15:20
A pizza will do the trick
» ‎ A Life (Time) of Cooking

The other day a friend wanted some company to the Farmers Market on Sunday morning. Although I was not in need of anything, it is always a treat to go IF you arrive early. And arrive early we did. What I didn’t realise is that I would be the chief bag carrier, while my friend shopped [...]

12:05
Rice layered with chicken and potatoes & Giveaway still on
» ‎ Daily Musings

Giveaway is still on and goes on till March 19, 2010. Details on the right sidebar. Non-bloggers are welcome too, leave your contact details-email address on the comment. Genetically Modified...

Recent items

2:42
reading list: the hindu, food section
» ‎ Lulu Loves Bombay

photo courtesy : k. ananthan (from website)

i'm a big fan of "the hindu" newspaper. recently i discovered that they have redesigned their website though it is still in the beta version. what i love about the new site is the super clean design, the white space, the large photographs, and the intiutive navigation. most importantly, they have a dedicated food section with quality content uploaded on a regular basis.

last week i read a fascinating article on how we all obsessively hoard recipes and cookbooks. i revisited some childhood memories with the feature on badushah (a fried south indian dessert) from madurai. and i also learnt that sanjeev kapoor has published a new cook book on south indian cooking.

have you check it out? what do you think?

March 13, 2010
23:39
Flora
» ‎ Sreelu's Tasty Travels

(Pic from hiking trip)Happy Saturday everyone, too tired to write. Had a lovely day and visited one of the most beautiful national parks around. It was perfect sunny day in San Jose a day that's to be enjoy outdoors.

21:48
Malai Kofta
» ‎ Kajal

An unusual non-fried version of koftas. Use fresh paneer for best results.
Ingredients for the Koftas:
1 cup paneer
1 tbsp plain flour(maida)
A pinch backing powder
2 green chillies chopped
2 tbsp coriander chopped
Salt to taste

Ingredients for gravy:
100gm fresh tomato pulp
1 cup milk
¼ cup cream
1 tbsp kasuri methi
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
To be ground into a paste:
¼ cup onions chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 green chillies
2 tbsp coriander seeds(dhania)
1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tbsp ginger piece
2 cloves (lung)
1” stick cinnamon (dalchini)
Method for kofta:
Step 1: first of all crumbled the panner if fresh and if you use from freeze then grated it.
Step 2: Mix paneer, baking powder, green chillies, chopped coriander leaves and salt.
Step 3: Mix it very nicely if paneer is cool then just microwave for 7 to 10 second then it mix very nice.
Step 4: Then add plain flour in it and make like dough.
Step 5: Shape it into small round kofta.
Step 6: Take a microwave bowl and add 1 tbsp oil in it.
Step 7: Place all the round shape boll of paneer into greased microwave bowl.
Step 8: Smoothly rub this bowl into oil so its surface is oily.
Step 9: Microwave on high for 1 minutes.
Step 10: When cool open the bowl and check it is cook aur not if all paneer bolls are slightly change the color of off-white or it become hard then its cook nice.
Step 11: Keep aside.Method for the gravy:
Step 1: Ground the all ingredient material.Step 2: Make good paste from it.
Step 3: In another microwave safe bowl, add the oil and the ground paste.
Step 4: Microwave on high for 5 minutes, strring once after 3 minutes.
Step 5: Add tomato ready made pulp and mix it.
Step 6: Microwave on high for another 7 minutes stirring in between fo another 2-2 minutes.
Step 7: Add the milk, and cream.
Step 8: Add kasuri methi and salt in it and mix very well with help of spoon.
Step 9: Microwave on high for 2 more minutes.
How to proceed:
Step 1: just before serving add the koftas to the gravy.
Step 2: Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Serve hot and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

20:52
Appala poo Kozhambu / Papad Curry
» ‎ Spicy Tasty
Bored of having sambar and rasam???… Here is something different for you, Appala poo kozhambu. When I got married my grandmother wrote all her recipes and gave it to me. When I wanted to try something different, this recipe came into my mind. I tried this and it’s now super hit. Everyone who have tasted this liked it a lot. It’s a simple dish and goes well with rice.

Ingredients:
- Appalam Poo : 10 or Plain Appalam (Pappad): 7
- Onion : 1 chopped finely
- Tomato : 1 chopped
- Seasoning vadam/ Vengaya vadagam : 1 tsp (optional)
- Ginger garlic paste : 2 tsp
- Sambar powder : 2 tsp
- Salt : to taste
- Oil : 1 cup
- Coriander leaves : 2 strings
Masala to Grind:
- Coconut-3 tbsp
- Split roasted gram (Dalia)-2 tbsp
- Fennel seeds-2 tsp
Method of Preparation:
1. Fry the papads and break it into 3 or 4 pieces and keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a kadai and add the seasoning vadam.
3. Add the onions and fry them till they become translucent.
4. Add the ginger garlic paste and toss it for 2 minutes.
5. Now add the tomatoes followed by the salt and sambar powder and sautee for few minutes.
6. Pour some water and add the fried papads when it is about to boil.
7. In the meantime grind the masala to paste and add this paste to the mixture.
8. When it starts boiling remove the mixture from heat and garnish with the coriander leaves.
Note:

Add salt a little lesser than usual because the Papad contains some salt in it so after it is soaked it increases the salt.

© arthi for Spicy Tasty, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: gravies, kozhambu, side-dishes

Tags: gravies, kozhambu, side-dishes

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20:00
Bitter Gourd – Almond Stir Fry
» ‎ Essence Of Andhra
This is a delicious stir fry with bitter gourd. The bitterness of the bitter gourd isn’t felt at all!!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Bitter Gourd, cut into circles
- ½ cup Almonds
- 1 tsp Chili Powder (Less/More)
- 1 tbsp Tamarind Pulp, diluted with ¼ cup water (or a Lemon sized Tamarind soaked in water and juice extracted)
- 2 tsp Oil
- A pinch of Turmeric
- Salt
Preparation:

Dry roast almonds and grind into a coarse powder along with chili powder. Keep aside.
In a non-stick pan, heat oil and add bitter gourd pieces. To this add tamarind water (either pulp or juice). Stir well and add turmeric. Mix well, cover and allow cooking for some time until the bitter gourd pieces absorb all the tamarind water and becomes dry.
Later remove cover and add almond powder + salt. Mix well and allow cooking for some more time until the curry becomes soft and cooked. Leave it for some time on the low flame and remove.
This curry goes well with rice.

19:53
ALMOND AND FIG MILK
» ‎ Gita's Kitchen

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This recipe idea is from my husband. Badam (almond) milk is a very popular drink in my region. There are different versions of this drink. Usually the milk will be very thick with all the nuts and cream with a hint of cardamom flavor. I had a craving for this milk today, so I went in for a lighter version of badam milk using fat-free milk and Splenda instead of sugar. As I was blending this, my husband joined in and threw in some dried figs to the milk and hence the name “almond and fig milk”. This was really sweet, kind of a dessert for us after dinner. Here is my low-calorie, fiber-rich badam milk.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Almonds, ¼ cup.

2. Dried figs, ¼ cup.

3. Cardamom seeds, 2.

4. Fat-free milk, 2 cups. (Almond milk or soy milk can also be used here).

5. Sugar or any sweetener of choice, 2 tablespoons.

PREPARATION:

Soak the almonds for 3-4 hours and remove the skin. Crush the cardamom coarsely. Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend everything to a smooth mixture. This can be served as it is. To serve the milk hot, transfer the contents to a pot and cook for a few minutes until it comes to a boil. Once the milk comes to a boil, reduce the flame and let it simmer for a few more minutes and serve.

I am sending this to “Think beyond the usual - fruits” event organized by Nithu Bala

These are my other entries for the event:

Apple rasam

Cranberry rice

Cranbery Rasam

Onion and cranberry chutney

Apricot pachadi
Gita's Kitchen

13:40
Sprouted Moong Pulav
» ‎ Aayi's Recipes

Some of you must be thinking, why am I posting so many rice preparations. My answer is – “that’s what I am cooking these days”. One time cooking for both lunch and dinner is working very well for me. Though both of us can eat out and survive, we don’t prefer to do it frequently. [...]

10:15
Beetroot Carrot Halwa
» ‎ Talimpu

Beetroot Carrot Halwa. Beetroot carrot halwa is prepared by pressure cooking beetroot and carrot in milk till they are soft. The beetroot and carrot mixture is then cooked in sugar till the sugar caramelizes and the mixture comes together. Sliced almonds give the halwa a good crunch while cardamom powder gives it a sweet flavor. Makes: around [...]

10:15
Beetroot Carrot Halwa
» ‎ Talimpu

Beetroot Carrot Halwa. Beetroot carrot halwa is prepared by pressure cooking beetroot and carrot in milk till they are soft. The beetroot and carrot mixture is then cooked in sugar till the sugar caramelizes and the mixture comes together. Sliced almonds give the halwa a good crunch while cardamom powder gives it a sweet flavor. Makes: around [...]

7:45
Double-Shot Mocha Chunks (Cookies) with some Chit Chat
» ‎ Cook's Hideout
Let me start with the Chit chat first: I went missing from this space for quite some time now. Lots of things are happening in life as a result of which not much activity going on in the kitchen. We just bought our first home and the whole process of finding a house, loan approval & closing was extremely stress-inducing (even though my husband being a worrier took care of everything, including the stress, I still had to deal with a little bit of it myself) and time consuming. We are really excited about moving into our OWN home and decorating it to our liking, but we are also a little bit nervous on how everything will turn out.
I have yet to start packing the kitchen (which I’m dreading already) and whole of S#%^@*$ that we accumulated through the years. I’m trying to go through things before packing, so I don’t end up with garbage in the new house; sort of starting our Spring cleaning a little early (FYI.. spring officially begins March 20^th.)
We had a small Gruha Pravesam (House blessing/ warming) ceremony with family and friends past weekend. We were lucky to find a Hindu priest who speaks telugu and the whole ceremony went extremely well. I was planning to cook the lunch, but ended up catering from a vegetarian restaurant called Sapthagiri in Jersey City. Everybody loved the food, I should have taken pictures but we were so busy with the guests that by the time I realized we had no pictures of food; most of the food was already gone.

Coming to the next topic of my post: Review of Jewelry & a Thank you.
Few weeks ago Sarah from Lushae Jewelry contacted me and asked me if I can try her jewelry and review it on my blog. I said YES and ordered this beautiful Floral Cocktail ring that matches with Amethyst studs & pendant that my mom bought me years ago. The ring looks absolutely amazing. The different size & slightly different color amethyst stones work extremely well together. I’ve got many complements on the ring already. Thanks Sarah for giving me the opportunity to try your gorgeous jewelry.

Few weeks back when Nupur (@ One hot stove) showed us her cute sleeve that she knitted to hold her plastic bags, I commented on her post that my drawer is also filled with plastic bags and I need to find a solution like her’s. I was so surprised when she offered to knit me a plastic bag holder and within a week I received this beautifully knitted plastic bag holder which is currently holding all my bags and has created ton of space in the drawer. Thank you so much Nupur.. You are the best.

That's my son's hand sneaking in fron the corner to pull out something from the drawer. :-)

Finally coming to the Mocha chocolate chip cookies, recipe courtesy King Arthur flour catalog. They didn’t spread as much as I expected them to (or as much as shown in the picture), but they tasted awesome-very chocolaty with a slight hint of coffee-not too sweet but just perfect. I used ghee for half the butter since I ran out of butter and the cookies had a slightly softer texture than crunchy.
Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup (I used 1/4cup butter + 1/4cup desi ghee)
Brown Sugar - 1 cup
Baking powder - 3/4tsp
Espresso powder - 1tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Eggs - 2
Vanilla extract - 2tsp
Dutch-process Cocoa powder - 2/3 cup
White Whole wheat flour or Unbleached All-purpose flour - 1 3/4 cup
Semi sweet chocolate chips - 1 cup
Chocolate chunks - 1 cup (I used a mix of white & dark chocolate)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350F.Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter (&ghee), sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
- Add eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth.
- Stir in the cocoa powder, then the flour; the dough will be stiff. Mix in the chocolate chunks & chips.
- Drop the cookies by tablespoonfuls (about 1.5" balls) onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1.5" between them.
- Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.

1:49
Paneer Bhurji
» ‎ Sreelu's Tasty Travels

Paneer Bhurji

Yay !! it's Friday and I am looking forward to weekend like always :) Have few fun things planned hopefully rain will not ruin it for us. Planning to watch Food 101, watched bits and part of it, seems like in your face kind of movie about food we eat especially in US, one thing that caught my attention right away is the emphasis in knowing where your food comes from, quality vs. quantity. Will update once I get to watch the movie without interruption and in whole.

Today's recipe is one of the most common recipe, more so in northern India I presume.As with any Indian recipe, this can be customized and tailored to ones preference of spices and flavor. So here goes my version.

Ingredients
1 Pack of Paneer (14 oz) cubed in about 1 inch
2 tomatoes cubes
1 red onion
1-2 tbsp ginger garlic paste (optional)
1 tbsp Kasoori Methi
1 tbsp Garam masala
1 tbsp dhania powder
1/2 tbsp amchur
1/2 tbsp chat powder (optional)
1/2 tbsp haldi/tumeric
1 tbsp red chili powder
1 tbsp ketchup (add if you like your sabji to have sweet flavor)
Salt according to taste
1-2 tbsp of oil

Process
1.Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan, when hot add ginger garlic paste, kasoori methi,garam masala, dhania powder,haldi and mix well for few seconds.
2. Add chopped onions and saute for about a minute or two till onions turn golden and translucent.

