Stuffed Capsicums with Tomato Gravy

Whenever you think of cooking something stuffed, one of the first things that comes to your mind is Stuffed Capsicums, also called Bell Peppers or Shimla Mirch. So naturally, that was what came to my mind too. I had eaten this dish at a friend's place years ago (I don't even remember how it tasted anymore!) and since then I had thought of making my own variation someday. Capsicums are not only colorful and pretty to look at, they are also rich in Vitamins A and C, are low in fats, and are a significant source of iron, zinc and thiamine! And what better way to enjoy these delicious peppers than in the form of Stuffed Capsicum Baskets with Sauce!! Here's my recipe for Indian style Stuffed capsicums. The smell and taste is sure to sweep you off your feet!!

Ingredients

For the Stuffing
4 medium-sized red or green capsicums
4 medium-sized potatoes
1 large onion
1 cup shredded or grated cheese
1 cup boiled peas
2 tbsp bread crumbs(optional, good for binding)
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (optional)
2 tbsp salt (or add to tatse)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp each of garam masala, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and dhana-jeeru powder
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

For the Sauce
6-8 large tomatoes- chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded coconut
4-5 garlic cloves
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp each of mustard and cumin seeds
1 cup water

Method
For the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a small pan, add the mustard and cumin seeds and allow to splutter. Now add the onions and fry then till they turn golden brown. Add all the remaining ingredients and saute for 2-3 mins. Allow this mixture to cool and then blend well with the water in a grinder to make into a smooth paste or sauce.

Take the capsicums, remove their tops and clean the inside to remove seeds and the white edges. You can use the entire capsicum bowl for the stuffing, or cut it lengthwise to make 2 containers out of each capsicum. This might be easier if you are going for individual servings.

Boil the potatoes and peas and mash them together with the bread crumbs. Now combine all the remaining ingredients for the stuffing except cheese and onions. Take a little oil in a pan, saute the onions and then add them to the filling mixture. Add a tsp of sauce to each capsicum shell, then add the filling, layer agian with sauce and finally add the cheese on the top. be liberal with the sauce as lack of it could make your capsicum very dry.

Arrange the stuffed capsicum shells in a baking tray. Now apply a layer of oil to the outside of each capsicum with a brush or your finger and bake in an oven at 250 degrees for 15-20 mins, or until they are cooked and start giving out an aroma.

Remove from oven, the slowly transfer the Stuffed Capsicums to a serving dish, garnish with chopped coriander and pour the remaining tomato gravy all over and around it. Serve hot with Parathas or Rice!!

Fruit and Cheese Appetizer Skewers

When you want a lavish party with appetizers, main course and desserts, yet you want to keep it as simple as possible, fruits and cheese are the best combinations for an appetizer. My husband made these for me once, and since then these simple Fruit and Cheese Sticks have become my favourites! With all the goodness of fruits, lots of anti-oxidants, vitamins, fiber and water content, as well as the proteins coming from the cheese , they are a perfect snack anytime of the day. Believe me, these tiny delights are so good you wouldn't be able to stop at one:)

Ingredients
1 pkt Monterey-Jack Cheese-cut into small cubes (you can choose any other cheese too)
seedless red/green grapes
small strawberries - cut into halves
kiwis (optional) - cut into small pieces
fresh pineapples - cut into cubes the size of the cheese cubes
Toothpicks or small wooden skewers

For Dipping Sauce
1 small pkt of JELL-O Vanilla Pudding
1 pkt flavored low-fat yogurt (strawberry or peach)

Method
Arrange 2 pieces of cheese cubes, grapes and strawberries on each toothpick.
Make the jello pudding as directed on the packet. Serve these beautiful and tasty fruit and cheese kababs with the flavored yoghurt and pudding as dipping sauces. This makes a great appetizer or a side dish with salads.

Tip: If you are not keen on the sweet dipping sauces, you can combine lemon juice, sugar, and some chaat masala and drizzle it on the fruits only (not cheese) before arranging the sticks and serve it as a sweet and sour treat!

Spinach and Dal Curry

Out of all the green leafy vegetables, spinach is my favourite!! Besides the fact that it is rich in vitamins and nutrients, great for your eyes and rich in flavour, I just love it for its fabulous green color!! And the sight of running water over a bowl of spinach is really soothing to me(No, I'm not cracked up!!) When we bring spinach at home, most of the times it goes into being Palak Paneer, but whenever in need of a change, I combine Spinach with Moong Dal (split-pea yellow dal) to make this delicious curry which goes well with Parathas and Rice!

