Receta Food Styling | Sweet and Sour Fenugreek Relish – My breakfast recipes on the go
“When you take the step towards your dreams, you will be met with fears because you have never traveled this way before. As you go, you will discover that you had nothing to fear.” ~ Gardner
“Have you done styling for any beverage company before” asked Kunal. “How comfortable are you in making moctails/cocktails, Sanjeeta? He continued, sounding a little apprehensive.
“I haven’t done any beverage shoot before but have been shooting pictures for my blog. I will send you some of my clicks for you to decide.” I replied.
And before I could think of anything, I was already prop shopping for this premium Australian brand – Longleaf Tea Vodka with Kunal Daswani, a very experienced and eminent Photographer in Chennai.
Every time a photo-shoot assignment lands on my lap I am like a happy kid, running around, shopping, planning and stacking props enthusiastically for the shoot.
Some of the pictures I clicked with my Point and Shoot whenever I found a little time during the shoot.
Glassware and props for shoot
Getting the exotic glassware from the local market was the biggest challenge, as drinking traditionally isn’t part of Indian culture.
We had a few live chat sessions with the brand head in Australia who briefed us about the ingredients, preparation and the themes for the photographs.
Fortunately ‘D’ who was representing the client from Australia had a good collection of glasses and she brought some exquisite glasses and linen to the studio.
Bought fresh fruits and vegetables a day before the shoot for the shoot.
Task accomplished…all tired and exhausted, but there is always time to pose
©Long Leaf Tea Vodka and Kunal Daswani
The beautiful amber coloured Vodka with a touch of refreshing Tea from Sri Lanka. It was a complete fun shaking some exotic cocktails, styling and shooting with Kunal Daswani.
Sometimes we make great choices without even realizing it, Food blogging is one such I made in my life.
My breakfast recipes on the go….
I had this unusual breakfast sandwiches (one of my favorites) on the day of the shoot. And yes, I was pampered by a hot and delicious vermicelli Upma, cooked and served with loads of love from my husband in the evening after I returned from the shoot. Well, it was slightly gooey..but does that matter?
Sweet and sour sprouted Fenugreek relish is one of my on the go recipes. The spread or chutney is normally eaten with Indian flat breads and is a very popular recipe of many families in Rajsathan, India.
The idea of making a sandwich out of fenugreek relish was born when I was working in Delhi, staying away from home.
Mom would pack and parcel bottles of fenugreek relish whenever my brother visited me. Lazy of rolling flat breads I would just spread it on store bought bread and eat.
Vermicelli is a sort of Indian pasta, a very versatile must-present ingredient in most of Indian kitchens
Vermicelli gets quickly transformed into a hearty meal in no time and can be served for breakfast, lunch or even for dinner.
The best part is that this is the only dish my hubby loves to cook on weekdays for us. And this is what I was served after I was back from a hectic and tiring day at the studio. Looks like hubby and children cooked this dish together, son roasted the vermicelli, daughter chopped the veggies and hubby did rest of the cooking.
1. Sweet and Sour Sprouted Fenugreek Relish
Ingredients;
(8-10 servings)
- 1/2 cup sprouted Fenugreek seeds
- 1/4 cup raisin
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tsp. jaggery/sugar
- A pinch of asafoetida powder
- Salt to taste
- Spices;
- 1 tsp. Nigella seeds
- 1 tsp aniseeds
- 1 tsp red chilly powder
- 1 tsp. coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
Method; Wash and soak Fenugreek seeds (methidana) overnight or about 5-6 hours in plain water.
Drain the water and place the wet fenugreek seeds in a muslin cloth, bring all the ends together and tie into a knot. Place this in a damp place for the seeds to germinate. Sprinkle water over the muslin cloth every now and then to keep the cloth moist.
The seeds will germinate in a day with small white tail like sprouts.
Wash and soak raisins (kishmish) for an hour.
Heat oil in a wok and add Nigella seeds (kalonji dana) and aniseed (saunf) in it.
Add sprouted Fenugreek seeds, soaked raisins, asafoetida powder (hing), turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilly powder, salt, grated jaggery(gur) and sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
Remove from heat and store the sweet-sour Fenugreek relish in a clean glass jar. The relish stays good for almost a month in refrigerator.
Use a tablespoon of this spread on a toasted bread slice, pack it in a silver foil and enjoy a healthy breakfast on the go.
2. Quick Vermicelli and vegetable Upma
Ingredients;
(serve 3)
2 cups chopped vegetables
1 cup vermicelli
1 large onion
2 tomatoes
2-3 green chillies
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Sprigs of curry leaves
Salt to taste
Water
Spices;
2 tsp. Black gram
2 tsp. Bengal gram
1 tsp. mustard seeds
Method; I normally dry roast vermicelli and store to avoid getting infected with pests and also to reduce time of cooking.
Dry roast the vermicelli till golden brown before using for better taste.
Vegetables I use to make this recipe are;
Carrot
Peas
French beans
Potato
Corn kernel
Peel and slice onion. Chop tomatoes.
Bring about 2 cups of water to boil in another vessel.
Heat oil in a large wok and crackle mustard seeds, Bengal gram and black gram in it.
Add curry leaves followed by chopped green chillies and onion in the wok and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes, chopped vegetables, salt and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Pour boiled water and roasted vermicelli in the wok., stir lightly and cover the wok.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, remove lid and stir lightly. Turn off the heat and serve hot.
Notes;
Add a teaspoon of tamarind paste or lemon juice to give a tangy touch to the recipe.
Mom says that you should not stir the fenugreek seeds to much while cooking which will impart bitter taste to the recipe. Well, follow it at your wish, I don’t feel the changes.
I love the bitterness of the fenugreek seeds in this recipe. You may add more sweet if you are not comfortable with it.
Reduce the quantity of raisin if you don’t like it. I love the combination of bitter sweet taste of fenugreek and raisins in the recipe.
Some recipes call for boiling the fenugreek seeds before cooking, but I don’t feel the need of it. As the seeds are tender and does not require extra cooking.
And yes, appreciation and recognition from family & friends go a long way to ease the fear and anxiety of treading in the unknown territory. So, thanks a lot for standing for me whenever I need your support and love.