Anger ~ Story

From Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for children.

One day, the Buddha and a large following of monks and nuns were passing through a village. The Buddha chose a large shade tree to sit beneath so the group could rest awhile out of the heat. He often chose times like these to teach, and so he began to speak. Soon, villagers heard about the visiting teacher and many gathered around to hear him.One surly young man stood to the side, watching, as the crowd grew larger and larger. To him, it seemed that there were too many people traveling from the city to his village, and each had something to sell or teach. Impatient with the bulging crowd of monks and villagers, he shouted at the Buddha, "Go away! You just want to take advantage of us! You teachers come here to say a few pretty words and then ask for food and money!"But the Buddha was unruffled by these insults. He remained calm, exuding a feeling of loving-kindness. He politely requested that the man come forward. Then he asked, "Young sir, if you purchased a lovely gift for someone, but that person did not accept the gift, to whom does the gift then belong?"The odd question took the young man by surprise. "I guess the gift would still be mine because I was the one who bought it.""Exactly so," replied the Buddha. "Now, you have just cursed me and been angry with me. But if I do not accept your curses, if I do not get insulted and angry in return, these curses will fall back upon you—the same as the gift returning to its owner."The young man clasped his hands together and slowly bowed to the Buddha. It was an acknowledgement that a valuable lesson had been learned. And so the Buddha concluded for all to hear, "As a mirror reflects an object, as a still lake reflects the sky: take care that what you speak or act is for good. For goodness will always cast back goodness and harm will always cast back harm."

Dhokla - Gujrati Delicacy

Dhokla is a gujrati delicacy made using chickpeas flour and flavored with tempering of pungent mustard, spicy green chilies, sweet coconut grates, and aromatic curry or cilantro leaves.

A super-moist, soft and fluffy cake that begs for a tea is a must-have for any evening get-together party or for your family re-unions. It is a delicious savory snack with a delicate sweetness. It's perfect complement to all the salty and savory staples of any menu.

When you don't feel like eating store-bought snacks or someone is coming home, try this instant dhokla recipe with you favorite tea (save the time of running back to your grocery store for instant Dhokla mix :)). It doesn't take too much time to prepare and it's healthy and a very tasty snack. The ingredients and the method is simple enough to give it a try though. Serve these squares warm for a great taste but it can be served warm or cold.

This recipe was pending in my list from really long. I remember when I cooked this last September, I posted the picture of Dhokla on my Facebook Page and one of my friend asked for the recipe and since then it's getting delayed. So here I am with the Dhokla recipe. I hope you guys enjoy it. 

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Ingredients:

1. Chickpeas flour (besan) - 1 cup
2. Semolina (Sooji) - 1 cup
3. Yogurt - 1 cup
4. Citric acid - pinch
5. Sugar - 2 tsp (as per taste)
6. Salt - 3/4 tsp (as per taste)
7. Turmeric powder (Haldi) - (a pinch for color)
8. Ginger-Chili paste - 1 tsp
9. Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
10. Water - 1/2 cup (may vary)
11. Fruit Salt (Eno) - 1 tsp (keep aside)

Seasoning (Tadka):

1. Oil -  1 tbsp
2. Asafoetida - (a pinch for digestion aid)
3. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Green Chili - 5
5. Sugar - 1 tsp
6. Water - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Place the covered stockpot on stove with little water and bring it to boil.
2. Keep the stove safe bowl in the stockpot and the water level should just touch the rim of the bowl.
3. Grease the tray. I used PAM spray.
4. Prepare batter by mixing all the first ten ingredients.
5. Now add eno powder and mix it quick and pour it into the greased pan.
6. Now place the pan in a stockpot and cover it for 18-20 mins on high heat (temp setting between 7-8).
7. Insert a fork to check whether dhokla is baked or not.
8. Take out the tray and let it cool for few mins before cutting it into pieces.
9. Flip the tray upside down on any place. This way dhokla will come out clean and nice.
10. Prepare the seasoning, heat an oil in a pan and add asafoetida and mustard seeds. 
11. Once it crackles add the green chilis. and turn off the heat.
12. Now add water and sugar to the tempering and mix it.
13. It's time to pour it over the dhokla and garnish it in a way you want.
14. Take out the pieces slowly on a plate.
15. Serve it with green cilantro dip(Chutney) or tamarind dip. If will taste just delicious....:)

Substitution:

1. Sesame seeds can be used in seasoning.
2. Curry or Cilantro leaves is a great way to garnish with a flavor.
3. Grated coconut can be added if you like.
4. Citric can be substituted with yogurt or vice-versa.

