Saturday, July 2, 2011

ALOE VERA CURRY (Rajasthani)

Aloe vera plant is well known for its medicinal properties.These days it is found in health and cosmetic products.Ever thought that it could be used as a vegetable too.In Rajasthan it is known as Gawar Patha and a curry is made with its pulp.This recipe is quite close to the Rajasthani one, but I have not used mustard oil which is generally used in Rajasthan for cooking and I have added a couple of ingredients which I thought give a better taste to the curry.



Ingredients:
Aloe vera leaves ..... 2
Red chilli powder ... 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder .... 1 tsp.
Asafoetida ............... a pinch
Fenugreek seeds ..... 1/2 tsp.
Aniseeds ................ 1/2 tsp.
Amchoor powder .... 1/2 tsp.
Jaggery .................. 1/2 tsp.( a small piece)
Black cardamom ...... 1
Star anise ............... 1
Cinnamon stick ....... 1 inch piece.
Tomato puree ........... 1 tbsp.
Yogurt ..................... 1 tbsp.
Salt ................... to taste.
Oil
Method:
1. Peel and cut the aloe vera leaves into cubes.
2. Boil them for 2-3 minutes with salt. Drain and set aside.
3. In a pan heat a little oil and add the whole spices.Now add the asafoetida, red chilli powder,jaggery, salt and coriander powder. Add a little water and put the aloe vera cubes.Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
4. Mix the beaten yogurt to the curry and keep stirring on medium flame for 1-2 minutes.
This curry goes well with missi roti and plain rice.

Sending this to:

Think Spice: Think Garam Masala - Saraswathi ( Sara's Corner)- CELEBRATING REGIONAL CUISINE - http://worldofsujana.blogspot.com
Flavours of Rajasthan - Sonu's Palate Corner & Simply.Food

GROUNDNUT CHUTNEY


Ingredients:

Groundnuts........... 1 cup
Onions.................... 2 large
Cumin Seeds.......... 1 tsp
Dry red chillies...... 4-5
Curry leaves.......... 1 sprig
Tomatoes............... 2 sm
Tamarind Paste.... 1 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
For tempering:

Mustard seeds ....... 1 tsp.
Dry red chillies....... 2 (broken)
Curry leaves ......... 1 sprig
Asafoetida (hing).... a pinch

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil and deep fry roasted n peeled groundnuts until light brown. Drain and keep aside.
2. In the same oil, crackle cumin seeds, add curry leaves, dry red chillies, and hing. Then add the finely sliced onions and fry until light brown.
3. Add salt, tomatoes and stir until tomatoes are tender.
4. Remove from fire & keep to cool.
5. Transfer into a mixie and add tamarind paste. Grind to a fine consistency using a little water.

Variation:
You may add 2 pods of garlic while frying onions.
Also, another tempering of fried onions maybe added before serving.
You may also use about 6-8 green chillies instead of the dry red chillies.

Sending this to
Any One Can Cook ( series - 20 ) - Taste of Pearl City
&
Dish name starts with "G" - Learning to Cook
&
CC - Roti Pachadi / Chutney


STUFFED CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS


Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks ......... 5-6
Paneer (cottage cheese).....1/2 cup
Mint leaves ......................... 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves ............... 1/2 cup
Green chillies .................... 2-3
Lime ................................. 1
Coconut milk powder ..... 2 tbsps.
Garlic paste....................... 2 tbsps.
Salt .................................. to taste
Method:
1. Wash the chicken and pat it dry. With a sharp knife make a slit in the middle.


2. Marinate it with salt, and lime juice (use half a lime)


3. Crush the paneer. Grind the green chillies, mint and coriander leaves coarsely preferably in a mortar and pestle.


4. Add the crushed paneer and a little salt to it and mix well.


5. Stuff this mixture into the chicken legs on either side of the bone and secure the edges with tooth picks.


6. Dilute the coconut milk powder with quarter cup waterto make a thick cream, add a little lime juice, garlic paste and salt.( You may also use fresh cream instead )


7. Pour this over the chicken legs and leave it in the refrigerator for at least 4-5 hrs.


8. Preheat the oven and grill the chicken for 35-40 minutes.
9. To give a brownish roasted colour, brush the chicken with a little oil and saute on a non stick griddle.
10. Remove the toothpicks, wrap a piece of foil paper on the bones and serve hot.