3. Add chopped tomatoes and remaining ingredients.
4. Add cubed paneer and salt and mix well.
5. With a hand masher, mash paneer into small pieces being caution of not making a mush.
6. Add ketchup and about 1/4 glass of water, check for salt and cook covered for about 4-5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander and serve.
Works well with roti's,naan and chapathis.
Happy weekend everyone !!!

0:05
How to make Sprouts?
» ‎ S A R A' S C O R N E R

Sprouts can be prepared from any pulse/legume. Its very healthy if consumed raw without cooking. I prepare sundal with this. Its good to reduce weight and cholestrol.Heres the simple steps to make the pulses/legumes sprout.Take 1 cup of green gram or as required.Soak it in water till its nicely soft.Its looking soft.Then remove water and cover it with a lid or put in an air tight container.Leave

March 12, 2010
21:48
Rapid Light Wholemeal Loaf - Sara Lewis
» ‎ Peppermill

There's nothing better in my opinion, than a well made sandwich, to satisfy one's hunger - be it for breakfast or as a snack or even for lunch. The bread should be fresh and the fillings juicy - that's all that one needs! I especially love the toasted sandwich - no, not the grilled sandwich - the one you toast on those metal sandwich toasters over the gas flame.

Having grown up in Mumbai, I simply love those fresh sandwiches the streetside vendors make - white bread (yeah, yeah I hear ya), a choice of plain butter or Amul butter, mint chutney and then the fillings - onions rings, slices of boiled potaotes and beet, raw tomatoes - a sprinkle of salt and pepper, quick cutting into 8 square towers you had to struggle to fit into your mouth - Heaven! We practically lived on Subhash's Rs.5 sandwiches when we were in college - it was so cheap and filling.

Some guys also had toasted sandwiches - while we used to make them regularly at home (probably the first thing I "cooked" in the kitchen) I had them outside only when I was doing my CA - the guy opposite Eros theatre in Churchgate was very good but I'm sure everyone has their favourite one.
I still love to have toasted sandwiches for breakfast - tomato, boiled potatoes or even eggs, coriander mint chutney, half a cheese slice - perfect start to the day. Haven't had a nice sandwich outside for a very long time - the apologies which pass for sandwiches in places like Coffee Day should be banned. Sitting in the display rack for ages, filled with some truly shocking stuff (once I got a sandwich with grated carrots and mayonnaise!) they are not worth half the money being charged.

Its been a long time since I baked bread - pizza base is what I have been experimenting with for some time. The cold temps till now also didn't help - now that the weather is turning, I thought it would be a good time to have a home made loaf of bread.

Picked a recipe from Sara Lewis's The Bread Book - it has half whole wheat and half white flour and I thought it would be a good halfway bread to have. It turned out well, even though I had to up the flour quantity since, by mistake, I poured all the water into the flour originally measured out. The bread had a nice crumb and was soft with a great crust - it was also soo easy to make. I definitely recommend this for someone who is trying to bake wholemeal bread for the first time.

Rapid Light Wholemeal Loaf - Adapted from Sara Lewis's The Bread Book

2 1/4 cups wholewheat flour
1 3/4 cups strong white flour
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp active dried yeast
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup warm water

1. Heat the water till just hot and dissolve the sugar in it, wait for it to cool till just warm (shouldnt be cold or hot) and dissolve the yeast in it. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the two flours, salt, oil - pour in the yeast mixture a little at a time and knead well for about 10 minutes till the dough comes together - smooth but not sticky.
3. Grease a loaf tin and put the dough into it. cover loosely with a lightly oiled cling film and leave in a warm place to rise - about an hour or till the dough reaches just above the top of the tin.
4. Slash with a sharp knife - the bread cooks well and looks good too.
5. Pre heat oven to 200c, remove the clingfilm and bake for 25-30 minutes - when tapped the loaf should sound hollow and the bread will be browned on top. The book recommends checking after 15 minutes and to cover with foil if it is overbrowning.
6. Loosen bread from the sides of the tin, transfer to wire rack and cool.

We had this for breakfast the next day - sauteed sausages, tomatoes, lettuce, vegetable patties, mint chutney, cheese, mustard - we mixed and matched. Whats your favourite way to have a sandwich?
21:48
Rapid Light Wholemeal Loaf - Sara Lewis
» ‎ Peppermill

There's nothing better in my opinion, than a well made sandwich, to satisfy one's hunger - be it for breakfast or as a snack or even for lunch. The bread should be fresh and the fillings juicy - that's all that one needs! Having grown up in Mumbai, I simply love those fresh sandwiches the streetside vendors make - white bread (yeah, yeah I hear ya), a choice of plain butter or Amul butter, mint chutney and then the fillings - onions rings, slices of boiled potaotes and beet, raw tomatoes - a sprinkle of salt and pepper, quick cutting into 8 square towers you had to struggle to fit into your mouth - Heaven! We practically lived on Subhash's Rs.5 sandwiches when we were in college - it was so cheap and filling.

Some guys also had toasted sandwiches - while we used to make them regularly at home (probably the first thing I "cooked" in the kitchen) I had them outside only when I was doing my CA - the guy opposite Eros theatre in Churchgate was very good but I'm sure everyone has their favourite one. I still love to have toasted sandwiches for breakfast - tomato, boiled potatoes or even eggs, coriander mint chutney, half a cheese slice - perfect start to the day. Haven't had a nice sandwich outside for a very long time - the apologies which pass for sandwiches in places like Coffee Day should be banned. Sitting in the display rack for ages, filled with some truly shocking stuff (once I got a sandwich with grated carrots and mayonnaise!) they are not worth half the money being charged.

Its been a long time since I baked bread - pizza base is what I have been experimenting with for some time. The cold temps till now also didn't help - now that the weather is turning, I thought it would be a good time to have a home made loaf of bread.

Picked a recipe from Sara Lewis's The Bread Book - it has half whole wheat and half white flour and I thought it would be a good halfway bread to have. It turned out well, even though I had to up the flour quantity since, by mistake, I poured all the water into the flour originally measured out. The bread had a nice crumb and was soft with a great crust - it was also soo easy to make. I definitely recommend this for someone who is trying to bake wholemeal bread for the first time.

Rapid Light Wholemeal Loaf - Adapted from Sara Lewis's The Bread Book

2 1/4 cups wholewheat flour
1 3/4 cups strong white flour
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp active dried yeast
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup warm water

1. Heat the water till just hot and dissolve the sugar in it, wait for it to cool till just warm (shouldnt be cold or hot) and dissolve the yeast in it. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the two flours, salt, oil - pour in the yeast mixture a little at a time and knead well for about 10 minutes till the dough comes together - smooth but not sticky.
3. Grease a loaf tin and put the dough into it. cover loosely with a lightly oiled cling film and leave in a warm place to rise - about an hour or till the dough reaches just above the top of the tin.
4. Slash with a sharp knife - the bread cooks well and looks good too.
5. Pre heat oven to 200c, remove the clingfilm and bake for 25-30 minutes - when tapped the loaf should sound hollow and the bread will be browned on top. The book recommends checking after 15 minutes and to cover with foil if it is overbrowning.
6. Loosen bread from the sides of the tin, transfer to wire rack and cool.

We had this for breakfast the next day - sauteed sausages, tomatoes, lettuce, vegetable patties, mint chutney, cheese, mustard - we mixed and matched. Whats your favourite way to have a sandwich?

I especially love the toasted sandwich - no, not the grilled sandwich - the one you toast on those metal sandwich toasters over the gas flame.

14:59
Beijinho ('Little Kiss' in Portuguese) (Sweet from Brazil)
» ‎ Welcome to my kitchen treats
The town close to us (Framingham) has a lot of Brazilian residents and the down town has quiet a lot of Brazilian shops. Both V and myself love to try various cuisines. Though we have been staying here for a while, we never thought about visiting the Brazilian restaurants here. It was late last year that we got the idea to visit one of these restaurants when we had started on our weekend venture to try a different cuisine. It was an unforgettable experience when we visited this restaurant called Terra Brasilis (which is become our go-to restaurant when we are not-sooo-hungry but hungry enough to feel like eating out ;-) ...that's the exact way we describe it to our friends here whenever we talk about this restaurant. There is a reason behind it :) . And that's what made it an unforgettable experience the first time.

We entered the restaurant and the manager/employee told us that we could sit anywhere, there wasn't anybody else eating there at the time we went. We let him know that this was our first time eating at a Brazilian restaurant (thank god we did that...because....that's when this gets interesting)... The food was like a buffet, and we went to the meat section which was a grill section serving different types of grilled meats. Since I had the option for just chicken sausage, I took that while V was piling up with his favourites, then something unusual happened , they told us that we need to weigh our plates before returning to our table. The plates were weighed and a receipt was given about the amount charged for the meat served. Instead of returning to our tables, we then moved towards the rest of the buffet section , after all just eating meat was not our idea of a buffet. Like at any other restaurant buffet we went to, we piled up our plates with a lot of food from the rest of the buffet section that had various foods , some looked familiar, while others were typical Brazilian food. I was glad to pile up the plate thinking, yay ..so we need to pay just for the meat and rest of it is all-you-can-eat....while V thought, maybe we need to pay a standard buffet rate at the end.

What both of us didn't realize until we saw more people coming into the restaurant, started taking food from the usual buffet side and moving towards the grilled meat section and weighing the total plate ! When we finished our first course of food and wanted to go for a second helping (as is normally done at the buffets we have been to in the past), we realized we didn't weigh our plates completely the first time for the food we ate. Realizing our mistake, we felt embarrassed and we apologized to the manager who realized what happened (remember we told him this was our first time !) was amused and cheerfully told us not to worry as this was our first time, it was a funny as well as embarrassing moment for us ...We then did the right thing for our second helping ,(didn't pile up our plates though ;-) .....that's why we call it 'the to-go restaurant for the not-sooo hungry , but hungry to feel like eating out' days ;-) ...you pay for exactly how much you eat ! The food was really good and we became their loyal customers from then on :) We left the the restaurant that day with a discount coupon which we got from the manager that we still use when we go there every month.

It was at this restaurant that we tried this Brazilian sweet made of condensed milk , and shredded coconut coated with powdered sugar and unsweetened powdered coconut. We relished it so much that I wanted to re-create it in my kitchen. Upon researching on internet, I found this was the simplest sweet that could be made by even children (with adult supervision of course) !

It looked and tasted exactly the same way as in the restaurant and is my husband's favorite as its a coconut based sweet.

Ingredients:

Sweetened Condensed milk : 1 can

Sweetened coconut flakes or Shredded coconut : 3/4 cup

1 tablespoon butter

Dry unsweetened coconut : for coating each ball of the sweet
Granulated sugar : for coating each ball of sweet

Method:
- On medium heat, combine Sweetenend Condensed milk and butter in a deep bottom vessel.
- Stir until the mixture starts reducing and leaves the sides of the vessel while stirring.
- Take off the heat and add Sweetened coconut and stir until well combined.
- Transfer to a bowl, let it cool. Keep it in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Then take out and the mixture should have hardened. Now using a spoon or melon scoop, form even size balls, and coat each ball with a combination of unsweetened coconut and granulated sugar. Arrange it on a plate.
- As a serving suggestion , you may insert a clove on the top of each ball (that's how it was served in that restaurant :) ...just remember to take out the clove before eating the sweet.
- Cool it in the refrigerator for few more hours for the coating to harden a bit. Beijinhos taste better the next day when a slight flavour of the cloves penetrate the sweets. .....Love this sweet and will make again :)
Note:
The left-over cloves can be used as a spice while making tea ;-)

13:44
Easy Pasta with Arugula & Walnut Pesto
» ‎ Fun and Food

There's something about Pasta that makes it a favorite weeknight dinner - Yes, the ease to prepare it, and the vast variety of sauces that one can conjure to make any Pasta recipe a different-than-last-time one. Not to mention that its a hit with kids and parents alike! But what I like about it is the fact that I can easily sneak in some healthy ingredients into the sauce or the recipe, without getting strange looks from those at the table! Like this one, which uses Arugula & Walnut Pesto to...

Please Click the Title for the Full Post

13:21
Masala Upma
» ‎ Zaiqa

This quick and simple preparation and a comforting one-dish meal is wholesome and perfect for a satisfying breakfast, brunch or a yummy snack and easy to take delight in. So when I returned home today tired and exhausted after a trip to the grocery mart and the Jumah salah, I thought of whipped up this [...]

11:02
Cabbage Paratha
» ‎ Talimpu

Cabbage Paratha. For cabbage paratha, grated cabbage is cooked along with green chiles and ginger in tempered oil till the cabbage is soft and dry. The cooked cabbage is then stuffed into wheat dough and rolled out into thick parathas. The cabbage paratha is cooked on flat pan until its golden brown on both sides. Makes: around [...]

11:02
Cabbage Paratha
» ‎ Talimpu

Cabbage Paratha. For cabbage paratha, grated cabbage is cooked along with green chiles and ginger in tempered oil till the cabbage is soft and dry. The cooked cabbage is then stuffed into wheat dough and rolled out into thick parathas. The cabbage paratha is cooked on flat pan until its golden brown on both sides. Makes: around [...]

8:48
Ugadi ~ Festival Recipes
» ‎ Sailus Food

Ugadi, Telugu New Year, is on 16th March, 2010. I have complied few festival recipes that can be prepared for Ugadi, to make it convenient for my dear readers. Hope you enjoy preparing the recipes and relish the festive treats with family and friends.