Tip:

1. Batter should have the right consistency otherwise it will not rise properly.
2. Don't whisk the batter too much after mixing the fruit salt.
3. Cool it for few minutes before you slice.

Mango Pickle - Andhra Style

Welcome back to another recipe of JO Tadka. Today I am here with Mango pickle recipe. This recipe comes from Srilakshmi's kitchen. Yes, she is from Andhra and therefore this is Andhra special in my blog for the very first time :)

Pickles, the name itself gives you tangy and spicy flavor. This is a side - main dish that can enhance the taste of any food. I stayed in hostel during my school & college days and we all heard a lot about the bad taste of hostel mess food. Pickles was the saver back then, I enjoyed it with my each and every meal. 

There are countless versions of mango pickles in India. Each zone has its own style of preparation and taste. Instant pickle recipes are easy to prepare and a great way to enjoy fresh and homemade pickles. 

Thank you Srilakshmi for sharing it with me. 

HIT on the LIKE button if you like it. Leave a comment - I would love to hear from you!

Ingredients:

1.     Raw Mango - 1 pc

2.     Salt - 1 1/2 tsp (as per taste)

3.     Red Chili powder - 2 tsp

4.     Mustard powder - 1 tsp

5.     Fenugreek powder - 1/2 tsp

6.     Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

7.     Garlic Cloves (minced) - 2 pc

Seasoning (Tadka):

1.     Oil - 2 tbsp

2.     Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

3.     Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

4.     Chana Dal  - 1/2 tsp

5.     Dried Red Chili - 2 whole

Method:

1. Wash and wipe dry the mangoes.
2. Dice it into small chunks.
3. Add chili powder, turmeric and salt to mango chunks. 
4. Mix well so that spices will evenly coated on the mangoes. 
5. Keep it aside for few hours, it helps oozing tangy water from the mangoes. In India we keep it in sunlight for few days.
6. Meanwhile dry roast mustard and fenugreek seeds in a pan and grind it into a fine powder.
7. Now mix the prepared powder and minced garlic to the mango chunks.
8. Now prepare the seasoning. In a hot oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, once it all crackles add chana dal and whole chili.
9. Stir it for few seconds and then turn off the heat.
10. Now pour this mixture over the mangoes and combine it.
11. Store the pickle in a clean and dry air-tight container.
12. This mouth-watering pickle can be enjoyed right away once its prepared.
13. Serve the pickle with your chapati, parantha, dal-rice or curd-rice.

Substitutions & Tips:

1. The tangy flavor will be more if you have it after few days of preparation.
2. You can add small piece of tamarind if mangoes are not tangy and sour.
3. You can choose to add more chili powder if you want a spicy hot pickle.

Eggless MnM Muffins

It's a Rose Day and without sweets there is no celebration! So, celebrate the pretty gloom and say what you feel with lovely roses and of course with sweets...... for today's occasion here comes the Mn M's Muffins!! Rose day - the first day of valentine week. All you beautiful people enjoy your day with full joy.

My day also started great with a surprise :)) Now when I am writing, I am still smiling for the moment that I had in the morning. 

Today when I got up, I found a pretty note lying next to my pillow "My Beautiful Rose!" I opened it and there was more..... "Roses are beautiful, but none as you....Happy Rose Day :))!" I was totally surprised because I haven't had it anywhere close to my mind. Then when my husband was leaving for office, he told that today we'll go out for dinner. I thought now its my turn to surprise him. Therefore, I decided to cook something delicious. The menu I planned for the day is "Onion Kulcha, Kashmiri Dum Aloo, Masala Papad Salad and Muffins". Everything is done other than Kulcha. I am planning to prepare it fresh around dinner. And going to post this draft in the late evening hours after dinner surprise. I don't want to take a chance what if my husband ll open my blog on his phone...who knows ;)) 

This muffin recipe I prepared first time for our friend (Vishal')s birthday. I saved few muffins for my husband to try. When I tasted, I realized muffins were having little bitterness and also less sweet in taste. However, my husband loved it other than cinnamon sugar pecans that I added. He doesn't like nuts in brownies or muffins. Although he is a big fan of chocolate Mn M's the way I am of ferrerorocher. Therefore, I added baking Mn M's in the muffins. Today I prepared the same recipe with a tweak. 