Ingredients
3 cups spinach leaves - washed and pressure cooked
2 cups mung dal - soaked in water for an hour
1/2 cup onions - finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 tsp turmeric powder, red chilli powder, dhana-jeeru powder, garam masala powder
1 tsp mustard and cumin seeds
3 cups water (you can use the water in which spinach was boiled)
1/2 cup chopped coriander
2-3 tbsp oil
salt to taste
2 tbsp shredded cheese(optional)

Method
Cook the spinach leaves and keep aside. Now take a sauce pan, add oil, cumin and mustard seeds and bay leaves and when they start spluttering, add the onions and saute them till golden brown. Add all the dry masala powders and mix well. Then add the tomato puree and the soaked mung dal. Add salt and sugar to your taste and let it cook covered till the dal becomes soft. Alternately, you can pressure cook the dal and keep if that is more convenient.
When the dal is soft and well-cooked, add the boiled spinach and the water. Add lemon juice if needed and cook covered for another 8-10 mins. Remove from pan and garnish with chopped coriander or (shredded cheese). Serve hot with parathas or rice!

Tip: You can substitute chana dal or tuvar dal for the moong, but trust me, it turns out great with the mung dal!!

Veg Grilled Waffle Sandwich

Sandwiches have been famous since ages, and they will never lose their charm! Veg Grilled Sandwiches are best when you are short on time, are not too inclined to cook an elaborate meal, or are just in need of a change. My family and friends love these grilled sandwiches and I hope you would like them too. They are an ideal snack any time of the day and can turn out to be a great contribution to a pot-luck party!!

Ingredients
8 slices of your choice of Bread (I used whole wheat)
4 potatoes - boiled and mashed
2 cups peas - boiled and mashed
1 cup onions - chopped finely
1 large tomato - chopped finely
1/2 cup coriander - chopped finely
3 green chillies - finely chopped
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt- to taste
2 tsp each of garam masala powder, turmeric powder
1 cup shredded cheese (Amul or any other is fine)
2 tbsp oil

Additional items
Sandwich or waffle maker
Tomato ketchup
Salted Butter or spread
Green Chutney

Method
Take a pan and add 2 tbsp oil in it. Saute the chopped onions, add the green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and cook till onions are well-done. Next add the tomatoes and the garam masala and turmeric powder. Remove from flame and let it cool. Then add this to a large bowl and mix it well with the mashed potatoes and peas. Add salt, lemon juice and chopped coriander and mix together for the filling.

Take 2 slices of bread, apply butter and tomato ketchup on one side, and green chutney on the other. Fill the mixture between them. Sprinkle cheese on top of the filling and cover with the other slice. Toss into your sandwich maker or grill them in the oven at 250 degrees for 7-8 mins. If you don't have either of these, take a pan and grill the sandwiches by applying butter on both sides on a regular medium-flame stove.

To make this a more fun project for the kids, use a standard waffle-maker and use that to grill your sandwiches. In fact, you can use standard pancake mix and make regular waffles and put the stuffing between them and grill! That makes for a nice little variation called waffle-sandwich. Allow to cool a little, then cut each sandwich into 2 triangles. Serve with ketchup or chutney!!

These vegetarian grilled sandwiches are ideal for a quick snack, your kid's lunch box or for a picnic with friends. Easy and simple, that's how we like cooking to be sometimes, right??

Thai Fried Banana with Ice Cream

No one who has ever visited a Thai restaurant would have come out without tasting the delicious Thai Fried Banana and ice cream dessert!! It was a unique experience for me when I first tasted it. It was so simple to comprehend, yet unique in its own way. Right from that day, I knew I would have to try this some day and when I came across this recipe at abc.net which uses spring roll wrappers to make this delicacy, I tried to modify it by using all-purpose flour as I already had it in my home. The end result was beautiful, as expected and I absolutely recommend this quick and easy banana dessert that even your kids will enjoy!!

Ingredients
6-8 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 egg - beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 pinch of salt
4 medium bananas (the firmer, the better)
oil (for frying)

Method
Mix together the flour, sugar, egg, milk and salt to make a smooth, paste-like batter. Do not add all the milk initially. Keep adding a little at a time and stir continuously so that no lumps are formed and the batter retains a thick coatable consistency. It should not be too liquid. Leave to rest for 40-45 mins.
Now peel the bananas and slice each one in half lengthwise, then across into 4 pieces for each. If your bananas are smaller and thinner, you can just cut them into halves.Dip the banana pieces into the batter and shallow fry in hot oil for a few minutes or until golden brown.

Drain quickly on a paper towel, and serve warm! These go best with coconut or vanilla ice cream, castor sugar, maple syrup or whip cream! Drizzle some chocolate syrup on the top and add a bright red cherry to complete the presentation.

