Kylie, is Yasir’s colleague’s young daughter, and she had asked for some Indian bread recipe, so Yasir emailed her the link to making Puris/parathas from my blog.
She made puris, and I am super impressed!! They took a picture, I will post it, they look perfect!
So, I remembered the short cut I used to take to make puris, when I started cooking. I dont know who had given me this tip, but it was great! Pillsbury biscuit dough, available in almost all grocery stores here in US, can be used to making a different variety of Puris made in India, they are called Bhature (eaten usually with Chole).
Ingredients:
Pillsbury biscuit dough,
oil for frying,
all purpose flour for dipping
Method:
Divide the biscuit dough in half, and roll them in your palms, and then flatten them into discs. Dip in a little all purpose flour, and then roll out little circles with a rolling pin. Fry as per the instructions listed in the Puri recipe.
Puri recipe: http://www.lifensuch.com/puris.htm
Chole recipe: http://www.lifensuch.com/chole-chick-peas-cooked-in-indian-spices-super-simple-recipe.htm
May 27th, 2009
Tehsin thought Lifensuch readers will benefit from these Eco-friendly home cleaning ideas on MSN. Check them out. Nowadays I too have started using lemons, vinegar and baking soda for so many things from cleaning around house to my hair! 
Check it out:
http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-home/cleaning-organizing/staticslideshowrs.aspx?cp-documentid=19132609
May 1st, 2009
I found this interesting site where you can find pricing for just about anything. I think I was looking for painting house exteriors in Google, where I found this site. Take a look, you will get an idea for how much things such as car repair, home remodeling projects, cosmetic surgeries, etc etc cost.
Check it out at:
http://www.costhelper.com/
April 29th, 2009
Here guys, another recipe (an easy and quick one) for making Hareesa. My dear friend Summaiya (now in Hyderabad), emailed me this recipe. She and husband, Aamir while they were in Cleveland, Ohio, had invited us for brunch and made this. We ate so much, we were stuffed and couldnt move.
We tried the recipe, and guess what…it turned out really really good!
Without further delay, here goes the recipe.
Ingredients:
Goat meat (or lamb) 2 lb
3 cloves of garlic (paste)
2 onions (chopped in big chunks)
5 peppercorn (kali mirch whole)
1 and a half teaspoonful fennel seeds (saunf)
4 cloves (laung)
1 inch stick cinnamon (daalchini)
4 brown (big) cardamom (badi elaichi)
8-9 green cardamoms (choti elaichi)
1 teaspoonful black cumin (I had regular cumin, I used that) (jeera)
1 teaspoonful turmeric (haldi)
Salt to taste
¼ cup wheat flour ( *** I used 1 wheat pita, tore it up in small pieces, and then microwaved it with water for 2 minutes, and 1/2 cup regular oats and cooked it as per the instructions on the box using the meat broth instead of water)
Oil (for frying onions; we use Canola Oil, because of less saturated fat, and more Omega-3 in it)
Spanish Onions (I used the ready made fried onions, but the recipe calls onions specially found in Kashmir, or in US use Spanish onions)
Method:
Add all the ingredients in the list except the last two; that is the wheat flour and oil in a pressure cooker, and fill with water, until everything is soaked in it. Cook on Medium high heat, and turn down the heat to simmer after 2 whistles. Let it simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. Turn off the heat and leave it like that till all the pressure is released.
When cooled, remove the bones off the meat, and all the cardamoms, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and cloves. Separate the broth from the pieces.
Using a Food Processor preferably (or a blender, if you do not have a Food Pro), grind the mixture coarsely, using broth as needed.(I have a 7 cup Food Pro, I did half of the meat at a time).
If using wheat flour add it to a cup of the meat broth and boil it. Grind this with the meat mixture. (I did not use wheat flour, I was being lazy, instead I used oats and wheat pita ***).
Now put all the meat mixture, in a cooking pot (preferably non-stick, so you do not have to stir constantly). Cook it on medium high heat, stirring every 5 minutes (if needed add the meat broth to this) until you get the desired consistency. We cooked for about 45 minutes.
While serving (for the whole hareesa), heat about 1 1/2 cup oil (we used canola oil), fry the onions till they are crunchy golden brown, and mix this in the meat mixture, along with all the oil. (Since I used the store bought fried onions, I needed to just fry only for a minute to get them hot)
Serve with naan (Indian tandoori bread, found at Indian restaurants) or just plain pita bread. In Kashmir, they serve Sheesh kebabs with this, and at the end, they have Noon chai.
Usually this is made in winter, and had as brunch.
Enjoy. And if you try this, let me know how it turns out for you (also, if you made your own substitutions).
P.S. Thanks Summaiya for this recipe. I have been thinking of Hareesa for a month. Also, lots of Kisses to baby Suleiman.
April 28th, 2009
I hate the smell of egg these days. So, I remembered my Mother-in-laws burji; she makes it with garlic and spices. It is so good. I made it a couple days back, I made some extra, because I had run of out fried onions, and since I was going to stand in the kitchen and fry chopped onions anyway, I made a bit extra. In Kashmir, we would have this burji with Whole wheat parathas. Yumm Yumm. I wish I was there now.
