Kyoonki Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi......(because the mother in law was once a daughter in law)

When I initially played the role of a nayi bahu (new daughter in law)..., I used to walk around the kitchen with a sense of uncertainty...unable to figure out what is expected of me..., as all pair of eyes were studying me ...from the elders in the family to the tiny tots ...., from relatives to the servant maids ...! I wondered how I will fit into this new house hold , which my mother in law and sister in law were managing so well. The usual cold wars between saas and bahu(mother in law and daughter in law) was missing here. As days passed , I understood that my mother in law would just accept everyone as he or she is ...and we daughter in laws had the freedom to live according to our taste... I knew I was lucky!

One day I saw her making rice balls and putting them in boiling water.
"What are you making, Amma?” I asked
"Udkaanthuli undi (rice balls in water) she replied
I had not heard of a dish like this.... but in my home my mother used to make rice balls in daal or lentils.
"This is what your sister in law likes... so I make this ... not the usual Konkani dish , which we make with daal." she replied...
I was amazed to see how she always adopted to the likes and dislikes of others in the family. She used to avoid certain ingredients if it was not my sister in law's choice. When she knew that I liked the rice balls in lentil soup, she invariably prepared one with daal and one without daal...
How could one be so flexible?...may be because she was once a daughter in law herself.

So here is a toyaa-thuli undi(rice balls in lentils soup) enriched with vegetables...This is my own version of the dish...

Ingredients

Toor daal 1 cup
Rice flour 1 cup
Assorted vegetables of your choice 1 cup
Baby onions 3-4
Ginger garlic paste
Green chillies 2
Cumin 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Coconut grated 2 tbsp(optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for seasoning
Coriander leaves a bunch
lemon juice 1 tsp

Pressure cook the daal with salt. In a vessel, mix rice flour 1 tbsp cumin, grated coconut , salt and boiling water to make a dough. Make small balls and keep aside. heat oil in a deep pan , temper with mustard , cumin , green chillies. add ginger garlic paste and chopped onions. Add in the cut vegetables. M ix in cooked daal and dilute with water. Add enough salt according to taste. once this mixture starts boiling add the rice balls. Simmer it and let it cook for 10 minutes. once the rice balls are cooked garnish with coriander leaves and lemon juice and serve hot.

This post is being submitted to Holler of Tinned Tomatoes, hosting No Croutons Required, a monthly soup event that is also hosted by Lisa of Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen. This month's theme is Spicy Soups.
This also goes to WBB Balanced Breakfasts hosted by Mansi and to Jugalbandhi's click event.

Do you have Those purple beauties in your fridge?

Mother in law to the newly wed daughter in law: We have guests for lunch today, See whether we have those big eggplants in the fridge?

Daughter in law dutifully opens the fridge and finds the purple baingans mocking at her. She had never had a fascination for that vegetable , which though looks firm is all slimy once cooked. She couldn't imagine this being cooked for the guests !!!
Imagine going to a house for food and being offered baingans?".. she thinks.....

A few years later....

Daughter in law , ransacks the fridge looking for the huge purple beauties , to make her ma in law's side dish..
It happens... we fall in love with things you once detested in life....
So here goes the recipe for Vaingan Bhajjille( Eggplant fry)....

Ingredients

1 large egg plant
1 tsp turmeric powder
1tsp chilly powder
a pinch of asafoetida
1tsp coriander powder
1/2 cup rice flour
oil as needed
salt to taste

Method

Wash and clean the egg plant. cut it length wise into thin slices.Marinate with turmeric powder , chilly powder, coriander powder, asafoetida and salt. Heat a pan , and spread some oil .dust the egg plant with rice flour and fry on the pan. Fry both sides until done . The rice flour makes it crispy .

Believe me , you can taste egg plants which are not slimy... but crispy ...that you would even take it for a starter...

This goes to Vegetable of the week hosted by Pooja.