Sending this to:
Serve it Grilled - Hosted by:

Religious Architecture in Iran: Shrines and Tombs

Alaviyan Dome (without the dome), and Tomb, 12th century, Hamadan
This brick building was constructed to hold the tombs of the prosperous Alaviyan family of Hamadan in the crypt. It is believed to have been built in the 12th century, during the Seljuk Dynasty, but to have had the stucco work added in the Ilkhanid period during the 14th. It is not clear when it lost its dome. The scaffolding distracts from the nice architectural features of this tomb. The stucco work on the inside was excellent.


Oljeitu Khodabaneh Mausoleum, built in 1306-1312, Soltaniyeh near Zanjan
Oljeitu of the Ilkhanid Dynasty, built this mausoleum with the intention of bringing the tombs of Imams Ali and Hosein, the first and third Shi’a Imams who were killed and buried in Najaf and Kerbala in Iraq, back to rest in Iran. The towns refused and so Oljeitu decided to use the tomb for himself. He was buried here in 1317.
This octagonal building, built of brick, was was the first to completely cover the outside of the double-shelled dome as well as the stalactites at the entrance with turquoise tiles. The inside was decorated with bricks, tiles and stucco. A vaulted gallery runs around the base of the huge egg-shaped dome; the gallery is decorated with the red geometric carved and painted plasterwork designs I like so much.They almost look like quilts in these photographs.

Bogheh-ye Seyed Roknaddin Tomb (or Imamzadeh Rokna al-Din), dating to 1325, Yazd
This is the tomb of Seyed Roknaddin Mohammed Qazi, a local Islamic notable. It was not unusual for wealthy citizens to build what are called imamzadeh, which refers both to a descendant of an imam and to the place where he is buried. Unfortunately we only saw this tomb in passing. The tile work on the dome was just lovely, in spite of the electrical wires obscuring the view.

Astan-e Qods-e Razavi Complex or The Holy Shrine of Imam Reza who died in 816, Mashhad
We weren’t allowed to see the most famous of the buildings, being non-Muslims. So the shrine where Imam Reza is buried and Gohar Shad’s Mosque built between 1405 and 1418 were off limits. Gohar was wife of Timurid Shah Rokh who ruled from 1405-1447. The complex continues to expand with museums, mosques, and reception areas for foreigners.

We had our first and only chance to don light blue chador and move through the rain like slightly clumsy jellyfish. And to brave the extremely crowded women’s checkpoints where we were patted down and questioned as though we might be carrying explosives. Interestingly, we weren’t allowed to bring cameras into the complex, but we could bring cell phones with built-in cameras. So even though I couldn’t use my cell phone as a phone in Iran, I could use it as a camera.

Monitors in uniforms, armed with brightly colored feather dusters, were around to direct the multitudes of pilgrims visiting the complex and to make sure that everyone was obeying the various regulations.

The complex has a large number of volunteers who offer their time every week to help keep the site spotless. Can you see this fellow cleaning the chandelier?

Decorative Stucco Work in Iran

Carved stucco, gach, or plasterwork is wet gypsum that is applied to whole walls or to particular parts of a structure, such as the mehrab in the mosque, indicating the direction of Mecca. It is both inexpensive, easy to work with, and long-lasting and can be molded and carved into exquisite lace-like patterns. While examples date back to the Parthian and Sassanian Dynasties, the work we saw was mostly done between the 10th and 14th centuries, during the Seljuk and the Ilkhanid Dynasties. The photo above is from the 10th century mosque in Na'in. The one below is from the mehrab of the Winter Hall at the Jameh Mosque in Esfahan. It is the most elaborate form of stucco work that we saw. I wish we could have seen it being done.


The floral designs might include arabesques of stems, leaves, and calligraphy interwoven on several levels to create a sense for depth and movement.

