sweet corn in green masala ... a useful multipurpose paste..

I wasn't home for about two weeks and the husband had to defrost food every night for dinner , i made a lot of things and froze them and it was very very convenient for him . For breakfast , the usual boiled eggs and sprouts and milk he could manage by his own , but the real challenge was to arrange for the evening tea time snack as he really feels hungry at returning home .

I made this green masala paste and kept it in the fridge so that he can rustle up a filling snack within 5 minutes .........these pics were the result of a demonstration , how it has to be mixed and stirfried or microwaved ........shelled sweet corns and sweet corn on the cob was separately stored in the fridge for his convenience .....can you imagine i has to tell on phone which side the corn is stored and where the green paste is ........ :) :)

ingredients for the green paste...
( enough to make 10 - 12 servings of  green masala corn )

green coriander leaves chopped roughly 2 cups
fresh mint leaves 1 cup
cumin seeds 1 tbsp
black pepper corns 1 tsp
garlic cloves 6 ( indian ones)
green chillies 10 -12 ( as per taste )
lemon juice 1 tbsp
salt to taste

Whiz everything in wet grinder jar of your mixie and keep in airtight container in the fridge for future use , or use immediately ........keeps well in the fridge for two weeks.

to proceed.....

Mix 1 tbsp of the green paste with 1 cup of shelled corn kernels and microwave for 2 minutes on high .

Alternatively heat 1 tsp of butter in a pan and stir fry the mixture for 2-3 minutes , you see some of the corn kernels blistered and that's it ....... it gives a different taste when stirfried and you can choose as per your choice.......we love both ways.

Ah yes there is one more way to make it if you have sweet corn on the cob , just snap the cob into two pieces ( gets easy to place in the pan or in a microwavable bowl) , smear the green paste all over generously and microwave covered for 4-5 minutes.......or stir fry in a shallow pan with some butter and be merry.........

It's healthy anyway stirfried or microwaved , a filling snack or even a side dish as it's so yummy lip smacking chatpata ( hot n savory ) dish.....with strong flavors of cumin , heat from green chillies and black pepper the chutny like green masala complements well the sweetness of the corn .....no wonder i didn't find any leftover corn in the fridge when i returned .....though some green masala was there to make my cooking easier after the journey.......

Did i tell you that the husband rustled up this green snack for himself fine , but he never made tea for himself...... and no he wasn't lazy i think ..it's just that both of us enjoy our tea in company..........not alone  ...so this tea time snack , as it was meant to be was just a filling evening snack for a while....:) :)

I made a green arbi with the paste , i make green potatoes with it too and both of these veggies make great side dishes with this green paste..........just sliced up arbi ( colocasia roots) stir fried with this paste using minimal mustard oil...............

I keep a few pastes handy for day to day cooking too , this paste is made whenever i find fresh ingredients , any veggies can be stir fried with this paste within a matter of minutes , paneer and fried tofu taste very good with this ...... you can always go with your own instincts to make good use of it ....

I just take care not to consume any raw chutny  made with store bought coriander leaves in the rainy season , it's sensible not to do so in our country ..... if you grow your own herbs , it's great for so many more reasons....

Enjoy........

i am back with a peach salad and more.....

It has been a long long break from blogs for me , but it was unplanned and i missed being here , moreover i feel very very apologetic for not responding timely to some of the queries , i understand when i make a commitment with my readers through this blog , i need to be in constant touch with you all ........... i know i will be forgiven and i don't take all your love for granted ....

My blogs have given me lots of smiles , lots of blessings and a few good friends to top it all ......... my love and respect for all of you is not going to change ever ......even if my postings are less frequent.....it's all my loss ....i missed so many great things ..............and am trying to catch up.

As you know this blog is for simple day to day food which is affordable to all , and essentially healthy.............this time it is a favorite fruit salad of mine ..

I make this salad whenever i have more peaches than i can eat fresh for my between the meals snacking ......i love peaches and often end up buying huge quantities .............many of them end up getting wrinkled and soft after a few days in the fruit basket........

The leftover peaches give me a sorry look with their wrinkled skin ..... but i know they are as flavorful as the fresh ones , just a bit softened sometimes, this salad is a perfect way to consume large amount of this fruit in a yummy way........and to remind you , not so fresh peaches make a good salad :)

As i like my fruit salads without a creamy dressing , you may find this more like a fruit chaat , for me it's not a fruit chaat as it does not have the quintessential chaat masala , moreover a chaat should have at least 3-4 fruits to qualify to be a fruit chaat .... my mouth is salivating at the mention of fruit chaat n now i come to this salad before i get distracted....:)

ingredients .....

fully ripe ( and not so fresh ) peaches 4 nos.
sugar 1-2 tsp depending on how sweet are the peaches
black rock salt 1/4 tsp
mint powder 1 tsp ( or fresh mint paste )
black pepper powder 1/4 tsp
few springs of mint for garnishing ( optional )

procedure....

Chop the peaches in small chunks discarding the stone .

Sprinkle sugar and salt over them , toss and keep covered for 5 minutes or so.....till sugar crystals dissolve and some juices from the fruit oozes out .

Sprinkle the mint powder or add mint paste if using , toss well and serve with or without garnish .

It keeps well into the fridge for a couple of hours and can be made in advance for a planned meal .

I love the flavors and can have it as a meal by itself , pomegranate seeds make a great addition but i do that only occasionally ..........this being a day to day salad easy to chop and assemble........sugar , back rock salt n powdered mint mixed with the juices of the fruit make such a yummy syrupy coating to the fruit chunks.......there is always some syrupy juice in the bottom of the bowl.........you'd end up licking the bowl i bet.........

I have something more to share....

I made some ragi crackers and apple chips today ............healthy , nutritious and great snacks for the health conscious people  .....tell me how would you like to have them with your tea or as a mid morning snack ....

Many more exciting recipes are waiting to come to this space and i promise to come with home made tofu as i had promised in my last post.......it has been a busy time for me and i had to juggle with many things .....all good things of course ............ i cooked a lot , enjoyed a lot and got exhausted ..........

Thank God i have my blogs to refresh me and to rejuvenate me......to pamper me and to make me happy........someone in Bangalore says appy .........

Wishing happiness to you all........