Mixed Vegetables in Indian Style Poppy Seed Gravy

Each time I relish a white gravy dish at a party, I secretly aim to prepare it back home. But the good old onion tomato gravy is a comfort zone for us Indian women! Quick, easy, tried, tested and loved by everyone, how can things go wrong with the tomato gravy?

But then, I HAD to come out of my comfort zone. So this Sunday afternoon, the Rajma, Chhole and Shahi paneer were ditched for vegetables in poppy seed (khus khus) gravy. It wasn't tough at all, rather easier and richer than the tomato gravy. As for my family, well...their happy faces said it all!

So, here's the recipe. Do try it out. Also, you may wanna google the health benefits of poppy seeds for some motivation!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Cauliflower - 1/2, cut into mouthful size florets

Potatoes - 2 medium, diced

Green Peas - 1 cup (I use a small katori)

Capsicum - 1 large, diced

Carrot - 2 medium, diced

Poppy seeds/khus khus - 3tsp

Cashews - a handful, chopped (You can increase the quantity as per preference)

Nutmeg/dalchini powder - 1tsp

Onion - 1 large

Green chilies - 2

Ginger - 1 small piece

Desi Ghee - 2tbsp

Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1tsp

Asafoetida/Hing - 1/2 tsp

Clove/Laung - 3-4 no.

Black pepper powder - 1tsp

Green cardamom powder - 1tsp

Full cream milk - 250ml, boiled

Salt - to taste

Method

The Poppy Seed Paste

Soak poppy seeds and cashews in 1 cup warm milk for about half an hour. Then grind the mixture into a fine paste. Add the nutmeg powder. Keep aside.

The Vegetables

Heat ghee in a kadai. Roast the potatoes. 

Once the potatoes turn golden brown and soften a bit, add the remaining vegetables (cauliflower, capsicum, peas and carrots). 

Add some salt as it will help soften the veggies. Add cardamom powder. Saute well. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes our till the veggies soften a bit. Take care not to overcook the vegetables else they will break and get mashed once they go inside the gravy. Keep the vegetables aside. 

Onion Paste 

Blend the onion, ginger and green chilies into a fine paste. Keep aside

The Gravy

Heat ghee in the kadai. Add asafoetida, cloves and cumin seeds. (You can see a pea here since I used the same kadai in which i sauted the vegetables).

Once the seeds splutter, add the onion paste and saute on medium flame for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the sauted vegetables. Mix well.

Add the khus khus cashew paste and mix well on low flame (since poppy seed paste tend to thicken the gravy in no time!)

Add salt and black pepper powder. Cook for 2 minutes on low flame. 

Mixed vegetables in poppy seed gravy is ready!

Is an RO purifier your best for pure water?

When it comes to my children, I make no compromises on quality. As a mother to an infant and a toddler, I am always proactive about minimizing the risk of infections. Since small children are very susceptible to water borne infections, I began to use boiled water for his consumption. As kids, I had always seen my parents do the same so I followed suit. 

However, soon I realized it was a task easier said than done. Managing two small kids, office and household chores meant a mad race with the clock, so boiling and cooling water seemed a tedious task. Hence, I began to look for other convenient options. While the age old filters was a known option, a little bit of online research told me it was no longer the best method to have the purest drinking water as there may still be heavy metals, harmful chemicals, and excessive salts left in the water. 

Thankfully, we live in a technologically advanced world. Discussions with friends and online research told me that RO purifier is the best and safest way to ensure purest water. RO purifier uses Reverse Osmosis technology to purify water. Yes, the very same Osmosis that we studied in school is now helping us keep our water safe! 

Source

Unlike the conventional gravity based water purifiers or water filters, RO purifier uses fine osmotic membranes to filter out the smallest of the impurities dissolved in the water supply. This makes them ideal for home and office use. There is a wide range of RO purifier depending on the level of product testing and the quality of filters used to assemble the purifier.

Source

A little bit of research and online comparison helped me pick the best ro purifier and life is a lot easier now. There is a wide range of RO purifiers available in the market and one can compare the RO water purifier price online.  Considering the quality, features and price, you can choose the bestRO water purifier in India and keep your family safe from water borne diseases. 