Here's the recipe for the simple, tasty and with less ingredients muffins.

Ingredients:

1. All-purpose flour - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1/2 cup
3. Baking powder - 1 tsp
4. Mn M's - 1/2 cup
5. Flax meal -  1 tsp
6. Olive oil - 1/4 cup
7. Orange juice (freshly squeezed) - 1/2 cup
8. Orange zest - 1/4 tsp
9. Water - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl.
2. Separately dissolve flax meal and water. 
3. Now whisk it with oil and juice. 
4. Prepare batter with mixing the dry & wet ingredients.
5. Now add Mn M's & orange zest in the batter.
6. Grease the muffin liner and pour the batter into it.
7. Shift the muffin tray in the preheated oven at 375 degrees temp for 18-22 mins.
8. Insert a toothpick, it should come out clean.
9. Take out the tray and let it cool for few minutes and then transfer the muffins on the cooling rack.
10. You can enjoy it warm or put it in an air-tight container once it comes to a room temp and have it for a week with a cool whip or home-made frosting

Tips:

1. Last time I used the store-bought Tropicana orange juice and today I used freshly squeezed one and you can feel the difference in the taste. But you can use it if that's handy.
2. I baked with granulated sugar instead of brown sugar because it's over in my pantry. But I prefer brown sugar.
3. You can add fruits or nuts. When I tried last time I used cinnamon sugar candied pecans (I will add my recipe soon) because I love nuts. Unfortunately, my husband is not a big fan of nuts. And today I prepared especially for him..so NO NUTS ;)

Dal Baati & Churma - Rajasthani Delicacy!

Dal Baati Churma is a very popular Rajasthani food. This is one of my most loving dish. I don't really remember that I always have the liking or it developed with time. As I stayed in Jaipur, Rajasthan for ten years. For every special occasion this is counted as a special menu. Chokhi Dhani is the best place to enjoy rajasthani delicacies.

Dal Baati Churma is considered as one whole meal. Dal (Lentils) Baati (Whole wheat stuffed dumplings) Churma(Baked crushed whole wheat).

The below recipe is just like my mom makes it. The only difference is, she uses tandoor for Baati and I use Oven.

Ingredients:

Baati:

1. Wheat flour - 2 cups
2. Semolina - 1/2 cup
3. Gram flour - 1/4 cup
4. Ghee (clarified butter) - 1/2 cup
5. Yogurt - 1/2 cup
6. Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
7. Salt as per taste
8. Water (lukewarm) as per requirement

Stuffing:

1. Boiled Potato (Mashed) - 4 medium 
2. Green Chilli - 2 chopped
3. Red Chilli - as per taste
4. Mango Powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Pomegranate seeds - 1 tsp
6. Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt - as per taste
8. Cilantro - chopped (optional)

Dal:

1. Bengal Gram (Chana) - 1/2 cup
2. Green Gram (Moong) - 1/4 cup
3. Split Black Gram (Urad) - 1/4 cup
4. Yellow Pigeon Peas (Arhar) - 1/2 cup
5. Ghee - 2 tbsp
6. Asofetida - pinch
7. Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
8. Dried Red Chilli - 3
9. Tomato - 3 medium chopped
10. Green Chilli - 2 chopped
11. Ginger - 1/2 inch minced
12. Garlic - 3 cloves minced
13. Red Chilli - 1/2 tsp
14. Turmeric - 1tsp
15. Coriander powder - 1tsp
16. Mango Powder - 1/2 tsp
17. Garam Masala - 1 tsp
18. Cilantro - chopped
19. Salt - as per taste
20. Water
21. Lemon juice - freshly squeezed

