5 min Feng shui

This is a term often used by my Darling Husband (DH) and me. Before our baby, we used to really take time on organizing and decorating home. But as life got busier, we call it 5 min Feng shui. When we utter this word....it means we will both get up, find a nook or corner, give it a good 5 mins and make it an organized one. Over the years, we have realized, there's no point doing it all at once, 5 mins several times over  a weekend or a weekday can do wonders. ofcourse to reach to a organized state first would be helpful to maintain it. But if you cant then try this. This also works when someone is about to visit our place. I tackle bathroom and kitchen and DH does all heavy duty like vaccuming ;) Now this section of my blog will have all helpful tips to getting you and me organized.If I am really stressed/depressed, I try this trick which I read in amagazine. Just get up, find a drawer or a shelf and organize it. It really makes me happy at end. Afterall its the chaos that adds to stress :)

My house is super organized on days when internet is not working :)

Quick Kadhi

I have always loved home made kadhi. But the very fact that I will have to fry pakoras for it, made me never try it more than a few special days. So when I started this search for under 20 mins recipes, I knew this sure has to have my moms recipe for a quick kadhi. We lovingly call it chatti chukao (cant explain that to all of you, its too personal ;)). Lets just say that we used to feel so bad requesting our mom to make this till we realize how easy it is. It tastes delicious even though it doesn't have pakoras, it has what requires to make a delicious kadhi. So enjoy this  recipe from my mom which you can make in 10-15 mins.

Ingredients (makers for 2):

• 10 tsp yogurt
• 7-8 tbps water
• half small onion slit into long slices
• 3/4 inch ginger sliced into small pieces
• 1-2 pcs of garlic sliced into pcs
• salt- 1 tsp
• haldi- 1/4 tsp
• garam masala- 1/4 tsp
• hing- 1/4 tsp
• ghee- 2 tsp
• besan- 1 1/2 tsp
• sauf powder
• methra- crushed
• cilantro for garnishing

Procedure:

• In a pan heat ghee, once hot add ginger, garlic and onions. Then add hing and saute till onions turn brown.
• In parallel, whip  yogurt, besan and water.

•  Once onions are brown, add yogurt blend to pan. Keep stirring.
• Add haldi, garam masala, saunf, methra and slowly bring the mixture to boil.

• Now simmer for 2 mins or till gravy thickens. Make sure you dont thicken too much since once the kadhi cools it gets little bit more thicker on its own.
• Now add salt and keep stirring. Dont add salt before it or it can spoil the kadhi.

•  Once done add cilantro. Enjoy delicious quick kadhi with rice. Hope you like it the way we did.

Okra (Bhindi) Masala

I love okra in long pieces but I hate to do it the long way my grandmom used to do (by filling masala in each piece of okra). It sure tasted good but I am too lazy to do the long version. So heres a fast and easy way and still get a tasty recipe.

Ingredients:

1.   Okra (roughly 25 pieces)
2. olive oil (1 tbsp)
3. 1/2 onion (cut into long thin pieces)
4. 1/4th slit capsicum (or maybe 2 tbsp of frozen one)
5. cumin seeds (1/2 tsp)
6. salt (3/4th tsp)
7. haldi (1/4th tsp)
8. coriander powder (1/2 tsp)
9. hing(1/4th tsp)
10. Green chilli (1 split into half)
11. besan (1 tsp)

Procedure:

1.  Wash the okra and pat dry with a towel. Drying is important or else it would be very sticky.

2. Cut the okra pcs top and bottom . Then slit each pc into half.

3.  In a pan heat oil and then add cum seeds, okra and hing. saute and cover pan for 4 mins till okra  has  a little brown sides.

4. Then add onions, capsicum. cover for 5 mins on med- low flame  and keep frying.

4. Add green chilli, salt, haldi, coriander powder and keep fryin, covering the pan ocassionally to save in flavors. Keep frying till everything looks almost done.

5. Now add besan and saute for 2 mins or till it looks ready. Its done, njoy delcious bhindi masala :)

Quick green chana

Its a lazy sunday but what can be done if I am craving chane with rice. So for those kinda days, I keep a packet of frozen green chana which does not require soaking like black ones but tasts just like them. They are such good source of protein and I need all the protein I can take with a 1 yr old around. But as you all know I am not a big fan of lengthy recipes so here's a quick and under 20 mins way to cook your fav green chana with rice.

 
For Rice (makes for 2): Wash and soak 1 katori/bowl of rice in water for 10 mins and then put twice the water (2 katoris/ bowl) in a microwave friendly dish along with salt and 1 tsp pf ghee and microwave on high for 14 mins and rice would be ready.

For Gree chana (makes for 2)
Ingredients:

• Green chana frozen (roughly 3/4 katori)- washed and thawed in warm water
• onion- 1 small sized     
• green chilli-1
• ginger- small pc
• garlic- 1-2 pcs
• tomato- 1 small sized
• haldi- 1 pinch
• salt- 1 tsp
• cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• garma masala- 1/4 tsp
• chicken curry masala -3/4 tsp
• coriander powder- 1/4 tsp
• cilantro- for garnishing

Procedure:

• Make masala for gravy out of onion, tomato, green chilli, ginger, garlic. so out of my ingredients I got roughly 1 cup pf puree.
• In a pressure cooker add ghee, then add cumin seeds once ghee is hot.

•  Now add the masala for gravy in cooker and keep stirring for 3-4 mins.
• Then add haldi, coriander powder, chicken curry masla and keep stirring till gravy leaves ghee and looks like the image on right side.

  
•  Now add water (approx 2 tbsp more than thickness of gravy required. Add in salt, let it  come to a boil and close pressure cooker. Now get 8-9 whistles on high flame.

•  Open pressure cooker once all steam is out. Add in garma masala and gave a good stirr. Garnish with cilantro. Your green chana is ready njoy with rice and pickle.