Welcome to Ma's Secret Recipe

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to Ma's Secret Recipe.

It's your chance to share your very favorite recipes handed down from your mom, grandmom, dad, brother, sister, even the recipe box sitting on your kitchen counter!

Here are the three simple rules:
1. List your ingredients.
2. Include simple and detailed directions.
3. Make sure to post a picture of yourself with the food or the person that taught you the recipe.

This is our way of sharing the food we love with the people we love.

We hope you try it, enjoy it, add to it and keep coming back!

Cheers!!!

Mona & Tara

Saag (Spinach) and Tofu

This is one of my favorite recipes of Sudha Aunty (Seeta's mom). She made it for me while she was visiting Seeta when I first moved to Chicago, around 2001. I have been bugging Aunty for the recipe since then, since it is one of the best saag dishes I have had. The tofu makes it healthier too:)

Ingredients:
Frozen Chopped spinach 1 big bag
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, medium to large
1 medium head broccoli crown
1 to2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Small piece of ginger, chopped
1 packet extra firm Tofu
Red chili powder
Turmeric
Jeera powder
Salt to taste

Method:

Part 1- Prepare onion/brocolli base

- Put 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil in a pan
- Add Hing if you have it. Add chopped onions, ginger, garlic & cook over low to medium heat on stove for 3 to 5 minutes until onions are translucent
- Add chopped tomato
- Cook until water evaporates
- Add all spices except salt & cook for few minutes while stirring
- Add chopped Broccoli & cook for few minutes until broccoli is cooked and tender
- Turn the stove off, & let the mixture cool.
- When cool, place mixture in blender and pulse until it becomes green paste.

Part 2- Prepare Tofu with Spinach

- Take tofu, wash in cold water, & wrap in paper towel. Now wrap tofu in kitchen towel, & let it sit for few hours, so tofu will become more firm.
-Take another pan and put 2 teaspoons oil and add cubed tofu, & stirfry for 2 minutes.
- Add chopped thawed spinach & let it cook stirring few times.
- Add the onion/broccoli mixture (see above) to the spinach/tofu.
- Add salt to taste, add chilli powder to taste
- Let saag-tofu cook until everything is mixed properly. Please cook it on low to medium heat.

Enjoy!

Namita's Perfect Pulao

After years of begging, Namita's finally sharing her Mom's recipe for Pulao. It was always a hit around the office.


- heat up two tbsp of oil and butter (ghee is best) in pressure cooker
- add 1/2 tsp jeera
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 finely chopped medium/small onion
- pinch of huldee
- cook onions until they are translucent and slightly browned on edges
- wash rice while onions cook
- chop up the following things in small pieces. potatoes can be a little bigger but keep everything else same size
- 1 small potato (i like to use red or white small potatoes)
- 1 tomato (some people don't like tomato b/c they break down a bit and color the rice so it's up to you)
- 1 carrot
- cauliflower (i'm not a huge fan but it was in my mom's recipe so if you like it, add it)
- add all the chopped up veggie and washed frozen peas and saute for a few minutes
- add 1/2 tsp lal mirchi
- add 1 tsp dhania powder
- add water (double the amount of rice)
- add salt and pav bhaji masala (if you don't have it no biggie...add a litlte more lal mirchi and dhania powder). *stir everything and taste the water. it should be salty and spicer than you really want it. not like crazy but it mellows out as it cooks.
- add juice of 1/2 fresh lime
- add rice
- cover and let it cook on high heat for two-three whistles and then turn heat down to med-low for two-three whistles
- let cool completely and make sure all pressure is released before you open it!
- serve with chopped fresh cilantro on top

if you open it and there is too much water, put the cover back on and cook it more - i've had to do that before and it still turns out fine.

when my mom makes it for parties she fries some onions and sautes cashew halves and put it on top with fresh cilantro before serving. it's a yummy addition.

this goes great with cucumber raita

- grate 1/2 to 3/4 cucumber and mix it together with lowfat yogurt
- add salt, a little sugar and fine roasted jeera and pudina powder if you have it

enjoy!