There is a very important part of our daily life that we quite often take very casually or overlook very conveniently. That is “food”. We are made of what we eat. What we eat and how we eat dictate whether we thrive or survive. When I read about Indus Ladies call for entries to celebrate the International Women’s Day, I thought I have an opportunity to share some of my thoughts with you, because they apply more to women than they apply to men. Even in this age and time food is still predominantly a woman’s domain and only a healthy woman can make a happy family and thus a happy world.

Eating right food in right portions during the day would pave the path for the activities of that day.

I was not able to understand how adversely our eating habits would affect our learning ability in our childhood. Some parents start the day by offering greasy or fried items for breakfast and send their kids to school. As soon as the kids reach school, they would feel sleepy and would not be able to concentrate on what was being taught. I was not an exception; I also had such sleepy days in the class while growing up. I realized the effects of food to some extent by the time I got into college and stopped taking greasy and hard to digest kind of food for breakfast. Children at school age need a light, energetic and easy to digest types of food.

Food is a double edged sword. If you read more, you learn more. If you work more, you earn more and probably save more. This analogy would not apply to food. If you eat more, you spend more, you lose health, lose relationships etc. It’s a hard to digest fact in this convenience is the queen atmosphere but shortcuts in food handling invariably lead to longer stay under hospital care. To gain the benefits of food: 1. Eat moderately. 2. Eat minimally processed or cooked food. 3. Choose from the bottom of the food chain - concentrate on vegetables, fruits and whole grains, etc. - maintain a minimal intake of meat, poultry or dairy. 4. Don’t be afraid to spend few extra minutes in food preparation and always pay attention to what is going into your body.

Eating healthy will also create happy and successful families. Majority of the health problems adults get are due to improper or bad eating habits. Illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems are due to bad eating habits. Of course, our physical activities also play a role but that is secondary. As adults, if we get unhealthy, we would not be able to spend quality time with our kids and these problems show ripple effects even in old age. Parents who eat healthy would have a higher chance of creating a healthy family.

More important than anything, conscious eating and compassionate living will create a sustainable environment for everyone. We should not consume more than needed, just because we have more buying power by virtue of earning more money. The most important organ in our body is the brain. A strong mind needs strong body and strong body needs right portions of nutritious food. Think about it - utilize food as a blessing to empower yourself, your family and your world.

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Beatific Butterfly from Backyard
(Of all the transplanted, showy flowers in the backyard, the butterflies are drawn to the wild ones which are known in this part of the world as weeds. Butterflies are precious! So now weeds have become part of the landscape.)

Today is Vara Lakshmi Vratham, an auspicious day on which Goddess Lakshmi Devi is celebrated with fasting, Pooja and neivedyam. It’s customary to share the Lakshmi Devi amma blessings with family and friends, and I am glad to share this day with you Net friends.

Neivedyam for the Pooja:

Semiya-Saggubiyyam Payasam
Atrasalu
Alasanda Vada
Chintapandu Pulihora (Tamarind Rice)
Sona Masuri Annam
Gongura Pappu
Chayote Kura
Brinjal-Jaggery Pacchadi
Coriander Rasam
Dadhojanam
Biyyam and saggubiyyam vadiyaalu

My Meal Menu:

Fasting in the morning.

Has ended the day with an early meal -small helping of each item from the Pooja neivedyam.

Workout:
Cooking. Pooja and meditation

In retrospect:
Great day! Calming cooking, peaceful Pooja in the morning hours.
Met good friends and had pleasant time in the evening.

Gongura From Backyard

Gongura Pappu from Amma

The gongura seeds I had planted in March are now thriving healthy plants. The generous gongura didn’t mind when I plucked some mature leaves for the Pooja neivedyam menu today. There are several ways to prepare gongura pappu, and the following recipe is from my amma. I thought it’s a great way to pay homage to her on this auspicious day through this favorite vantakam.

Ingredients and Preparation:

Preparation happens in two steps.

Step 1:

Toor dal: 3/4 cup
Fresh gongura leaves - 6 cups, tightly packed
Indian or Thai variety green chilli - 8, chopped to tiny pieces
Red onion or shallots - chopped to chunks, 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon

Take the above ingredients in a pressure cooker. Add two cups of water.
In a mortar, add a garlic clove and 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds. Pound to coarse paste. Add this paste to the ingredients in pressure cooker. Mix. Close the lid and cook until everything has become soft, particularly the toor dal.

