Qubooli - Like A Hug From Mom

I hit the motherload when it came to flowers on my first Mothers' Day. And the best part was that I wasn't expecting them, so they all came as a surprise, and I loooove surprises!

But today, dear readers, I don't want to talk about my Mothers' Day - I'm in the mood to hear from all you lovely ladies. For those of you lucky enough to have fabulous moms, did you call them/visit them and expound upon their sheer greatness?! After all, they did change your poopy diapers as a baby, struggled through your bratty kid phase, and did not disown you when you were an obnoxious teenager. And if any of you are fortunate enough to be mothers yourselves, I can only hope that your kids and/or significant other did something special for you - even if it was just a sincere effort to "let mommy get some peace and quiet". I imagine some of you had to smile through your husbands' attempts to make you breakfast-in-bed (probably the only time you enjoyed rubbery scrambled eggs and scorched pancakes), then squealed with glee and praise over your kids' handmade cards. Now if only it didn't have to be you who had to clean up the mess in the kitchen at the end of the day anyway!

Speaking of surprises, I know you must be expecting me to share some girly, feminine dessert recipe with you today, in honor of Mothers' Day. But dear readers, it was cold that day, and I wanted to warm up my insides without spending too much time in the kitchen. So I made Qubooli/Kabooli - a vegetarian Hyderabadi rice dish, which is a complete meal in itself, and as it turns out, is so comforting that it feels like a hug from Mom. It's a new look at soul food.
Qubooli/Kabooli (my version of Lubna's recipe from Kitchen Flavors)
Serves 5-6

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
3/4 cup chana daal, washed and soaked for 2 hours
1 can chickpeas, drained and washed
1-2 onions, sliced
1.5 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala powder
2-3 tbsp yogurt, whipped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chili powder
1-2 green chillies, slit down the middle
2 cardamoms
2 cloves
2-inch piece of a cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
3-4 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method:
1. Cook the chana daal in water (it should reach 1 inch above the level of the daal in whichever saucepan you use) till tender but not mushy. Drain any excess water and set aside.

2. Heat the oil with the cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon stick in a large pot.

3. After a minute, add in the onions and green chillies - saute till onions are golden. Mix in the ginger-garlic paste and saute for another minute.

4. Lower the flame and add the rice, cooked chana daal, chickpeas, salt, chili powder, turmeric, and garam masala. Mix gently.

5. Stir in the yogurt and saute for another 2 minutes.

6. When all the ingredients start to gel together, you can add water to 1 inch above the rice mixture, then: a) transfer this mixture to your rice cooker and turn it on or b) cook on the stove itself, with a tight lid on the saucepan, for approximately 20 minutes till water completely evaporates and rice is done. Garnish with cilantro and serve with spicy tomato chutney (recipe below) and yogurt raita.
Verdict: Many people call this Hyderabadi dish a poor man's biryani, but take that in the best way possible, because this really is uber-comforting and over-the-top delicious. It contains some pretty basic ingredients, but infusing the spices into it makes it special. And since there's no meat involved, it takes only a few minutes to put together - then I just let the rice cooker do all the work! DH gobbles up this qubooli with gusto, but rest assured, I made this for me - it's my day, after all (he just reaps the benefits of being the lucky spouse)! So if it's still a bit chilly where you are these days, cook up some heart-warming qubooli.

Spicy Tomato Chutney

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat up the oil with the cumin and mustard seeds. When they begin to sputter, add in the ginger-garlic paste (cover with a splatter screen!) and saute for a few seconds.

2. Then mix in the tomatoes, salt, chili powder and turmeric. Stir, then cover with a lid and let the tomatoes soften. Cook down till the mixture thickens up and reduces. Done! Serve as a side.

One of the best things I was able to do on Mothers' Day was spend some quality time with Ozzy, who I've been ignoring terribly. Like many older siblings, he went through some issues when baby B came into our lives. And although he is a gem with B, it's me he was angry with! So when I woke up on Mothers' Day to find both DH and B snoring away, I took the chance to snuggle with Ozzy - and boy, have I missed that! The deep purring noises that emanated from him told me that he had missed it too.

My other baby, my Ozzy.

Rhubarb Biscuit Cobbler

Spring hails the coming of rhubarb here in the US Northeast.

Had I even heard about rhubarb before coming to the US? Probably, in a book somewhere. But had I seen it or tasted it. Nope. It actually took me by surprise when I saw it, and it looked like red celery! I remember buying a whole bunch of it the first time, then sitting around scratching my head about what to do with it. Luckily, I had recently discovered the wonderful world of food blogs back then, so after much desperate Google-ing, I figured out how to take this rather odd, funky-smelling thing, and transform it into sweet, gooey desserts of all kinds.

Allow me to present to you one of my favorite ways to eat it ...

Rhubarb Biscuit Cobbler (adapted from Circle B Kitchen's recipe)
Serves 4-6

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
4 stalks fresh rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1/2-1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 tbsp whole milk
1/2 tsp granulated sugar for sprinkling on top

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Put your baking dish (preferably one with high sides) on a baking sheet.

2. Place the chopped rhubarb and strawberries in your baking dish. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water to create a simple syrup, and pour this over the fruit in the baking dish. Bake for 12 minutes.

Weird, giant, mutant strawberry. This is what you get when you don't buy organic, people.

3. In the meantime, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives, till you end up with some roughly pea-sized lumps. Pour in the milk and stir till dough just comes together.

4. Remove baking dish from oven, and drop the batter on top in lumps, breaking it with your fingers. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar, and pop it back in the oven for abut 20-25 mins, till the top is golden brown, and fruit is bubbling. Remove, let cool for 15 mins, then serve with cold whipped cream or ice-cream (if you know me, you know which option I go for every single time).

Verdict: Technically, rhubarb is a vegetable. You wouldn't know it though, when you eat it in this way. Pretty in pink, this one is. The baked fruit is sweet, tart and almost creamy. The biscuit dough is crunchy on top, and tender on the inside. Put 'em together and what have you got? Bippity-boppity-boo! Ooo, a Disney's Cinderella reference - fun! Ergh, no .. what am I saying?! ... my kid is barely 3 month old and I'm already watching cartoons! Okokok, I'm LYING, you got me, I watch cartoons anyway! *sigh*

... Basically, I'm trying to say that I like rhubarb. Especially like this. It's heartwarming and refreshing at the same time. Try it. And forget my cartoon confession.