JHATPAT CHATPAT- FOR QUICK, EASY AND TASTY RECIPES: May 2008

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Avocado Sauce

Avocado is the English name for what is commonly called butterfruit owing to its taste resembling that of butter. While the usual practise of eating this 'very nutritious' fruit is to scoop out the soft fleshy part (when ripened), mash it and mix it with sugar, here is another recipe which has Hispanic origin(also called Guacamole sauce). While the Mexicans use it in their cuisines as a sauce along with other ingredients, i prepare it as a dressing(similar to ranch or thousand island etc etc) for regular garden salads to make it more intertesting and less boring in taste. A must try for those who are on a weight losing spree.

Serves about 2-3 people.

Ingredients Used:
2 ripened medium sized avocados
4-5 tsp yogurt
1/6th of a medium sized onion
1/4 of a garlic clove
1/2 a tomato
Salt and lemon to taste

Method of Preparation:
Choose avocados which are really soft and have darkened skin(blackish brown). If they are hard and green in colour, keep them for a day or two until they ripen. Then, peel and deseed them. Mash the pulp finely with either a wide based spoon or a mixer. To this, add yogurt, lemon, very finely chopped onion, tomato, grated garlic and salt(Mexicans use what is called garlic salt as a substitute). Enjoy with plain salad containing carrots, lettuce, cabbage etc.
Note:Make sure that the amount of garlic and onion used is just right, for, otherwise, it would make the sauce very pungent and repulsive. .

Labels: Avocado, butterfruit, Chatpat, Chatpat. quick, dressing, dry salad, Easy, garlic sauce, Guacamole, Indian, Jhatpat, mexican, tasty.

Cabbage Rice(Bhath)

Cabbage Rice or cabbage bhath is a coconut based rice item. My aunt who is an awesome cook used to prepare this while we were kids. It was very much in demand then, especially when we had get-togethers. Years later, I asked her for its recipe in order to break the monotony of the usual rice items. It is now a regular item at our place. Hubby loves it!
P.S: Mixer is a pre-requisite to prepare this item.

Time Taken: 30 minutes

Serves about 4 people.

Ingredients Used:

1/3 of a medium sized cabbage
2 medium sized onions
1/2 a coconut(grated)
2 buds of clove
4-5 pieces of 1 inch sized cinnamon
One big handful of coriander seeds
5-6 red chillies
Tamarind(1/2 a lemon size)
Cooked rice (enough to serve about 3 people)
1 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 curry leaves
2-3 tsp cooking oil

Method of Preparation:

Chop onions and cabbage finely. In a cooking pan, take oil and warm it. In this, sputter mustard seeds with curry leaves. Add the onions and fry till light brown. Add chopped cabbage and salt to it. In the meanwhile, dry roast cloves, cinnamon and coriander seeds and grind them in a mixer along with red chillies, grated coconut and tamarind. Once the cabbage in the pan is almost cooked, add the ground paste to it and cook for a 5 minutes. Once the mix is cooked well, add cooled cooked rice to it. Garnish with coriander leaves if required. Cabbage rice is ready to serve.

Labels: bath, Bhath, Cabbage, Chatpat, Chatpat. quick, coconut based, Easy, Jhatpat, One dish meal, Paththa gobi, Rice, tasty.