Lime Tea

I chose to go with tea recipes under the beverages theme for this week's marathon as I haven't posted even a single coffee / tea recipe on my blog so far. The reluctance on my part was mainly because I am not into either of them. My husband who was a coffee fanatic shifted to tea a few years back and I have become quite good with it in terms of preparation, rotating the variations. At any given time, we have at least half a dozen tea blends along with homemade chai masala even though officially he is the only one who consumes tea in our home.

For today's version, I  used orange pekoe and pekoe cut black tea bags from Rituals. The term orange pekoe has nothing to do with the fruit but it is used in terms of grading the tea leaves. The brew would be a weak one if you follow the package directions, especially if you are used to the desi chai version. My husband usually doubles up the tea proportion and even adds a dash of milk when he uses this blend. For today's version, I went along on the lines of a nimbu chai / lemon tea recipe. I infused the brew with lemon zest to further accentuate the citrusy flavor.

Ingredients:
1 cup / 8 oz. water
1/2 tsp. lime zest (or lemon zest)
2 tea bags / 1 to 2 tsp. black tea leaves (Any black tea bags will do.)
Lime juice to taste (Start with a tsp of lime / lemon juice.)
Sweetener of your choice to taste

Method:
* Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan. 
* Add the lime zest and black tea leaves and let it boil on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. If using tea bags, place the tea bags in the boiling water and steep for about 3 to 4 minutes. Or adjust the brewing time to your taste. Turn off the stove.
* Stir in the lime juice and sweetener that is being used. taste and adjust the flavors if needed. Pass through a tea strainer and serve.

 
Check here to see what other marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marathon #61.

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S ~ Salsa Mexicana

Event: Blogging Marathon#32
Theme: Condiments

Salsa means literally "sauce" in Spanish though it has become synonymous with tomato based spicy dips from Mexico. There are various varieties of salsas popular in Latin American cuisine and people tend to make their salsas differently each time. They can be fresh or cooked, chunky or pulsed to a coarse or smooth texture. 
Salsa Mexican or the Mexican sauce is a fresh salsa made with raw tomatoes, lime juice, chili peppers, onions and cilantro leaves. It is also termed as pico de gallo or salsa fresca (fresh salsa). It doesn't store longer because of the fresh ingredients used. It can be prepared a couple of hours ahead and left at room temperature or refrigerated until serving.

Ingredients: (makes about 1.5 cups)

2 medium sized tomatoes

1 medium sized white onion

1 - 2 jalapeno or Serrano peppers

1/4 cup minced cilantro

2 - 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Salt

Method:
* Cut onions and tomatoes into 1/4 inch cubes. Finely chop chillies.
* Combine everything except salt in a medium bowl.
* Season to taste with salt.

  

Logo courtesy : Preeti

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Mango Limeade

 

The weather in our neck of woods this year has been weird. Can't believe that I had made this limeade to beat the heat a couple of weeks ago when we had to endure 80 deg F and above temperatures. Now we are back to 50's and had to turn on our heaters today. Anyway though this drink it not for days like today, this fruity limeade is a perfect foil for those hot, sultry days. A quick one to put together if you don't want to toil around the kitchen preparing the sugar solution. I used the canned sweetened mango puree and if fresh fruit is being used, just run the mango flesh along with the other ingredients in a blender.

Ingredients for 2 servings:
1/2 cup sweetened mango puree
Juice from 2 limes (about 2 Tbsp lime juice)
Sugar to taste
1.5 - 2 cups of water or adjust as needed
Crushed ice as needed

Method:
* Add everything expect ice in a pitcher and stir well. Refrigerate until serving.
* Add ice just before serving to avoid the limeade getting diluted.

This refreshing thirst quencher goes to Blogging Marathon #29, under the theme "Cooking with Colors".

