Sauteed Spinach-Palak

Just learnt that Spinach, besides pumping up the muscle and adrenaline of Popye, also helps in the digestion of normal human beings. Good for us, no?

I love spinach, though not the crushed one that we find in palak paneer or Sarsong da saag. I prefer it chopped and cooked. Another palak/spinach dish I prefer is simply boiling it with Tomatoes and potaoes and seasoned with Ginger and green Chilli.

My latest crush is nothing of such sorts. I have been in love with the sautéed variety for some weeks now. As a side dish, give you the necessary roughage and damn healthy, but then all leafy greens are healthy.
Simple as simple can be, the perfect side dish for a bachelor.

It would make a fine side dish with steak, or other meaty dishes. You can have with with rice also, why not?

You need:

2 bunch of Spinach (Spinach has a very nasty habit of shrinking after cooking leaving you with water and a few stem lol), PROPERLY washed and Chopped roughly, hold the bunch and cut into 4 portions
small piece of ginger and 3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine.
Half tsp of Cumin seed (jeera).
2 Green Chilli cliced in half.

Heat half a TBS vegetable oil or Ghee or Butter in a Pan or Wok.
Add the jeera and let sputter.
Add Ginger, garlic and chilli, and saute for 1-2 minutes.
Add the Spinach, and sautee for 5 minutes or till the water that comes out almost dries ( not all).
Salt to taste.

Relish the healthiest food on earth….
Be strong as Popeye....

Dear Friends I will return all the Tags..just gimme sometime... :-)

Bachelor Quickie Egg Curry

After a long time, a pure play bachelor recipe.
One of the first curries I learnt, and loved.
Still my favorite, and the easiest.

Not quite bland, not quite strong..
Light on the stomach too.

When I was a kid, I used to like Boiled Potatoes mashed and then lightly fried in onions, much like Dosa Masala, but with only onions.

When I started living away from home and learnt to feed myself, that was one of the first dishes I prepared.
I never got bored of it.

One fine day, I thought I would add eggs to it, just for the sake of it, and the taste left me surprised and wanting for more. Perhaps I cooked the same dish for the next few weeks when one fine day, tired of cooking another gravy accompaniment, I decided to add water, and Bingo! Here was the simplest and one of the yummier Bachelor Dish.

Then I learnt more complex dishes like Mutton Korma, Pork Vindaloo, Sarson da Saag and palak paneer, and I completely forgot my old time favorite. Till a few days back I longed for that old dish, I used to savor, spoonful by spoonful.

This is no secret.
It is only so simple nobody thought of trying it, perhaps.

For the Bachelor Egg Curry, you need:

4 eggs
3 large potatoes
2 Tomatoes
1 onion
1 Tbs Ginger-Garlic ( I later added this to the original recipe of onions only to add to the flavor)
2 green Chilli Sliced
1 red Kashmiri Chili ( for Style lol, optional)
1 bayleaf
1 tsp jeera ( Cumin)
1/2 tsp each jeera (Cumin) and dhania (coriander seed) powder.
Some red chilli powder and turmeric.
Salt to taste

Peel and boil or boil and peel potatoes.
I usually peel add potatoes to rice.
Shortcut you see, it is suppose to be a bachelor Recipe, no?
And potato boiled in rice taste better it seems.

If you had added in rice, wash off the rice..(the potato, that is)
Otherwise remove from boiling pan, peel if it was not peeled.
Roughly mash and keep aside.

Heat water in a separate pan..
Heat oil, 2Tbs . More if you don’t care much about oil ;-)
Add bayleaves, Red Chili, Jeera (not the powder), green chilli, onions and the ginger garlic.
Saute till onion is limp and add a lil turmeric ( little less than half tsp) and red chilli powder.
Add the Tomatoes.
Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.
Lower heat and keep mixing or scrapping the bottom with the skillet.
Boiled potatoes have tendency to stick.
Break the eggs into the mixture and keep mixing till eggs coagulates properly.
The mixture should not be wet and sticky.

Add 1 and half cups of boiling water.
Add salt, You may add some dhania jeera powder mix now. (This is optional)
Shimmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with Dhania.

Serve Hot with rice.

PS: I have been very busy past few weeks, and thus the infrequent post. I haven’t been cooking kuch, and if I did it has mostly been chicken and mutton but then I had written about chicken and mutton many times, and I cook it only the way I always do. Habits you see.

I will be more regular I promise you all!

Technorati tag:: Curry : Egg : Bachelor Recipe

Curry Mela-23rd Week

Yes, and we are successfully running the 23rd week. The 23rd Curry Mela is on, already. Thanks to all the contributors and Visitors.
Don't forget to contribuite to the next weeks curry Mela too. I was a little too busy over the week, so I couldn't post much nor could i reply to comments. But I still love to read your feedbacks and comment. Thanks to you again.

