Roasted Peppers Pasta (with Sambar masala)

This is my second entry for the Indusladies Kid's Lunchbox event. Most kids love pasta given that it is paired with the right kind of sauce. A sweet, tangy one with a hint of chili works well with the little ones. Red peppers (especially roasted ones) have a natural sweetness to them and are a popular choice for making pasta sauce. Roasted peppers with herbs and cheese, roasted peppers with balsamic vinegar, roasted peppers with tomatoes, roasted peppers with red wine. These are just a few of the varieties that one can find over the internet. While I have tried some of them, my son's current favorite (and mine too!!) happens to be one with sambar masala. Yeah, it might sound strange but it is a real good combination. But in case you are skeptical about it, leave out the sambar masala and add some good old processed cheese in it's place.

Read on for the recipe -

Sending this as a contribution to the Indusladies event 100 Kids Lunch Box Recipes. Check out more details here - http://www.indusladies.com/food/kids-lunch-box-recipes/

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup pasta 
• 1 big red bell pepper
• 1 medium sized tomato
• 1 medium onion
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/5 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp sambar masala
• 2 tsp rice bran oil
• salt

Preparation - Roast the pepper on a low flame till the outer skin turns black.

Keep aside till it cools down to a bearable temperature. Peel/remove the blackened skin and chop up the flesh. Discard the seeds.

Finely chop the onions and tomato and keep aside.

Cooking - Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. When the bubbles start to form, add the salt.

Once it gets to a rolling boil, add pasta. Cook till al-dente and another minute extra ( do give a stir 2-3 times in between so that the pasta does not catch at the bottom) on a medium flame. Drain the water ( while preserving 1 cup for the sauce ) and keep aside.

Add 2 tsp oil to a skillet. Add the onions. Fry till they turn translucent. Add the chili powder and coriander powder. Fry for 20-30 secs.

Add the chopped tomato to the skillet and cook till it softens up. Transfer the roasted and chopped pepper to a food processor/mixer jar. Buzz it to get a smooth paste.  Add this paste along with the sambar masala to the skillet. Cook for 2 mins.

Add the pasta. Cook for another 2-3 mins till the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. ( Add a few teaspoons more of the pasta water if the sauce feels too dry )

Serve hot or cold.

Note - While pasta is supposed to be cooked al-dente, it makes sense to make it a little softer for the younger kids who are reluctant to chew their food.

Drumstick leaves Uttapam (Murungai Keerai Uttapa)

Uttapams are quite versatile when it comes to the flavours that one can infuse in them. They work great with everything ranging from Chinese (schezwan/manchurian) toppings to even Italian ones (cheese, peppers and herbs). But the recipe I am sharing today is a very simple one that takes the flavors from the nutrient loaded drumstick leaves. Apart from their medicinal/nutritional qualities, these leaves also happen to be quite aromatic.

Read on for the simple recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups thick dosa batter ( I use the I.D. brand)
• 1 medium sized onion (finely chopped)
• 2/3 cup drumstick leaves
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 3-4 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Add salt and chili powder to the batter. Adjust water if required. This is a thick batter so take care not to dilute it too much.

Wash the leaves that you have already plucked from the stems. Be careful to discard leaves that have the tiny insects/eggs sticking to them. (You can do this by immersing them in  warm water to which salt has been added)

Cooking - Heat a non-stick pan. Drizzle some oil and then add a ladle of the batter. Do not spread too much. Top up with the drumstick leaves and chopped onions.

Cover with a lid for about a minute or two. Remove the lid and check if it has firmed up. If yes, flip it over.

Add a little oil from the sides if required. Again cover with a lid and cook for 1-2 mins. Remove from the wok.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients. 

Serve hot with chutney.

Hash Brown Sandwich

I am totally into sandwiches these days. Most of them are vegetarian and quite easy to prepare which works well given that I am feeling quite lazy to cook. Came up with this one last week when I prepared Hash Browns (Rosti) for my son. If your kids do not like potato, this is something that you should try.

While Hash Brown's/Rosti's are traditionally made from shredded raw potatoes, a few chef choose to boil the potato a bit before coarsely grating them. After trying both methods, I also prefer to make them this way as it becomes easier to work with. It gives that perfect crisp on the outside and moist on the inside texture. This method is preferable for the younger kids/toddlers.

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins ( if you have boiled potatoes at hand else add 10 mins )

Ingredients -

• Burger buns or any plain buns
• 1-2 boiled potatoes ( about 3/4 cooked is preferable )
• 1/2 cup coarsely mashed avocado
• 1 tbsp mustard sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• few slices of tomato
• few lettuce leaves
• freshly ground pepper
• butter
• salt to taste

Preparation - Take the avocado, honey, mustard sauce and a bit of salt in a bowl. Mix togather.

Grate the potato into a mixing bowl. Add some salt and pepper and lightly toss togather.
Using very little pressure shape into patties.