Ugadi Pachadi

Paramannam, Bobbatu, Badam Halwa

Atukulu Payasam ~ Rice flakes Kheer

Bellam Garelu ~ Jaggery Vadas

Boorelu

Chandrakantalu

Semiya Payasam

Kajjikayalu

Kobbari Burfi

Halwa Boorelu, Gavalu, Besan Laddu

Sorakaya Payasam ~ Bottle Gourd Kheer

Pesarapappu Payasam ~ Moong dal Kheer

Jantikalu

Ribbon Murukku

Pappu Chekkalu

Pulihora

Nimmakaya Annam ~ Lemon Rice

Rava Pulihora

Mamidikaya Pulihora ~ Raw Mango Rice

Ugadi Bhojanam ~ Festival Thali

Talimpu Senagalu
~ Seasoned Black Chickpeas

Aratikaya Bajji ~
Raw Plantain Fritters

Ulli Garelu ~ Onion Vadas

Mamidikaya Pappu ~ Raw Mango Dal

Mudda Pappu ~ Cooked tur dal

Pappu Pulusu

Mukkala Pulusu

Vankaya Batani ~ Brinjal Peas

Potato Fry

Gutti Vankaya Kura ~ Stuffed Brinjal

Kobbari Mamidikaya Pachadi

Carrot Coriander leaves Pachadi
addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sailusfood.com%2F2010%2F03%2F12%2Fugadi-festival-recipes%2F'; addthis_title = 'Ugadi+%7E+Festival+Recipes'; addthis_pub = 'sailajag';

6:50
BROWN RICE KUSKA
» ‎ Gita's Kitchen

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Kuska is a type of plain briyani without veggies or meat. The rice is usually cooked in cooked in chicken broth along with the spices and served with a spicy side dish. There are different versions of kuska like adding coconut milk or yogurt. Preparing kuska with brown rice was a little bit challenging. When I tried this for the first time with my usual method of making briyani, the rice took a long time to cook and I was not satisfied with the overall taste. This time, I let the rice cook in the broth and then added it the briyani masalas and baked everything for sometime. This way the rice absorbed all the briyani flavors and tasted really great. Actually I got a double thumbs-up from my hubby for this kuska. I also made Vellore brinjal serwa for the first time and this has changed my husband into a brinjal convert. This is the first time he loved any brinjal dish, so I think I’ll be getting more requests for this combo from now on :) The brinjal serwa can be found at Malar or at or Viki .

INGREDIENTS:

1. Brown basmati rice, 1 cup.

2. Onions, medium-size, 3.

4. Tomatoes 2.

5. Green chilies, 1-2.

6. Ginger-garlic paste, 1 tablespoon.

7. Chili powder, 1 teaspoon.

8. Chopped mint leaves, ½ cup.

9. Curry leaves and cilantro for garnishing.

10. Cinnamon, 1 small stick.

11. Bay leaf, large, 1.

12. Cloves, 2.

13. Star anise, 1.

14. Cardamom, 2 pods.

15. Fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon.

16. Briyani masala powder, 1 teaspoon.

17. Chicken broth or vegetable broth for cooking the rice, 1 cup mixed with 1 cup of water. The broth can be store bought or homemade, even fat-free versions are available in the groceries.

18. Yogurt,1 tablespoon.

19. Salt as per taste.
20. Cashews, 1 tablespoon.

PREPARATION:

Wash the rice well and soak it for 30 minutes and cook the rice in the chicken or vegetable broth until the grains are fluffy. The rice can be cooked either in pressure cooker or microwave. If pressure cooker is used for cooking, cook the rice just up to 3 whistles. Let the rice cool. Meanwhile dice the onions and tomatoes finely. Heat a thick bottomed pan, with 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil turns hot, add all the spices and cashews and let them fry for a minute. Then add the chopped onions and curry leaves and sauté them for a few minutes until the onions turn brown. Now add the chopped tomatoes, slit green chilies, ginger-garlic paste and keep sautéing until everything is blended. Add the chili powder, briyani masala, yogurt, and salt and let it cook for a few more minutes. When the mixture is well blended and good smell starts coming from the mixture, add the cooked brown rice, chopped mint and cilantro leaves, mix everything and lower the flame. Cook closed for 15 minutes under low flame and switch off the stove. Another method is at this stage, the contents can also be transferred to a baking dish and closed with an aluminum foil as tightly as possible and cooked in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve hot kuska with raita and any spicy vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes and enjoy.

Gita's Kitchen

6:26
Presto Pasta Nights - 155
» ‎ Served with love

Spaghetti looks a lot like string
Bow-tie is my favourite thing

Rigatoni is quite round
How does penne pasta sound?

The sauce on top is often red
You can try some cheese instead

Garlic butter tastes quite nice
And then there’s always salsa spice

Macaroni and alphabet soup
Fit into a spoon’s small scoop

Other noodles must be twirled
By people all around the world

On forks, chopsticks and fingers, too
(Unless you cut them up in two)

All sorts of pasta shapes are fun
Try them all until you are done

(courtesy my daughter, who got this rhyme in school!)
Yes, you got it! I am this week's host for Presto Pasta Nights - 155.

All you have to do - just bring them out - pastas or noodles and dress them up any way you want to: soups, starters, main course or even dessert! Go classic Italian or draw inspiration from any other cuisine. Need more details? Just hop here .

Then, post your creation in your blog (your post must include the link to the Presto Pasta Nights website and to the PNN #155 announcement - that would be this post) and mail it to me at: aquadaze(AT)rediffmail(DOT)com

Do mark a copy to Ruth at: ruth(AT)4everykitchen(DOT)com

Include the following details in your e-mail:

Your name
Your blog name and URL
Name of your submission and URL of your post
A photo

Don't have a blog, but have a super recipe that you want to share? Just mail me the recipe and the picture!

PPN #155 runs between March 12th - March 18th. Check back on the 19th for the round-up.
Looking forward to your delicious entries!

3:05
Fruit ‘N Cracker Shake
» ‎ Essence Of Andhra
Presenting another way to use up excess crackers/cookies!! Again I used Ritz salt crackers for the shake. The milkshake turned out so good and everyone liked it so much. And it’s sugar-free!!
Here are some other crazy but yummy varieties I tried with these crackers:
- Pakodas with Salt Crackers
- Variety Bajjis
Ingredients: (For 4 persons)
- 10 Salt Crackers
- 2 ripe Bananas
- 1 small Apple, peeled and cubed
- 2 cups Milk
Preparation:
Just add all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Filter to remove the pulp, pour into individual glasses and enjoy!!

1:17
Chocolate Cupcake
» ‎ Marias Menu
I’m sure you know Divya. You cant miss all the beautiful cakes that she is baking these days. However I don’t think many of you know the fact that we were batch mates in college :). Yes, we were batch mates for 5 years. But I guess we’ve talked more in the past 1 or 2 years, mainly through our comments on each others’ blog, rather than those 5 years. Sometimes when you look at it, life is so strange right? 7-8 years back if you asked me about cooking, I would be staring at you as if you were an alien. And if you asked me about blogging, I would pretend I didn’t hear you because I didn’t even know what that meant. Leave alone blogging I didn’t even know about the existence of Google! Ya now you are staring at me as if am an alien ;)

Honestly speaking, I’m generally scared of all technology stuff. Am very bad at it. So to hide my ignorance and fear about handling new technology, I decided to protest against it :) Ok, now that’s one honest thing about me. Miriam gave me an honest badge and tagged me to write 10 honest things about myself. I usually write only honest stuff here, I don’t lie to you, so nothing new to write about ;) Thanks Miriam, appreciate it a lot. Thanks again for all the sweet things you’ve written about me :)

Ok, now back to Divya, these days we talk at least once in a week or so. It’s all because of food & blogging. Divs blog is celebrating second birthday and she has an event for the same, “The best chocolate cake event”. I thought I should participate in this, after all she is my batch mate and a fellow Theresian right :)? Also I liked the book she is giving away as a present. Divs, don’t worry abut shipping to Bahrain, you can send it to my Cochin address ;) Once again wishing your blog many more wonderful birthday’s! All the best dear! Divs, hope you like this.

The cupcake recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook and the icing recipe is Hershey’s “perfectly chocolate” chocolate icing. Like all other cake recipes here, this too is an easy one. This is a one-bowl chocolate cupcake recipe. Put together all the ingredients, mix it and the batter is ready. Sounds easy right? These are pretty moist & not too sweet, even with the icing. I also gave this cupcakes to one of our friends, when we visited them and they enjoyed it very much :). Hope you too will like it.

Here is the recipe:

For the cupcake
1. Plain flour (maida)- 2 1/2 cups
  Dutch-process cocoa powder – 1 1/4 cups (refer notes)
  Baking soda – 2 1/2 tsp
  Baking powder – 1 1/4 tsp
  Salt – 1 1/4 tsp
2. Sugar – 2 1/2 cups
3. Eggs – 2 whole + 1 egg yolk
  Milk – 1 1/4 cups
  Oil – 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (I used sunflower oil)
  Vanilla essence – 1 1/4 tsp
  Warm water – 1 1/4 cups
Preheat oven to 175 C, 10 minutes before baking. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper cups. Into the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together number 1 ingredients. Add sugar to that and give it a stir. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; add the number 3 ingredients. Beat on low speed until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven, until a skewer inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, around 20-25 mins. Let them cool completely before frosting.

Icing recipe
1. Butter – 1/2 cup
  Icing sugar – 3 cups
  Cocoa powder – 2/3 cup
  Milk – 1/3 cup
  Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. This qty gives about 2 cups icing.

Notes: I only made half of the cupcake & icing qty mentioned above. I got 15 cupcakes. I used Hershey’s cocoa powder for both the cake & icing. It was the regular cocoa powder & not dutch processed. You can also mix the batter using a hand blender. I poured around 3 tbsp batter in each muffin case. My cupcakes were ready in 20 mins. You can store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also make this as a layered cake or sheet cake.

For a layered cake, use two 8 inch round cake pans and bake for about 40-45 mins. (as given in the Martha Stewart’s Baking handbook)

For a sheet cake, use 13-by-9 inch pan and bake for 45-50 mins. (as given in the Martha Stewart’s Baking handbook)

Check out other cupcake recipes:

Did you like this? Visit MariasMenu for more tasty, delicious and simple recipes! You can subscribe by email to stay updated. Still Hungry? Drop by…

March 11, 2010
21:38
Calling it a night
» ‎ Sreelu's Tasty Travels

(Lavender blooming in my backyard)Well its been ages since I went to bed by 9.00, plan to hit the sack early today, had quite an stressful day and glad it ended with a beautiful dinner with family.
Counting all my blessing and good night all.
Love,Sreelu

15:35
Boondhi Laddu - Gram Flour Laddu
» ‎ Spicy Tasty
Laddu is an Indian sweet which is often prepared during festivals or any special occasions at home. You can also see Laddu at many temples kept as prasadham. There are different types of laddu such as Rava Laddu, Ragi laddu, Boondhi laddu, etc. I have given you the recipe for Boondhi Laddu. Here you go…

Ingredients:
- Besan/Gram flour - 1 cup
- Sugar - 2 cups
- Milk - 100 ml
- Cardamom - 3 numbers
- Whole Cashew nut - 5 numbers
- Raisins - 10 numbers
- Yellow food color
- Oil for frying
- Clarified butter - 1 tsp
Method of Preparation:
1. Heat a deep bottomed pan or kadai, add 2 cups of sugar and a little water till the sugar gets wet completely.
2. Once the sugar melts completely, add the milk.
3. Milk helps to get rid off any dirt in sugar. Skim the dirt off the syrup.
4. When the syrup starts thickening, take a few drops in your fore finger and check the texture with your thumb.
5. It should be sticky that you should be able to see strings (we call it “kambi padham” in tamil) between your fingers.
6. Now the syrup is ready. Remove from heat.
7. Add a pinch of lemon yellow color for the laddu to be in yellow colour.
8. Take a tsp of clarified butter in a small pan and add broken cashew nuts and raisins and fry till cashew becomes golden brown in color. Keep it aside.
9. Take besan or gram flour in a bowl and add water and mix it well till you get a free flowing batter like dosa batter.
10. In India we get a separate ladle for making boondhi. If you don’t have one you can use the steel skimming laddle which has the small holes perfect for making boondis.
11. Now heat oil in a deep bottomed pan or kadai.
12. Oil should be hot enough that as soon as you drop a drop of batter, it should come up with bubbles.
13. When oil is ready, keep the boondhi ladle or the steel skimming ladle above oil and pour a cup or required amount of batter in it.
14. Do not pour so much of batter because it needs space to get fried properly in oil.
15. You can see small beads of gram flour in oil with bubbles. This is called Boondhi.
16. Once the bubbles goes off, check the boondhi for its texture. It has to be soft and cooked.
17. Remove it using another skimming ladle before it becomes deep fried.
18. Strain the excess oil using a paper towel and put it immediately in the sugar syrup. It absorbs syrup only when the boondhi is hot.
19. Repeat the same procedure with the rest of the batter.
20. Every time mix the boondhi with the syrup well before dropping the next set of boondhis.
21. There should be no excess syrup in the mixture so that you will be able to make balls in good shape.
22. Finally add the powdered cardamom and fried cashews and raisins and mix well with the boondhi.
23. It will be a semi hard mixture.
24. Take a little amount of mixture and make boondhi balls out of it.
25. You need practice on this one. If you feel it is tough, you can make square shape laddu with the square cookie cutter.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

© Nithu for Spicy Tasty, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: sweets

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14:53
The Colors of Holi
» ‎ Anna Parabrahma

Maushi Yesavchi distey! The Padar/ pallu is big so I think this aunty is from Vesave, each koliwada has its own style of wrapping the padar. We call it OTi in Koli.
Finger in mouth and am whistling~~~ Awesome! I love my koli women!!!
I miss all these spontaneous performances of the bold Koli women you get to see at Holi in the various Koliwadas in Mumbai. I want to to post it here for all to see how spunky Koli women can be. She can sells fish in the bazar, run her family's fishing business, cook the festive meals and then enjoy herself at the Holi venue. What are filmstars in front of them. I miss this a lot. It brought back memories of my father's cousin, his wife and his son who loved entertaining people. Atmaram Kaka and Kaki RIP and Suresh Dada I miss your fun. I miss all the fun at Colaba koliwada, the holi, the Khandoba chi Palkhi. All of it!!
If ever my Dad reads this he will hide himself. He disowned his people for all this fun!!! Can you believe it. He used to let me go to Colaba for Holi warning me not to be part of the TAMASHA. I was not allowed to dance on the streets with my people but he never objected me going to a pub!!! Its a different thing I never danced there too coz I never picked the skills from where I had to.
I love this. I miss it to the point I feel homesick when I see the celebrations on TV. Then such videos bring back the laughter in life.