And firefox users, and that is 30% of you. I guess it is working fine on Firefox today. I spent the major parts of yesterday night fixing it..

Enjoy.....

Check out this Yummilicious Pepper Chicken/Murgh Kalimirch , one of my favorite chicken preparations, and a good natural and tasty remedy for the cold.. Mighty tasty too. I believe in natural healing, and believe me Pepper Chicken is a good Natural Remedy for even mild fever.

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A delicious and simple Maharashtrian preparation. Navalkolchi Bhaji. Navalkol is Marathi name for Navila Kosu-Kannada, Nool Kol-Tamil, well in Hindi, somebody, please suggest.

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Check out this Brinjal and Podi Curry, Podi is a lentil based spice mix. This is dried version, so those who gets the itch from brinjal, me included, not to worry. The itch is when it is cooked wet. Which is why you love Baingan Bharta even if you thought you were allergic to baingan.

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Tender Mango pachadi or chote aam raita, a simple and delicious seasonal recipe. The Yum, The Tang!!!!

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Mushroom Broccoli Pasta , such easy and simple recipe. Health quotient, need I mention that? I recommend that every bachelor try this out.. Yummy stuff!

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Lentil rice, something like khichdi. I have always wondered why daal rice doesn't taste like Khichdi, even though the ingredients are he same.

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A delicious dessert, this Pal Kozhukattai. Oww..my sweet tooth just buzzed :-)

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Yam Jelly, beautifull stuff, and taste as good. I didn't know that jelly was made from a sea weed.

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Strawberry Almond Muffins, let the picture speak. Just lovely.

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Potato-Peas or Aloo-Mattar parathas, the best ever breakfast that India gave..

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Our office canteen also serves an amazing Brinjal based Sambar, and thanks to blogging, i would know how to prepare a Onion Brinjal Sambar or Ulli Vankai Pulusu

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Eye Popping Pictures and Hitting at the belly kind of recipe, this Cheddar Cheese Biscuits and its tea time already.

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Almond - Pistachio Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, some amazing baked stuff today huh! Me needs to enroll for a baking diploma :-)

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A Simple to cook Veg Biryani, a must try for bachelor cook. Add a couple of boiled eggs, haved, and it will become egg Biryani..wow!!!

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A real neat recipe, Pan Grilled Nan, who needs a tandoor when you have such fine food bloggers. And yumm, how it must taste with the hariyalli Chicken, this fine relatively new food blogger has cooked, inspired by Tanuja's Chicken hariyali.

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And I would like to end this week's curry mela with this amazing soya chunks and vegetable pulao.. The pictures are just wow!!! Drooling all over...

WHB Water Chestnut stem

This is called water chestnut, scientifically, it belongs to the trapa species. In manipur, we know it by the name of Heikrak. Looks like the samosa, and it is believed that Samosa is also known as Singhara, because of it striking resemblance to the water chestnut, also called Singhara. Manipur is also famous for a lake called the Loktak lake, one of the largest natural reservoirs, unique because of the floating Islands, and more specifically the Keibul lamjao which is a Floating National Sanctuary, with a wide variety of Fauna, and flora, and the only natural home or habitat to The Sangai, or the beautiful brow antlered deer, an endangered species.

The lake also is the primary source of the locals for fishes and varied water plants, the water chestnut being one.

This blog post is not about the NUT, but the stem of the nut. A soft, hollow, and very delicious stem. Grows in bunches, and a delicacy of Manipur. We call it Heikrak Yelli, heikrak for the chestnut, yelli meaning the stem. There is a similar stem, of the water lily which also taste as good.

As you can see the fine needle like bunch of reddish stem, which is quite nutricious, and tasty. It is selodm cooked, we have it as a salad. But then, the salad has to be pungent, and won't actually go well with Mayonnaise. It is best had with the South Asian fish sauce and lots of red chilli.

I haven't actually tried preparing it anyother way then, with fish sauce and chilli. It is an acquired taste, fish sauce stuff that is, and hence I won't say everybody will love the salad, but I am sure there must be other way, like a saag eh!

I am sorry I don't have a better recipe, but lemme assure you the salad that I talked of, we call it Singju is something everybody from Manipur will long for, far away from home.

This is my entry to Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging hosted this weekend by Virginie at Absolute green. Visit the weekend herb Blogging at Absolute Green's.

