How to grow Methi

The spring is at its best at the moment, weekdays are mixture of both rainy and sunny days. I am loving the nature Here at Karlsruhe a lot. The blooming greenery all around is inspiring. So, inspired from the nature i thought to prepare a very small kitchen garden for my self.

It was last month that i sowed the seeds of Methi(Fenugreek), Dhaniya(Coriander) and Mint. This month i can see them actually growing and budding. The pleasure of growing a plant out of seed is immeasurable. You are always attached with that exciting moment where you wait for the seeds to crack and sprout, then you wait for them to grow into green and finally when they take the shape of the plant you are the happiest in the world.

When i was young my mother used to have a lavish kitchen garden. What not was there in , Okra, Eggplant, French beans, Broad beans, Coriander, Mint, Maize, carrots, peas, Spinach, potatoes and Arhar Daal. 

Infact my mother won many competitions for her best kitchen garden. It was so exciting to gift a bag of garden beans to neighbour, Yes garden can bring you sense of pride and love. It can many times soothe your soul as well. 

Methi is the fastest growing plant. its easy to sow and as well easy to reap.

How i grew methi.

• Soil: Choose the best pot soil for your pot or garden. Methi can be best grown in loamy soil. It also requires a good soil drainage. Choose a sunny place or keep the pot in the sunny area.
• Preparation: Take the regular methi seeds. Soak them overnight in water. Next day drain the water and place the methi in a cotton towel or in a piece of cotton cloth. keep the cloth moist and place this in a dark place in your house for germination. In one day you can see the sprouts coming up, its now the time to introduce them to the soil.
• Place the methi seeds in the pot. do not overcrowd the pot. On the top of the seed lay a layer of soil. sprinkle water and wait the shoots to come up in a day or two.
• Water the pot or the soil everyday. Do not water too much. The basic idea is to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
• Wait and watch within a week you will see that the methi have grown to a 1 inch plant.
• Allow them to grow for a month and then start harvesting.

Enjoy Gardening....

BY- Sushmita Pandit
How to prepare methi Parotha, Flat Methi breads

Aloo Chat

Last month it was my Son's birthday and as a starter i prepared Aloo chat for our guest. It was a hit for the day and my guests thoroughly enjoyed this food.

Let me give you a bit of more insight about aloo chat . Aloo chat is the most enjoyed street food of India. Made with potatoes, bit of chick peas and then dazzled with yogurt ,few chutneys and fried Bhujiyas. This food has got the capacity to water your mouth with just a mere look at it (Only if you know how good it tastes).

Chicken Seekh Kabab

Merry Christmas. This festive season is turning me all lazy. Its so difficult to get up from bed these days. I find this winter more colder than the last years . The shopping season is about to end and i have grabbed all desired stuffs in discounts. 

The exchange of Christmas gifts with friends is happening almost everyday. My son is totally loving the Christmas tree at our house and is amazed with the ornaments and lighting on it.

Curry Würstchen(Sausage curry)

Its Christmas time and the place where i live in Germany is all set  with Christmas market. All over the market area theres lots of innovative lighting show that has been placed. This looks absolutely amazing.
In my visit to Christmas market i focused mainly on the food. Apart from Gluwien(Hot seasoned red wine) and Kinderpunch(mix fruit juices for kids) sausages are major consumed food during this season.

Prawn- 65

I know its long time since i have been back on my blog. But this time i bring to you a wonderful recipe of Prawn, which is known as Prawn-65. Chicken 65 is more popular but i must say that prawn-65 is none the less in taste. This is quite a simple recipe and also a quick one.

Suppengrün suppe Rezept(Karroten, Lauch, Sellerie, Petersilie) Soup Recipe

Supermarkets in Germany often sells Suppengrun in their vegetable counter. I was quite fascinated with this combo whenever i strolled through the market. Last day i bought this combo to prepare the soup. I would like to tell you all that my soup turned out superb and super delicious. Here's the recipe of this tasty and highly nutritious soup :

Serves- 4
Preparation time- 10 minutes
Cooking time- 20 minutes
Total time- 30 minutes

Ingredients:

•  Carrot- 2, chopped
• Leek- sliced
• Celery- chopped
• Potato- 2, large, peeled and chopped
• Butter- 1 Tbsp
• Salt as per taste
• Pepper- 2 Tsp
• Petersilie/ Parsley
• Cream/ Sahne

Direction:

• Heat butter in the boiling pot.
• Add all the vegetables except parsley. Season with salt.
• Saute until they are half cooked.
• Add 500ml of water. cover and let it boil for 15 minutes until everything is done.
• Once it is done turn off the heat. Mash the vegetables with the help of blender or once it cools you can grind them in the mixer grinder.
• turn on the heat once again, add the cream and mix well once again. Finally turn off the heat. Sprinkle freshly crushed pepper.
• Sprinkle the chopped parsley and serve.

Serve hot with Baguette or any bread of your choice.

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. 

Happy cooking.

By- Sushmita Pandit

Black Forest Cake - Halloween Special

Its Halloween time. My cake isn't so scary but it suits well with the mood of Halloween. Yes i prepared the black forest cake for my son. It tastes same as what people get in CCD back home. Here's the recipe to this mouth watering , lovely cake.

Schezwan Chicken Noodles

How about having a schezwan noodles to refresh up your evening. For making this noodles you need to have schezwan sauce with you. You can either prepare this sauce at home or you can easily find the sauce in the market. I paired this noodles with chicken and few other vegetables like broccoli, mushroom , carrot and french beans.
You can always add the vegetables and meat of your choice for this noodles.

Schezwan sauce

Spice up your mood with awesome mouth watering hot Schezwan Recipes. This sauce can either be prepared at home or can be bought from market.

For preparing schezwan sauce we need:

Ingredients:

• Dry red chilly- 200 gm, soaked in warm water for 3 to 4 hours
• Garlic- 1 bulb, peeled
• Ginger- 1 inch, chopped
• Onion- 1 large, finely chopped
• Sugar- 1 Tsp
• Salt as per taste
• Oil- 1 Tbsp
• Soy sauce- 1 Tbsp
• Fish sauce- 1 Tbsp(Optional)
• Tomato sauce- 1 Tsp
• Vinegar or lime juice- 1 Tbsp

Direction:

• Drain away the water in which chilies have been soaked.
• Remove their seeds and then grind them to make fine paste.
• Heat a pan in medium to low heat and add oil to it.
• Now add the finely chopped ginger and garlic . Saute until raw smell of ginger and garlic is over.
• Now add the onions and saute until translucent.
• Finally add the chilly paste and salt. saute for 5 minutes until oil oozes out.
• Now add the soy sauce, fish sauce, tomato sauce and vinegar.
• Saute for some time. finally add little water and cover and cook for 1 minute.

Turn off the heat. Once the sauce reaches the room temperature you can store it in the jars and refrigerate it. Use it when ever required.

Enjoy....

By- Sushmita Pandit

Murgh Shorba curry(Chicken soup curry )

For those cold and wet days when there is a transition from one season to another, many of us are often affected by cold and cough.I present to you a perfect curry to lighten up your soul at this time. This is Murgh shorba curry(Chicken shorba curry).