Matooke ~ National Dish of Uganda

Matooke is a national dish of Uganda. The word matooke means mashed plantain. This is a simple plantain dish, where plantains are steam cooked, mashed & then mixed with a gravy of vegetables. This dish can be cooked in a peanut sauce or a meat sauce. But in this dish I skipped the sauce part completely & made it a dry matooke with few veggies added to it.  

Prep Time-10mins { Peeling & chopping veggies}
Cook Time-20mins { Steaming plantain & making the base} 
Serves-2People

Ingredients

2Plantain's peeled & chopped to bite size pieces

1Big onion sliced

2Tomatoes

1Garlic pod

1Bell pepper de-seeded & chopped

4Green chili’s {Adjust as needed} or 1Tsp chili powder

2Tbs oil

Salt to taste

Directions

- Steam cook banana’s & mash them. Keep aside & start with the base curry.

- Heat pan with oil. Add in chopped onions & garlic. Fry them till onions are translucent.

- To them add bell pepper & tomatoes.  Close with lid & cook till veggies are soft.

- To the pan add steamed plantains, salt & chili powder. Mix them well & adjust taste if needed.

- Serve warm along with peanut sauce.

Note

- I used chili powder, If you are using green chili’s add them in along with onions & garlic.

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Navratri Alamkaram & Prasadam

Dusshera / Navrati is celebrated in month of Ashwija for 9days starting with shukla padyami & ending on shukla Dashami. On all these 9 days goddess dressed & worshiped as an embodiment of different forms. The days of alamkaram might change from location to location, in Andhra Pradesh it is followed according to Vijayawada Kankadurga Temple. I was checking for the list & found a detailed link of alamkaram's in details. I'm sharing the list along with offered prashad that I borrowed from Hindupad.

Sri Balatripura Sundari Devi or Shailaputri Navadurg - Sweet Boondhi & chickpeas 

Gayathri Devi - Ravva Kesari & Pulihora

Annapurna Devi - Sweet Pongal 

Mahalakshmi Devi - Ksheerannam or Annam Parvanam.

Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi - Pulihora & Pesara Boorelu.

Saraswati Devi - Atukulu, Bellam(Jaggery), Putnala pappu (Bengal gram) & Coconut.

Durga Devi - Garelu & lemon juice or some thing made out of lemon juice.

Mahishasura Mardhini Devi - Chakkara Pongali or sweet Pongal.

Rajarajeshwari Devi - Pulihora & Garelu 

More Prashad recipes: 
- Prasadam | Neivedyam | Prashad
- Sweets 
- Navratri Recipes 

Stay blessed !!!!

 Day -1 Pulagam

Day -2 Moong Dal Sundal

Day -3 Godhuma Pindi Payasam

Day-4 Annam Parvanam

Day-5 Pulihora

Day-6 Atukula Mix

Bulgar Pilaf ~ Turkish Dish

Bulgar Pilaf is a traditional Turkish dish consists of durum wheat or dalia, veggies & spices to flavor it up. It is a healthy dish that consumes less time & efforts in making it. Bulgar Pilaf is served as a side dish to kebabs or any  

Bulgar, the main ingredient or the hero of this recipe tastes nutty in flavor & it is also very high fiber. Bulgar is sold par-boiled & dried in stores which makes it easy to cook. In Turkey the coarsen bulgar is used in making pilaf & the soft grounded makes a tasty tabbouleh salad & a delicious kibbeh.

There is a middle eastern restaurant that we love to visit on regular basis & they serve tofu kebabs along with bulgar pilaf & a Mediterranean salad. I felt this recipe was tasting very similar to the pilaf they serve. Enjoy this filling dish.
To know what my other friends are cooking, check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44. 

Prep Time-10mins | Cook Time-20mins (max) | Serves-2people

Ingredients

1/2Cup bulgar wheat
1Cup water
1Small onion chopped
1Garlic minced
1Carrot chopped
1Bell pepper chopper
1Tbs tomato paste
1inch cinnamon stick
1Tsp fresh black pepper / chili powder {Used red chili powder}
Salt to taste
2Tbs oil
Cilantro & lemon for garnish
Directions
- Heat pan with oil. To that add onions, garlic & cinnamon stick. Cook till onions are translucent.
- Next add in carrots & bell pepper. Stir it once.
- Next add in bulgar & fry for few seconds.
- Then add in tomato paste, water, salt & chili powder. Mix them & close with a lid.
- Cook on low flame till the bulgar is cooked completely. Adjust taste if needed. Switch off heat.
- Garnish with cilantro & lemon.
- Serve with raita of your choice.
Note
- You can replace wheat to bulgar.
- Customize this with your choice of veggies.

