Sausages in Yakhni Curry

I don't possess a lot of recipe books, at least not Indian food anyway. I prefer to follow my senses to create something which is a mix of both traditional and new flavors. Don't get me wrong - I am no culinary guru but I like to believe that I have good instincts when it comes to food. Of course, this includes a fair share of failures and unpalatable recipes but that's how we learn right?

The sausage yakhni was developed this week, when my freezer had some forlorn looking mini sausages and we had a guest coming over for dinner. It seemed the sausages were destined to the garbage bin sooner or later so I decided to make something from them. I am trying desperately to reduce the amount of food we waste - with so much hunger in the world, we all need to make whatever little effort we can and the first step is to stop wasting food.

I don't have a name for this dish. My husband called it a yakhni since it is made in a yogurt gravy but you can call it whatever you want. In my opinion it would also taste good with seekh kebabs.

Sausages in Yakhni Curry
serves two


5 mini chicken sausages, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup yogurt, whisked smooth with 2-4 tbsp water
3 medium onions
1 large green chilly
3-4 garlic cloves
2 green cardamoms
2 cloves
1 one-inch long cinnamon stick, broken into two
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp fennel powder
2-3 tbsp mustard oil


For the yakhni masala, you need:


1/2 nutmeg
1 black cardamom
1 whole dry red chilli
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp mace
1 tsp whole black pepper
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp asafoetida

To make the masala, dry roast the spices for the yakhni masala in a pan. Turn off the heat when you start getting an aroma and powder them in a spice grinder or a mixer.

In the mixer, make a smooth paste of the onions, garlic, and green chilly. Heat the mustard oil to smoking point in a large kadhai or pan. Reduce heat to low and add green cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. Add the onion paste, stir to incorporate the oil into the mixture. Increase heat to high and let it cook for 3-4 minutes till the onions start browning. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

When the onions look cooked, add salt, ginger powder, fennel powder, and yakhni masala to it and stir well. Lower heat and add yogurt. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.

In another pan, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped sausages and cook till they are light golden in color. Strain and set aside on a kitchen towel.

Add the fried sausage pieces to the curry, cover and let it cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Slow cooking ensures that sausages absorb flavor. You may have to add more water at this point.

Once the sausages have softened, add garam masala and turn off the heat. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Sweet Corn Pulao With Mint and Roasted Cumin Raita

When I heard about the Rice Blog Hop, I knew this corn pulao had to be shared! I love sweet corn (who doesn't?!) and combined with the raita, it is just a wonderful explosion of flavor. This is my go to recipe whenever I want a special meal but don't want to spend hours making it.

Become a part of the blog hop at Baker Street.

Sweet Corn Pulao 
serves two


1 cup basmati rice
2 medium sized onions, sliced
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp raw unsalted peanuts
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 sprig curry leaves
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1-2 tbsp mustard oil

In a large pan or pressure cooker, heat the oil till smoking point. Turn off the burner and add the mustard seeds, cloves, bay leaf and curry leaves. Once the seeds stop spluttering, add asafoetida, peanuts and minced garlic. Turn the flame on high heat, add onions and cook till the onions start to brown.

Add the rice and corn. Stir for about a minute or so. Add 1 cup of water and all the remaining spices - salt, ginger powder, garam masala.

There are two ways to cook this pulao - you can do it in a pressure cooker or a deep bottomed pan.

Pressure cooker: When cooking rice in a pressure cooker, the quantity of water to rice should be same so if you are adding one cup rice, add one cup water. Give it one whistle and let the steam release on its own.

Pan: The ratio of water to rice should be 2:1. If you are adding one cup rice, use two cups water. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15-20 minutes. Keep checking after every 5-7 minutes to see if the rice is cooked.

Use more water if you like sticky rice. The actual cooking time may vary depending on the type of rice used. The pressure cooker method works best for me.

Mint and Roasted Cumin Raita


1/4 cup yogurt
1 tbsp milk or water
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 spring mint leaves
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt with milk/water till smooth. Add the mint leaves and salt.

Heat a pan on high heat till it is warm. Add the cumin seeds. Turn off the flame once they stop spluttering and you get an aroma. Grind in a mortar pestle or crush with a rolling pin. Add to the yogurt and chill in the refrigerator.

Sunday Brunch | Dhokla in Five Minutes

Throughout the week, our breakfast includes Kelloggs K or oats or eggs but as much as I want to make weekend breakfast special, my laziness gets in the way. I do love the occasional parantha and aloo puri, never mind the expanding waistline. Since I am nowhere near my weight loss goals, dhokla seemed like a good option. It has several advantages working for it - it is steamed, needs less than a tablespoon of oil and quite filling.