Step 2:

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
Peanut oil or ghee - 1 tablespoon
From masala dabba: Following ingredients for inguva(asafetida) Tadka:
a sprig of curry leaves
4 pieces of one-inch, majjiga mirapa(dahi mirchi)
1/4 teaspoon of urad dal
a pinch each - cumin, mustard seeds and hing (asafetida)

Add salt to the cooked dal in pressure cooker. With a pappu gutti (wooden whisk), mash the cooked ingredients to fairly coarse paste like. Remove the dal to a bowl or vessel.

In a small pan, heat the peanut oil or ghee. Add the tadka ingredients in this order, from big to small: curry leaves, dahi mirchi pieces, urad dal, cumin, and mustard seeds. Continuously stirring, toast the ingredients to golden. When mustard seeds make pop sounds, sprinkle the hing. Stir for couple of seconds. Immediately add this fragrant tadka to the cooked dal. Mix well and cover with a lid so that the flavors and aroma of hing tadka are thoroughly absorbed by the pappu (dal).

Serve the gongura pappu with rice or roti. The blissful combination is the old classic: gongura pappu and freshly cooked, hot Sona Masuri rice with some ghee and vadiyaalu on the side. Heaven!

Gongura Pappu in Vadiyam Vadi on Muruku Peetam ~ For Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

74 Comments

Tella Mandaram (White Hibiscus) from Front Yard

Morning:
Sprouted moong + sprouted chickpeas combined with generous amounts of ginger, green chilli, cumin and salt, ground into smooth batter. The batter is then made into dosa. I had one dosa for breakfast with tomato chutney.
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
Sprouted moong + sprouted chickpea dosa
A cup of palak chole
A small cup of cucumber and carrot slices

Evening:
A glass of ginger buttermilk

Night:
1 sprouted moong + sprouted chickpea dosa
A small cup of palak chole
A glass of tomato soopa (rasam)
A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

Workout:
Made another batch of biyyam vadiyalu for Sun-drying in the morning
Pillow covers are done and now on to curtains sewing project - evening

In Retrospect:
Busy but beautiful day. No carbo cravings and reduced appetite.

Palak Chole:

2 cups - cooked (or canned) chickpeas (Chole)
6 cups - chopped fresh spinach (Palak)
1 onion and 1 tomato- finely chopped
1×1 inch piece - fresh ginger, skin peeled
2 tablespoons - chana masala powder
1/2 teaspoon - salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon each - turmeric and red chilli powder
1/4 cup each - fresh cilantro and lemon juice to garnish
From masala dabba: tadka ingredients

Step 1: Take quarter cup of cooked or canned chickpeas in a mixer. Add ginger and blend to fine paste. Remove the paste to a cup and keep aside. (This is added to thicken the chole gravy.)

Step 2: Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a deep pan. Add and toast a teaspoon each - cumin, black cumin and kasuri methi to fragrance. Add onion and tomato. Saute to soft. Next goes the spinach. Saute spinach until it has collapsed. Add chickpeas, chickpea-ginger paste, chana masala powder, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Add about two cups of water. Mix well. Cover and simmer on medium heat, stirring in-between for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice, and serve warm with rice or roti. Good on it’s own too.

Palak Chole for Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

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Chamanthi

Morning:
A cup of ragi ganji without sweetener
A cup of cucumber slices with some lemon juice and pepper

Noon:
A big bowl of veggie-rich sambar soopa
Quarter cup of bendi curry with yogurt (Dahi bendi)
1 boiled egg, yellow removed

Evening:
A glass of ginger buttermilk

Night:
1 moong dal + chana dal dosa (Adai) with a cup of sambar soopa
(I couldn’t eat much. I was tired by night and food lost the appeal.)

Workout:
Made murukulu and atrasalu (adhirasam) for the Vara Laxmi Pooja on Friday.

In retrospect:
Good day with lots of tempting food. Because I made them standing in front of stove for hours inhaling the oil smoke, it was easy to resist the temptation.

