Tomato Saar or the Indian take on Tomato Soup

This is a really fragrant take on tomato soup, which I love to eat with thick slices of toast or chapattis.

3 tomatoes
2 chilies, slit vertically into 2-4 pieces
2 tsp jeera
1 tsp ghee or cooking oil
5-6 whole peppercorns
6-7 curry leaves
1 tsp asafoetida
around 1 cm of ginger cut into thin slices
salt to taste
sugar to taste
1 tbsp fresh finely chopped coriander

Make a cross shaped incision on the top of the tomatoes. Set enough water to boil so that when the tomatoes are immersed, the top of the tomatoes are covered. When the water boils, add the tomatoes. Let the water continue boiling till the top skin of the tomatoes peels off. Let the tomatoes cool a bit and then peel the skin off. Put the tomatoes in a blender and puree the mixture.

In a kadhai / wok, heat the ghee / oil . Add the asafoetida, the peppercorns,curry leaves and jeera seeds. After the jeera seeds sizzle, add the tomato puree. Add the ginger slices, chilies, salt and sugar. Wait till the tomato mixture boils and add around 2 cups of water. One can add a can of coconut milk instead of the water for a creamier tomato saar that can be eaten with rice. Turn the heat on low and let it cook till it boils once more.
Season with the finely chopped coriander before serving.

Spring Onion Bhaji

Winters started in Austin, or rather Fall. Its windy, chilly and such a huge relief from the scorching still heat of the Texas summer. I really appreciate this weather after 4 long months of summer. This is one of the vegetable preparations I look forward to eating after a long day at work. It takes around 20 minutes to cook and tastes really good with some rotis and raita or rice and dal.

Spring Onion Bhaji ( Kandyachya Patichi Bhaji)

3 bunched of spring onions, cut horizontally (around 2 cupfulls) including the white onion on top
1/2 cup of besan (gram flour)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tsp peanut / cooking oil
1/2 cup water
salt and red chilli powder to taste

Heat the oil in a kadhai / wok .Add the asafoetida, turmeric and mustard seeds. Wait till the mustard seeds burst and then add the 2 cups of spring onion. Add the salt and red chilli powder and mix thoroughly. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes after covering the vessel. The spring onion will have released some water. Add the 1/2 cup of water. When this water boils, turn the heat on low and add the besan. Stir quickly to make sure it mixes in as a smooth paste.Let this cook till the raw smell of the besan is gone.

Red Pumpkin Raita

This is a recipe I learnt from my mother, I have not ever had this at anyone else's home, so have no idea how my mother got this recipe from, but I really like this raita and so does R, so its a common occurrence in our kitchen.

2.5 - 3 cups of pumpkin, cut into roughly square pieces, about an inch wide
1-2 chilies, cut horizontally, I like very fine pieces,
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 tsps cooking oil
curry leaves
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1 lb / 16 oz yoghurt
1/2 cup coriander / cilantro leaves, roughly chopped


Boil the pumpkin pieces in a pressure cooker till mashable.
Mix the pumpkin, yoghurt, chilies and salt. Mash the mixture a little.
For the seasoning, heat the oil , add the asafoetida, the turmeric, the curry leaves, mustard and jeera till the jeera sizzles.
Pour the seasoning over the yoghurt - pumpkin mixture and mix gently but thoroughly.
Mix the coriander.