Dedicated to all my blogger friends with roots in Mumbai, Bee, Manisha, Nandita, Nupur, Sonia. Saee, is lucky to be in Mumbai.

All material on this blog is Copyright © 2006, 2007 to Anna Parabrahma

12:55
A no-machine Coffee Ice Cream and Ice Cream Basics
» ‎ jugalbandi

We found these pics in our archives from 2007, along with a sketchy recipe. We're not really sure why we didn't post it before (crappy pics?), but better late than never. Coffee ice cream is hands down our favourite flavour and we're sure this was delish.

12:47
Sundried Tomatoes in Olive oil.
» ‎ My Kitchen Treasures

Sundried Tomatoes in Olive oil.

10:44
Besan Dosa
» ‎ Talimpu

Senagapindi Dosa. Besan dosa is one of the instant dosa’s prepared with gram flour and rice flour. Equal quantities of besan and rice flour is mixed with other spices into thin batter. A big ladle full of batter is poured on the hot flat pan in circular motions to form the dosa. The besan dosa [...]

10:44
Besan Dosa
» ‎ Talimpu

Senagapindi Dosa. Besan dosa is one of the instant dosa’s prepared with gram flour and rice flour. Equal quantities of besan and rice flour is mixed with other spices into thin batter. A big ladle full of batter is poured on the hot flat pan in circular motions to form the dosa. The besan dosa [...]

7:19
Giveaway - Tweet or Blog to increase your chances
» ‎ Daily Musings

If you tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave your comment, you will be entered more than once. Details in the 'A tomato question and Giveaway' post.

5:01
Vegetable and pasta soup
» ‎ Creative saga...

Before we go to the recipe , I wanted to tell you all about the lovely weekend we had. We had been to the Singapore's Peranakan museum where they were exhibiting a special section on Ramayan. We got...

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4:16
Papdi (Papri) Chaat
» ‎ Sailus Food

Papdi Chaat
Indians love their favorite chaat wala and spend many a evening eating their favorite masala puri or pani puri, relishing its magical, addictive flavors like there’s no tomorrow. And why not? Its comforting food that warms the palate, delicious and economical on the wallet.
Rolled out Papdi ~ Papdi
In the realm of chaat recipes, Papdi Chaat, is a favorite. The green and sweet chutney drizzled on a bed of papdi, lends a sweet, tangy and savory note, further fortified with beaten yogurt and finished with chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and sev, adding crunch to the hearty chaat. A crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe that is quick to fix provided you have done some preparation work ahead. Wow your guests by artfully arranging the papdi with zesty toppings and vibrant garnishes for an impressive beginning to a dinner.
Papdi Recipe
Prep: 20 mts, Sitting time: 15 mts, Cooking time: 20 mts
Serves 10-12 persons
Cuisine: Indian
Source: Recipe files
.
Ingredients:
1 cup maida/all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kalonji/onion seeds (optional)
1 tbsp oil or ghee
salt to taste
water for kneading
oil for deep frying
1 Take a wide plate and add the maida, oil, kalonji and salt and combine. Slowly add water and make a smooth dough. Leave aside covered with damp cloth for 15 mts.
2 Knead the dough again for a mt. Pinch off some dough and make very small balls. Roll out small thin rotis. Make deep dents in the roti using a fork or knife.
3 Heat enough oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel. It should be on medium high and once its hot, slide the roti into the hot oil and allow to cook. Flip over and fry the other side till light golden brown. Don’t fry too much as it will turns too dark. Remove on to absorbent paper.
4 Cool and store in an air tight container and use when required.
Note: Ensure the oil is hot enough before frying the papdi. If the oil is not hot enough, the papdi will absorb a lot of oil. Alternately, you can roll out a big sized roti and cut it into diamonds as shown in the image above.
Papri Chaat
How to make Papdi Chaat
Take a wide serving plate. Place 4-5 papdis, layer each papdi with chopped or mashed boiled potato and boiled chickpeas. Next spoon green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney. Spoon sweetened curd/dahi. Sprinkle some chopped onion. Finally finish off with sev and coriander leaves. Serve immediately.
Green (Hari) Chutney Recipe
Sweet (Meeta) Chutney Recipe
Sev Recipe
addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sailusfood.com%2F2010%2F03%2F11%2Fpapdi-papri-chaat-recipe%2F'; addthis_title = 'Papdi+%28Papri%29+Chaat'; addthis_pub = 'sailajag';

3:14
Sweet Malpua -- sugar uninterrupted
» ‎ Bong Mom's CookBook

Sweet, soft, layers off goodness. That is what Malpuas are.I finally gave in and made Malpuas this past weekend. How could I let a festival pass by without the food ? And how could just a condensed Milk Cake compensate for "syrup dribbling down your elbows" sweets. Don't you get a kick of licking sugary syrup dribbling down your elbows ? You don't ? Ok I understand, it does get messy and tricky

March 10, 2010
22:50
MUSHROOM PAKORAS
» ‎ IN LOVE WITH FOOD
As the first Dahlia blooms in my garden I know Spring has finally arrived, the days are lovely sunny and warm and my soul which had been hibernating in the cold Winter's has now put forth fresh new leaves like the grape vine in my backyard, and I feel a new life has been infused into me.
Today at the farmer's market we came across some very fresh mushrooms and instantly I knew I had to buy them for my husband's absolute favorite- Mushroom pakoras, for Vegetarian's they pack a surprise since they taste almost like fish pakoras and are really irresistible.
The recipe is an old favorite and the blend of mushrooms with garlic and a light sprinkling of ajwain gives these pakoras a gorgeous flavor and taste.
Try these,they are really lovely...
Ingredients-
- Fresh mushrooms-250 gms
- Fresh garlic cloves (crushed)-6-7
- Vinegar-2 tbsp
- Ajwain-1/4 tsp
- Turmeric-1/4 tsp
- Chickpea flour(besan)-1/2 cup
- Refined oil for deep frying
- Salt and red chilli powder to taste.
Method
- Wash and cut mushrooms into bite size pieces.
- Combine besan with all the other ingredients and add just enough water to make a thick batter consistency.
- In a large bowl combine mushrooms with the batter and adjust salt, mix well to ensure each piece is coated.
- Heat oil for deep frying, drop in the mushroom pieces into hot oil, fry till golden and crisp.
- Drain on kitchen towels
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup.Super party food!

21:52
Mango-ginger pickle
» ‎ Spice-Club

This picture is sitting in my draft for more than two years, almost forgotten until I saw some fresh mango ginger in my grocery store. This pickle is excellent and store well in fridge for up to 3...

This is the summary of my post. Visit my blog for the rest..

20:21
Almost Spring
» ‎ Sreelu's Tasty Travels

Busy day today feel worn out, wish I knew the art of saying NO sigh !!
Few Daisies from my backyard , enjoy !!!

19:50
Broccoli Koottu Recipe
» ‎ For The Cook In Me

TH and I both love Broccoli. I have no clue why its shown as the vegetable of nightmares in cartoons and comics and what not. Maybe because we didn't grow up on it.

I also love the fact that it cooks super fast. Usually, I make a stir fry with mushrooms and broccoli, or add it to noodles or even pulao.

Last week I was on the phone with amma and she mentioned how her bedhamma (amma's amma) makes a koottu with cauliflower stems. Usually we discard the thick stems but since theirs was a joint family and a big household, they would save up all the stems and make a koottu with just that later on. What a lovely idea!

My mom makes koottu with moong dal that's been roasted a golden brown. In fact, she recommends that I roast moong dal as soon as I buy it and store it that way so that no bugs or ants enter the jar and it lasts forever.

I decided to take the lone broccoli I had in the fridge and make a koottu with it, stem and all. Easy decision there.

Here's how.

Broccoli Koottu Recipe

What I Used:

1 broccoli
1/4 cup dry-roasted moong dal / cherupayar
1/4 cup grated coconut or to taste
1/4 cup shallots
3 green chillies
1/2 tsp jeera / jeerakam
A pinch of turmeric powder

To temper:

2 tsp oil (I used coconut oil)
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
4 shallots, chopped
A few curry leaves

How I Made It:

1. Cut the broccoli florets out first. Peel off the thick skin on the stem and chop the rest into small pieces. Wash and set aside.

2. Grind the coconut coarsely with the shallots, jeera, green chillies and turmeric. Don't add any water to it.

3. Heat oil for tempering and add the rest of the ingredients. Once the mustard seeds pop and the shallots turn transparent, add the ground coconut and fry for a minute. To this, add the moong dal, 1/2 cup water and cook closed on a low fire for 10-12 mins.

4. Check the moong dal to see if its soft and add the broccoli with some salt. Cook on an open fire until the broccoli is soft. We like it semi-soft so I cooked it for lesser time. Adjust according to your liking.

Serve warm with rice and some curry.

17:25
A tomato question and a Giveaway
» ‎ Daily Musings

If bar stools are your thing, look no further, click on the link and you will be in bar stool heaven. I was contacted by CSN stores which comprises the above mentioned online store and 200 others to...

15:25
What's Your Tradition?
» ‎ when my soup came alive

This is something that has been on my mind for a while but reading Indo's and Sandeepa's latest posts, I decided it's time I did some musing too, though my post is not directly related to theirs.

As bloggers, and those who write mostly about food, there's a lot we write about 'the tradition in my family'. We romanticise (me included) how our mothers and grandmothers made this or that, how a recipe is traditional, peculiar to our homes, or twisted (you know what I mean - with a twist in it), etcetera etcetera. In my case, it's not only the loss of these treats that makes me nostalgic, it's also that I sometimes cannot bear to face what I've cooked myself that makes me miss them, the people and the dishes, all the more.

I would even go so far as to say that I really don't know much about my community's special culinary tradition, if it has one, or that in the home I grew up, we just didn't discuss food much (unless it was to tell me to eat less of it). It was there, it was tasty and varied enough to make us look forward to it and we ate it. Of course, if there was some new-fangled dish, like cauliflower pickle, it would be discussed and perhaps forgotten promptly, I really don't know.

My mother works, and so doesn't have any time to spend in the kitchen unless the cook takes a day off. My grandmother cooked for us as long as she could, and then a cook took over. Excited about a new cook, who came from a canteen, we asked him to make something special, and he was handed the vanilla essence when he asked for something that sounded like essence. We had chilli chicken flavoured with vanilla essence that day.

None of the women on either side of my family were taught to cook. It was always 'Study, study, knowledge and career aren't as easily achieved as cooking'. In fact, an aunt says she would often wish her mother had taught her how to cook - when she migrated to a new country, she found herself at a loss, not knowing what to make or how to make it. Perhaps my grandmothers' unfulfilled dreams for their own lives made them decide their children shouldn't end up just cooking and planning meals day after day. Some of my aunts are great cooks but I think it was their own interest and circumstances that helped, but no one, not even my great-grandmothers, as far as I know, said anything about it.

It's a life skill, of course, but to women who were immersed in housekeeping, probably not one of great consequence. One of my great grandmothers, who passed away just 12 years ago, would always ask me if I'd got a raise, but never a traditional question. At the most, she would tell me to spend well and eat well, but that's it. And some of the aunts were so uninvolved with food that after a hard day's work, they would heat up cold rice, mix it with salt and chilli powder and make a meal of it.

I don't know what I'm trying to achieve through this post, probably trying to say how 'traditional' isn't always traditional. And that perhaps, 'no tradition' is a tradition all its own. I'm no authority on anything but it is generally agreed that the 'masala box' is quintessentially Indian. But in fact, we never had one at home. I do, but not my parents. Even if they do, it's probably tucked away somewhere in the storeroom. My grandmother, and the cook after her, mix up the mustard, cumin and the urad dal in a jar and just throw in a bit of it when they need to temper something. The cardamom and cloves are in the storeroom as they aren't used as much as the other spices, and the salt, turmeric and chilli powder are in their own containers. So strange, and novel, was the discovery of a masala box to me - everything in one place, in plastic, steel and even Tupperware (not that I possess the very latter).