This tasty and delicious treat is on it's way to Mandira's Ahaar to dazzle this month's JFI:Banana Event!:)

Tamba Indian Restaurant and Lounge- Las Vegas NV

The last time we went to Las Vegas, which was about 3 years ago, we could not find a single Indian restaurant anywhere near the strip!! Not that I need Indian food everyday, but after 3 lunches and dinners, I was craving for some "desi" food and the only thing I found were the frozen dinners in a faraway Indian grocery store:( So this time when we made the trip to Las Vegas again with our parents, it was a pleasant surprise to find not one, but three restaurants right on the strip!! And now I'm going to share with you my experience about the best place to enjoy Indian Food in Las Vegas - it's at Tamba Indian Cuisine, the "Soul Of India in the heart of Las Vegas", as their tag line says!!

We went here for dinner on a Friday night, and since this is undoubtedly the most coveted restaurant by Indians and non-indians, make sure you take time to reserve a table in advance. The atmosphere as you enter the place is hip, stylish and vibrant, with the walls decorated with traditional Indian paintings and bring orange lamp shades creating a soothing hue over your tables along with the flickering candles.The star attraction though is the Tamba Lounge, a beautiful and relaxing place that features plus seating and dining surrounded by colorful and comfortable cusions, a striking Buddha painting on one wall and the same chic fiery color scheme on the rest of the walls. This sure is a place that will fill your senses with the "sights, sounds and aromas of India".

If you can get over the aura of the place and get seated, a courteous waiter would provide you with a binded menu that is fancy enough to go as wedding invitation. This holds a plethora of culinary delights ranging from soups, appetizers, tandoor entrees, curries (vegetarian and non-vegetarian), breads, side orders, desserts and drinks. We tried the Malai Koftas and Shahi Paneer with Naans and the Veg Biryani at the end. The food is not very spicy (though they could make it for you if you requested it), the curries were very tasty, the tandoori items were well-cooked and delicious, and the Biryani was definitely applaudable!! Very few indian restaurants have impressed me with their biryani, and Tamba is surely one of them. The chicken tikka masala is also a worthy choice.

They also have an extensive drink menu, and though my husband did not enjoy his Lychee Martini as it had no flavour in it, all the other drinks we ordered were upto the mark. The desserts were upto the standards too. And for all the extravagance, Tamba did not prove to be an over-priced restaurant at all. Everything was reasonable and we left the restaurant with our hunger and senses highly satiated! Visit Tamba Lounge for more information.

So the next time you are in Vegas, be sure to check out this place. They also cater for events and the lounge sure looked like a perfect place to have your meetings or events, aka "Las Vegas style!!" Do come back to share your experiences with the rest of the audience at Fun and Food.

Address
3743 S Las Vegas Blvd (on the strip)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(866) 666-0422
The Menu

Moong-Dal (Yellow Split Mung Dal) Parathas

Lentils, legumes and green leafy vegetables are the best source of proteins in a vegetarian diet, and these Moong Dal Parathas are my recent favorites to relish the goodness of legumes, plus make good use of my leftover Dal! Parathas(flat breads) are an interesting part of Indian cooking because they come in a wide variety, are nutritious, tasty and can be eaten with curries, raita, pickles, chutneys or even a sweet dessert!! And in case you are wondering from where to bring the lefover dal, don't sweat, for I've included the recipe below for making dal parathas from scratch. You don't need to have any leftover dal, but if you do, these parathas are a perfect way to make good use of it!!

Ingredients
5 cups plain wheat flour
3 cups moong dal - soaked for an hour (this is a small yellow-colored split dal, not the green whole mung)
1/2 onion -finely chopped
1/2 capsicum - finely chopped
1 tomato - finely chopped
3 green chillies - finely chopped
2 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp each of cumin seeds, turmeric powder, red chilly powder,garam masala
salt and lemon juice - to taste
3 tbsp - chopped coriander
water - to knead the flour
oil/butter to cook parathas

Method
Pressure cook the moong dal with 4 cups water so that it is entirely mashed. Now take a pan and add some ghee to it. Add the cumin seeds and green chillies, and when the seeds start spluttering, add the onions and capsicums and saute them till well-cooked.Next add the tomatoes and all the spices. Add the salt and lemon juice according to your taste and cook for 5-7 mins. Add the cooked dal and mash it well. Add one cup of water, mix everything together and once it boils a little, remove from flame and keep aside.

Now take the wheat flour, add 2 tbsp salt to it, then add the dal mixture and use hot water to knead into a pliable dough (just like any other parathas)
Cover the dough with a lid or damp cloth and leave like this for 8-10 mins. Then separate the dough into small portions and roll each on a flat surface using a rolling-pin into a round-shaped paratha. Use less force while rolling and keep turning the paratha in a circular way while applying even pressure on the edges.

Take a pan and cook the paratha with oil or butter on medium heat. Flip around to cook on both sides till well-done. Do not let it get burnt:)

Enjoy this healthy and filling mung-dal parathas with a curry of your choice! Suggestions?? How about Chatpate Chhole or Akbari Paneer??