Carrot, Mullangi, Yellow Squash, Okra~ Vegetables for Sambar Soopa

Sambar Soopa

A combination of four types of seasonal vegetables
Onion/shallots, tomatoes and cilantro
Toor dal and sambar powder
Asafetida Tadka
Very thick consistency

That is my definition of Sambar Soopa. Four kinds of vegetables and the aromatic spices convert an ordinary sambar into a rich, healthy and comforting sambar soopa worthy of Workout Vratham.

A Comforting Cup of Sambar Soopa with Seasonal Vegetables ~ Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

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Gorintaaku Puvvulu (Henna Flowers) from Backyard

Henna plant is in bloom since July. I don’t remember ever noticing henna flowers at Nandyala, and I am surprised at the beauty and fragrance of henna’s pretty petite flowers.

*************
WV Log for Day 11:

Morning:
2 pesarattu with coconut chutney
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
A small cup of brinjal-papdi lilva curry (vankaya-anapaginjala kura)
A bowl of masoor dal rasam with cherry tomatoes
A small cup of homemade yogurt

Evening:
A cup of ginger tea without sweetener

Night:
A small cup of chickpea guggullu (Mangala Gouri Vratha Vayanam from a friend)
A small cup of brinjal-papdi lilva curry
A cup of masoor dal rasam with key lime pickle on the side
For dessert: A cup of apple with yogurt

Workout:
Decided to take a break from gym this week. Prepared saggubiyyam vadiyalu for sun-drying - morning
Pillow covers sewing project still going on - evening

In Retrospect:
Pleasant day. No carbo cravings.

11 Comments

Gundu Malli (Jasmine) from Backyard

Weekend (day 8 and day 9) went by so fast with sightseeing, shopping trips and a festival (Nagula Chavati), I didn’t have any free time to spend on the Web. Foodwise, I stuck to the Workout Vratham with great difficulty and filled myself with an assortment of beans, greens, vegetables and fruits. But I had two sesame laddus that we traditionally prepare for Nagula Chavati festival. The sesame laddus were made in a mortar with pestle power.

On day 10, that is today, here it went my sucky routine:

Morning:
A cup of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
A cup of Chard pappu (Chard with Toor dal)
Half cup of Turai curry (beerakaya kura)
A big bowl of hot tomato rasam
Half apple

Evening:
A cup of ginger tea without sweetener
Handful of roasted peanuts

Night:
2 pesarattu with generous helping of spicy peanut butter
Half cup chard pappu
A glass of buttermilk

Workout:
An hour of 4 miles walk, an hour of step plus abs class at the gym - morning
Sewing pillow covers - evening

In Retrospect:
Glad to return to week day routine.

Spicy Peanut Butter ~ India Inspired

Ingredients:

1 cup shelled, good quality peanuts
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 cloves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon
6 dried red chillies
2 tablespoons of tamarind pulp
1-inch piece of peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Preparation:

Heat an iron skillet. Add and roast peanuts, continuously stirring with a spatula on medium heat to uniform pale brown color . It would take about 10 to 15 minutes of time. Transfer the peanuts from skillet to a plate and wait until they are cool to touch. Rub and remove the skin coverings.

In the same skillet, add dried red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Toast to fragrance. Cool.

Take roasted peanuts and toasted spices in a blender or food processor. Add salt, tamarind pulp and ginger. Grind until fairly smooth. Add few tablespoons of water if necessary for easy mixing. You could also add a tablespoon of sugar or jaggery for subtle sweet touch. Remove and store in a jar. Stays fresh upto a week when refrigerated.

Spicy peanut butter tastes great with breakfast items. It also makes a fine dip and spectacular Indian-inspired sauce for vegetables like bell peppers, broad beans (Chikkudu), brinjals and potatoes.

Spicy Peanut Butter for Jihva:Peanuts at Dear Pavani’s Cook’s Hideout

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

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Vratha Pusham ~ Nandi Vardhanam (Crepe Jasmine) from Backyard

Morning:
2 khaman with tomato chutney
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
A cup of dal (Bok choy with toor dal) in rasam consistency
A cup of leftover chard with chickpeas
A big bowl of hot cilantro soopa
Half apple and half carrot, grated and mixed with homemade yogurt

Evening:
A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

Night:
A cup of Kay’s cabbage thayir saadam. Wonderful recipe and excellent taste. Parents also liked this combination. I had it with four jackfruit chips.
A cup of Bok choy dal
A cup of hot cilantro soopa

Workout:
An hour walk: 4 miles, and an hour pilates - morning
Gardening - evening

In retrospect:
Pleasant day. But miss rice and roti very much.