Then there's the spice level. Just as Sandeepa gets "Rosshogulla" each time she tells someone she's a Bengali, I get "Oh, spy-sssee! (spicy)" or "I love the avakai pickle you guys make!" I have to confess we are a great avakai family, with vats of it being made every year for our own consumption as well as that of aunts and uncles living overseas, but the funny thing is, we don't call it avakai. We just call it 'mamidikaya pachchadi', avakai coming from the mustard powder that goes into the pickle.

And I don't ever remember eating food so spyzee (spicy) that it would have you burn and bleed over the toilet the next day - that was more or less the odd case, it's not as if we Telugus uniformly make that kind of spicy food. And I hate it when 'Andhra restaurants' paint their food in red (chilli powder) just so that they can keep up with the popular image of the mouthwatering, and yes, eyes-watering food the State is supposed to produce!

Am I giving you the idea of a very practical, even boring, family kitchen? Practical, maybe, but not boring. The cooks themselves (grannies) did not go into raptures over this recipe or that, they must have had enough for a lifetime, or perhaps believed in the 'eat-to-live' principle. (Two generations later, younger now than they were then, and on a bad day, I feel the same way.) But parties always saw cocktail sausages and French fries on toothpicks, pressure cooker caramel custard; festivals saw the traditional pulihora and payasam. And to me tradition and habit were as much those as rice and curd and pickle as well as ootappam with tomato ketchup, milk without sugar, and tiffin with anything but coconut chutney.

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13:29
Rosewater and Raspberry Macarons
» ‎ What's For Lunch Honey?

A few days ago I was reading an article on The Wall Street Journal about macarons going mainstream. It seems that what once was reserved to indulge in at high-class French patisseries, macarons are becoming so popular that in France one can buy them at a popular American burger joint!...

[Read the rest of this post on my website]

13:19
Life’s about to get dangerous.
» ‎ jugalbandi

One of our neighbours had an estate sale and we dropped in to check out some tools. Couldn't pass up the brand new Cuisinart Ice Cream maker for $5. Yes, five.

10:32
Red Bell Pepper Rasam
» ‎ Talimpu

Butta Pachi Mirapakaya Rasam. Red bell pepper rasam or red capsicum rasam is a colorful and healthy rasam made with red bell pepper. Bell pepper is either cooked or roasted until soft. It is then pureed and added to the tempered oil along with freshly ground spice powder. Let the bell pepper rasam come to a [...]

10:32
Red Bell Pepper Rasam
» ‎ Talimpu

Butta Pachi Mirapakaya Rasam. Red bell pepper rasam or red capsicum rasam is a colorful and healthy rasam made with red bell pepper. Bell pepper is either cooked or roasted until soft. It is then pureed and added to the tempered oil along with freshly ground spice powder. Let the bell pepper rasam come to a [...]

10:04
Parathas with leftover Potato Peas Kurma ~ Quick dish for kids!
» ‎ Spice your Life

There are days when one feels there should be more hours for a day. The only pushing thought to make you accept that you can't sleep anymore, would be the child who has the early school. Try you may to escape this vicious circle, but you simply can't. The work looks very appealing at night and you are with so many ideas. Yet you keep an eye on the clock which is always tickling away. The moment you hit the pillow you are lost!

The next moment that comes to senses is the time well past the time for you to make something decent. The past few days have been like this. After many months of procrastination, I finally decided the pending work needs to be attended. Gosh work on the code and you never know where the time disappears. Recently I was working on implementing those fancy social network buttons on the blog, it took forever to do that. Anyway I love the result.

So when I overslept one of these days, I was so upset I hadn't planned for Konda's breakfast or lunch. I remembered the Potato Peas Kurma that was in the fridge and remember Aloo Peas Tikkis, yes when I had made these for burger, I had made them into parathas for Konda's lunch. Knowing how well she liked that, even said she didn't feel the peas in her parathas, I was tempted to make them again.

This time it was with the leftover sabji/kurma, which gave an altogether different and lovely taste.

The way I did with regular stuffing was, pressure cook potatoes and peas. mash them well together, sauté onions, little bit of green chili and salt to taste.

Blend this mix into the flour well and knead into a dough and make parathas.

The way I made these parathas with leftover Kurma was,
micro the kurma for 1 -2 mins.
skin the potatoes if they are left on.
remove the tomato skin or other things that your kid may not eat.
grate the potatoes and peas into the flour.
Add salt and bit of spice if you feel the need.
Add ghee and knead to a soft dough.
Heat a tawa and after rolling out, press with a small disc over the rolled paratha to get a small disc. Kids love to be given these small chapatis.

Serve with table butter or curds/yogurt.

I sent these to Konda's lunch and served as breakfast to the rest. It was really so enjoyable. I increased the spice when served to the adults.

Sending this to Suma who is hosting JFI : Breakfast, an event started by Indira

9:16
Egg Fry
» ‎ Sreelu's Tasty Travels

Egg Fry

Now that I have started to cook eggs at home, I seem to be on a roll , first it was curried egg wrap and now this. Seriously realized eggs are so versatile and easy to cook, they pretty much gel with any spices, which is why it makes it fun to cook.

Ingredients
6 hard boiled eggs, shelled
1 large onion

For seasoning

2-3 green chilies
1/2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp garam masala ( or choice of other spices like whole spice,curry powder)
1 tbsp cumin powder (optional)
1 tbsp paprika/red chili powder
few sprigs of curry leaves
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp tumeric (haldi for color, optional )
salt according to taste
2-3 tbsp oil

coriander for garnish

Process
1. Deshell boiled eggs and slit them gently, this helps eggs absorb the flavor.
2. Heat a pan add oil , when hot add all the dry seasoning ingredients, chilies, ginger and curry leaves.
3 Saute for few seconds and add onions and fry till they turn translucent add salt and mix well.
4. Now add eggs and toss the eggs till they are well coated and covered.
5. Allow it cook on low flame for about 4-5 minutes .
6. Check for salt and adjust accordingly and remove from heat.

I think these can be eaten as a whole meal or serve with your choice of carbs .

8:19
Black Bean Pumpkin Soup
» ‎ One Hot Stove

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

8:00
Sprouted bean salad
» ‎ Akshayapaatram

Dear foodies, Close on the heels of the sweet & savory chickpea and sweet potato salad, I have another salad recipe for you. This one uses a different set of beans and fresh veggies in it. I've been trying to add more protein in my diet. For a vegetarian, beans and legumes are an excellent source of protein, apart from soy and dairy products. Instead of using canned beans - which are more...

[[This is the summary of the post. Visit my blog for rest of the story, images and more.]]

7:33
The week that was: Good Food Ideas - 1
» ‎ Saffron Trail
I'm starting this new series on good food ideas from the week that was. The idea behind this being, it's tough to capture good pictures and write about every good meal, but this way, I can store away the ideas for later. This will also include links to some of the recipes tried from other food bloggers.

It's a bit late in the week this time, but should get down to posting it on Mondays, now on.
- Cooker vegetable pulao with MTR Pulao Masala and tadka-wala raita
- Rajma Roll ups - Cooked Rajma sauted with onions and tomatoes, salt and chilli powder, rolled up into thick rotis - a perfect TV dinner to curl up and watch American Idol
- Pepper roti from Simply Trini Cooking recommended by Cynthia of Tastes like Home, with some modifications but tasted fab nevertheless. Our friend visiting us over the weekend loved it - it is one of the perfect eats to go along with a chilled beer in the summer evenings.
- Made Bisi Bele Baath after a long time. I've been following this recipe I found from this blog for about 3 years now - made it innumerable times - a perfect one pot dish - try it if you haven't yet, with this recipe, you can't go wrong.
- Have made Talimpu inspired Cabbage thuvaiyal some three times already - it featured once again on this week's menu. My aunt and uncle who got a first taste of it couldn't even figure that there was cabbage in this chutney - so this one goes for all you cabbage haters! I made it by roasting red chillies and udad dal, sauteeing the cabbage till soft and grinding it with some soaked tamarind, coconut and salt - with the mandatory tadka of curry leaves, mustard seeds and udad dal on the top- quick to make and perfect with rice.
(c) Nandita Iyer 2008

7:21
Rogan Josh
» ‎ Served with love

It all started when we had a friend over for dinner. Who is a big foodie. And who I, obviously, wanted to impress.

"Food smells good. So what's for dinner?"

"Rogan Josh", I say, with just that touch of airiness.

For unlike things like mutton kadhai, rogan josh has that very nice sound to it. Just say it 'Rogan Josh’. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

"Hmmm, it tastes very delicious", he says. "Hate to burst your bubble though, but this is not authentic rogan josh."

I stare at him, murder in my eyes.

"Rogan Josh", he continues, "does not have any onion or garlic or tomatoes, for that matter."

"Really? I can pull out the recipe and prove that this is rogan josh", I claim. "And how", I continue, with a touch of scorn, "Can you be so sure of what rogan josh contains?"

"Because a good friend in college was a Kashmiri Pandit. I have eaten at his place a dozen times. I do know what I am talking about, Kashmiri Pandits don't eat onions or garlic."

I was then convinced that he had a point. And that set me off on a quest for the recipe of the 'authentic' rogan josh. (Of course, my friend was of no help in sourcing the recipe from his friend's mom. He had lost touch with him years ago).

Thank God, they invented google! With help from here and here, this is my version of rogan josh.

And while I am not laying claim to any authenticity, all I can say is when that same friend came over again, he thought that (finally) I had got it right!

Rogan josh has a very flavourful gravy with a very subtle taste from the use of various dry spices. If you are a vegetarian, use baby eggplants in place of the meat; the cooking time for the eggplant will be considerably less.

Ingredients:

Goat meat/Lamb: 750 gms

Asafoetida: 1.5 tsps
Dry spice powders - Dried ginger powder, fennel seed powder, coriander seed powder: 1 tbsp each
Kashmiri red chilli powder: 2 tsps
Grated ginger: 1 tsp

Whole garam masala:
Cinnamon: a 2" piece
Cloves: 8 nos
Black cardamom: 4 nos
Green cardamom: 3 nos
Black peppercorns: 6

Yogurt: 3/4 cup (the yogurt has to be at room temperature)
Ghee: 4 tbsps
Salt: to taste

Saffron: 1 pinch, soaked in a tbsp of rosewater
Method:

Heat ghee and add the whole garam masala, saute for 30 seconds. Add 3/4 tsp of asafoetida and saute another 30 seconds.

Add 1 tsp of red chilli powder and immediately add the meat, stirring till the pieces are evenly browned on all sides. The meat will leave water, keep stirring till all the water has dried up. This will take about 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk all the dry spice powders into the yogurt and add this to the lamb after the water has dried up. Stir till the yogurt has dried up and the masala coats the meat.

Add 2 cups of warm water, the grated ginger, the remaining asafoetida and the salt. Cover and cook on a very low flame till the meat is tender.

Remember we used only half the red chilli powder? Once the meat is cooked, add in the remaining red chilli powder, increase the heat and bring to a rapid boil. Your gravy will now look a fiery red with a thin film of oil on top.

Stir in the saffron soaked rosewater, cover and let the curry rest for a couple of hours so that all the flavours get infused into the meat.
Notes:
Resist all temptation to cook it in a pressure cook. The flavours come out best when the meat is cooked over low heat. In fact, I transfer mine to a slow cooker when I add the water and cook it for about 5 hrs. Seriously, I do.
Rogan josh has a deep red colour that it gets from the use of ratanjot, a herb grown in Kashmir. If you manage to get some, add a tsp after the meat has cooked along with the remaining chilli powder.

I normally leave the cooked meat overnight in the fridge, I think it tastes better the next day. It also helps in another way - in the fridge, the ghee solidifies. Scoop that out with a spoon before heating.

Forget the rotis and the parathas, rogan josh is best had with plain white rice.

6:46
PESARATTU/ MOONG DHAL DOSA
» ‎ Gita's Kitchen

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I am always on the lookout for healthy breakfast ideas other than our regular weekdays oatmeal breakfast. On weekends, we have an elaborate breakfast like pongal, adais, and recently I started preparing pesarattu after seeing this is in many blogs. This is such a healthy breakfast and quick to prepare. When making adais, my grandma usually sautés some onions and then adds it to the adai batter. I did the same with the pesarattu batter. This version was really good. It smelled like onion dosas and the taste was just awesome. This time we had these with sambar and tomato thokku.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Green moong dhal/mung beans 1 cup.

2. Brown rice, a handful.

3. Ginger, a small piece.

4. Green chilies, 1-2.

5. Salt as per taste.

6. Cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon.

7. Small onions, 2.

PREPARATION:

Wash the rice and dhal and soak it for 3-4 hours. Grind it to a smooth batter along with ginger, green chilies, and salt. Meanwhile dice the onions very finely. Heat a small pan with some oil. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter. Then add the onions and sauté for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent. Add this mixture to the batter and mix well. To prepare the dosas, heat a flat cast iron pan or nonstick pan. Rub some oil on surface with a cloth or paper towel. When the surface of the pan is hot, take some batter in a ladle and pour it on the pan, and immediately spread it evenly with the help of a ladle. Add a little bit of oil on the corners if needed. After 1-2 minutes, flip the dosas to the other side and let it cook for another minute. Repeat the same with the reminder of the batter and serve hot pesarattu with any chutneys of choice.
Gita's Kitchen

1:25
Ugadi Special Dishes!
» ‎ Cooking 4 all Seasons

As a kid I fondly remember looking forward to Ugadi every year. It was one festival when Amma would make Poli and she used to make so much to distribute to the entire neighborhood. It took us quite some time to convince her to make the Sweet Polis on other days too.
After marriage, I was elated to know that Athamma has the custom of making Poli for all festivals. It is only natural that I embrace this habit wholeheartedly!
This year Ugadi falls on March 16th 2010 and is the most important festival celebrated in Andhra Pradesh.
I thought I would list out the dishes that we normally make at home for Ugadi.

