the journey continues…

I have few recipes for chutneys that you can prepare without using coconut.
Tomato Chutney
I got this recipe from mom-in-law which is easy and goes well with Idly/Dosa.
Ingredients:
Tomatoes : 3 (chopped)
Onion : 1/2 ( chopped)
Curry leaves
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Mustard seeds : 1 spoon
Urad dal : 1/2 spoon
Oil
Tomato chutney powder :
Mustard seeds – 2tsp
Fenugreek Seeds (Methi) – 1 tsp
Hing – 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chillies – 7-8
Dry roast all the above and make a fine powder.You can store this powder and use it every time when you make Tomato chutney.

Heat oil in a pan.Add turmeric power,mustard.When mustards start to splutter add curry leaves,onions.Fry onions till it turns brown.Add chopped tomatoes,fry for 2 minutes and tomato chutney powder.Add salt and let it boil to become a good gravy.It goes well with idly and dosa.

Tomato ,Onion and Pudina Chutney
Tomatoes : 3 (chopped)
Onion : 1/2 ( chopped)
Pudina/Mint leaves : 1/2 cup
Red Chillies – 2-3
Curry leaves
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Mustard seeds : 1 spoon
Urad dal : 1/2 spoon
Oil

For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard
Curry leaves

Heat oil in a pan.Add turmeric power,mustard,red chillies.When mustards start to splutter add onions.Fry for a minute.Add tomatoes and Pudina/Mint leaves.Fry for 2 minutes.Add salt.
Grind all in to a fine paste using mixer.Saute it using mustard and curry leaves.

Tomato – Brinjol Chutney
Tomatoes : 3 (chopped)
Brinjols : small 3 (chopped)
Onion : 1/2 ( chopped)
Curry leaves
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Mustard seeds : 1 spoon
Urad dal : 1/2 spoon
Oil

For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard Seeds
Curry leaves

Heat oil in a pan.Add turmeric power,mustard,red chillies.When mustards start to splutter add onions and brinjols.Fry till the brinjols become soft.Add tomatoes.Fry for 2 minutes.Add salt and little water.Boil it for 10-15 minutes till it becomes soft.Grind all in to a paste using mixer.The paste should not be too fine so grind it for one round in mixer.Saute it using mustard and curry leaves.

Tips: Tomatoes should be juicy and tangy for better taste.

One thing I am very happy about being here is I have a conventional oven which I didn’t had in India.
So all my efforts to bake cake and cookies were not that great.Weekend I tried the basic sponge cakes
which I found in this cooking site.

Ingredients :
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Sugar – 1 cup
Butter – 1 1/2 stick
Baking Powder – 1 tbsp
Eggs – 2
Vanilla essence – 1tbsp
Cake Pans ( Foil Trays)

Beat the eggs in a bowl separately.Mix flour,sugar,butter and beaten eggs in a bowl.Put everything in a mixer and whip it to a smooth paste.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.Grease the foil trays/cake pans with oil.Pour the mixture in to the trays so that its spread evenly.Bake for about 25 minutes or till the toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.Let it allow to cool for 5 minutes.Cut in to small pieces to serve.

Fathepur Sikri which is around 50km from Agra was the capital of Mughal King Akbar.”Sikri” was the abode of a Sufi saint named Salim Chisti, to whom Akbar had prayed for an heir. When Jogha Bhai, Akbar’s wife gave birth to his son Jahangir in 1569, Akbar built a tomb in honor of the saint and decided that he would built a grand new capital for the Mughal Empire in Sikri, to be called as Fatehpur Sikri.Fathe means victory in Arabic.It seems that Akbar took great interest in building this architectural marvel.But due to lack of water supply the city was abandoned after 15 years. Some of the great buildings of Mughal period could be seen here.
Buland Darwaza, a high gateway (176feet height) which celebrates Akbar’s conquest of Gujarat.

Buland Darwaza

A beautiful white marble tomb of saint Salim Chisti.People from different community pray here.There is also a ritual of tying a thread at the marble windows of this Dargah in order to have one’s wishes fulfilled and, consequently, many threads can be seen to be tied there.

Tomb of Saint Salim Christi

Window of Dargha which is full of threads

Qawwali,music of sufis

Other monuments of interest are :
Panchmahal a 5 storied building is built in Persian style and it was mainly for the royal ladies of the family.
Jodhabai’ s Palace which is the largest of all the palaces in Fatehpur Sikri.
Diwan-e-Aam and Diwan-e-Khas halls used by kings to address the audience.

Guide also pointed out many spots where the movie Pardes ( Sharukh’s) and Jodha Akbar have been shooted!

Some tips to keep in mind before you visit the place :
Its better if you go with local guides/conducted tourists from Agra.Local people/guides near fort do not know how to behave with tourists and they will try their best to get a good amount of money from you.
I also believe that the guide we hired didn’t show all the buildings to us.Initially he said 300 and after bargain he agreed for 100 bucks.For most of the people guiding tourists is a part time job here but they are too greedy.
Summers would be very bad.Carrying a hat,cool glasses and drinking water would be really helpful.

Yesterday I tried some pizzas at home which came very well.

Pizza Crust ( I bought BOBOLI Italian pizza crust.There are plenty of them you can buy which ever you like)
1 Cup Marinara sauce
1 Cup Mozzarella cheese (grated)
1/2 Cup Onions (cubed)
1/2 Cup Tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 Cup Green Bell Peppers (cubed)
1/2 Cup Red Bell Peppers (cubed)
Pepper powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the sauce evenly on the crust.Top with grated Mozzarella cheese.
Top with onions,tomatoes,bell peppers.If you want more spicy, add little pepper powder on it.
Bake it for 15 minutes in 450 degrees F.If you want crispy pizzas,then bake it for 10 more minutes.
Cut in to slices and serve with ketchup.