Hungry Poka

  Rupa's Kala Chana Breakfast 1/2 cup soaked, uncooked chana 1/4 onion finely chopped 1/4 tomato finely chopped 3 Tablespoon lime juice (fresh squeezed is best) 1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro 1-2 fresh green chillies (optional) - do not use dried red chillies or red chilli powder Salt to taste Soak a cup of the chana (pronounced "chuh-naah") overnight (covered) Drain the water You can put it in a container in the fridge and eat it over time as it sprouts.  Sprouted chana is very good for health. Stir everything together in a bowl.  Find a relaxing place to sit and eat it. Masala chai (w/ ginger) goes well with this. This is pretty filling and will sustain you for several hours.  Increase the amount if you need to.  

    Kalakand is a milk-based north Indian dessert.  This recipe is a super hit and works like a charm.  Kakoli's mom was visiting her from India a few years ago and invented this recipe.  It is now in widespread use among friends and their extended networks and has saved us all when we had sudden guests (you know how Indians are) and had to whip up something scrumptious to feed them.  I suspect this recipe has also saved many a marriage from food boredom. Note: I have made adjustments to the original recipe to suit my tastes and my particular microwave oven.  My microwave oven is 1000 Watts.  This is important since it will help you gauge what container to use and how long to heat at different stages.  Experimentation is urged in this recipe. Kakoli's Ma's Kalakand 15 oz tub of Ricotta cheese 12 oz can of condensed milk ¼ tsp cardamom powder ( Rupa - 1/2 tsp - I like cardamom ) ¼ cup ground pistachios ( Rupa - extra 1/4 cup - I like pistachio...

  This recipe is for Chiu-ki who has a lovely garden. I got the opportunity to raid her garden before the cold front hit a couple of weeks ago.  And, among the loot, were 2 okras (Bhindi, in Hindi).   It was the first time in my life that I saw what a Bhindi plant looked like.  Chiu-ki says that the Bhindi flowers are some of the most beautiful she had ever seen. 10-20 fresh Bhindi - washed, dried and cut into circular pieces (cross-section) of 1/8"  (make sure your cutting board and knife are very dry to reduce slime accumulation) 1 large tomato chopped - Optional 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon ajwain seeds ( Carom seeds ) - Optional 1/4 teaspoon heeng / Asafoetida powder - Optional.  This is a strong smelling spice. 1 tablespoon cumin powder 1 teaspoon haldi / turmeric powder Salt to taste 2 tablespoon oil - avocado/olive/coconut The key to reducing slime is to have a very hot pan to sear the bhindi pieces.  And ensure that your cooking s...

  First off, I don't know why it's called a "Roast", since, in the traditional sense of the word "Roast", there is no roasting of any ingredient in this dish.  But, everyone, seems to call it a "Roast". Ingredients Cauliflower - I used 2 big heads of Cauliflower  1 cup frozen peas 5 Tbsp Bengali Garam Masala 5 small cardamom 4 bay leaves 1 large cinnamon stick 1/2 cup ginger paste 6-7 fresh green chillies (adjust according to your needs) 1 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup cashew paste 1/4 cup almond paste - I used Almond Butter from Whole Foods 1/4 cup raisins 3 Tbsp milk (needed to liquify the cashew/almond paste in the grinder) Salt to taste 1 Tsp sugar 1 cup Avocado oil (Any oil with a high smoke point is good.  Do not use olive oil) 4 Tbsp Ghee 16-20 oz hot water Cut up the cauliflower into large florets - if they are too small they will fall apart during the steam/fry stage.  I cut up mine about 1"x1" (approx.).  There will be some that are ...

Indian-ized Veggie Tofu Scramble Ingredients   (use whatever veggies you have in the fridge and whatever herbs you have) 1 bag organic baby spinach 1 organic vine-ripened tomato - 1/4" dice 1 carton of medium-firm tofu (see below for prep) 1/2 carton cremini mushrooms (sliced) 1/4 onion chopped approx. 1/4" dice 2 tbsp frozen peas 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp asafoetida / hing (optional) 2 tsp fresh green chillies, chopped (optional) 1 tbsp cilatro leaves, finely chopped/julienned (optional) 2 tsp olive oil - you do not need extra virgin.  Regular is fine.  Avocado oil is good as well. Tip: For those that don't have a lot of spices in their pantry, feel free to substitute with the ubiquitous "curry powder" that you get at grocery stores.  The best "curry powders" are found in Indian grocery stores and are better quality and less expensive. Tofu prep:   Drain water, divide tofu block in half. (A) For the first half...

Canned tuna, boiled potatoes, finely chopped onion, green chillies, cilantro, jeera powder, gram masala powder, one egg, red chilli powder. Smash everything up in a bowl. Don't forget to add salt (I almost forgot).  Make medium sized balls, put them on a plate and smash them down into patties.  Fry in low oil and high heat. Watch very carefully or it'll burn. 

15 oz whole milk ricotta, 1 cup sugar, lemon essence, yellow food coloring.  Cook ricotta + sugar over medium/high heat until 80% of the water is evaporated and the consistency resembles a soft kalakand (mildly grainy but mostly smooth).  Let it cool till it's barely warm.  Separate 2 tblsp of the mix into a bowl add 1/4 tsp lemon essence and 2 drops of the food coloring and mix well. Make tiny balls out of the yellow mix.  Make larger egg-size balls out of the white mix, poke a hole in the middle and put in one yellow ball.  Close the white ball and roll with hands into egg shape.  Repeat till all the mix is finished.  Makes about 6-7 eggs.  Take a piece of dental floss and gently cut through the center to make each egg a half egg.  Plate and serve.  You could chill it but it's best eaten at room temperature or slightly warm.