Yugadi (Kannada: ಯುಗಾದಿ, Telugu: ఉగాది) from yuga + aadi, yuga means era, aadi means start. The start of an era) is the new year's day for the people of the Deccan region of India. While the people of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh use the term Yugadi/Ugadhi for this festival, the people of Maharashtra term the same festival, observed on the same day, Gudi Padwa. Sindhis, people from Sindh, celebrate the same day as their New Year day Cheti Chand.[1]- source Wiki

Check our festival lunch from last year!

The special Festival lunch would almost be same every year with few alterations and additions.

At my Mom's place we make the following

Pachimirapakaya Pappu ~ Dal with Green Chilli

Ugadi Pachadi,
Poli,

Masala Vada/ Meddu Vada
Onion Pakodas/ Vazhakai Bajji ~ Plaintain or Banana fritters

Semiya Payasam

While the special dishes at my in laws would always be

Chitrannam
Brinjal Potato Curry,

Poli,

We also make Onion Baji or other deep fried specials.

This year I am discussing with them on what to make new. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy reading these and would find this collection useful.

March 09, 2010
21:47
Chocolate Chip Cookies
» ‎ Finger Licking Food

Chocolate Chip Cookies

19:43
Grilled Spinach Salmon
» ‎ Aayi's Recipes

Finally we have started using salmon regularly. I have been cooking it with slight modifications every time. We love grilled salmon with different spices. This is one such recipe I tried recently. It tasted great. Ingredients: 18oz salmon fillet Olive oil Spinach paste (Make a paste of following) - 3/4 cup chopped spinach 1 tea spn ginger 1 tea spn garlic 4 green [...]

19:39
Tofu, Sesame, Spinach, Miso: A recipe for a great combination
» ‎ A Life (Time) of Cooking

Once upon a time, eons ago, in the days when I lived in Sydney and my daughter was not far away, I cooked a dinner of immense simplicity and extraordinary flavours. It was a celebration dinner, being admitted to the (in legal terms) bar is no small thing, and my daughter had celebrated long into [...]

19:13
Masala Vada
» ‎ Mahanandi

Vada’s exquisite flavor and deep aroma brought to perfection over the centuries, evoke and accentuate the subtlest nuances of taste. Its warm appeal have long been celebrated in a cuisine which demands that the eye as well as the palate find satisfaction. Its gritty, yielding texture has been prized for being addictive in nature and [...]

17:13
Tala hua Gosht~III
» ‎ Zaiqa

I really love to discuss food; and also to host food events on my blog despite the effort it demands. Often it happens that with changing scenes of life, we tend to disremember and think no more of our most innate and deeply connected basic memories. And when by some means that old faded memory rejuvenates, you [...]

17:01
brownie heaven
» ‎ Lulu Loves Bombay

to celebrate the fifth anniversary of a co-worker last week, we brought in a box of "justchocolate" brownies from the sleight of hand confectionary located at fort, right opposite cathedral middle school.

these are not brownies that you gobble up in a minute but ones that you can savour all afternoon, preferably with a cup of earl grey tea. each square is packed with so much chocolate goodness and is so soft and delicate that every tiny bite is immensely satisfying. absoultely pure.

the bakery offers a delectable range of brownies from lemoncurd to peanutbutterchocolatecrunch to cappucinowhiff.

drooling? treat yourself. or better stiil, make someone you love to bits feel totally out of this world. send them a box of sleight of hand brownies. courier service delivery to anywhere in india is possible. just call 022-2209 1445.

15:04
Summer Is Here
» ‎ Anna Parabrahma

Ideas for light cooking and refreshing food.

Roasted vegetable and broken wheat salad
(Roasted onion, tomato, broccoli, lettuce in 2 teaspoons olive oil. Pressure cooked broken wheat. Mixed it with the roasted vegetables. Added some grapes for fresh sweet. Balanced the salt.)

Bhel, Black eyed bean vadas and Fruit Salad

All and sundry celebrated Women's day. Today a colleague asked us ladies what was our reaction to the Women's reservation bill. To which all 3 of us felt it was irrelevant in today's age. This should have been passed 10 yrs ago.
This was a conversation between "Hum Tum" on the occasion of Women's day
Tum: "All Women attention seekers." etc. etc. go the complaintsHum: "Say what you like. I only love you more for all your stupidity."The Narrator: When you realize the value of a women's love, she would have gone and you would be an old haggard and full of regrets.
As for me I don't need a women's day. I celebrate womanhood everyday.
Well summer is here and the beauty is in the heat and that of winter it's cold, then we should not ask for it to be the other way round. Enjoy the Sunshine ladies!All material on this blog is Copyright © 2006, 2007 to Anna Parabrahma

13:30
Notun Alor Dum and Doi Maach
» ‎ Daily Musings

Every day for the first 18 years of my life (barring maybe the first two) I grew up singing a Bengali hymn. As a child in India I had a better understanding of alien cultures than the unique parts...
13:30
Notun Alor Dum and Doi Maach
» ‎ Daily Musings

Every day for the first 18 years of my life (barring maybe the first two) I grew up singing a Bengali hymn. As a child in India I had a better understanding of alien cultures than the unique parts...

10:20
Sweet Potato Coconut Curry
» ‎ Talimpu

Chilakada Dumpa Kobbari Koru Koora. Sweet potato and coconut is a simple and fresh curry with a sweet tone. Sweet potato is peeled and either grated or finely chopped. Grated sweet potato is cooked in tempered oil till soft. It is then finished with grated fresh coconut and roasted peanuts. Serve this as a accompaniment [...]

10:20
Sweet Potato Coconut Curry
» ‎ Talimpu

Chilakada Dumpa Kobbari Koru Koora. Sweet potato and coconut is a simple and fresh curry with a sweet tone. Sweet potato is peeled and either grated or finely chopped. Grated sweet potato is cooked in tempered oil till soft. It is then finished with grated fresh coconut and roasted peanuts. Serve this as a accompaniment [...]

9:02
Trashy Tuesdays
» ‎ jugalbandi

What ??
9:02
Trashy Tuesdays
» ‎ jugalbandi

What ??

8:12
Venthiyakeerai/Methi/Fenugreek Sadam/Rice
» ‎ S A R A' S C O R N E R

This weekend has been Venthiyakeerai week for me, picked fresh leaves when visited Little India. Dishes I made was almost with Venthiyakeerai/Methi/Fenugreek leaves like Chapathi, Veg. Pulav and Simple Rice was quite healthy. This recipe is from my Mom who makes it so tasty. When I use to work before marraige this recipe was mostly prepared for my lunch box since I love mixed/colour rice. Hope

7:57
Yummilicious Cinnamon Toast (An awesome treat for a lunch box)
» ‎ Food-n-More

Call it Cinnamon Toast, French Toast , Eggy Bread or anything else it is just as delicious and you cannot just stop at one. At least I can't. I have loved this bread snack since I was about 9 or 10 and now that my son loves it just as much I am glad to make it for the two of us (or sometimes even for hubby if we leave any for him) on a Sunday morning or sometimes as a lunch box treat.

It's the easiest thing to make, almost embarrassingly easy actually to blog about but I love it so much that it has to have a place on my blog. You can make it as simple or as rich as you like. And make it with plain bread or a speciality bread, the choice is yours.

This time I used Brioche instead of plain ordinary white bread. Brioche is a sweet buttery french bread that tastes awesome even when eaten all by itself with a strong cup of coffee or it is one of the best bases for something like this Cinnamon toast or a rich Brioche Butter Pudding. It's available easily in the bakery section in the form of a loaf or there are packs of 6 small brioche loaves.

I used a combination of Cinnamon and Vanilla in my toast which went beautifully together, but to give it an Indian touch you could use Cardammom or Nutmeg powder and a bit of Saffron essence. These spices taste great too. My mom used to make it with Cardammom.

What you need:
6 thick slices of Brioche
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup milk
4 to 5 tspns sugar
1/2 tspn cinnammon powder,
1 tblspn vanilla essence
Some sugar to sprinkle on top
Butter or oil for lightly frring the toast

Method:
Mix together the milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and pour this mixture out into a shallow dish . This makes it easy to dip the bread slices into the batter and soak the mixture.
Heat a frying pan or a skillet or tawa and coat it generously with butter or oil.
When the pan is hot, dip a slice of bread on both sides into the egg milk mixture and put it on the pan. The pan should be hot enough so that there is a sizzling sound . Lower the heat to medium after a minute so that the bread cooks to a beautiful golden colour without burning.
Turn the toast over to the other side and cook this side until golden and crisp as well.
Do all the slices in the same way.
While each toast is still hot sprinkle sugar on it.

That's it . Your Crispy Golden Cinnamon Toast is ready for you to enjoy.

6:12
Masala Puri Chaat
» ‎ Sailus Food

Masala Puri ~ Ragda Puri
Chaat is the most fascinating culinary concoctions prepared in the street corners or gallis of every city/town of our country. Isn’t the smell of street food enticing? Isn’t it exciting to watch the street food vendor swiftly assemble a plate of Chaat with all its colorful assortment of spices and chutneys? Just one mouthful is enough to relish the contrasting flavors with gusto. Its probably the best snack one has devoured, leaving with an after taste that is hard to forget.
Masala Puri Ingredients
Each region has its version of Masala Puri aka Ragda Puri. A Chaat special that has curried peas aka ragda as a topping over crushed puris, a smothering of meeta chutney and green chutney and finished off with sev. A popular quick eat that is lip smacking delicious!
Ragda Recipe
Soaking: 8 hrs Prep & Cooking: 40 mts
Serves 4-5 persons
.
Ingredients:
250 gms green or white peas, soak in water overnight and pressure cook till soft
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
3-4 green chillis, slit length wise
1 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
garam masala pwd (2 cloves, 1/2″ cinnamon, 1 cardamom)
1 tbsp tamarind paste
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
salt to taste
1/2 tbsp ghee
1 Heat oil in a vessel, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add green chillis and grated ginger and saute for 4-5 seconds. Immediately add the asafoetida, followed by the onion. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 mts.
2 Add the spice pwds (except garam masala pwd) and salt. Combine well. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft.
3 Add the boiled peas (keep aside 3 tbsps of boiled channa and mash them). Add a cup of water and cook on high heat for another 3-4 mts. Reduce flame and cook on simmer for another 7-8 mts. Add the mashed channa and combine. Add the tamarind paste, combine and cook for another 3-4 mts.
4 While the ragda is simmering add garam masala pwd. The gravy will begin to thicken. Adjust the salt. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
5 Serve hot with bhatura or rotis or proceed to prepare Ragda patties or Masala Puri.
Puri
Puri/Puchka Recipe
Prep: 10 mts, Sitting time: 30, Cooking time: 20-30 mts
Serves 8-10 persons
Cuisine: Indian
Source: Recipe files
.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup maida/all-purpose flour
1/2 cup urad dal flour
1 1/2 cups ravva/semolina/sooji
little less than 1/4 cup atta/whole wheat flour (those who are allergic to wheat can omit)
1 tbsp oil or ghee
salt to taste
water for kneading
oil for deep frying
1 Combine all the mentioned ingredients (except oil for deep frying), adding water slowly and make a dough. Leave aside covered with damp cloth for 30 mts.
2 Knead the dough again. Pinch off some dough and make very small balls. Roll out small thin rotis, using the rim of a container to cut out the round shape.
3 Heat enough oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel. It should be on medium high and once its hot, slide the roti into the hot oil and using the back of the ladle, press in the center and along the edges and you will find it will puff. Flip over and fry the other side till light golden brown. Don’t fry too much as it will turns too dark. Remove on to absorbent paper.
4 Cool and store in an air tight container and use when required.
Note: Ensure the oil is hot enough before frying the puri. If the oil is not hot enough, the roti will absorb a lot of oil. In case you do not have urad dal flour, replace it with 1/2 cup of maida. If made ahead of time, lightly warm in oven for 3-4 mts before serving. Instead of water, you can use soda water (fizz) to make the dough. Ensure to roll out very think puris. And use very fine sooji.
Masala Poori Chaat
How to make Masala Puri Chat:
Take a wide serving plate. Crush some puris or papdi and prepare the first layer, next layer with mashed potato. Over that spoon the warm ragda along with enough gravy. Sprinkle chopped onion and tomato. Spoon some green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney. Spoon sweetened curd/dahi (purely optional). Finally finish off with coriander leaves, a pinch of saunf pwd (optional) and sev. Serve immediately. Best savored when ragda is warm.
Green (Hari) Chutney Recipe
Sweet (Meeta) Chutney Recipe
Sev Recipe
addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sailusfood.com%2F2010%2F03%2F09%2Fmasala-puri-chaat%2F'; addthis_title = 'Masala+Puri+Chaat'; addthis_pub = 'sailajag';

5:03
Paneer Maker
» ‎ thecookscottage

The Cook's Cottage now ships some typically Indian utensils to desperately seeking cooks around the world. Paneer maker available at the best price.

