Nachos

A Mexican dish which is very popular , nachos in its most basic form, consists of tortilla chips topped with lots of melted cheese. To this basic form, you can add ingredients of your choice like black beans, roasted corn, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos and onions. No matter what ingredients you choose to add, this snack is a crowd pleaser. Here is my version of this dish.

What you need:

Tortilla chips
Black beans - 1 can
Red onion - 1 small, chopped
Corn - 1/2 cup
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Grated cheese - a generous amount

Spread the tortilla chips in a single layer on a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine the drained beans, onion, corn, cumin powder and salt. Mix well. Spread this mixture evenly over the chips. Top with grated cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese melts.
Serve with guacamole, sour cream and salsa on the side.

This is my second post for Week 2 of BM#78 under the theme Oceanic Cuisine - dishes from countries that are bordered by two or more oceans.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM# 78

Crispy corn

The temperature outside has been steadily dropping over the last few days. I am one of the few people who still go outside for a walk in the morning, but am not sure I will be able to do that for much longer, given how many layers of clothes I have to wear and how cold it still feels despite all those layers. Warm soups, adrak-wali chai (ginger tea) and crisp, deep fried snacks are what the stomach craves for every day.

Mainland China's crispy corn chilli pepper is something that I love and have ordered  every single time we've eaten there. I love how crisp yet juicy the corn is, and how beautifully it is presented in a fried fritter basket. Here's my version of this to-die for snack/starter.

What you need :
Frozen American sweet corn - 2 cups
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 small, chopped fine
Spring onion(with greens) - 2, chopped fine
Green chilli - 2, slit into half
Juice of half a lemon
Salt
Oil - 2 tsp
Oil - to deep fry

Defrost the frozen corn. Remove it on to a paper towel, cover with another paper towel on top and gently press to remove moisture.  Transfer the corn to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the rice flour evenly over it so that each corn kernel has a fine coating of flour over it. Keep this aside for at least half an hour so that any excess moisture is absorbed by the flour.
Heat oil for deep frying. Fry handfuls of corn until crisp. Drain onto a paper towel and set aside.
Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add the green chillies, onions and spring onions and saute for a few minutes. Add the fried corn to it along with salt and lemon juice. Mix well. Serve hot.
This is my second post for BM#45 under the theme healthy tea time snacks.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#45

Green gram & Corn pulav

Green gram is one of the lentils that I sprout almost every week. It is very easy to sprout and highly nutritious too. This afternoon, for lunch, I paired sprouted green gram with sweet corn to make a delicately spiced and fragrant pulav.
 
What you need:
Rice - 1 cup
Sprouted green gram/green moong - 1 cup
Corn kernels - 1 cup
Ginger - a one inch piece
Green chilli - 1 (adjust to taste)
Onion - 1, chopped fine
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Corriander/Cilantro - 2 tbsp, chopped
Butter/ghee - 1 tbsp

Grind the ginger and green chilli to a coarse paste or crush it using a pestle.
Heat butter in a pressure cooker. Add the ginger-chilli paste to it and saute for a minute on a low flame. Add the chopped onions and saute until pink.  Add the sprouted gram, corn, rice, garam masala and salt. Stir to mix well. Add 2 cups of water and cook until one whistle.
When the steam settles down, fluff with a fork and garnish with finely chopped corriander.

Enjoy!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#14

Carrot corn curry

I was all set to make Mallika Badrinath's Carrot corn masala for dinner tonight, when I found that I didn't have over half the ingredients required for the gravy. However, since I had already gotten it into my head that I was going to use corn and carrot, I proceeded with the ingredients I had on hand and slowly,a new dish took shape. As I went along, I kept adding stuff to the gravy.....almost every masala in my pantry has been thrown in. At one point, I even thought of adding the two idlis that were left over from this morning's breakfast, but then, better sense prevailed.
The result, if I may say so myself, is quite a satisfactory curry and I am making note of it here so that if at some point in future I want to, I will be able to recreate it.

What you need:
Corn kernels - 2 cups
Carrot - 2, diced
Grind together:
Corriander - finely chopped, 1 cup loosely packed
Green chilli - 2
Tomato - 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
Corriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Take carrot and corn in a microwaveable dish. Add 1/2 a cup of water. Cover and cook for 8 minutes or until done.
Grind all the ingredients under the "Grind Together" list into a smooth, thick paste adding as little water as possible.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai. Add cumin seeds. When they sputter, lower the heat and add the ground paste. Add half a cup of water, stir well and let it boil until aromatic. Add the cooked corn and carrot along with a cup of water and salt. Let it simmer on low heat until the mixture thickens.

Serve with roti/puri.

Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing BM#5 along with me  Curry in a hurry under 30 min: Aarthi, Divya, Me, Kaveri, Pavani,Seven Days of Indian Sweets:Gayathri, Priya Suresh,Seven Days of Microwave Meals: Monika,Seven Days of Regional Specials:Harini, Vaishali, Suma, PJ Seven Days of Colorful Dishes Kid's Special: KalyaniSummer Coolers: Jayasree, Kamalika, Srivalli

Corn pulao - revisiting an old recipe

Lunch today - Corn pulao and vegetable raita.
I have rediscovered just how simple this pulao is to make and how flavourful it is. This time around, I didn't even use onions......so no chopping. I've uploaded a new pic which in my opinion is a huge improvement on the previous one.

Corn pulao

What is it with schools that ask you for personal info like your monthly salary??? The application form of one of the top rated schools here asks for my husbands' and my monthly salaries, and also whether the child will reach school by car/auto/two wheeler or walk. Why does that matter? Will saying my child will walk hamper her chances of getting into that school or will they think that we are an environment friendly family??? The application process is tiring to say the least. Looking at all the children running out of their classrooms when the bell rang for their break reminded me so much of Pavlov's experiment. Is this what we hope to achieve through education??? Masses of young people trained to think alike and to obey without question??? I could go on and on, but I've already done that on my other blog.
So, let's get on with what this blog does and talk food. More specifically, let's talk about a very simple pulao that I cooked. This pulao is different from most others in that it is not heavy on spices. It uses very few ingredients and yet is satisfyingly flavourful.What you need:
Rice - 1 cup, washed and soaked in water for 10 - 15 minutes
Onion - 1 large, chopped fine
Garlic - 7 or 8 cloves
Green chilli - 3 or 4 (adjust to taste)
Corn kernels - 1.5 cups
Salt
Turmeric powder
Ghee/oil - a few tsp

Grind chillies and garlic without adding any water.
Heat oil in your pressure cooker. Add the ground paste and fry for a minute. Stir in the onions and fry until translucent. Now add all the other ingredients along with sufficient water and cook until two whistles.
Serve with raita, pickle and papad on the side.

This is my second entry to Valli's Rice Mela.