Curry Mela- 22nd Week

Here we are, back with the 22nd curry mela. As usual, I am here, writing from a cyber cafe. I am out of town, and no wifi. So I am writing from a cyber cafe, on a P-III computer. And the system is awfully slow. Was it this slow 3 years back too, or is it relative lol.
I didn't carry my laptop either, as I wanted to be away from work for the weekend. Then I remmebered the Curry Mela ( lol, as if I would have forgotten).

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Excuse me! All my visitors who view via Firefox, I know many of you hate MSFT and despise IE, but somehow my current template fails to show properly on firefox, for reasons unknown. I will try ot fix it very soon. In the meanwhile please bear with me and see if you can bear IE as well, since it show on IE just fine. I am trying to figure out the problem.. Perhaps some of the javascripts? because when I save the template on a notepad as htm file and open with firefox it works just fine. Any suggestions are welcome.

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I do hope you will enjoy as usual. Keep the faith...

Isn't this is an awesome GrilledPork? Prok makes the best barbeque I tell you , only the dripping fat will hit the coal and there will be lots of flames and might make the outer layer black. Remove the meat to the side it the fire gets too much. No such problems if you are grilling it in an oven.

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Makai ki roti, sarsong ka saag ,any Punjabee readers here? Punjabee or not, this is the best non-non-vegetarian dish to have come out of Asia. I also tried my hand at preparing sarsong ka saag, my way of course, and it was also awesome...
But this one beats me hands down.
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Paneer Butter Masala , an all time favorite for all Desis. Rich and delicious, a dish you can cook for any kind of guest, a food you can order without asking your partner.

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Egg Paniyaram Just the right recipe for my next eggy treat. Sounds very intersting too. As the cook says, "Paniyarams are a tasty treat. It is somewhere between idli and dosa - soft on the inside and crispy on the outside."

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Vella Appam, I just love this appam made from Bananas and Jaggery. Comfort food from down south.

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Lovely Spread for High Tea, Cherry Tartlets , if pictures could speak.

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Barbecued Chicken Michigan Style, amazing stuff. With my love for barbeques, I can't help drooling over it. Also there sis a surprise waiting over at this blog. Rush and check out.

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Grilled Toasted Potato Sandwich, this is one sandwich I love. I don't like cold sandwiches and prefer them grilled.... Potatoes make good sandwich fillings, BTW. Lurrvely

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Mango Pickle ( Karmbi Nonche) , an Authentic Konkani Pickle right from the cook's mother's recipe book. lol.

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Simple Cabbage Bhaji, an easy dish for bachelors. I have another entry below...

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A mouth Watering spread of Vangi Baath, Cocumber Butter Milk, Mushroom Bhaji and Raita. Need I say more?? :-)

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More Rasam, a Curd based Rasam, mmmm, would be nice with hot rice.

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Pineapple Pulisseri (Pineapple in Sour curd)
. The picure looks awesome, andit must taste great as well. Oh! When we are touching the topic of Pineapples, let me tell you that the pineapple we get back home in manipour is nothing the ones I have tasted elsewhere. Yellowish and so so juicy, the juices slides down the finger, and so sweet. It would even make a good business sense to can it and export it. It would be such a rage, but then it is very business-unfriendly environment out there, and the delight of Manipuri Pineapples will remain hidden from all my friends, at least for sometime. I remember when, on a way back from a picnic, we had come back by a hilly road, and there was this pineapple plantation on the hill slopes. We stole some, and had it. It was awesome. And yes, we also have a similar looking Delicacy, but Idon't exactly remember. Will ask mom and post about it soon.
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This, here, is Amrutham food of the gods.

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Batter Fried Chicken or Chicken Pakoda, Belive me I was just thinking of preparing this dish
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Chicken Curry with Almonds, I never thought of cooking almonds with Chicken, but I can already imagine how it will come out...

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Patta Gobi or Bund Gobi Bhaja A Maharashtrian Staple
. Oh Yes! I can vouch for it. At least a couple of of the dhabas on our lunch table at the office will contain cabbage bhaja. :-)
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Hope you enjoyed this curry mela. Do drop a comment if you do! I have been a little busy of late, if you think my blog was neglected recently.

Announcement for the Cook-a-doodle-do comming soon.
Till then enjoy...

Bachelor's Aloo Bhindi Subjee

My friend told me, when I took out the Bhindi Subjee for taking this awful picture ( Time to buy a Digital SLR), that "Bhindi Ki Subjee to Sabko Banana Aata hein".( everybody knows how to cook Bhindi Subjee, or stir fried Lady's Finger) I know that, I answered. But there are many who don't. I didn't know how to cook an egg Bhurjee( Scrambled Eggs) when I first started out as a bachelor living in a rented apartment far away from home. I had started this blog, and remain till today, a Bachelor's cooking blog.