Churma:

1. Wheat flour - 2 cups
2. Semolina - 1/4 cup
3. Ghee (melted clarified butter) - 1 cup
4. Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
5. Water (lukewarm) as per requirement
6. Sugar - 2 cups
7. Dry Fruits (Cashews, Almonds, Raisins, Cardamon powder)

Method:

Stuffed Baati:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients.
2. Now add yogurt & ghee and kneed it.
3. Slowly add lukewarm water to make it a dough (stiff).
4. Kneed it for 5 mins. Cover it and let it sit for 30 mins.
5. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.
6. Mix well all the filling ingredients and keep aside the mixture.
7. Rub oil on your palms and make small balls.
8. Do the stuffing and close it.
9. Shift it into the oven and bake it for 40 mins.
10. Take it out brush it with ghee and serve it hot.

Dal:

1. Wash and soak the lentils for an hour with double amount of water.
2. Pressure cook lentils with salt for 1 whistle and let it sim for few minutes.
3. Heat the ghee in a pan. Add asofetida, cumin, dried red chillis.
4. Once it crackles, add green chilli, ginger, garlic and fry it until it becomes light brown.
5. Now add tomatoes and mix little salt in it. 
6. Let it cook for few minutes. Then add chilli powder, turmeric, coriander.
7. Fry it until it leavens some oil in the sides. That means tomatoes are cooked.
8. Add the cooked dal, mango powder and garam masala. 
9. Bring it to boil and add water for the right consistency. Switch off the stove
10. Add lemon juice and garnish the dal with freshly chopped cilantro and cover it for few mins.
11. Your dal is ready to be served with baati, rice, chapati, or parantha.

Churma:

1. Kneed the dough with the (1-4) items just like baatis.
2. Divide the dough into small balls and press it between your palms.
3. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees and bake it for 40 mins.
4. Let it cool and then coarsely grind the pressed balls. 
5. Then add coarsely chopped dry fruits and sugar.
6. Now mix them all together and add some melted ghee which is optional just for taste.
7. Store it in an air tight container and refrigerate. You can enjoy it for 3-4 weeks.
8. Serve it with Dal Baati or have it just like a dessert.

Substitutions:

1. You can make churma laddoo instead of Churma by adding extra melted ghee.
2. Jaggery can be substituted for sugar.
3. Coconut can be added if you like.
4. Olive Oil can be used instead of ghee. There will be little taste difference but it will be healthy.

Tips:

1. My baati and churma dumplings took 40 mins to bake. But it all depends on the oven temp.

Cheese & Garlic Naan

Naan is a yummy oven-baked flat bread. Traditionally, naan bread is baked in a tandoori (clay oven). The dough is pushed on to the sides of the clay oven and bakes in a minute. Naan bread is made from grains which are ground into flour, combined with salt, water, sugar, yeast, and oil.

Naan, a very popular Indian dish for any occasion. Either someone is coming home for a formal dinner or you want to celebrate something, this is a must item in the menu. It is served with a variety of lentils & vegetables. My husband's favorites are Dum Aloo (Stuffed Potato Curry), Malai Kofta (Cheese Dumplings) Curry, Paneer Pasanda (Stuffed Cheese Curry), Dal Makhani (Whole Black Gram Lentil with Kidney Beans). It can be served plain or stuffed with cheese, potato, garlic, onion, etc. I made it plain and did topping with Indian cheese, garlic, and Cilantro.

Baking a great tasting naan at home is not hard and perfect for any gathering. Ghee, a clarified butter is my secret ingredient to make it moist and soft. You can use the leftover in the form of baked pizza or grilled sandwich.