Food, cooking and recipes in India.From the heart of the Deccan.[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

3:36
Palang Shaak er Ghonto -- spinach 'n' veggies
» ‎ Bong Mom's CookBook

Bengali Cuisine is very subtle, understated and not really very popular outside Bengal. Most Indians outside of Bengal think Bengali food is all about fish and sweets. The moment you are introduced as a Bengali to any one who is not, they will tell you "Oh, we love Bengali sweets" and they will wax about "how much they like Roshugulla" with what they think is a Bengali accent but is so not.I am

0:41
Mutton Chukka (Tamil Style Mutton Dry Fry)
» ‎ Live to Eat

I haven’t posted any Tamil recipes in a while, not because Siv is not cooking anymore, but because he has a tendency to stick with a few tried and tested recipes whenever he does. I think I have posted all the dishes that he regularly makes. Today when he said he wanted to cook goat, I asked him to cook something new aka a bloggable dish, as I’ve been having a creative block lately. So he immediately made a call to his mom, asking for ideas and she gave him ...

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March 08, 2010
23:58
Diet Program ~ Weekly updates
» ‎ Spice your Life

I know I haven't updated for the entire week last. Except couple of times that I cheated, I tried following the regime.

Breakfast is mostly soup with bread slices
Lunch mostly phulkas with dal/sambar with vegetables.
Two times buttermilk and lemon juice when I can squeeze which was about two times in a week. This is bad I know.
Evening 1 fruit either Apple/ 1 big bowl of pomegranate
by 7.30 pm - legume salad
by 8.30 pm- bread slices

Twice in the last week I eat Banana for breakfast.
Twice I had paneer for protein.
Once I made Goduma Dosa and another time Sadda Roti which was very filling.
I even had a chapati for dinner last night.

Of course I cheated on the weekend as I was not able to manage otherwise.

Athamma made a new soup with Jowar, which was excellent and very filling. Will make it again and post it.

I guess overall I have managed to control my calorie count. Will have to increase my exercise factor.

Sorry I haven't been able to check on everybody who have got on this diet, do share how your diet program is going on?

22:57
Atukula Pulihara - Poha Pulihara
» ‎ Sreelu's Tasty Travels

Yesterday was my grandmother's 80th birthday and recipe for today is her speciality. She would make this every year for Sri Rama Navami celebration at our local temple as offering. Yesterday made the same and offered it to my local temple. This makes an excellent dish when you have to feed a crowd and tastes even better next day.

Poha
Ingredients
2 cups poha ( Makes for about 1/2 tray, I use the thick variety)
about 2-3 cups of tamarind juice ( must be of consistency like tea or coffee)
salt according to taste
sugar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp haldi
2 large onions cubed
For seasoning
8-10 green chilies
2tbsp jeera
2 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp urad dal
2 tbsp channa dal
1/2 tbsp fenugreek seeds
a pinch of astefodia/hing
few springs of curry leaves
1 cup of peanuts/cashew nuts
1/2 cup oil ( seriously its not to much, you don't get the flavor without it)

Process
1. In a large vessel big enough to hold 2 cups of poha , add tamarind juice, salt and sugar, make sure poha is well moistened not too much covered, too much tamarind juice will make poha soggy.
2. Allow it to soak tamarind juice at least for about 2hrs, check in between and make sure it mix it to avoid getting it lumpy and sticky.

Poha after 2 hr of soaking in tamarind water mixture.
4. Now in a large pan add 1/2 cup of oil and all the ingredients for seasoning and saute well.
5. Add onions and saute till they turn golden brown.
6. Now add soaked poha and mix well till all the seasoning is well incorporated.
7. Check for salt and adjust, if required add more sugar to cut down tangyness from tamarind.
8. Allow it to cool and serve with yogurt.

Its tangy and caramelized onions add sweet flavor, end result happy stomach :)

22:03
Sheengdana aur Hari Mirch ki Chatni/ Peanut and Green Chilli chutney
» ‎ thecookscottage

Chutneys are a great way to add a new flavour to your plate without slaving away in the kitchen for hours.This one has an interesting texture and a piquant taste. Ingredients 4 heaped tablespoons...

Food, cooking and recipes in India.From the heart of the Deccan.[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

19:00
Keerai Kootu with Moong Dal
» ‎ S A R A' S C O R N E R

Keerai Kootu is a traditional recipe of Tamil Brahmin. You can use any type of greens. The Kootu which I posted before is also different from this. Ingredients Spinach/Greens - 1 bunch Paasi Paruppu/Moong Dal - 1 cup Fresh Grated Coconut - 1 cup Dry Red Chilli - 3 nos (As per your taste) Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tspn Salt For Seasoning/Tempering Oil - 1 tspn Mustard - 1/4 tspn Urad Dal - 1/2 tspn

15:57
Revisiting older posts: Vegetarian Burger Indian Style!
» ‎ Cooking 4 all Seasons
Sometime back I thought I should redo things for better. Yes many times in life we think we should get another chance. Maybe not all times we are offered this opportunity but in a food blog you can right. I decided seeing the hasty pictures and what not, I should click better pictures and post them.
This is the first of this venture. I removed the older pictures as they were such sore ones that I didn't want to see them myself!

The hearty Burgers with these another version patties will make any day more bright than what it was. I used the white sauce instead of Mayonnaise and Veg Patties instead of the usual meat. Konda loved it much and eat them through the day.

Weekend was F.U.N, you can read between lines or letters. But then I am kidding, Saturday went well and Sunday went off without a hint, meaning it was so hectic that none of us had a moment to breath! I really salute those teachers who man 40 toddlers! Imagine your plight if you got to oversee 40 smart zippy kids who are always one step ahead you and you a grown up adult left wondering how to outsmart them, no chance.

Anyway hubby dear finally what one has to do. He took them to shop and bribed them with toys. All three came back with a big bag which had a Rail Engine, Aeroplane, a smaller aeroplan, and another car. They were so occupied with it that they didn't know we went missing for 30 mins. And they even slept with it on them. Believe me they got up twice at night, to ensure their new toys were within reach. Boys I tell you..

As for a recipe for the day, I am revisiting my Burgers, hope you enjoy the pictures. I recently posted this recipe on Beyond Curries, wanted to share it with all of you.

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Vegetarian Burgers Indian Style

Ingredients:

Burger buns - 4 nos
Onions Rings - 8 slices
Tomato Rings - 5 -6
Shredded Cabbage as per taste
White Sauce - 1 cup
Cheese Slices - 4
Potato Peas Patties - 4 nos
Tomato Sauce - 3 tbsp
Red Chili flakes - 1 tsp (opt)
Method to prepare:

To make the White Sauce: Whisk 1 cup of All purpose flour along with 3 cups of milk and cook in 1 tbsp of butter till you get a smooth sauce.

To make the patties: Boil Potatoes, carrot and peas, mash it finely. Then sauté onions, ginger garlic paste along with green chili paste, cumin powder. Then add the boiled potatoes and peas. Once it is cooled, make equal balls, dip in flour that is mixed with water, then on bread crumbs. Shallow fry in on a non stick pan until crisp.
To assemble to burger.

Slice the burger bun through the middle,

Spread the inner sides with white sauce liberally.

On the lower slice, place a cheese slice, sprinkle some tomato sauce if you like.

Press one Patty firmly on it.

Then place the onion slices, Actually you can separate the rings and use less. But I like to munch on the entire slice as such!

Next goes the tomato slices, then the shredded cabbage, Sprinkle the tomato sauce again!

Finally place the top bun slice back on this and press down firmly so that they stick together!

Optionally you can sprinkle Red Chili flakes for extra kick!

I had promised to make this for my daughter for her breakfast. She was very upset as I couldn't finish on time. So she lived on burgers through the day, for lunch, evening snacks and for dinner. I only tasted a quarter piece of the tempting one so I know it was way to good!

Notes:
- White Sauce can be prepared ahead of time and stored.
- Same goes for Patties too. And you can make any vegetable into a patti. Make in batches and refrigerate it for 2 -3 days. Make it on demand for the kids.

14:29
APPLE RASAM
» ‎ Gita's Kitchen
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I had bookmarked this rasam recipe a longtime back from Viki's blog. This turned out great. This rasam was kind of soup and both sweet and sour taste. I tweaked Viki’s recipe a little bit and grated the apples and added it to the rasam. I also used very little tamarind since I had used a tart granny smith apple and this added enough sourness to the rasam. The tamarind can be entirely omitted too if needed. This is my version of Viki's apple rasam.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Green apple or any tart apples,1.
2. Tamarind, very little, a small gooseberry sized ball. (optional).
3. Rasam powder (homemade or store bought). 1 teaspoon.
4. Asafetida, 1 pinch.
5. Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon.
6. Cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon.
7. Red chilies, 2, (optional).
8. Garlic, 3 cloves.
9. Thalipu vadagam, ½ teaspoon, (optional).
10. Salt as per taste.
11. Curry leaves and chopped cilantro for garnishing.
PREPARATION:

Soak the tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes and extract thick juice from it. Grate the apples, dice the tomatoes finely, and crush the garlic coarsely. Heat a pot with a teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the cumin seeds, red chilies, and vadagam and fry for a few seconds. Now reduce the flame to low and add the diced tomatoes and crushed garlic and sauté for a few minutes until everything is well blended. Add the grated apples and let it cook for 5-10 minutes until the apples are cooked. Add 3 cups of water, salt, asafetida, and tamarind juice and let it come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add the rasam powder, curry leaves, and chopped cilantro. Mix everything just once and switch off the stove. Serve with rice and any spicy side dish.

Gita's Kitchen

14:27
Chikkudukaya/Broad beans Cabbage Curry
» ‎ Indian Cooking

This is another recipe to the simple curries. Healthy, easy and fast to make it. Now-a-days I am trying to follow Manthena Satyanarayana raju's diet. I cannot say I can follow it totally but slowly trying to reduce the usage of Oil and salt in daily consumption and finding alternatives for it. so lets see how it goes.

Note: will post pictures soon.

Ingredients
Chikkudukaya (Broad beans, tuvar)
Cabbage - 1/2
Tomato - 2 no. - optional
Oil - 3 table spoons
turmeric - 1/2 tea spoon
red chillies/green chillies/ red chilli powder - add them according to your taste buds. I added 2 hot red chillies and 4 green chillies.
Salt - 1 - 1 1/2 table spoon
Jeera - 1/2 tea spoon
chana dal - 1 table spoon (or may add more if you like crunchiness in between)

Method of preparation
Just like any other simple recipe, do the tadka by adding oil in kadai.
After it becomes heat, add jeera and then add chana dal. If you are planning on adding green/red/both chillies then add it now. fry for a minute and add Chikkudukaya and Cabbage chopped ones to it. once the vegetables are little cooked, add tomatos and salt to it. Garnish with coriander and cilantro to get nice flavor, smell and healthy. Enjoy your curry with rice or roti.

14:25
Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad
» ‎ Akshayapaatram

Dear Foodies, Spring is almost here at our doorstep and with the longer brighter days I almost forget grabbing my winter coat on the way out :D And with that, I've begun counting down to the D-day too, just a month away from today!! Its exciting but I'm also restless, since there's hardly anything I can get done from here :( A few weeks back I decided I was going to have hearty soups to tide me...

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14:19
Sorakaya/doodhi Cauliflower
» ‎ Indian Cooking

IngredientsSorakaya - 1/2 - 1 no. long (peeled and chopped)Cauliflower - 1/2 - 1 no. (seperated into small florets)Tomato - 2 no.Onion - one small Carrot - 1 small - optional ( I grated it but you can choose your own style)Red chilli powder/Red chillies - according to your tasteturmeric - 1/2 tea spoonOil - 3-4 table spoonsJeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoonSalt - 1 - 2 table spoons
Method of preparation1. Take a kadai and put it on stove (switched on obviously :) ).2. Add oil to it. Once oil is heated add jeera to it and onions if desired.3. Once onions become little translucent, add sorakaya(doodhi), cauliflower and carrots. Remember not to turn excessly as cauliflowers may become mushy very easily. 4. Add turmeric and red chilli powder. and turn once.5. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, add salt and tomatos and heat it for another 2-4 minutes.6. Garnish with coriander and curry leaves and serve it with rice or roti.

11:26
Tomato – Onion Chutney (Oil Free)
» ‎ Essence Of Andhra
This is very simple chutney that can be prepared instantly and easily. It goes well with dosas, rotis, rice and also as stuffing in curries (especially with Eggplant).
Ingredients:
- 1 big Onion, diced
- 1 big Tomato, diced
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice or Tamarind Pulp (I used Lemon Juice)
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp red Chili Powder (or more/less)
- Salt
Preparation:

Add onion + tomato + cumin seeds to a pan and sauté well without adding any oil. Keep aside to cool.
When it becomes cold, grind it into a smooth paste by adding chili powder + lemon juice + salt. No need to add any excess water as tomato already contains water.
That’s all!! Enjoy this yummy and healthy chutney as desired.

11:13
A peek into my breakfast!
» ‎ Dil Se...

I wanted to post something today, but I had nothing in my drafts. So I just wanted everyone to have a peek into what I have for most of my breakfasts. Apart from the bread toasts, regular cereals and the authentic Indian breakfasts (reserved for weekends!) this humble oatmeal has been a regular one in my breakfast menu these days.

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper ~ Adelle Davis

Though the oatmeal sounds bland and tasteless, I recently discovered that there are fun ways to pep up a normal oatmeal and make it exciting.

The following is one such oatmeal I prepared for my breakfast today. The picture does not show any of the ingredients. But read ahead to see what is hidden in my yummy oatmeal!

In the mix!

