Crispy Parval(pointed gourd) with potatoes...

The parval or pointed gourd is something that i would not have picked up on my own... I ended up having this at Sonali's place a couple of times(of the innumerable lunches that i'v had there!) and thought i'd give it a try. Read more about this veggie here!

You need:

parval / pointed gourd thinly sliced - 2 cups
potatoes thinly sliced - 1 cup
onion sliced - 1 medium
dried red chillies - 2
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
a pinch of turmeic
salt to taste
oil for shallow frying
How to:
Heat about 3-4 tbsp oil in a wok. Add in the cumin seeds followed by the chillies when they start to sizzle. Add the onions and turmeric. Fry till lightly browned. Now add in the potatoes, parval, salt to taste and continue to fry them till they are done. The gourds tend to curl and turn crispy when done. Drain the excess oil and serve along with chapatis or rice.


Pointers:
- Use only tender gourds for this dish.The ripe ones are rubbery, orangish inside and have hard seeds.
- You could boil the potatoes in the microwave for about 5minutes before adding them to the wok, saving on cook time.

Oatmeal Cookies...

Been wishing for a satisfying oatmeal cookie ever since i got back on Indian soil... & the fact that we are holed up in Vizag does not help! So when i came across Joy of Baking's recipe, the cookie on my wishlist looked up at me, begging to be cut off! I did make a few changes though and skipped the cinnamon.
Herez the result! :) 

You need:
brown sugar, tightly packed - 1 cup
butter at room temperature 3/4 cup - i used salted
all purpose flour(maida)- 3/4 cup
oats - 3cups - i used Quaker
1 egg
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
baking soda - 1/2 tsp
raisins - 1/2 cup
walnuts toasted and chopped - 1 cup 
chocolate chips (optional) - 1/2 cup


How to:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth - i used an electric beater. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine well. 

Combine the flour and baking soda and add this to the creamed mixture. Mix well and stir in the nuts, raisins and chocolate chips. Add in the oats & mix well. 

Grease a baking tray and transfer the dough with enough spacing between the cookies- I used a scoop spoon for uniform cookies. Flatten the cookies lightly with the back of the spoon. You need to spoon out your portions keeping in mind that the cookies will flatten out and get bigger. Bake the cookies for about 12 - 15 minutes or till done. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Yaaaayyyy!!! I now have my own batch of oatmeal cookies!! :) Another strike off from my wishlist - which by the way is growing forever! ;)

Papad Vadas!

Poppadom or Papad is typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India. I did serve it as a starter with some salsa variants but never as a vada!! My scouting for quick fix eats got me here & glad that i tried out this ridiculously easy  snack! 

You need:

Any papad - i used Haldiram's Bikaneri papad which is seasoned with pepper & asafoetida
rice flour - 1/2 cup
gram flour(besan) - 2 tbsp
black sesame seeds - 2tsp or more
chilly powder to taste
salt to taste
How to:
Since i used large papads, i broke them diagonally till i ended up with 6 triangular segments. 

Mix all the ingredients listed above, excluding the papad with enough water to make a thick batter. The batter should not be runny. 

Heat enough oil in a wok to deep fry the papads. Once the oil is ready, dip the papad in the batter ensuring that it is well coated & drop it in the oil. Drain on paper towels when done.

Served with a steaming cup of tea... mmmmmnnn!!! :)

Watermelon sorbet... :)

The searing heat always drives me to the fridge.. On one such 'trips' i glanced at a box of watermelon chunks & set about making a sorbet - inspired by a picture posted by Nestle on facebook. 

Whizzed up the pulp of one medium watermelon with about half a tin of sweetened condensed milk (used milkmaid), passed it through a sieve and set it in an ice tray. The rest was set in a bowl & scraped to serve, topped with fresh mint leaves. Needless to say, the fridge was raided more often! ;)