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour - 5 cups
2. Water - 1 cup
3. Yogurt - 10 tbsp
4. Sugar - 4 tsp
5. Salt - 2 tsp
6. Ghee melted - 5 tbsp
7. Dry active yeast - 2 tsp

Topping:

1. Minced or chopped Garlic - 3 cloves
2. Fresh chopped Cilantro - 5 tsp
3. Shredded Cheese - 5 tsp
4. Ghee / Butter - as per taste

Method:

Dough

1. In a lukewarm water add sugar and yeast and let it sit for few minutes to be frothy.
2. Mix flour and salt. 
3. Make a well in the center the add ghee, yogurt and yeast liquid. Kneed it to form a dough.
4. Kneed the dough for 5 mins until it is smooth and uniform.
5. Cover it and let it rest for few hours until it becomes double in its size.
6. Kneed it again and mix in the topping or you can fill it before rolling. (I filled it in)

Rolling Naan

1. Turn on the oven and set the temperature on broil.
2. Divide the dough into 5 equal parts.
3. Stretch it and fill in the toppings and close it.
4. Using the flour roll the dough flat into your preferable shape. I like triangle Naan.
5. Place the Naan in a lightly greased baking sheet (I used Pizza pan).
6. Brush it with some Ghee and shift it in the oven for 2 mins. 
7. Keep an eye on it. The oven temp may vary. 
8. It puffs right away and you can see the color change.
9. Take it out. Brush it with butter and it is ready to serve.
10. Enjoy it with your favorite curry.

Substitutions:

1. Sugar can be substituted by Honey.
2. You can hand-stretch the dough instead of rolling.
3. Topping Ghee can be substituted with butter.
4. You can use Pizza stone if you have and preheat it for the better char.
5. You can fold the almonds, coconut, raisins in the dough to enjoy Peshawari Naan.
6. Fold some chopped cooked soy nuggets to enjoy vegetarian Keema Naam.
7. Add onions, potato, any thing you family loves.

Tips:

1. Increase more sugar if you like sweet.
2. Put the dough somewhere warm. (I put it in the oven and switch-on the oven light)

Sweet Saffron Rice

This is a special offering to Goddess Saraswati on the very auspicious occasion of Basant Panchami. It is believed that on this day goddess Saraswati was born who showers the wealth of knowledge.  

"When winter comes, can spring be far behind?" asked P B Shelley. 

Vasant Panchami marks the beginning of spring and falls on the fifth day of Maagh (Hindi Month) each year. The word 'Vasant' means spring and 'Panchmi' denotes the fifth day on which the festival falls. Spring means pleasant weather, free from the scorching heat, the cold bites or dodgy rains. It is therefore crowned as the king of all seasons. 

The scintillating yellow colour holds great importance on this day. The color of Basant (Spring) is yellow, also known as the 'Basanti' colour. It symbolizes prosperity, light, energy and optimism. This is the reason why people wear yellow clothes and make traditional delicacies in yellow hues. 

On the day of Basant Panchami a log with a figure of Holika is placed in a public place. During the next 40 days, devotees add twigs and other flammable material to form a pyre which is lit on Holi. Kite flying, the popular sport of India, is associated with the festival of Basant Panchami. Especially in north India, the kite flying tradition has been given great importance. 

Indian festivals are incomplete without traditional sweets. On this day we offer sweet saffron rice also called "pile meethe chawal" in Hindi. This traditional sweet dish made with rice, sugar, milk, saffron and dryfruits.

Ingredients:

1. Basmati Rice - 1cup
2. Ghee - 1 tbsp
3. Water - 2 cup
4. Milk - 1 tbsp
5. Sugar - 1/2 cup
6. Saffron - 1 tsp
7. Cardamon - 1/2 tsp
8. Dry Fruits (Almond sliced, Cashews, Chironji, Raisins) - 1 cup

Method:

1. Wash and soak  rice for 20- 30 mins.
2. In a ghee, roast the dry fruits of your choice.Then add rice and fry it for few minutes.
3. Add 1 cup of water to the rice and let it cook for 7 mins. Keep an eye on it as it is cooking in half of the water.
4. Add 1 cup of water, sugar, cardamon and make it boiled syrup. 
5. Soak saffron in warm milk. Then mix it in the syrup.
6. When rice is half cooked add the syrup to it and let it cook for 8-9 mins.
7. Sweet Saffron Rice is ready to serve.

Substitutions:

1. Sugar can be substituted by jaggery.
2. You can try mixing sugar directly instead of making syrup.

Tips:

1. Increase more sugar if you like really sweet.
2. Do not hesitate to try the dry fruits of your choice.  Try sliced coconuts if you like coconut.