Cooking - Heat sufficient butter in a pan . Add the potato patties and fry for 4-5 minutes till it firms a bit. This side should be golden brown and crisp. Then flip it over and fry the other side till it develops a similar texture. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

To assemble the sandwich/burger -

Layer on some of the avocado-mustard-honey sauce on the bun. Place the Hash Brown over it. Layer it with tomato slices and lettuce. Spread some mayonnaise on the other bun and place it over the lettuce layer. Dig in.

The Changing Face of Indian Retail (Guest Post for 27coupons.com)

From Mom & Pop stores and kiranawallas to opulent malls to shopping from the comfort of the living room sofa, Indian retail witnessed a lot of flux over the last decade or so. A lot of it has to do with evolving technology and the changing demographic of the average Indian shopper. With apps that let you shop from almost everywhere ( the Flipkart TV Ads are a brilliant demonstration of this), the thirty something urban professional could not have asked for more. No more worrying about dodging the work deadlines, facing traffic snarls, facing the endless queues at the billing counters. E-commerce firms are paving the way for you to spend quality time with the family.

So do we ditch the existing brick and mortar stores ?? Hardly. For they have the credibility and the infrastructure to provide a holistic shopping experience. But they seldom offer the attractive pricing that one finds on the online shopping portals. In fact some of the smart ones among us have leveraged the pluses of each one and taken to trying out stuff for ourselves at the B&M outlets before purchasing them online at a discount. It is probably one of the reasons behind online entities reaching out to the customers in more than one ways. This is something that even the tech-savvy customer would appreciate especially when it comes to making a big ticket/high value purchase. And I can vouch for it even though I have been making online purchases ever since 2008. A sheer physical presence somewhat on the lines of the FabFurnish offline stores which are much smaller as compared to the regular furniture stores but allow the customer to touch and feel the product, helps to foster confidence and build the brand value in the long run. Another good example of providing the customer with a personalized experience would be the Chumbak kiosks.

For the existing retail entities, a collaboration between the brick & mortar stores and the e-commerce portals that gives both the brands an omni-channel presence and allows each to leverage the existing capabilities of the other. A very good example of this is the strategic integration between Zopnow and Hypercity retail chain stores. For the uninitiated, Zopnow is an online grocery and consumer product goods retailer that operates only in Bangalore. But the move will now allow it to expand to other cities where Hypercity already has a presence. It also sorts out the cold storage issues ( for F&V) that Zopnow had been facing for sometime and effectively reduces the wastage for Hypercity.

As a first hand customer of both entities, I am quite excited as I now get access to the whole range of fruits and vegetables, including the exotic/imported variety and cut vegetables from Hypercity delivered at my doorstep within 3 hours. It also gives me access to the delectable repository of cheese that one can only find at Hypercity. And being a food blogger, I cannot think of anything more exciting. Though the whole integration process is not seamless and I have faced a few issues while trying to place/modify an order, I am hoping that they can work it out over the next few months. Of course, I will keep visiting Hypercity at leisure and keep checking out their offline offerings. But it will not be a need based trip.

Given the tangible advantages/benefits of having an offline presence, many e-tailers have taken to expanding the network of franchisee brick-and-mortar stores. Firstcry, Healthkart and Lenskart are noteworthy names which are going that extra mile to give the customers a real feel of the products before buying from them. Quite interestingly, a large number of these stores are located in Tier II cities where the customer is still a bit wary of online shopping. For those e-tailers who cannot have a physical footprint, offering a fixed/limited number of free trials is the way to go. For example Lenskart offers a trial for up to five frames before the customer has to choose one. Another option is enabling a ‘Virtual Trial Room’ which enables the customer to upload a picture of himself/herself and try on the clothes/make-up before making a purchase.

Not to be left behind, Brick & Mortar retailers are also jumping into the online bandwagon. One of the interesting brands in this section has been Medplus (the pharmacy chain stores) which went the online route selling cosmetics and toiletries at Medplusbeauty.com. But they have now taken their pharmacy online. Check the site and you will find a lot of useful information like alternative medicines with the same composition, side effects, precautions, food restrictions, usage during pregnancy and a whole lot of medically relevant stuff. Definitely one of the most useful e-commerce that one can find.

Either ways, the brands should look at providing the evolving customer a seamless experience. Even it means over-hauling the existing infrastructure to give the customer continued support and connect. It is the only way to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty,which ultimately translate into higher sales figures.

Note: In case you would like to get coupons of the websites mentioned in the blog post, you can go to 27coupons.com and search the same.

Vegan Empanadas ( A LATAM cousin of the desi Karanji/Gujiya )

Ok....plz try not to look too shocked/septical!! Why on earth is she calling the good old Karanji/Gujiya something so alien ? Empanadas......what next ??? Long forgotten memories of a grandmother stuffing up the rolled out dough with a sweetened coconut/mawa filling and crimping it before frying it in oil evoke a strong sense of nostalgia which makes the rebellion even more poignant.