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Watermelon Granita

 

This recipe just screams summer with words "watermelon' and 'granita' next to each other in the title. Granita, a semi-frozen dessert is light and refreshing. It is originally from Italy and is made from sugar, a liquid (such as fruit juice / coffee / wine) and other flavorings. The texture can range from a coarser, crystalline ones to smooth. The preparation is easier than ice cream and is refreshing especially during the hot Summer days. It is quite simple to prepare. We just pour the prepared liquid into a shallow baking dish, occasionally scrape it with a fork / spoon until a granular consistency is attained. And the "melts on tongue kind" granita is ready to enjoy.
There were plenty of recipes over the internet to prepare granita and going through a few, I roughly got the idea.

Method:
3 cups watermelon cubes
Juice squeezed from 1/2 lime / 1 Tbsp lime juice
1 - 2 Tbsp sugar

Method:
* Using a seedless watermelon to prepare granita would be a smarter idea. Even though it would have few tiny seeds they will be gone after blending. Prepare the melon and cut it into cubes.

* Blend melon cubes, sugar and lime juice together. Filter if any seeds are present. Pour the juice into a shallow baking dish and place it in the freezer. Leave it at least for 2 - 3 hours.

*

* It would have started to solidify, especially around the edges. Scrape it with a fork or spoon. It would be less frozen around the middle section.

* Again cover and freeze it for a couple of hours or more. Repeat this process of freezing and scraping until all is scrapped. I skipped these intermediate steps. I froze it and scraped later. During hot climates, I guess it almost turns into slush by the time the scrapping is done.

 * Light and refreshing granita is ready to enjoy.

 

Check what other marathoners are cooking during this month long marathon.

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Ghatiya

When I saw ghatiya among the list of traditional recipes that Srivalli provided us to pick from, I was wondering how it was different than the regular sev. Both are prepared using besan flour and I was wondering whether it was a Gujarati name for the basic sev or the besan chakli. I made sure to hop on some blogs with authentic Gujarati recipes to find out. I realised in the process that ghatiya includes savory spices & lime juice, making it taste entirely different than the sev or the besan chakli.
I tried a small quantity yesterday and it was a hit. Even my daughter who doesn't peek in the kitchen when something is being cooked, came smelling and tried them. She liked it so much that she was praising the ghatiya even today before she left for school :)

Ingredients: (Makes about 4 cups)
2 cups chickpea flour / besan
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 tsp (or adjust as needed) ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp ground carom seeds / ajwain (I did not use it as no one at my home prefers it.)
2 Tbsp hot oil
Oil for deep frying

Method:
* In a mixing bowl, combine everything except the oil used for deep frying. Add water little by little and form a soft dough. The dough should be softer than roti dough but not runny.
* Heat oil in a deep frying pan or a kadai.
* Fill a chakli press with the dough and press over hot oil in concentric circles. Fry on low flame, flipping in between with a slotted spoon until golden brown on both sides. If rushed, the chaklis don't fry properly and won't be crisp.
* Once done, remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent towels. Repeat the steps with the remaining dough.
* Once cool, break the fried chakli into small pieces and store them in an airtight container.

Check what other marathoners are cooking, here.

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Capsicum - Lime Rice

Rice always takes the central stage in a traditional, South Indian kitchen. Especially on a festive day, an elaborate and delicious rice dish is a must in most of the homes there. When there are ten other things to savor on a festive day and thousand other things to wreck our brains, I feel a simple rice dish would be sensible enough to suffice the need.
Even simple lemon rice becomes special if only prepared on certain occasions and not every time you have that leftover rice. My mother followed the same principle and so for us to this day, lemon rice is something to celebrate. To make it more special, I had borrowed the idea from Karnataka cuisine - the addition of capsicum to the classic Nimbe hannina chitranna (Lemon / Lime rice) and present this capsicum - lime rice today.

