Grilled Carrots with Rosemary

I like carrots, they are sweet but tastes great in a savory dish. They are crunchy, look so pretty n' is packed with healthy nutrients especially Vitamin A, K n' C. (I learnt all that from the Active Foods workshop I recently attended). So anyways, Rj doesn't like it when I cook carrots, (for that matter most veggies) so I clean them n' give them in his salad n' he enjoys that. So I bought some extra yesterday. But I forgot to give him any last night n today he has some office thing so didn't need lunch n' won't be back before late in the night.

So I was looking at an option to make a juice. But then I came across this recipe for grilled carrots n' I just fell in love. I have been hoarding posts for later. But with this one I just couldn't wait to publish it. I totally love this recipe n' the kitchen smelt so good after grilling them with rosemary. You just have to try this. Our awesome friend, Jeffrey, who was with us in Bahrain, had given me this grill pan (I had even used this in my Hara Bhara Paneer Tikka recipe too) and its just so useful. He wanted me to show off this pan here n' I thought this recipe is perfect for it. lol.... I love it n have used it to make this. The recipe is adapted from here. So here you go.












Ingredients:

1. Carrots: 3nos
2. Butter: 2-3 tspn (room temperature) (yeah I was a little generous, I used salted Amul Butter)
3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2tsp
4. Balsamic Vinegar: 1 tbsp
5. Rosemary: 1 tsp (chopped) fresh
6. Salt: if required
7. Fresh Black Pepper: as per taste (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Heat grill pan to high flame.

Step 2: Whisk together butter, olive oil, vinegar, and rosemary.

Step 3: I left the whole carrots in the marinade for couple of mins and then arranged them on the grill and brushed them lightly with the marinade occasionally. (all this should be once you have changed the flame to low. (keep them in the warm area first before shifting them to the hot area on the grill.)

Step 4: Grill for approximately 20 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent extreme charring.
When carrots are softer, but still slightly firm, remove from heat.

Step 5: Add to a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining marinade. I had to add a little more salt n' some freshly ground black pepper to give it an extra kick (but that is totally optional). I even grilled 2 red chilies along with this in the last 5mins n' ate it along with this. Try it try it...its good...Happy Cooking!!!

Mango Fool

A try at 'Mango Fool'...that didn't fool me at all. ;)...I had to start with that sad joke. But really, the name Mango Fool has fascinated me since a while. Rj n me...we are both huge fans of Mangoes. Ok, he is a huge fan of ripe mangoes n' I on the other hand, love mangoes in any form. I look forward to summers in India, just for the abundant supply of Mangoes everywhere(i ain't exaggerating!).






I have 3 mango posts with me n' I told myself, for the love of Mangoes, I better stop being lazy and do the Mango blog posts soon. So here you go, Mango Fool is my first post.





Ingredients:

1. Mango puree (Fresh n Raw) : 1cup *
2. Yogurt - 2 cups (preferably thick or thickened)
3. Sugar : 3-4tbsp
4. Mint leaves - few
5. Lemon juice: 1tbsp
6. Salt: to taste

* I used some mangoes which were between the stages of raw n' ripe. I used really sour mangoes, so had to adjust the ingredients a little in the end. So please taste as you go n' make adjustments while making the drink depending on the mangoes you use.

Method:

Step 1: For the Mango Puree. Peel and slice the Mangoes. Boil them in a little warm water till soft. Pass through a sieve and allow it to cool. (while slicing the flesh off the stone, don’t go too close to the stone, as this part is very fibrous and won't be nice in this drink.)

Step 2: Beat the yogurt till smooth. Add sugar and salt to this. Crush some mint leaves n' add it to the yogurt.

Step 3: Add the lemon juice to the Mango puree and mix well.

Step 4: Mix the mango puree and yogurt to get a thick mixture. Chill it before serving. Garnish it with a few mint leaves and its ready.

Reduce the amount of sugar and add more salt, if you love sourness in drinks as much as I do. This is perfect for a hot day. :)

Shahi Falooda or The Royal Falooda

Falooda is said to be an adaptation of the Persian dessert 'Faloodeh' and was brought to the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal period. It is a very popular cold dessert or beverage in India now. My mom used to make this for us every summer. Open the refrigerator and there will be this tall glass jar filled with pink milk n' I used to fall in love with it. I could never get enough of it. The best part of it was just not the color but the sabza seeds (basil seeds), I mean I had never seen anything like it before. When dry its all black n' dry n' the moment you pour some water over it, it just transforms. Not many children or adults even had heard about sabza seeds back when me n my sister were in school n' it became a popular drink with our friends n' cousins who would visit home.