The stucco can also be molded to form stalactites, here at the Jameh Mosque in Esfahan, which might be covered with tiles or mirrors.
Plasterwork can also be painted.






Gypsum can also be used to form boxes which can be carved, as in the Music Room at the Ali Qapu Palace in Esfahan.

Chris Murdoch and Luciterra

For the last seven months, I've had the honour of Collaborating more and more with the amazing fusion bellydance group,  Luciterra. We have a monthy one-hour show at Guilt and Co. in Gastown, Vancouver where I act as Emcee and perform my solo acts.
It is a fantastic opportunity to create new material every month, and periodically combine two seemingly different art forms: contact juggling and bellydance!


 I'm always impressed by their ability to create stunning choreography that's tight and prostar every month...
Recently, Luciterra asked me to host Whiskey Rain Revue: a spring show that included their students and many prominent bellydance groups from Vancouver, the lower mainland and Vancouver Island. As the lead-up to the finale of the evening we performed the number created for Hallowe'en, to a standing ovation!

MovieDay: Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D)



Today, finally, the most awaited movie of the year (beside the final chapter of Harry Potter coming out soon), is HERE!! We are so excited about this movie...Why not, nobody does it like hollywood and Transformers is consider one of the masterpiece, with the details and advance CGI technology and all.

My personal opinion on this movie.. LOVE IT.. LOVE IT.. LOVE IT!!!

Although it doesn't have the best fight scenes compared to previous episode, but the storyline is totally THERE. The conspiracy, conflic, humor, hot babes (better than megan fox, IMAO :p), super SEXY cars...

The 3D, at the beginning, not much.. and seriously, I hate the 3D SUBTITLE SO MUCH!!! I prefer watching a 3D movie without the annoying and disturbing appearance of subtitle, when the 3D not as popular as it is nowadays. However, near ending, when they were fighting in Ground Zero Chicago to destroy the main pillar, the 3D was awesome. Must see scene for me is when the Decepticon tore down the Trump Tower. I really like that scene.. and when they do the rescue thingy.

Don't worry, no spoiler. I don't like giving spoiler or synopsis in my blog... just to say that I enjoy the movie (but not the guy behind me who keep on kicking my chair because he is so BIG and FAT!!!) Poor guy, must be really uncomfortable sitting in that tiny space of his...

Conclusion, not the best Transformer movie but still a must see at the cinema. Come on guys, after all we are talking about transformer here, there's no way watching it in the DVD would be better.. unless you have a huge screen and super cool sound system...


I gave 4 big shining stars for this :)

INSTANT SOOJI DHOKLAS



Ingredients:
Sooji (Semolina) ..... 1 1/2 cup
Curd ................... 1 cup.
Chilli paste ........ 1/2 tsp.
Ginger-garlic paste ... 1 tsp. (optional)
Haldi powder ............. 1/4 tsp.
Salt to taste
Sugar ...... 1/2 tsp.
Kasoori methi ....1 tsp. (optional)
Oil .......... 1 tbsp.
Eno fruit salt....... 1 tsp.
Lime juice
.
For Tempering:
Mustard seeds .... 1 tbsp.
Hing .... a pinch
Green chillies ....2 (slit)
Curry leaves .... 1 sprig

For Garnishing:
Grated coconut
Coriander leaves

Method:
1. Mix the sooji, curd, salt, sugar, haldi, oil, chilli paste and ginger garlic paste into a smooth and thick batter,adding a little water.
2. Put eno and on top of it squeeze the lime juice and then mix the batter well.
( If making more quantity, eno has to be added seperately every time just before steaming. Do not add eno and leave the batter.)
3. Put the batter in a greased plate and steam it for 15 minutes.
4. Let it cool a little, then cut into pieces.
5. Add the tempering.
6. Garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves.
7. Serve with mint chutney.


This goes to:

CWS - Mustard Seeds - hosted by:Sumadhura & Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

Appetizers- Hosted by - My Tasty Treats

Dish name starting with - 'I' Hosted by - Learning to Cook