Ingredients for 6 - 8 servings:
2 cups rice, preferably sona masuri
1 cup capsicum - Deseeded and chopped finely
6 - 7 tbsp lime / lemon juice or to taste
Salt to taste
2 red chillies, broken into bits + 6 finely chopped green chillies
For tadka: 4 - 6 Tbsp oil, a handful of peanuts, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 Tbsp chana dal, 1 Tbsp urad dal, few curry leaves, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, a pinch of asafoetida powder (optional)

Method:
* Wash the rice and drain. Add 4 cups of water and cook in a pressure cooker.
* Heat the oil in a kadai or a deep-bottomed pan and add all the tadka ingredients (except the turmeric and asafoetida) in the order mentioned. When they start to splutter and the dals turn reddish, add the chillies and fry for a few seconds. Then add the capsicum, turmeric and asafoetida. Cover and cook on low flame. It would take around 5 minutes for the capsicum to cook. Turn off the stove.
* Now add the cooked rice, salt and limejuice to the pan and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt & limejuice levels if needed.  Remember that the salt & sourness levels decrease after the resting period during which the rice would have absorbed the flavors. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. 
* Serve with papad.


                            Capsicum - Lime Rice with papad

This goes to
Priya's Complete my thali - Rice, an event by Jagruthi.
Preeti's Only Festive Food, an event started by Pari.

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Lime Sevai and Some Laughter

Lime sevai is a quick and light dish fit for any meal of the day. The following ingredients serve about 3 -4 people.

 

Ingredients required :
Rice Vermicelli / Sevai - about 5 OZ / 150 gms
Juice from 2 small limes (lemon juice can be substituted)
For tadka -
2 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp peanuts, 1 tsp chanadal & mustard seeds each, few curry leaves, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 5 Red chillies broken into little bits (green chillies can be substituted but the quantity depends upon the heat preferred)
1 tsp salt
About a Tbsp of finely chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

The cooking part:
Heat about a quart / 4 cups of water in a sauce pan. (Water quantity should be more than required to cook the sevai). Break the sevai into bits. Or skip this step and do it after it is cooked. When the water starts to boil, add the sevai and cook it till it is done. (It took me about three minutes to cook the above mentioned quantity). It is very easy to overcook the sevai and ruin the dish. Paying close attention while cooking sevai is recommended. Immediately drain the sevai (or the sevai keeps cooking) and keep aside. Now heat oil in a pan and add the peanuts, chanadal and mustard seeds. When the peanuts and chanadal turn reddish, add red chillies, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Stir once and turn off the stove. Then add the drained sevai, salt and cilantro. Mix well. (If not done initially, the long strands of sevai can be broken with a spatula while stirring). Serve hot.

And now for the laughter part - recently M's nephew forwarded this mail -'Murder of English'. Some of these are hilarious and I thought of sharing them. If you haven't heard them before, enjoy. Since English is not the primary language spoken at homes across India and people come from different backgrounds, such funny incidents do happen. BTW, the following incidents are said to be true ones. Once again, this is just for fun and not to judge / ridicule anyone.

Some leave applications:
1. 'Since I have to go to my village to sell my land along with my wife, please sanction me one -week leave'.
2. 'As my mother-in-law has expired and I am only one responsible for it, please grant me 10 days leave'.
3. Leave letter from an employee who was performing the 'mundan' ceremony of his 10 year old son - 'As I want to shave my son's head, please leave me for two days'.
4. Leave letter from an employee who was performing his daughter's wedding - 'As I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week's leave'.
5. Another employee applying for half day leave - 'Since I 've to go to the cremation ground at 10'o clock and I may not return, please grant me half day casual leave'.
6. 'I am suffering from fever, please declare one day holiday'.
7. 'My wife is suffering from sickness and as I am her only husband at home, I may be granted leave'.

Leave letters to the head master:
8. 'As I am studying in this school, I am suffering from headache. I request you to leave me today'.
9. 'As my head ache is paining, please grant me leave for the day'.

Covering notes:
10. 'I am enclosed herewith...'
11. 'Dear sir,: with reference to the above, please refer to my below.'

Letter writing:
12. 'I am well here and hope you are also in the same well'.

A candidate's job application:
'13. This has reference to your advertisement calling for a 'Typist and an Accountant - Male or Female".. As I am both (!!) for the past several years and I can handle both with good experience, I am applying for the post. :) :) :)

I thought 13th one was the best.

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