Kay’s Cabbage Thayir Saadam

“Take a cup of cabbage poriyal, and add a cup of thick yogurt. Mix well. Enjoy it with your choice of pickle or side dish.” Talented Kay wrote in one of her daily food logs. I had to try and it happened today.

Like Kay mentioned, cabbage and yogurt combination make a good substitute for thayir saadam (dadhojanam) and with right texture too. I noticed that the taste improves on refrigeration. Good recipe with cabbage.

Preparation is two step:

Step 1 - Prepare Cabbage Curry: Grate cabbage extremely thin using a mandoline or grater. Grated cabbage mimicks fine rice grain/noodle in shape and texture, so the thinner the cabbage gets, the better it tastes in this recipe.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add and toast cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves to fragrance. Add presoaked chana dal and finely chopped onions. Saute to crisp. Next goes the grated cabbage. Stir in salt, turmeric and coconut to taste. Cook until cabbage has wilted for few minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the curry to cool.

Step 2 - Add Yogurt: Serve a ladleful of cabbage curry in a bowl. Top it with homemade yogurt. Mix well and adjust salt to taste. Serve right away or refrigerate an hour for super experience.

Cabbage Thayir Saadam with Jackfruit Chips ~ For Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

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Workout Vratha Pusham ~ Deva Ganneru (Plumeria/Frangipani) from Backyard

Morning:
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener
Fistful of pressure-cooked chickpeas
Few pieces of apple

Noon:
A cup of Kasuri methi chole
A big bowl of tomato rasam
Carrot-cucumber raita

Evening:
A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

Night:
A cup of homegrown chard sautéed with chickpeas. Simple to make and tasty.
Dear Vijay brought Khaman from local Swami Narayana Temple. Had two pieces of Khaman.
A cup of hot, hot tomato rasam
Dinner was at 7PM. Felt hungry around 10, had a glass of cold buttermilk

Workout:
An hour of kickboxing and an hour of weights and abs class at the gym. Excellent teachers and I actually enjoy attending these classes. - morning
Gardening - evening

In retrospect:
Good day. Thinking of putting a stop to online food diary after day 7. Writing and sharing about daily intake feels monotonous and purposeless.

Homegrown Chard

Chard with Chickpeas

I sowed some chard seeds at the beginning of June. Now they are young plants. The tender leaves have robust spinach like flavor. When cooked with protein-rich chickpeas and Bharath seasoning, they tasted quite good. Beans and greens, I could never get tired of this combination.

Ingredients:
Chard leaves and tender stems - finely chopped about 8 cups
Cooked chickpeas - one cup
Red onion or shallots - finely chopped, about a cup
Red chilli-garlic powder - a tablespoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt -1/4 teaspoon or to taste
Lemon/limejuice - 2 tablespoons
From masala dabba: Tadka ingredients

Preparation:
In a big skillet, heat a tablespoon of peanut oil. From masala dabba, add and toast a teaspoon each cumin and mustard seeds. Sprinkle a pinch of asafetida and sauté to fragrance. Add the onions and cook to soft.

Add the chard and chickpeas to the onions. Mix well and cover and cook until the chard has wilted. At the end, add the chilli-garlic powder, turmeric and salt. Stir well and cook for couple of minutes. Add enough lemon/lime juice to sharpen the flavor and adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve straight from the skillet with rice or roti. Good on its own too.