Source

Keeping my children mosquito safe

As mothers, we tend to fight a never ending battle with diseases and infections. If nature would allow, I am sure each mother would love to set a protective kavach (layer) around her babies to protect them from anything and everything negative. While there are infections and diseases beyond our control, we definitely wouldn't want our babies to have diseases that could have been avoided by taking simple precautions. Mosquito related diseases are one such example. Mosquitoes often come uninvited wherever we go and bring with them harmful diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria etc. Therefore, when it comes to these diseases, each mother wants to play safe by keeping mosquitoes away from their little ones.

Being a mother to a toddler and an infant, I have to look for mosquito repellent options which work at home as well as in the playground. My 2.5 year old son just hates being confined indoors while my 5 month old daughter gets cranky each time a mosquito bites her. Here is a list of options I have tried over a period of time and my experience with each one of them.

1. Mosquito Nets

This is the first option that comes to our mind the moment we bring our little ones home for the first time. We feel scared to use chemicals for newborns hence mosquito nets come in as a safe option. I too invested in a baby mosquito net. 

While it seemed like a good option initially, soon I realized that it was tough to monitor the baby through the net at night. My daughter loves kicking and would often kick away the net, forcing me to explore other options. So, I purchased a large, camp size mosquito net which fitted on my double bed. 

Life was good, till summers came calling. No matter how much cooling the AC gave, it was always stuffy inside the net. I felt imprisoned. Also, it was tough to move in and out of the net at night and the baby would often wake up by the noise. It was time to kick away the net and look for other options.

2. Good knight Activ+

Since I was least inclined towards the smoky mosquito coils, Good knight Activ+ was my obvious choice of mosquito killer machine. My parents used Good knight when we were kids, so I decided to zero down on the tried and tested brand. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed at all! I would shut the windows in the evening and switch on Good knight and this ensured a good night sleep for my children. I even have the option to switch from a Normal to Active mode when the mosquito menace is high. We carry the machine with us while travelling and even plugged it in the train compartment. 

While it worked wonders for my daughter, I was still worried for my son who loves playing outside in his T-Shirt and shorts. However, the next option solved my problem.

3. Good knight Fabric Roll-On

This has come like a boon to mothers of hyperactive toddlers since it is certified pediatric safe. Since overdressing your kids isn't a viable option in all weathers, the outdoor mosquito repeller works wonders. All I have to do is play a 4 dot game with my son and I can take a sigh of relief that he is safe from mosquitoes while playing in the park.

While the Roll-On is a natural product, the strong smell of citronella oil & eucalyptus oil sometimes turns my son off. But I soon realized there is another option that my son just wouldn't be able to refuse!

4. Good knight Patches

My son loves animals, so when we got him these patches, he just jumped with joy! Keeping mosquitoes away is now a fun activity as my son chooses his patch of the day!

5. Good knight Power Shots

This is a great option to do away with the mosquitoes who love to play hide and seek in the room. Just four shots in the corners of the room keep the mosquitoes at bay.

These easy and child friendly options help me stay tension free about mosquitoes, for prevention is always better than cure!

The Love Affair and Vermicelli

I was happily married to Maggi....till vegetable vermicelli lured me into an extramarital affair!

No matter how much the advertising gurus fool us, each time I eat a bowl of ready to eat noodles, my health conscious heart says, "Get a life dude!"

The love affair began soon after my son was born, and the bond has gone deeper and deeper ever since!

The advantages are many - easy way to include vegetables, the goodness of durum wheat vermicelli, no preservatives and most importantly, the ease of preparation. In fact, a night before I delivered my daughter, I wanted to eat something spicy but was feeling too lazy to cook, so it took me 10 minutes to prepare this vegetable vermicelli. Its the best alternative to preservative laden ready to cook stuff, and can make up for a quick, healthy breakfast, snack or solution to a midnight hunger pang!

