Punjabi Malai Daal and Mom on a TV show

A few months ago my mom was on a cooking show on a new Kannada tv channel "Suvarna TV". It was an exciting time for all of us to watch her on tv and do what she does best - cook. The shoot was in Bangalore and she had to bring all the ingredients and the vessels to make her dishes. She chose to make a curry "Punjabi Malai Palak" and also a sweet dish " Avalakki Payasa" (Poha Kheer) Both can be made in a jiffy with no mess. My dad and mom drove from Mysore to Bangalore the previous day of the shoot, went to granny's place. The next morning, mom, dad and granny left to the studios. But there were many people lined up for that day, that by the time mom got her chance it was almost late evening. But they were very patient the whole time and I guess it payed off!

My brother recorded the whole programme on his cellphone when it was telecast on tv and sent it to me, because we don't get that channel here. It felt nice, because for the very first time, someone in the family was actually on a cooking show. Mom has been a great cook all her life, she has been conducting cooking classes at home for almost 27 years now and she continues to do so. I feel so proud to have a wonderful mom like her!! :)

Here is the video. It is in Kannada. Mom is the one in black saree...her name is Anitha.

Following is the recipe for the daal.

Punjabi Malai Daal:

You will need:

1 cup Green gram (Whole Moong) soaked overnight

2 cups Spinach chopped

5 Green chillies

½ Cup Tomatoes chopped

¼ tsp Turmeric

1 tbsp Ghee

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Chopped ginger

1 onion chopped

½ cup Plain yoghurt

1 tsp Jaggery powdered

Besan if required

1 tsp Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

In a pressure cooker, add soaked, drained green gram. Add 2- 2 ½ cups water. Add chopped spinach, tomatoes, slit green chillies, chopped ginger and turmeric. Close lid and cook on high till steam begins to rise. Place weight, reduce heat to low and cook for 6- 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat ghee in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and sauté for a minute. Add the chopped onions and sauté till soft and translucent. Add red chilli powder and sauté for a minute more.

Add the cooked gram to this and bring to a simmering boil. Add salt and jaggery. If the dal is too thin, then make a paste of besan flour with little water and add to the dal while stirring. This thickens the dal. Bring to a boil and then add the lightly beaten plain yoghurt. Simmer for a minute and then turn off heat. Serve hot with rice or rotis/pooris.

I tried the Poha Kheer too, but when I made it I forgot to take pics. So when I have the pics, will certainly post the recipe and the video here.

Punjabi Malai Daal is my entry to the event "My Legume Love Affair" hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Ten Questions at BlogsWeLuv.com

I recently came across BlogsWeLuv.com which is a site dedicated to reading others blogs and eventually writing about them. You can read more about what they do and the team of people here.

They had a contest in January, to win a free blog review. All we had to do was answer 10 questions and also subscribe to their feed. The questions were a little intimidating at first, but later once I began to answer them, it was fun as well as introspective.

I thought I'd share these questions and my answers. The February contest should be starting soon, so you can take part too.

Describe your blog in five sentences or less.

My passion for cooking is very recent found and I’m more than happy that I realized it, even thought it was after a good long while. Cooking became an outlet when I was all of a sudden out of options to keep myself occupied in this country. My blog took this new found passion to a newer, higher level and since then there has been no looking back. Now I cook to blog about it and share my recipes with the ones who are new to cooking or otherwise. My life revolves around this blog as much as cooking is inevitable to feed the stomach.

Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.

Chocolate Cake a post which is more than just the recipe. This was the very first time I dared to bake a cake for someone else, other than to satisfy my cravings for cake. I have always been a giver, even if it meant only a tiny bit of happiness to the ones that deserve it. The look on my friend’s face and the immense satisfaction I got in return, made me realize that my cooking is far more than just a passion and that I could channel it to give more and more.

What sets you apart from other bloggers?

The fact that I can be so involved in my blog and at the same time let go when I want to. I’ve seen others out there telling me how ‘addicted’ they are to blogging. My blog, no doubt, is a means to share and bring to the world my recipes and pictures, but if one day I wasn’t allowed to do it, then I would think of it as for the better. But having said this, it doesn’t make me any less passionate about blogging.

When and how did you first discover blogging?

I came across blogging back in early 2006 when I wanted a platform to share my poetry. I did start a blog which had in it all the poems I’ve written but that was a short ride as I soon ran out of stuff to fill in. It died slowly and I had almost thought that blogging wasn’t for me, as it meant writing on a regular basis. But I was very wrong when in Aug 07 I was given a second chance. I was looking for an Indian language translation for an ingredient and came upon a friend’s blog. Her blog introduced me to the world of food blogs. That triggered a hidden passion, and now 5 months and 90 posts later, I am a happy food blogger!

What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?

Though the internet/blogging is a medium to display our facts and information, it poses a big threat of plagiarism. How ever hard you try to protect your content, it can still be misused by anyone,any time, anywhere. I would hate for someone to steal my recipes or pictures and state it as their own. Cooking does come naturally to me, but that doesn’t mean no efforts have been put in. I have my fingers crossed and hope nobody ever steals my content!

Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.

Google Reader, it has me hooked to so many of my favourite blogs, I can’t even imaige how I would get to those blogs and posts without Reader. It makes life a breeze, really. Also helps me bookmark recipes in one place, which I can go back to anyday.

If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog, who would it be and why?

Nobody at all, in fact I haven’t even thought about doing any such thing. My blog is my space and wouldn’t want others writing there. I have certain set standards on how I want things to be on my blog, and no one else can come close to even trying to keep them. :D

How has blogging made you a better person?

Blogging taught me that in sharing what we know, we are ultimately better people. I feel so humbled when people thank me for the small details I help them with. I haven’t let the appreciation and success of the blog get to my head; instead I am in awe of the so many others out there who are so much more skilled than I am. I have learned a lot and in turn hope to share what I have learned. Blogging has also given me an opportunity to improve my photography skills, being an amateur it is a big deal to see myself improve as I go.

What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?

Be yourself! Sounds clichéd I know, but that is the ultimate thing one can do to stand apart and be unique. Derive inspiration from other blogs, but add your own touch to it and make it different. Be honest and give credit where due. That’s what makes a better blogger.

Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?

There are several blogs on my reader that I read every single day. To pick one would be mean to the others. But since I have to, I pick Asha’s Foodies Hope, her blog brought me into food blogging, and I’m ever grateful for that.

You can also read these answers on BlogsWeLuv here.

I had trouble starting off, but once I had done it, it was all over before I knew it. Drop by their site and tell them about your blog. You may just receive a free review!!