Chard Chickpeas with Khaman ~ for Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

8 Comments

Sanna Jaaji (Jasmine) from Backyard

Morning:
2 pesarattus (moong dosa) with peanut chutney
A cup of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
1 pesarattu with a cup of brinjal-tomato curry. The brinjals are homegrown and tasted quite good with tomato masala.
A cup of moong dal rasam
Half carrot and half apple

Evening:
A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

Night:
A cup of steamed cauliflower florets with salt and black pepper
A cup of brinjal tomato curry
A cup of moong dal rasam
For dessert: apple grated and added to a cup of soy milk

Workout:
Cleaned the whole house. Vacuum, mop the tile floors etc, two hours of sweat inducing workout - morning
Stitched new curtains for the living room. Felt very accomplished and tailory - evening

In retrospect:
Complaint-free day.

Steamed Cauliflower

Tears stream when cauliflower appears on the plate, those were the days from The Wonder Years. From running away to reluctantly having and now actually enjoying cauliflower, I finally feel I made peace with this white ghost like haunting vegetable. When steamed and served, even without any special seasonings, cauliflower shines with sweet simplicity. A delayed revelation.

Steamed cauliflower preparation is easy. Cut cauliflower into big sized florets. Take them in a steam basket.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Insert steam basket and cover. Steam until the cauliflower florets are just tender. Remove the basket and serve the florets warm.

I prefer mine plain. Sometimes I also add a sprinkle of salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Good food.

Steamed Cauliflower Florets ~ For Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

13 Comments

Nitya Malli (Vinca/Periwinkle)

Morning:
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener
Was in a rush, so just had few pieces of apple

Noon:
Half cup of leftover Pea Sprouts Soopa with Kale
One cup of Spinach sautéed with onion and fresh garbanzos
One cup of Tomato dal in rasam consistency

Evening:
A glass of ginger flavored buttermilk from homemade yogurt

Night:
One cup of cut carrots and cucumbers
One big bowl of hot tomato rasam
For dessert: half apple grated and added to a cup of cold soymilk. No smoothie but tasted good on this warm summer night.

Workout:
Weights and Abs class, and an hour walk at the gym - morning
Gardening in the evening

In retrospect:
Busy day, stressed out by evening and that triggered carbo cravings. Big bowl of hot, hot tomato rasam and cold ginger buttermilk saved the day.

Indian Yogurt, Ginger and Kavvam

Ginger Flavored Buttermilk (Allam Majjiga)

Ginger buttermilk saved the day many times in my life. My mother prescribes it to comfort stomachache, headache, sunstroke and lack of energy. It’s a cure-all elixir in her world. Continuing the tradition is this amma’s daughter. There is a saying in the Sutras “Just as nectar is for Gods, buttermilk is for humans”. I believe it.

Preparing buttermilk at home is very easy.

Take a ladle full of homemade yogurt in a glass. Add a pinch of salt. Churn with a Kavvam (traditional wooden churner from Bharath) until well blended. Then add a cup of water and churn again until a light froth appears on top.

To flavor the buttermilk with ginger: Take a thumb sized fresh ginger. Peel the skin and grate it finely. Take the grated ginger with your fingers and squeeze the ginger juice into buttermilk. Churn again until well mixed.

Enjoy this refreshing drink after a meal. You could also add few pieces of crushed ice or ice cubes for that cold effect. Ginger buttermilk is a neat alternative, if you are trying to avoid caffeinated drinks.

Allam Majjiga ~ for Today’s Meal

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Morning:
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener
One boiled egg, white only

Noon:
1 gatti vada with chana dal in a cup of veggie-rich sambar
1 boiled egg, white only
Half carrot and half apple

Evening:
A small cup of ginger tea without sweetener
Remaining half of industrial-sized Fuji apple. Apples are huge here.

Night:
A cup of pea sprouts soopa with plenty of fresh kale from backyard, which was grown on dear Kay’s recommendation. Fresh and filling, good food
A cup of veggie-rich sambar and one papad
A glass of cold and delicious buttermilk from homemade yogurt

Workout:
15 minutes cycling, mile walk, and high intensity step aerobic class for one hour - Morning. Gardening work in the evening.

In retrospect:
Mild stomach discomfort because of all the guggullu. Should include more ginger, hing and lemon.
Peaceful and pleasant day.

Pea Sprouts Soopa with Kale
(for four or two for one or two meals)

Dried peas from Bharath are available in two colors. Green and yellow. Like fraternal twins, they are from the same family but are different taste and texture wise. Today’s recipe is with yellow dried peas with one lone green one.