Ingredients

For preparing 2 plates of vegetable vermicelli, you need

Roasted vermicelli - 2 small katori/1 cup

Onion - 1 medium, sliced

Tomatoes - 2 medium, finely chopped

Capsicum - 1 medium, coarsely chopped

Potato - 1 small, cut into small thin pieces

Carrot - 1 chopped

Peas - 1 fistful

Green chillies - 2 

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - 3-4

Red chilli powder - 1tsp

Salt - to taste

Vegetable/Oilve oil - 1tbsp

Lets get started!

Method 

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Enjoy the spluttering for a minute

Add sliced onion and saute till golden brown

Add the potatoes, peas and capsicum

Add the chopped carrots and tomatoes

Add salt and red chilli powder. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or till the vegetables are tender

Add water just to cover the vegetables and increase the flame to high. Adjust seasoning

Add the roasted vermicelli and mix well. Cover and cook on low flame for 3-4 minutes

Veggie vermicelli is ready!!!

Vijeta (1982)

Genre - Drama

Director – Govind Nihlani

Duration – 151 minutes

Cast – Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Amrish Puri, Om Puri, Kunal Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, K.K. Raina, Raja Bundela, Shafi Inamdar 

Music –Ajit Vaman (Songs), Surinder Sodhi (Background Score)

My View 

Long time ago, before the confused Hrithik Roshan of the movie Lakshya found his true calling in the Army, there lived a boy named Angad who was dealing with the same confusion. 

Vijeta was one of the movies that I saw on Doordarshan as a child however, never understood, perhaps because back then the depth in the dialogues would have flown several feet high above the mind of a 6 year old. However, all I remembered is liking this particular song, since I was in awe of Rekha singing in a white and red saree with a tanpura for company. 

A few days ago, I was looking for interesting movies from the 80s and I suddenly remembered this movie which had been much appreciated by my sister.

Vijeta is the story of Angad (Kunal Kapoor) from a boy to a man. The only child of a Punjabi father Nihal (Shashi Kapoor) and Maharashtrian mother, Nilima (Rekha), Angad was raised as a Sikh by his family. Nihal, a cut Surd had faced the brutality of partition in which he escaped to India with his Beeji (Dina Pathak) and had built up his life again from the scratch. The struggle had while given him a comfortable life, it also made him a very crude and bitter person, which reflected in his day to day communication with his family. This bitterness nurtured antipathy in Angad's heart towards his father. So, Angad ensured he went East if Nihal desired west. Nilima was their only bridge.

The constant tension between his parents coupled with Nihal's frequent sarcasm fills sense of insecurity, fear and confusion in Angad's mind. In an age where boys of his age make plans of a bright future, Angad was harbouring suicidal feelings in his heart. A meeting with his maternal uncle Arvind (Om Puri) comes across as a defining moment in Angad's life, as he feels motivated to join the defence services. Nihal's overprotective reaction and discouragement only strengthens Angad's determination, as he is automatically drawn to pursue something against his father's wishes. There was also a burning desire in Angad's heart to prove himself as worthwhile to his father.

The next few years not only transform Angad into a bright Air Force pilot, but also magically mend the father son relationship. The scene where Angad writes his maiden letter to his father describing his maiden solo flight would make any father emotional. Air force also gives Angad many good friends and the love of his life, Ana. Back home, as Angad's life is finally running on track, the relationship between his parents is also improving. 

The movie is about the many battles in one's life and how with determination one can emerge a winner. Each character is seen fighting his own battles. Nihal, with his cracking relations with his wife and son, Angad with his fears and Nilima with the father son differences. 

After struggling with his inner demons, Angad is seen emerging victorious over his fears. The movie gives a very strong message that no matter how tough the enemy, true winner is the one who gets up and gets going despite each fall and who never gives up come what may. 

Watch this movie for

• Such a realistic portrayal of the Air Force. There are only two movies who by far get full marks for portraying the defence life the way it is - Prahar and Vijeta. The scenes shot in the Air Force Academy and the base are a viewer's delight

• The actors have played their roles with such sincerity that an Amrish Puri seems like a seasoned Air Force instructor. Even Angad's buddies in the Air Force don't look like they are actors. 