Honestly, if you are looking for a light, fluffy dhokla, this recipe is not for you. The basic technique is the same but to get that fluffy texture, leave the mixture to ferment for 3-4 hours. I am not good at things that require a lot of time so this works well for me.

Dhokla in Five Minutes 


serves two


1 cup besan/black gram flour
2 tbsp sooji/semolina
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp fruit salt
3/4 cup water

Tempering:

1/2 tbsp cooking oil (any, except ghee or mustard oil)
1/2 tbsp black mustard seeds
2 sprigs curry leaves
3-4 split green chillies
Juice of 2 lemons
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water

Mix all the dry ingredients including the fruit salt for the dhoklas in a large bowl. Add 3/4 cup water to make a thick batter. Pour the batter into a greased dish, preferably with a flat bottom. You can steam this in a microwave using a microwave safe steamer for about 3 minutes on HI. Alternatively, you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and then steam it on the stove. Place it in a pan filled to 1/2 its height with water. Cover and let it cook for about 7-10 minutes.

Insert a knife to check if the dhokla is fully cooked. The knife should come out clean. If crumbs remain on the knife, give it about 30 seconds more. Once it is cool, cut into pieces and serve.

For the tempering, heat the oil and add mustard seeds. Once they stop spluttering, add the curry leaves and chillies. Fry these for about 2-3 minutes. Pour the tempering over the cut dhokla pieces.

In another bowl, mix the lemon juice, sugar, and water till the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over the dhoklas. Let them sit for five minutes to absorb the syrup.

You can serve them warm or chilled. 

Garam Masala - From Scratch!

What would we ever do without our much loved garam masala? Let me tell you a little secret - whenever my dish tastes bland, I add just a bit of my homemade masala and it transforms into something utterly fab. Honest.

India is a huge country with diverse cuisines. It is no surprise that each region has its own version of this spice mixture. My version is influenced by flavors we use in Punjabi cooking. My mother in law's garam masala has only three ingredients - black cardamom, fennel seeds, and cloves. My version has more than five ingredients but I promise, the aroma will woo you!

One of the main reasons I like making garam masala at home instead of buying the packaged version is the aroma and also the economical value - I need less than a teaspoon per dish.

Garam Masala


makes about 200gms


1/4 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup cinnamon sticks
5 tbsp whole black pepper
3 tbsp green cardamom
4 tbsp black cardamom
3 tbsp cloves
2 medium sized pieces of dried ginger
2 sticks of long peppercorn
5-6 pieces of mace
1 nutmeg
1-2 dried bay leaves

There are two methods of making garam masala. The first is to place all the ingredients in a large stainless steel plate and leave them in the sun for two days. The other is fairly quick - add all the ingredients in a large pan and dry roast them on high heat for about 4-5 minutes.

I like the first process better since there is no roasted, almost burnt flavor to the spices which you may get when roasting them.

Grind the dried or roasted spices in a spice grinder or a regular mixer grinder. Though you won't get a fine powder, make sure that no large pieces remain either.

Store in an airtight container in a dry, cool place. Stores well for 3-4 months.

Important: Use only a teaspoon or less for whatever you want to use it for. This is quite strong. 

Quick Chickpea Salad

I know - I've been missing since...well, forever. I have been cooking some good stuff but I've just been too tired to take pictures and seriously, what good is a food blog without pictures? Agreed, I take horrible pictures but a horrible one is better than no picture right?

Without spending too much time rambling, let's get on to this amazing chickpea salad. Chickpeas are good for you. Period. They decrease the risk of heart disease, help regulate blood sugar, and make you feel full so you don't crave for delicious tasting bad stuff like Nutella and ice cream, or Nutella mixed with ice cream. Umm. Forget I said that. Focus on the salad.

I suggest a sprinkling of chat masala for a wonderful flavor. You can buy one from the store or make your own. Important to note - home made spice mixtures are MUCH better than store bought ones. 

Quick Chickpea Salad

makes enough for one person

1 cup boiled chickpeas

1 small cucumber, deseeded and finely diced

1 small tomato, deseeded and finely diced

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp chat masala

Mix chickpeas, cucumber and tomatoes in a bowl. Add the seasoning and mix well. Serve cold.

You can try different combinations as far as the dressing is concerned - oregano, mint, and honey would be nice. 

Tomorrow, I will teach you how to make Garam Masala at home!