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Tortilla De Patatas | Spanish Omelette

Tortilla De Patatas is a Spanish potato omelette, a speciality of Spain, which is filling & tempting. This is a picnic dish in Spain, which is served in to bite size cubes & served with cock tail sticks, but you can also make this dish for breakfast & as brunch for lazy weekends.
Potatoes & onions are the vegetables I used as it was authentic. You can add your choice of finely chopped vegetables in additions to potatoes & onions. 
We Indians love our food to be little spicy & when it comes to me I love food much spicier than the normal limits. Tortilla De Patata is very mild in taste, so to satisfy my taste buds I added a pinch of chili powder along with black pepper to make it spicy.
To know what my other friends are cooking, check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44. 

Adapted from here.
Prep Time-10mins | Cook Time-20mins | Serves-3people
Ingredients
2Potatoes thinly slices
1medium onion chopped
6Egg whites 
Few cilantro leaves chopped
2Tsp Black Pepper / chili powder for taste { Adjst as needed}
Salt for taste

2Tbs oil for potatoes & onion + 1Tbs oil for omelete 
Directions 
- Thin slice potatoes as shown in the picture. 
- Heat a non-stick pan with oil. To that add potatoes & onions. 
- Cook on medium heat for few minutes, then check if potatoes are cooked by pricking them with a tooth peck. 
- Once potatoes are cooked perfectly, switch off heat & keep aside. 
- Mean while break eggs in to a big bowl while separating yellow from whites.
- Add enough salt & pepper & whisk it lightly. 
- Add cooked onions & potatoes to the egg mixture along with coriander leaves. Mix in well. Adjust salt & pepper if needed.
- Heat a non-stick wide pan with oil & add the egg mixture to it. 
- Cook on low heat till a nice crust is formed. Now flip carefully & cook other side too.
- Do a tooth pick check & if it comes out clean switch off heat. 
- Transfer it to a plate. Cut in to pieces & serve. 
Note
- I made 2 mini omelette's with this recipe. 

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Ouă umplute | Deviled Eggs | Stuffed eggs | Romanian Appetizer

Ouă umplute or Stuffed Eggs are a traditional Romanian appetizer. This dish has originated from Italy & became popular in many parts of the world as Deviled Eggs. This crowd-pleasing appetizer is easy to make at home & can be served for any kind of occasion as a starter. The recipe I shared is a basic one; you can always customize it according to your needs.
Deviled Eggs are delectable little things & they vanish just like that in no time. I'm a total fan of this egg bites & was never able to stop with one.

To know what my other friends are cooking, check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44. 

Prep Time-5mins | Cook Time-20mins | Serves-2people
Ingredients
3Hard boiled eggs
1Tbs mayonnaise
1/2Tsp honey mustard
1Tsp black pepper
2Tbs finely chopped onion
Pinch of salt
Parsley/Scallions for garnish
Directions
- Peal the outer shell of eggs & cut them horizontally into half. 
- Scoop out yellow from eggs into a bowl. 
- To the bowl add mayo, mustard, pepper, onion & salt.
- Make them to a smooth paste. Adjust the taste if needed. 
- Scoop up little in to the white half's & top them with garnish. 
- Serve as a appetizer or a snack. 
Note
- You can add little of ketchup or choice any choice of condiment to it. 
- Garnish can be any thing of your choice.

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Moutabel ~ Qatar Cuisine

Moutabel is a Middle Eastern grilled eggplant dip. This Qatari dip is a little similar to Baba ghanoush, which includes onion & tomatoes in it.
In making Moutabel I choose to grill eggplants on stove top method, as it leaves a nice flavor to the eggplant when it is burnt directly on the heat. You can even cook it in oven to avoid the mess. 
The other important ingredient in this dish is the tahini paste. Tahini is a smooth sesame paste that actually gives creamy texture to this dish. I used a store bought one but one can make this paste at home too. The other ingredients added in add a nice flavor & taste to the dish. That’s it for now & enjoy this dip.

To know what my other friends are cooking, check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44. 

Adapted from here.
Prep Time-15mins | Cook Time-20mins | Serves-2people 
Ingredients
1Italian eggplant
2Tbs tahini paste
1Garlic clove
1Tsp lemon juice 
2Green chili's {adjust as needed}
1Tbs olive oil
Salt to taste 
Cilantro or Basil for garnish
Directions
- Roast the egg plant on stove top. Cool it before you go ahead with peeling the skin. 
- Peel skin of eggplant & keep it in a bowl. Mash it to a chunky paste 
- Now grind green chili's, garlic & tahini to smooth paste. {You can grind eggplant too if you want a smooth moutabel.}
- Mix the grind paste & olive oil with mashed eggplant. 
- Add in salt & lemon juice. Mix well & adjust taste if needed. 
- Serve it with chips, veggies , pita bread or have it as you wish. 
Note
- Moutabel is smooth in texture. So as mentioned above grind eggplant for the texture.
- Taste was perfect for me, adjust if needed.

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.

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