you need to enter for the prizes listed down under.

Legume: For the purpose of this event, legumes include fresh or dried beans, lentils, pulses, and/or the sometimes edible pods that contain these seeds, and derivative products like tofu or besan (chickpea flour). According to Susan you can include recipes that use tamarind, fenugreek, carob, peanuts, etc. since they are among some of the other edible plants in the legume family and thus ARE included in the event.


Please note and this is important, a spoonful of legume in a recipe is not quite enough to qualify. If you send in a recipe that does not actually feature legumes, but reference them as an auxiliary ingredient, I will be forced to reject the entry. Remember, MLLA is all about the affair with the legume. It is only fair to your fellow participants that you respect the rules as well. So make sure your recipe includes a fair to liberal amount of legumes in it.


The rules are as follows:


1. All courses and cultures are welcome as well as non-vegetarian entries as long as they have a substantial amount of legumes.


2. Multiple recipes are permitted although only one submission will be counted towards the random drawings. Important note: Multiple recipes are limited to no more than 10. So, please do not send me all the collective legume recipes from your blog. I repeat, limit them to ten.


3. Recipes submitted to other events are also permitted.


4. Recipes from archives will be accepted ONLY if updated and reposted as current.


5. Don’t have a blog, no worries. You are still eligible to win a prize if you send an entry.


6. I do need to know the location of participants so I will know who qualifies to win both or one of the prizes. If you don’t want your location published, that’s ok. Just send it to me in an email so I can make sure you are eligible for the draw.


7. Use of the above logo is optional but Susan’s MLLA logos are so beautiful I cannot imagine why one wouldn’t want to add it to their post.


8. A photo with the entry is preferred, but not essential. Please do try to resize your photos to 200 by 300.


9. Make sure to link your post to this announcement as well as to this link to Susan’s host line-up.


10. The last date for sending your entry/ees is May 3. I will try to post the round-up by end of first week of May. Send your entree here or jayawagle@gmail.com.


For following all of the above rules, to the best of your abilities, here’s what you can win when selected by the random draw:

1) Winner chooses any cookbook or food-related book from Amazon U.S. valued at not more than 15USD for the book itself. This prize is offered by Susan at her expense and she will also absorb worldwide shipping charges. F.T.C. Notice: Susan does not receive any compensation from Amazon.


2) Hurst Bean Box - A case of six bags of the winner's choice of Hurst Bean products, suitable for every diet, sponsored by Hurst Bean. (Due to shipping restrictions, this prize can only be awarded if the winner is a U.S. resident.) F.T.C. Notice: In May 2010, Susan, at her request, received two Hurst Bean complimentary products which are not available for purchase in her local markets. Susan does not generally accept free products from Hurst Bean nor is she financially compensated by them.


3) Drawing Structure - If the winner is a U.S. resident, she/he will be the recipient of both Prizes 1 and 2 above. In the event that an international winner is drawn, a second drawing will be conducted from the U.S. pool of entrants to ensure that the Hurst Prize is awarded every month. In these instances, the international winner will receive the book, and the U.S. winner will receive the Hurst Prize.


As I finish this post and prepare to upload it, India has won the World Cup and I am exhausted from celebrating with friends all day long. We reached home dog tired a little before midnight and I decided to upload the post before hitting the bed. So I hope you will understand if there are any grammatical errors or typos.


Now, go ahead and start posting those entrees.