• The movie doesn't hurry up to draw the curtains nor drags the story. The pace is just right to relish the story.
• Though the story is spaced around the Indo-Pak war, it doesn't sound outdated even 37 years later.

Oops

Ironically, the character that disappoints the most in the movie is Angad himself. While the continuous lost expression on his face looks in sync with the first half of the story, when the same persist despite the character's transformation from a boy to man, one feels like telling the director "Yaar, I could have done better acting than this." It is so sad to see him placed with veterans like Rekha, Shashi Kapoor, Amrish Puri and Om Puri. Even the supporting cast have given better performances. Oh, did I forget to tell you that the movie was produced by his father?

My Rating 

2.5/5 (Kunal Kapoor's disappointing effortless performance took away the stars from an otherwise great movie)

The lazy chef's quick Misal Pao

After my first encounter with Misal Pao, I was sure I would never ever eat it, leave apart preparing it someday and blogging about it!

A day after we landed up in Mumbai, I ate Misal Pao in the breakfast buffet of the hotel we were staying at. My first impression was - something watery with just few lentils for the sake of formality and lot of namkeen and onions compensating for the lack of lentils. The next time I tried my luck was  during snacks time at the office cafeteria and needless to say, I was equally disappointed. "This dish is not meant for the Dilliwalla" I concluded and wrote it off. 

However, I often wondered what is so good about Misal Pao that my Mumbaikar friends can't stop going gaga over it. So much that a friend of mine has named her blog after the dish!

Anyway, the ice breaking happened few days ago, when Mr. Hubby declared that he had developed the taste for the dish. Now let me tell you, he is thousand times more finicky about food than me. So, when he appreciates a dish, I do pause and take notice. "It's about the preparation. If it is prepared well, it tastes awesome!" Apparently one of his friend's wife is a pro at the dish. 

Few days back, I was at a restaurant near my office for a quick bite and as I was glancing through the options that they could serve me within the next 5 minutes, my eyes fell on Misal Pao. My scepticism was obvious, considering my earlier experiences. But, being the typical Indian wife, how could I not decode the mystery of Misal Pao! So I ordered one plate and to my utter surprise, it tasted so good! The humble sprouts added to the body while the crispy farsan and the chopped onions played sporty. The right dash of lemon juice added well to the romance! Perhaps it was indeed about the preparation style!

Now the only milestone left was to prepare it better than his friend's wife, and going by his reaction to my maiden attempt, I am sure it was a job well done! 

Since I am a lazy cook, here's a simpler version of the recipe that I managed in 15-20 minutes while the toddler was enjoying his afternoon siesta!

Ingredients (Serve 4)

Mixed Sprouts - 250g (The main advantage of this dish is that it makes it easy to feed protein rich sprouts to otherwise fussy eaters!)

Onion (chopped) - 2 medium,

Green chillies (chopped)- 4

Tomatoes (chopped) - 3 large

Dried Coconut, grated - 1/2

Oil - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Whole cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Turmeric powder - 1tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1tsp

Misal Pao masala - 2-3tsp (The most important ingredient!)

Water - 2-3 cups

Namkeen

Lemon juice

Pao

Method

While most recipes I saw on Youtube involved preparing the sprouts and gravy separately, I have decided to play quick and easy by cooking everything together in my pressure Handi. However, to each his own!

1. Heat oil in a pressure handi. Add asafoetida, cumin seeds. 

2. When the seeds splutter, add chopped onions and green chillies. 

3. When the onions turn pink, add the grated coconut and cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt and Misal Pao masala. Cook on low flame for 1-2 minutes till the spices are cooked.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well. If the masala sticks to the surface, you can add a bit water at this stage. Cook the masala till it leaves oil on sides.

6. Add the sprouts and mix well.

7. Add water generously. Mix well and adjust seasoning.

8. Cover the lid and cook it till 1 whistle. Allow the steam to escape and open the lid.

Serving

Add some lemon juice to a bowl of the Misal and garnish with namkeen and chopped onions. Your Misal is ready to romance the Pao!