This time when my nieces came over for vacation, I kept some ready for them along with the Mango Ice Lollies n' needless to say they loved it. Rj didn't get more than a sip or two n' its one of his favourite summer drinks too. So once my chechi (sister) n' the kids left, I had to make it again just for amma n' Rj. That's when I asked amma for the first time, how she used to add the sabza seeds back then. My mom is a home science major n' have always liked cooking. She says the popular Indian magazine, FEMINA was a galore of awesome recipes n' tips in the 70's n 80's. I think, maybe even the early 90's, but now, sadly, its mostly pages n' pages of articles on make up n' gossip....(which I have no use of). So for the first time, my mom had Falooda at a northindian restaurant in Kottayam Main Bus Stand (her older brother (my uncle Thuppan) had taken her there before heading home from college one day). This was when she was 15-16yrs old, and the drink had Sabza seeds in it.


Years later, after she got married, she found this recipe for Falooda in a Femina. She found the sabza seeds in a traditional ayurvedic herb shop in Kottayam Chandha/Market. That's how this was a popular drink at a small Keralite, South Indian household in the 80's. (the recipe itself is going to occupy only half the space my ranting has taken up...lol) So here you go...



Ingredients:

1. Milk: 1 Ltr
2. Sugar: 1 cup
3. Cornflour- 2tsp
4. Rose Essence- 1tsp
5. Red Color- 1pinch or a little more (feel free to decide how dark or light you want it)
6. Sabza/ Basil Seeds: adequate
7. Vermicelli: 4tsp (optional)
8. Long grain Rice (pan fried n' coarsely ground): 2tsp (optional)
9. Jelly: 4tsp (chopped) (optional)
10. Ice cream of your choice: 3-4scoops

Method:

Step 1: Cook the vermicelli in boiling water. Strain and keep aside to cool. Then chill in refrigerator till needed.

Step 2: Add water to Sabza Seeds n' keep it aside. They will soon start to swell and look transparent with a small dot-like, black center. Strain and keep it aside in a small bowl.

Step 3: Keep aside 1/4cup of milk. Add sugar to the rest of the milk and boil it. Add the milk kept aside to cornflour and mix it well to dissolve it completely. Once the milk and the sugar mixture boils, add the cornflour mixture to it along with the fried ground rice. Stir the milk to thicken the milk. Keep it aside to cool completely.

Step 4: Add the rose essence and color to the milk. Chill in refrigerator till needed.

Step 5: To assemble the Falooda, in each glass, put a tsp of jelly, vermicelli, pre-soaked Sabza seeds. Now the falooda over them. Add a scoop of ice cream to this.

Garnish it with some slivered almonds and pistachios, if desired (i didn't do so). Add a straw and long-handled spoon and serve! Happy Cooking!!!

Mango Ice Lollies- Summer Delight on a Stick

I got the moulds for ice sticks recently thinking I will make something for my nieces when they come for a visit next month....I washed the mould n' left it to dry n' RJ walks in at the end of the day sees them in the kitchen n' he is immediately like..."oh wow, you are gonna make me some ice sticks?"...honestly I just loved the idea...I mean I used to eat them by the dozens when we were kids....I can remember the days when I would stick out my tongue to check the color after having grapes, orange, mango ice sticks (we used to call them ice lollies). I have already done couple of batches so far n' we love them. They are just perfect for the hot summer n' so easy...:)


Ingredients:
Makes about 4 ice lollies

1. Ripe Mangoes: 3nos (Medium Sized)
2. Sugar: as per taste (check to see if needed)

Method:
1. Peel and de-stone the mango.
2. Chop them into small pieces.
3. Blend the mangoes and sugar together.
4. Fill the ice lolly moulds with the puree and freeze. (add a little water only if the puree is too thick)

Kids would just love this homemade treat....why kids? like us, you might enjoy them too...:)


I'm sending this post to 'Healing Food- Mango' event hosted by Reva of Kaarasaaram this month, also linking Siri of Cooking with Siri .



Also, sending this post to the event 'Kids Delight' hosted this month by Mina of Authentic Vegetarian Recipes, this event was initiated by Srivalli of Spice your Life.