I would like to share that even my first reaction was on the same lines. It was the market challenge of Masterchef Australia Season 6 that made me aware of the existence/popularity of this fried/baked snack in the Latin American region. It is simply defined a snack made by folding dough around a sweet or savory stuffing. The savory variety is definitely more popular going by the sheer number of recipes on the net and it could be anything ranging from meat, cheese, corn, mushrooms and even sauteed/fried veggies.

The baked variety is healthier in comparison but as far as the taste is concerned, the fried stuff definitely takes the crown. Maybe I will stick to the baked variety on regular days and just save up on the calories for a festive occasion. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients -

For the dough -

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp hot oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 2 pinch baking powder
• salt to taste
• cold water for making dough
• oil for deep frying

For the stuffing -

• 1 1/2 cup green peas
• 1 small potato (boiled & peeled)
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 1/ 3 tsp grated ginger
• 1/3 tsp grated garlic
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 pinch garam masala
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 2 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Take the all purpose flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the hot oil and rub in. Then add water, very little at a time and knead into a stiff dough. Cover with a damp cloth/little oil and keep aside for sometime. Knead it once again after 30 mins. It should feel smooth else repeat the process once again.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the cumin seeds followed by the onion, ginger and garlic. Fry for sometime till the raw smell goes away. Add the potato and the green peas along with all the spices. Cook covered for 5-6 mins. Lightly mash the potato and green peas mixture with the back of a heavy spoon. Allow it to cool down to room temperature.

Pinch small portions of the dough and shape into a flattened disc. Dust a working surface and roll out the discs into small circles. Put some of the potato and green peas mixture in one half of the circle leaving out some space on the edges. Apply water along the circumference before folding it into a half moon shape. Use a fork to make crimp patterns on the sealed edge. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and stuffing.

Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Add the empanadas one or two at a time. Fry on one side till brown before turning over and frying the other side as well.

Serve immediately.

Note - If preparing for Navratras, leave out the onion and garlic. Add some shredded cabbage or grated carrots instead. Add some raisins and nuts also if you like.

Avocado Sandwich

I was delighted when I received an email from Indusladies to be a contributor to their Kid's lunchbox event. Being a mother myself, I can vouch that there is nothing more satisfying than to find the lunchbox empty when the kid comes back from school ( and now if you thinking about all those times when you gave away your lunch to some stray dog while returning from school, let me inform you that my kid has not yet reached that stage. Will learn to deal with him when it comes to that).

The first recipe I picked up was this simple avocado sandwich with whole wheat bread. Avocado being a source of good fats and packed with nutrients, helps kids remain full for a longer time and also aids their brain development. Read on for the recipe -

Sending this as a contribution to the Indusladies event 100 Kids Lunch Box Recipes. Check out more details here - http://www.indusladies.com/food/kids-lunch-box-recipes/

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 3 slices of whole wheat/multi-grain bread
• 1/2 of an avocado ( cut into slices )
• iceberg lettuce leaves
• a few slices of tomato
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp mustard sauce
• 1/4 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 4 tbsp grated cheese
• freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation - Cut the bread diagonally into triangles. Lightly toast the slices.

Mix the mayo, mustard sauce, vinegar, honey, pepper and a bit of salt in a bowl to prepare the sandwich spread.

Take one bread triangle. Cover it with the spread and then layer the avocado slices over it. Cover it with a bread slice. Add another layer of the sandwich spread before sprinkling the grated cheese and layering the tomato slices and lettuce. Sprinkle a bit of salt. Close with the final slice. Gently press.

Repeat for the remaining slices.

Serve immediately ( or cover tightly with a foil wrap and put in the kids lunch box ). It stays good even after 4-5 hours.

Moringa Rasam

I got lucky last week when I chanced upon a vendor selling 'sajana' saag or moringa olifera leaves outside our apartment. So thrilled was I that I cooked three dishes from the same lot on the day. A simple stir fry, one with veggies and dal and finally a rasam. Now, I had read about drumstick leaves rasam on a blog (Sorry...but I cannot remember which one) a long time back but did not get the opportunity to try it out. Turned out to be quite simple, fragrant ( can it be otherwise ?? ) and delicious.

Read on for the simple recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup moringa olifera leaves (sajana saag)
• 1/2 of a small onion
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 marble sized tamarind ball
• 1 tsp rasam powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp oil

For the tempering -

• 2 pinch asafoetida
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• a pinch of fenugreek seeds
• 1-2 dry red chilis
• 1 tsp oil

Preparation - Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for 30 mins. Squeeze out all the juice and throw away the pulp.

Chop the onion and garlic into small pieces

Cooking - Heat oil in a wok. Add the onion and garlic. Fry till fragrant.

Add the moringa leaves and stir fry for 3-4 mins.

Dissolve the rasam powder in the tamarind water and add to the wok. Add another cup of water too and adjust the salt. Let it simmer for 8-10 mins.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add the tempering ingredients and allow them to start spluttering. Pour immediately over the contents of the wok. Simmer for another 2-3 mins.

Serve hot or warm.