Old fashioned oats - 1/2 cup (I used Quaker old fashioned oats)
Water - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/3 cup
Banana - 1/2
Flax seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Any granola - 1 tablespoon (I used Mango fruit Passion Granola from Trader Joes)
Peanut butter - 1/2 teaspoon (I used Trader Joes unsalted PB)

Directions
In a saucepan/pot, bring the milk and water together. Add the oatmeal and bring it to a boil. Simmer and add sliced or smashed banana. Stir continuously so that the oatmeal does not stick.
The oatmeal should be done in two minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the granola. At this point you can add in toppings you like. I then sprinkled some flax seeds on top.
Before you are about to enjoy the oatmeal stir in half a teaspoon of peanut butter so that it melts in the warmth of the oatmeal.

Serve warm!! Makes a great wholesome and exciting breakfast!!

I know this post might seem weird with all the strange ingredients in the oatmeal. I was skeptical in the beginning to add stuff like banana and peanut butter in my oatmeal. But now I absolutely love this breakfast!

Do try this and let me know. It has the goodness of bananas, flaxseed, oats and the protein from peanut butter!
Sending this to JFI:Breakfast hosted at Veggie Platter and started by Indira.
Looks out for more exciting ways to prepare oatmeal!!

How do you like your oatmeal??

10:20
Beetroot Curry with Moong Dal
» ‎ Talimpu

Beetroot Pesarapappu Kura. Beetroot is paired with moong dal just like carrots are. Beetroot is chopped up and cooked in tempered oil along with soaked moong dal for this curry. Moong dal can also be boiled till translucent before adding to the beetroot which accounts for a much softer version. Makes: around 2 Servings of Beetroot Curry [...]

10:20
Beetroot Curry with Moong Dal
» ‎ Talimpu

Beetroot Pesarapappu Kura. Beetroot is paired with moong dal just like carrots are. Beetroot is chopped up and cooked in tempered oil along with soaked moong dal for this curry. Moong dal can also be boiled till translucent before adding to the beetroot which accounts for a much softer version. Makes: around 2 Servings of Beetroot Curry [...]

9:36
Savoury vegetable cake
» ‎ Creative saga...

I was intending to bake a savoury version of a cake for a very long time. As I always try to make my cakes healthy and of low calories, I wanted my savoury cake to be the same so that we could have a...

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8:35
Pappa Al Pomodoro
» ‎ Tangerine's Kitchen Hangout!

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes was what we at the Book Club read this February. In my case, I found the book only last week and finished reading it only a couple of days back. So I am really really late in posting this.

The book got me hooked to Tuscany. Her writing gave me a feeling of being in person in most instances cited. The beauty of the land is beautifully described in the book making the place seem very enchanting. This book is about Mayes buying a villa in Tuscany and spending a lot on refurnishing it. Her recipes and her delicious decriptions of food are somethign I loved in the book. A friend of mine who read this following mine says it is the only book she didn't regret for reading it entirely...

As for me, just like the author I think Italian food is lovely. I know Italian food as in pasta, pizza et al.. but I have never made a soup or a Zuppa. This place has a lot of recipes to offer and I have made several of them. The Tuscan bread, rolled bell peppers, calamari salad and their rosemary buns to name few. This time I chose the Pappa Al Pomodoro Di Francesca all courtesy a bunch of tomatoes that had lost their firmness.
The recipe was followed as is on the site minus the use of bread.

The soup was creamy and thick.Since I didn't have fresh basil, i had to make do with dried ones. It was not spicy for my palate but I found my comfort in this soup. Croutons would have lent a better flavour but I don't like soggy bread in my soup!!!

Check here to see what the other book clubbers were inspired to cook inspired by the book...Subscribe to my space!

7:35
Cinamon Raisin Pecan Nuts Bread
» ‎ My Kitchen Treasures

Cinamon Raisin Pecan Nuts Bread

7:10
J.A. Henckels 17-Piece Knife Block Set for $70 Shipped
» ‎ Spicy Tasty

Amazon offer this J.A. Henckels International Fine Edge Synergy 17-Piece Knife Block Set for $70 shipped.

I’ve already posted about this knife set. It’s a great Knife block set. It has some very good reviews in amazon.

Product Description:
The J.A. Henckels International Fine Edge Synergy 17 pc Block Set features all the essential knives you need for a variety of kitchen tasks. The blades are constructed from stamped stainless steel and are hand honed for a long lasting cutting edge. The contoured santoprene handles are brushed with stainless steel for a remarkably comfortable and secure grip. Includes 2 3/4″ Paring Knife, 6″ Utility, 5 1/2″ Boning knife, 8″ Chef’s, 8″ Carver, 8″ Bread, 7″ Hollow Edge Santoku, 9″ Steel, 8 - 4 1/2″ Stamped Steak Knives, and black Storage Block. Dishwasher safe (not recommended by J.A. Henckels International) Full warranty.

Hurry before the offer ends!!

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4:35
Ragda Patties ~ Aloo Tikki Chaat
» ‎ Sailus Food

Wishing all my dear women readers and bloggers a Happy Women’s Day!Ragda Patties
Mumbai’s popular fast food snack prepared with curried dried peas aka ragda that is spooned over Aloo Patties/Cutlets along with an assortment of chutneys and garnished with onion, tomatoes, sev and fresh coriander leaves. Also known as Aloo Tikki Chaat in North India, where its prepared without ragda. A plate of ragda patties along with a glass of fresh juice or lassi makes for a filling, wholesome evening meal.
Ragda Patties Ingredients
Ragda Recipe
Soaking: 8 hrs Prep & Cooking: 45 mts
Serves 4-5 persons
.
Ingredients:
250 gms green or white peas, soak in water overnight and pressure cook till soft
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
3-4 green chillis, slit length wise
1 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
garam masala pwd (2 cloves, 1/2″ cinnamon, 1 cardamom)
1 tbsp tamarind paste (optional)
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
salt to taste
1/2 tbsp oil
1 Heat oil in a vessel, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add green chillis and grated ginger and saute for 4-5 seconds. Immediately add the asafoetida, followed by the onion. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 mts.
2 Add the spice pwds (except garam masala pwd) and salt. Combine well. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft.
3 Add the boiled peas (keep aside 3 tbsps of boiled peas and mash them). Add a cup of water and cook on high for 3-4 mts. Reduce flame and cook on simmer for 7-8 mts. Add the mashed peas and combine. Add the tamarind paste, combine and cook for 4-5 mts.
4 While the ragda is simmering, add garam masala pwd. The gravy will begin to thicken. Adjust the salt. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
5 Serve hot with bhatura or rotis or proceed to prepare Ragda patties or Masala Puri.
Ragda Pattice
How to make Ragda Patties Chat:
Aloo Tikki Recipe – Combine 2 mashed potatoes (should be cooled completely), 2 bread slices (remove sides), pinch of red chili pwd, 1 tsp green chilli-ginger paste, salt to taste. Make small patties/cutlets and shallow fry till golden brown on both sides.
Take a wide serving plate. Place two aloo tikkis, spoon some warm ragda over the tikkis. Next spoon green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney. Spoon sweetened curd/dahi (purely optional). Sprinkle some chopped onion and tomatoes. Finally finish off with sev and coriander leaves. Serve immediately. Best savored when ragda is warm.
Green (Hari) Chutney Recipe
Sweet (Meeta) Chutney Recipe
Sev Recipe
addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sailusfood.com%2F2010%2F03%2F08%2Fragda-patties-aloo-tikki-chaat%2F'; addthis_title = 'Ragda+Patties+%7E+Aloo+Tikki+Chaat'; addthis_pub = 'sailajag';

2:43
Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
» ‎ Malabar Spices...

I am just a week behind in posting!! Now that sunny weather is visiting us for this week,(please stay!!), this post seems out of place. We went to the park yesterday and the whole town seemed to be there! The swings and slides were teeming with kids as if they all crawled out of the woodwork! It was the first time after we moved that we saw so many of our neighbors. This winter everyone around

March 07, 2010
23:11
Venthayakeerai/Methi Chapathi
» ‎ S A R A' S C O R N E R

Venthayakeerai/Methi/Fenugreek leaves is very good for health. Chapathis with them tastes great. I love Venthayakeerai inspite of its slight bitterness. When I saw Yasmeen's Bitter Better health and Divya's Spinach Event made this.IngredientsWheat Flour - 2 cupsFresh / Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi) - 1-2tspns (See notes)Olive Oil - 1 tspnWaterSaltPreparation MethodIn a wide bowl, put all

21:54
Parvanam - Rice Pudding
» ‎ Sreelu's Tasty Travels

Parvanam - Rice Pudding
Annam Parvanam or Rice pudding is a special dish traditionally made during festivals or special events, I still remember when I tried to make this dish for the first time in life, i.e. when we moved to our apartment here in US about a decade ago, I seriously did not know how to cook and with instructions from mom ventured into making it. I am not sure if it’s missed instructions or tried to cook quickly on high flame, result was burnt pudding and boy the apartment had the smell for days, had to throw not just rice but the vessel I cooked in too. Nevertheless, have come long ways since then, learnt that patience pays especially with dish like this.
Ingredients
1 cup rice
2-3 cups of milk (I used 2%, using full fat will result in creamier pudding)
1-cup sugar
2-3 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter)
½ cup condensed milk (optional)
Few strands of saffron/kesar
¼ tbsp elachi/cardamom

For garnish
Raisins, cashew nuts, sliced almonds

Process
1.Soak strands saffron in about 3-4 tbsp of warm milk and allow it sit for few minutes.
2.Roast all the ingredients for garnish in a heavy bottom pan in clarified butter/ghee and keep as side.
3.In the same pan add rice and add milk, allow to cook in simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
4.After 10 minutes check for doneness, add milk if needed.
5.Now add elaichi/cardamom, sugar, condensed milk and saffron.
6.Mix until sugar is melted.
7.Add your choice of garnishes and remove from heat.
Serve hot and enjoy a soul satisfying rice pudding/parvanam.

21:10
Thai style fried rice and Nampla prik
» ‎ Daily Musings

Germany's frugality bemoaned for inhibiting euro zone growth This headline and associated news article got me thinking. While countries like the US, Greece, Spain and Portugal are were living on...

20:45
Sraavu / Shark Curry
» ‎ Simply Spicy

How about some fish and rice for lunch ? If there is a good fish curry, then there is nothing more i need with rice.When i got some fresh sraavu from market, i remembered the sraavu curry amma used to prepare. The gravy had a slight mustard flavor to it and made the taste quite unique for this fish curry. I have not seen amma add mustard seeds that is ground with other ingredients, for any other

18:00
Spiced Methi Paratha Recipe
» ‎ For The Cook In Me

I love fresh methi or fenugreek leaves for the slight bitterness they add to any dish. Methi dal is the usual favourite for TH and me. Each time I go to Little India, I scout around for a bunch. They are not very easy to find so when I do get them, I wrack my brain on what to make with it.

Methi Paratha was the outcome one such weekend. I checked out many recipes online and a couple of cookbooks have. There are two ways to make methi paratha:

1. Make a spiced stuffing like you do for aloo paratha or gobi paratha and make methi parathas the same way.
2. Chop up the leaves and add them to the atta while making the dough and make parathas as normal.

I decided to go midway between the two options.

Methi Paratha Recipe
Makes: 6 parathas

What I Used:

4 cups packed fresh methi / fenugreek leaves, cleaned and chopped fine
2 green chillies, chopped fine
1" piece ginger, grated
1/2 tsp powdered jeera / cumin seeds
1 tsp oil
Salt to taste

5 cups atta / wheat flour
Water as needed
Ghee or butter to make the parathas

How I Made It:

1. Heat the oil and add the jeera. After about 5 seconds, add the rest of the ingredients in the list up to atta. Stir until the leaves start to wilt and get lightly toasted. Don't cook it for more than 7 mins. Let this mixture cool.

2. Add the spiced methi mixture to the atta, more salt if needed and enough water to make a soft, pliable dough. Divide into 6 equal-sized balls. Roll out each and cook on a tawa or griddle until both sides are golden brown.

3. After removing from fire, pat ghee or butter on both side and keep covered to maintain softness.

Serve warm with mango pickle and curds.

17:58
Coconut Rice
» ‎ Spicy Tasty
Coconut rice is one of the easiest variety rice dish in South Indian recipes. Especially it’s an most famous lunch box dish. I love all types of variety rices like lemon rice, tamarind rice, tomato rice and coconut rice.

When we got married, my husband and I discovered that we had varied taste in food. But we found ourselves agreeing on one dish - “coconut rice”. So sentimentally it’s our favorite dish .

It is so easy to make when you are out of vegetables in your kitchen and wondering what to make for lunch/dinner today. Eat with some potato fry trust me it tastes too good.
Ingredients:
- Shredded Coconut - 1 cup
- Cooked rice : 2 cups
- Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
- Cooking oil : 1 tbsp
- Urad dal : 2 tsp
- Channa dal : 2 tbsp
- Curry leaves : 4-5
- Ginger : 1tbsp (chopped)
- Green chilies : 3- 4(chopped)
- Papad : 2 (cooked)
Method Of Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and after it sputters add urad dal and chana dal.
2. When it turns light brown add ginger, curry leaves and green chilies.
3. Fry them for a minute and then add shredded coconut.
4. Just let it sit in the heat for few minutes (2-3 minutes).
5. Then remove from heat and add the mixture into the cooked rice. Mix it well.
6. Fry the papad in oil or microwave it and crush them into pieces.
7. Mix them into them coconut rice.
8. Serve it hot with some pickle and papad.
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Post tags: Rice dishes, veggie

Tags: Rice dishes, veggie

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