Instant Mango Pickle

This is not exactly a pickle. It can be used as sabji but I love it most with paranthas and also with rice and dal.

Ingredients:
1 raw mango- chopped in slices.
1/2 cup fenugreek seeds- soaked overnight in warm water
2tbspn- fennel seeds
2 tbspn- Kalonji aka black cumin seeds (http://spices.biodiversityexhibition.com/en/card/blackseedkalonji)
2 tspn-Red chilli powder (adjust as per your spice level)
1 tspn - turmeric powder
Salt
3 tbspn-Oil

Method:
Heat oil in a wok. Add fennel seeds and kalonji seeds to it. saute for 30 seconds approx. Then add mango slices to it. Cover it with lid and let the mango cook completely. After 5-7 minutes or till when the mango is fully cooked and becomes soft, then add the fenugreek seeds and all the remaining spices. Let it cook for another 5 minutes.

The instant mango pickle is ready. Store it in the fridge.

Aloo paranthas(Potato stuffed indian bread)

Here comes another easy recipe (only if u like rolling chapatis and kneading dough). Being a North Indian, parantha/roti/poori is a must atleast once a day. So aloo parantha is one quick meal if I am not in the mood to make multiple different things like curry, dal and chapati. All you need is pickle and yogurt and you are all set with a complete meal.
Makes 4 paranthas:
Ingredients:
3  medium sized Potatoes- boiled, peeled and mashed.
1 medium onion finely chopped
1-2 green chillies (optional)
1 tspn grated ginger
1/4 tspn fennel seeds (sauf)
Red chilli powder, salt, amchur and turmeric powder

Chapati dough (not very hard not very soft)

Method:

Take some oil in a pan and heat it. Add fennel seeds, onions, ginger and green chillies to it. Saute till the onion changes its color. Then add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and amchur to it. Saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes to it. Mix it nicely till you see turmeric powder's yellow color on the complete masala. Turn off the heat. Let the masala cool down.
Make 4-5 balls from the masala.

Take the chapati dough and divide in 4-5 balls as well. Roll the chapati half, then place the masala ball in it and fold it by sealing it on the top and then roll the paratha again.

Heat a griddle and fry the parathas one at a time like this: Put a paratha on the griddle. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. As soon as the first flip is done, drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again in 30 seconds and drizzle oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.

Serve it with yogurt and pickle.

coconut daal/lentils

Today being black friday, we shopped like crazy last night .. slept late .. got up late and went to the stores as soon as we got up...
I think it was all worth it.. we found some nice deals ...  and it was good fun :)

We got back home late in the evening..really tired... and obviously, I wanted to cook something simple
but delicious.
From some of the recipes bookmarked, I chose coconut daal from usmasala blog.
I am totally in love with her blog. Her recipes are unique and love the pictures that she posts with her recipes and so far, every recipe of hers that I tried has turned out wonderful.
The pictures itself get me excited to make the dish!!

Here's the recipe that I followed
http://usmasala.blogspot.com/2012/02/coconut-daallentils-simmered-in-spicy.html

Few changes:
I didn't have masoor dal and so, I used toor dal.
I followed her instructions and made the dal in the sauce pan instead of pressure cooker.
    I put the heat on medium initially until it boiled and after that, I put the lid on (left it ajar) and put the heat on sim.
    The dal took about 45-50 mins to cook to the consistency I wanted.
     Next time, I am going to try to make the dal in a pressure cooker.

As you can guess, the recipe doesn't take too much effort. It just takes time because of the cook time for dal.
     
Here's the picture of what I made:
I just loved how it turned out. It was sooo good!
The flavor of coconut with dal was amazing and has a nice calming/soothing effect.

Tiramisu

I love Tiramisu and always used to think that it will be tough to make Tiramisu at home.. But trust me it is one of the easiest desserts I have ever made :) I wish I had a better picture of this.

Serves:15
Ingredients

32 oz mascarpone cheese (I got from Harris Teeter)

5-6 tbs rum extract (again from Harris Teeter)

8-10 tbs sugar

5 oz heavy cream

6 oz of strong brewed coffee (i got a tall cup from Starbucks)

Unsweetened cocoa

50-55 ladyfinger biscuits (or 1 pack- This I got from an Italian store in Morrisville)

dark chocolate shavings

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Beat the mascarpone cheese and the cream together in a high speed blender till it becomes of a spreadable consistency. Add rum extract,  vanilla extract and sugar and mix well.

2. Let the coffee cool completely and then add 1 tbs rum and 1 tbs sugar.

3. Dip the ladyfinger biscuits very lightly in the coffee and place them in a baking tray.

4. Spread the mascarpone cheese on it. Repeat the layer of ladyfinger biscuits and then top it with mascarpone cheese layer.

5. Place it in the refrigerator to cool, best if left in fridge for atleast 2 hours. Remove half an hour before serving and sprinkle some unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate shavings.