The yellow peas are soaked in plenty of water overnight, then kept in a muslin cloth covered for a day for sprouting. The pea sprouts are then cooked with kale and seasoned with traditional Bharath flavors.

Why take the trouble to sprout? It’s because the sprouting process makes the legumes and lentils easily digestible and also increases nutritional value. The following recipe is based on Vatana Ambat of Karnataka/Maharashtra. Creamy pea sprouts and silky greens, it’s a decent soopa particularly when you are in no mood for fancy fixings. Give it a try.

Ingredients:
Yellow Peas (yellow vatana) sprouts - 2 cups
Fresh Kale, finely chopped - about 4 cups
Red onion or shallot, finely chopped - about half cup
From masala dabba - tadka ingredients
For Traditional Bharath Flavor:
Toast half teaspoon methi seeds to fragrance. Take them in mixer. Add two tablespoons of fresh coconut gratings and one inch piece of tamarind, five red chillies and pinch of salt. Blend to smooth paste.

Preparation:
Step 1: Place sprouted peas and two cups of water in a pot. Add half teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, until peas are fork tender. Takes about 15 minutes.
Add the kale to peas and continue to cook until they collapse. Add the blended Bharath flavoring. Mix well. If the soopa looks too dry, add about half cup of water. Simmer on low heat for five minutes.

Step 2: At the end of the cooking, do the onion tadka: Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in another pan. Add pinch each - hing, cumin and mustard seeds and a sprig of curry leaves. Toast to fragrance. Add the onion. Fry to crisp. Stir in turmeric and toast for couple of seconds. Add this onion tadka to simmering soopa. Enjoy hot with ghee, rice or roti. Good on it’s own as well.

Pea Sprouts Soopa with Kale ~ Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

8 Comments

Morning:
A cup of ragi ganji without sweetener
A small bowl of leftover apple-cherry salad

Noon:
About half cup of Paneer tomato. Very tasty and flavorful. Parents also liked this paneer curry.
A cup of yellow vatana(peas), soaked overnight, pressure-cooked and then sautéed with onion and cherry tomatoes and seasoned with hing, salt and black pepper. Generously doused with fresh limejuice.
A glass of tomato rasam

Evening:
A glass of delicious buttermilk with homemade yogurt

Night:
2 chana dal based vada in a cup of sambar soopa
Small serving of carrot-cucumber raita
Few cherries

Workout:
Friends came over for a visit and stayed for dinner. Did a ton of house work. Cleaning, cooking, then cleaning again. On my feet almost the whole day. I believe in a way this is also a form of exercise.

In retrospect:
Should have something at least by 9 in the morning.
Exhausting yet excellent day.

Paneer Tomato
(for four or two, for one or two meals)

Paneer tomato tastes as heavenly as it looks. It captures some of the delectable flavor of summer season and puts the summer tomatoes to good use. Paneer provides added interest and some nutrition but without all the heaviness associated usually with paneer based curries. The recipe is from Sunitha’s website on recommendation from Kay. Thank you both for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients:
6 big tomatoes (about an orange size)
12 to 15 half-inch cut paneer cubes
1 shallot or red onion - finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic-cilantro paste
1 tablespoon - coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon - salt
1/4 teaspoon each - red chilli powder and turmeric
1 inch piece cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 1 cardamom, 4 cloves
From masala dabba: Tadka ingredients

Preparation:
Step 1: Cut tomatoes into big chunks. Take them in a pot. Add cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom and cloves. Also a cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer. When tomatoes reach mushy-soft stage, turn off the heat and remove the pot from stovetop. Wait until cool, and then take them all in a blender and puree to soft without adding any extra water.

Step 2: In a pan, heat a tablespoon of peanut oil. From masala dabba, add a pinch of cumin and a sprig of curry leaves. Toast to fragrance. Add onion and sauté to soft. Stir in ginger-garlic paste and fry for couple of seconds. Next goes the pureed tomato and the seasoning. Salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder. Mix and cover the pot. On high heat, cook the tomatoes until the sauce thickens. Add paneer cubes. Simmer on low heat for another five minutes.

Serve warm with rice or roti or pasta. Good on it’s own too.

Paneer Tomato ~ for Meal Today
© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

20 Comments