Simple recipes.
With simple base or gravy.
Easy recipes for someone who wants to try cooking at home.
Anyway, we had ordered Paneer Makhanwala (Cottage cheese cooked in Indian masala and Cream), Daal Fry (Lentil tempered with Masala)
and Roti as well, for dinner. The Aloo-Bhindi subjee scored over the restaurant cooked paneer Makhanwaala, believe me, just Australia beat Japan 3-1, in the Fifa World Cup that was going on as I cut the Bhindi.

What was the secret?
Was it really easy?

Well, It was quite easy. I used lots of Onions, and tomatoes ;-)

The secret:
Half a Kilo Okra or Bhindi or lady's Finger, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces.
3 medium Potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes and then cut again to make it thinner.
4 Tomatoes, chopped.
3 Large Onions chopped. ( If you have noticed, I use Onions sparringly in my other dishes, even Meat and Chicken. Onions tend to make your dish sweet, but this is different:-) )
A little ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp!
3 green chillis sliced in halves.
I will add the masalas as I cook.

Process:

Heat 2 Tbs Oil in a kadhai, and add a tsp of jeera.
Add the onions and three green chillies sliced in half.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till onions are brown.
Add the tomatoes, and add 1 tsp of dhania powder, half tsp each Turmeric and Red Chilli.
Add the potatoes and Bhindi, and cover and cook in low heat.
Open the lid and Mix and Stir from time to time.
Cook till potatoes are cooked.

Serve annnnnd Yummy.
May I submit this to Sweetnicks' ARF/5 A Day

Curry Mela-21'st Week

OK.... The wait is over. And your favorite curry Mela is here again. Problem with blogger software.. Too lazy to move to WP and of course all the trackbacks.

I say free software is very costly.
But I might move soon.
By August maybe...lol. If I had more time Gee.....

Add to all these A lousy broadband provider, read SIFY broadband, Yes Sify Broadband is Lousy, with an even lousier Customer Service.... Been facing problem since the morning.

Without much sermon further,
Let me welcome my readers to the 21st edition of the Curry Mela at Anthony's Kitchen, The Bachelor Cooking Blog.

Matki Farasbee Bhaji (Green beans cooked with Moath sprouts) . The healthiest food award goes to this dish. Greens and protien, what more do you need.

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Check out this Raagi Roti . Authentic Desi Food Did I say?

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Bhapa Doi, a Bengali Dessert. How Bengalis love sweets? Thye surest way to a suicide for the left, if and when they want to relinquish Power in West Bengal would be to tax Sweets. And if I marry a Bengali Girl, it would be for my love of Misti :-D

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This is a beautifully cooked, and captured Rice Pilaf with Tomato paste, from a blogger friend faraway. Thanks My dear friend, for sending in the entry.

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Anchovies Sambal with baked Potato Wedges, and I say the best fish recipe award this weekend goes to this dish. A born again fish Lover, I can feel the taste as I write this.

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Ram Tori aur matar ki subzi, a very simple comfort food, healthy and tasty. Home Cooked food for bachelors.

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And the award for Easy bachelor recipe goes to the Easy Salmom fry , for the simplicity and high replicability quotient, which makes it a good Bachelor Cooking recipe.

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Spicy Mushroom Ravioli & Mixed veggies in Tomato Sauce, The best Indo-Italian Recipe Lol. Wish to slurp it off the screen eh? Very Yummy Looking..

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Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting , the best birthday present ever. I wish somebody baked a caked for my birthday. This is sweet, literally.

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Vendakkai pitla (Okra "stew") ... Yummmm Another nice way of cooking Okra. A must try. BTW I have been thinking that I will be cooking a series of recipes choosen from the curry mela and post them.

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Moru Kutan ( Butter milk curry ) or is it Kadhi ? Another comfort food. I would have loved some pakodas too besides the papadams.

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Let me end this curry Mela with the HARIYALLI MURGH-CHICKEN IN GREEN GRAVY.
Mouth Watering, no?

And the best recipe for the 21st Curry mela goes to this HARYALLI MURGH/CHICKEN IN GREEN GRAVY .... I was just thinking that Once a month, we will have a Curry mela with a Theme. What say? And the first such Curry Mela will be Cook-a-doodle-do....

Chicken recipes, from all over the world.
The announcement and and banner will come soon.
But start cooking that chicken dish.
I will post it on a Sunday.
Chicken Curry Mela, Cook-a-Doodle-Do eh!!!
Enjoy!!!!

Opps! Just as i was going to publish the post, the connection to blogger failed. Wait for some more time....