Ingredients:
Eggs 4 medium sized
2 onions (medium or large size)
2 tomatoes (large size); if you want to use tomato paste instead, about 1 1/2 tsp
1 tsp garlic paste,
salt, 2 tsp red chilli powder, sprinkle of black pepper, 1/2 tsp garam masala or corriander (dhania) powder (1/2 tsp),
oil for cooking
Method:
Start by frying onions, until translucent. Then add chopped tomatoes to it, and cook till oil seperates out. Add the garlic and spices, and a little salt. Fry for a minute, and add beaten eggs to this, and cook this on sim or low flame, until the eggs are fully cooked. Ta-da Done.
I could eat this for breakfast or lunch. Anytime it would be just great!
Note: If you want to make it more presentable, add fresh chopped cilantro, and green hot peppers towards the end.
April 23rd, 2009
I just got this from reading an article on MSN,
“Everything you eat should make you stronger, like whole grains for your heart or veggies for immunity. Make 85 percent of your choices this way and you’ll be healthier and thinner.”—Steven Lamm, M.D., author of
Stronger
“Switch from olive oil to canola oil for cooking. Canola has less saturated fat and a lot more omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to do everything from lift mood to fight heart disease.”—Cardiologist Robert Vogel, M.D., co-author of The Pritikin Edge
“Have a vegetable or fruit at every meal. Boom, healthier.”—Eating behaviors researcher Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
“Eat global. Spices like cinnamon and turmeric in Indian and Thai cuisines add flavor and have health benefits, like fighting cancer.”—Andrew Weil, M.D., director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine
Can you imagine eating the world’s hottest chillies (not 1, but 51) in 2 minutes. Guess what an Indian woman is probably going to bag this record!
Well, read this BBC article, if you don’t believe me!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7993925.stm
April 10th, 2009
When I was in elementary school, one of our neighbors were from Gujarat, western part of India. She used to make this dessert made with 3 commonly found ingredients in Indian houses. Ofcourse you could jazz it up with dry fruits and stuff. But I am so lazy, I just stuck to the basic ingredients. This is my mother’s recipe for making gud papdi, which I am guessing she picked it up from our neighbor.
Not only is it delicious, and good for you, kids genuinely like to eat it. And they dont know its a healthy dessert. Shhhhhhhhh, lets just keep that to ourselves!
Here it goes.
Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour (smooth texture), 1 cup
jaggery (gud), 3/4 cup grated
unsalted butter or ghee 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Optional:
white poppy seeds (khus khus) about 1 tbsp
slivered almonds for garnish
Method:
Keep a small tray or a deep dish ready, but greasing the bottom with a non-stick spray or ghee. I used a 8X8 inch square glass pan.
Start by heating up the ghee/butter. Then add the flour to this. Roast on medium high flame till you get a sweet smell, and the color looks like a deeper tan/golden red.
When its nicely roasted. Turn off the heat, and add the jaggery to this. Quickly mix it.
Then put this in the greased pan, and flat it out with a spatula, or with the bottom of a smooth bowl.
Cut into little pieces, and let it cool thoroughly.
I read somewhere this stores well for upto 15 days.
Note: I made a small mistake, I got bored grating the gud, so I just put it in a ziplock bag and broke it up in small pieces with rolling pin. But later when I was mixing it in with the roasted flour it would not evenly mix in. So, next time, take the effort, and grate it!!
April 6th, 2009
Do you eat only vegetarian when you are out, then you know in western countries like US, its really hard to find vegetarian dishes on the menu!
Yesterday I bumped on this really delicious vegetarian sandwich at our Bruegger’s bagels bakery. I, if you know anything about me by now, am a very very picky person, so when it comes to ordering food, it is the same way. I am sure I drive the person taking my order crazy!
But anyhow! The point is, I ordered the most delicious and satisfying sandwich ever and that too with no animal product in it!! Yeah…. victory atlast!
Okay, here is what happened at the bakery.
I wanted to order the Leonardo Da veggie (Light herb garlic cream cheese, roasted red peppers, muenster cheese, lettuce, tomato & red onion) from their menu, which is on asigo softwich.
But they had run out of asiago softwich, I have never eaten this kind of bread before, and hence was wanting to try it. So they suggested the asiago bagel. I was in no mood for eating a bagel at 3 in the afternoon, so I asked for different bread. They had plain ol’ white bread and wheat bread. So I picked wheat.
Then, I didnt want the garlic cream cheese, so I asked for hot jalapeno cream cheese. Then I wanted to eat it hot, so they suggested they would Panini it for me. For that they had to leave the lettuce out.
But boy oh boy, did this turn out great!!!!!!! The Bruegger guys should pay me for inventing this sandwich combination, and name it in my honor, ok I know I am kind of getting carried away.
So please give this a try, when you want to eat out, definitely try the Leonarda Da Veggie my style! (or the way they have it sounds great too)
To find a Brueggers near you, click here: http://www.brueggers.com/
April 6th, 2009
I read this article on MSNBC just now, and I had to share the video of Christian the Lion.
To read the article and watch the video/photos, click here:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29751849
Very touching and heartwarming story!!
Love transcends all!
March 18th, 2009
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